The buns were finished. Lu Yan pondered for a moment, deciding whether to return to Qinglong Reservoir or go home.
[Go home and get some sleep. The reservoir doesn't lack someone like you to handle things.]
Lu Yan thought about it and agreed. He swiped his card, boarded the bus, and asked, "Where's Tang Xunan?"
The system replied slowly, "[Third Research Institute. After the fight, due to a high degree of mutation, he has been urgently taken to the research institute.]"
"Is it serious?"
After a moment of consideration, the system provided an intriguing response, "[Can't die.]"
Lu Yan took the bus, contemplated for a moment, and asked, "Can I visit him as a family member?"
[Even if you go to the Third Research Institute now, you probably won't see him. Dog Dragon's rationality is still in the recovery phase. Meeting him is too dangerous in the eyes of the researchers.]
So, Lu Yan had no choice but to go home and sleep.
On the phone, Zhou Qiming informed him that B2 area had been cleared, and he advised Lu Yan to rest well.
Headquarters had already informed his teammates via text about Lu Yan being kidnapped by 01.
When Lu Yan got home, Xiaotian rushed over with a bounding step, "Dr. Lu is back!"
As Tang Xunan's family member, Xiaotian had already learned Tang Xunan's whereabouts from the messages sent by Bai Ze and others.
Xiaotian brought slippers, placed them in front of Lu Yan, wagged his tail, sniffed Lu Yan vigorously, then bristled, "Why do you still have the smell of another dog on you? Did you get rubbed by some stray dog!?"
Hundreds of kilometers away, 01, holding 04's life capsule, suddenly sneezed.
Lu Yan hung his bow on the wall and asked, "When will Tang Xunan be back?"
Xiaotian's front paws anxiously tapped on the ground, "Old Tang, he's going to hold a summary report meeting. There are still some matters to deal with..."
"Oh, dirtying himself up on a mission! It hurts my heart." The dog began nudging Lu Yan's waist with its head, "I've heated water for you, Dr. Lu. Take a bath and go to sleep."
The system chuckled, "[Look, even a dog talks more than Tang Xunan.]"
Most of the time, Lu Yan's tone was calm, like the flat line on an electrocardiogram, without any fluctuations.
But a moment after the system spoke, Lu Yan sternly reprimanded, "Shut up."
The system remained silent for a long time.
After bathing, Lu Yan couldn't find his pajamas, so he pulled out a set of home clothes and went to sleep.
As he was about to fall asleep, a low sob suddenly echoed in his mind.
System: "[Woo... you're mean, scolding me... Don't forget who helped you conquer this world.]"
"Now that I'm old, you find me annoying, ugly. No tail and no cyber bull's balls! Tell me, where am I inferior to Tang Xunan? Tell me!"
Lu Yan: "..."
He wished he could open his head and dig the system out.
Lu Yan slept until the afternoon. When he woke up, it was still bright outside. There were no new messages on his phone, just a questionnaire from headquarters, hoping he would earnestly fill out the details of the cleanup task at the First Research Institute.
In addition to others, all employees who had entered the First Research Institute at that time received such a questionnaire.
Due to Lu Yan's unique situation, a few additional questions were added. Such as how he encountered 01, whether he knew 07 and Shen Qingyang, and why he believed 07 and Shen Qingyang intervened to save him.
Lying on the bed, Lu Yan, holding his phone, lazily filled out the report.
"A city A has been restless lately. While you were sleeping, a high-ranking official in the bedroom committed suicide by swallowing a gun."
"After separate interrogations, most researchers admitted to their unauthorized experiments, but some still firmly believe they were persecuted."
"In the future, besides the Harbingers, researchers will also undergo regular mental health checks."
Lu Yan asked, "What about the test subjects?"
"No conclusion yet. The spiritual power thresholds of the test subjects are basically built up with drugs and pollution sources, and their conditions are not particularly stable... especially after such treatment. However, they definitely won't continue with the experiments."
"The God-making Project was always a complete joke. I admit that fear is the greatest driving force for humanity to advance or passively advance. From the Spark Project to the God-making Project, it's just a change in attitude to solve problems. Pollution, distortion, evolution, apocalypse - humans define the unknown. But in the end, humans are always in fear."
"The weaker the spirit, the easier it is for fear to destroy. Existing civilizational structures are no exception."
"If a solution or balance cannot be found, similar incidents will happen again... not violating experimental protocols, but resorting to any means to solve pollution. It's just a more tragic and righteous form."
"Dog Dragon is also afraid. However, he's not afraid of pollutants but fears becoming a pollutant and losing his sanity."
On the shooting range, there were still several bullets from Tang Xunan that hadn't been collected. Wang Yu wanted to secretly eat them, but Lu Yan pinched the tip of his tongue.
Xiaotian wasn't in the mood to watch a female anchor, so he forced a smile and stayed by Lu Yan's side, finding things to do every day.
Fortunately, being a dog, he could put on a pitiful face, and no one could tell.
The next afternoon, the investigator sent by headquarters arrived at the door, claiming to be Tang Xunan's teammate, codenamed Bai Ze.
Bai Ze had the temperament of a gentle and easy-going young teacher, making it easy for people to let their guard down.
His talents were hypnosis and clue perception, a registered B-level Harbinger.
As an auxiliary-type Harbinger, Bai Ze possessed a high spiritual power threshold and a low mutation value. At headquarters, he had consistently ranked among the top three Harbingers in internal votes.
Bai Ze said, "Although it's a revisit for investigation, I wasn't very eager to come. But there's this procedure, so here I am. Our conversation will be recorded from now on... Oh, my liaison is cursing me through the earpiece, telling me not to be too honest to avoid raising your guard."
"Because of some embarrassing history related to pollutants, it could trigger high alertness at headquarters," Bai Ze continued. "I'm here to inquire about your relationship with 07 and Shen Qingyang. As for the rest, headquarters is investigating on its own."
Shen Qingyang's code at headquarters was no longer "Blue-eyed Octopus" but had officially become "Black Octopus."
When they finally locked up Shen Qingyang in temporary prison, photos were taken. His human identity had been largely investigated. While not very close, Lu Yan and Shen Qingyang did have some connection.
Lu Yan said, "You're indeed quite honest." He candidly explained the circumstances of his acquaintance with Shen Qingyang and mentioned that he hadn't seen him since he escaped from the contamination disease prevention center in K City.
Regarding 07, he skipped the part about ordering from the pig butcher and expressed sympathy for their ordeal during the conversation.
Bai Ze meticulously recorded everything and succumbed to temptation, staying for dinner at Tang Xunan's house.
Lu Yan cooked the meal—squirrel-shaped Mandarin fish and overcooked eggplants, both appetizing.
With the investigation concluded, Bai Ze turned off the recording pen and cut off external communication during dinner. His slightly long hair revealed white feathers on the side when lifted.
Unable to resist, Lu Yan asked, "Where's Tang Xunan?"
Bai Ze paused with his chopsticks and replied, "He's on a mission abroad, not coming back so soon..."
"He just completed a mission facing the mutated experimental subject 01, already in the recovery phase, and now he's off on another mission," Lu Yan slowly inquired, "Does headquarters really see him as a person?"
Bai Ze felt there was more to Lu Yan's words. Despite the delicious meal, he lost his appetite a bit.
After thinking for a moment, Bai Ze answered, "In my 32 years of service, I believe I've gained more than I've lost, but sometimes, I've thought about giving up this job. Many Harbingers, after gaining powers, lose direction in life due to changing attitudes, long lifespans, and easily attainable wealth. Headquarters has always been working to reintegrate Harbingers into human society."
"When my father was alive, he was the richest man in Dongzhou Province," Bai Ze pointed to himself. "When I became a Harbinger, it was during the early spread of the contamination disease, 70 years ago. My father was originally just a small businessman, but because of my existence, he signed many favorable business contracts and government deals. Later, he became the largest real estate developer in the country."
"I risked my life for them, exchanging it for my family's prosperity. But one day, when I returned home, I found I had a younger brother. I was still my parents' child, but not quite. I had a high status at home, but no real family."
"I went through a period of confusion. I felt they were using me, that they didn't really love me."
Smiling self-deprecatingly, Bai Ze continued, "I resigned from the Special Operations Department and didn't go home for a long time. My mother got dementia, waiting for me at the door every day. My father's will named me as the first successor. Before my younger brother died, he said he was proud to have me as his brother."
"They used me, but it doesn't conflict with them loving me. Describing the relationship between headquarters and Harbingers as family may not be entirely accurate, but it's roughly the same. Headquarters has never given up on Tang Xunan, never treated him as a monster. There are people at headquarters, inevitably with unsettled hearts sometimes, showing you some not-so-good things. But most ordinary people working at headquarters, including the Special Operations Department, the Research Institute, and the Contamination Disease Prevention Center, I assure you, genuinely respect these firefighters."
"My talents are hypnosis and clue perception. My attitude toward others is particularly sensitive. If the overall attitude at headquarters was just using Harbingers, I would have left long ago, and I would have advised Tang's team to leave as well. People can be complicated."
"Besides, as someone who grew up as a human since childhood, how could I completely ignore humanity?"
Bai Ze spoke a lot in one breath, finally sighed, and picked up his chopsticks.
"I don't know what you've noticed, but Tang Xunan is indeed not on a mission. His level of mutation is too high, undergoing treatment. He can't meet you temporarily until his condition stabilizes. If you want, someone will come to pick you up then."
"Oh, I turned off the earpiece and recording pen long ago. You don't need to worry about our conversation spreading. In fact, Mr. Di Ting, I know you haven't been entirely truthful with me."
"Because in my view, there has always been a question mark above your head. That's how clue perception works. But it's okay; I believe in you, trusted by Tang's team."
This statement surprised Lu Yan a bit, and he said, "Thank you."
Bai Ze replied with a smiling squint, "You're welcome, and by the way, Tang's team didn't lie to me. The meal you cooked is really delicious."
On the fourth day after completing the mission, headquarters issued a notice through the app, announcing disciplinary decisions for some members of the First Research Institute, with the highest penalty being death.
Justice, though belated, could still console the departed souls.
On the seventh day, while Lu Yan was cleaning Tang Xunan's house, someone from the Third Research Institute finally came.
Initially intending to do household chores, Lu Yan was interrupted by the barking of a dog, and Shen Qingyang, with a mop tied around his waist, ran over, saying he couldn't allow it.
Later, it was discovered that doing household chores was Lu Yan's way of relieving stress, so he stopped and continued watching the beautiful female anchor.
Seeing the mop in Lu Yan's hand, the staff was also very surprised.
"Mr. Lu, good afternoon. Professor Ji asked me to inform you that Tang's condition has stabilized...," the staff member took out a large stack of file bags, "These are the medication and surgical records of Tang during this period. This CD contains surveillance footage, 24 hours of it. Our procedures are formal and proper. Rest assured, Tang's recovery is going well."
This stability referred to the transformation from dragon form to human form, and his mental state had also returned to normal.
"During the recent period of investigation and rectification, many rules have been reestablished for the series of surgeries targeting Harbingers," the staff explained. "Due to your expressed distrust in the conversation and some information provided by 03, headquarters believes you currently have an extreme lack of trust in the institute. So, the
staff has specially brought these documents because Tang Xunan listed you as the heir."
Lu Yan took the sealed documents and said, "Thank you. I want to go to the Third Research Institute to see him."
The staff member replied, "Sure. I have a car."
The Third Research Institute was located in Xuanwu Mountain in Yanjiao, adjacent to Mobei Province. It was a 5A-level tourist attraction and a natural ecological protection area.
It would take about four hours to drive from City A to the Third Research Institute.
Lu Yan had been there before.
The staff member said, "Mr. Lu, I don't have permission to enter, so I'll drop you off at the entrance. The person responsible for taking you to see Tang Xunan is Researcher Bing."
Researcher Bing's arm was still healing, wrapped in thick bandages and fixed with a steel plate. Leading Lu Yan by half a body, he introduced the work of the Third Research Institute while walking.
Lu Yan's gaze fell on Bing's tail.
White, round, swaying.
"Mr. Lu, I came to our research institute once before. At that time, you were in a coma, and I was responsible for changing your medication and basic cleaning. You shed a lot of fish scales. Generally, these should be thrown into the trash as waste, but I thought your scales looked pretty, so I kept one as a talisman... Sorry. The scales were taken by Lord Tyrant," Bing explained while holding the file bag.
Lu Yan wasn't particularly concerned about it. After enduring for a while, he couldn't help but ask, "Can I touch your tail?"
Bing looked puzzled, "Huh? Okay...?"
Lu Yan grabbed the short white ball and gently stroked it backward, pulling the fluffy tail out to over ten centimeters long.
When he let go, the rabbit-like tail curled back like a spring, bouncing on Bing's butt.
Lu Yan felt a great sense of satisfaction in his heart.
System: [...Damn, there's a pervert.]
Tang Xunan's ward required passing several access controls.
Fortunately, although it was fully enclosed, you could see the outside scenery, facing a clear lake.
Before the last door, Bing was very tactful, swiping the card and leaving.
Tang Xunan's ward was surprisingly similar to the ward from decades ago; it looked like a bedroom.
The only difference was that now there was no longer a copy of "Three Years of High School Entrance Exams and Five Years of Simulated Exams" on his desk, replaced by some work documents.
As before, Tang Xunan still liked to hide in the wardrobe.
Due to taking a large amount of sedatives, Tang Xunan was now sleeping soundly. One hand was still wearing a metal ring with monitoring data, and the other hand had a bracelet hanging with a golden fish scale. The scale looked very familiar, and Lu Yan didn't need to compare.
Lu Yan stood at the door of the cabinet and looked at Tang Xunan's face.
This face buried deep in the pile of clothes still had scales that couldn't completely recede, but overall, it had returned to normal.
Tang Xunan's breathing was slow; Lu Yan estimated about three times per minute.
Many times, Lu Yan could understand how to express emotions but didn't quite understand why others chose to express them in certain ways.
Most of his behaviors were choices made after a brief thought, combined with reference objects.
Lu Yan pointed to his own heart and asked the system, "What emotion is this?"
Too unfamiliar, making him breathless, wanting to find an outlet to vent all at once.
After some thought, the system replied, [It's pity.]
"Is pity a form of love?"
[You don't know, so how would I know? Maybe it's a loving kind of pity, like seeing your injured pet dog.]
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