บท 57: 57
The timeline clearly showed that the world would keep turning even without a certain person. Free from Liu Huanran and her bizarre love-struck path, Yu Zhiwan now lived freely.
"A failed relationship is a devil; an unsuitable lover will drag you into an abyss of destruction. An unhealthy relationship is worse than being single."
Pei Yujang had read this line in a novel. Recently, she had come across an engrossing book where the heroine, after breaking free from her love-struck mindset, became an outstanding police officer, highly praised for her service to the public.
She found the heroine's words very true and softly hummed a tune by the lakeside:
"Happy breakup, wishing you happiness…"
Seeing Yu Zhiwan cover her ears, Pei Yujang thought she must have sung too terribly and quickly stopped. However, Yu Zhiwan only made a "shush" gesture and silently motioned for Pei Yujang to push her forward a bit.
Pei Yujang complied.
The area around the tower by Yihu Lake was once seldom visited, but after the incident where the actress Chen Lulu almost jumped off the tower to commit suicide, it became a popular spot.
At night, vendors would set up stalls selling handmade lanterns, their colorful lights floating on the water, reflecting the ripples stirred by the wind. Yu Zhiwan closed her eyes, relying on her hearing and touch to experience the world as she had done for many years, even though her vision had mostly recovered. Old habits didn't change easily.
The sounds of people gradually faded away. With her heat just ended, Omega's five senses were particularly sharp, especially her sense of smell. As Yu Zhiwan inhaled deeply, her delicate brows furrowed more and more.
After a while, Yu Zhiwan beckoned Pei Yujang over. Bending down, Pei Yujang heard her whisper in her ear:
"There's a metallic smell in the lake."
Pei Yujang's expression changed instantly.
A strange smell in the lake could mean something serious, and neither of them would assume it was something simple. So Pei Yujang didn't bother asking, "Are you sure?" She trusted that Yu Zhiwan wouldn't say anything unless she was certain.
Her deeply ingrained vigilance made Pei Yujang's first thought:
"Should we evacuate the crowd?"
"It's probably not a bomb."
The abandoned tower in Yihu Lake Park had once been an inconspicuous landmark, but it became popular due to the previous incident. People's curiosity made it a hotspot, and despite the authorities' mixed feelings, they hadn't bothered to repair the tower, as it wasn't a place worth promoting.
The area was now filled with young couples taking photos and vloggers loudly explaining:
"This is where Chen Lulu almost jumped, folks. Rumor has it she was saved by a beautiful woman. Should I check it out? Haunted? I'm not scared. Maybe a pretty lady will save me, hehe!"
The "pretty lady" Pei Yujang turned and walked away.
Yihu Lake Park was open 24 hours, with no closing time, but usually, people started leaving after 10 PM. It was just past 9, and some were already heading home. Once the cleaning crew finished their rounds, Pei Yujang planned to sneak down and see what was hidden in the water.
It was still a bit chilly in the early spring night, but not too cold, and there weren't as many mosquitoes as in the summer when a few minutes in the bushes could earn you a dozen bites.
Standing out too much while standing, and risking numbness while crouching, Pei Yujang decided to sit in the wheelchair with Yu Zhiwan sitting on her lap, ready to retreat if needed.
"If we get caught, we can say we're just playing some kinky game."
"Cough! Cough!"
Pei Yujang choked on her saliva, shocked that Yu Zhiwan could say such a thing so seriously.
But Omega said it with a straight face, her clear eyes focused ahead, lips pressed together, seriously analyzing their chances of being caught and planning how to handle it if they were.
Some park cleaners and security guards were more diligent than others. If they ran into a particularly thorough one, they might be lectured for loitering late at night, possibly until they agreed to leave.
"Alright."
Yu Zhiwan, as an Omega, was willing to go this far. Pei Yujang stared at her for a moment, ashamed of her earlier hesitation due to overthinking.
Being so close, Pei Yujang could smell the intoxicating fragrance on Yu Zhiwan, but she reminded herself that they were comrades, superior and subordinate. As a Beta, the fleeting ripples of attraction quickly settled.
Fortunately, the cleaner and security guard on duty were both rather lax. After a quick round, they left. Pei Yujang listened to the fading sounds, then after a while, pushed Yu Zhiwan out of hiding.
Without the vendors' bright lights and the joyful chatter of tourists, the late-night Yihu Lake looked like a giant dragon's wings spread flat, the still water reflecting a solemn darkness, with the shadows creeping in, making the lake's surface darker than the sky.
Normally, Pei Yujang wouldn't dare jump into the water, but after the last flood disaster, she had lost all faith in Yicheng's leadership. She no longer expected them to do anything beneficial for the people.
Pei Yujang even felt that if not for her slight background, she might have been quietly disposed of after that incident.
She had disrupted those people's plans for corrupt gains. There's a saying that taking away someone's money is like killing their parents, so they probably saw her as an enemy. If she recklessly reported this now, who knows what excuse they'd find to detain her?
Between diving into the lake and confronting those people, Pei Yujang chose the lake. At least she had a chance to react to a tangible threat, whereas those people's minds were truly unpredictable.
Yu Zhiwan couldn't swim, so she stayed above to keep watch. Before diving in, Yu Zhiwan whispered a caution. Pei Yujang nodded and jumped into the lake, swimming skillfully like a fish. Once she adjusted to the temperature difference, she quickly dived deeper.
Yihu Lake had been well-maintained over the years, and Pei Yujang, having fought many battles here in her past life, knew its basic structure. Although it had changed over two centuries, it was still the same lake, and she was confident in navigating it.
The early spring water of Yicheng was still chilly. As Pei Yujang dove in, the cold seeped into her bones, freezing every cell in her body.
If not for her sheer willpower, Pei Yujang would have wanted to climb back out immediately. Her current body wasn't as strong as it used to be, not having been tempered by the apocalypse.
In the cold water, Pei Yujang forced her eyes open.
She had trained to keep her eyes open underwater without goggles, but she couldn't do it for long, only able to take a quick, blurry glance around.
But that one glance was enough to spot something unusual.
There was a metal cage in the water, a few meters from the shore, explaining the metallic smell Yu Zhiwan detected. Confirming no other obstacles nearby, Pei Yujang swam closer to inspect it and saw a body floating inside.
The corpse was barely recognizable as human, its features swollen and distorted, with skin bloated and torn from the water. Its gaping mouth revealed two sharp canine teeth among the normal ones.
This had been a strong man in life, his pale flesh bloated, with wounds and decayed flesh peeling back. His belly was filled with water, clearly having been submerged for a long time.
Pei Yujang, having been hardened by the apocalypse, wasn't frightened by the sight, only frowning slightly in respect for the dead and natural revulsion. She moved closer for a better look.
Holding her breath, Pei Yujang didn't dare exhale, focusing on observing with her eyes despite the stinging from the water.
Feeling she couldn't hold out much longer, Pei Yujang slowly ascended.
With a splash, Pei Yujang broke the surface. Hearing the noise, Yu Zhiwan quickly pushed the wheelchair closer, but not too far. After Pei Yujang climbed back onto the shore, she asked:
"How does it look down there?"
Pei Yujang first caught her breath, spitting out the water she had swallowed, then carefully described what she had seen. Yu Zhiwan, not a timid Omega, calmly accepted the fact that there was a body in the water.
Pei Yujang took the water bottle Yu Zhiwan handed her from the vending machine, gulping down a few mouthfuls. While she drank, Yu Zhiwan asked:
"Do you think it's just a simple murder?"
Pei Yujang shook her head, speaking quickly:
"I don't think it's a simple murder. Why hide the body here? Normally, people would destroy the evidence after a killing, not leave the body in the lake. But this spot is hard to notice, so we can't rule out a psychopathic killer. Still, I'm more inclined to think this is an experiment by those people."
Yu Zhiwan rarely interrupted others, listening carefully. When Pei Yujang finished, she asked:
"What kind of experiment?"
"Testing if an experiment subject can 'withstand water.'"
In Pei Yujang's time, scientists had discovered that those people's attempts to create zombies didn't produce a perfect product immediately. The intermediate failures, those that weren't fully formed but had some zombie-like traits, were called "experiment subjects."
Those who ended up as experiment subjects faced horrible fates. Pei Yujang knew how ruthless those people could be, but she hadn't expected the corruption in Yicheng to be so deep-rooted, rotting from the very core.
After arriving in this era, Pei Yujang had developed the habit of assuming the worst-case scenario. She found it hard to believe that a body could remain hidden in the lake for so long without anyone noticing. There was a strong possibility that someone had disposed of the experiment subject and coordinated with Yicheng's leadership to ensure it went unnoticed. Otherwise, who would dare be so bold?
"Their workplace was a huge, well-equipped underground bunker, designed much like an air raid shelter with a fully functional system."
Yu Zhiwan, in a rare moment of seriousness, began to recall her past experiences. Those memories felt distant to her, fragmented and painful to revisit for various reasons, but now she started describing every detail she could remember.
Pei Yujang's mind began to piece together an image of the underground laboratory. Yu Zhiwan's concise yet vivid description painted a clear picture, much like Pei Yujang would describe things to Yu Zhiwan. It was as if their roles had reversed.
Under the moonlit sky, Yihu Lake remained calm and undisturbed, hiding unimaginable horrors beneath its surface. By daylight, this spot would once again become a popular attraction, bustling with vendors and visitors, filled with the noise of human activity—until one day, the waves would rise and swallow it all.
Pei Yujang felt a heavy weight in her chest.
As they walked back, Pei Yujang wrung the water out of her hair while Yu Zhiwan offered her coat. Pei Yujang hesitated but eventually accepted it, draping it over her shoulders.
The next day, Yu Zhiwan headed to her lab in Yicheng.
Pei Yujang, having caught a chill from the wind, had planned to wait for Yu Zhiwan but ended up with a fever and had to stay home to rest. The early spring flu season was in full swing, so she spent two days at home, unable to work or stream, feeling utterly bored.
Strangely enough, Pei Jinhuai hadn't contacted her during these two days.
Pei Jinhuai usually liked to message her often, but Pei Yujang, who had mostly been sleeping to recover, wasn't glued to her phone. When her fever finally subsided and she planned to go to the company, she noticed police cars and an ambulance parked outside, with a crowd of people gathered, loudly arguing.
Something had gone terribly wrong.
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