Chapter 245 | The Apocalypse Landlady

Su Wan looked at the thin, somewhat neurotic middle-aged man and finally voiced the question in her mind.

“You’re a physically weak researcher who couldn’t even truss a chicken. Why are you out here?”

In Su Wan’s understanding, researchers like him were precious assets. Dangerous combat missions were clearly not something he should be involved in.

Chen Shijie adjusted the glasses sitting crookedly on his nose, appearing somewhat indifferent to the question.

“Do you think I wanted to come?” He huffed, his tone carrying a hint of displeasure and an indefinable sense of anxiety. “I had no choice but to come.”

Su Wan remained silent, waiting for him to continue.

Chen Shijie looked down at the three unconscious Ability Users on the ground, then at the youth curled up on the rubble, shivering uncontrollably inside his combat jacket. He let out a sigh.

“These things—” He pointed at the Ability Users on the ground, then at the youth. “Are the results of five years of my blood, sweat, and tears.”

“Five years!”

He held up five fingers and shook them in front of Su Wan.

“A full five years. From the most basic gene sequence analysis to the breakthrough in chimerism technology, and then to the optimization of stability—I led my team through every single step.”

“Do you know what I sacrificed during these five years?”

He didn’t wait for Su Wan to answer, continuing on his own.

“I gave up the chance to go to the Boneng Research Institute in Area C. I rejected a transfer order from the Yongming Province General Institute. I poured all my time and energy into the Deep Blue Research Institute.”

“Five years, over eighteen hundred days and nights. I didn’t take a single day off, and I never left the laboratory for more than twenty-four hours.”

“My wife left me and took our child. I wasn’t even there to see my parents one last time before they passed—”

Chen Shijie’s voice lowered. “But none of that matters…”

“What matters is that my research results cannot be stolen by anyone else!”

Su Wan’s brow twitched slightly.

Chen Shijie continued, his voice growing faster and more urgent.

“Do you know what kind of place Deep Blue Research Institute is? It’s the lowest level of the Dawn Federation Bio-Research Institute, a mere branch in a C-class city.”

“In the eyes of those big shots, we’re just a group of nobodies left to fend for ourselves on the fringes. No one notices us; no one cares about us.”

“But because of that, we have to protect ourselves even more.”

“The factional infighting within the research institute is even more brutal than the ruins outside.”

“Every project team is fighting for limited resources, and every researcher is eyeing someone else’s results.”

“If people found out I developed a method to control a Super Gene-Modified Organism—”

He paused, his voice dropping even lower.

“They would definitely find a way to steal my technology, seize my results, and even… get rid of me!”

Su Wan watched him quietly and asked, “So, that collar…”

Chen Shijie nodded, his gaze falling on the neck of the youth curled up on the rubble.

The silver-grey metal collar was clamped around the youth’s pale neck, its indicator light still blinking with a steady green glow.

“I spent three years developing that.”

His voice carried a hint of pride he couldn’t hide.

“The biggest problem with Super Gene-Modified Organisms isn't creating them; it’s controlling them.”

“Their gene chimerism rate is too high, with non-human genes accounting for over seventy percent.”

“Their consciousness cores are chaotic and disordered, existing in a semi-chaotic state. No Mental-type Ability User can effectively control them.”

“If left alone, they would lose control completely within minutes of activation and attack every living thing in sight.”

He pushed his glasses up, the corners of his mouth curling into a slight smile.

“But I solved that problem.”

“Inside the collar, there is a specialized drug I developed.”

“This drug is injected into the subject’s carotid artery at scheduled and measured intervals through microneedles built into the collar, establishing a connection with their nervous system.”

“The drug’s purpose isn't to suppress, but to guide.”

“It forms a semi-permeable protective film around the subject’s consciousness core, isolating this chaotic core from external stimuli.”

“Under the protection of the drug, the modified subject enters a semi-dormant state. They can perceive external commands, but they won't develop an independent will, won't feel the urge to attack, and won't lose control.”

The more he spoke, the more excited he became. His speech sped up, and his eyes grew bloodshot.

“This is the key!”

“This is the core of the entire Super Gene-Modified Organism project!”

“Without this technology, those modified subjects are just a pile of bombs that could explode at any moment. They couldn't be put to use at all.”

He reached out and pointed toward Su Wan, his finger trembling slightly.

“Only I have this technology.”

“All the formulas, all the parameters, and all the processes are stored in my head.”

“Without me, this collar is just a piece of scrap metal.”

He pulled his hand back, and his voice returned to a calm tone, but that underlying anxiety was still clearly audible.

“So, I had to come personally.”

“I don’t trust anyone.”

“The City Defense Force can’t be trusted, the people at the research institute can’t be trusted, and I don’t even trust the colleagues I’ve worked with for over a decade.”

“Every one of them is eyeing my results, waiting for me to make a mistake.”

“If I let someone else bring Subject 5 out, and something went wrong with the collar, or the subject lost control, or they took the chance to steal my technology—”

He didn’t finish the sentence, but the meaning was obvious.

Su Wan was silent for a moment before speaking slowly. “So, you personally brought Subject 5 and prepared to go to the Terminal Station to capture me.”