Chapter 125: Memories of the Past

As far as Wang Jinkai knew, there were two people capable of solving his problem. One was the "Horror Adventure" organization, which had developed the X-07 experimental subject—clearly not a wise choice.

However, in order to resolve his own predicament, Wang Jinkai was forced to negotiate with the tiger for its hide. The current situation was the result of that cooperation; generally speaking, the other party had kept their word, and there were no signs of a breach so far.

As long as Wang Jinkai fulfilled the terms of their agreement—to kill all the contestants participating in the competition—someone would solve his problem once the mission was complete. Wang Jinkai knew the organization’s reputation was decent enough, and they had no desire to destroy the credibility they had spent years building.

Therefore, even though Wang Jinkai’s research value was extremely high, they would not choose to break the treaty before he had successfully resolved his issue. Moreover, Wang Jinkai had not disclosed the full situation to them; he had only told them half the story.

The other person capable of solving his problem was Chu Ning. Wang Jinkai knew just how fanatical Chu Ning’s research in this field was—he had even used himself as a test subject! The fact that the experiment was considered a success was the very reason Wang Jinkai had gone to such lengths to lure him here.

Once a success occurs, people subconsciously trust the other party, eagerly anticipating the next success.

Chu Ning stood before Wang Jinkai as a successful example, and the fact that so much time had passed without any rejection symptoms truly validated Chu Ning’s methods.

As for the clinical trials requiring long-term testing, including multi-phase double-blind studies and the like, Wang Jinkai grandly ignored them. Time was the one thing he lacked most. It was like telling a man dying of thirst, "I need to test this glass of water for toxins before I let you drink it"—the outcome would be the same!

"Everything was proceeding smoothly, including those seemingly complex experimental steps. That was until her appearance disrupted everything. All plans were postponed indefinitely, including my reincarnation ritual."

Wang Jinkai stared into the distance, his eyes melancholy, lost in a trance of beautiful memories.

"I found that I was unwilling to gamble on an uncertain future while I had her company. The determination I once had began to waver, even though I knew my days were numbered. I decided to delay the plan, and only when I felt my life was truly drawing to an end did I restart the so-called plan."

Wang Jinkai projected a sense of profound dejection as he recounted their story in a deep, weary tone.

"Can you tell us the name of the protagonist? That is, the target of our trip? We always hear you referring to her by a codename, but I have never heard her name. If it’s convenient, could you tell me what she was called?" Tanya asked cautiously. It was no wonder she was curious; ever since learning of the target’s existence, Tanya had merely been following her tracks without even knowing her specific details.

More importantly, recent events were all linked to the target. It was difficult for Tanya to ignore her, as she always intruded into her line of sight at the most inappropriate moments.

Wang Jinkai remained silent for a long time before giving an answer that caught Tanya off guard. "Actually, I don’t know her name either. She said she only had a codename. From the moment she was born, that codename accompanied her for her entire life."

"But now, she doesn't need a name anymore. For those who have already died, names are merely a way for others to remember them. But she didn't even have any friends; her death won't cause anyone grief," Wang Jinkai murmured sorrowfully, closing his eyes.

"I’m sorry, I didn't know," Tanya said, hesitant but determined to apologize. She knew an apology couldn't change anything, but it showed her stance.

Wang Jinkai ignored her apology and continued to speak to himself. "You already know how things developed from there, so I won't go into too much detail."

He sneered, casting a reproachful look at them. He found it extremely difficult to feel any goodwill toward those who had snooped through his diary without permission.

"I was truly very happy during that time, even forgetting the despair of my terminal illness. She was like a reward bestowed upon me by the heavens during the final stage of my life."

"I thought I could hide my physical condition from her, but my body betrayed me with its signals. After she learned I was dying, we sat in silence for a very long time."

Wang Jinkai spoke with regret, recalling how he had secretly prepared for the experiments. When everything was finally ready, his intention to transform into an unknown monster had wavered.

He knew well that prolonging life did not always mean happiness; sometimes, it was merely torture. Wang Jinkai had even considered accepting his death as it came, preserving his final dignity as a human being.

"As my body grew increasingly frail, she took the initiative to find me and proposed the final step of the experiment: testing it on a living person. We finally reached a consensus, and that is where the problem arose!" Wang Jinkai’s tone carried an indescribable exhaustion.

Chu Ning finally perked up. He had no interest in listening to Wang Jinkai’s romance—women only slowed down his blade! He cared about the cause of Wang Jinkai’s mutation; that was the only thing that affected him.

"I never expected that the one who betrayed me would be her. It was all a pre-meditated conspiracy. At her suggestion, I purchased a product from the Horror Adventure company—that pure white sofa."

"Come to think of it, buying that sofa actually had something to do with you, Chu Ning!" Wang Jinkai felt as if some hidden will were influencing him, especially when she spoke of building a home of their own.

Wang Jinkai had associated it with the sofa in Chu Ning’s villa, and the thought of getting a new one had taken root. New relationships always needed new objects to commemorate them, and so that eerie sofa was mailed to his home.

"Hey, why are you pinning everything on me? That’s going too far!" Chu Ning thought with indignation. He truly wondered if his past self had been too naive, or perhaps rotten to the core.

Whenever something went wrong, he was always the first to be blamed. Chu Ning believed he was decent in all respects and didn't possess the kind of Machiavellian personality that would make him a scapegoat.

Chu Ning gave Wang Jinkai a complex look, but to ensure the flow of his story, he did not interrupt the man’s wild rambling.

Besides, one needs a thick skin in this world. Whatever the "past" Chu Ning did was no concern of his. If it had been beneficial, he might have accepted it in silence.

"Keep going, don't stop! We don't have much time left!" Chu Ning turned his head to glance at the swarm of insects trailing their scent toward them.