"I checked the surveillance footage. Though I don't know exactly when he woke up, he'd already killed three people by the time he left your little room."
"After that, whether using his senses or that special intuition he inherited from you, he managed to avoid all the Blue Cosmos members running around and reached your side."
"In the corridor battles, he was already demonstrating proficient combat skills. Since then, you two have been together constantly. What do you think of his combat abilities?"
Zhou Hanxiang opened her mouth but ultimately said nothing.
"He's only five years old, and was in suspended animation for five years before this. Even with the medications you prepared to maintain his bodily functions, without any training or education, he reached this level in just over half an hour."
"Ask yourself honestly—isn't that terrifying?"
"Yet such monsters can be mass-produced from a single fertilized egg on an assembly line. No mother required, no emotional bonds—the perfect weapons. This is the technology Hibiki developed."
"That's not true!" Zhou Hanxiang protested. "Hibiki and Via didn't develop and refine this technology for that purpose."
"Who would believe that? They're just the developers. When this technology gets deployed on battlefields, who would believe Hibiki and Via's original intent wasn't to manufacture soldiers?"
Professor Keller's tone remained calm as he stated the brutal truth: "It came too early, just like Coordinator technology did. Eventually, humanity will be destroyed by this technology. I can't let it spread."
Zhou Hanxiang knew his actions were wrong, yet couldn't refute the future he presented.
"Via and Hibiki..."
"Are already gone. Only the data in his computer remains now."
"Unfortunately, your plan has failed. That area's been sealed off. When reinforcements arrive, you won't escape either."
"All for nothing, indeed. I never expected Blue Cosmos to be that insane. But you're wrong about one thing—I never planned to escape. For my family's sake, I must die here."
Zhou Hanxiang stopped walking, shocked. "Professor Keller..."
"Even now, I don't regret what I've done. Someone like me deserves to die, but fate still favors me."
"Hanxiang! You survived. You'll help me complete this final task."
As she opened the infirmary door, Zhou Hanxiang's eyes widened in disbelief. Her voice was weak but resolute as she refused without hesitation: "Impossible! I would never help you!"
"No, you will. Do you think the data on the Ultimate Coordinator includes Tianming's information?"
Zhou Hanxiang, who was preparing for treatment in the infirmary, felt her heart tremble. The simple surgical tools in her hands clattered to the ground.
"Are you betting that the company that obtained the data will spare Tianming as a live specimen..."
Keller's voice over the broadcast was eerily calm.
"...or would you rather take the initiative into your own hands?"
The voice suddenly came from the infirmary doorway.
Zhou Hanxiang turned abruptly, wincing in pain as the movement tugged at the wound on her lower back.
"Those useless salarymen outside don't have the guts to barge into a biochemical-contaminated research facility. It'll take at least 12 hours before the company sends anyone."
Keller walked into the infirmary and began retrieving the necessary tools from the cabinets storing medicines and equipment. "Once you're healed, you'll have plenty of time to decide whether or not to do it."
"Or..." Keller turned to face Zhou Hanxiang, "would you rather die than help Tianming eliminate the hidden danger?"
The words instantly shattered Zhou Hanxiang's defenses. She slumped into a seat, silent and defeated.
...
Meanwhile, outside the main entrance of the research facility.
Zhou Tianming had only taken a few steps before he slowed to a halt, gradually reducing his pace to feign departure.
He stood still, straining his ears to listen for any movement inside the facility. Only when he heard the sound of Zhou Hanxiang tearing fabric—likely to bandage her wounds—did he finally relax and quietly slip away.
At the foot of the stairs in front of the main entrance, an elegant car was parked haphazardly, its doors flung open. No one was inside.
As Zhou Tianming passed by, his gaze swept over the scene—then froze.
The side of the car was riddled with bullet holes and splattered with crimson blood. Two corpses lay on the ground.
A man and a woman, both clad in white lab coats—one with long brown hair, the other with short golden locks.
Zhou Tianming recognized them instantly.
Ulen Hibiki and Via Hibiki—Kira's biological parents, the origin of everything.
The body he now inhabited had also come from these two. A complex, indescribable emotion surged within him.
Shaking his head, Zhou Tianming turned back for one last look at the white, prison-like research facility with its sealed windows and doors.
Please be safe, Mom.
As if in response to his thoughts, the symbol representing [Friendship] in his mental space reacted.
A torrent of Mental Power gushed into the golden sphere like water from an opened faucet.
The golden sphere visibly expanded—Mental Power: 201.
A staggering increase of 138 points. The dizziness and throbbing pain in Zhou Tianming's head instantly cleared.
Once Mental Power surpassed 200, something inexplicable seemed to change. He could faintly sense that Zhou Hanxiang was no longer in danger.
Finally at ease, Zhou Tianming wasted no more time and sprinted down the main road toward the facility's front gate.
The road was flanked by a lawn bordered by shrubs over a meter tall. Several branching paths led to other five-story research buildings.
With an unobstructed view, he could see the gate from afar—marked by two thick, square pillars. Extending from either side were waist-high red brick walls topped with iron railings and high-voltage wires.
Over a dozen police cars with flashing red-and-blue lights were parked at the gate, surrounded by figures clad entirely in black, pacing back and forth.
Zhou Tianming ducked into the nearby shrubs, treading carefully across the grass as he approached.
About thirty meters away, the shrubs and grass gave way to a wide-open plaza.
Peering through the gaps in the bushes, Zhou Tianming carefully observed the security team members.
They lounged leisurely against their patrol cars, chatting among themselves—some smoking, others scrolling through their phones, a few even snacking.
Zhou Tianming exhaled in relief and, using the shrubbery as cover, began moving away from the main gate to search for another exit.
...
At the front gate of the research institute's compound, inside the guard post:
A bald, potbellied man whose security uniform strained at the seams was berating the men before him. "How the hell are you doing your jobs? You let so many Blue Cosmos members slip inside! If anyone dies in there, none of you are getting off scot-free!"
"Sir! Sir! It really wasn't our fault—those people had legitimate access passes. By protocol, we couldn't stop them!"
"Oh? So it's my fault then? Or the spaceport immigration office's?"
The man pleading his case deflated instantly, mouth opening and closing wordlessly.
Just then, a young officer with sharp features, thick eyebrows, and broad shoulders entered. Standing ramrod straight, he delivered a crisp salute. "Officer Will, I've confirmed with other institute personnel. The biohazard containment measures are fully intact. Theoretically, there's no danger as long as no one enters the contaminated zone."
Will frowned. "Meaning there's still risk."
"Sir, I believe taking minimal risks to save lives is acceptable."
"Bullshit!" Will's meaty palm slammed onto the desk, sending pens and the telephone clattering. "Take a look outside—which of my men doesn't have families depending on them? I won't gamble your lives for strangers. Keep monitoring. We move only when it's 100% safe."
"But the situation won't—"
"Weber-Walter! Follow orders! Or would you rather go out there and convince everyone to march to their deaths?"
Weber's lips parted, but no words came out.
Will collapsed into the guard post's black swivel chair, which groaned under his weight. "Damn rookies. Risking your necks for peanuts. Freaking lunatics."
Exiting the guard post, Weber kept his head low, expression grim.
Outside, a middle-aged officer with sunken eyes and a perpetual slouch leaned against the wall, exhaling smoke. "Well?"
Weber considered rallying his colleague to the rescue effort but abandoned the idea after one glance at the man's disheveled state. "The chief won't budge. He—"
"Pack it up, boys~" The older officer flicked his cigarette onto the ground mid-sentence and sauntered off without a care.
Grimacing, Weber stomped out the ember, picked up the butt, and scanned the idle officers around him with a sigh.