Defeat the system! Kiss my little monster!

Lin Xuqiu had been standing still to the side until he heard Commander Lu Xun speak, at which point he stepped forward and poured Pei Du another cup of tea.

This tea was different from the previous ones; it contained tiny flower petals. A faint, delicate fragrance wafted out, and Pei Du easily detected the alcohol mixed in with the tea.

Lin Xuqiu made no attempt to hide anything, and said, "Laborer, this is a refreshing tea I made myself. I hope you like it."

As he withdrew his hand, he habitually folded up the sleeve at his wrist. Pei Du glanced at it unintentionally and saw the deep red veins under Lin Xuqiu's skin.

"I'm sorry you saw it." Lin Xuqiu slowly lowered his sleeve, his smile remaining but now softened. "You won't tell anyone, will you?"

Pei Du gripped the teacup in front of him. He glanced at the two people in front of him; Lu Xun remained leaning back in his chair, a mocking expression on his face, as if he hadn't seen what had just happened.

“Pei Du, actually I’m not that interested in that alien. He poked me in the back, so I just cut off his tail. I’m more interested in you.” Lu Xun stood up, walked to Pei Du’s side, and placed one hand on the table in front of Pei Du.

"You have a strange smell."

Pei Du felt he was just making trouble for no reason: "Commander, what do you mean?"

"I didn't mean anything by it. Maybe all of you who do experiments have a strange smell. Ling Yu just now had a stench too." Lu Xun said, lighting a cigarette and holding it between his fingers.

He looked at Pei Du through the swirling smoke and slowly said, "Pei Du, you're different. Why do you smell so much like me?"

Pei Du: "..."

What is he saying?

Lin Xuqiu was also standing next to Pei Du. Upon hearing this, he lowered his eyes to look at Pei Du's neck, and the corners of his mouth curled up in an ambiguous way.

“Commander, I might just be using the same brand of shower gel as you.” Pei Du was sandwiched between the two of them, and after a few seconds of silence, he finally spoke.

"Oh...what a coincidence. I was wondering why you smelled so much like me." Lu Xun took a drag of his cigarette, then looked at the wall and said, "Laborer, the tea's almost cold. Aren't you going to drink it? At least give me some face."

Pei Du gripped the teacup tightly with his fingertips.

Commander Lu Xun clearly wasn't going to let him off the hook, and he wasn't playing by the rules. Pei Du wasn't really worried; this was an experimental facility, and the military was restricted from moving around freely.

As long as Pei Du doesn't leave this place, Lu Xun has no reason to force him to leave.

But now Lu Xun is accompanied by Lin Xuqiu, a mutant. Mutants are different from ordinary people, and it would be easy for Lin Xuqiu to take Pei Du away silently, or even destroy the entire laboratory.

With Lu Xun covering for him after the incident, Lin Xuqiu was able to escape unscathed.

However, doing so would be too conspicuous, and they are still waiting for Pei Du's attitude.

"If I'm just trying to survive, can the poison in this teacup kill me?" Pei Du asked.

The creature, pressing down on the back of Pei Du's neck, examined him for a few seconds and said, "No, it's a delayed-acting drug. It will take effect half an hour after you drink it."

Pei Du understood: "I'll trade you 0.1 yang energy points; you find a way to keep me conscious."

The cowardly man clicked his tongue and said, "I might as well just sting to death!"

Pei Du: "Are you going to change or not?"

"Fine, I'll change it." Reluctantly, it brightened the blue light and added a touch of color to Pei Du's image.

Pei Du sensed the energy fluctuations within his body before drinking the tea in the cup. It tasted similar to ordinary tea; the alcoholic aroma only existed at the tip of Pei Du's nose, but he didn't taste any alcohol when he drank it.

"Very good. Dr. Pei, I didn't realize you were so adaptable." Lu Xun clapped his hands, then left Pei Du's side and returned to his original seat, downing the tea in front of him that had long since gone cold. "I hope we can work together smoothly."

Pei Du put down his teacup: "Commander, may I leave now?"

“Of course. I was just having a friendly conversation with you. You can leave now if you want.” Lu Xun said, nodding to Lin Xuqiu.

Lin Xuqiu immediately opened the door to the room. "Experimenter Pei, I'm sorry to bother you."

Pei Du didn't linger inside. His gaze swept over the file folder on Lu Xun's desk, and he picked up his own lab report before leaving the room.

It eked out a living and followed behind Pei Du. When it went out, it turned its ball to look back and saw Lu Xun with a cigarette in his mouth and a fierce expression when he frowned. He looked like a ruthless character.

He stood there, watching him for almost a minute, barely clinging to life.

The data on its sphere kept scrolling, and it quickly flew back to Pei Du's side when the door closed.

Pei Du had already found Sheng Shixian's number. He hadn't given Sheng Shixian a nickname; it was just a simple string of numbers.

Pei Du hesitated for a few seconds before sending a message to Sheng Shixian.

"I'm not going back tonight."

A short while later, Sheng Shixian replied to the message.

"Ah."

Pei Du lowered his eyes, deleted the message, put his phone back in his pocket, and returned to his laboratory to continue working.

The ability to survive finally proved useful; although its energy was limited, it could still help Pei Du maintain mental focus and enhance his clarity of mind.

Pei Du estimated the time that had passed and, around 10 p.m., he slumped over his desk, half asleep.

Since Commander Lu Xun wanted to take him away, Pei Du cooperated with him.

The streets outside are intricate and the remote areas are overgrown with vegetation, so it's not impossible for Pei Du to find another opportunity to escape later.

"Senior, are you sleepy? It's almost time to leave work. Let me take you home."

Pei Du felt a slight tingling sensation in his head. He lifted his eyelids and saw that Ling Yu had already changed into his departure clothes and was preparing to pull Pei Du away with him.

Pei Du's eyes darted around, and he said, "Okay, thank you..."

"No need to trouble you, Little Experimenter Ling." A casual voice came from the side, accompanied by the distinct sound of military boots hitting the ground.

Pei Du remained rooted to the spot. As he expected, Lu Xun strode out from the side corridor, grabbed Pei Du by the collar, and pulled him away from Ling Yu.

“I’m familiar with Lab Technician Pei, I’ll take him home tonight,” Lu Xun said, pulling Pei Du behind him.

Lin Xuqiu took Pei Du from him and looked down to observe Pei Du's expression. Seeing that Pei Du's eyelids were so heavy that he could hardly lift them, he let him stand up against his body.

Ling Yu glanced at them and asked, "Senior brother doesn't like to associate with the military, when did you all become so close?"

"Junior Brother Ling, human relationships are very complicated. You might like someone today and hate them tomorrow." Lin Xuqiu pushed up his frameless glasses with one finger and smiled for no apparent reason.

"Laborer Pei got along very well with us today; we all like him. Look, if he didn't like me, why would he lean on me so obediently?"

Pei Du: "..."