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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 246: The Spark
In the underground laboratory, day and night blended together, with the rhythm of work and rest dictated solely by the biological clock. Occasionally, when one returned to the surface, they would mostly see the dim shadows of dawn and dusk. The members of the Research Team had their own private quarters located on the first underground floor, making it convenient to travel between the surface and the lab. Kenny did not restrict their movements, but the researchers seemed to have grown accustomed to life underground; even during breaks, they rarely ventured outside.
Professor Yang and An Zheng were two exceptions. The former, due to his age and status, found it increasingly difficult to endure long hours underground, so he would return to the surface living quarters after seven each day. An Zheng, on the other hand, lived in her underground quarters but often left the lab to take walks with her child on the surface.
After Shaoshan and Jiang He left, Kenny returned the little boy to An Zheng. The boy had already been injected with medication and had reacted to it. Initially, An Zheng had lost hope, but upon returning to her side, the child seemed no different from before. Kenny offered little explanation, simply stating that the child was fine and would soon enter a dormant phase like all others who had received the injection. An Zheng remained skeptical. In the following days, she used her access in the lab to conduct a comprehensive examination of the boy. The results surprised her; all values and signs aligned with what Kenny had said. The reagents and pathogens detectable within him were part of a new sequence currently used at the base, not the earlier drug that had caused his semi-zombification and aggressive behavior. Kenny intentionally concealed some details, leaving An Zheng unaware of the complexities involved; she suspected he had other plans beyond just this group of researchers.
The little boy had become much more withdrawn. He had always been quiet and shy, but now he was even more reclusive, often sitting alone in his room for an entire day with minimal food intake and very little sleep. The new sequence of reagents was non-aggressive and did not erase reason but could not escape its hibernation characteristics. An Zheng's heart ached as she looked at this increasingly unfamiliar child before her; she felt utterly powerless. Sometimes she regretted pleading with Kenny to save him; in that moment, her maternal instincts had overridden her rationality. An Zheng should have understood that what was termed "rescue" was merely another form of "harm." Rather than letting a young life face an unfamiliar and protracted despair ahead, it might have been better to end it early and return him to dust as a "human."
Now that things had come to this point, those hypothetical thoughts were meaningless. Fortunately, An Zheng was not merely a woman consumed by sorrow and resentment. First and foremost, she was an outstanding researcher; secondly, she held multiple identities with access to crucial information. During those months from Ancient City to Gobi Desert, hardships led her to temporarily abandon her research on antibody vaccines. However, now faced with this building shrouded in future terror and a child about to enter deep sleep, she picked up her long-abandoned original intention once more with a glimmer of hope—one in ten million—and began searching for another path through darkness.
Previously mentioned was how An Zheng's team conducted reverse research after communication was severed, unexpectedly discovering the root of issues within the entire project. To clarify the higher-ups' intentions at that time, the Ancient City Research Institute paused its forward momentum and attempted an "exit," known as "Virus Antibody." Progress exceeded expectations; the team's research faced almost no obstacles as they filled many intentional gaps in one go while moving steadily along the correct trajectory toward finding clues about antibodies.
Unfortunately, the Ancient City team's experiments could not be completed due to resource depletion at that time; thus Professor Niu and Director Hu handed over this core data to An Zheng with hopes that she could present their findings at Capital Disease Control Headquarters for systematic development of a virus vaccine to end this bioweapon crisis wrapped in conspiracy. What transpired afterward is unnecessary to elaborate on; An Zheng's mission crumbled under successive setbacks until despair led her to abandon what could have been the true "key." Only when everything veered onto an erroneous path did it rekindle within her a final spark of determination.
Kenny did not trust An Zheng—especially with deep sleep approaching—he was reluctant to entrust such critical matters to her. Yet he could not overlook her capabilities; at this juncture, he had no choice but to take risks by continuing to employ her in stabilizing the concluding phases of their plan. In fact, Kenny's gamble paid off well; before Professor Yang returned, An Zheng performed admirably in her role—at least completing all tasks assigned without any errors.
It must be said that this was a case of serendipity gone awry. An Zheng initially did not intend to work diligently for Kenny; on that day when she handed over copied materials to Jiang He with a mindset of mutual destruction, she planned to use her expertise within the lab for some mischief—perhaps unable to turn things around entirely but certainly capable of causing some trouble. However, she did not anticipate Kenny returning her child; although injected with medication, he at least regained his senses—a life saved. With this turn of events influencing her thoughts profoundly, An Zheng abandoned any notions of sabotage and devoted herself wholeheartedly to working for Kenny while secretly calculating how to continue experimenting with antibodies. After many trials and tribulations, fortune finally smiled upon An Zheng; within just over a month, not only did antibodies begin taking shape but she also unexpectedly made another significant discovery.
At present, there was only one issue confronting An Zheng: time.
Antibodies required time for cultivation, yet circumstances allowed her little remaining time as deep sleep approached and Caroline's successful awakening test unfolded—all proceeding according to Kenny's wishes while laboratory work neared completion. An Zheng understood her position clearly; she knew Kenny would not allow her to remain in safety behind lines—her fate was evident: either receive an injection or face death. It was an awkward situation; sparks had begun flickering brightly yet she could not wait for them to ignite into a raging fire.
Initially holding onto a sliver of hope, An Zheng intended to seek out Su Lan for discussion—hoping that through Su Lan's connection with Professor Yang she might persuade Kenny for leniency in allowing her stay behind even if it meant avoiding direct involvement in experimental procedures as long as she remained alert. Unfortunately, fate played its hand cruelly; when An Zheng finally gathered courage and stepped onto the surface, she learned that Su Lan had already entered deep sleep.
"What should I do?" An Zheng kept asking himself deep down, trying to find a compromise to keep the spark alive. At this moment, his thoughts were unrelated to his mission; it was simply the last flicker of passion as a researcher. As the saying goes, if everything is blank, then struggling is meaningless. But the spark of hope had already ignited, and no matter what, he could not give up!
The half-open door of the hall was pushed open, and the neckless Black Behemoth strolled in, his shiny black head contrasting sharply with the white surroundings. Black Man spotted An Zheng standing in the hall, looking lost and bewildered. His sleepy eyes widened in surprise; he had never seen An Zheng come up alone before and almost didn't recognize him at first glance.
"Dr. An?" Black Behemoth approached An Zheng, wiggling his carrot-like fingers and asked, "What are you doing here?"
"Ah... nothing much, just getting some fresh air." An Zheng snapped back to reality and hurriedly turned towards the Elevator.
"Is there something wrong?" Black Man asked curiously. The usually cold demeanor of hers seemed a bit off today.
"No." An Zheng replied, noticing the suspicion in his eyes. He forced a smile and said dismissively, "It's been a while since I've come up; it's too cold."
Black Behemoth rolled his eyes but didn't say much more. He stood beside her with his arms crossed, silently waiting for the Elevator. An Zheng avoided his gaze, staring at the smooth floor and trying to maintain calmness. Whether it was due to the wind and snow outside or something else, An Zheng felt a chill creeping down his back, an unsettling thought lingering in his mind that made it hard for him to concentrate.
The cabin door opened, revealing an empty interior. Both of them stepped inside and pressed the button for the Laboratory.
"You’re going to the lab too?" An Zheng paused for a moment; as far as he remembered, this Black Behemoth had never been to the lab before. Why was he going there alone today?
"Yeah. Just passing on a message." Black Behemoth's eyes darted around as he spoke with a smirk that was neither fully a smile nor a frown. "I envy you guys; you finally get to take a break."
"Heh heh." An Zheng chuckled awkwardly but suddenly frowned in confusion. "A break?"
"Uh-huh." Black Behemoth exaggeratedly shrugged and pouted. "We Field Personnel are the last batch; we still have to endure some time out in the snow."
"What do you mean? How... a vacation?" An Zheng couldn't help but swallow hard, silently praying that it wouldn't come so soon.
Black Behemoth grinned, raising his hand to mimic an injection motion at his neck, and said softly, "Sleep."
An Zheng's body jolted, despair flooding over him in an instant. The female doctor sighed; she had indeed come early.
The laboratory was bustling today, with several researchers from different sections wrapping up their final tasks. Many documents had already been organized, and although everyone appeared busy coming and going, there was an underlying sense of desolation, reminiscent of a company on the eve of the Spring Festival, where everyone hurried to finish their work and rush home.
An Zheng scanned the room but found Professor Yang absent.
Black Behemoth gallantly let An Zheng enter first and waited outside the laboratory for a moment. Once he saw that everyone had paused their tasks, he strolled inside.
"Congratulations, everyone; your busy work hours have come to an end." Black Behemoth's voice boomed, his exaggerated enunciation and tone echoing throughout the laboratory. The researchers all understood what this meant; they showed little emotion on their faces and quietly awaited his next words.
"Today, you can take a break early. After finishing up here, please return upstairs and contact your colleagues who are not in the lab. Shortly, we will proceed to the chambers according to your numbers." Black Behemoth spoke rapidly, not caring whether the researchers fully understood him. He then turned to An Zheng and said, "Dr. An, you need to come with me; Kenny is looking for you."
"Huh?" An Zheng was lost in thought about other matters when he heard his name called and looked up in confusion.
Black Behemoth noticed something was off with An Zheng today and patiently repeated himself, "Kenny and the professor are looking for you. Can we go now?"
"Uh... I still have some finishing work to do. Can I join everyone later?" An Zheng reacted quickly, realizing the urgency of the situation. Earlier in the hall, Black Man hadn't said anything, but now he explicitly mentioned Kenny was looking for her. Did Black Man see something?
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