At the moment, only Gong Ran and Pei Liang were in Gong Ran’s laboratory.
The villa had been redesigned and renovated by architects, with quite a few adjustments made according to the scientists’ requirements.
The main structure, however, had not changed much. And since there were now quite a number of ability users at the base—including several earth-element users well suited to construction—the work had proceeded very efficiently.
Gong Ran’s laboratory was still the same one he had chosen before, though it had been expanded. The two rooms beside it had also been opened up: one had been turned into a proper dissection room, while the other served as his private rest area.
The larger, more centralized research facility was located underground, occupying a floor of several thousand square meters. It contained the most advanced equipment of this era, along with the rare materials requested by the scientists.
Apart from reinforcing the base’s living environment and expanding its territory, the foremost task of everyone at the base was to provide resources for the research facility.
As the person in charge of the entire operation, Gong Ran naturally had the highest authority. The assistant by his side was no longer an amateur like Guan Qian, who could only handle odd jobs.
Yet when it came to drawing Pei Liang’s blood, he had chosen to use his private laboratory. And now, he had made such a request as well.
Pei Liang’s eyelids twitched when she heard it. She wanted to ask how the man had found out about this.
Then she remembered. Hadn’t she accidentally revealed it when she and Chu Yebai had dragged him into a room before?
That was all because Chu Yebai had gotten carried away with himself.
Back then, after stripping Gong Ran of his clothes, Chu Yebai had enthusiastically urged Pei Liang to torment him.
Whether or not Gong Ran cooperated, given how self-important the man was, there was no way he would know his place from the start. Chu Yebai had even used himself as an example, trying to convince Pei Liang that the order of operations was important.
Especially since he himself had resisted back then—Gong Ran would surely resist even more.
So they should torment him first and worry about the rest afterward. That would serve two purposes: first, to wear down his arrogance; and second, to prevent him from pulling any tricks or attempting to escape.
At the time, Pei Liang had merely thought that Chu Yebai must have harbored a deep grudge over the fact that he had once embarrassed himself. So, unwilling to be the only one at a disadvantage, she had egged him on as hard as she could.
Gong Ran’s expression had indeed been filled with humiliation then, and his eyes had been defiant.
What Pei Liang had forgotten herself, however, he had remembered. And now, he had actually taken the initiative to make the request.
If Chu Yebai were here and realized that his malicious instigation had ultimately made it easier for Gong Ran to steal his partner, he might well cough up blood on the spot.
What exactly had he said back then?
“Use your internal energy. It won’t leave any indecent wounds, and it won’t cause any actual burden on the body. To a large extent, it can even be beneficial—although it’ll take several days to digest those benefits.”
“Inject internal energy into his body. You can decide for yourself whether to make him suffer unbearably or experience pleasure so intense he’ll wish for death.”
At the time, Gong Ran had not understood the full implications of those words. It was only after he realized that something was off about the relationship between the two of them—and after deliberately coaxing information out of Chu Yebai’s idiots—that he finally reconstructed everything that had happened aboard the yacht.
Considering those idiots’ wild assumptions, along with what he had personally experienced, Gong Ran was able to determine that Pei Liang had not captured Chu Yebai as a plaything from the very beginning.
Chu Yebai had clearly experienced something himself, which was what had led to those suggestive suspicions.
When he had urged Pei Liang to treat Gong Ran that way, one reason had been to make it more difficult for Pei Liang to win Gong Ran over. Another had been his malicious desire to toy with him. But most importantly, he had wanted to place the thing he sought directly into Gong Ran’s hands.
That man had also hoped someone would decipher Pei Liang’s powerful secret. In Chu Yebai’s eyes, Gong Ran was a suitable pawn.
In the end, they were simply using each other.
What neither of them had anticipated was that Pei Liang had never been stingy about sharing her internal energy.
In fact, in order to improve the combat abilities of the members who had chosen to side with the base, she had already made a cultivation manual public. It was just that, despite following the method she had provided, no one had yet managed to cultivate internal energy.
The possibility that this world rejected the existence of internal energy could be ruled out. After all, Pei Liang could bring internal energy into the world, which meant it existed within the boundaries of the world’s laws.
That meant they now had to find a way to break through this impasse.
Gong Ran’s research was one possible hope. Pei Liang herself had also considered finding time to try directly injecting internal energy and guiding it through the body.
So, Gong Ran’s request at this moment was actually quite reasonable.
But no one who heard that perfectly reasonable request would take it as meaning nothing more than that.
Even Pei Liang had already adjusted her internal energy and calculated the strength of the flow she would input. Yet for some reason, it suddenly felt as though she were about to do something illicit.
Pei Liang’s expression turned awkward. “Th-This doesn’t seem appropriate, does it?”
“I think this research should remain focused on research. Internal energy is simply internal energy. We shouldn’t use it to pursue anything like pain or pleasure.”
After saying that, she hurriedly added, in a way that only made her seem guiltier, “Don’t worry. I’ll do my best to keep your emotions calm so you won’t feel any fluctuations at all.”
Gong Ran smiled. “That won’t do. If I can’t feel anything, how am I supposed to collect data?”
He stepped closer, stopping less than an arm’s length away from Pei Liang. His voice became soft and unhurried, as if every word carried an almost hypnotic quality.
“This is an entirely unknown field to me. It involves something intangible, and there are no standards or points of reference for collecting data. The only option is to rely on firsthand sensations.”
“So, first, we have to ensure that the sensations are strong enough to guarantee accuracy. Second, we have to make sure we collect a larger number of samples.”
Then, as though he had just thought of something, he added, “Oh, right. Are you worried that Mr. Chu will be unhappy?”
“Although I don’t understand why he would object to research that benefits all of humanity and could even increase humanity’s chances of victory in the short term, there’s no denying that his abilities and importance are extraordinary. We should indeed take his feelings into consideration.”
“If he would be unhappy, then from now on, we can collect samples whenever he isn’t at the base.”
Pei Liang felt the tip of her nose grow hot, as though something were about to shoot out of it.
The words “You’re such a shameless flirt!” nearly slipped from her lips.
The man kept talking about collecting samples in the most proper and serious tone, but the context made it sound as though he were encouraging her to have an affair behind her husband’s back whenever he was away.
Pei Liang was not stupid. She naturally understood that Gong Ran had completely ignored what she had said at the dinner table before.
No, this was becoming dangerous.
Pei Liang gave an awkward laugh. “But I still feel that this isn’t quite appropriate.”
“How about we start with my method? After all, when it comes to internal energy, I’m the one who truly understands it. I’ve never heard that anyone needs painful or pleasurable stimulation in order to sense it.”
Gong Ran fell silent for a moment.
He looked at Pei Liang with an expression that was difficult to interpret.
There were so many layers to his gaze that different people might have read entirely different meanings into it if they met his eyes.
Pei Liang, for example, did not know whether she had a guilty conscience, or whether the heart of a shameless lecher was struggling helplessly beneath the restraint of reason.
Either way, in her eyes, Gong Ran’s gaze seemed almost to be accusing her:
“Pei Liang, are you saying you can’t handle it?”
How arrogant and domineering was Pei Liang usually? Yet under Gong Ran’s gaze, she was suddenly like a man in his thirties suffering a midlife crisis—too busy with work to satisfy his wife at night, and so impotent that even a beautiful woman couldn’t get a reaction out of him.
Fine! So what if he looked down on her?
Pei Liang was just about to play dead and let the matter drop, but she hadn’t expected Gong Ran to intensify his attack.
The profound meaning in his eyes vanished, replaced by the pure, scholarly gaze of a scientist.
He smiled at Pei Liang. “I think you’re overthinking this, or perhaps you haven’t sorted out the logic here.”
“First, when you recruited me, you promised to provide me with all the research data I needed. Since that’s the case, shouldn’t I be the one to decide how to use it?”
“You may be the only person who truly possesses internal energy, but you don’t understand my research methods or direction. So your suggestion amounts to an amateur trying to instruct a professional. Isn’t that exactly the sort of thing you’ve always disliked?”
“So now that it’s time for you to fulfill your obligations under the contract, what exactly are you avoiding?”
“Second, is providing a sample really something shameful? I did say that I could take Mr. Chu’s feelings into consideration, but you can’t show favoritism toward his inappropriate mindset simply because of your personal relationship with him.”
“If you continue to show him preferential treatment, I’ll have no choice but to question whether the promises you made in the first place were genuine. If I need the support and favoritism of those in power to obtain what I want, then I don’t consider the reason you gave at the dinner table sufficient to convince me to give up competing.”
With things said so plainly, Pei Liang didn’t even know how to argue back.
Gong Ran had been like this even before the apocalypse, let alone now. He wasn’t bound by moral or ethical restraints, and his relationship with Chu Yebai wasn’t exactly the sort of normal relationship society would praise, either.
If she tried to talk about feelings with him, all she would get was a mocking laugh.
Besides, he hadn’t brought up feelings at all. If she rejected him on those grounds, she would only look self-important.
He had made his position perfectly clear: he wanted to exchange benefits. If she couldn’t fulfill the promises she had made, she couldn’t blame him for taking a shortcut.
Pei Liang realized that she had completely trapped herself. This man had somehow constructed a flawless logical argument.
She couldn’t even reject him by claiming that he lacked charm. That would be tantamount to offending him.
When she finally came back to her senses, Pei Liang realized that this might be the worst failure she had ever suffered. Now she was truly caught between a rock and a hard place.
For a moment, she sorely missed the assistant she’d had in her previous life.
Boss needs you.
The most terrifying part was that it still wasn’t over. Gong Ran leaned closer to Pei Liang, his voice almost brushing her ear.
“Besides, I don’t think there’s anything shameful about enjoying a little extra pleasure in the course of my research.”
“After all, I’m not some ascetic scholar. What’s wrong with enjoying the pleasure brought by my research as much as possible?”
As he spoke, his lips seemed about to touch the tip of Pei Liang’s ear. To her, his voice was like the seductive call of a siren.
“You can clearly do this for me. So why are you depriving me of what I’m entitled to?”
“Before Mr. Chu officially entered into a relationship with you, he had already experienced this. So why are there obstacles when it comes to me?”
“Pei Liang, that isn’t fair!”
Pei Liang was utterly speechless. Gong Ran had clearly done his homework.
Indeed, if one looked at things normally, Chu Yebai had still been her kept man when she had tortured him. If she could do those things to him back then, naturally she could do the same to Gong Ran now.
At that moment, Pei Liang was practically a scumbag comforting herself.
It wasn’t her fault, okay? She hadn’t crossed any lines, and besides, she had to take her cooperation contract with Gong Ran into consideration.
This was simply an unavoidable circumstance.
What was more, if she helped him get it out of his system one more time, he probably wouldn’t dare provoke her so recklessly in the future. Sometimes, it was better to release pressure than to try to contain it, right?
With that thought, Pei Liang let out a long breath.
She pressed Gong Ran down onto the dissection table and ordered, “Fine. Take off your clothes!”
A look of startled disbelief appeared on Gong Ran’s face. Pei Liang crooked her lips.
“What? Is that difficult to understand?”
“Don’t worry. I’m not trying to humiliate you. The same applied to Chu Yebai back then. This is only to prevent you from hurting yourself when you lose control of your body.”
“The things hidden inside you are no less dangerous than what he has.”
Gong Ran had originally been advancing step by step, but he hadn’t expected that Pei Liang could reverse the balance of power in an instant whenever she wanted.
Still, he bit his lower lip and slowly removed his clothes without the slightest hesitation.
It was obvious that he was trying to show off his charm.
He was handsome, and his physique was perfect. Once he took off the immaculate white lab coat he wore like an ascetic scholar, his entire person seemed to shed an aggressive disguise.
Pei Liang finally saw through him. Gong Ran was a king in theory, but when it came to actual practice, he was shy and clumsy.
Look at how formidable all his tactics were. He changed outfits so often, it was as though he had emptied Pinru’s entire wardrobe and intended to wear a different one every day of the year.
Yet when it came to the real thing, his performance failed to live up to his plans.
But precisely because of that self-defeating, awkward embarrassment, he possessed a different kind of charm.
Pei Liang suddenly felt the thrill of an affair.
No, no, no. She couldn’t think that way.
It was like petting a cat. Once you had made the cat comfortable, surely no one could accuse you of committing some heinous crime, right?
Yes. She could still distinguish right from wrong.
That was how this shameless woman kept making excuses for herself.
At the same time, the Reincarnation Squad, led by Yu Cheng, had already boarded a yacht and set sail toward the research base.
The research base was only a few kilometers from the harbor. At the yacht’s speed, the journey would take little more than ten minutes.
After coming ashore, Yu Cheng and the others were stunned by the sight before them.
The hotel had been designed with sightseeing in mind, so its exterior was naturally breathtaking. The side facing the sea consisted entirely of floor-to-ceiling windows.
Now, after some modifications, its exterior was guarded by heavily armed security personnel and ability users responsible for protecting the research base. Each of them wore a sharp, vigilant expression, clearly ready to fight at any moment.
Given their strength, Yu Cheng and the others could naturally sense that there were people hidden in the shadows as well. The base’s defenses were so rigorous that it was astonishing they had managed to establish such a setup less than a month after the apocalypse began.
They could even see mutated plants and animals that had been tamed. Apparently, they were part of the security system too.
The group exchanged glances. There was no need to say anything.
It seemed the genius doctor capable of changing the world, Gong Ran, really was being imprisoned here.
Such tight security was not merely meant to protect him. It was also a form of confinement.
The atmosphere inside the research base, however, was quite pleasant. The researchers coming and going looked relaxed, showing none of the gloom or frustration one would expect from people under restriction.
Through the glass windows, they could see quite a few people gathered in the café on the second floor, enjoying coffee and pastries. Everyone wore friendly expressions when they encountered one another.
The scene looked harmonious and cheerful. No wonder Pei Liang dared to summon the experts she wanted to recruit here.
Although the base had plenty of powerful people, most of them were currently scattered throughout the city for work and missions. There was no doubt that the greatest concentration of high-level talent could be found here.
If one wanted to recruit experts, one naturally had to demonstrate one’s advantages.
Yu Cheng understood that very well.
Sure enough, the people in charge of reception at the scientific research base treated them very courteously, leading them directly to a lounge and serving them premium coffee and desserts.
Bringing several thousand people along was, of course, completely different from traveling light on their own.
With their strength, they certainly had no trouble finding food and clothing. But feeding several thousand people was another matter entirely.
Their captain, Yu Cheng, was not the kind of person who could watch others suffer while enjoying himself in comfort. As a result, the Reincarnation Squad had been living rather miserably lately.
The other three were privately dissatisfied, but they did not dare say anything.
Now that they were receiving such luxurious hospitality, all four—including Bai Rou—suddenly realized how hungry they were. The moment they swallowed a bite of dessert, they felt an indescribable comfort spread through their bodies.
Yet their captain had not touched a thing. In fact, his expression was rather grim.
Bai Rou hurriedly said, “Captain Yu, you should eat something first. We have no idea what might happen later.”
This was the lair of the big boss, after all. They had to be prepared for the worst at any moment.
Bai Rou added, “It isn’t poisoned. I’ve already checked.”
That was naturally related to one of Bai Rou’s abilities.
Yu Cheng shook his head. “I’m wondering whether the people around us know that someone is being imprisoned and coerced.”
Regardless of whether they knew, the cheerful atmosphere built upon the torment and exploitation of others was chilling to behold.
There was no doubt that this was a villain’s faction, with everyone living in a false hope.
That was precisely why those who knew the truth found it even harder to bear.
Yu Cheng said, “Try to locate Dr. Gong as quickly as possible. I think completing the mission may require his cooperation.”
“Even setting the mission aside, his existence is indispensable to the post-apocalyptic world.”
The other three nodded. Glasses took out a photograph clipped from a newspaper.
“I hope he’s still here, and that the place where he’s being held isn’t too difficult to reach.”
Glasses possessed an ability that allowed him to precisely locate a target within a certain range after obtaining a photograph of them. The closer the target was, the more accurate the search would be.
However, before using it, he first had to determine whether the target was within range. Otherwise, the effort would be wasted. Moreover, activating the ability was time-limited, so it was not usually very convenient.
The photograph in Glasses’s hand suddenly ignited without fire and burned to ashes in an instant. Glasses closed his eyes and began to sense his surroundings.
Less than two seconds later, he opened his eyes again, looking somewhat dazed.
“What is it?” Yu Cheng asked. “Is he not here?”
“No, he—” Glasses turned around, his face filled with alarm, and pointed at the wall behind them.
“He’s in the room next door.”
“What?”
The others were startled and immediately looked over.
Structurally speaking, the room they were in was located in the part of the building with the weakest defenses and the greatest vulnerability to invasion.
Naturally, the room beside it was not much different.
And Dr. Gong—the hope of the post-apocalyptic world, whom the big boss had gone to such lengths to obtain—was right next door?
Yu Cheng’s brow furrowed even more deeply. He even remembered the details he had observed around them before entering this reception room.
The door to the room next door had not even been properly shut.
That was hardly how one treated an important prisoner.
The key figure capable of determining the fate of the entire situation was only a wall away. The Reincarnation Squad had been caught completely off guard, and even their breathing grew quieter.
Glasses whispered, “Captain, what should we do? Should we—”
Yu Cheng understood what he meant. Although Dr. Gong was here at this moment, there was no guarantee that he would remain here. Perhaps he had been released for some reason, and would later be returned to a secret chamber where the light of day never reached. Rescuing him then would certainly become far more difficult.
On the other hand, although they had yet to understand the base’s situation, the reincarnators’ strength and experience clearly surpassed that of the post-apocalyptic natives, who had only recently awakened their abilities.
If they acted now, their opponents would certainly be caught off guard.
The question was: which choice should they make?
Should they secure Dr. Gong’s help and use his technology to break through from the outside? Or should they seize this opportunity to approach the boss and wait for a chance to act from within?
Yu Cheng struggled with the decision.
But in the next second, the group saw a person flying toward them from a distance through the transparent floor-to-ceiling windows.
The person was moving incredibly fast, and everyone was startled.
“Someone has already mastered their ability to this extent?”
“Who is he? He can’t be an insignificant character in the plot, right?”
As they stared in uncertainty, the person flew straight into the room next door.
The glass used here was tempered and, in theory, not something an ordinary person could smash through. Clearly, however, it could not stop this man.
A tremendous crash came from next door, making it obvious that the intruder had forced his way in.
The group hurriedly stood up. They could take advantage of the opportunity to investigate the neighboring room openly and legitimately.
However, the moment they stepped outside, they saw several people already running over from nearby.
They were just about to open the door when a woman’s startled cry came from inside:
“You were out on a mission. Why are you back?”
Then a man’s ominous voice sounded faintly from within. Ordinary people might not have been able to hear him clearly, but the reincarnators’ enhanced senses made that impossible.
The man practically spat the words through clenched teeth.
“If I hadn’t come back, would this guy have climbed into your bed?”
A loud crash followed, clearly indicating that a physical altercation had broken out. But it quickly fell silent again.
The woman’s weary voice sounded once more.
“I think there’s been a misunderstanding.”
“You can’t keep suspecting me like this. We’re only conducting normal scientific research. In the face of science, the human body is a purely simple existence with no other meaning—just as a patient has no gender in a doctor’s eyes, and a model has no gender in a painter’s.”
“That’s your excuse for this guy lying naked in front of you?” the man said, his tone as if he wanted to devour someone.
“You did it with him, didn’t you? You did to him the same thing you’ve only ever done to me, didn’t you?”
Uh-oh.
Anyone present who was not an idiot could tell what had happened inside.
Someone immediately began dispersing the people who had rushed over after hearing the commotion.
“Move along, move along. Nothing’s happening. Mr. Chu just came back in the middle of his mission to discuss a few things with Miss Pei and Dr. Gong. Nothing worth seeing.”
Yes, yes, everyone understood. They were merely discussing human anatomy and scientific research.
The tangled mess between the three of them was hardly unknown to the people in the research department who had originally come off the ship.
Boss Pei and Mr. Chu were unquestionably a couple. Admittedly, the process had carried a distinct whiff of the old days when bandits would forcibly take a woman away, but Mr. Chu knew how to adapt. Besides, with a handsome man and a beautiful woman, it did not look like a tragedy of unbearable proportions—at least not to outsiders.
But Boss Pei was undeniably charismatic, and the newly arrived Dr. Gong had made no effort to conceal his infatuation. Who among the combat teams and kitchen staff had not heard about the glorious occasion when he had offered himself as her bedmate at the celebration banquet?
Given the current situation, it seemed likely that Dr. Gong had taken advantage of Mr. Chu’s absence.
As one of the original core leaders, Mr. Chu himself possessed tremendous personal charisma, and he certainly had informants within the research base.
Someone had probably noticed that Boss Pei and Dr. Gong had been inside for quite some time and sent word to Mr. Chu.
But to keep the boss’s sordid affairs from being dragged into the light, the person in charge hurriedly shooed away everyone nearby who was reluctant to leave.
“Move, move! Hey! What are you standing around for? Have you finished your research? Are you asking to work overtime today? And don’t look back—you, I said don’t look back!”
After driving everyone else away, five people still remained in front of him.
An awkward look crossed the person in charge’s face. It really wasn’t appropriate for the newcomers to be confronted with the tangled romantic relationships among the base’s top brass right off the bat.
He was just about to explain when the other party took the initiative and asked, “The people inside are Miss Pei, Mr. Chu, and Dr. Gong, the base’s leaders?”
The person in charge nodded.
The members of the Samsara team all sucked in a sharp breath—
What the hell?!
The male protagonist and the big boss, Dr. Gong, were all here. And what was with this tangled relationship?
Just then, the door suddenly opened, and Dr. Gong stepped out wearing nothing but a loosely tied bathrobe.
He looked utterly drained, his legs so weak that he instinctively reached out to brace himself against the wall as soon as he came out.
And his face was flushed with a suggestive, rosy hue. His entire appearance screamed that he had just been thoroughly enjoyed.
The Samsara team: “…”
What the hell? Not only did they exploit technology—they played with people’s bodies, too?
At that moment, two system notifications appeared in everyone’s minds. They then realized that perhaps the last transformation capsule shouldn’t have been given to Bai Rou after all.
All four of them turned toward Yu Cheng in unison, their eyes filled with horror.
