With the collaboration agreement finalized, Lingsha returned to her room to change. She put on a light-colored short-sleeved shirt and a skirt that reached mid-thigh, then slipped on a white lab coat over everything.
She struck a pose in front of the bedroom mirror, one hand on her hip, but something still felt missing. She grabbed a pair of round-framed glasses with clear lenses and put them on.
"Hmm, that's more like it," she nodded approvingly.
Lingsha went to the entryway, bent down to retrieve a pair of high heels from the shoe rack, and slipped them on. She stomped twice, her heels clicking loudly.
Normally, Lingsha dressed casually at home. If she had looked like a typical homebody just moments before, her new outfit now gave off a striking impression of professional competence—an illusion that would fool anyone who saw her.
Before she could call out, a white blur darted from the living room. Lingsha crouched down, placing her right hand on the floor. The little creature slithered up her arm and into her sleeve, leaving only its small head peeking out from the cuff, its forked tongue flicking occasionally—undoubtedly Xiao Bai, the white snake.
The little creature was incredibly clingy, never letting Lingsha out of its sight. Even when she stood up to get a glass of water while reading, it would eagerly scamper after her.
Notably, it seemed to have reached its full size, measuring around 1.5 meters in length. Its slender, elongated body was perfectly suited for coiling around Lingsha's arms or legs, a habit it indulged whenever possible, though Lingsha usually just plucked it off and tossed it aside.
Once ready, Lingsha pushed open the door and stepped out. She tilted her head slightly to look up at Dr. Jiang, who stood before her, and said, "Let's go."
Even in her high heels, she still had to look up at him, a fact that filled her with mild frustration. I must be the tallest version of myself by now, she thought.
No, maybe Robin is taller? If we include the Halo.
Lost in these random thoughts, they rode the elevator downstairs. Dr. Jiang drove while Lingsha sat in the passenger seat, boredly watching the scenery pass by. She even dozed off for a while.
When Lingsha opened her eyes again, the first thing she saw through the car window was a desolate, ruined city.
A street sign, its top crushed by a car, stood amidst rows of buildings charred beyond recognition. Further in the distance, Lingsha spotted a massive pile of rubble—the remains of a collapsed fifteen-story skyscraper that had crashed into an adjacent tower.
The overwhelming sense of a post-apocalyptic world struck Lingsha, leaving her stunned. Wait, where am I? Is this still China?
She turned to Dr. Jiang, but before she could speak, he volunteered, "You're awake? This is Fancheng, the city where the virus outbreak first occurred."
Understanding dawned. After the Fancheng Virus outbreak, everyone had fled in all directions. Longcheng, located near Fancheng, had taken in about a quarter of the refugees.
Fancheng was then abandoned and declared a restricted zone. Naturally, there was no better place to study the Fancheng Virus than at its point of origin, so the Dragon Nation later built a large laboratory there—the Third Research Institute, managed by Dr. Jiang.
"Just a little further," Dr. Jiang said. "We'll be there soon."
About fifteen minutes later, a four-story building came into view, strikingly out of place amidst the surrounding ruins. At first glance, Lingsha almost mistook it for a hospital.
Two armed guards stood at the laboratory entrance. Upon spotting Dr. Jiang's vehicle, they saluted, and the iron gates slowly swung open.
This was the city ravaged by the Zombie Virus. Although the military had swept through repeatedly after evacuating all civilians, no one could guarantee that every zombie had been eradicated. The guards were there as a precaution against any stragglers.
After parking the car in the courtyard, Lingsha and Dr. Jiang disembarked and walked into the laboratory. Along the way, everyone who saw Dr. Jiang paused their work, greeted him as "Doctor," and received a nod in return.
In addition to scientists in lab coats and their assistants, Lingsha also noticed heavily armed guards patrolling the premises. Given that this was a crucial research base for the entire Dragon Nation, such security measures were unsurprising.
Oddly, Lingsha sensed that the vast majority of people in the institute, both scientists and guards, were Evolvers.
This struck her as strange. Even a military base wouldn't normally have such a high concentration of Evolvers.
After a moment's thought, Lingsha realized the truth: while nominally the Dragon Nation's Third Research Institute, this place was likely the headquarters of the Fuguang Society.
Everyone here was probably a survivor of the Fancheng Virus disaster. Led by Dr. Jiang and a group of hawkish individuals, they had ultimately formed this organization.
Lingsha didn't feel like a lamb entering a tiger's den. Instead, she curiously observed everyone around her. Soon, Dr. Jiang led her to the fourth-floor monitoring room. A wall-sized display screen showed rows of ordinary people confined to prison cells.
Dressed in identical orange jumpsuits, they sat or lay on their beds with vacant eyes and numb expressions.
For some reason, Lingsha was reminded of the SCP Foundation's D-Class Personnel. But while those D-Class Personnel were death row inmates, most of these people were simply unfortunate victims.
Only Fancheng People could be infected with the Fancheng Virus, so naturally, only native Fancheng residents were captured for experimentation. Most of these individuals had lost their families in the disaster, leaving them utterly alone. This isolation meant their disappearances would likely go unnoticed.
At that moment, Dr. Jiang stepped forward and spoke into a microphone. "Soldier, release everyone currently detained."
After a pause, a puzzled female voice responded, "Huh? Xiao? Have you lost your mind? We're already short-staffed for the experiments. What are you thinking?"
Dr. Jiang replied with unwavering seriousness, "This is an order!"
Silence hung in the air for a moment before the voice relented with a resigned sigh. "Fine, fine. Who am I to argue with the boss?"
Turning to Lingsha, Dr. Jiang said, "These people will be blindfolded and transported out of the city. Does that satisfy your request?"