Ou Yunchen rushed to the glass house and yanked at the door with all his might, as the countdown on the glass resumed…
"10"
"9"
"8"
...
"3"
"2"
"1"
As the countdown ended, the alarm inside the glass house also stopped. Ou Yunchen and Su Ruiyi held their breath, as if awaiting a judgment of fate…
"Hiss"
A large amount of thick smoke began to pour into the glass house…
Ou Yunchen: "Su Ruiyi!!!"
Su Ruiyi: "So choking… *cough cough cough*…"
The dense smoke instantly engulfed the entire glass house. Su Ruiyi’s coughing grew fainter, and Ou Yunchen could no longer see her.
Ou Yunchen: "Yiyi… How are you? Yiyi!!! Can you hear me? Answer me!!!"
There was no response from inside the glass…
Ou Yunchen: "Mo Qingyun!!! What happened to Su Ruiyi!!! What is that!!!"
Ou Yunchen: "Su Ruiyi… Su Ruiyi…"
With a bang, a hand slapped against the glass.
In the dissipating smoke, Ou Yunchen seemed to see Su Ruiyi. She slowly stood up, her eyes like two dark, hollow pits.
It was the Umbrella virus!!!
Ou Yunchen: "Yiyi… Don't be controlled… Yiyi, snap out of it!!!"
With a *snap*, the glass door automatically opened…
No matter how Ou Yunchen called Su Ruiyi's name, he couldn't wake her. The virus had already taken control of her nerves. This scene felt eerily familiar to Ou Yunchen.
Mo Qingyun: "Su Ruiyi, this man doesn't love you. Kill him."
Su Ruiyi lunged out of the glass house in an instant. Infected with the Umbrella virus, Su Ruiyi's strength surged. She felt no pain, making her more formidable in combat.
Ou Yunchen: "Su Ruiyi, it's Ou Yunchen! Yiyi!!!"
Mo Qingyun: "It's useless. If you don't fight back, she'll keep attacking you. If you don't want to kill her, then you can only let her kill you for her to stop…"
Ou Yunchen couldn't fight back; he could only defend. But the greatest drawback of the Umbrella virus was that those infected felt no pain, no fatigue, and had no thoughts or consciousness…
It was less like a well-trained 'weapon' and more like a drug that controlled the nervous system, turning people into living zombies.
***
Mo Qingyun watched the two figures on the screen, laughing heartily. One was willing to be beaten to death rather than retaliate, while the other had no idea that her target was the man she loved most.
Mo Qingyun: "The thought of Su Ruiyi regaining consciousness and realizing she killed the man she loved most fills me with glee."
Maggie: "Why?"
Mo Qingyun: "They owe me. No one will pay back less than they owe! They will suffer more than I did!!!"
Maggie: "Enough, you lunatic. We still need to conduct experiments with the original virus in Ou Yunchen's body."
Lunatic?!
Mo Qingyun heard Maggie call her a lunatic again…
Mo Qingyun fiercely grabbed Maggie by the neck. Her strength was astonishingly great…
Mo Qingyun: "I warned you once. Don't call me a lunatic…"
Maggie: "Yes, I'm sorry…"
Mo Qingyun: "Let's discuss how you'll be punished since I found Ou Yunchen first…"
Maggie: "Let me go…"
Mo Qingyun: "Do you know why your father, Old Tang, preferred his adopted son to inherit the Tang empire instead of you?"
Maggie: "What?"
Mo Qingyun: "He wanted you to stay away from this dirty empire. But you came out to stir up trouble after his death!"
"You colluded with this empire and instigated the Onasis family's rebellion. You've destroyed all the good things your father left for the world…"
Maggie: "Help… Help me…"
Mo Qingyun: "Do you think you can still reclaim the Tang empire? Perhaps when Michelle was around, you might have had a chance. But now, I'm a lunatic. I won't show you any mercy. So, do you understand now?"
Maggie: "You…"
Mo Qingyun: "The Umbrella virus saved me. The person who injected me with the original virus made me determined to destroy you…"
Maggie: "Help… Someone…"
Mo Qingyun: "Once you're dead, no one in the Tang empire will dare to have disloyal thoughts again. Consider it your contribution to the empire…"
Mo Qingyun had many opportunities to kill Maggie, but she deliberately waited until this moment because she didn't know the exact location of that laboratory in Kobbtia. Now, she no longer needed this foolish woman.
Minutes later, Maggie had stopped breathing. The moment Mo Qingyun released her, Lin Yi rushed in.
Seeing Maggie lying motionless on the ground, Lin Yi immediately aimed his gun at Mo Qingyun and fired.
Mo Qingyun: "You!!!"
Lin Yi: "I'm sorry, I can't let you kill Ou Yunchen."
With that, Lin Yi used his gun to knock Mo Qingyun unconscious.
***
Lin Yi spoke into the microphone beneath the large screen.
Lin Yi: "Ou Yunchen?"
Ou Yunchen: "Lin Yi?"
Lin Yi: "Listen to me, Su Ruiyi was not injected with the original virus, but an unsuccessful prototype. So, she will only lose her sanity for a period of time, but you must leave there quickly…"
Ou Yunchen: "When will she regain consciousness?"
Lin Yi: "I don't know. You have to take her and leave. The Onasis family has sent 'cleaners,' and one has already arrived in Kobbtia."
Ou Yunchen: "So what should I do!!!"
Lin Yi: "You need to leave Kobbtia quickly."
However, the moment Mo Qingyun opened the door to the room where Ou Yunchen and Su Ruiyi were held, she was struck on the back of the head with a wine bottle…
Mo Qingyun: "You too want to be a traitor? An ungrateful wretch!"
Mo Qingyun gasped in pain as she looked at the wound on her shoulder inflicted by Lin Yi. Fortunately, she hadn't hit a vital spot.
But it was too late. Ou Yunchen had already pulled Su Ruiyi and escaped the laboratory.
As Mo Qingyun was about to erupt in anger, Maggie's phone on the table rang.
Mo Qingyun took a deep breath and answered the phone.
A group of masked figures appeared on the large screen.
—Video Call—
Masked Figure: "Mo Qingyun? Where is Maggie?"
Mo Qingyun: "That's right, it's me. Disappointed, are we?"
Masked Figure: "We can only communicate with Maggie."
Mo Qingyun: "Oh, of course…"
Saying that, Mo Qingyun lifted Maggie from the ground, but her head hung limply. She had already ceased to breathe…
Masked Figure: "What happened to her?"
Mo Qingyun: "She's unavailable to take calls right now, and likely won't be in the future. However, if you have anything to convey, I can pass it on for you."
Masked Figure: "You killed her?"
Mo Qingyun: "If I said it was an accident, would you believe me?"
The masked figure turned away, seemingly to discuss something with other members.
Mo Qingyun shouted to interrupt them.
Mo Qingyun: "I know who you are, so let's be honest. Give me what I want, and I'll give you what you want."
Masked Figure: "Umbrella. Do you have it?"
Mo Qingyun: "Are you asking for the first generation of Umbrella, or the perfect Umbrella?"
Masked Figure: "A new generation of Umbrella has already been developed?"
Mo Qingyun: "Take a good look, Eagle-Faced Mask. Before you stands the most perfect human being in this world. I have coexisted with Umbrella for over three hundred days."
Masked Figure: "In that case, you are the one we need."
Mo Qingyun: "Will you blame me for accidentally killing your member?"
Masked Figure: "Maggie failed to complete her mission. Death is her just punishment."
Mo Qingyun: "Remember to formally introduce me to everyone behind you as a new member."
—Video Call Ended—