Don't Believe Everything You Hear

Zhou Liyan, still struggling to get up, was held back by the few people around him, shouting, "Don't even think about it. Who do you think you are? Why would Chief Xie bother to see you?"

Song Weishi rolled her eyes and kicked him to the ground. She never showed mercy to people like him—why should she bother being nice?

The security guards finally stepped in, but they only restrained Zhou Liyan, who was about to throw a punch. "That's enough, Researcher Zhou. You've gone far enough. She didn't say anything wrong."

They couldn't sympathize with someone like Zhou Liyan who wanted to use humans as test subjects. After all, they were security guards themselves—it was all too easy to imagine that if they ever ended up in such a state, not helping Song Weishi now would mean no one would help them later.

Zhou Liyan was truly deranged. Such thoughts might not be unusual among researchers—everyone harbored some outrageous idea or another—but voicing them in front of others was an entirely different matter.

"I don't have time to argue with you people."

Seeing that no one was making a move, Song Weishi simply took out her phone and dialed Xie Huiqing's number.

The call connected after two rings.

Xie Huiqing's voice came through. "Hello? What's wrong?"

Song Weishi said, "Chief Xie, have you disposed of the Kapok Flower? I'd like to go take a look."

Xie Huiqing sounded puzzled. "We just transplanted it from outside. Why, is there a problem?"

Song Weishi replied, "No, but I think I've figured out why animals and plants are mutating."

Xie Huiqing hung up and arrived at the laboratory entrance in no time. She hadn't gone far—she was still working at the Research Institute.

Song Weishi squeezed through the crowd of researchers. "Let's go. I need to check the Kapok Flower right now."

The two of them got into the car with Xie Yi and sped off. On the way, Song Weishi explained the idea that had just popped into her head.

Every mutated individual had an external trigger. If the Kapok Flower had one too, then her hypothesis would be entirely correct.

Moreover, the changes she herself had undergone were also caused by stimulation. From a scientific standpoint, her transformation and the monsters' transformations were the same—both were genetic mutations.

The only difference was that her mutation was beneficial, while the stimulation on the monsters had turned them into something entirely different.

Of course, from that perspective, Song Weishi had finally caught a break. She wasn't as unlucky as before—otherwise, she'd be one of the monsters by now.

They left the Research Institute and soon reached the outskirts of the city. Even though they were still under quarantine, Xie Huiqing had privileges, so they passed through checkpoints without any trouble.

Song Weishi had to admit that taking the back door wasn't bad. The Kapok tree wasn't far from the checkpoint. Since the Kapok Flower had been removed, they hadn't bothered with protective suits—just masks.

As they got closer to the foot of the mountain where the Kapok tree stood, the insects grew fewer and fewer.

There were three deep pits on the ground, left over from when the trees had been dug up.

A faint fragrance still lingered in the air—not enough to cloud one's mind or cause dizziness. The warm breeze even felt quite pleasant.

The area at the foot of the mountain had once been a large park, later flattened for a road, leaving only these three Kapok trees standing. The surroundings were bare and empty.

Song Weishi got out of the car and inhaled the scent in the air, recalling the scene from before.

She couldn't tell if it had been a dream or if she had truly experienced it in reality.

But Song Weishi preferred to believe it was a dream. There was no cause or effect—just that one segment—which felt more like a glimpse of the future.

She walked over to where the Kapok tree had stood and stood by the pit, sensing nothing unusual. Above, the mountain road was neatly paved.

What could be different here?

Song Weishi pondered for a moment before Xie Huiqing asked, "Well? Have you noticed anything unusual?"

The two of them looked around, searching for anything out of the ordinary, but found nothing. The spot seemed like an unremarkable patch of open ground, with no loose rocks that could have fallen on the Kapok tree.

So what was the problem?

Song Weishi looked up at the mountain slope. It was mostly bare, without the moss or weeds that covered other areas.

Suddenly, an idea struck her. She called for the others to drive the car over and park it next to the pit.

Then she climbed onto the roof of the car and stood there. The gentle breeze that had been tousling her hair below grew stronger now.

The heat was so suffocating it was hard to breathe.

Song Weishi had no rock-climbing skills, so she didn't bother with dangerous stunts. She just stretched her arm up and jumped on the roof.

The temperature up here was the same—nothing had changed. Looks like the height wasn't enough. Song Weishi couldn't help but feel disappointed.

Xie Yi, who had been sitting in the passenger seat, got out and climbed onto the roof with her. "Do you want to go up there?" she asked.

Song Weishi nodded. "Yes."

Xie Yi pointed to her own shoulder. "I'll carry you."

Song Weishi's mouth twitched. She thought that suggestion was even less safe than climbing up on her own.

The two of them standing on the roof together—were they out of their minds?

The car was over two meters tall. Add Xie Yi's height, then her own—wouldn't that be three stories up?

Song Weishi had just gotten the word 'no' out when Xie Yi had already crouched down.

Xie Huiqing, standing below, looked at them. "Go on. Don't worry, Xiao Yi is very steady."

Song Weishi had no choice but to steel herself and let Xie Yi carry her.

Her shoulders were strong, and she lifted Song Weishi up with ease. Sitting on someone's shoulders like this felt very strange.

Song Weishi could only hold on tight and take it in. At first, she didn't feel anything unusual. She raised her hand, and soon a wave of hot air blew down from above—so hot it made even Huihai City's scorching weather feel cool by comparison.

This was the temperature outside, or rather, this area sat right on the boundary between near and far.

The Kapok flowers bloomed at the very tips of the branches, among the first to be hit by the breeze. With this constant shift between hot and cold, layer after layer of warm wind blowing down—never mind the Kapok Flower, even she would mutate.

Sure enough, this had to be the biggest trigger.

She had only held her arm up for a moment, but her entire forearm was already burning. Song Weishi quickly pulled her arm back and patted Xie Yi's shoulder to signal her to let her down.

Xie Yi steadied her and with a thud, she landed back on the car roof.

The three of them got back into the car. Song Weishi shook her hand. "That's it. The temperature up there is definitely abnormal. Hot air blows down in waves, and the Kapok tree mutated from the alternating hot and cold. That's probably the main cause."

Song Weishi quickly explained further. "Also, those test agents in the quarantine zone have a certain level of irritation. I think that might be another reason for the increase in monsters."

The two of them looked at Song Weishi in unison. Xie Huiqing even slammed on the brakes so hard the car nearly came to a stop.

Song Weishi grabbed the black handrail. "Sister Huiqing, when was this agent developed?"

Xie Huiqing adjusted her posture. If this was really the case, they were in big trouble.

"The temperature rose about a month ago."

That was around the time Song Weishi had entered the city. Logically speaking, the more of this irritating agent one drank, the faster one died. She hadn't drunk it sparingly—she still remembered the burning sensation in her throat last time.

If the dose had been any larger, she might already be a monster by now.

Using something so unpredictable on such a large scale—at first, people thought it was a cure, but once the uncontrollable factors fully erupted, the situation would spiral out of control completely.

Xie Huiqing's hands clenched the steering wheel so tightly her knuckles went white. No one could understand the storm raging in her heart right now.

She held most of the decision-making power for all of Huihai City in her hands. If this was true, wouldn't she become an eternal sinner?

The person who most wanted to save people had unwittingly become the culprit who pushed everyone into the abyss—and it was all an unintentional mistake.

Song Weishi asked, "Who developed this agent? Didn't they tell you about the side effects? It might be fine for normal people, but last time, I felt really sick."

Song Weishi told her everything that had happened. Xie Huiqing wasn't a real researcher, so without concrete data, she wouldn't have known the dangers of testing the agent.

"Zhou Liyan. He used to work for a pharmaceutical company. Hengyuan recommended him. You've already met him. He has some moral flaws, but he's made many breakthrough advances."

So that was why Xie Huiqing kept him around. Song Weishi finally understood. It was the same with Jiang Yan before—she was good at using people, filling every gap that needed filling.

But as for the quality of the material used to fill those gaps, there was no time to verify in such a short period. Song Weishi understood her decision. No one was perfect, and holding the city together was no small feat. She couldn't be too harsh on this matter.

Still, that pharmaceutical company didn't sound like anything good. Xie Huiqing had a feeling she was courting danger.

When you stood at the top, every step was crucial. One wrong move and you'd fall into ruin.

Xie Huiqing calmly made phone calls, ordering everyone to stop using the test agent, while flooring the gas pedal and racing back to the city.

This rapid testing method was like drinking poison to quench thirst—the more you drank, the faster you died. That wasn't just a saying.

The vast majority of people in the city had drunk this agent. She didn't dare imagine what would happen if it erupted all at once.

If someone like Song Weishi became a monster now, an entire district's security team probably couldn't handle her.

Xie Huiqing drove into the city and hastily dropped the two of them off. The most important thing now was to make Zhou Liyan take immediate remedial action.

All security team members were quarantined, including those at the checkpoints.

The order came down so urgently that most people were forcibly quarantined before they could even react.

The insect plague in the city was under control, so there wasn't much need for security patrols.

Except for some original residents still on duty, everyone who had been on outside assignments was quarantined. No one was allowed to leave until they had confirmed information.

The quarantine rooms weren't enough, so the security dormitories became a second quarantine site.

With anti-theft windows and electronic door locks, and everyone fitted with GPS tracking bracelets under constant surveillance, the possibility of escape was basically eliminated.

After days away, Song Weishi finally returned to her little home. She took a shower and lay down, feeling like she was on vacation.

She pulled out strawberries, cherries, pasta, and grilled meat from her space, made a dinner for three, and wolfed it down.

While browsing forums online, it felt just like getting off work. Posts kept refreshing, with people discussing why the security team had been quarantined.

Everyone had their own theory, and some even claimed to have inside information—saying it was because the test agent had problems, and the security team was conducting internal quarantine checks.

The moment that news came out, the forum exploded. Threads were buzzing with discussion.

36L: I live in an apartment near the quarantine zone. Oh my god, is this serious?

48L: Stay safe up there on floor 36. They said the agent has problems—they've probably found something. You're not unlucky enough to live in the security building, are you? My friend says she's terrified, living there feels like being locked in a cage with monsters. She thinks she hears weird noises from the next door. Be careful—if something happens, get out immediately.

67L: Isn't that a bit much? I live nearby too.

70L: Upstairs, get out now. Something's really happened in the apartment building. My friend is knocking on her door right now. And I'm not the same friend as the one on 48L.

Song Weishi: ?

What did that mean—were there monsters right below her cozy little home?

These people were way too alarmist. There were so many rumormongers online. Song Weishi shook her head. Don't believe everything you hear.

Song Weishi speared a strawberry with her fork and popped it into her mouth, when suddenly she heard what sounded like knocking outside. Her hand froze mid-bite.