Endless Throne - Chapter 22

“How is it? Does it fit well?” Zhou Yuan smiled sincerely. Just a few minutes ago, he had been frantically condemning Xiahou Yun.

The moment he opened the door, Zhou Yuan perfectly demonstrated the essence of Sichuan opera face-changing, revealing a warm yet appropriately polite smile.

“It fits.” Xiahou Yun nodded, looking at the old hen with very appreciative eyes.

The old hen immediately darted behind Zhou Yuan, avoiding Xiahou Yun’s burning gaze.

Terrible! Dangerous!

His eyes looked so hungry, as if he might dismantle and devour it at any moment!

“Dr. Xia, your gaze is too obvious,” Zhou Yuan showed a disapproving expression.

“My surname is Xiahou.” Xiahou Yun frowned, meeting Zhou Yuan’s eyes. His tone was cold, but his trailing voice was quite alluring:

“Besides, I have very good hearing.”

“Aha ha…” Zhou Yuan’s eyes gradually became vacant, trying to act cute to get by.

How long had Xiahou Yun been listening? He had just been having a private meeting with Zhang San, how did he return so quickly?

“Is this chicken for sale?” Xiahou Yun was very interested in the old hen.

“This chicken is not for sale, it’s our pet.” Zhou Yuan ruffled the chicken’s head, his tone gentle:

“Lele, this is Uncle Xia, quickly say hello to uncle.”

“Cluck cluck cluck~” Hello, uncle.

The old hen timidly greeted him, stealing a glance at Xiahou Yun before shrinking back.

Xiahou Yun met its gaze, his fox ears trembling slightly, with a sense of déjà vu.

[Seeking Rich Woman]: I feel like I’ve seen this little sister before

[Literary Mentor]: How old is this little sister? Has she studied? What medicine does she take?

[I Am a Little Green Dragon]: It’s heartwarming~ Oh no, can’t escape those eyes~

[Braised Spare Ribs]: Last time we met, Lele still had beautiful feathers, sigh… so sudden

[Great Emperor Huaji]: “Fiery Delicate Chick: Cold Doctor’s Domineering Love”

[Crispy Shark]: I’m cracking up

[The Ordinary Me]: I declare Great Emperor Huaji the strongest

Lin Yebai’s gaze lingered on the barrage comment “Fiery Delicate Chick” for a few seconds, his pupils contracting in speechless shock. He often felt his literary inspiration was lacking, making him feel out of place with the livestream audience.

“The kid has already greeted you, shouldn’t you show some response?” Zhou Yuan frowned.

Xiahou Yun’s heart was full of complaints, wanting to speak but stopping himself.

This chicken could understand human speech, which was really quite good.

He pulled out a White Rabbit milk candy from his pocket and handed it over.

Zhou Yuan glanced at Xiahou Yun’s pocket several more times, forcing Xiahou Yun to reluctantly pull out a few more, feeling somewhat pained.

Zhou Yuan smiled and accepted them for the old hen, placing them in the pocket of its apron, patting its head:

“Hurry and thank uncle.”

“Cluck cluck~”

Xiahou Yun nodded slightly, almost saying some polite words like “this child is so well-behaved” or “so polite.”

He had forgotten his purpose, only remembering when he saw Lin Yebai on the sofa. Oh right, he came here to find Lin Yebai.

“Mr. Lin, why have your eyes turned red?”

“Not sure.”

“Would it be convenient to do a physical examination? We could also check the condition of your other organs.”

“No need.” Lin Yebai looked at the tablet, the screen paused at the opening of “Peppa Pig.”

When Xiahou Yun knocked on the door, Zhou Yuan had switched the drone footage on the tablet to “Peppa Pig.”

Xiahou Yun felt an extremely complex emotion rise in his heart again. Was Lin Yebai’s reason for refusing because of “Peppa Pig”?

From this angle, the other’s profile was cold and aloof, with thick black eyelashes, appearing distant and noble. Where his gaze rested, the Pig family was warm and happy, harmonious and loving.

Xiahou Yun sighed inwardly but maintained his serious facial expression, asking:

“Would you like to visit the laboratory? Recently, my colleagues and I developed a type of medicine that can increase the chance of maintaining rationality during aberration.”

“The medicine has other effects too. For instance, people who have been injected with the medicine can generally maintain human form after becoming aberrants.”

“In the future, we will definitely research medicine that can turn aberrants back into human form, solving the current problem troubling everyone…”

“Alright.”

“Mr. Lin…” Xiahou Yun confirmed he wasn’t hallucinating, a hint of smile appearing in his eyes. His fluffy big tail wagged twice, his eyes curving:

“Mr. Lin, you really want to take a look? That would be wonderful.”

“I want to go too.” Zhou Yuan had completely adapted to life with a tail. Perhaps this form was more suitable for the post-aberration world. His vigorous curiosity came online, wanting to witness the miraculous nature of the medicine.

“I’ll watch the house.” Coach Wang didn’t want the little spiders to come into contact with Xiahou Yun. The little spiders slept for long periods each day and still hadn’t woken up.

Lin Yebai put his sunglasses back on, looking cool.

The old hen and Coach Wang stayed at the new residence, while Zhou Yuan and Lin Yebai went together to visit Xiahou Yun’s laboratory.

“Do you have any big gold chains? I really want to get a few for Brother Lin.” Zhou Yuan’s criminal heart wouldn’t die.

Xiahou Yun remained silent, glanced at Lin Yebai wearing dark sunglasses, and finally nodded:

“Yes, I can get some.”

“Dr. Xia, you’re really a good person.” Zhou Yuan smiled sweetly, the little snakes on his head flicking their tongues, creating a strange yet dangerous gentle feeling.

“Don’t let me hear racial discrimination next time.” Xiahou Yun glanced at him coldly.

“Like saying someone with fox ears and such a big tail obviously isn’t a good person.”

“I won’t~ Oppa is so nice, I already know I was wrong~”

Zhou Yuan’s fingers were nimble, making a flower-picking gesture. Before he could touch Xiahou Yun, the other quickened his pace and hurriedly avoided him.

“Maybe… Zhou Yuan needs to take some brain supplements.” Xiahou Yun’s expression was complex.

“Hmm?” Lin Yebai tilted his head.

“For the brain.”

Lin Yebai nodded slightly.

“Hmph.” Zhou Yuan flicked his tail and caught up.

They never knew whether Xiahou Yun had heard the conversation about Zhang San. None of them showed any unusual behavior, maintaining the surface harmony.

The shelter was hidden in a medical university. The laboratory was relatively well-preserved, with a certain amount of raw materials stored, still allowing for biological research.

After entering the building where the laboratory was located, the temperature dropped sharply. The lights were ghastly white, as if something was constantly following behind them like a shadow.

Xiahou Yun explained as they walked:

“There’s a large mortuary built underground, with professional maintenance staff. It hasn’t lost power yet.”

“The power is running low. In another week, this place will completely lose electricity.”

“My suggestion is to directly destroy the entire mortuary after heading north.”

“The elevator is broken, we’ll take the stairs. The laboratory is on the third floor.”

Xiahou Yun led the way, his white coat appearing even more sinister in the dim environment.

“Dr. Xia, the things underground won’t come alive, will they?” Zhou Yuan felt a bit cold. Every time he was in a low-temperature environment, he instinctively felt drowsy.

“They have come alive.” Xiahou Yun’s voice suddenly became low. After hesitating for a moment, the corner of his mouth lifted, revealing an extremely faint smile.

“Actually… I came up from underground.”

“Holy crap! Is that true?” Zhou Yuan suddenly stepped back, his hair standing on end.

Lin Yebai’s eyes focused slightly. Xiahou Yun had breathing sounds, though his heartbeat wasn’t clear. Without direct contact, perhaps he should create conditions to take Xiahou Yun’s pulse.

“Seeing you’re a bit tired, helping you perk up.” Xiahou Yun suddenly smiled, not refuting.

The three went upstairs together, all able to hear sounds from underground.

Aberrants hated light. Previously at Tianxing Garden residential complex, many aberrants were hidden in the underground garage. Now with a mortuary under the laboratory building, it was quite noisy.

“They won’t come out, will they?” Zhou Yuan huddled next to Lin Yebai, following step by step. In this cold building, only Brother Lin still had some warmth.

“No, I’ve sealed all the exits to the mortuary.”

The fox tail behind Xiahou Yun swayed gently, his posture leisurely.

“If you want to enter the core laboratory, you need to disinfect and change clothes.”

“It’s getting dark soon, and the lab staff will close the laboratory shortly. There’s no time today. If you’re interested, you can come earlier tomorrow.”

“Let me show you the outer laboratory. There are finished medicines there too.”

Lin Yebai’s gaze lingered longer on the human organ cross-section diagrams. Xiahou Yun seemed to discover something interesting and asked:

“Is Mr. Lin interested in this?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll get you some introductory anatomy books later that you can take back to read.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. If Mr. Lin could consider me a friend and stop staring at my neck, that would be even better.” Xiahou Yun’s mouth curved slightly.

“Alright.” Lin Yebai stopped staring at Xiahou Yun’s neck and began thinking whether Xiahou Yun was a high-level aberrant or an intermediate aberrant.

The outer laboratory contained numerous organ specimens – swollen arms, twisted bones, deformed skulls… clearly all from aberrants.

The liquid in the test tubes had a ruby-like color, crystal clear. After removing the test tube stopper, the entire laboratory filled with a strange sweet fragrance that inexplicably made people feel it would taste quite sweet.

“Medicine developed on August 17th, with very rare raw materials.”

“Currently, the entire shelter only has a dozen finished products, but fortunately a tiny amount can be effective. Those on the verge of aberration no longer need to worry about losing their sanity.”

“May I boldly ask what the raw materials are?” Lin Yebai found this fragrance somewhat familiar.

“Crystals from aberrant skulls, plus blood from some special aberrants.” Xiahou Yun was very frank.

“I see.” Lin Yebai understood. When he was unconscious, he had stayed at the shelter for two days.

The impact sounds from underground grew louder, many scratching at doors with their fingernails, getting closer and closer.

Zhou Yuan panicked and asked:

“Dr. Xia, are the mortuary entrances really sealed? Those corpses won’t escape, will they?”

Xiahou Yun’s face turned cold, his originally black pupils taking on a bloody tinge:

“My surname is Xiahou.”

[Good Wife Hand-Grab Pancake]: Please, when will Xiao Zhou get it right? The kid’s eyes are turning red from frustration

[Super Rich Tangerine Seat]: Damn, this Dr. Xia feels a bit off

[Great Salty One]: I also think he’s off, little one be careful

[Watermelon Patch Sinner]: Feels like we’re about to start a zombie escape game, excitedly rubbing hands

[The Ordinary Me]: The number of targets we can go after has increased ♂

“That’s not the point… I feel like those things are about to rush to the door. Is there really no problem?” Zhou Yuan began to regret coming to join this excitement. He was most afraid of ghosts.

“No problem, probably some audio equipment in the downstairs laboratory started up. I’ll go check, and I’ll be back soon.”

Xiahou Yun hurriedly left, closing the door tightly before leaving.

Zhou Yuan tried to open it and found the door was locked from outside.

But the moment Xiahou Yun left the room, the sounds outside diminished considerably.

“Brother Lin, should I pick the lock? I’m best at picking locks.”

“Wait a moment.” Lin Yebai gripped his bone knife, ready for battle.

Soon footsteps came from outside the laboratory, and Xiahou Yun’s familiar voice rang out:

“Sure enough, there was a problem with the recording equipment. I’ve turned it off.”

“Are you really Dr. Xia? How many White Rabbit candies did you give Lele today?”

“Speak quickly, or don’t blame me for being impolite.” Zhou Yuan threatened coldly.

“…Five.” The person outside sounded pained.

“You got it right, come in quickly.”

Only then did Xiahou Yun open the door and enter, avoiding the fate of directly facing Lin Yebai’s bone knife.

“The assistant was really careless.”

“Let’s continue looking… What does Mr. Lin think of my research?”

“Mr. Lin must have excellent knife skills. Are you interested in working at the laboratory?” Xiahou Yun looked sincere, going to wash his hands at the nearby sink.

Just turning off equipment, yet his palms were bright red, not knowing what he had touched, covered in blood.

“Crash——” A heavy object suddenly hit the ground outside, accompanied by beast-like frenzied roars.

“Equipment not turned off properly?” Lin Yebai’s eyes showed confusion.

“I’ll go turn it off again.” Xiahou Yun seemed somewhat angry, his ears perking up.

“Don’t move from here, I’ll go and come right back.”

“Alright.” Lin Yebai’s expression was calm, inexplicably giving the impression of being honest and trustworthy.

Xiahou Yun hurriedly left the laboratory, locking the door.

“Go.”

At Lin Yebai’s command, Zhou Yuan rushed toward the door lock, skillfully using his hair to pick the lock, gently pushing the door open.

The two went out together, following the bloody footprints on the ground, raising their alertness to maximum and ready to escape at any moment.

The footprints disappeared at the entrance to the underground mortuary, where violent impacts were coming from, with blood splattering.

Lin Yebai looked toward where the sounds came from, his pupils contracting sharply. He gripped his knife handle tightly, his sunglasses reflecting Xiahou Yun’s demon-like figure.

Zhou Yuan was equally shocked, gasping.

Who would have thought that the well-dressed Dr. Xia was actually doing this!