The Key to Triggering Mutation

Chu Miaoxuan arrived at Xie Huiqing's office with a heavy heart. The Chief sat behind a long wooden desk, her face slightly weary, as if she had just come from a meeting.

Her office had a nostalgic, decadent artist's vibe. Abstract paintings hung on the walls, and odd, old-fashioned toys and trinkets were scattered everywhere. Yet the chaos didn't feel messy—it felt harmonious, as if it were meant to be that way.

The only element of formality was the woman seated in the chair. Xie Huiqing wore a neat work uniform, her white shirt buttoned to the top. She was the same age as Chu Miaoxuan—just thirty—but Chu Miaoxuan never dared to underestimate her.

Despite her high rank, Xie Huiqing was approachable, always wearing a smile. But people who looked that harmless were often the most dangerous.

Chu Miaoxuan nearly stumbled through the door. To be honest, her mental fortitude wasn't strong—it had always been her weakness, and she knew it. That was why she felt even more guilty about what had happened to Song Weishi.

Xie Huiqing twirled a pen in her hand, spinning it upright and tapping it on the desk with a rhythmic click-clack.

"Chief," Chu Miaoxuan said, bowing her head as she entered. The door closed automatically behind her, and the room fell silent, broken only by footsteps. As Xie Huiqing approached, Chu Miaoxuan felt a weight on her shoulder—a hand patting her twice, hard.

"I entrusted Xiao Song to you, and this is how you repay me?"

News of the incident at the research base had already spread; Xie Huiqing knew all about it.

"I'm sorry, Chief. I lost control of my emotions."

Xie Huiqing's habitual warm smile vanished, leaving her face expressionless, bearing a striking resemblance to Xie Yi. She walked casually back to her desk, picked up a thick stack of documents, and whipped them across Chu Miaoxuan's face.

"How many times have I told you to control that temper of yours?"

Chu Miaoxuan turned her head, her cheek stinging. It wasn't painful, but the humiliation cut deeper than any slap.

Xie Huiqing hadn't hidden Song Weishi's connection to them, and Chu Miaoxuan knew she had failed in that regard.

As for Jiang Yan, she had been thrown into confinement before she even regained consciousness.

"I—I'm sorry, Chief..."

Chu Miaoxuan's voice trembled. She had only been working under this second-in-command for a month, but Xie Huiqing wielded the real power in District One. Chu Miaoxuan always treated her with utmost care—this superior was extremely tolerant, brushing off mistakes with a laugh—but once that demeanor shifted, the true terror began.

Chu Miaoxuan felt panic eclipse her shame. She couldn't even lift her head to meet Xie Huiqing's gaze.

"Get out."

At the command, Chu Miaoxuan stumbled back and fled.

Xie Huiying emerged from the side meeting room, several aunties trailing behind her, watching Xie Huiqing in uneasy silence. This girl they had watched grow up had a side no one knew.

A warm breeze blew in, dispersing the smoke ring at the window. "Xiao Qing, since when did you start smoking?"

Though they were sisters, there was a twenty-year age gap; Xie Huiying was more like a mother to her. Their mother had died shortly after giving birth to Xie Huiqing, and with both parents gone, Xie Huiying had raised her sister alone.

Their bond went beyond simple sisterhood—it was more like a guardian and child.

Xie Huiying had been away working for nearly two decades, and after Xie Huiqing turned twelve, they met only a handful of times.

They cared for each other deeply but had both achieved success in their separate fields.

Xie Huiying had been too busy to focus on her younger sister. Now, the child was completely different from before—she knew that—but their relationship hadn't changed. Xie Huiqing just hid her worries better, never giving her sister cause for concern.

Xie Huiqing tilted her head slightly but didn't turn around, avoiding the question. "Go see her first. Don't worry about anything else. Sister, there's nothing here that needs your attention—I'll handle it all."

Xie Huiying always respected her sister's unspoken matters, never prying but quietly watching, giving her space.

The others filed out of the office on their own. Xie Huiying turned, hugged her sister, and then followed the rest.

Song Weishi was busily scrolling through her phone. The temperature in the healing pod was comfortable. She had slept, eaten, and been glued to her phone ever since.

The morning news, boosted by official channels, had stayed in the top ten hot topics. Song Weishi couldn't scroll it away, so she switched to browsing forums.

After last night's incident, forum group-forming had hit a new peak. All sorts of teams were popping up. If she weren't locked in here, those posts would've tempted her to go make some quick cash.

Evening came, and medical staff brought in another group of visitors.

Song Weishi looked up to see familiar faces.

The aunties came in worried at first, then broke into smiles when they saw she was fine.

"Xiao Song, how are you feeling? We brought you something to eat."

Her vitals were good, no signs of fever, so dining and visiting were allowed.

Under the supervision of the medical staff, Song Weishi shuffled out of the healing pod in handcuffs and ankle shackles—like a prison visit.

"I'm fine. Why did you all come? It's nothing serious."

Her arm ached faintly, still weak but manageable. Song Weishi switched hands to open the lunchbox: pepper and bean sprout beef stir-fry, tomato beef brisket, sweet and sour ribs—a feast.

Under the aunties' watchful eyes, she ate quickly. Xie Huiying looked at her with concern. "Xiao Song, I asked Huiqing to pull some strings. Just wait—once the quarantine is over, you'll be out."

Song Weishi swallowed her food and gave a reassuring smile. "It's fine, I'll just follow the process."

Sister Chen patted her shoulder. "You're tough as nails, you'll be fine."

Song Weishi raised her arm. "Of course. See, it's not even bleeding anymore."

Their expressions shifted as they saw the ugly scar on her arm, mentally cursing the two culprits.

After finishing her meal, Song Weishi chatted with the aunties for a while longer until the medical guards started shooing them out thirty minutes later.

Reluctantly, they filed out, telling her to take care inside and message them if anything came up.

Song Weishi lay back in the healing pod. It flattened out like a capsule hotel, with comfortable mattress and pillows.

She settled in to open today's supermarket.

The cart refreshed three items:

Premium home essential: retractable folding bed *1

Automatic washer-dryer combo *1

Bathroom three-piece set (toilet, showerhead, sink) *1

Song Weishi: ?

Where was this taking her? She already had these things at home—what use were they?

"System, what's going on?"

"Host, this is the home goods supermarket."

The two still kept their old way of addressing each other.

"I know, but what's the use? Why are you refreshing these for me?"

The System sounded helpless. "Sorry, Host, these items are randomly refreshed."

Song Weishi was dizzy. Giving her useless stuff like this—she didn't even know where to put it.

The cart's refreshes were getting weirder by the day. Food was the most useful, and Song Weishi had a rough idea of the city's high prices now. Her current salary could barely cover food.

She'd thought the pay was good, but now it seemed like earning with her life just to be broke by month's end. It really was 'earn in the city, spend in the city, not a cent to take home.'

After browsing through everything, Song Weishi lay back, bored. She replayed the day's events, wondering what grudge Captain Chu had with that person. Honestly, she was still pretty bitter about it.

She glanced at the centipede-like scar on her arm. The pain was growing sharper. The meds had worn off, and though she was on antibiotics and sedatives, the burning, stabbing sensation in her arm was intensifying.

Even breathing seemed to deepen the pain. It was unbearable.

She recalled what the System had said and asked, "What exactly was that major turning point you mentioned? Did it really trigger?"

"Yes, Host. The System confirms it has triggered."

"Then why hasn't anything changed yet?"

Song Weishi felt the burning in her arm grow worse. She doubted it was just the meds—this didn't feel like a simple cut.

"It's not like I'm going to die of tetanus, right? A wound this long, it's possible."

System: ...

Even now, she couldn't resist teasing the System, earning it another long silence.

The System pulled up a panel in front of her. "Host, there's anti-inflammatory medicine here. Would you like some?"

It was the anti-inflammatory from earlier cart refreshes, same as the one she'd given Jiang Qingrou—it worked instantly, curing the ailment.

But Song Weishi shook her head. "Remember those monsters we encountered before? I used to think those changes were random, but now I see they all share one trait: they all transformed after extreme stress."

The System agreed. "Given past events, there's some logic to what you're saying, Host. But what does that have to do with you not taking the medicine?"

Song Weishi: "No water, and it's bitter. I don't want to end up as a monster from a pill when I was fine before."

System: "...You make an excellent point."

Actually, it all fit together. She'd calculated the energy points before—Director Zhang's death energy wasn't among them. He hadn't caught up, so he must have frozen to death out there. That left only one possibility.

"Also," Song Weishi added, "we've been out of the snow for a while, and we still haven't gotten Director Zhang's energy. Did he turn into a monster too?"

"Sorry, Host, you don't have clearance for that information."

Song Weishi understood. The System's response all but confirmed it.

If he were alive and well, he'd have reached the hotel within those days. If not, he'd have died quickly—those two were already dead, and the survivor wouldn't have lasted long. There was no reason to burn two to death and leave one alive. That didn't add up.

As for that girl and boy, they'd both been exposed to stress. It just depended on the severity. Right now, Song Weishi was on the edge—dangerously close to a change.

But this place was better than home. At least she didn't have to worry about running into Xie Yi. She figured that was the biggest stressor of all.

Tired from the long day, Song Weishi closed her eyes, ready for a good night's sleep. She was just drifting off when the monitor beeped—the sound of a visitor.

Annoyed, she rolled over and opened her eyes to see two familiar faces. She nearly had a heart attack.

Xie Yi and Xie Huiqing stood before her capsule, staring at her silently. Their similar faces were strikingly conspicuous.

Song Weishi's grip on the sheets tightened. A wave of heat washed over her, her breath turned scorching, her teeth clenched, and her vision started to blur.

The monitors around her began beeping frantically. The two outside stepped forward simultaneously, Xie Yi's eyes widening in shock. The woman who had been perfectly fine moments ago had suddenly fallen unconscious.

"What's happening? Doctor Wang!" Xie Huiqing frantically pressed the call button in the room.

Everything in Song Weishi's vision melted like cream, swirling and fusing together.

She'd just said misfortune wouldn't hit her, but the real trigger had been here all along.

Just before she blacked out, she heard the System's urgent cry: "Oh no! Host, hang in there! The trigger keywords for this mission are—mutation!"