Chapter 165 - 162: At Worst, We Perish Together.

Chapter 165: Chapter 162: At Worst, We Perish Together.

As expected, a numbered tag lay in the pool of blood that was once Xiao Nan.

Picking up the tag, Chen Xing’s brow furrowed deeply.

Number 00010!

That was something Chen Xing hadn’t expected.

Xiao Nan’s usual abilities weren’t very strong, but the power he displayed right before his death was truly formidable.

’Could the fact that his tag number is so close to mine mean he was imprisoned and studied in the Research Institute for about the same amount of time as me?’

The thought made her heart ache.

’Maybe, at some point, we even met before?’

She clenched the tag in her hand, gripping it so tightly that her palm started to bleed, which helped to calm her racing heart.

So, she walked around the area, collecting all the numbered tags scattered on the ground.

They were all numbers above 10,000. One tag was even number 68693.

’What does this mean?’

’It means that, at a minimum, the number of people who suffered the same fate as me is in the five-digit range, possibly even six.’

’And they were all young.’

’Without a doubt, none of these people had their memories.’

The thought of so many people being locked up by the Research Institute and used as guinea pigs for experiments made Chen Xing feel even more strongly that the Xingguang Research Institute needed to be wiped from the face of the Earth.

Hao Wenli and Yu Heng didn’t see Xiao Nan and immediately assumed Chen Xing had done something to him. "What did you do to Xiao Nan?"

"I know you looked down on Xiao Nan, but he liked you. Just because you don’t like him back doesn’t mean you can just kill him, right?" Hao Wenli thought she had Chen Xing all figured out.

’A person like her has no feelings to speak of.’

’Maybe after they went out, Xiao Nan tried to make a move on her, and she just killed him outright.’

"Did you really kill Xiao Nan?" Yu Heng’s face was flushed with anger.

He was the only one left from their original group, which made him feel somewhat wary.

It seemed like ever since they met Chen Xing, their luck had turned sour. Their perfectly fine group of six had died off one by one.

Chen Xing glanced toward house number 00002. "He’s just like those others who turned into pools of blood. After using his own energy, he melted into a puddle of blood, too!"

She didn’t want the person in there to hear.

To be honest, she was feeling uneasy herself.

Judging from the numbered tags, Xiao Nan’s situation was similar to hers. After he used the power in his body, he turned into a pool of blood.

’That means there’s a very high chance that if I tap into my own abilities one day, I’ll end up as a pool of blood too.’

’But... I still haven’t figured out what my body’s ability is. Being stronger than the average person?’

’No, that alone is probably not it.’

The few people she’d seen use their abilities were all incredibly powerful. Simple super strength couldn’t even compare.

"Is what you’re saying true?" Yu Heng’s expression was grim.

Hao Wenli just assumed he looked that way because he’d heard about his good friend’s tragic death.

"Chen Xing, it’s not that I don’t believe you, it’s just that what you’re saying is too hard to believe!" Hao Wenli was skeptical. "Xiao Nan is a rich kid, how could he be the same as those people? Didn’t you see how they had no memories, like a bunch of idiots? Xiao Nan is smart, right Yu Heng?"

But Yu Heng wasn’t listening anymore.

His face deathly pale, he collapsed onto a nearby rock.

Hao Wenli’s words about having no memory were like a death sentence to him.

It was true he was also a rich young master. Ever since he could remember, his living environment had felt incredibly familiar.

So familiar that he’d always believed he had lived there his whole life.

But, if he thought about it carefully, he knew he had no earlier memories. He couldn’t even remember what his parents looked like when they were younger.

He had always thought the apocalypse had started to blur his memories. Now that he thought about it, maybe he had no real memories at all.

After a long moment, he looked at Chen Xing. "What was Xiao Nan’s ability?"

He had seen the girl’s ability—she could control her surroundings.

From Chen Xing’s description, Xiao Nan had also used his ability before he died, and it must have been incredibly powerful.

"A single punch shattered a huge section of the ground, and all the zombie dogs trapped underneath took the chance to climb out!"

A flicker of surprise, more than fear, crossed Yu Heng’s eyes.

He looked down at his own palm.

’If I’m that powerful, who would I have to be afraid of in the future?’

’At worst, it’s mutually assured destruction. If I go down, I’m taking them with me.’

’Besides... maybe I’m the one-of-a-kind exception. Maybe I can avoid that dead end and escape the fate of turning into a pool of blood?’

With that thought, the last of his fear vanished.

His gaze fell upon Chen Xing’s face, which was so exquisite it was irresistibly captivating.

’Have to admit, Xiao Nan really had good taste, locking onto her so quickly.’

’Even I can barely stop myself from staring at her.’

Chen Xing already had an extremely poor impression of Yu Heng. His current gaze only disgusted her more.

Any flicker of sympathy she might have felt for him—for the possibility that he was also one of the Research Institute’s guinea pigs—vanished in an instant.

Yu Heng’s eyes never left Chen Xing, and his tone grew much more flippant. "I won’t hide it from you two. Just like those people and Xiao Nan, I’m also missing a lot of memories! I barely even remember my own parents. Xiao Nan was the same way!"

Hao Wenli was speechless.

She suddenly felt immense sympathy for Yu Heng.

’Does that mean he could also turn into a pool of blood and disappear?’

Chen Xing, however, didn’t feel the slightest bit of sympathy for him.

’His reason for saying this is obvious.’

’He also has a mysterious power in his body. If it erupts, no one knows what kind of force it will unleash.’

’So... you’d better do as I say, or we all go down together.’

"Don’t be afraid, Yu Heng! We’ll be by your side!" Hao Wenli’s inner bleeding heart flared up.

But Yu Heng didn’t appreciate the sentiment at all. He stood up, gave her a shove, and strode toward the house she was staying in without another word.

Hao Wenli looked utterly bewildered, but she obediently followed him.

Once inside the room, Yu Heng picked her up and threw her directly onto the bed frame.

There was no mattress on the bed, just a thin blanket laid over a hard wooden plank.

The impact made her whole body ache as if it were about to fall apart.

Fury surged through her. "Yu Heng, what are you doing?!"

She had sympathized with him out of the goodness of her heart and was even planning to take good care of him from now on.

’And he dares to treat me so crudely?’

Yu Heng didn’t care in the slightest. He pounced on top of her. "Hao Wenli, you don’t seem to understand something. When my power erupts, it’s destructive..."

Hao Wenli looked as if she had been struck by lightning. She remembered the ability used by the girl who had turned into a pool of blood.

Someone who looked so frail had been able to unleash such an incredible power.

’Wouldn’t the power of someone as strong and sturdy as Yu Heng be even more terrifying?’

"If you like me, you should have just said so..." With a voice as soft as silk, she proactively wrapped her arms around his neck.

Chen Xing turned and walked back toward house number 00002.

At first, she’d had a thought.

’If Hao Wenli resisted to the death, should I help her?’

’Looks like I was overthinking it.’

’Just wait and see. Hao Wenli will definitely come out looking smug.’

’With a powerful and reckless person like Yu Heng by her side, how could she resist using him to intimidate others? She’d be miserable if she didn’t.’