The Beautiful, Strong, and Tragic Female Lead is Mine [Transmigration Into a Novel] - Chapter 44

Song Ran recalled,
“The other two animals were goats. The reason they were handed over was because, while the young owner was herding them, the goats butted him off halfway down the slope. Fortunately, the hillside wasn’t particularly steep, so he only suffered a few scrapes and bruises.”

In the apocalypse, resources were precious. Unless absolutely necessary, no one would willingly give away livestock they had raised with their own hands. If they had the heart to send them to the Research Department, then there must have been a serious reason.

Xia Fufeng was a little confused.
“So you mean Substance X can cause animals’ intelligence to evolve, but at the same time makes them hostile toward humans?”

Xie Zhitian said, “I actually have another idea.”

“What is it?” asked Xia Fufeng.

Xie Zhitian replied,
“It’s not that Substance X makes animals hostile toward humans. Rather, once their thinking evolves, they come to see humans as a threat, so they strike first in self-defense.”

Luo Yang looked at her.
“Tiantian, you mean the animals believe humans want to harm them?”

“Exactly.” Xie Zhitian nodded, picking up paper and pen from the lab bench.

She drew a large circle.
“Let’s say this is Cheng Yiyi’s village.”

Then she scattered several stars inside the circle.
“These are the animals raised in the village.”

“Substance X can’t just appear out of nowhere. Someone must have deliberately released it here for a purpose. The village is like their testing ground. Most of the animals died because of X, and only a small number of successful experimental subjects survived.”

She marked some stars with an X.

“The surviving ones, after their thinking evolved, realized they were fundamentally a different species from humans. Having witnessed their companions die after humans released X, they developed intense hostility and wanted to kill humans in return. But they were smart—they knew that if they attacked openly, they would be slaughtered immediately. So they acted in secret instead.”

“Cheng Yiyi repeatedly brought strangers home, and those strangers even examined the animals to see if there was anything wrong. That only deepened the cats’ and dogs’ resistance and fear, making them think their owner also intended to kill them. Blackie probably witnessed many companions die, so when it said ‘Dead, dead,’ it was likely a stress reaction.”

Xia Fufeng felt a chill run down her spine. She rubbed the goosebumps on her arm and muttered,
“Ugh… it’s impressive that they evolved enough to talk, but I still prefer cats that don’t talk…”

Cheng Yiyi’s family had once lost chickens and sheep. The evolving Big Black and Little Black observed this and developed hostility toward humans. And since cats and dogs roamed freely in the village, if they happened to see people slaughtering chickens or sheep, of course they would assume all humans were executioners.

From the animals’ perspective, it really was terrifying: companions dropping dead one after another after contact with humans, the village full of butchers. Even if it were humans in that position, they would probably be driven to the same extremes.

Sometimes, being too intelligent only brings suffering.

Xie Zhitian circled four remaining stars.
“These represent the four abnormal animals that were retrieved by the district’s Research Department. But I suspect the experimenters had already reclaimed others before us. The four we have are likely just stragglers. Of course, this is only my guess—no solid evidence yet.”

“No, I think your guess is right.”

Tang Zhuoran spoke, tapping a finger on the paper.
“About half a month ago, the Guards discovered a suspicious group of outsiders near Cheng Yiyi’s village. They seemed to have been there for some time. They claimed they were there to do business, but didn’t really look the part. With no evidence, though, they had to be let go.”

“It’s likely that by then some successful experimental animals had already been transferred elsewhere for follow-up research. The outsiders attracted the Guards’ attention, feared exposure, and left in a hurry—before they could retrieve all of the animals.”

That explanation made the logic far more coherent.

Xie Zhitian nodded in agreement, then thought of another question.
“If they were conducting experiments, wouldn’t it be more convenient to do so in their own district? Why bother coming all the way to District 14?”

Luo Yang said,
“Probably because they weren’t sure how much impact Substance X would have on animals—or whether it would affect humans. If the situation spiraled out of control, it would be trouble. So to avoid harming their own district, they chose another one.”

Her reasoning wasn’t unfounded. When the government had carried out human modification experiments before, they had also chosen remote locations—so that if the subjects went berserk, innocent people wouldn’t be affected.

Hearing this, Xie Zhitian’s expression gradually grew more serious.

If Luo Yang’s guess was correct, then these people were truly despicable. For the sake of some inexplicable experiment, they didn’t care what happened to other districts.

She asked Tang Zhuoran,
“Did the Guards check where those outsiders came from?”

“Remember how I mentioned the animal anomalies might be connected to District 7?” Tang Zhuoran’s tone was calm.
“They checked. Those outsiders—they were from District 7.”

By the time they left the Research Department, it was already after six in the evening.

The car drove smoothly down the road. Half the sun had already sunk beneath the horizon, and the sky at the end of the road burned crimson.

Sitting in the passenger seat, Xia Fufeng stared dazedly at the fiery clouds.

Then she turned toward the back seat.
“Tonight I have to stop by the office to hand over some work, so I can’t join you two for dinner.”

Though she’d worked in the district for a long time, this was her first trip away. She couldn’t help overthinking—afraid her abilities weren’t enough and she’d mess up the mission, or that she’d fail to properly hand over her office duties and cause trouble for others.

And from what she’d observed these days, Xie Zhitian and Luo Yang hadn’t officially confirmed their relationship yet—they were in that “more than friends, not quite lovers” stage. She felt like a third wheel delaying their progress. They deserved time alone.

Xie Zhitian understood Xia Fufeng’s conscientiousness. Fufeng wore everything on her face, and these past few days she’d been heavy with worry, her mind clearly stuck on the mission every waking moment.

She reassured her,
“Focus on your work, don’t worry about me and Luo Yang. Captain Tang, just drop us off at the next intersection. We’ll go wander the market and eat something.”

During the waiting period for the Research Department’s results, none of them had been idle. They’d been busy making plans, preparing supplies. Tang Zhuoran had even gathered as much intel as possible about District 7 for them to study.

But people can’t stay wound tight forever—they need moments of rest too.

So just earlier, Xie Zhitian and Luo Yang had decided: tonight, no business. Just relax and enjoy themselves.

Focused on driving, Tang Zhuoran nodded.
“Alright, got it.”

After a pause, she added to Xia Fufeng,
“As it happens, I also have something to do at the office. Let’s go together.”

Xia Fufeng’s eyes lit up.
“Great!”

She thought of something else, then turned to Xie Zhitian.
“Our district is building a batch of public toilets. The workload is pretty heavy and we’re short on manpower. I assigned that servant of yours—Xiao Wen, right?—to help out. Twelve-hour shifts every day. That okay?”

Xie Zhitian stifled a laugh.
“Of course. That’s perfect. Just make sure someone supervises him, so he doesn’t slack off. He’s been lying around doing nothing for ages—it’s about time he made up for it.”

She had once said that if Xiao Wen was idle, he might as well go scrub toilets. Now, in a way, that had literally come true.

With such grueling manual labor every day, she believed Xiao Wen would behave more honestly. He wouldn’t have the energy left for nonsense.

The car stopped at the intersection. Xie Zhitian and Luo Yang got out, heading toward the market.

This was the largest and liveliest market in District 14. Unlike the quiet of smaller markets, here there was already a hint of ordinary, everyday bustle.

The aisles between stalls were filled with the aroma of steaming food. Vendors shouted energetically, crowds flowed past, and everyone carried bags of fresh groceries or snacks.

Xie Zhitian looked around and said to Luo Yang,
“Let’s skip cooking tonight. We’ll just eat out.”

With so many people around, she didn’t want them to get separated, so she simply took Luo Yang’s hand.

Which was exactly what Luo Yang wanted.
“Okay. I want potato pancakes.”

The bustling crowd blurred into shadows in the dim light. The warmth of the hand in hers gave Luo Yang a fleeting sense of daze.

She had never imagined that one day she too could share such warm, ordinary conversations—like those that happen in every place called “home.”

“Potato pancakes, huh… I think there’s a stall just ahead.”

Xie Zhitian searched with her eyes and soon found it.
“Two potato pancakes, then we’ll head to that little restaurant up front for some dishes.”

The freshly baked pancakes had a thin crispy crust, soft mashed potato inside. No complicated seasoning—just salt and a dash of chili powder—but so delicious you couldn’t stop.

“Eat slower, don’t burn yourself.”

Sitting across from Luo Yang, Xie Zhitian saw her nearly devour half a pancake in a few bites and couldn’t help reminding her,
“The food isn’t even here yet… Should I get you two more?”

Luo Yang swallowed and looked up with a smile.
“No need. I ordered a bowl of noodles too.”

Xie Zhitian thought that was enough, so she didn’t insist. They ordered two stir-fried dishes, a soup, and noodles—plenty to fill Luo Yang up.

Pouring water into Luo Yang’s cup, she asked,
“Luo Yang, before we leave… is there anything else you want to do?”

The moment the words left her mouth, she realized it sounded ominous—like they might not return. She quickly clarified,
“I mean, the coming days will be tough. We don’t know when things will settle down. So if there’s something you want to do, or somewhere you want to go, let’s do it tonight—just for relaxation. How about it?”

Luo Yang blinked, thinking.

After a pause, she said,
“There is one thing.”

“What is it?” asked Xie Zhitian.

A flicker of hesitation crossed Luo Yang’s beautiful eyes, but she still spoke up.
“Tiantian, can I borrow that book of yours? The one called Cold and Elegant…”

“Ah, you mean The Self-Cultivation of a Cold and Elegant Beauty No. 1, right?”

Xie Zhitian broke out in a cold sweat. Her mind raced, and in a split second she came up with an excuse.
“Unfortunately, I already lent it to Tang Zhuoran.”

Luo Yang: …?

She froze for two seconds, then looked incredulous.
“Captain Tang? Captain Tang would actually be interested in that kind of book?”

“Of course. Who wouldn’t want to read a good book?”

Xie Zhitian didn’t know that Luo Yang had already read part of the beginning. She thought Luo Yang had no idea what “Cold and Elegant No. 1” even meant.

Silently apologizing to Tang Zhuoran in her heart, she still kept a calm face.
“Captain Tang was really eager to read it, so I lent it to her. Once she’s done and gives it back, I’ll let you know.”

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