Chu Yu’s gaze shifted towards Xu An, but Xu An didn’t look back, instead staring fixedly at Qin Chuan.
“There must be something going on with this riot, but without a doubt, this research institute is hiding something from us. I see a sense of deception on the faces of the other contestants. I think this is a breakthrough point.”
Qin Chuan felt a bit annoyed because Xu An had stepped forward to speak for Chu Yu.
It was one thing if others didn’t know, but Xu An clearly knew about what had happened between him and Chu Yu, yet still defended him, which made him feel dejected.
However, upon hearing Xu An’s words, he suddenly felt as if a new path had opened up. He silently analyzed and found Xu An’s reasoning to be sound.
These people had barely managed to crawl back from the surface, having faced life-and-death situations. They were on the verge of completing their mission and living lives of wealth and honor. Why would they fall out with the research institute at this juncture? What was the purpose of doing so? It was utterly counterproductive.
Qin Chuan nodded as a response, but he still maintained a displeased demeanor towards Chu Yu.
“Although this incident has nothing to do with you, I haven’t settled the score from that incident by the sea yet. Since you’ve had the audacity to return, you’d better be prepared for interrogation!” Qin Chuan gritted his teeth as he looked at Chu Yu, who hadn’t changed his expression from beginning to end. There was a hint of resentment. He resented Chu Yu’s composure under such circumstances, and also resented the comrades who had sacrificed due to Chu Yu’s instigation.
Chu Yu merely looked at Qin Chuan expressionlessly, his indifferent gaze like a vast, boundless expanse of black cloth, shrouding all of Chu Yu’s emotions, making them impossible to discern. He spoke faintly, “I await your convenience.” It was this nonchalant demeanor that angered Qin Chuan even more.
Seeing the escalating tension between the two, Xu An quickly urged them to leave. The group, accompanied by the security team, grandly departed the White Building and were escorted by Qin Chuan to a completely silver-white structure located in the southeastern corner of the second floor. From the outside, the entire building resembled a colossal metal shell, devoid of any seams. The outer layer of the building had no gaps, let alone any light that could penetrate it. Even those accustomed to grand spectacles found the building before them astonishing.
However, just as the crowd was marveling at how such a massive structure could be so perfectly seamless, Chu Yu was the only one in the crowd to frown, staring intently at the building as if in mockery.
“I’m afraid this thing wasn’t originally designed for humans to inhabit, was it?” Chu Yu’s voice was very soft. If not for Xu An’s exceptional hearing, it might not have been heard at all. But what made Xu An uneasy was why Qin Chuan could also hear it.
When Chu Yu spoke his thoughts, his voice was barely louder than a mosquito's hum, so he wasn’t worried about being overheard. But it wasn’t until he saw both Xu An and Qin Chuan turn to look at him that he realized how mistaken he had been.
Qin Chuan deliberately lowered his voice. “What do you know?” Even Xu An’s expression turned cold for the first time as she watched the exchange silently.
When Qin Chuan first encountered this building, he had similar doubts to the two before him. The Lighthouse was inherently located within a massive protective shield, sustaining human life. Furthermore, the initial functional framework of the Lighthouse did not include any facilities for holding prisoners. For those who violated the Lighthouse’s rules or refused to work and merely wished to eat and live in idleness, the Lighthouse was ruthless, their only fates being exile or demotion to become oil mechanics below.
But then, one day, someone found Qin Chuan and brought him to this place he had never set foot in before. They told him that this was a prison built by the Lighthouse, specifically for detaining special prisoners. Even then, he couldn’t truly penetrate the interior of this prison. Although Qin Chuan was outwardly the captain of the enforcement team, as he came to understand the internal structure of the Lighthouse more and more, Qin Chuan realized that he didn’t truly understand the Lighthouse. Even now, after traversing so many places, he didn’t know the actual size of the Lighthouse, and there were many areas he hadn’t explored and couldn’t explore.
Yet now, Chu Yu, with just a glance, stated that this prison wasn’t meant for humans. This struck a chord within Qin Chuan. He had harbored this thought for a long time. Starting from that bizarre, engine-like existence on the Lighthouse—the heart. Qin Chuan felt that everything on the Lighthouse was filled with strangeness. It was as if a hand was concealing all these immense mysteries behind it.
With this thought, Qin Chuan couldn’t help but recall the幽蓝色 (you lan se -幽蓝色) mycelium he had previously discovered. In fact, he had discovered it before meeting Xu An. This mycelium became particularly excited upon seeing Xu An. The originally sluggish mycelia were exceptionally active. After discovering this mycelium, Qin Chuan didn't immediately send it to the laboratory for research. Instead, he found a confidant of his grandfather and some trustworthy researchers to help him determine what this mycelium was. However, after Qin Chuan brought the mycelium out of the cave, it became like dead, motionless. The researcher said that the mycelium might be an inert organism, requiring an activation point to trigger.
As Qin Chuan was anxiously pondering what this so-called “activation point” might be, he encountered Xu An. Qin Chuan, feeling the mycelium becoming unusually active within the specially made glass bottle, couldn’t help but shift his gaze back to Xu An’s face. “How many more secrets do you have that I don’t know?”
Chu Yu, whose subtle intentions had been exposed, didn’t panic. Instead, he calmly observed the two with an expression that seemed to say, “Are you two simpletons?”
“Under this highly concentrated labor-所得 (suo de -所得) system on the Lighthouse, how could such a conspicuous prison exist? Can’t you use your noble heads? Are they just for decoration on your necks? If you think about it a little, you’ll know that it’s impossible, during this time of extreme resource scarcity, to waste manpower and materials to build such a prison, which is stunning just by looking at it, solely to detain some prisoners who should have been exiled!”
His words rendered both Xu An and Qin Chuan speechless. It wasn’t that they hadn’t had this thought, but neither dared to voice it. Now that Chu Yu had stated it so bluntly, a blush spread across Xu An’s face. She felt embarrassed; being berated so directly was a first for her. She frantically called out to Ze Yuan in her heart, hoping to alleviate her shame. But soon, she realized that no matter how she called, Ze Yuan seemed non-existent, never responding to her.