Chapter 109: A Balance of Mercy and Might

Chapter 109

“I have no intention of making things difficult for you. Of course, if anyone harbors ill intentions toward me, I am not a pushover to be bullied!” Mei said calmly, ignoring the shifting expressions on their faces.

Ling Feng stared at her for a long moment before speaking, “Miss Mei, I believe you might be misunderstanding. No one here means you harm.”

“Is that so? Well, that’s good to hear. But even if it were true, it wouldn’t matter. If I were to die, I wouldn’t mind taking the entire Longsheng Base down with me!” Mei replied indifferently.

Ling Feng frowned at her words but said nothing.

Seeing that her words had sunk in, Mei drew back the scattered energy she had released earlier.

“I think we can end today’s examination here and continue tomorrow. For now, Major Ling, could you please arrange for someone to escort us to rest?” Mei returned to her usual demeanor, a charming smile gracing her face.

Ling Feng looked at Mei, who had suddenly become so harmless, and after a moment of silence, said, “Follow me.”

He led them to the room prepared for them and then left, as there were still many loose ends demanding his attention. The scientific staff needed to be managed, and the energy Mei had released earlier had undoubtedly unsettled many, requiring an official explanation to calm them. Furthermore, he needed to report the incident to his superiors. This matter would likely require his father's involvement to handle the two generals involved.

While pondering this, Ling Feng swiftly issued orders through his adjutant, ensuring everything was organized and orderly.

After entering the room and confirming no one was watching them, Mei finally expelled the blood she had been suppressing.

“Mei, how are you? Are you alright?” Several people were startled by her sudden coughing of blood and asked with concern.

Mei took out a bottle of medicine and gulped it down, feeling her vital organs slowly heal from the strain of forcibly using so much energy. Only then did she speak: “It’s nothing! Just that my body couldn’t quite handle the amount of energy I used.”

“If you can’t endure it, then you shouldn’t push yourself!” Mo Chen scolded her gently, wiping the blood from her mouth with tender care.

“It’s fine! If I don’t give them a harsh lesson, they’ll never learn. That Ling Feng is a man driven solely by self-interest. He’s willing to sacrifice anyone for what he sees as the bigger picture—even himself! If I don’t make him recognize my value anew, he’ll never give his all,” Mei said firmly.

Mo Chen said nothing; he knew this was true. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have seized the opportunity today to intimidate these people and make them realize their own worth. He wanted those who plotted in the shadows to think twice before making a move and consider whether they could bear the consequences of failure.

Sure enough, the next day, the person sent to draw Mei’s blood was no longer the same as before. This new technician trembled visibly upon seeing them, aware of Mei’s fragile skin. He hesitated for a long time, needle in hand, unable to bring himself to proceed. In the end, Mei could not bear the delay and took the needle herself, inserting it into her vein to complete the blood draw.

“You’re researching an antidote for the zombie virus, right?” After drawing the blood, Mei pressed a cotton ball over the puncture and asked the researcher.

“Yes, yes!” The researcher, visibly more nervous upon hearing Mei speak, stammered with trembling hands.

“Big brother, am I really that scary?” Mei feigned a disappointed expression.

The researcher glanced cautiously at Ye Jingxuan, who accompanied her, but saw no reaction. He then looked back at Mei, puzzled.

When he arrived earlier, he had been repeatedly warned not to provoke these two. Otherwise, his colleagues—who served as examples to him—would suffer. The technician who performed the examination on the young lady yesterday had not yet recovered; his brain was reportedly damaged. Even if he woke, he would likely never work in research again. These warnings naturally instilled fear in him.

Yet, since he had not witnessed it firsthand and the work was done, he noticed that Mei’s attitude remained calm and cooperative. Coupled with her youthful appearance, which was quite misleading, he began to harbor some doubts about the stories he had heard.

“Um, is there something you need?” The researcher, barely over thirty, was unsure how to respond to Mei’s question and reverted to his earlier inquiry.

“You’ve been trying to study my light-based abilities, haven’t you? You believe that integrating light energy into the medicine might enable you to develop an antidote to the zombie virus, right?” Mei asked without pressing him further.

“Yes. Our research shows that light abilities suppress zombies more effectively than any other power. Therefore, if we can find a way to incorporate light energy into the medicine, we might develop a vaccine against the virus. However, light ability users are extremely rare. So far, you’re the only one we’ve discovered,” the researcher said, his fear somewhat eased but lamenting the lack of breakthroughs.

Mei raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Instead, she produced a bottle filled with liquid rich in light energy and handed it to him.

“Take this back and give it to those in charge of the zombie virus research. Consider it my payment for your help treating me. But this is not easy to produce. Given my current condition, I can only provide one bottle per month. So, use it sparingly. If you waste it, you’ll have to wait until next month for more.”

Seeing the researcher treat the bottle like a treasure and look at her with gratitude instead of fear, Mei smiled with satisfaction.

This “Holy Water of Light” had been specially prepared the previous night to assist the scientists in their research. After all, they would be staying here for a while, and it wasn’t good for them to remain in constant fear. Over time, resentment would grow. It was better to balance kindness and authority to encourage their wholehearted effort.

Sure enough, the next day, when they returned for Mei’s examination, the researchers’ eyes held not only awe but also gratitude. Their attitude became warmer and their efficiency improved significantly.

After thorough examination and study, they determined that the various symptoms Mei exhibited were caused by genetic damage. Normally, anyone else’s genetic chain would have collapsed long ago, but a certain energy within Mei’s body had been delaying this process. Hence, so far, she only suffered from bone softening and thinning, fragile skin.

Although they had identified the cause, they had no cure. Mei’s genes were fundamentally different from humans, and their research on genetic medicine was insufficient. They could only explore options by trial and error.

“No! Absolutely not! With only a 20% success rate, you dare apply these drugs to her? What if her condition worsens? Who will be responsible?” Upon hearing the experts’ proposed treatment plan, Mo Chen was the first to object.

“Based on our current genetic knowledge, we cannot guarantee a full cure. We can only try medication while exploring for better methods. I understand your feelings, but you must know that human trials are essential for overcoming every disease. While some tests can be done on animals, genetic trials cannot. The reasons need no explanation,” an elderly professor calmly explained, unfazed by Mo Chen’s anger.

Mo Chen was momentarily speechless, sitting back down with a frustrated expression.

Mei, however, remained composed upon hearing the professor’s words. She had anticipated this from the start. No matter where she went, she could not escape being experimented on. The only difference here was that although they might use her for experiments, they would exercise restraint and prioritize curing her. If she had fallen into the hands of the Third Division, they would have no qualms, and her fate would be of no concern.

After the professor finished, Mei said calmly, “I agree with your treatment plan. When do we start?”

Before the professor could reply, Mo Chen objected again, “No! Mei, the success rate is too low. What if it fails?”

“When people fall ill, no medicine is guaranteed to be 100% effective. Twenty percent—one in five—is not that low. Besides, the success rate isn’t fixed. Maybe they’ll make a breakthrough during treatment,” Mei said pragmatically, trying to comfort Mo Chen.

“I still disagree. If you insist, then test it on me first. My genes have also been modified, similar to yours. Let me be the trial subject. If it’s safe for me, then you can use it on you!”

His words brought a variety of expressions to everyone present.

After initial surprise, the research staff wore indifferent looks. They never objected to having another volunteer for experiments, regardless of the reasons.

Ye Jingxuan glanced at Mei upon hearing Mo Chen’s words, seemingly about to say something, but with so many people present, he remained silent.

The others were at a loss for words.

Opposing? Not quite.

Agreeing? Not quite either.

In the end, all eyes turned to Mei, waiting for her response.

She looked at Mo Chen with helplessness and said, “Chen, stop it! You should know how absurd your suggestion is! Setting aside that our genetic modifications were initially different, even if they were the same, you can’t stand in for me in trials. I’m the one who’s ill, not you. How could you possibly determine if the medicine works?”

What is called “concern leading to chaos”?

Mo Chen was a textbook example. (To be continued.)