Chapter 149: Your Doom Has Been Delivered (32)

"Even so, are you certain the other party wouldn't notice one missing?"
"...I can't be sure of that." Ling Qiong could not guarantee it; they probably counted the items during the handover.
What if someone was derelict in their duty, though!
Jiang Xunchu pressed his brow and massaged it. "You don't even know what's inside, so why did you bring it back?"
It might get discovered at any moment.
Ling Qiong replied, "I just wanted to find out what it was, which is why I brought it back."
"..."
...
The two gave up on sleeping and started messing with the box instead.
Jiang Xunchu now had some idea of how Ling Qiong had managed to turn his room into such a complete mess.
The metal box was exceptionally sturdy, refusing to open no matter what they tried.
Naturally, the box remained unopened in the end.
For the next two days, the metal box still could not be opened. The base didn't seem to notice a metal box was missing, and everything went on as usual.
Jiang Xunchu occasionally went out.
The white-coated colleague who had given him news about Jiang Luyun would occasionally invite him over for a chat.
Talking about Jiang Luyun's time in the laboratory.
Talking about the research they had conducted together.
He understood Jiang Luyun extremely well...
At first, Jiang Xunchu was indeed immersed in the world of Jiang Luyun that he had never known.
Soon, however, Jiang Xunchu realized the man was trying to fish for information.
He wanted to know if Jiang Luyun had contacted Jiang Xunchu after returning, and whether Jiang Xunchu knew about the stolen research results.
Jiang Xunchu was cautious enough to use a fake name; how could he be easily tricked into giving information?
...
Today, Ling Qiong and Jiang Xunchu went downstairs together.
This area was close to the central command headquarters, with clean streets and well-dressed people walking to and fro.
Just looking at it, there was not much difference from the pre-apocalypse world.
Ling Qiong wanted to get some fresh air, and Jiang Xunchu accompanied her.
There were many bartering spots within the base, but most of them dealt in practical goods, in which Ling Qiong took little interest.
"Mr. Jiang, the Professor would like to see you."
Two men appeared out of nowhere, inviting Jiang Xunchu to meet the man in the white coat.
This sort of thing happened almost every day, and Jiang Xunchu had already grown used to it.
"Go back first."
"I'll go with you and wait outside."
👤"...Alright, fine."
Ling Qiong followed Jiang Xunchu over. She was stopped at the outside, where someone served her tea and pastries.
They were not as exquisite as those from before the end of the world, but in the current environment, they definitely counted as top-tier.
"Please enjoy, Ms. Xu. Let us know if you need anything else."
Ling Qiong asked curiously, "Do you treat all guests this well?"
The man smiled slightly. "You are Mr. Jiang's friend; it's only right that we take good care of you."
With that, without waiting for Ling Qiong to ask further, he walked out.
They didn't restrict her freedom. Aside from the room Jiang Xunchu had entered, which was guarded, she seemed free to wander wherever she pleased.
Ling Qiong ate her pastries while waiting for Jiang Xunchu to come out, looking quite leisurely.
To anyone else, she probably looked like an innocent, clueless sweet girl.
"Chen-ge, please listen to me, things aren't the way you think..."
Ling Qiong tilted her head to listen, finding the voice somewhat familiar.
Holding her teacup, she strolled out to the corridor and looked down.
Lin Miaoru was clutching Mu Chen's arm. Mu Chen wore an icy expression and forcefully shook her off.
Lin Miaoru lost her balance and crashed straight to the ground.
A man behind her immediately stepped forward, pulled her up, and asked with utmost concern, "Miaoru, are you alright?"
Lin Miaoru didn't even spare him a glance.
She wrenched her hand away and rushed toward Mu Chen once more.
"Chen-ge, please listen to my explanation, it really wasn't like that. I didn't harm Sister Feng Ying."
Mu Chen's expression grew even colder. "Never show your face in front of me again."
Tears welled up in Lin Miaoru's eyes. "Chen-ge, Xu Wuyan was just spouting nonsense. She framed me, I never did any of that."
"I'm not an idiot." Mu Chen distanced himself from Lin Miaoru, his gaze chilling. "I've already verified it with everyone. You know very well what you've done."
He had never believed that someone he viewed as a younger sister could do such a thing.
That was why he had repeatedly confirmed the exact situation at the time with others.
Lin Miaoru had simply revealed too many flaws of her own.
He had no choice but to believe it.
Mu Chen said, "I always thought you just had a bad temper, not that you were a vicious-minded person. I was wrong."
"Chen-ge, I'm not, I really didn't..."
Mu Chen clearly had no desire to talk further and left with his people.
This was the base; he didn't want to entangle himself with Lin Miaoru here.
"Chen-ge..."
"Chen-ge!"
"Mu Chen!!"
Lin Miaoru chased after them, but was quickly left behind.
Failing to catch up, Lin Miaoru stood in place for a long time. The man who had followed her looked as though he wanted to speak but didn't quite dare.
Lin Miaoru turned around, her peripheral vision suddenly catching Ling Qiong on the upper floor.
Her expression shifted slightly, turning fierce the very next second.
Holding her white porcelain teacup, Ling Qiong met Lin Miaoru's gaze, the corners of her lips curling upward as she raised a hand and waved.
That posture made it look as though she were greeting an old friend she hadn't seen in years.
Lin Miaoru: "..."
Lin Miaoru likely wanted to come up, but the entrance was guarded, and without someone to guide the way, she couldn't ascend.
"Xu Wuyan, get down here."
"Why don't you come up?" Ling Qiong placed her teacup aside and leaned over the balcony railing. "I'm not going down."
"..." Lin Miaoru pointed at her. "Have you no spine! Are you too cowardly to own up to what you did?"
"Sorry, I don't have one." If Daddy ever grew a spine, that would truly be a rare miracle.
Ling Qiong paused. "If you have the spine to own your actions, don't deny who killed Feng Ying."
Such a hypocritical double standard!!
"The one who killed Feng Ying is you!" Lin Miaoru shrieked her denial, as if shouting it loudly enough would make it true that she hadn't killed Feng Ying.
Ling Qiong chuckled lightly, tapping her finger in the empty air.
Lin Miaoru's gaze involuntarily followed the movement of her finger.
Ling Qiong slowly moved her finger, finally pressing it vertically against her lips as a pretty arc curved at the corner of her mouth. "Ms. Lin, be careful that Feng Ying doesn't come looking for you tonight."
Her voice was airy and weightless, like a thin mist that could dissipate at any moment.
Yet every single word landed with absolute clarity against the other's ear.
Feng Ying was already dead.
How could she possibly come looking for her at night?!
Impossible!
"Miaoru, Miaoru?"
"Miaoru!!"
Lin Miaoru was shaken by the shoulders, her focus snapping back to the upper floor, but nobody was there anymore.
"Miaoru, what's wrong with you?" the man asked anxiously. "I called you over and over, and you didn't react at all."
Lin Miaoru looked at the man, her complexion alternating between pale and ashen. "How long was I like that?"
The man replied, "At least five minutes. As soon as that woman left, you froze like that..."
Lin Miaoru: "..."
Five minutes? How could that be?
The thoughts in her head had only spun for a few seconds, so how had five minutes already passed?
...
The reception room.
It was comfortably furnished, from the large tables and chairs down to the small ornaments, creating a very pleasant atmosphere.
In an environment like this, it was easy for people to let down their guard.
Jiang Xunchu sat on a single-seater sofa, a cup of long-cooled tea placed before him.
Sitting opposite him was not the man in the white coat, but a bespectacled, mild-looking, scholarly gentleman.
"Mr. Jiang, let's conclude our conversation for today here." The man pushed up his glasses and capped his pen. "You may leave now."
Jiang Xunchu nodded, stood up in silence, and walked out of the room.