3.4

Ye Junli stared through the reciprocal mirror of 119's room silently.

Their most prized experiment had been moving restlessly for the past half an hour. One moment she is feeling up the smooth textures of the walls with her fingertips, the next moment she is rolling around on the floor like a rolling pin straightening out a thick layer of puff pastry.

The assistant researcher next to him wrote down on his note,

'Date: 9th of June 2067.

119 is exhibiting more oddities through her body language. The cause is unknown but 119's precipitous evolution progress could have caused a biological virus infection. Symptoms include being unable to stay still for a long period of time, occasional singing or humming, and talking herself.

The assistant had really thought too much. Feng Mian was experiencing a more common symptom known as boredom.

It was also because of boredom and her not knowing they were able to hear her from outside that she had spoken loudly whenever she conversed with 555.

Feng Mian: "It's my turn. I spy with my little eyes something square-shaped with four legs."

System 555: "The study table?"

Feng Mian: "Baobei is so smart. You figured out so quickly."

System 555: 'Don't insult his intelligence, the objects in this room could be counted with one hand.'

Feng Mian: "Okay, it's your turn again."

System 555: "Pei! I'm not playing anymore, what a waste of daddy's time. There's not even anything left to look at in this room."

Feng Mian: "Don't say that baobei, there's one more thing we haven't covered. Let's see… I spy with my little eyes a pretty little guniang whose skin is as soft as tofu, eyes as bright as the milky way, and a nose a high as Mount Tai."

System 555: "... You?"

Feng Mian: "Aiyooo, this person is so shy ah. Who knew you'd recognise this one as pretty."

System 555: He's been tricked.

Ye Junli observed the person inside who was now laying facing upwards on the floor tiles while talking to herself and pointing at random objects, his eyes gleaming with apt interest.

With his attention occupied, he failed to hear the sound of the viewing chamber's door opening.

A man in his late twenties invited himself into the chamber leisurely. The base, after all, belonged to him; and the laboratory was located on the underground floor of the base; which by sense would also belong to him.

Bao Cheng strolled in casually in his boots that were trodded in remnants of dirt and specks of blood.

The research assistant bowed in respect when he saw the base leader coming in. Ye Junli however paid him no mind, treating him as air blowing in.

Bao Cheng showed a dissatisfied appearance at once after seeing Ye Junli's irritating poker face. He scowled in the other's direction.

If it were not for his father insisting that Ye Junli was an important asset for their base, a genius responsible for their greatest weapons against zombies, he would have long thrown this pest to be fed to the flesh mongers. But because his father had been backing him up all this while, Ye Junli's position in the base was unshakeable and everyone treated him like a great god to be pandered to and flattered. It was to the extent that Ye Junli's prestige had surpassed his own, the leader, by a large margin.

"Finally came out of your cave to do some real work huh?" Anyone could tell from his tone that he had beef with the guy named Ye Junli.

Ye Junli treated him as a barking dog and made a noncommittal sound.

This--! This was the type of attitude he hated the most! How great was Ye Junli that even he, Bao Cheng, needed to make way and not considered worthy of his time?! Was he someone who could be ignored at will?!

"Ye Junli! You sure have some guts ah! Do your parents not teach you to show respect for your superiors? Just because the old man is backing you up, you think you can walk sideways in Z City now huh?"

Ye Junli finally turned in his direction. He appraised the dog surnamed Bao from head to toe in disinterest when his gaze was caught on the pair of dirty boots.

The corner of his mouth immediately pulled downwards.

"You dirtied my floor. How filthy."

Bao Cheng was about to blow a fuse.

The assistant at the corner saw that the spark was about to erupt into a full-blown fire and intercepted to blow the smoke out before the fire would start.

"Leader Bao!" He stood between the two of them. He smiled integratingly and let out an awkward laugh.

"Have you met our Experiment 119? She's our best specimen so far. I think you'll definitely be surprised if you see her, she's shown great potential in ability manifestation and the highest emotional quotient among all our specimens."

Bao Cheng's fire was temporarily extinguished and his attention successfully diverted. He gave Ye Junli a one last threatening look for good measure before focusing on the infamous experiment on the other side of the mirror.

He noticed Feng Mian immediately.

Surprised by how humanlike she looked, he let out a low whistle. "Quite a good looking one you got there huh?"

He turned to jeer at Ye Junli. "No wonder you've willingly came out of seclusion. Turns out there's such a pretty chick waiting for you every day. Say, what do you do when you're alone with her? It couldn't be that you two in private… Hahaha! No wonder you've never been attracted to the women in the base, turns out your taste is too heavy! "

This was a blatant provocation.

Ye Junli gave him a side glance.

His voice did not raise a pitch. "You think she's pretty?"

What was this hermit Ye going on about now?

"Yeah, so?" Bao Cheng answered tentatively.

"She won't like you." Ye Junli's tone was resolute and firm.

Bao Cheng was thrown off by Ye Junli's ability to veer away from the main topic. The main insinuation in his sentence was that they were 'alone together' and 'two people doing things in private'.

Ye Junli eyed Bao Cheng, from his eyebrows to his disproportionate chin, as if seeing him for the first time. Bao Cheng was stared at for so long that he started feeling self-conscious.

"--What?"

In a manner of as-a-matter-of-fact, he spoke, "She won't like you. You're too ugly".