Chapter 101: Failure? Substitute?

Chapter 101

Gazing up at the massive characters "Longsheng" emblazoned on the gate of the base, Mo Chen’s previously darkened expression finally softened.

The mission was finally coming to an end!

As long as the mission succeeded, he could free himself to go find Mei.

He wondered how she was doing now.

Although Ye Jingxuan was with her, he still couldn’t shake his unease.

Each day without news of her safety was a day he couldn’t rest.

During their time apart, the absence of that little girl’s company left a void in everything he did; he lacked spirit. Even before mealtime, his thoughts would wander: What was she doing? Had she eaten well? Was Ye Jingxuan taking good care of her?

During rest periods, his worry deepened: Had her need for company been cured? If not, was Ye Jingxuan’s presence enough? If it wasn’t, would she have to rely on medication to get by?

In short, the longer they were separated, the more he thought of Mei—and the more he longed to finish the mission quickly and rush back to her.

Beside him, the others from Ni’s squad showed signs of excitement upon seeing the entrance to Longsheng Base.

This mission had been incredibly difficult!

Originally, over a hundred had embarked on it, but now fewer than fifty remained. Apart from Bai Qing, none of the rescue targets had survived—they all perished halfway through.

Had it not been for Mo Chen’s constant vigilance, Bai Qing would hardly have made it alive to Longsheng Base.

During their downtime, they all worried about Mei and Ye Jingxuan, uncertain if the two were safe. Although Situ Huang claimed both had been buried underground, they firmly believed those two were still alive!

Partly because An Ziyou had predicted their safety through a grand prophecy, but mostly because they knew just how formidable Mei’s strength truly was.

If even Situ Huang survived, then Mei must be fine, despite not being an earth-element ability user.

The group lined up for blood tests and entered the base. Ling Feng led them toward the military district building.

“The mission is complete. Please proceed over there to collect your rewards,” Ling Feng announced after a series of handovers.

Of course, this didn’t include Mo Chen and his group.

Since all their equipment remained stored within Mo Chen’s spatial pocket and hadn’t yet been retrieved, their task wasn’t fully done.

Mo Chen coldly watched as Situ Huang eagerly accepted his reward and left with his family, a sneer curling on Mo Chen’s lips.

Back at that underground experimental base, three had gone missing, yet only Situ Qing had been rescued. Who would believe nothing was wrong?

When questioned about Mei and Ye Jingxuan, Situ Huang insisted they were dead, but was vague about how. Either he hadn’t witnessed their final fate, or he had deliberately framed them!

Why would he do such a thing?

Why insist so stubbornly that both were dead?

Simply to make everyone accept that outcome wholeheartedly. That way, once they returned to Changyang Base, news of Ye Jingxuan’s death would spread immediately, allowing him to strike against the Ye family and seize power for himself!

What a delusion.

He’d better keep that attitude when he returned to Changyang.

“Where should I put the items in my space?” Mo Chen asked Ling Feng impatiently after the others left.

“They need to go to the research institute’s warehouse. But entry requires official approval, so please wait a little longer, Mr. Mo,” Ling Feng explained, adjusting his glasses.

“It’s the end of the world, and you still cling to such formalities. Isn’t that exhausting?” Mo Chen scoffed.

“No rules, no order,” Ling Feng replied earnestly, unfazed by the sarcasm.

Mo Chen sneered but said nothing further.

At that moment, a communications officer approached Ling Feng, saluted, and said, “Major Ling, a message has arrived from Qingsheng Base. Please sign for it.”

Ling Feng took the paper, glanced at it, then handed it to Mo Chen. “This is for you.”

Mo Chen took it curiously. One glance, and his face lit up with joy.

“When was this message sent?” he asked the communications officer eagerly.

The others, puzzled by Mo Chen’s sudden excitement, leaned in to read the note.

It contained only nine simple characters, yet the message stirred them all.

“This has to be from Mei!” Lin Shaojie shouted excitedly.

“Definitely from her! No one else would address Mo Chen that way,” they agreed.

The nickname “Achen” was exclusively Mei’s.

On the way, Situ Qing had once called Mo Chen that, nearly earning herself a broken neck—if not for Situ Huang’s timely intervention and Mo Chen’s reluctance to sever ties with the Situ family. Even so, Mo Chen had injured her vocal cords, leaving her voice hoarse to this day.

Since then, she dared not approach within three meters of Mo Chen alone, which saved him much trouble.

“This message was sent to Major Ling a week ago from Qingsheng Base,” the communications officer said after receiving Ling Feng’s signal, then turned and left.

Mo Chen looked to Ling Feng. “Where is Qingsheng Base? How far is it from Longsheng?”

Everyone else waited for Ling Feng’s answer.

Pushing up his glasses, Ling Feng thought a moment before replying, “Qingsheng Base lies south-southwest of Longsheng. As for distance, it’s definitely farther than Changyang. For Miss Mei and her group to travel from Qingsheng to here would take at least a month, barring any mishaps.”

A month?

The message had been sent a week ago, so in just over twenty days, they could meet. Mo Chen’s mood brightened, a faint, long-missed smile tugging at his lips.

Meanwhile, Mei and Ye Jingxuan, whom Mo Chen and the others worried about, had deviated from their planned route, heading westward instead of to Longsheng.

Where they were going was not Longsheng, but another place—a secret, private experimental base.

Inside the energy vehicle, Mei gazed blankly at the rapidly passing scenery, while Ye Jingxuan kept his eyes fixed on her.

Since deciding to change course, she often wore this expression, as if lost in endless memories, sitting still for long stretches.

Those memories were clearly not pleasant; she involuntarily showed pain, frustration, anxiety, and hatred.

Whenever this happened, Ye Jingxuan would interrupt, pulling her into his arms to soothe her.

“Aye Ye, do you know where we’re headed this time? It’s the place where Achen and I escaped from,” Mei suddenly whispered, still staring out the window.

Ye Jingxuan hadn’t expected her to speak, much less that their destination would be the very place Mei had been held captive.

Before he could respond, Mei continued, “Since I can remember, I was confined to a small room. Except for white, there were hardly any other colors. Every day, I could only see a tiny bit of color and hear a few sounds through a small window in the wall. Whenever the door opened, it meant someone was coming to draw my blood or make me take bitter medicine. But I looked forward to it, because only then could I see other people and escape the endless whiteness.”

“Mei!” Ye Jingxuan called softly, but no words came.

“As I grew older, they brought me books and told me to choose the ones I was most interested in. I heard that through computers, I could learn about the outside world without leaving the room, so I picked books about computers. Later, they assigned someone to teach me basic computing. Luckily, I had some talent for it, or I would have been discarded like the others,” Mei recalled quietly.

These were the memories of her original self, and from today onward, they belonged entirely to her. She could immerse herself fully in those memories; they felt no different than if she had lived them herself.

“As I got older, their experiments went beyond blood draws and medicine. They started injecting me with various drugs and performing surgeries, trying every method to turn me into the perfect human they envisioned—just like with the others. Only recently did I learn they always knew I was different from humans. My genes aren’t human at all. My existence serves as a prototype, a model for them to modify the genes of other test subjects. Beyond that, my sole purpose is to show them the limits of a being like me.”

Pain and hatred burned in Mei’s eyes as she spoke.

“Mei, stop! It’s all over now. If you want revenge, I’ll help you. No matter who they are or where they hide, I’ll find them for you. Will you let me?” Ye Jingxuan’s voice grew hoarse as he held her tightly.

“But my enemies are all dead. Even if I want revenge, I don’t know who to target,” Mei said blankly, overwhelmed by a fury with no outlet.

Only a few days ago did she discover that she, Mo Chen, and the others who escaped had miniature signal transmitters implanted within them. Their escape wasn’t due to careful planning but because those people deliberately let them go—to monitor whether their bodies and genes would change in normal environments.

Those transmitters relayed their physical changes and locations directly back to their captors.

If the changes were unsatisfactory, agents would be sent to eliminate the “failures.” If the subjects met the standards, they would be brought back for further experimentation.

Subject Three was taken back because its evolution met their requirements.

As for her, she wasn’t killed for failure but because they had found a replacement and no longer needed her.

(To be continued.)