At this moment, the “mouse” across the hall—or rather, Ye Li—was staring with wide eyes, watching with great relish.
There wasn't the slightest trace of fear on her face; on the contrary, she was thoroughly intrigued.
That was an Abomination!
The product of a Mutant failing their secondary mutation—truly a rare sight!
It was just that it looked far too hideous and disgusting, turning her stomach a bit.
Whether it was an Aberration or an Abomination, they possessed an irresistible thirst for human flesh and blood.
The monster had already devoured its cellmate; seeing Ye Li now, it naturally couldn't resist the temptation.
It began slamming violently against the cell door, attempting to break out and seize the delicious little snack across the hall.
But Ye Li wasn't worried in the slightest.
While the other facilities in this underground detention center were average, its security was top-notch—and the higher up the floors went, the tighter the security became.
Sure enough, the Abomination had only slammed into the cell door twice before a piercing alarm suddenly blared, instantly jolting everyone awake from their dreams.
Qiao Bei sat up with a start, instinctively pulling Duoduo beside him into his embrace.
Seeing Ye Li standing in front of the door, he hurriedly asked, “What's happening outside, Big Sister?”
“Someone failed their secondary mutation. Stay on the beds and don't come over!” Ye Li said in a deep voice without turning her head.
Qiao Bei immediately understood, his expression turning somewhat panicked.
He quickly told Duoduo to close her eyes, raising his hands to cover her ears so she wouldn't see or hear anything frightening.
The alarm quickly drew a group of heavily armed guards, personally led by Gao Wen.
After assessing the situation inside the cell through the window, they quickly drew up an action plan.
Abominations were rare and made for invaluable test subjects; trapped inside the cell as it was now, they naturally had to find a way to capture it alive.
More and more people gathered in the hallway, blocking Ye Li's line of sight.
She could only catch glimpses through the gaps of several figures clad in specialized protective suits, holding long rod-like implements, slipping into the opposite cell through the slightly ajar door.
Immediately after, zzzt, crackle...
Accompanied by bursts of flashing electrical arcs, horrifying, inhuman roars and shrieks rang out shrilly, making one's scalp tingle and heart shudder in dread.
The noise went on for quite some time before finally subsiding. When the cell door was thrown wide open at last, the guards waiting outside immediately swarmed in.
Before long, Ye Li saw two people in specialized protective suits carried out first. Motionless, it was impossible to tell whether they were dead or alive.
Afterward, five or six people worked together to carry out an enormous body wrapped in oilcloth and tightly bound with iron chains. They cautiously exited the cell, loaded it onto a specialized steel-framed cart, and swiftly transported it away.
The people in the hallway gradually began to disperse as well.
With her view cleared, Ye Li could see the utter devastation inside the opposite cell through its open door.
The pool of bloody filth covering the floor was a glaring red, mingled with scattered remnants of human tissue—a stark testament to the Abomination's savagery.
Though the Abomination had been successfully removed, the commotion it caused continued.
An announcement sounded over the broadcast: all Mutants held in the detention center were required to undergo an unscheduled examination.
Soon, a group of researchers wearing masks and protective suits came down to the detention center with specialized equipment, going floor by floor, cell by cell, conducting a series of safety screenings on every Mutant.
By the time it was Ye Li and her cellmates' turn, the morning lights-on time had already passed.
One by one, they were hooked up to specialized devices to test their hormone levels and supernatural energy fluctuations, in addition to having several vials of blood drawn for testing.
Even Duoduo, a mere child, was no exception.
When her blood was drawn, her little face turned pale with fright. Teardrops the size of beans tumbled down one after another, yet she stubbornly pressed her lips together and didn't make a sound. The pitiful sight tugged at anyone's heartstrings.
Once the tests were done, Qiao Bei took Duoduo out as usual.
Ye Li climbed back onto her bed, intending to catch up on some sleep.
But she had barely fallen asleep when the cell door opened once more.
Zhao Lei walked in, holding Duoduo by the hand.
“Why is she back?” Ye Li asked, puzzled.
“The laboratory isn't letting Qiao Bei bring the child inside anymore,” Zhao Lei explained to Ye Li as he lifted Duoduo onto the edge of the bed and helped take off her shoes.
Duoduo pulled her feet up and sat cross-legged on the bed, her small hands fiddling with the bow around her teddy bear's neck, looking thoroughly downcast.
Ye Li furrowed her brows. “Is it just today, or can she not go in from now on?”
“Not at all anymore,” Zhao Lei replied. “So during the day, we'll have to trouble you to look after her from now on.”
Ye Li instinctively refused. “I don't know how to look after kids!”
Zhao Lei consoled her, “It's fine. Duoduo is very well-behaved. She can take care of her own things. You just need to keep a slight eye on her. I'll also drop by whenever I have time.”
Ye Li: “...” She felt as though she were being railroaded into this!
But since he had put it that way, refusing any further would make her seem too callous, so she was forced to agree.
Fortunately, Duoduo was indeed more sensible than most children. She could eat her meals on her own and go to the bathroom by herself. When bored, she stayed on her bed playing with her teddy bear, neither throwing tantrums nor making noise, obedient to a fault.
After dinner, Duoduo hugged her teddy bear and sat at the foot of the bed, staring wistfully at the cell door, waiting for her big brother to return.
Yet she waited until lights-out was drawing near, and still there was no sign of Qiao Bei.
In the end, the one who came was Zhao Lei doing his rounds.
“Qiao Bei can't come back for now. His tests showed abnormal hormone levels and supernatural energy fluctuations, so he needs to be isolated for a few days.”
Zhao Lei scratched his head. “So until he returns, I'll have to trouble you to look after Duoduo!”
Ye Li: “...” Was it too late for her to refuse now?
Clearly, Zhao Lei gave her no opportunity to refuse; having delivered the message, he hurried off.
Ye Li's heart sank slightly.
Abnormal hormone levels and supernatural energy fluctuations meant Qiao Bei was likely undergoing a secondary mutation.
This was no longer just a matter of being quarantined for a few days.
If he failed his secondary mutation, he would never be able to return.
Duoduo didn't understand any of this.
She only knew that the big brother she longed for wasn't coming back anytime soon. Her lower lip pouted aggrievedly, and she looked at Ye Li with reddened eyes on the verge of tears.
Ye Li stared back at her numbly, unable to fathom how she had inexplicably ended up saddled with a “little burden.”
After staring at each other for quite a while, Ye Li finally conceded defeat.
Sighing helplessly, she got out of bed. “Put the teddy bear down, get out of bed, wash up, and go to sleep!”
Duoduo obediently followed her instructions.
The weather was chilly right now and the water was freezing, so there was no need to take a bath every day. Ye Li wrung out a towel and had the child wipe down her body.
Duoduo was quite capable, wiping herself clean in a remarkably orderly fashion.
Once Duoduo had rinsed her mouth and washed her feet, Ye Li carried her back to bed first.
By the time Ye Li finished washing up herself, it was right at lights-out.
The cell plunged into darkness. Ye Li tucked the child in to sleep, then lay back down on her own bed.
But Duoduo couldn't fall asleep after lying there for ages, her eyes wide open, staring unblinkingly at Ye Li.
Feeling creeped out under her gaze, Ye Li raised an eyebrow. “Don't tell me you want me to tell you a story?”
Duoduo nodded immediately.
Ye Li: “...” See, coaxing kids was the biggest hassle of all!
However, she didn't have any stories in her head, so after thinking it over, she decided to make one up on the spot.
“Then I'll tell you a story about an evil dragon and a princess. Once upon a time, there was a king who was very poor. So he came up with an idea: he planned to offer the princess to an evil dragon in exchange for treasure...”
Perhaps Ye Li had a real knack for storytelling.
She grew more and more enthusiastic as she spoke, going all the way until the princess lifted a greatsword and fought the evil dragon for three hundred rounds, ultimately slaying the dragon, lopping off the king's wretched head, and taking the throne as queen herself—at which point the story came to a triumphant conclusion.
Whether it was because the story was too gripping or too terrifying, far from feeling sleepy after listening, Duoduo stared with wide, round eyes, seeming even more awake.
But by now, Ye Li had exhausted every shred of her patience.
“Hurry up and go to sleep. Make any more fuss and I'll beat you!”
After snapping fiercely, she turned over to face the wall.
Yet before long, she heard rustling sounds from behind her as someone got out of bed.
Ye Li furrowed her brows and lay there without paying it any mind.
Only when someone tugged on her clothes did she finally turn around impatiently, her tone sharp. “What is it now?”
She saw Duoduo standing timidly beside the bed, clutching her teddy bear in her arms, with one hand stretched straight out toward her.
And resting openly on that small, spread palm was a piece of candy wrapped in yellow cellophane.
Rate on N.U.
