bayedsolid Chapter 523 "Infecting the World" - Male Mother (134)
Chapter 523 "Infecting the World" - Male Mother (134)
He looked at Liao Tingyuan in disbelief, then stared at the phone screen where the call was still going on.
"Boss! I disagree!" Zhao Linchuan interrupted their conversation, expressing his opposition.
"This is too dangerous! I don't trust either of you, you don't know how dangerous this is..." Zhao Linchuan was somewhat incoherent, even gesturing unconsciously: "Energy radiation can affect people, even cause mental breakdowns. Who knows what will happen if it enters the human body directly! Does any of you know?"
"Yes, none of us know what will happen," the boss's calm voice came from the other end of the receiver.
"But if we let this situation spiral out of control, we know what will happen, but we also don't know..."
Zhao Linchuan remained silent for a moment.
What we know is that it will create a vast and intense space, and the space itself may not be a solution yet. We don't know how many colleagues who are carrying out the mission will have to be brought in.
Then what……
What happens next is unpredictable.
But as you can imagine, it would be a very dangerous situation.
"I'm willing to try, and I'll accept whatever the consequences," Liao Tingyuan said softly, his expression calm, seemingly indifferent to his own life or death.
"I...I don't accept it!"
Seeing that neither of them intended to change their minds, Zhao Linchuan felt that his words had been completely wasted!
Nobody listened to his objections!
This suddenly made Zhao Linchuan feel extremely frustrated. Why was no one considering his feelings? Was it because he couldn't solve the current situation?
Zhao Linchuan was extremely frustrated and disappointed. Why couldn't he solve the problem? If he could handle the situation... then everyone would be relieved.
Brother Liao doesn't need it either...
He fell into a state of self-blame.
Liao Tingyuan noticed his conflicted and anxious expression, raised his hand, and patted Zhao Linchuan's shoulder firmly.
Zhao Linchuan jolted awake, feeling as if he had been pulled out of his dazed and empty state of mind. He then realized that he had been silently affected by the energy radiation because of his strong emotional fluctuations.
This is truly ubiquitous.
If Liao Tingyuan hadn't reminded him in time, he might have been affected indefinitely.
Although he realized he was being affected, his thoughts remained unchanged. He felt utterly useless, as if a huge rock had been hanging over his head for so long, and now it had finally fallen. He had no way to resolve the situation.
"I'm sorry... Brother Liao, I'm sorry." Although Zhao Linchuan was still strongly opposed at this moment, he actually knew that if Brother Liao was willing and the boss could agree, then his participation would not be needed in making the decision.
The boss can make all the decisions by himself.
Moreover, it is the highest directive, which is the default by all units and all personnel.
The boss may seem gentle and sometimes even like a playful old man, but no one questions his authority. It's as if he himself can give others an invisible sense of control and intimidation.
"What do you have to apologize for?"
Liao Tingyuan seemed to have returned to his usual self, and said earnestly, "For so long, it's all thanks to your abilities."
"But...but!" Zhao Linchuan stammered, unable to express himself clearly. "If I could handle it, you wouldn't have to take the risk, Brother Liao, and everyone wouldn't have to worry."
“I think…” He shook his head, but before he could say “I haven’t used it yet,” his boss on the phone interrupted him: “If it weren’t for your ability, we wouldn’t have been able to delay for so long. Although we still haven’t come up with a good solution, it’s something that everyone has to share. You’ve been at the forefront, using your abilities to buy everyone the longest possible time. You’ve done your best, so there’s no need to blame yourself.”
Zhao Linchuan felt that his boss was trying to comfort him. When he looked up at Liao Tingyuan, he saw that Liao Tingyuan also nodded in agreement.
His throat was a little dry, and he wanted to say something but couldn't utter a complete sound. However, he did feel a little relieved. The heavy, dark emotions that had been troubling him had finally dissipated.
In that instant, he had already thought about it: if he really used Brother Liao for the experiment today, how should he face other people in the future?
What will others think of me...?
If something really happens to Liao Ge, how will his colleagues, who used to spend every day with him, treat him?
He wasn't just thinking of himself; even considering the possible scenarios, Zhao Linchuan still felt extremely uncomfortable, and couldn't even lift his head now.
But Liao Tingyuan comforted him.
Brother Liao immediately saw through what he was thinking.
"Whether you succeed or not, no one will blame you." Liao Tingyuan's hand was still on his shoulder.
“That’s not what I meant… Brother Liao, it’s not because I’m afraid of taking responsibility… I’m not.”
Zhao Linchuan tried to express his thoughts, but when he met Liao Tingyuan's eyes, which were still clearly light and beautiful even in the dim light, they were reassuring.
His mind suddenly calmed down a little.
"Don't carry too heavy a burden on your shoulders, and don't think of those who know you as irresponsible." Liao Tingyuan looked at him: "Everyone knows..."
As for what they know, it's all left unsaid.
It was from that moment that Zhao Linchuan completely trusted Liao Tingyuan. He felt that he could entrust his life to Brother Liao without any worries!
As he recounted his story, his words involuntarily interspersed with descriptions of Liao Tingyuan and his trust in Liao Tingyuan. Lu Liruan silently nodded in her heart.
She understood perfectly what Zhao Linchuan was saying.
Teacher Liao is that kind of person. No matter what, he is always calm yet full of kindness and tolerance towards those around him. He may seem aloof, but he has an extremely gentle heart.
That's why... I...
Lu Liruan blinked, realizing that she should harden her heart now, instead of thinking that Teacher Liao was perfect in every way!
"Give it a try. I'm out of town on business right now and can't be here until now. Everything that happened will be reported in detail after this is over. You two need to be careful, understand?" The boss's voice came again.
"Linchuan, I'm talking to you. You can't fool me this time." The boss said this on purpose, as if to lighten the mood.
Zhao Linchuan's task reports are usually a mess. His boss has told him to fix them several times, but he never does. Anyway, the tasks are all successful, and he's not the only one who entered the space. As long as one person writes a clear report, that's fine!
The person who writes it clearly... is usually Liao Tingyuan or Gao Shiyi.
Even An Tang would copy their report format...
"But I won't anymore."
Zhao Linchuan added this comment... then glanced at Lao Cheng, before quickly looking away.
I don't know if this was a dirty trick the boss came up with, or a dirty trick Gao Shiyi came up with, or a dirty trick they came up with together...
Now, whenever I need to write a report, they deliberately call Lao Cheng over and have him sit next to me, and then I can't help but write... as if guided by divine inspiration.
And it's incredibly fast.
But after finishing writing, I felt completely drained.
Later, every time the boss saw his report, he would give him a few words of praise insincerely... Zhao Linchuan felt that it wasn't praising him, but praising the people who had been tormenting him behind his back!
They used all their underhanded tricks and schemes on themselves!
"Then I'll hang up the phone now," Liao Tingyuan said to his boss.
"Yes, you must pay attention to your own safety. Your safety is the top priority, understand?"
"I understand," Liao Tingyuan replied.
Zhao Linchuan had calmed down considerably. He had tried to come up with other solutions, but in the end, it seemed that this was the only path he could try.
"Brother Liao, aren't you worried...?"
Zhao Linchuan tentatively asked, "Why does Brother Liao look so calm?"
"Actually... I've been thinking, do I have some kind of ability?" Liao Tingyuan put his phone back in his pocket. "Maybe this could be considered an ability?"
Zhao Linchuan didn't understand. In fact, there were also survivors who lacked abilities, and there was no pattern to this probability.
At the time, he didn't feel anything, but afterwards, as he repeatedly recalled all the details of what happened that day...
Suddenly, I had a strange feeling: it was like Brother Liao was particularly aware of his own abilities... or rather, when he heard the phenomenon I mentioned, he realized or noticed some clues that led him to make this decision.
But this was also Zhao Linchuan's own idea.
He didn't ask Liao Tingyuan either; perhaps it was just a misperception caused by his repeated recollections? It's hard to say...
Although he completely trusted Liao Tingyuan, he also felt that their relationship hadn't reached the point where he could freely ask Liao Tingyuan questions that involved his privacy.
Having experienced the space, the survivors all have some less-than-pleasant memories, more or less.
Zhao Linchuan felt that he shouldn't have dug deeper and questioned Liao Tingyuan about their relationship.
How should I put it, Liao Ge...
A friendship that can be risked for life, but not a friendship for casual conversation.
Zhao Linchuan sensed the energy radiation around him.
It wasn't his imagination. If it wasn't so obvious before, he could now clearly feel the energy radiation converging towards Liao Tingyuan, almost surrounding him.
He himself was also within the range of the energy radiation, which may be why he was affected so silently just now.
But Brother Liao seems to have never been affected!
Zhao Linchuan and Liao Tingyuan have been on missions together several times, and he has never seen Liao Tingyuan be affected by it.
Could it be... related to the inherent conditions that attract energy radiation?
The original source of infection has become even more unstable.
A stable infection vector should act like a locked safe, keeping all energy radiation inside.
An unstable source of infection is generally like a safe that has been unlocked but is still closed.
But now, this source of infection is like a lid that has been blown open, exposing everything inside, which is escaping freely.
To put it simply, the previous experiments were like opening and closing the box repeatedly. But now it's impossible to close it because the lock is broken...
If it were transferred into Brother Liao's body...
Will it be stable?
If we have to do this, Liao Ge's safety is the most important thing, followed by... whether it can exist stably, and whether the human body can be a stable source of infection.
No matter what, people and objects are different. People are alive, they breathe, and their bodies are constantly in motion.
Could this situation lead to even greater instability?
Zhao Linchuan felt like his head was about to explode.
He usually thinks things through quickly, but today he had just too much to process.
"Stop thinking about it, or you'll get affected again." Liao Tingyuan's voice rang out: "Can you still feel the energy radiation entering my body?"
“Yes… Brother Liao, I’ve never seen anything like this before. Energy radiation actively moving closer to a person’s body. I’ve never seen this before… Maybe it’s too dispersed and too active, which is why it’s moving on its own…” Zhao Linchuan guessed.
Liao Tingyuan let him analyze as he pleased.
He looked down at his phone and tried to send a message to An Tang. The message took almost half a minute to forward before it was sent.
An Tang replied to the message half a minute later: "How are you guys now? Are you still safe?"
"Ah."
"I just heard from the boss about what happened over there. I'm on my way there now," An Tang said briefly.
"Sister Tang is coming?" Zhao Linchuan saw the new message pop up on the screen.
"If anything happens in a little while, contact An Tang," Liao Tingyuan instructed him.
"...No, Brother Liao, don't say things like that. It sounds unlucky to me, and it makes my heart pound." Zhao Linchuan touched his chest and muttered, "Good luck, good luck."
Liao Tingyuan, however, did not have such taboos. Instead, he continued to instruct him, "If anything happens to me, you and An Tang should not go back. If a space forms here, the boss will notice if he can't contact you. Don't worry."
Zhao Linchuan thought to himself: If we wait and things get really bad, and a space forms here when you have a problem... how are we supposed to save you?
But he dared not say it.
Moreover, if the physical problems are caused by energy radiation, would going to the hospital be of any use? Zhao Linchuan doubted.
"Don't think too much about it, let's get started." Liao Tingyuan said decisively, found a chair in the room, leaned against the wall, and sat down.
He deliberately chose a spot near a corner so that he could lean back and have some support.
"There's really no need to wait for Sister Tang to come..." Zhao Linchuan was really hesitant to delay even when things were at their most urgent.
This is practically gambling with the life of a colleague you've known for a long time!
"When she gets here, she'll give us both a lecture," Liao Tingyuan said earnestly to Zhao Linchuan.
At that time, An Tang was both father and mother to her rebellious high school student. It felt like anyone who passed by her would be unconsciously lectured by her.
"Brother Liao, you're right. I'll start now. We'll both be busy when she comes to visit, so it's not good to bother her."