The Beautiful, Strong, and Tragic Female Lead is Mine [Transmigration Into a Novel] - Chapter 57

In a dimly lit laboratory, bottles and jars filled with various concoctions lined a table. The aliens’ blood-red eyes, reflecting a single flicker of light, made them appear even more sinister and terrifying.

A plush chair was placed near the door, where a slightly overweight middle-aged man sat, his gaze fixed on the people bustling about. A hint of impatience was visible on his face.

“Xiao Bai, any progress yet?” he asked.

Xia Fufeng’s movements paused, and she turned around. “Commander, the aliens’ appetite might not be so good these past two days, so they haven’t been eating much.”

She had used the alias Bai An’an when registering to enter the district, so Zhou Quan called her “Xiao Bai.” After two days, she had grown accustomed to the name and responded immediately whenever she was called.

Zhou Quan was anxious, his fingers unconsciously tapping on his leg. “Why have the aliens suddenly stopped eating? Can you find out why?”

Xia Fufeng replied, “I just tried to communicate with them, and they said that being cooped up here every day makes them feel very depressed. They can’t move around, so they have no appetite.”

In reality, Xia Fufeng couldn’t communicate directly and accurately with animals. She perceived their intentions mainly through intuition, and she was rarely wrong.

Of course, these four aliens weren’t refusing to eat because they were cooped up. It was because, despite her verbal encouragement for them to eat, she was constantly using her eyes to signal that the food was problematic and very dangerous. These aliens, having completed the first two stages of modification, were highly sensitive to human emotions. They immediately put on a show of having no appetite, a perfect collaboration.

Since Zhou Quan couldn’t understand what the aliens were thinking, Xia Fufeng was free to say whatever she wanted.

Seeing Zhou Quan remain silent, Xia Fufeng’s face showed a hint of anxiety. “Commander, even for people with strong self-regulation, being held as test subjects for this long can cause them to have a mental breakdown. If possible, could we let them go out and get some fresh air?”

Everything was going according to plan. Just as she had agreed with her companions two days ago, the first day, she let the experiment proceed smoothly, giving Zhou Quan hope. But on the second day, which was now, the situation took a sudden turn for the worse. She was pouring cold water on him, tormenting his emotions.

“Letting the aliens go out for a walk” was an impossible suggestion, but in Xia Fufeng’s logic, it was a necessary condition for the plan to proceed. This created a contradiction. The suggestion was simply to confuse Zhou Quan and distract him.

Sure enough, the next second, Zhou Quan’s expression became annoyed.

He rubbed his temples as if trying to suppress his dissatisfaction. “Xiao Bai, think about it. We’re inside the district. It took a lot of effort to get these aliens in here in the first place. Now you want to let them go for a walk? They are valuable test subjects. What if they escape? What if someone finds out?”

Xia Fufeng feigned realization. “You’re right, Commander, my thinking was too shallow. I didn’t consider that. I’ll think of another way to try and boost their morale.”

Zhou Quan sighed deeply and waved his hand. “You all can continue.”

He watched the few people get back to work, his heart filled with disdain. He had thought this “Xiao Bai” was clever, but it turned out she wasn’t very bright. But then again, women are often short-sighted; it was normal for her not to think things through.

Xia Fufeng turned around and exchanged a knowing look with her companions.

After two days of discussion, they had decided to act today.

Although Zhou Quan had been staying here for a long time to supervise, his old leadership style hadn’t changed much—he couldn’t handle hardship. So, every day at noon, he would go for a proper meal and a nap, a period that lasted about two hours, before reappearing in the afternoon.

Moreover, Zhou Quan’s psychological resilience was average, and he had a habit of drinking. Now, having suffered a setback and feeling annoyed, he would likely have a drink or two. When people are annoyed, they make mistakes and overlook details, which gives Xie Zhitian and her companions an opportunity.

The current situation was that, in addition to the five of them in the third-stage lab, the other modified humans were scattered in the first and second-stage lab areas, and about 40 were being held as hostages in the rest area.

Soon, Liu Yunna, Zheng Lin, and Xia Fufeng would go to the rest area to rescue the hostages, followed by Tang Zhuoran leading her team to infiltrate. Xie Zhitian and Luo Yang would go to provide support, trying not to attract any attention. Then, the group would split up to clear out the aliens in the other labs and release the modified humans present.

Liu Yunna and Zheng Lin had raised objections to this plan, as the danger of eliminating the aliens was far higher than rescuing the hostages, and they both wanted to help. But Xie Zhitian smiled and refused, saying that she and Luo Yang could handle it completely, and she only hoped they could help protect Xia Fufeng. Liu Yunna and Zheng Lin couldn’t persuade her and had to agree.

Xie Zhitian mentally reviewed the upcoming plan and subtly glanced at Ning Ximing, who was standing not far from the cage. Her cold and beautiful face was emotionless, revealing nothing.

The intelligence Tang Zhuoran had found indicated that Ning Ximing was a top-tier modified human in all aspects, and Xie Zhitian very much wanted to recruit her to her side. But with others always present, she hadn’t had a chance to speak with her.

Xie Zhitian planned to try and talk to Ning Ximing after Zhou Quan left for lunch and they had taken down the guards.

Under Xia Fufeng’s instructions, she quietly stirred the feed. The modified aliens were very smart and could understand Xia Fufeng’s eye signals well. Despite her constant verbal encouragement, the aliens ate very little, no matter what kind of feed was used.

At noon, Zhou Quan finally grew tired of the hopeless waiting.

“I’m going to eat, you all keep busy,” he said, standing up with an unpleasant tone. He then commanded a few guards, “Keep a close eye on them; don’t let them slack off.”

Xie Zhitian’s heart fluttered. Just as she was thinking about how to talk to Ning Ximing, she heard Zhou Quan continue, “Ning Ximing, come with me for a moment; I have something to discuss with you.”

Ning Ximing looked up at him, said nothing, and followed him out.

Not being able to recruit Ning Ximing was a bit of a pity for Xie Zhitian, but the plan was still to be executed as scheduled.

About ten minutes after Zhou Quan left, the people in the room exchanged glances and simultaneously reached into their pockets.

The guards were hungry and sleepy, and not very alert. Only the one closest to Xie Zhitian noticed her small movement. “You…”

Before he could finish, Xie Zhitian had already pushed him to the ground and injected a tranquilizer into the back of his neck. She had brought the tranquilizer needle with her and kept it in her spatial inventory. The dose was enough to put an adult to sleep for over ten hours. She hadn’t given a detailed explanation to Liu Yunna and Zheng Lin, who were also tactful and didn’t ask too many questions, assuming Xie Zhitian had bribed the guards or had other informants inside.

The other guards didn’t have time to react before they, too, were taken down one after another and injected with the tranquilizer. Xie Zhitian tossed the empty needle aside and then used restraint straps to tie the guards up tightly. She then gave some tranquilizer needles to Zheng Lin and Liu Yunna to use for subduing guards and for later interrogation.

After doing all this, Xie Zhitian’s gaze shifted to the aliens in the cages.

The four aliens in the room had completed the first two stages of modification, but the results of the initial domestication were also unstable; otherwise, they wouldn’t have suddenly attacked Zhou Quan during the third-stage experiment after being stimulated by the drug. During the past two days of experiments, they had more or less taken some physical enhancement potions, making them the most dangerous four aliens in the underground palace.

As long as these aliens were alive, they were a hidden danger. It was better to get rid of them now. To minimize the commotion and avoid drawing attention, they decided to use poison.

Xie Zhitian took out several small bottles from her spatial inventory, carefully mixing the liquid inside with the feed and stirring it evenly.

This was a potent poison; about five milliliters was enough to kill a regular alien. To be safe, Xie Zhitian used triple the amount.

Xia Fufeng added a basin of feed to each alien’s trough and commanded, “Eat. This food is fine.”

The direct verbal command was clearly more effective than eye signals. Coupled with the fact that the aliens hadn’t eaten all morning and were starving, they immediately began to eat ravenously.

Xie Zhitian patted Xia Fufeng’s arm and said with a smile, “You’ve worked hard. We owe you for buying us two days with your ability; otherwise, things would have been much more difficult.”

Xia Fufeng’s face turned red. “Oh, I’m not that great. You all are the ones who worked hard.”

Luo Yang watched the feed being eaten quickly and said to Liu Yunna and Zheng Lin, “You two go first and take Xiao Xia with you to rescue the others. Leave this place to me and Tian Tian.”

She paused and then emphasized, “Xiao Xia isn’t very good at fighting, so be sure to protect her.”

Liu Yunna and Zheng Lin agreed repeatedly. “Don’t worry, we will.”

Not long after the three of them left, the aliens’ bodies began to convulse as if in great pain. Their already ugly faces twisted and deformed, and blood began to flow from their mouths. Feeling deceived, the aliens were both angry and confused. They struggled to crawl to the front of the cages, their huge claws reaching out to try and hit the bars.

But just a second before their claw tips touched the bars, they heard the “swish swish swish” of several crossbow bolts whistling through the air, shooting directly into the aliens’ vital spots.

Xie Zhitian, holding a repeating crossbow, easily delivered the finishing blows to the four aliens. The aliens’ massive bodies thrashed and struggled in vain, quickly becoming motionless.

She took out a long sword from her spatial inventory and handed it to Luo Yang, who was standing next to her, whispering a reminder, “No matter who you have to fight later, you must pay attention to your safety and protect yourself.”

Luo Yang took it and smiled at her. “I know. You be careful, too.”

Unconsciously, fighting side by side with Xie Zhitian had become a habit. She liked and relied on this feeling; whenever she thought that the other person would be by her side, her heart was at peace, even in the most brutal battle.

It was as if nothing could frighten her as long as she was with Xie Zhitian.

Xie Zhitian took out a communicator from her spatial inventory. As if by a telepathic connection, the screen flashed with a message from Tang Zhuoran. “I’ve arrived.”

She put the communicator away, looked up at the person beside her, and said, “Let’s go. We’ll go meet Captain Tang.”

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