Chapter 526 – Tip of the Iceberg

Oh no, Lucy’s expression…

Jianqi’s heart sank. How did Lucy find out? How much does she know?

No… It’s not Lucy…

She’s good in many ways, but she’s not very sharp. She’s the kind of fool you can easily deceive once she gets familiar with you.

“Could it be Ling Mo? Did he suspect me and send Lucy to test me?”

The more Jianqi thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. But then he smirked.

Sending Lucy to test me, what results could they expect?

This fool can be easily fooled with a little trick…

“What are you talking about? What elixir? Could it be that Zhen Zhiyuan and the others have the elixir I’ve been working on?!”

Jianqi widened his eyes and said, “That’s insane, it’s just a semi-finished product… No, it’s not even that, it’s just an experimental sample! How could they steal something like that…”

He sighed heavily, his eyes filled with disbelief.

“So that’s how it is…”

Lucy stared at Jianqi for a while, then suddenly snapped back to reality. “Although what he said sounds reasonable, and his expression is genuine, why didn’t he mention the missing three bottles of elixir? Also… He seems calm on the surface, but his mind is clearly in turmoil!”

“Almost fooled again. Do you really think I’m that easy to deceive?” Lucy felt a wave of disappointment and a bit of anger.

A person’s expression can be faked, but their heartbeat cannot.

And Jianqi’s denial only confirmed that he was hiding something…

These past few days, the mutation’s effects on Lucy were becoming more apparent, but she had never been this sensitive before.

The more she focused, the clearer Jianqi’s breathing and heartbeat became.

However, other surrounding sounds were the same as before, not as sharp as a typical zombie’s.

Lucy had a vague sense that her changes might be different from those of a typical zombie.

But she didn’t have time to think about that now…

“Hehe, I think you’ve misunderstood me?” Jianqi forced a smile.

He felt a bit frustrated. Just now, Lucy seemed convinced…

How did her expression change so suddenly? What switched off her fool mode?

Lucy bit her lip and remained silent for a few seconds before asking, “Why?”

From her tone, it was clear she had disregarded all of Jianqi’s explanations. She wasn’t doubting; she was certain.

Jianqi opened his mouth but couldn’t think of a suitable excuse.

They stared at each other for a moment. The surprise on Jianqi’s face suddenly vanished, replaced by a cold expression.

He smiled faintly and asked, “Did those three idiots tell you?”

“So it’s true…”

That statement was as good as a confession!

Even though Lucy had already figured it out, hearing Jianqi say it out loud was still hard to accept.

How many layers of masks does this man wear…

“You said before that they ran off on their own, but it looks like you were involved too. But why? Just to maintain a cooperative relationship with the Air Force Corps?”

Lucy asked through gritted teeth.

When Zhen Zhiyuan and the others went after Ling Mo, Lucy hadn’t returned to Fire yet.

So, in their hunt, Lucy was naturally a target too…

The thought sent chills down her spine.

Although Jianqi didn’t directly participate in the hunt, he provided them with the elixir…

“Judging by your expression, it seems you misunderstood something…”

Jianqi, having dropped his pretense, looked at her with the same half-smiling, half-serious expression as before and said, “Actually, what you said is both right and wrong.”

“What do you mean?” Lucy took a deep breath, trying to control her urge to punch him, and asked.

“The Air Force Corps had an overwhelming advantage at the time. My actions were justified. Besides, didn’t I say it was just an experimental sample? That statement doesn’t only apply to the elixir…” Jianqi smiled slightly, narrowing his eyes, “It also applies to those three.”

Lucy’s eyes widened in shock, and she exclaimed, “What do you mean by that…”

“Hmph, what a foolish woman. I’ve spelled it out clearly, and you still don’t get it?”

Jianqi sneered inwardly and then shook his head. “You still don’t understand? Why do you think we need to go to X City? Resources? Factories? Food? These are crucial for you, but they mean nothing to me. The resource I’m after is a field full of lab rats. And yes, that includes all of you.”

He couldn’t have been more blunt. Even though Lucy’s mind was overloaded, she managed to grasp his meaning.

All her previous doubts were resolved in that moment.

Jianqi’s presence in Fire was solely to use the superhumans as lab rats!

Zhen Zhiyuan and the other two must have been incited and manipulated by him to go after Ling Mo, and he even gave them the experimental elixir…

His intentions were malicious, bordering on madness!

“You… we’re all supposed to be comrades…” Lucy was trembling with anger, her blood racing, her body burning with heat. She stammered, “You actually… and before, you must have done plenty of other experiments! Let me think… right, last month, two superhumans disappeared… that was you! You did it!”

“Oh, suddenly you’ve gotten smarter.”

Jianqi chuckled, “At times like this, a few deaths mean nothing. Nobody cares about them. A handful or even the entire Fire dying off, so what? Now they’re in X City, like pitiful creatures surrounded by zombies, with no place to escape.”

As he spoke, his tone wasn’t malicious; it was conversational, his expression unchanged.

But this nonchalance… made Lucy even angrier!

This guy, what does he think people are!

“What’s the point of your experiments? And… who are you really!” Lucy demanded.

“As long as I’m not a mad scientist… And as for who I am… if I said I was just an ordinary superhuman like you all at first, would you believe me?”

Jianqi chuckled and said, “Back then, I used to clock in and out of work every day, squeeze into the subway, occasionally hit a bar… Sometimes I thought that was all there was to the world. Sometimes I even wished for some excitement and change… hehe.”

“Why are you bringing this up all of a sudden?” Lucy asked, frowning.

“Don’t you think the Cataclysm was actually an opportunity?” Jianqi asked in surprise. “To break everything down and start anew. Of course, at first, I just wanted to survive. Even after awakening my superpower, I just felt like I had an extra layer of protection, until I encountered them…”

“Them?” Lucy became alert. Jianqi’s words implied that he wasn’t alone behind all this…

“The origin, the virus origin.” Jianqi said cryptically, his eyes suddenly becoming fervent. “We are just pawns, but on this chessboard, no one controls us; we move ourselves. However, most pawns can’t see the whole board, so they are destined to be eliminated. We don’t have the full picture either, but we’ve seen some clues…”

At this point, he narrowed his eyes.

A sense of imminent danger made Lucy’s body tense up involuntarily.

In fact, from the moment she exposed Jianqi, Lucy knew he would make a move…

The only question was when, and how long she could delay…

“Are you hoping someone will pass by?”

Jianqi laughed heartily, looking at Lucy with a pitying gaze. “Silly Lucy, we’re right next to the rooftop. Who would come up here just to enjoy the breeze? Even your Ling Mo wouldn’t…”

At that moment, a figure suddenly appeared at the corner of the corridor.

Jianqi’s words were abruptly cut off, as if someone had grabbed his throat.

When did this person get here?!

And how did I not notice at all?!

Looking at Ling Mo’s face, Jianqi suddenly felt like banging his head against the wall.

“Sorry, I was just passing by,” Ling Mo said with a smile, sniffing the air.