novelraw Chapter 289 - 276: She Wants to Become Stronger
Chapter 289 - 276: She Wants to Become Stronger
Meanwhile, in a secret room over a hundred kilometers away, Ye Xin ripped the black cloth from her face. She looked up at the people across from her with a faint smile, her red lips parting as she let out a soft sigh.
"Directors, we’ve known each other for so many years. For you to do this now... is really quite disappointing." She raised a hand to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear, leaned back slightly, and rested lazily against the back of the chair, her tone languid.
Chen Yun hadn’t expected Ye Xin to be so brazen, even now that she had fallen into her and her sister’s hands.
It seemed that after all these years of acting, she hadn’t changed one bit deep down.
Just like that thorny rose from the Doomsday Squad back in the day.
But Chen Yun, having been in a position of power for many years, had long since learned not to let her feelings show.
Even if her mind was in turmoil, her expression remained as calm as still water.
"Xiaoxi, I had you brought here today to tell you something." As she spoke, Chen Yun gave her sister a meaningful look.
The younger Chen gave Ye Xin an unreadable look, then placed the black briefcase she was holding onto the table. After she and her sister both entered a password, she opened the case and took out a small test tube filled with a red liquid.
Ye Xin was no stranger to bloodshed and recognized it at a glance.
"What is the meaning of this, Directors?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"This is Gu Xi’s blood," Chen Yun made no effort to hide it. Seeing Ye Xin look up at her, she smiled amiably. "She just had someone deliver it."
At this, she seemed to recall something and added nonchalantly, "Oh, by the way, you also know the person who brought this."
"Oh? And who might that be?" Ye Xin raised a slight eyebrow, a subtle allure flickering in her gaze.
"That girl, Zhou Jing. She just went to see Gu Xi... and then brought this back." Chen Yun took the vial of blood in her hand, her eyes betraying a hint of mad craving and obsession.
But she quickly composed herself.
The elder Chen, Chen Yun, sat across the long table from Ye Xin and looked at her, saying meaningfully, "Xiaoxi, you should still remember that girl, Zhou Jing. I recall that back then, you and Jinyu broke up because of her, didn’t you?"
The hand Ye Xin was using to toy with her hair paused for a moment.
A complex look crossed her face, a mixture of disdain and irritation.
’She scoffed inwardly. It wasn’t as if there were any feelings between her and Zhou Jinyu. Even if there had been, the girl was just an illegitimate daughter. If she had wanted to deal with her, she had plenty of ways to do so.’
’Why would she ever let an illegitimate daughter get in their way?’
’That would be underestimating her, Ye Xin, far too much!’
So, in the end, her relationship with Zhou Jinyu had been nothing more than mutual exploitation. He had wanted to use her to climb the ladder, while she had needed an amusing plaything... and a convenient shield.
And as it happened, Zhou Jinyu was clever enough and very perceptive, so when he took the initiative to get close to her back then, she had simply played along for fun.
Unfortunately, as clever as Zhou Jinyu was, his origins were too lowly. He missed the most crucial opportunity back then and knew far too little.
And a clever person like that, without a powerful ability of their own for protection, was destined to become a pawn in the hands of the powerful, even if they managed to claw their way into a high position.
So it was with Zhou Jinyu.
And so it was with the Chen sisters.
Ye Xin suddenly sat up straight. She propped her chin on one hand, leaned forward slightly, and squinted at the two old women across from her.
"Directors, you’ve both watched me grow up. After all this time, you don’t really think I’m some sweet, good-natured person, do you?"
Not just her, but every single member of their Doomsday Squad who had clawed their way through the most chaotic days of the apocalypse to survive and rise to power—which one of them could possibly be truly naive and innocent?
That would be a true joke.
And so, Ye Xin laughed.
"If the two of you still think that at your age, then that is..." She leaned back, resting lazily against the chair again. "...a little too childish."
Even after being openly mocked for being old and childish, the Chen sisters showed no anger.
Chen Yun even chuckled along with her.
"You are a clever one, Xiaoxi." She glanced at Ye Xin, opened the vial of Gu Xi’s blood, and took a deep sniff. The thick, metallic scent made her eyes narrow in pleasure.
Ye Xin’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. ’What on earth are these two lunatics planning to do?’
’And Xiaoxi, why didn’t she listen to me and Ming? Why did she insist on using her blood as bait? I clearly had Xiaonan go and warn her...’
’But then again, Xiaonan has been acting a little strange lately...’ Ye Xin’s brow furrowed.
Just then, Chen Yun looked up and gave her a meaningful smile. "Speaking of which, my sister and I have you to thank for this matter, Xiaoxi. If it weren’t for you, we never would have known back then that Xiaoxi’s blood had such a miraculous effect..."
Beside her, Chen Lu nodded in agreement. "That’s right. If you hadn’t run to Mr. Fang all those years ago to tell him you might have awakened a second ability from using Xiaoxi’s blood, how would my sister and I have ever thought to target Gu Xi’s blood?"
"I just wonder if Xiaoxi herself knows about this. After all, if it weren’t for you, she wouldn’t have had her blood taken by us for all these years..."
Chen Lu said this with an expression of sincere gratitude, but her words were so sinister they could send a chill down one’s spine.
Across from them, Ye Xin lowered her gaze, and a memory she had deliberately kept buried for many years resurfaced in her mind.
That year, her group—which included Gu Xi, Li Ming, Qee Ran, and Xiao Yu—a contingent of 140 children with an average age of only six, went on a mission outside the base with the main forces for the first time.
Later, she was scratched by a zombie... When she awoke from unconsciousness, there was a faint taste of blood in her mouth.
And after that, she discovered she had awakened a Healing Ability.
After returning to the base, Ye Xin was both excited and terrified. In the end, for reasons she couldn’t quite explain, she went to find Mr. Fang.
Back then, Mr. Fang was obsessed with ability research. She had heard that several of the base’s powerful ability users had only achieved their breakthroughs under his guidance.
Before awakening her Healing Ability, the young Ye Xin had been just an ordinary Water Element user. Her Potential Value wasn’t considered top-tier among the children at the Abnormal Ability Research Institute.
At that time, the base was already planning to have the Abnormal Ability Research Institute select a group of children with high Potential Value from the first batch of apocalypse survivors to form the future Doomsday Squad.
Based on her previously tested Potential Value, Ye Xin shouldn’t have been able to remain in the first echelon, but Gu Xi was fond of her.
She and Gu Xi had grown up together. Since Gu Xi was fond of her and wanted her to stay, the higher-ups had no choice but to let her.
Because Gu Xi was the most powerful among their batch of children.
The astonishing talent for abilities she displayed from a young age had the entire Abnormal Ability Research Institute revolving around her.
So, even back then, Ye Xin knew that if she wanted to survive—to make it in this wretched apocalypse—she had to do everything in her power to become stronger.
That was why, even though she considered that her actions might bring trouble for Gu Xi down the line, she still went to Mr. Fang in the end.
Because she, too, wanted to become stronger.