The Beautiful, Strong, and Tragic Female Lead is Mine [Transmigration Into a Novel] - Chapter 83

Before Xu He could speak, there was a gentle knock on the door. It was Nie Keke, who had returned.

She closed the door and her expression was serious. “There is indeed a problem with the apartment. Normally, the components in the wall paint shouldn’t react with the test strips I brought, but when the paint here is mixed with water, it makes multiple test strips change color.”

Xu He asked, “Can you determine the specific components?”

Nie Keke shook her head. “Although I can’t be completely sure what exactly is mixed in, it’s definitely not ordinary paint. It must be mixed with more than one kind of drug. I can confirm that one of them is a substance that can intensify emotional fluctuations in the human brain. The mutations of the transformed people are mainly caused by physical damage and emotional fluctuations, which aligns with the direction of inducing mutations.”

A shiver ran down Luo Yang’s spine. She murmured, “But I didn’t feel any discomfort at all.”

Nie Keke explained, “This is related to one’s physical condition and the overall state of the body. The 33rd jurisdiction is very strict about the entry and exit times, right? A few transformed people were late because they encountered aliens on the way and stayed outside for a night, even fighting alongside others. They went directly to the battlefield after a long journey without rest, and they’ve been feeling unwell for the past two days, asking me for medicine. At the time, I just thought they were too tired and didn’t think much of it. Now that I think about it, this rule is probably also meant to exhaust these warriors’ physical strength as much as possible, making them more susceptible to mutation.”

She glanced at Tang Zhuoran. “Captain Tang’s physical constitution is truly sensitive. In the past few days, we’ve had over twenty people come in intermittently and disperse into different apartments. Some of them deliberately checked the rooms, but not a single person, including those who felt unwell, said they felt any signs of mutation.”

After she finished speaking, she recalled Tang Zhuoran’s past experiences, and her expression faltered. She felt that she had said the wrong thing and was about to apologize, but saw Tang Zhuoran smile indifferently. “It’s nothing. I’m just more experienced than others.”

She then asked, “Is there any way to limit the effects of these drugs?”

A painful past was thus casually glossed over.

Nie Keke felt a pang of guilt. “Yes, before I came, I was worried that someone might poison us here, so I brought a lot of the latest developed blocking agents. They are very effective.”

She took out a few spray bottles from her backpack and handed them to everyone present. “This blocking agent adheres to the surface of the walls and floors, forming an invisible film. Xu He and I will stay behind tonight. After everyone else has left, we’ll spray every room. I’ll also give some to the people in the other apartments later.”

Xia Fufeng was genuinely relieved. “That’s great.”

She had just been worried that their plan was too simple and wouldn’t have a blocking effect. Having the blocking agent Nie Keke brought made her feel much more at ease.

Xu He said, “Before we came, we guessed that the frequent appearances of aliens might be related to changes in the magnetic field. However, if we openly investigate under this pretext, the 33rd jurisdiction would immediately destroy those facilities that alter the magnetic field and blame the opening of the space-time rifts on an accident, which is why we chose to proceed in secret.”

“We have now basically figured out the locations of several facilities, but these facilities are underground and have self-destruct devices. Directly destroying them by force would cause heavy casualties. The only way is to enter the main control room of these facilities, close the space-time rifts, and then shut down the equipment. This both preserves the evidence and prevents them from doing something desperate like opening all the rifts to destroy the jurisdiction.”

Luo Yang asked, “Where is the main control room located?”

Xu He replied, “In the central area of the jurisdiction. The security there is very tight, so it’s not easy to get in. We’re still investigating and discussing to find the most secure method.”

Nie Keke added, “The Queen has arranged for an elite unit to be on standby in the adjacent 32nd jurisdiction, and there’s also a small team that has infiltrated this jurisdiction as ordinary people and is nearby, just in case. Tonight, two warriors will leave the jurisdiction while clearing aliens to report the situation to the 32nd jurisdiction. After we shut down the equipment, Li Changhui and his subordinates will definitely mobilize military forces. At that time, that unit will arrive here and capture them all.”

“Of course, this process will also require the assistance of the native guard army. However, it’s not convenient to spread the word about the space-time rifts, so we plan to tell everyone that the equipment attracts aliens by emitting ultrasound waves, which is why they need to be shut down.”

Xie Zhitian felt that the plan was good. “The main force of the jurisdiction is the guard army. When the truth comes out, no woman will listen to Li Changhui’s command. As for the male guard army, their strength is negligible.”

Xu He said, “Yes, but we still have to be careful. I heard that Li Changhui has secretly collected a batch of firearms and distributed them to the male guards in the jurisdiction and some young men who are dissatisfied with the current situation. The Queen’s troops have bulletproof equipment that can resist firearms. To reduce casualties at that time, we will also distribute bulletproof vests and other gear to the guard army members who assist with the plan.”

Luo Yang frowned. “There aren’t many firearms in the whole country right now. Where did Li Changhui get so many?”

Xu He replied, “This batch of firearms was developed by the Queen’s faction at a high cost, but they were intercepted by the Commander’s people midway and fell into their hands.”

She sighed. “This was a major mistake. We investigated at the time, but the technology is not yet mature, and there are no markings on the firearms. Even if we found them here, we would have no evidence to retrieve them.”

Xie Zhitian comforted her, “It’s okay. Having bulletproof vests is enough. We won’t lose to male transformed people. We have that much confidence.”

The next issue was how to enter the main control room. Just as she was about to ask Xu He about the information she had, there was a knock on the door.

A transformed person stood outside. Xie Zhitian had some interactions with her in the past few days and remembered her. Her name was Zhou Lu, a warmhearted and lively girl.

Zhou Lu looked a little embarrassed as she explained her purpose. “I hope I’m not disturbing you. I wanted to ask if you have any fruit left and if you could sell me some.”

Xie Zhitian said, “Yes, how much do you need?”

Zhou Lu thought for a moment. “Hmm, at least two or three pounds, enough for several days.”

Luo Yang’s heart skipped a beat. “What do you mean, ‘enough for several days’?”

Zhou Lu explained, “Well, a few transformed people in our apartment felt a little unwell last night. Based on experience, they should have had a minor mutation. So we all discussed going to the sanatorium for a few days to recuperate. We heard that the conditions at the sanatorium here are not good, and we’re worried about not getting enough nutrition, so we thought we’d bring some ourselves.”

In an instant, the atmosphere in the room changed drastically. Everyone’s eyes became serious, and even the usually calm Tang Zhuoran couldn’t help but show signs of being shaken.

Luo Yang’s heart sank. “A few people? Where are they now? Have they left already?”

“What’s wrong? It’s just a minor mutation, everyone, don’t worry.”

Zhou Lu was confused and tried to reassure the others instead. “There are two of them, from the first group who came. They’ve been working hard for a month, so it’s normal for their bodies to give out from over-exertion. They’ll recover after a few days of rest and medicine. The sanatorium’s car is already downstairs. They’re packing now.”

Xie Zhitian silently found a bag and mechanically began to put fruit into it. Although her mind was in chaos at the moment, she forced herself to calm down and think of a solution.

She heard Tang Zhuoran talking to Zhou Lu behind her. “I have some mutation control medicine here. You should take some for them.”

“No need, you should keep it for yourselves. The sanatorium wouldn’t be without medicine, would it?”

Zhou Lu didn’t think much of it. “Why do you all look so nervous? I know this jurisdiction isn’t very friendly to mutated transformed people, but you can’t delay this kind of thing. The longer you wait, the more serious it gets. They need to get treatment and rest well immediately…”

Since the sanatorium’s car had already arrived, forcing them to stay would only arouse suspicion.

Xie Zhitian handed the fruit to Zhou Lu and smiled. “You’re right. We’ve been too stressed lately, and our minds are a bit scrambled.”

Zhou Lu took the bag. “Exactly. It’s been a long time since we’ve been fighting every day like this. I’m exhausted.”

As she spoke, she was about to take money out of her pocket, but Xie Zhitian stopped her. “Don’t worry about it. We brought too much, and it will go bad if we don’t eat it all.”

After Zhou Lu left, Xu He was the first to speak. “It’s the time difference.”

The “next month” that Li Changhui mentioned should refer to when the transformed people would undergo a large-scale mutation. The people Zhou Lu just mentioned were from the first group to arrive as reinforcements. They had been fighting for the longest time and living in the apartments for the longest, so they were the first to mutate.

The others quickly understood what she meant. Xie Zhitian said, “There must be similar situations in other apartments. We have to find a way to ensure the safety of these people.”

The number of people who had mutated this time was large, unlike the previous case with Wang Qiong. Wang Qiong was lucky; her mutation happened too early and wasn’t part of the plan, so she escaped. But these warriors who had just mutated would be taken to the sanatorium, and instead of being treated, they would definitely be induced to continue mutating.

Luo Yang’s expression was anxious. “How can we ensure their safety? We can’t get in, and they just refused our medicine. If we want to help, we can only force our way in, take them away, and hide them…”

She immediately rejected the idea. “No, such a big commotion would alert the other side and increase the difficulty of entering the main control room.”

At this moment, Tang Zhuoran spoke. “I’ll do it.”

Xia Fufeng was startled and had a bad feeling. “What are you going to do?”

Tang Zhuoran smiled, her tone very calm. “I’ve been taking tranquilizers. I can stop taking the medicine for a day. Coupled with the effect of the paint, I can induce a minor mutation and enter the sanatorium.”

Xia Fufeng immediately objected. “No, you…”

“Xia, listen to me. This is the only way.” Tang Zhuoran interrupted her. “I plan to hollow out the fruit and hide some medicine and blocking agents inside to take with me. When I get there, I can give it to the others, and they can hold on for a few days.”

“These apartments will be sprayed with the blocking agent tonight, so there shouldn’t be any new cases soon. Assuming there are 20 people in this first batch of mutations, that number isn’t enough for Li Changhui to declare it to the world. He’ll definitely wait for more warriors to mutate later, so we still have time.”

Xie Zhitian’s heart raced. The plan sounded crazy, but she knew that Tang Zhuoran’s judgment was correct. A severe mutation could cause irreversible physical damage. To protect their companions in the sanatorium, an insider who was aware of the situation had to infiltrate. “If there’s a chance, I’ll send you to your room. I can help you bring more things… or maybe I can go with you?”

Tang Zhuoran shook her head. “Once inside, there will be continuous physical examinations. If I haven’t mutated or am not a transformed person at all, I won’t be able to hide it.”

She glanced at the eager Luo Yang. “You haven’t had a mutation experience, right? The consequences of forcibly inducing one are uncontrollable, so don’t try it easily.”

Nie Keke looked worried. “Are you really going to do this? From a medical perspective, this is a very dangerous thing. I think we should reconsider and think of other ways.”

“No, there’s no time to think. From the moment they enter the sanatorium, the induction begins.”

Tang Zhuoran was very determined. She looked at the room full of worried people and smiled softly. “Don’t worry, I told you I’m experienced. I’ll be fine.”

Support