Chapter 368: Balance and Cooperation

The beautiful doctor’s eyes burned with fervor as she leaned in, her face almost touching Lu Xin’s.

Lu Xin’s gaze, however, suddenly turned cold.

He didn’t flinch, just sat there quietly, his indifferent eyes watching her face, now just inches away.

One fervent, one indifferent – it was like a clash between fire and ice. Would the ice extinguish the fire, or would the fire melt the ice?

But, at least on the surface, the ice seemed colder.

The atmosphere grew somewhat oppressive.

Doctor An showed no intention of backing down, nor did Lu Xin intend to dodge.

The two seemed locked in a subtle contest.

…

After a long moment, Lu Xin slowly pulled a cigarette from his pocket. With a sharp *click*, he lit it, the smoke curling lazily upwards.

Doctor An had no choice but to retreat, letting out a slight cough from the smoke.

“I don’t like the word ‘create’ that you use, especially ‘being created’.”

Normally, out of courtesy, Lu Xin wouldn’t smoke in someone else’s office without permission.

But he had to make an exception this time because this woman had a habit of getting too close when she spoke.

Seeing it worked well now, he slowly exhaled smoke and pondered aloud, “But I do want to understand why you think I’m in the Third Stage, and why you believe I have the potential to climb those steps.”

“Haven’t you figured it out yet?”

Doctor An casually took out a piece of red soft candy, initially planning to put it in her mouth. But seeing Lu Xin smoking so nonchalantly made her feel inexplicably one-upped, and she listlessly put it down.

Lacking her usual energy, she said, “The theory of the Seven Steps merely points us in a direction. The biggest problem we face is *how* to actually climb these seven steps.”

“Most typically, how to move from the Second Stage to the Third Stage. We’ve made countless attempts—some successful, some failures. But whether successful or failed, we always felt they weren’t quite satisfactory…”

“A Third Stage that cannot enter the Fourth Stage is essentially a failure too.”

“Whereas you, an Ability User who grew wild according to Qinggang’s records, are paradoxically more stable and possess greater potential…”

…

Speaking of this, her eyes darted slightly, and she suddenly smiled:

“Are you worried we might want to take you apart to see what exactly Professor Wang Jingyun did to you?”

“Hmm?”

Lu Xin showed little reaction, merely lifting his head quietly to look at her.

“Actually, we really do want to…”

Doctor An made no effort to hide the excitement in her eyes. “Your state is actually just a hypothesis, or rather, an inference based on careful observation. Logically, we should conduct more detailed research and testing on you to determine your true state.”

But as she spoke, a hint of regret crept in, and she sighed, “Unfortunately, we don’t dare…”

…

“Why?”

Lu Xin was somewhat curious; this woman didn’t seem like someone who would use the words “don’t dare.”

Doctor An’s voice turned soft and cottony again as she chuckled lightly, “Because we’re worried you wouldn’t be able to take it, of course…”

Lu Xin immediately looked uncomfortable.

The woman smiled faintly and turned around.

She quickly grabbed a paper cup, a few pens, some white filaments, and a pair of black magnetic balls that constantly collided on the table, among other items. Her fingers were incredibly nimble, arranging them back and forth like a magic trick. First, she placed the paper cup tilted on its side on the table, then laid a pen across it. Another pen was stood upright on top of that, and finally, she carefully suspended the magnetic balls using the filaments.

And then, an astonishing scene unfolded.

The paper cup rested only on its edge, and the two pens, one horizontal, one vertical, seemingly had no support.

Though it looked like it would collapse at any moment, the dangling magnetic balls maintained a precise, perfect balance.

“See?”

She turned her head to glance at Lu Xin, saying, “This is your state.”

“A complex, multi-element entity theoretically shouldn’t be able to achieve balance, much like a bomb ready to detonate at any second. Yet, somehow, you manage to maintain balance in this extremely dangerous state—a near-perfect balance. While we certainly want to understand how this balance came about, all we can do is observe from the sidelines, as minutely as possible…”

As she spoke, she lightly tapped the small magnetic balls. The entire balance instantly shattered; the paper cup and pens scattered across the table.

“Otherwise, it wouldn’t just be a simple accident like falling apart.”

…

Lu Xin immediately understood her meaning.

Perhaps this was the Research Institute’s way of showing him their attitude?

So, he too frankly stated his own attitude.

“I don’t have time for you to observe me!”

Slowly raising his head, he spoke very candidly, “I need to find the Old Director and ask him exactly what happened at the orphanage back then. And as a child he cared for, I want to express my gratitude, along with that of many of my brothers and sisters.”

“Also, I don’t know how many others survived back then, but I need to find them.”

“Because I promised I would lead them away from that place!”

…

He was extremely serious when he said these words.

His facial expression didn’t change much; he was just earnestly conveying his stance.

But this earnestness was, in itself, an attitude.

“Understandable.”

The beautiful female doctor didn’t seem to show any unusual expression. She just sighed lightly, bent slightly to remove a speck of paper clinging to her stocking, then looked up at Lu Xin with a soft laugh, “Some yearn for truth, some worship reality, while I believe those steps are what should be pursued at all costs. But I can guarantee…”

“Most men in this world would value a woman like me over truth.”

…

Lu Xin paused, actually finding some truth in her words.

But after a brief moment of reflection, he regained his composure. He definitely wasn’t one of those men.

“However…”

The beautiful female doctor’s tone shifted, becoming gentle, “That doesn’t mean we can’t cooperate…”

“For example, we both want to find Professor Wang Jingyun…”

…

Lu Xin took the last drag from his cigarette, dropped the butt into the cup of water, and looked up, asking, “You want to find him too?”

“Only the Research Institute can find him.”

Doctor An appeared very confident as she said softly, “In fact, only we can be certain he’s still alive.”

“Hmm?”

Lu Xin caught the key point in her words, his gaze snapping towards her.

Meeting Lu Xin’s questioning eyes, Doctor An sighed softly, “Professor Wang is a very formidable and cautious person.”

“We’ve been searching for him for many years and once suspected he had already passed away.”

“However, the rise of the Technology Church in the South, the expansion of the Mining Companies in the West, and the mutations occurring among those people living on the sea to the East… many abnormal phenomena that shouldn’t exist in this world made us sense something illogical.”

“We suspect someone is using knowledge from the Research Institute to modify the world.”

“There are actually a few others who possess the Institute’s knowledge, even parasitic items, and have defected.”

“But after careful investigation and differentiation, the Research Institute reached a unanimous conclusion: the only person capable of doing things so perfectly, of managing the situation so well, is Professor Wang. This is our proof that he’s alive.”

…

At this point, she gave a slight laugh.

“Besides fulfilling its responsibilities, the Research Institute has never intended to touch any power. However, we did create a unique team. Outsiders call them the Undercover Units. This team is arguably the most powerful intelligence organization ever created. They are omnipresent. There’s no place they can’t infiltrate, and almost no information they can’t dig up.”

“Many people believe the Undercover Units were established to deal with the Research Institute’s enemies…”

Here, she smiled slightly, “But in reality, the establishment of the Undercover Units initially had only one purpose.”

“Find Professor Wang Jingyun!”

…

Lu Xin’s expression turned serious.

He wasn’t a pretentious person and always knew that work required finding the right method.

The Old Director was indeed hard to find; for so many years, Lu Xin had even assumed he was dead.

Even now, he hadn’t gotten any valuable clues from Chen Xun.

One could imagine how difficult it would truly be to find him.

So, did he really need to cooperate with the Research Institute and borrow their strength to find him?

Lost in thought, he slowly took out another cigarette.

He hesitated whether to smoke it; after all, he didn’t have many left.

Suddenly, a hand reached across. Doctor An gently took the cigarette pack from his hand. To Lu Xin’s surprise, she took out two, placed them between her red lips, took the lighter, and slowly lit both cigarettes.

“Cough…”

She coughed lightly, holding one between her fingers and handing the other to Lu Xin, its tip still bearing a trace of her lipstick.

“Of course, the Research Institute also has some work that requires your help.”

…

Lu Xin’s eyes widened slightly. He looked at the cigarette, then at the languid-looking female doctor.

“I only had five left…”

Not wanting to waste it, he accepted it, but shot a slightly resentful glance at the doctor.

Doctor An paused, genuinely not understanding.

Was this person complaining about her smoking his cigarette?

…

“I don’t want too much contact with your Research Institute…”

Lu Xin was, after all, quite generous and didn’t dwell on the cigarette issue. He just continued sullenly, “You’re all a bunch of improper madmen. I’m not interested in your so-called steps. I don’t like any of the feelings from my memories, nor do I like the idea of lying back on that bed full of tubes just to become stronger or whatever…”

“And I especially dislike you calling me an Experiment Subject.”

…

He said this very seriously.

He genuinely disliked it. If Mom hadn’t told him that entering the Second Stage was necessary to understand certain things…

He wouldn’t even have been interested in the Second Stage.

…

“I can understand your feelings, but perhaps you shouldn’t rush to conclusions.”

Listening to Lu Xin, Doctor An smiled gently, “When I said I need your help, I wasn’t referring to being researched…”

“Hmm?”

Lu Xin looked up at her.

Doctor An smiled and winked at Lu Xin, “I’ll have someone else explain it to you.”

With that, she turned her back to Lu Xin, leaned over the desk, picked up the phone’s receiver, and lightly dialed a few keys, her voice sounding lazy, “Are you finished over there? You can come over to my place now…”

“This little fellow is still too young, just a hotheaded youngster, doesn’t appreciate charm…”

“I think he’d probably like your type…”

“Right, the two of us together can handle him, maybe make him less stubborn…”

“…I meant his words, stop being so stubborn!”

…

Lu Xin listened, extremely vexed, and took a deep drag from his cigarette.

After Doctor An hung up the phone, Lu Xin waited patiently for the time being.

He was now somewhat curious, wanting to see what tricks she was playing.

Before long, footsteps echoed in the corridor, and someone pushed the door open and walked in.

Unexpectedly, it was Xia Chong.

Her injuries had been well treated by this time, and she looked much more energetic.

However, her gaze seemed a bit worried as she addressed Doctor An:

“My mental energy is low right now; I can’t hold on for too long.”

“I can see that.”

Doctor An chuckled softly, looking Xia Chong up and down, “But it’s alright. The main thing is to let him experience it.”

Xia Chong nodded and walked over to Lu Xin, extending her hand.

“Be gentle when you go in, okay…”

Doctor An watched Lu Xin with a playful smile, winking slightly, “It’s his first time, after all. Don’t be too rough.”

Lu Xin felt entirely uncomfortable.

He felt like he understood some of her words, yet also didn’t. Was it abnormal to understand, or abnormal not to understand?