The Beautiful, Strong, and Tragic Female Lead is Mine [Transmigration Into a Novel] - Chapter 43

After the lights went out, even the air seemed to grow quiet.

The hallway was lined with a soft carpet, absorbing the already deliberately light footsteps.

Xia Fufeng stopped in front of a door.

She stood there quietly for a while, then raised her hand as if to knock, but hesitated and let it fall.

This was the guest room where Tang Zhuoran was staying. According to the plan she had discussed with Xie Zhitian and the others, she was supposed to have a proper conversation with Tang Zhuoran after the birthday party ended.

But now that the moment had come, she hesitated.

Too many things had happened today. Xia Fufeng’s mind was still filled with thoughts of the mission, while Tang Zhuoran carried even greater responsibilities—she must be considering far more than herself.

To disturb her at a time like this, just because of a young girl’s little thoughts, didn’t feel appropriate.

Besides, Xia Fufeng hadn’t even figured out what she should say to Tang Zhuoran.

She pressed her lips together, the disappointment in her eyes flickering like fireflies in a summer night—glimmering for an instant before vanishing into the darkness.

Just as she was about to leave, the door gave a soft click. Light spilled out from inside, illuminating the patch of floor at her feet.

Startled, Xia Fufeng quickly took two steps back.

“Xiao Xia?” Tang Zhuoran stood at the door, smiling at her. “What are you spacing out about? Why not come in?”

Caught red-handed, Xia Fufeng felt her face burn hot.

She asked in a small voice, “Did I disturb you?”

Tang Zhuoran shook her head. “No.”

She reached out, pulled her inside, and closed the door again. “I just thought I heard someone outside.”

As expected of a top-tier cyborg soldier—far more perceptive than ordinary people.

Xia Fufeng secretly marveled, though her heart also fluttered with guilt.

Tang Zhuoran motioned for her to sit on the small sofa by the bed and poured her a glass of water. “It’s late. Did you need something?”

She had already changed into a dark green velvet nightdress, the fabric heavy and elegant, showing off her graceful curves. The V-neck revealed delicate collarbones and a fair, smooth expanse of skin at her chest.

“N-no, nothing really.”

Xia Fufeng didn’t dare look at her. Clutching the water glass, she whispered, “I just wanted to ask… have you been feeling well lately?”

Although she knew Tang Zhuoran went for regular check-ups, she still couldn’t help but worry.

Tang Zhuoran’s smile was warm. “Don’t worry, I’m fine.”

Xia Fufeng pressed, “Then… are you still taking medication?”

Tang Zhuoran’s tone carried a touch of helplessness. “Xiao Xia, I still need long-term medication. But it’s alright—the drugs have been upgraded and have almost no side effects.”

The medicine she took was a bit like a sedative—able to dull emotions and stabilize her mental state, and it worked well. But there were still some side effects. Ever since she started the treatment, her appetite had been poor.

Only when she ate with Xia Fufeng would she manage to eat a little more.

“That’s good. If you ever feel unwell, you have to tell me.”

Xia Fufeng believed her without a doubt and let out a breath of relief.

Lowering her head to sip her water and hide her nervousness, she suddenly felt something brush against her neck. Looking down, she realized that the jade pendant she wore had slipped out from her collar.

The white jade pendant glowed with a soft luster under the light—it was exactly the same as the one on Tang Zhuoran’s wrist.

Xia Fufeng: !

She hurriedly set down the glass and tried to tuck it back inside her clothes, but the woman beside her was quicker. With slender fingers, Tang Zhuoran lifted the pendant instead.

Xia Fufeng stammered in panic: “There just happened to be two of them… I thought they looked nice, so I bought both. It doesn’t—it doesn’t mean anything else.”

The moment the words left her mouth, regret overwhelmed her. Wasn’t this just like declaring guilt without being asked? She felt she wasn’t that clever to begin with, and whenever she was around Tang Zhuoran, her brain grew even more scrambled.

Tang Zhuoran chuckled softly, her fingers gently stroking the smooth surface of the jade.

Doesn’t mean anything else? Now that was… truly a pity.

The autumn sky was a cool, clear blue. By afternoon, the sunlight grew brighter, adding a touch of warmth.

It was the day before their departure for District 7. Under Tang Zhuoran’s lead, Xie Zhitian and her group drove to the district’s research department.

Xie Zhitian rolled down the window, letting the crisp wind tangle her long hair.

She asked Tang Zhuoran, who was driving in the front, “Captain Tang, how are things at the research department?”

Tang Zhuoran’s fingers rested loosely on the steering wheel. Hearing this, she glanced at the rearview mirror toward the back seat.

She replied, “I’ve heard the results are somewhat optimistic, but I don’t know the details. We’ll find out when we get there.”

Xie Zhitian nodded, reassured.

The vehicle wound through the streets and finally stopped in front of a white building.

It was expansive, six stories tall. On its clean white walls were three bold characters: Zhiyuan Building. Beneath it was a line of smaller words: Seek what you do not know.

Tang Zhuoran explained, “This used to be a university lab building. It was badly damaged after the apocalypse, but after repairs it was put back into use. Now it serves as our district’s research center.”

Xie Zhitian nodded thoughtfully. No wonder she felt an academic atmosphere in this area—it turned out to be a university campus.

She had once been like all other students, complaining about the grind of schoolwork. After the apocalypse, she realized those ordinary, uneventful days were in fact a luxury.

Tang Zhuoran led them up to the fifth floor, stopping before a laboratory door.

She knocked, and a gentle female voice came from inside: “Please come in.”

The door opened, and a tall figure stepped forward to greet them.

It was a graceful woman in her thirties, her long hair tied up, dressed simply but neatly, with a white lab coat over her clothes.

She said, “Captain Tang, I’ve been expecting you.”

Tang Zhuoran replied, “You’re too kind, Professor Song.”

Then she introduced the others: “This is Professor Song Ran, one of the research leads in our district’s department. She was once a top student at a prestigious university. Even during the apocalypse, she never abandoned scientific research.”

The group couldn’t help showing respect.

To maintain one’s original purpose in times of chaos was a rare and precious quality.

“That’s all in the past. No need to mention it.”

Song Ran smiled kindly. “The others are tied up with experiments today, so I’ll be the one to brief you on the two animals that were sent here.”

She gestured for them to follow her into the inner room. As soon as they entered, Xie Zhitian saw Dahei and Xiaohei, caged inside. Whether it was her imagination or not, they seemed improved—the strange aura they’d once exuded wasn’t as strong anymore.

What she didn’t expect was that Cheng Yiyi was also in the lab. Wearing a lab coat, she was carefully cleaning reagent bottles.

Noticing the visitors, Cheng Yiyi froze, then broke into a delighted smile.

“Big Sister, you’re here!”

Luo Yang asked in surprise, “Yiyi, why are you here?”

Song Ran answered for her: “This child came to me on her own, saying she wanted to help out in the lab. She asked for no pay—only that she could check on the two animals whenever she came. I found her diligent and clever, so I let her come every day. She gets three meals here and can study in the meantime.”

“That’s wonderful,” Xia Fufeng said warmly, then reminded her, “Yiyi, this is a rare opportunity. You must listen to Professor Song.”

Cheng Yiyi nodded firmly. “I will, Sister.”

Since schools had not yet been rebuilt in any district, opportunities for education were scarce. Naturally, she would cherish this chance.

Luo Yang stepped closer to the cages and asked Song Ran, “Professor, have you found the cause of their abnormalities?”

Song Ran nodded. “More or less.”

She handed over a report from the nearby lab table. “Thanks to the detailed information you provided, we had many directions for research.”

Xie Zhitian glanced down—the pages were filled with dense data she couldn’t easily make sense of.

Song Ran pointed to a section and explained kindly, “In short, we discovered several unusual substances in the animals’ blood and managed to extract them. Their structures and functions were similar, so for now we’ve given them a collective codename: Substance X. After conducting model experiments, we confirmed that X does have a tendency to induce cognitive evolution in animals. The underlying principles still need further study.”

“The process of cognitive evolution is very complex. In our experiments, X alone wasn’t enough—the effects were weak. We estimate that in practice, other methods would be needed to boost the process, such as special radiation exposure. But we can say with certainty that the evolution is unstable, with a low success rate, and failures could lead to death.”

She flipped a page and pointed again. “These two animals haven’t undergone long-term experimental intervention. Their changes are reversible. We observed that the X levels in their blood have been decreasing over time. With medication, the reduction is faster. We suspect that once X is completely cleared, they will return to normal. Of course, to be safe, even after recovery they’ll need to stay in the lab for a long period.”

Luo Yang’s heartbeat quickened.

Drug-induced evolution, with the risk of death if it failed… This Substance X sounded suspiciously similar to the process of turning humans into cyborgs. Yet the national cyborg program had already been terminated.

She asked, “Professor, does X affect humans?”

Song Ran shook her head. “No. Its structure makes it ineffective in the human body. But in animals, this isn’t a problem.”

Relieved, Luo Yang exhaled softly. Yet unease still lingered faintly in her heart.

Xia Fufeng teased, “What’s wrong, Luo Yang? Don’t tell me you want to use X to get smarter? Come on, leave the rest of us a chance at life!”

Luo Yang laughed, letting the unease slide away for the moment. “I was just asking.”

Tang Zhuoran asked, “I heard that two other abnormal animals were found near Yiyi’s village. How are they now?”

Song Ran replied, “They’re in the next lab. We ran similar tests, and the results were about the same.”

Xie Zhitian looked down at the black cat in the cage. It curled up quietly in the corner, its body small and fragile.

Suddenly she recalled the day she saw it alone in the side room, muttering to itself.

It had said: “Dead… dead.”

“Professor Song, I have another question.”

Xie Zhitian hesitated. “Did those other two animals also show hostility toward humans?”

Song Ran blinked, then said, “Any animal suddenly captured and placed in an unfamiliar environment will naturally show hostility… Wait—yes, even before they were captured, they showed aggression.”

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