Xia Jin maintained his usual composure, not revealing why he would share such confidential matters with Qin Chuan.
"I'll say it again, go find your grandfather if you have any questions."
Qin Chuan naturally wouldn't go and question his grandfather just like that.
He looked at Xia Jin, "Can I ask you one last question?"
Xia Jin didn't speak, merely nodding with an air of arrogance. It was as if he was bestowing a favor upon Qin Chuan, telling him to ask whatever he wished.
Xia Jin had expected Qin Chuan to inquire about the dealings between him and his grandfather. However, he was surprised when Qin Chuan asked a completely unrelated question.
"What is the blue fungal filament extracted from your assistant's brain?"
Xia Jin's mouth parted slightly, showing surprise.
"Do you want to know?" For some reason, Qin Chuan sensed a malicious intent in Xia Jin's smile at that moment.
Seeing no hesitation on Qin Chuan's face, Xia Jin dropped his playful smile.
"I can't quite explain what kind of substance it is, but all you need to know is that it possesses a powerful life force, capable of bringing people back from the dead."
Xia Jin finished speaking with excitement, but Qin Chuan didn't believe him.
"Does such a thing as resurrection truly exist in this world? I don't believe it."
Xia Jin didn't rush to refute Qin Chuan's viewpoint. Instead, a smile lingered on his lips.
"There are too many unbelievable things in this world. It's not something you can dismiss with a simple 'I don't believe it.' Look at the emergence of ability users. Who would have believed in their existence before? Yet, they have appeared before your very eyes, and you still don't believe it?" Xia Jin retorted.
Qin Chuan was rendered somewhat speechless.
If it were before the apocalypse, Qin Chuan wouldn't have believed in the existence of ability users no matter what. It was something that defied common sense and science. But now, those powers that did not belong to humans erupted from people's bodies so openly, forcing Qin Chuan to believe.
...
There was little more to discuss on this topic. Xia Jin looked at Qin Chuan, who seemed to have no intention of leaving.
"Are you still determined to seal my laboratory? Even knowing the truth, aren't you afraid your grandfather will blame you?"
Qin Chuan's face no longer showed the confusion he felt upon learning the truth. Despite his strained relationship with his grandfather since childhood, he knew his grandfather's actions were for his own good, just expressed differently. However, the news Xia Jin provided clearly indicated that his grandfather had betrayed the country by making a deal with him. Yet, even so, Qin Chuan refused to believe his grandfather would do such a thing. He vividly remembered his first day in the army, the words spoken as his hand was held. A true man should stand tall and protect his home and country. Even though his own son and daughter-in-law had sacrificed their lives for the country in the war, and now his only grandson was joining the army, the now white-haired and frail old man had still sent his sole grandson to the nation. Old Master Qin's lifelong ambition was to cultivate Qin Chuan into an excellent soldier. Therefore, Qin Chuan did not believe his grandfather would do anything to harm the country.
Having come to this realization, Qin Chuan no longer felt lost.
"Whatever deal my grandfather made with you, I believe he must have had his reasons. What I want to do is trust him and firmly follow my own path, not be swayed by your words."
Xia Jin looked at Qin Chuan's unyielding face, his own confidence beginning to waver.
Qin Chuan didn't waste any more time with him. With a wave of his hand, he gave an order, and hundreds of armed troops emerged from outside, surrounding Xia Jin's entire laboratory.
"I know you've already transferred your important experimental samples, but as long as they are within the territory we currently occupy, I will dig up all your little secrets, no matter how deeply buried." Qin Chuan's eyes were filled with determination, as if he wouldn't rest until his goal was achieved.
Here, Qin Chuan and Xia Jin's confrontation had clearly escalated to a fever pitch.
Meanwhile, on the competition grounds, Xu An was also facing difficulties. When Xu An reached the mountaintop, a battle had already erupted. People fought in their respective camps, engaged in a free-for-all. Some dragged their injured teammates out of the fray, narrowly saving their lives. Everyone seemed to have forgotten their original mission for being there. Fighting each other with their lives. As if bewitched by something, they all attacked with fierce intent.
Zhou Haimei patted Xu An's arm. "I feel like something is wrong here. Let's observe first and not approach the battlefield. Don't you think the eyes of the people fighting in the central battlefield look strange?"
More and more people joined the fray, seemingly forgetting their purpose was to hunt wild beasts, not to kill each other. But it seemed everyone had forgotten their original objective. Compared to the beasts eyeing them hungrily, the red-eyed humans before them seemed more like mutated beasts.
Xu An, after clearly assessing the situation, did not rush forward. Many shared his sentiment. As they approached this mountain, a strange aura seemed to draw more and more people towards it. However, upon witnessing the fighting on the mountaintop, many chose to stop and observe.
On the other side, Xu An spotted a familiar figure. His voice instantly turned cold.
"Why is that woman still alive?"
"Who is still alive?" Zhou Haimei followed Xu An's gaze and saw someone unexpected.
"Su Xiao?" Zhou Haimei was also shocked.
"This woman's life is truly tenacious, still being alive until now."
Xu An said, "Not only that, but she seems to have awakened an ability."
Prompted by Xu An, Zhou Haimei also saw faint currents of electricity flowing through the other person's body. From a distance, she hadn't seen clearly, but with Xu An's reminder, Zhou Haimei also noticed the anomaly.
"A wicked person lives a thousand years," Zhou Haimei said with an expression of ill omen.
"An'an, do you think she might realize we're the ones behind her troubles? Did she come here for revenge?"
Initially, Xu An hadn't thought of this. If the other party hadn't awakened her abilities, no matter how hard she tried to figure it out, she wouldn't have guessed they were involved. But now that she had awakened her abilities, she might connect the dots about why those silver wolves only attacked her.