C105.1 —- [4.18—- The Shelter][End]

The third experimental base had a big accident.

 

 

A portion of the base’s shelter was released by the radical monster protection organization, but fortunately, the base’s security personnel were able to stop them before the situation deteriorated any further.

 

 

However, a protection organization member who tried to release the shelter suffered a lot of injuries.

 

 

The skin of his body was extensively torn by the monster, but it was only after timely rescue that his life wasn’t in danger.

 

 

This incident caused a huge uproar on the internet; after all, the injured person was Duan An, who had been in the limelight recently.

 

 

Everyone admired Duan An for wanting to save the shelters.

 

 

They thought that Duan An was true to his word and gave his all for the cause of liberation that he was fighting for.

 

 

However, at the same time, as the photos of Duan An’s injuries were released, many people began to question the need to protect the monsters.

 

 

After all, there were many monsters that were murd-erous and ferocious, so perhaps it was time to re-examine the dangers of monsters.

 

 

But for the people of the protection organization, many of the innocent monsters suffering in the base were also very pitiful.

 

Among them was the shelter numbered 301.

 

 

Although there was no more information about him, the beautiful face in that photo was enough to show his innocence.

 

 

There were many other monsters like him who had been tortured at the base without any personal safety, which required the attention of all human beings.

 

 

The Third Experimental Base needed to release No. 301 immediately, as well as the other innocent monsters.

 

 

The Monster Protection Organization and those who opposed it were arguing about this.

 

 

The two factions fought endlessly on the Internet.

 

 

The focus of the incident shifted away from the Third Experimental Base.

 

 

It returned to the question of what kind of relationship should be maintained between humans and monsters.

 

 

 

This was a good thing for the Third Experimental Base.

 

 

After all, it was really not peaceful at the base recently.

 

 

It was just as well that there were many spies from the Monster Protection Organization who had infiltrated; even the highest-ranking supervisor was gone.
 

 

There was also Xi Han, who was of great significance to the base.

 

 

Although Xi Han was usually not a big fan of publicity and didn’t like to socialize with others, he had made the greatest contribution to the base and was at the forefront of the fight against monsters.

 

 

Now, without Xi Han, the progress of research in the base had slowed down, and many supervisors were worried.

 

 

As for the number 301, which had been a hot topic on the internet so far, the base’s leaders were also having headaches.

 

 

Because 301 disappeared on the day Duan An and the others broke into the base.

 

 

No clues could be found even after checking the base’s surveillance.

 

 

Duan An had insisted that Xi Han had taken 301 and strongly protested against Xi Han’s way of hiding the shelter.

 

 

He thought that Xi Han would probably hurt No. 301.

 

 

The base also contacted Xi Han, but only got Xi Han’s denial.

 

 

“No.301? How would I know? I had already left my job that day.”

 

 

 

On the other end of the phone, Xi Han’s voice was light, but it seemed to be more energetic than when he stayed at the base.

 

 

“I want to have a good holiday; for this kind of boring thing, don’t come to bother me in the future.”

 

 

Xi Han said that and hung up the phone.

 

 

The base also had no choice but to stop bothering Xi Han.

 

 

After all, the day 301 disappeared was the day that Xi Han was forced to obey the order and give the shelter in his possession to the staff of the higher organization.

 

 

Xi Han therefore had a grudge in his heart, and it was no surprise that he resigned and left the base.

 

 

No. 301 disappeared. But the base didn’t fail to ask the three staff members.

 

 

However, the three people named A, B, and C also had no idea.

 

 

Their expressions were as empty as puppets.

 

 

On the day 301 disappeared, they were found in the corner of the corridor.

 

 

It appeared that they had passed out, so they didn’t know where exactly 301 had gone.

 

 

After all, they are staff members of the higher-level organization, so only the base suffered from this.

 

 

Asking more would just get them a cold look and no reply.

 

 

They were staff members of the higher organization, so the base had to deal with this dumb loss.

 

 

“It’s really hard to deal with; now there are protests everywhere outside; a lot of people who originally didn’t pay attention to this matter have also started to call on the base to release 301 because of it; it’s really crazy!”

 

 

On the corridor in the base, a supervisor was filled with worry.
 

 

He blamed it on the fact that No. 301’s compulsion was too strong.

 

 

It was just a photo, yet it made such a big ripple.

 

 

It was indeed the most powerful psychic ability that the base had seen so far.

 

 

Such a powerful ability had likewise attracted the attention of higher organizations.

 

 

But now that 301 was truly missing, even if the higher organizations coveted it, there was no way to get it.

 

 

The assistant looked at the several supervisors who were full of worry as they walked past, and only after a long time did he withdraw his gaze.

 

 

As if nothing had happened, he walked away.

 

 

He was definitely not going to tell anyone about Xi Han’s affair with No. 301.

 

 

After all, the fact that this kind of thing wasn’t reported to the top on the spot meant that he would also be treated as an accessory.

 

 

Once it was reported, he wouldn’t be able to handle it.

 

It was better to let Dr. Xi Han and No. 301 carry on.

 

 

The assistant also hoped that they would have a bright future.

 

 

After all, the salary that Xi Han had offered him in the first place was extremely good.

 

 

Now that he had come to work under Supervisor Jack, his salary package also made him quite satisfied.

 

 

The main thing was that Supervisor Jack didn’t have as many troubles as Dr. Xi Han.
 

“Is that Duan An still protesting at the base?”

 

 

Supervisor Jack looked at the tablet in his hand and asked the assistant beside him.

 

 

The assistant nodded.

 

 

Ever since Duan An was injured, hospitalized, and left the base, he had been claiming that he was supposed to liberate all the shelters.
 

 

However, the base had dastardly reinforced the firewall, causing the coded information that they had originally obtained to fail; they failed to save the shelters; and they caused the monsters that had lost hope of escaping to collapse and injure themselves.

 

 

It was one of the reasons that led to his injuries.

 

 

Supervisor Jack thought that this Duan An was really crazy.

 

 

Not to mention the fact that they had no idea about the base’s password being reinforced by someone, and even if it had been reinforced, that was as it should be.

 

 

They were holding a group of extremely dangerous shelters, and there was no way to properly house them without some powerful security facilities.

 

 

Should they wait for them to escape and harm ordinary civilians?
 

 

But such words were of no use at all to the bigoted monster protection organization on the internet, and they wouldn’t listen to them.

 

 

They thought that it was the base that had deliberately released the insane shelters to harm Duan An, as a way to intensify the conflict between humans and monsters.

 

 

Their intention was vicious to the extreme.

 

 

The base couldn’t argue and could only admit to it.

 

 

In this way, the social conflict became more and more intense, and the base became the center of the vortex of this conflict, struggling to survive under the increasing pressure.
 

 

The higher-ups had absolutely no intention of trying to help.

 

 

But Supervisor Jack didn’t care about them anymore.

 

 

Keeping an eye on the humanoid shelters, he had recently got more results.

 

 

For example, the matter that 301 was a human transformed into a monster.

 

 

When he first saw his perfect human form, Supervisor Jack had actually made a guess.

 

 

It was only now after getting more realistic experimental data that it was considered completely certain.

 

 

Jack felt that Xi Han probably knew about this matter as well.

 

 

Otherwise he wouldn’t have righteously taken 301 and left the base.
 

No one understood Xi Han’s love for the matter of dissecting monsters better than Jack, he practically took this matter as the only meaning of existence in his life.

 

 

Plus he was a staunch human supremacist, there was no way he would betray the human camp and fall in love with a monster without any defence.

 

 

The only reason was that 301 wasn’t a complete monster but was transformed as a human.

 

 

Thinking about this, Jack couldn’t help but sigh in frustration.

 

 

Although he had investigated more and more, he found himself powerless as he approached the truth.

 

 

The opponent was a plutocratic group that was rich enough to control the economic lifelines of the country, and even the government had to serve it, while he was just a supervisor in a base that was reviled by all.

 

 

There was simply no way to fight against it.

 

 

“By the way, Doctor, just now Supervisor Lena asked me to inform you that an investigation team arrived and asked you to come over.”

 

 

“Hm, I know. Go and get busy.”

 

 

Supervisor Jack nodded and signaled that the assistant could leave first.

 

 

The assistant was unsure, but obediently walked away.

 

 

Jack was left alone in the empty office with a grim look on his face.

 

 

He had known that this day would come.

 

 

The so-called investigation team was the department of the higher organization responsible for controlling the lower base supervisors.

 

 

It probably came to him now because his recent investigation against 001 had leaked out and been discovered.

 

 

Getting up, Jack walked towards the interrogation room, where the investigation team was located.

 

 

In fact, from the moment he delved into the truth, Jack had already prepared himself.

 

 

He now only hoped that the truth he had investigated would be spread.

 

 

His previous isolation in the base made him even want to give all this information to the Monster Protection Organization.

 

 

At least they, whose stance was completely opposed to the base, would tell the public the truth.

 

 

 

So that the number of victims wouldn’t continue to increase.

 

 

But now, with Xi Han’s presence, Jack thought that he might be able to ask Xi Han.

 

 

After all, Xi Han was much more sensible than the people of the Monster Protection Organization.

 

 

The people of the Monster Protection Organization were too paranoid.

 

 

Completely disregarding the interests of humans, they only thought from the monsters’ point of view.

 

 

Even if the information was handed over to them, he was afraid that they would selectively publish content that was favorable to them.

 

 

For example, concealing the fact that 001 existed and blaming all monsters on human exper-iments.

 

 

This was something completely conceivable.

 

In contrast, Xi Han, who had left the base now and was no longer under their surveillance, was the better choice.
 

“Supervisor Jack, I’m sure you understand the reason why we came to you.”

 

 

Inside the interrogation room, the serious-looking man in black looked at Jack coldly.

 

Jack just remained silent in response, not answering any questions about Experiment 001.

 

 

Pretending that he knew nothing about it.

 

 

Looking at Jack’s hardened appearance, the black-clothed people who lacked evidence couldn’t do anything about him for the time being, so they had to stop the interrogation.

 

They prepared to go back and continue to investigate Jack.

 

 

“Be careful lately, Supervisor Jack.”

 

 

The man in black smiled widely and turned his head to call his boss and report the situation.

 

 

Jack vaguely heard the old man’s gloomy voice from the other end of the phone: “Do him in.”

 

 

He understood that this was a precursor to the plutocracy’s preparation to ki*ll and exterminate.

 

 

Even the managerial supervisor of a base couldn’t escape the fate of being targeted by the plutocracy.

 

 

But he didn’t care.

 

 

After being released from the interrogation room, he returned to his office.

 

 

Then he looked at the confidential information stored on his computer and finally made up his mind.

 

 

He dialed Xi Han’s number.

 

 

“Xi Han, I hope you can take a look at this information.”

 

 

It wasn’t just those previous details about 001.

 

 

There were also those human experimental subjects with amber eyes.

 

 

The latest experimental information showed that as 001’s magnetic field fluctuations became more and more active, the human exper-iments done on it also became more and more active.

 

 

They mercilessly tortured once-living beings into monsters.

 

 

Jack could no longer see what exactly they were trying to do.

 

 

 

Would k*illing all the amber-eyed people be enough to awaken the being with the number 001?

 

 

With doubts in mind, Jack found out that they were most likely the incarnation of 001’s consciousness body.

 

 

Thinking about it this way, it was really possible.

 

 

If these consciousness body avatars were really combined, that existence that was so terrifying that it far exceeded human imagination would probably awaken as a result.

 

 

To humanity, there was absolute harm but no benefit.

 

After all, just the aura revealed during his unconsciousness was enough to cause a cataclysmic event that would last for decades.

 

 

If he really awakened, the consequences would be unimaginable.

 

 

“So, Xi Han, these are up to you.”
 

Jack knew that Xi Han wouldn’t be willing to see humans die with his own eyes.

 

 

Not to mention the disaster that 001 might bring after awakening, there were also those human experi-mental subjects with amber eyes just like Xi Han’s.

 

 

Even as terrifying as they were, they were still humans after all.

 

 

Not to mention the fact that Xi Han was most likely also a part of the Consciousness Body; he shouldn’t be able to bear to watch his compatriots die.

 

 

“…… Did you come to me to save those experimental subjects?”

 

 

The voice of Xi Han on the other end of the phone was a bit strange, and it was only after a long time that he said in a somewhat troubled manner, “Why didn’t you tell me about this kind of thing earlier?”

 

 

Jack sniffed and thought that Xi Han was overly concerned about those experimental subjects and was complaining that he didn’t save them.

 

 

Then he wanted to explain that he had also just found the information and didn’t mean to hide it.

 

 

But who knew that the next second, Xi Han laughed lowly—a magnetic laugh with undisguised pleasure?

 

 

“That way, I could have been this happy sooner.”

 

 

The death of so many imposters was a great thing to celebrate.

 

 

“…… What?”

 

 

Jack was a little confused.

 

 

He didn’t know why Xi Han was suddenly laughing so happily.

 

 

He was so happy that it was as if something good had happened that was worth celebrating universally.

 

 

But he was clearly recounting the deaths of countless amber-eyed experimental subjects—a brutal scene filled with blo*od.
 

 

“Xi Han, don’t you think they’re innocent? They need to get our help! Otherwise, the consequences will be severe; the horrors of 001 are not something we can imagine.”
 

 

Especially with the human exper-iments, Jack found that 001’s fluctuations in mental activity were getting stronger and stronger.

 

 

This meant that there was a possibility that he might actually be awakening.
 

 

“001? It’ll be troublesome if it really wakes up.”

 

 

Xi Han sighed and suddenly loosened up, saying that he would help.
 

 

Jack knew that Xi Han was probably just joking earlier.

 

 

He probably hadn’t turned a blind eye to humanity; otherwise, he wouldn’t have become so serious after hearing the news that 001 was about to wake up.

 

 

It must have been a misunderstanding.

 

 

Jack comforted himself; it was almost as if the creepiness that he felt at that moment when he heard Xi Han’s laughter just now didn’t exist.
 

However, after passing all the information to Xi Han, Jack still couldn’t hold back.

 

 

In a half-joking tone, he asked, “Those were just jokes just now, right?”

 

 

Those words of gloating over the deaths of the experimental subjects.

 

 

“Of course it was a joke; how could I be so indifferent to those experiment subjects who died tragically? Those people are too cruel; how could they transform people into monsters and keep them in cages like animals?”

 

 

“It’s just too pitiful.”

 

 

Xi Han naturally replied to Jack with a voice filled with pity.

 

 

Hearing this, Jack sighed in relief.

 

 

But after hanging up the phone, it suddenly occurred to him that he hadn’t even told Xi Han that those experimental subjects were kept in cages.

 

 

Generally, one would imagine that they were in the holding room.

 

 

And those weren’t in the information he had just sent.

 

 

Jack’s face paled.
 

This could only mean that Xi Han’s had known about consciousness being subjected to human experi-mentation all along and had been indifferent.

 

 

He had watched them die one by one.

 

 

And he even felt heartfelt pleasure over it.

 

 

Did Xi Han really care about humans now?

 

 

Jack didn’t dare to continue thinking deeply about it.

 

In the past, he had always felt that Xi Han’s paranoia about the interests of humans was too deep, and he was easily bothered after being criticized by the public.

 

 

But now, Xi Han seemed to have gone to another extreme.

 

 

From the extreme of caring to now not caring.

 

 

The image of when he saw Xi Han and 301 far away a month ago popped into Jack’s mind.

 

 

Xi Han was staring intently at No. 301 beside him, with a sickly fondness in his eyes.

 

 

No other could be fitted in.

 

 

As the assistant had said before, he, who had once viewed slaughtering monsters as a mission, had now fallen completely under No. 301’s compulsion.
 

Was such a Xi Han really still the Xi Han of the past?

 

 

Jack didn’t know the answer.

 

 

But with things having come to this, he could only wait for the final judgment of fate.
 

“Did someone call you just now?”

 

 

Jiu Shu wiped his long, wet, freshly washed hair and looked behind him at Xi Han, who was meticulously blow-drying his hair.

 

 

Xi Han raised his eyes, his narrow phoenix eyes narrowing into a sunshine-filled smile.
 

 

“It’s a colleague from the past; he asked me to finish the work that I didn’t finish before; after all, my departure was indeed a bit rushed.”

 

 

“But it’s fine; it won’t be delayed for a long time; it will be finished soon.”

 

 

Xi Han looked at the soft and beautiful long black hair in his hands, and the tenderness and fascination in his eyes never dissipated.
 

In this recent period of time, every day was as beautiful as a dream.
 

 

Sleeping with his beloved in each other’s arms every day, he could do everything he wanted to do with impunity, not stopping until sweat moistened the other’s forehead.
 

 

In the morning, he could wake up with his lover in his arms, kissing his soft lips and white neck.

 

The feeling of being close to every inch of his lover’s skin fascinated Xi Han.
 

 

Each time, he would hug for a long time before reluctantly releasing his grip on him.

 

 

He wished for such days to continue.
 

Not to be disturbed by anyone anymore.
 

But 001 was a big trouble blocking their way.
 

 

Although 001 had never awakened, but recently His changing mental fluctuations, Xi Han also felt it.

 

 

He found that 001’s mental fluctuations were all changing with him, reflecting his every agitation.

 

Xi Han occasionally continued to have the same strange dreams he once had, where he was trapped underground and above his head were researchers walking by or something.
 

 

A thousand of them.
 

 

But with each dream, he could feel the border between dream and reality becoming less and less distinct.

 

 

The most obvious manifestation of this was that his exhaustion deepened each time he woke up, as if 001’s essence far underground was calling him back.

 

 

Xi Han inexplicably had an intuition, understanding that as soon as his consciousness returned to his main body, 001 would awaken.

 

 

At that time, he would become 001’s main consciousness, an existence as powerful as a god.

 

 

But how could Xi Han return?

 

 

Here he had a beloved lover and a good life.

 

 

But back in that body, there was only loneliness that wouldn’t end.

 

 

 

Not to mention the fact that he now had a monster-like physique with a lifespan equal to that of his beloved.

 

 

If he really became a god, he would have a lifespan so long that it would be tiresome.

 

He’d be unable to die with his lover.

 

 

To Xi Han, if he couldn’t die at the same time as Jiu Shu, he would only keep wailing and crying after Jiu Shu’s death until he fell into boundless darkness in deathly silence and continued to sleep.

 

 

That was an incomparably terrible thing.
 

As if he had experienced such a thing countless times, Xi Han instinctively resisted this foreseeable future.

 

 

Therefore, he couldn’t let 001 wake up.

 

 

But the result of suppressing this return instinct was that as his mind gradually synchronized with the main body, his mental energy became more and more powerful, on the verge of going out of control.

 

 

He was somewhat unable to control his mental energy.

 

 

Many times it would assimilate a body of consciousness far away on the other side of the planet without him knowing it.

 

 

And that same body of consciousness would think that he was Xi Han.

 

 

It would also travel thousands of miles to where he and Jiu Shu were.

 

 

It was for this reason that he was so happy when Jack mentioned just now that the consciousness bodies were all screwed up by the human exper-iments.

 

 

If only they were all dead.

 

 

Then they wouldn’t bother him so much.
 

Eyes glanced at the small garden outside the living room.

 

 

The rose beds that had just been turned over last night still smelled fishy with dirt.

 

 

Ghastly white fingers could be seen in the cracks in the dirt, and the scent of rotting bodies could be faintly detected in the air.

 

 

They should have died a little further away.

 

 

Their bodies were obviously dying from the human expe-riments, yet they still ran over here with their last breath.
 

 

Thinking of the body of consciousness that appeared downstairs last night and was almost found by Jiu Shu, Xi Han hid the coldness in his eyes.
 

 

Luckily, even after taking his last breath, he hadn’t been able to see Jiu Shu.

 

 

However, before dying, he had let out a suppressed cry of grief, murmuring Jiu Shu’s name.

 

 

It didn’t take much effort for him to bleed to death on his own, but it was really annoying.

 

 

“Want some?”

 

 

Jiu Shu’s white fingers reached out to Xi Han’s mouth, a soft marshmallow at his fingertips.

 

 

“Mmm, it’s delicious!”

 

 

Xi Han returned to his senses and lowered his eyes to take in the marshmallow, kissing Jiu Shu’s finger in the process.

 

His furrowed brows relaxed, and the gloominess that used to be hidden between his brows was no longer there.
 

 

It didn’t matter; only he was the true essence anyway; the other bodies of consciousness didn’t matter.
 

 

Of course, he could assimilate all of these consciousnesses at any time, and then it wouldn’t matter if they were his original body or the others’ bodies.

 

 

They could all be taken as him.

 

 

But his possessiveness toward his beloved didn’t allow him to do so, even though he understood that the bodies occupied by his consciousness were all still him.

 

 

Xi Han also felt that he was a bit morbid with this kind of thinking.
 

 

It really wasn’t a good thing to be jealous of yourself.

 

 

Maybe next time he’d learn to be more tolerant of himself.

 

 

Holding a hair dryer, Xi Han thought to himself as he tidied up Jiu Shu’s long, seaweed-like hair.

 

 

“Where are we traveling to next time? Do you have any suggestions?”
 

 

After leaving the base, Jiu Shu had gradually learned to curb his compulsion to go out and travel.
 

 

Life was short, and always staying in one place was never as enjoyable as traveling.

 

 

Jiu Shu leaned into Xi Han’s arms, his mouth was stuffed with marshmallows, making it bulge like a squirrel’s.

 

---

TN:

Super long but super sweet, second and last part of this arc will be posted tomorrow 🤸