Chapter 366: The Price of Knowledge

“Zip… the zipper?”

Lu Xin never imagined his first challenge upon arriving at the Research Institute would be something like this.

He stared at the woman’s tall figure, her back as smooth and white as milk. He remained silent for a moment. Seeing her stomp her foot lightly, seemingly a little annoyed, he decided to uphold the principle of helping others and silently walked over to her.

He pinched the small zipper pull, lifted it slightly, and quickly zipped it up without touching her skin.

Then he retreated three meters away and let out a soft sigh.

The woman turned around gracefully. She appeared to be around thirty years old, wearing heavy makeup, yet it didn’t give off a garish vibe. It was just that the exaggerated red lips and the waterfall of slightly curled long hair were truly something not just anyone could pull off.

But she carried it remarkably well. Fair skin, vibrant red lips, eyes as deep as cliffs, and a figure that was simply breathtaking.

She wore a dress resembling a cheongsam with high slits on both sides. After turning, she perched on the edge of the desk, leaned back, pulled a pair of black stockings from a drawer, and began sliding them onto her legs, starting from her toes.

Lu Xin silently averted his gaze, thinking to himself, “Her legs are incredibly long…”

But merely saying her legs were long felt insufficient. This woman was perfectly proportioned; every part of her was beautiful.

“Such an obedient little brother…”

The woman finished putting on her stockings, grabbed a white coat from nearby, and slipped it on over the cheongsam. Then, she retrieved a pair of slender black high heels from a box under the desk but didn’t put them on immediately. Instead, she held them in her hand, still seated on the desk.

She sized Lu Xin up with keen interest for a few moments before speaking softly, “So you’re the child from the escaped lab?”

Seeing she was now somewhat more properly dressed, Lu Xin finally started to observe her properly.

In his mind, concepts like beauty, elegance, and even makeup seemed entirely separate from white coats.

Back in Qinggang, he had met two women from the Research Institute: Professor Yuan, who studied the occult, and Doctor Jia, a psychologist. One had perpetually messy hair and radiated a sort of spirit medium vibe. Doctor Jia, on the other hand, always kept herself neat and tidy, her face constantly adorned with a comforting smile, but he’d never seen her wear makeup…

Yet here he was, faced with a stunningly beautiful female researcher clad in a white coat.

Her fiery red lips were strikingly beautiful, like those of a major celebrity.

A person like her seemed destined for the stage, but astonishingly, she was here, wearing a white coat and sitting behind a desk.

And her question was just as unexpectedly blunt.

A flicker of surprise crossed Lu Xin’s face as he looked up at her.

“Oh dear, my apologies…”

The woman’s lips, coated in expensive lipstick, parted slightly, revealing a hint of an apologetic expression as she chuckled softly.

“I prefer being direct. It’s simple, efficient, and gives everyone that thrill of straightforwardness…”

“If you’re not accustomed to it, I can slow the pace down a tad…”

“But you wanted to see me, and I wanted to see you. After all, the interest is mutual, so…”

…

Lu Xin instantly grasped her line of thinking.

He found her analogy truly peculiar.

After a moment’s consideration, he answered honestly, “I grew up in Qinggang. My name is Lu Xin. After the Special Pollution Cleanup Department recruited me, they gave me the codename ‘Mr. Lone Soldier’. As for the escaped lab you mentioned…”

He paused, then answered frankly, “I only possess fragmented memories. More specific recollections are gone.”

“Right now, I’m attempting to recover those memories.”

…

“Very frank!”

The stunning female researcher smiled, adding appreciatively, “And very cooperative. A bit inexperienced, perhaps, but your attitude is good.”

As she spoke, she crossed her long legs again, smiling charmingly. “My impression of you has suddenly improved quite a bit.”

“Why does she talk so strangely?”

Lu Xin felt something was amiss but couldn’t quite put his finger on it. He decided just to treat everything as normal for the time being.

“Sit.”

The female researcher stood up, motioning for Lu Xin to sit on the nearby sofa. She poured him a paper cup of purified water then perched back on the desk herself. Her white coat remained unbuttoned, her long legs almost reaching higher than the seated Lu Xin.

Her gaze remained fixed on Lu Xin, seemingly contemplating how to begin.

“My surname is An. An Sisi. You can call me Doctor An, or…”

She bit her red lip, smiling. “Big Sister.”

Lu Xin paused, looking up at her. “Doctor An, I actually came here to…”

“Disobedient. Definitely has that stubbornness of a young man…”

An Sisi chuckled softly, then looked at Lu Xin. “Don’t be hasty. Let me speak first.”

“I’ve already heard about the Black Table’s forbidden experiments. This matter should have been handled by our Central City’s Administrative Main Hall and the Special Pollution Cleanup Department. Unfortunately, the Central City Special Pollution Cleanup Department has been infiltrated and performed very poorly. Instead, it fell to you Ability Users from Qinggang, or rather… you, to handle the matter. Therefore, according to regulations, you can choose your reward.”

Finished speaking, she smiled. “I’m temporarily handling these affairs for the Special Cleaning Department. I don’t have much experience, but I believe I can offer you a few choices. First, you could use this opportunity to join the Research Institute and undertake work within your capabilities…”

“Hmm?”

This was entirely unexpected for Lu Xin. He hesitated before asking, “What could I possibly do?”

An Sisi leaned close to Lu Xin’s ear and chuckled softly. “Like letting yourself be studied a little, perhaps.”

Lu Xin immediately clamped his mouth shut, his expression souring as he looked at the cold, stunning female researcher.

“Eh? Not funny?”

An Sisi’s delicate eyebrows knitted slightly in confusion. “But that’s a classic line from the old movies…”

Lu Xin remained silent, merely watching her coolly.

Seeing Lu Xin’s lack of reaction, An Sisi waved her hand dismissively with a look of great disappointment. She sighed, “Young people certainly have drive, but they utterly lack flair… Alright, let’s be serious. Joining the Research Institute is something many Ability Users dream of. Ability Users in every high-wall city yearn for such a day because the Institute can not only help you stabilize your condition and strengthen your abilities.”

“It can even easily help you elevate…”

She paused deliberately before concluding, “Your level of life!”

“Level of life?”

Lu Xin’s expression remained unchanged, but his grip on the paper cup tightened fractionally.

“Don’t like it?”

An Sisi glanced at Lu Xin with a smile. “Then there are other options. A hefty bonus, or…”

She leaned forward towards Lu Xin, her eyes fixed on his face.

A glimpse of smooth white skin flashed from within her wide collar. Her deep, intensely captivating eyes blinked.

“Anything you desire.”

“Whatever you want, or whatever exists in this world, the Research Institute can find a way to provide it.”

…

Lu Xin turned his head away, still somewhat unsettled by this female researcher’s brand of hospitality.

The ‘hefty bonus’ she mentioned certainly held a strong appeal for him.

But this time, after careful consideration, he looked up and said softly, “I just want to understand one person.”

“Wang Jingyun?”

The female researcher settled back onto the sofa, regarding Lu Xin with a half-smile.

“Yes.”

Lu Xin was slightly surprised she guessed correctly but nodded nonetheless.

…

The female researcher stood and retrieved a file folder.

She seemed to have anticipated this, handing it directly to Lu Xin. “See for yourself.”

Staring at the folder, Lu Xin actually needed a moment to compose himself.

After a while, he solemnly opened the folder. The first image that met his eyes was of a middle-aged man in a white coat.

In the photograph, he appeared to be around forty, with a refined look, slightly graying temples, and a wide smile.

He looked just like a friendly neighborhood uncle.

And this face, in a way, also represented many cherished memories within his mind.

Lu Xin’s gaze rested on the photograph, reluctant to move away for a long time.

…

“Wang Jingyun, a second-generation researcher at the former Red Moon Research Institute. He should be fifty-four years old now.”

An Sisi’s voice cut through the silence, crisp and calm, much more serious now. “He was exceptionally brilliant at the Institute back then, making significant contributions to the research on mental alteration. He was even chosen as a candidate for the next directorship of the Research Institute. But thirteen years ago, Wang Jingyun defected along with two assistants, taking a train car containing vital Institute data and pollution entities by unknown means.”

“This incident was later dubbed the ‘Escaped Lab’ incident by the Institute.”

…

Lu Xin had encountered similar information many times and generally understood the broad strokes.

Yet, for some reason, revisiting these details still instinctively made him uncomfortable.

Perhaps this was the very reason he was so determined to find the Old Director and fully comprehend what transpired back then.

He slowly flipped through the file, realizing it mostly contained records about the Old Director’s initial entry into the Institute, the research topics he pursued, the theories he proposed, and so on. These were all events from long ago, and much of it was beyond his comprehension.

Thus, he slowly raised his head, looking at the cold, stunning female researcher. “What… did he do?”

That period of his memory had too many gaps. Lu Xin could only frame the question so broadly now.

But An Sisi proved surprisingly more methodical than Lu Xin, seeming to have already anticipated his question and prepared her answer.

Her slender yet strong hands, seemingly made for playing the piano, gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. She spoke softly, “Professor Wang Jingyun, during his tenure at the Institute, was persistently experimenting with transplanting thirteen types of abnormal mental entities into ordinary people. His subsequent defection was likely linked to the fact that many within the Institute did not support his research and were even preparing to terminate his experiments.”

“Transplanting?”

Lu Xin silently echoed the word.

He took a deep breath and clenched his hand, trying to stop it from trembling.

He hadn’t anticipated the Research Institute being so forthcoming. It caught him off guard, making it difficult to digest the information.

He forced himself to organize his thoughts and once more posed the question that mattered most to him:

“Why was he conducting these experiments?”

…

“To gain better control over these thirteen types of mental power, naturally.”

An Sisi stretched languidly, her waist seeming impossibly slender.

“How to control these thirteen mental powers has consistently been a crucial research topic for the Institute.”

“Regarding this topic, many different approaches were proposed by various individuals right from the start.”

“They are all exceptionally intelligent and proud individuals, so naturally, disagreements were plentiful.”

“Some opted to use these thirteen mental powers to create parasitic items. Although parasitic items manifest in relatively simple ways and have lower ceilings, the benefit is that once the underlying logic chain is understood, they can be used quite easily.”

“Others were more inclined towards unlocking the secrets of these thirteen mental powers to acquire the corresponding knowledge.”

Saying this, she looked down at Lu Xin. “Professor Wang Jingyun, however, steadfastly insisted on using humans to bear these mental powers.”

“He once stated that if he succeeded, he would create an entirely new form of life.”

“Walking among humans, bearing the power of gods…”

“God’s Apostles!”

“Or perhaps, World-Ending Weapons!”