The Protagonist and the Villain Both Kissed Me [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 32

After a hurried meeting following the standard procedures, Su Xi was about to head toward the second floor when the Director blocked his path. The Director of the Fluorescent Light Research Institute was a middle-aged man just over forty. He had a stern appearance but was famous for his gentle personality and being easy to talk to.

“Director.” Su Xi lowered his head and greeted him respectfully.

Director Xu’s outstretched hand paused in mid-air before he withdrew it sheepishly two seconds later. He said with a smile, “A new batch of test subjects is arriving this afternoon. The dossiers have been sent to your email. I plan to put you in charge of that merman. Do you have any objections?”

Since a superior was assigning a task, Su Xi naturally wouldn’t refuse. He hadn’t even looked at the files when he nodded and responded softly, “Of course not.”

After a few casual words with the Director, Su Xi returned to his post. He stood before the console checking the standard values. Noticing the assistant walking in from outside, he hesitated for two seconds before asking, “Regarding the batch of test subjects the Director mentioned have the assessment results come out yet?”

“Let me see.” Seeing that Su Xi was busy, the assistant opened the screen to query the data. It took a long while before he replied, “Not yet. We only know that the merman has a very bad temper. It took a lot of manpower to control him, and he’s extremely irritable. Group Leader Su, is the Director really comfortable letting you handle him alone?”

The assistant was one of the few people in the institute who treated Su Xi with kindness. He looked at Su Xi, dressed entirely in black, with concern and offered some well-meaning advice.

Su Xi pursed his lips and didn’t speak. His gaze landed on a photo on the blue-lit screen. The angle of the shot looked like a candid capture slightly blurred, but it couldn’t hide the beauty of the merman from the deep sea. With blond hair and blue eyes, he looked exceptionally alluring; even the stinging wounds on his exposed skin couldn’t diminish his breathtaking beauty.

He squinted at the photo for a moment, then turned off the screen and walked out.

“Hey, why are you leaving in such a hurry? The subjects won’t be transported here until this afternoon!” Seeing Su Xi’s series of fluid movements, the assistant dazed for two seconds before hurrying after him.

“I have business. You go back first,” Su Xi said succinctly.

The quiet corridor only held a few solitary figures. Su Xi had a clear destination and soon arrived at the laboratory the institute had prepared for the merman. He hesitated for two seconds, swiped his ID card, and was just about to enter when Xia Le came running over, panting as he blocked him.

“Group Lead Su, go check on A04 first.” Xia Le was holding a new file of documents, which he thrust into Su Xi’s arms in one go. Before Su Xi could react, Xia Le had vanished without a trace.

A04: One of the test subjects sent to the institute six months ago. His initial assessment danger level was Rank A. He possesses self-awareness and independent thinking abilities. His true form is a massive blue-ringed octopus; he can change his size at will, has a violent temper, and is highly venomous. Anyone entering his room must wear a hazmat suit.

Su Xi read the documents as he walked. They recorded A04’s history and a few likes and dislikes all very brief. If he remembered correctly, this subject had always been handled by Group Three. Since Su Xi was part of Group Two, why was he being sent here first?

After the identity recognition passed, the silver-white doors automatically slid open. Su Xi didn’t put on a hazmat suit; he walked straight into the inner room. The empty space contained only a glass tank filled with blue water. The water rippled slightly from the exhaust fan, but there was nothing inside. There was no sign of the subject on the nearby resting platform either.

“Where is A04?” Su Xi’s brow furrowed slightly. He looked around but couldn’t find the subject. Just as he was about to head out to find Xia Le, a slimy, cool sensation touched his ankle. He looked down, and the color drained from his face instantly.

A blue tentacle with strange markings was wound tightly around his ankle, rubbing against it through the fabric. The mucus had already dampened his trouser leg, appearing shiny against the black cloth.

“Let go.” Su Xi forced himself to stay calm, attempting to communicate with A04. But the other party clearly had no intention of listening; the tentacle continued to crawl up from his ankle. He didn’t dare touch it recklessly blue-ringed octopuses are deadly poisonous. He opened his wristband, ready to press the emergency button.

A04, hiding in the shadows, looked at the black-robed person who was different from the others. A flash of coldness appeared in his eyes as he controlled the tentacle to continue its upward movement, rubbing against the boy’s skin through the cloth. Feeling the boy’s body shivering with fear, his movements became increasingly bold.

Su Xi truly couldn’t take it anymore. He struggled hard and managed to slip away from the tentacle. Backing away in disarray, he looked up to see a blue-haired man sitting on the platform. The silver stud in the man’s ear shimmered under the lights. He was currently watching Su Xi’s pathetic state with great interest.

“Entering without even wearing a hazmat suit?” The man’s gaze landed on Su Xi’s hood. He made a move to control the tentacle to flip it off.

Reacting quickly, Su Xi dodged and said coldly, “It seems the people in Group Three haven’t been disciplining you properly, A04.”

“You were so scared just now, why so tough all of a sudden?” A04 wasn’t intimidated by Su Xi’s words. He arched an eyebrow, jumped down from the platform, and walked unhurriedly toward Su Xi. Looking at the name tag pinned to the boy’s chest, he murmured softly, “Su Xi.”

“Don’t come any closer.” Su Xi’s hands holding the clipboard were sweating slightly. He met A04’s gaze and said syllable by syllable: “Xia Le coming to find me suddenly it was because of you, wasn’t it?”

In the past, there had been incidents where A04 tricked researchers into his room to torture them. His reputation for being uncooperative and difficult during sampling and experiments was well-known. Su Xi had heard plenty of gossip when he first arrived, but he hadn’t expected to have an encounter with this test subject so soon. He lowered his eyes to think for a moment.

“That’s right, it was me.” A04 let out a nonchalant, malicious scoff. His tone was full of wickedness: “You’re a bit different from the others. Let me think about how I should torture you.”

The air pressure in the containment room dropped, and the chill in the air grew heavier.

Su Xi lifted his eyes to look at the man, moving toward the door inconspicuously. To his surprise, before he could reach it, a tentacle emerged from nowhere and wound tightly around his waist, pulling him in front of A04. The hood covering his vision was pulled back.

“So fragrant…” Warm breath was exhaled against his sensitive ear. Su Xi instinctively tried to retreat but was bound even tighter.

A04 buried his head in Su Xi’s neck and nuzzled it with obsession, as if the wicked person from a moment ago hadn’t been him. A few strands of blue hair brushed against the boy’s delicate skin, carrying a slight itch. He almost couldn’t control himself as he leaned down to bite the boy’s neck, licking the skin.

“Mm…” Su Xi let out a cry of pain. Many images flashed through his mind. He reached out to push the man away but was held tightly. “Let go.”

“No wonder you’re the one who came. I knew they all liked you.” A04 blurted out this nonsensical sentence. Behind him, many tentacles appeared, writhing restlessly according to their master’s will, looking eager to try.

Su Xi was confused and in no mood to argue. He pursed his lips and asked with a frown, “What are you talking about?”

“No wonder the person with the parasite sent you in. Su Xi, is it? I like you very much.” A04 chuckled. His cool hand landed on the side of the boy’s face and stroked it for a moment. “I don’t like those other people. In the future, you come and stay with me, okay?”

A04’s attitude had done a complete 180-degree turn, which made Su Xi doubt the man’s motives. But he had no time to think; his body felt abnormal wherever he was being touched. His face flushed, and he bit his lip, saying softly, “Let me go first.”

“Promise me, and I’ll let go.” A04 didn’t move his hold.

Su Xi could only agree for the moment. After coaxing the man into happiness with a few words, he retreated in disarray to the lounge to wash up. Looking in the mirror, the skin on his fair neck was flushed from the friction and hurt when touched. He immediately communicated with System 1368.

“Xiao Ba, what is going on?”

“Host, it’s a reward from the last world,” System 1368 explained succinctly. “In the ABO world, glands emit pheromones to attract others. You now have a special constitution; your body emits an orchid fragrance that attracts the same sex. It’s very useful.”

“What did you say?” Su Xi ground out, syllable by syllable.

Orchid fragrance? Attracting people? How was he supposed to do his mission then? He was in a “Harmony/Green” society; what use were those messy constitutional things to him?

“No, don’t worry, Host. The people you attract will definitely be the ‘dragons among men,’ the chosen ones.” Seeing Su Xi’s unpleasant expression, System 1368 hurried to compensate.

“Is that what I care about?” Su Xi’s eyelashes flickered. After splashing his face with cold water, crystalline droplets slid down his smooth cheeks and dripped onto the marble counter.

“Ah? Then what is it?” System 1368 asked, puzzled.

“Forget it. Was A04 just now a key character?” Su Xi let out a helpless sigh, comforting himself that since the situation was set, he could only take it one step at a time. The priority now was to find the villain quickly.

“Yes, Host,” System 1368 replied obediently. “To facilitate your mission, we have specifically launched a new detection system and provided a detailed introduction to the composition of the Salvation Value!”

Salvation Value: 50% Love plus 50% Hate. Dubbed “Salvation,” it simply means making the villain fall in love with you, then ruthlessly abandoning them, while surviving perfectly during the mission period.

Looking at the introduction on the screen, Su Xi felt the road to completing the mission was a long one. He pursed his lips. Only after a long while did he exit the restroom, leaning over to drink half a glass of water to dispel the dryness in his throat. He then returned to his room to change into clean clothes.

The shift schedule at the institute was very regular, and everyone followed it strictly. At dinner time, the shifts would change. Su Xi was a unique existence at the institute; he always worked alone and wasn’t bound by these rules.

He watched the little gold fish in the clear tank, swaying their tails freely and leisurely. The water rippled in circles. But before Su Xi could lean in closer to look, a massive explosion rang in his ears.

It was currently break time, so there weren’t many people in the institute. Su Xi didn’t hesitate for a second before running toward the source of the blast.