These researchers were indeed not to be underestimated. Using their unique methods, they extracted many celestial secrets from Zhao Yazhi, such as assessments and the timing of their arrival. However, even after extracting this information, they found it insufficient. They even entertained the idea of conducting experiments on her, dissecting her body to study blood components and organs, aiming to understand the differences between celestial beings and themselves.
It perfectly fits the portrayal of fanatical and pathological scientists seen in movies and TV shows, frightening Zhao Yazhi considerably. Unfortunately, in a certain sense, they were still too naive or perhaps too overconfident. Zhao Yazhi seized an opportunity, captivating an intern with her beautiful appearance, and managed to escape.
The tormented girl who managed to escape became consumed by hatred and directed it towards the mastermind behind the research institute, Yin Minglu. She wished to devour his flesh and blood, so much so that the young evolver, initially her most detested enemy, now took second place in her list of grievances.
After her escape, she once again changed her identity and appearance, infiltrating the circle around the young evolver.
Having learned from her past experiences, she speculated that her earlier exposure was likely due to a lack of understanding of surface-dweller aesthetics. However, in her attempt to rectify this, she made a grave mistake, and someone soon caught on to her true intentions.
Having learned her lesson, she now understood that the young man named Yin Minglu was considered attractive by surface-dwellers. So, in her current disguise, her gaze towards the young man was filled with infatuation.
After all, the young man was her archenemy, and she had been pushed to the brink by him. Following her escape, she naturally printed out his picture and hung it on the wall, gazing at it every day, determined to remember every pore on his face. After looking at it for a long time, she could still find him ugly, but she managed to keep her eyes from revealing any flaws.
However, to her astonishment, she was still discovered! Zhao Yazhi was extremely terrified, wondering how this could happen. Darn it, how on earth did they find out? Her acting skills were clearly top-notch!
Unbeknownst to Yin Minglu, his mouth twitched as well. He thought to himself, the girl’s acting was indeed impressive, but perhaps a bit too much. In reality, how could a girl be so passionately fixated on a campus nobody, especially when there were several popular guys on the basketball court, including figures like Fu Jinxiu? It was strange for someone’s gaze to be so accurately fixed on a logistics worker delivering water bottles. The girl’s performance became even more peculiar.
As a result, Zhao Yazhi found herself back in the research institute for the second time. This time, she didn’t resist, remaining silent throughout the process. Unexpectedly, she managed to escape again. The reason was her enhanced appearance, creating a sense of relaxation in those observing her.
This time, she was even smarter, learning her lesson. She pretended to be a face-blind patient with exceptional acting skills, making it easy to deflect any questions about facial expressions by blaming her face blindness.
Perhaps so, she felt more justified in her actions. When the young man cornered her against the wall, she adopted the posture of a shy and timid female classmate, timidly asking, “Why are you trapping me here, classmate? The bell for class is about to ring.”
Her tone was fine, but Yin Minglu still sensed the unnatural stiffness in her body and a hint of guardedness in her eyes. It seemed like a case of “once bitten, twice shy.”1means that someone who has had a bad experience or suffered a negative consequence from a particular situation is likely to be cautious or reluctant to get involved in a similar situation again. The young man, who had not been deceived by her appearance despite her being sent to the research institute multiple times, still harbored an instinctual fear.
Despite her well-disguised appearance this time, the young man immediately recognized her. He sighed and said, “Do you really have to challenge me with your face again?”
Upon hearing his words, Zhao Yazhi’s body tensed slightly. She lowered her head and, in an anxious yet resentful tone, said, “Classmate, what are you talking about? I don’t understand. It’s time for class; we should go, or we’ll be scolded by the teacher for being late.”
“If you’re face-blind and can’t recognize me, why does your body react so fearfully to me?” It was as if a small animal had encountered a natural enemy. While her acting might have seemed flawless, the instinctive reaction of her body was the most genuine.
“Cl-classmate, what are you talking about? I really don’t understand. I need to go.” The girl, frightened, tried to escape the gaze of Yin Minglu, but her attempts were in vain. The young man spoke sternly, “Same routine, come with me.”
“What?” The girl was shocked beyond measure, especially upon learning that Yin Minglu intended to take her to an underground high-tech plastic surgery facility in the city. Her initially delicate complexion instantly transformed into a fierce and ruthless expression. She punched and kicked the young man, shouting, “I won’t go! Why should I get plastic surgery? I won’t go!”
If the young man hadn’t covered her mouth in time, she probably would have bitten Yin Minglu’s neck fiercely, tearing out a few pieces of flesh. However, even with the initially frenzied attitude, the girl’s demeanor gradually changed when the young man and clinic doctors presented some plastic surgery images.
When Yin Minglu showed a photo of a famous actress with “thick eyebrows and big eyes,” the girl’s gaze became disdainful and full of contempt.
However, when Yin Minglu switched to another photo, presenting the small eyes of a well-known comedian, the girl, bristling like a hedgehog, couldn’t help but glance at it a few more times.
Then, as Yin Minglu showed a photo of a “high nose,” the girl’s gaze turned indifferent. She even started nibbling on her own nails, seemingly careless.
But when Yin Minglu presented a photo of a “low nose,” the girl’s eyes showed a subtle ripple. The nibbling of her nails paused momentarily, but she quickly tried to appear undisturbed.
So, Yin Minglu quickly pieced together her ideal look from the vast array of images: small eyes, low nose, wind-catching ears, thick lips, square face, appearing somewhat asymmetrical, unattractive facial features, and even someone with a bit of extra weight.
When the final result appeared, the clinic doctors thought their eyes were playing tricks on them and that they must have seen it wrong.
Facing the so-called internet beauty described by Yin Minglu and the posters of other female stars in the clinic, the girl’s evaluation was, “Vulgar and ugly, all the same.” After hearing this, the young man looked at the doctors and said, “Understood? Just proceed with the surgery like this.”
“This… this…” The clinic’s doctors were speechless. They had been practicing high-tech plastic surgery for over twenty years, holding legitimate business licenses with absolute standards. However, they had never encountered a case where someone wanted to make themselves intentionally ugly. The idea of reshaping a beautifully contoured chest into something less attractive, or liposuctioning it into grape seeds, was completely unheard of. If they were to display such post-surgery examples on the wall, their clinic would undoubtedly lose all its clients.
Seeing the girl’s compliant attitude and lack of resistance, even with a hint of anticipation in her eyes, the doctor, with a skeptical look, glanced between the two and said, “Tell me, are you both fugitives on the wanted list? Thinking about changing your appearance and starting over? The more I think about it, the more likely it seems.” He was contemplating calling the police.
The young man presented his residence permit and ID as collateral, dispelling the doctor’s suspicions. Muttering a few words like “strange things happen every year, and there’s no shortage of oddities,” the doctor reluctantly picked up the surgical knife and began the operation on the girl.
Yin Minglu didn’t mind the doctor’s grumbling; in fact, he joined in on the scolding. While the girl’s attention was fully focused on the surgery, he casually messed up all the facial feature photos. As if casually chatting, he probed the girl with each photo.
From the girl’s reactions, he quickly pieced together more than a dozen facial images. Coincidentally, there were five or six individuals in the national assembly who bore a striking resemblance to these composite faces.
Even more coincidentally, these individuals were all part of the main faction addressing the “Floating City” issue. They advocated for building higher and higher floors, causing disturbances in the surface magnetic field. Whether it was a coincidence or not, Yin Minglu pondered for a moment. Holding the girl, who was happily enjoying her new appearance, and the collection of photos, he anonymously reported these findings, along with a letter, to the research institute.
This time, without the stunning beauty, the girl lost her charm over the scholars in the research institute. Looking at her face, all the scholars’ expressions were as restrained as Confucius, and their hearts were as calm as those of accomplished monks. Regardless of how she tried to seduce them, they remained unmoved, seemingly dedicating their entire beings to the sacred realm of science.
The girl realized she had missed something important. Immediately, she covered her face and cursed the surface-dwellers for being too cunning and wicked!
Half a month later, while Yin Minglu was having breakfast, he saw in the newspaper that five senators had been dismissed. Their faces were covered with thick black bars, but the young man could still recognize them at a glance—they were the ones he had anonymously reported.
At that very moment, a government representative in a sharp suit stepped forward. On an early morning, he stood in front of television screens and national broadcasts, bowed, took a deep breath, and with clear articulation, delivered a message: “According to the latest political events in the Floating City, thanks to an anonymous informant, we have been forewarned about the impending periodic assessment that comes every few decades. We do not know this time where the assessment will take place…”
On the main road, countless car windows rolled down as people stared at the large screens on the tall buildings. The citizens were gripped by anxiety.
This was an ancient event, involving all six major global regions. Twenty-five years ago, humanity suffered a crushing defeat in this competition. The sole victor gained the privilege to visit the Floating City, but upon returning, they became a homicidal maniac and was sentenced to thirty years in prison. Since the beginning of the new era, the requirements for the citizens’ qualities were significantly elevated, and governments worldwide were striving to lower the mortality rate.
“Please do not be alarmed. This time, we are well-prepared and have taken emergency measures. We will not let the city become a battlefield. You can continue with your normal lives. If things go awry, we also have heroes who can save the city. When the time comes, he will surely step forward.”
Hearing that the government had received advance notice and had taken precautions, the citizens collectively breathed a sigh of relief. After all, they still had the city’s hero, the Young Hero N. He was unparalleled, capable of facing entire armies on his own. Surely, he would come to our rescue in times of crisis.
Only a few people noticed that the government representative’s words were carefully chosen. While alleviating the citizens’ fear, it subtly shifted the focus. By placing Young Hero N in the public eye, it seemed as if he had been conscripted by the government and had become the spokesperson for government protection of the people—a symbol of the city’s safety.
If, in a time of crisis, Young Hero N failed to step forward promptly, he would undoubtedly face severe criticism.
However, everyone chose to believe in the government. They continued with their normal lives—going to work, attending school, and engaging in regular activities. This included the high school where Yin Minglu attended. The students continued with their classes and outings as if nothing had changed.
The entire school boarded the specially upgraded government bus for a three-day, two-night camping trip in the mountains. The bus, carrying over a hundred students and several teachers, embarked on the journey.
And then the accident struck, catching everyone off guard, swift and unexpected.
T/N: Merry Christmas!!
