Chapter 196: Xiang Heng

“Who?” Lin Jingjing asked, her interest immediately piqued.

“Xiang Heng,” Lu Shaoyu replied. Fearing Lin Jingjing might not recognize the name, she quickly added, “Xiang Heng from the Biological Research Institute.”

“His greatest passion is studying all kinds of strange and exotic mutant beasts. And he’s also extremely professional when it comes to getting things done.”

‘He’s also a childhood friend of mine.’

Of course, Lu Shaoyu didn’t say that last part out loud. She was afraid Lin Jingjing would accuse her of nepotism.

The moment she heard his profession, Lin Jingjing was intrigued.

“Invite him,” Lin Jingjing said at once. ‘We can’t let a talent like that get away.’

After a moment’s thought, Lin Jingjing laid out her terms. “As long as he comes over, I’ll give him plenty of test subjects for his experiments.”

Lu Shaoyu nodded. ‘There’s no way Xiang Heng could refuse such a huge temptation, right?’

After leaving the office, Lu Shaoyu immediately video-called her friend.

“Something up?” Xiang Heng asked. He was leaning back in his chair, spinning a pen. Dressed in a white lab coat, he had a lazy, casual air about him.

“Weren’t you too busy to even grab a meal with me recently? What makes you free enough to call me now?” Xiang Heng said, looking at Lu Shaoyu on the screen with a very disgruntled tone.

“Heh heh…” Lu Shaoyu gave an awkward laugh. ‘It’s true, I have been busy. And I’m only calling now because I need a favor.’

“How would you like to come work here with me?” Lu Shaoyu asked, getting straight to the point.

Hearing her words, Xiang Heng let out a soft chuckle, and the pen in his hand stopped spinning.

“You called me just for this?” Xiang Heng asked, rolling his eyes at the screen with a look of utter disbelief.

“Come on, you’re just being targeted and ostracized at that research institute anyway. You’d be better off here,” Lu Shaoyu suggested.

“Are you pitying me?” Xiang Heng asked after a moment of serious thought. “Is that why you want me to come over?”

“Yep. So, are you coming or not?” Lu Shaoyu confirmed, pressing him for an answer.

“Fine. Since the great Miss Lu has condescended to invite me, how could I not obey?”

“Report for duty tomorrow.” Lu Shaoyu nodded, giving the order.

Hearing the timeline, Xiang Heng was a bit surprised. ‘A transfer from my position to hers can be done overnight?’

“Are you guys really that influential?” Xiang Heng asked, astonished.

Lu Shaoyu lifted her chin and sniffed. “Of course. Our Director is very capable.”

Xiang Heng nodded. ‘True,’ he thought. ‘Transferring me in such a short time really does require some serious clout.’

“Alright,” Xiang Heng agreed.

A happy expression spread across Lu Shaoyu’s face after she hung up.

The next day, after Xiang Heng reported for duty, he was brought directly to Feng He. She was sitting in a white lab coat, reading a report.

Hearing the noise, she looked up. Their eyes met, and Feng He raised an eyebrow.

“Mr. Xiang, what are you doing here?”

She had met Xiang Heng at the medical school she attended, where he had been one of her instructors.

‘I can’t believe I’m seeing him here again after more than a month.’

“Major Lu told me to report to you,” Xiang Heng answered.

“Excellent. With you joining us, Mr. Xiang, I’m sure we’ll make much faster progress.” Feng He stood up and offered him her hand.

They shared a brief handshake.

After finding a workstation for Xiang Heng, Feng He took him to see Kulundi, the man who could transform into a monster.

“We don’t know what kind of concoction they injected him with to turn him into… this,” Feng He said, standing outside a glass partition and pointing at Kulundi, who was confined in the room beyond.

“This isn’t my area of expertise. Now that you’re here, Mr. Xiang, I’m handing this task over to you.” Feng He turned to look at Xiang Heng. “I hope you can develop an antidote to turn him back into a human.”

The reason Feng He wanted to develop an antidote was her fear that the agent latent in Captain Beisang’s body was the same as the one affecting Kulundi.

However, her own research into both cases had revealed discrepancies.

This was where her work had stalled.

Xiang Heng looked at Kulundi, who was confined inside. Kulundi wore a collar that suppressed his spiritual power, and he sat there listlessly, letting them stare.

Ever since Lin Jingjing had provoked him that day, he hadn’t been able to revert to his human form. He could only sit there, trapped in this monstrous guise.

Lin Jingjing was truly cruel. To constantly remind Kulundi of his fate, she had even ordered a mirror to be installed on the ceiling of his room.

Now, Kulundi would see his own reflection the moment he woke up. The sight of his own monstrous form terrified Kulundi so much that he no longer dared to sleep on the bed, afraid of opening his eyes to his own inhuman, ghost-like appearance.

Over time, her psychological torment drove Kulundi to the brink of a nervous breakdown. When he was first confined, he would shout, roar, and fight back.

Now, the light in his eyes was gone.

“Okay, leave it to me,” Xiang Heng said, patting his chest in assurance.

Just as Feng He finished assigning him his work, Lu Shaoyu came in carrying a huge stack of files.

She plopped the files directly in front of Xiang Heng with a cheerful grin. “I’ll have to trouble you with these.”

A question mark slowly formed over Xiang Heng’s head. He pointed to the files. “I have to do these, too?”

“That’s right. Director Lin is swamped, and so am I. I had to offload some of it onto you,” Lu Shaoyu said with a nod.

Xiang Heng chuckled dryly. ‘So that’s her game! No wonder she was so eager for me to come here.’

“You’re treating me like a workhorse!” Xiang Heng yelled, incensed.

“We have robots for that, so you don’t even qualify as an ox,” Lu Shaoyu said, patting his shoulder seriously. “Besides, oxen are rare, protected animals in zoos now. You want to be an ox? Dream on…”

Feng He, who was standing nearby, heard this and let out a chuckle.

‘Oxen are rare, protected animals now?’

‘How strange.’

Since the two of them were old friends, they bickered back and forth until Xiang Heng finally accepted his fate—in exchange for Lu Shaoyu buying him a meal.

After Lu Shaoyu left, Feng He patted his shoulder encouragingly. “Good luck, Mr. Xiang!”

“Heh heh…” Xiang Heng could only think that he’d walked into a den of thieves. ‘Before, I was dying of boredom. Now, I’m going to be worked to death.’

Lin Jingjing had firmly established her footing on Capital Star. No one dared to mess with her faction anymore.

Previously, opponents could bog them down with bureaucratic reviews, but now, no one would dare try.

Kulundi, who had tried to block their access to weapons, was now in prison.

Alderick had nearly beaten Mo Xuan to death, and in turn was nearly killed by Lin Jingjing. Now, he was stripped of his position as captain of the Fifth Corps, and even the family backing him had been kicked to the curb.

Others had been reduced to common citizens because of Lin Jingjing.

All at once, everyone on Capital Star had become a little afraid of Lin Jingjing.

Moreover, no matter how covertly her enemies acted, she always managed to uncover their schemes. This made everyone afraid to cross her.

Take the current situation, for instance. Lin Jingjing had requested a personnel transfer from the Biological Research Institute.

Once the institute’s director learned it was Lin Jingjing making the request, he agreed immediately, no questions asked.