After listening, Ye Li looked puzzled. “Why don't I have any impression of what you're talking about?”
The original host's memories were intact, yet there wasn't the slightest trace in her mind of either Dr. Cao or that experimental accident.
“When did you come to Base A3?” Zhao Lei asked.
Ye Li thought for a moment and replied, “A little over a year ago.”
Country Z had a vast landmass and a massive population, so there were quite a few safe bases, categorized into three tiers—A, B, and C—based on their security ratings and scale.
Base A3, where they were currently located, was one of the five major bases boasting the highest security ratings.
The original host had previously lived in a small Rank C base. Later, when that base could no longer sustain itself, the survivors were dispersed among other bases.
“That explains it. You hadn't arrived at the base yet when the accident happened!” Zhao Lei explained. “Ever since Dr. Cao went missing, everything about him became taboo. Hardly anyone in the base ever mentions him anymore, so it's normal that you wouldn't know.”
“Why would it become taboo?” Ye Li asked, puzzled.
Wasn't Dr. Cao hailed as a Savior?
Even if he died, shouldn't he be celebrated and commemorated?
Why did he become taboo instead?
“That, I don't know.”
Whether he truly didn't know or harbored some reservations, Zhao Lei seemed unwilling to elaborate further.
“Alright, I have to head next door.” He raised his hand to check his wristwatch and cautioned, “Things haven't been peaceful in the research institute lately. Keep Duoduo close and be careful. Wait until Qiao Bei gets back.”
“Okay.” Ye Li nodded. “Thanks to your help all this time, too. Thank you!”
“No need to be so polite!” Zhao Lei smiled, turning to walk out of the cell.
Just before stepping out, he suddenly paused, looking back at Ye Li to ask, “By the way, do you like ginkgo trees?”
“What?” Ye Li blinked, momentarily unable to process the question.
Zhao Lei continued on his own, “There's a place west of the city called Pinghuabei, where my family used to live. There’s a century-old ginkgo tree there that grows lush and magnificent. Now that it’s October, its leaves have started turning yellow. The entire tree is a brilliant gold—it’s quite a spectacle. If you ever get the chance, you should go see it. It’s truly beautiful!”
With that, he left without waiting for Ye Li to reply.
Watching the cell door close again, Ye Li felt utterly baffled and perplexed.
Still, she didn't dwell on it too much, figuring she could ask him what he meant when he did his rounds tonight.
Ye Li turned and called Duoduo over to wash up, preparing to let her take an afternoon nap.
Right at that moment, a shrill scream suddenly came from the neighboring cell. The voice sounded strikingly familiar.
It was Zhao Lei!
Ye Li instantly stepped forward, rushing to the door.
However, the view through the small transparent window was limited, and she couldn't see anything.
“Ah!”
Another cry of terror rang out.
This time, however, the scream came from the cell opposite hers. The newly arrived female Mutant was just like Ye Li, pressed against her window looking out.
Whatever horrifying sight met her eyes made her turn pale with sheer panic, stumbling backward in terror.
Right after that, footsteps sounded from next door; it seemed “someone” had stepped out.
Ye Li instinctively crouched down, staying clear of the window.
She turned toward Duoduo on the bed and raised a finger to her lips in a shushing gesture.
The footsteps paused briefly in the corridor before heading straight toward the opposite cell.
“Beep!”
A crisp electronic sound chimed.
Ye Li's expression sank instantly.
That was the sound of an access card being swiped.
As the cell door slid open with a rumble, the female Mutant inside began screaming in frantic terror, “Ah... don't come near me... Help... Get away... Hel—”
Accompanied by a sickening crunch, the screams ceased abruptly. In their place came the chilling sounds of gnawing and mastication.
Ye Li suppressed her urge to peek out and investigate.
She slipped off her slippers and set them aside, moving barefoot and noiselessly to the bedside. Scooping up Duoduo, whose little face had turned pale with fright, she kept low and crept quickly into the bathroom.
After a second thought, she grabbed the cell's only wooden chair and took it along.
Inside the bathroom, Ye Li carried Duoduo all the way to the innermost corner, pressing her back against the wall and curling up on the floor, holding the small chair in front of them as meager protection.
Duoduo was trembling violently from head to toe, her tiny hands clutching tightly onto Ye Li's clothes for comfort.
Ye Li's expression was grim.
If she wasn't mistaken, that was likely an Abomination—and an intelligent one at that, clever enough to use an access card to open doors.
If so, all the cells were completely open to it.
Trapped inside their cell, they were like lambs to the slaughter, unable to do a thing. They could only pray silently that if the monster saw no one in the cell, it wouldn't come inside.
Clearly, prayers did not work.
Before long, a crisp electronic sound chimed right outside their door.
“Beep!”
Rate on N.U.
