Chapter 149: Your Future Is Already Ruined

On the plane, Zhuo Qing injected new sedative medication into the IV drip. Another doctor beside her was recording the latest data on Yang Shuo's body, thick brows locked tight.

Military doctors are always more decisive than ordinary doctors at critical moments of saving lives, even if it means taking risks for the sake of survival.

This military doctor responsible for recording was the same, "I still believe it is better to let the Chief inject that kind of medication. Doctor Xing has already improved the experiments conducted on Acting Chief Liu several times; there is a sixty percent chance it can allow the Chief to return to normal."

These words were spoken for the other great Chief in the cabin to hear. Qi Zhengxun's expression was resolute, his gaze not wavering in the slightest, even though Yang Shuo's square face had already turned white without a trace of blood, with faint signs of turning blue-purple.

Seeing that Qi Zhengxun still did not agree, Zhuo Qing retracted the needle and shook her head slightly at Shen Wan, "Chief Yang cannot bear the risk of a failed Mutation. Once it fails... Doctor Shen, you know."

Once it fails, the entire Southeast Three Provinces will fall into chaos. And the Southeast Three Provinces are no more than three days' march from the General Command; by then, I fear no one will be able to clean up this mess.

"But," Shen Wan's expression was equally grave, his tone carrying a hint of resentment, "I must remind you all again: in his current condition, at any moment he could... As the Chief's attending physician, I still recommend using the treatment method with a higher probability of success."

"Mutation does not count as treatment," Qi Zhengxun, in his rock-gray high-collared uniform, vetoed it once again, "Even if the Mutation succeeds, how can you guarantee he will still be the original Yang Shuo? You have seen plenty of examples recently; the changes in them before and after Mutation are the best proof."

Zhuo Qing closed the metal box for disposing of used syringes and shook her head slightly at the anxious Shen Wan.

Mutants undergo huge changes in personality and thinking; although there are not enough samples for research yet, existing examples have indeed proven this point.

And Zhuo Qing also knew of Qi Zhengxun's deeper concerns: the interior of the General Command likely implicitly rejects Mutants. Once Yang Shuo accepts Mutation, even if successful, the path to entering the center of power will likely be severed.

For a Frontier Official to enter the Central Cabinet, this step seems easy, but it is not. How many figures of power in history have been suppressed at this step, or even implicated their entire clan in annihilation... there are not a few.

The timing of Yang Shuo's serious injury this time is very suspicious. A flash of doubt crossed Zhuo Qing's face, half-hidden by her mask.

Before leaving, Qi Zhengxun met with Liu Mu alone. What did they talk about, or what were they plotting? Could it be disadvantageous to Yang Shuo?

Although Zhuo Qing believes in Liu Mu's character, how much of a person's character can remain in the face of immense power and profit?

Not to mention that Liu Mu was so resistant to entering the Barrier System before; in just two days, she suddenly changed her mind and was willing to act in partial positions for Haicheng and even the Southeast Three Provinces...

Returning to her seat and fastening her seatbelt, Zhuo Qing's gaze became a bit more determined; she had to save Yang Shuo. Her husband, Tan Ziyan, once said that among the major military regions, there are few high-ranking officials like Yang Shuo who truly work for the country and the people; being able to protect one is a blessing for the region.

"In half an hour, we will replenish energy at South Province No. 3 Flight Base. The stopover time is twenty minutes. Passengers, please try not to stray too far from the plane."

The pilot's reminder sounded in the headset. After it was said three times, Zhuo Qing suddenly looked up.

"Elder Qi...?"

Qi Zhengxun nodded, stopping her from continuing, "Do your own job."

Zhuo Qing slowly placed one hand on her lower back, where there was an old-fashioned Handgun and three bullets... she only hoped Qi Zhengxun had already made arrangements and that this insurance given by Liu Mu would not be needed.

Half an hour later, communication with the ground and the landing were both very smooth.

After confirming the stay duration with the personnel on the plane again, the flight crew went down to replenish supplies and fuel.

Tied to her chair by a seatbelt the whole way, Zhuo Qing had also wanted to go out and move around, but when she was about to get up, she saw Qi Zhengxun closing his eyes to rest, so she changed her action to checking the monitor data for Yang Shuo.

No one else felt anything was wrong with her actions; after all, she had checked it every twenty minutes throughout the journey.

Qi Zhengxun did not move, and his guard team did not move either.

The three 'surviving' inspectors and the guards protecting them had all gone down.

And the medical team, including eight doctors and four nurses, had all left the plane except for Zhuo Qing, Shen Wan, and one male nurse.

It had been raining the whole way, but it had stopped here. Having been suppressed by noise and urgency the whole way, wanting to go out and catch a breath was only reasonable.

As the mechanical sounds of the transport plane stopped completely, the cabin was left with only the faint humming of instruments, quiet enough to be uncomfortable.

Even though she was protected by so many guards, Zhuo Qing still had a feeling of being watched. The longer the stay, the more uncomfortable this feeling made her.

Until she inadvertently locked eyes with Shen Wan, who was also recording data, an almost impossible thought exploded in her mind out of nowhere.

"What did you do?"

Zhuo Qing subconsciously went to pull out the IV tube, but her hand was pressed down by another, larger hand.

"We are about to enter the critical period; whatever you do now is meaningless."

"Xing Tianyang?!"

As Zhuo Qing called out this name, Qi Zhengxun, who had been closing his eyes to rest, moved, and his guards moved too.

In front of the fixed hospital bed, the guards' gun barrels pointed at the male nurse who was pressing Zhuo Qing's hand. The latter did not show the slightest panic, only slowly pulling down his protective mask and hat.

"You gave him... the Mutation Agent?" Zhuo Qing said these words with some difficulty; besides dissatisfaction and rejection, a kind of settled despair actually emerged.

Once Mutation begins, it cannot be stopped, unless by death!

"My suggestion is," Xing Tianyang tilted his head slightly, and the gun barrels that wanted to dodge followed his movement, "leave the patient to us. You going out to guard and keep people from breaking in would be more valuable."

"What do you mean?" Zhuo Qing wanted to go to the window to look, but her hand was pressed down firmly by Xing Tianyang, "Let go of me!"

"Who do you take orders from?" Qi Zhengxun did not show the slightest panic, only letting the guards secure the plane's cabin door, "What are the chances of saving his life?"

"I don't take orders from anyone, Elder Qi. You know that; I only do what I believe is right. What I want to do now is ensure Yang Shuo lives. He always hinders my research, which is annoying, but who says the Southeast Three Provinces need him right now?"

"What about the agent?" Zhuo Qing said urgently, "How can you guarantee he can successfully Mutate? If it fails, you are the one who killed the Chief with your own hands!"

"It cannot fail!" Xing Tianyang's eyes were fervent, as if announcing a foolproof experimental result, "The current dosage induces a level of Mutation that can save his life. You know in your hearts he could not have lasted until the General Command Hospital. If the agent hadn't been used in time, he likely would have lost his life half an hour ago."

"Even if you say so, you cannot guarantee the Chief is absolutely safe!" Zhuo Qing scolded sternly; she hated this person, Xing Tianyang, even more than her husband Tan Ziyan did.

The reason lies in the fact that the two had collaborated before, and during that research, in order to prevent the experimental samples from leaking, Xing Tianyang directly ordered the burning of ten living monkeys.

Inhuman!

Or rather, unscrupulous in achieving his goals.

"What do you say?" Xing Tianyang ignored Zhuo Qing entirely and turned to ask Qi Zhengxun.

On the ground, the people who had gotten off the plane were herded into a cordoned-off area, including the pilots who were supposed to assist with refueling and checking for malfunctions.

Qi Zhengxun whispered two sentences to the guard beside him, and the latter immediately took people and left the cabin.

"Regardless of whether little Yang can live, Xing Tianyang, your future is already ruined."

A single sentence almost determined the life and death of Xing Tianyang's research career, but he did not feel he had done anything wrong.

"You still don't understand," Xing Tianyang said, "but it doesn't matter. One day you will see the true face of this world. Sooner or later, we must take that new step."

Zhuo Qing still wanted to say something, but Shen Wan, who was beside her, suddenly spoke, "Proceed to the next step; the Chief's body cannot withstand the consumption of the Mutation now."

"You also knew...?"

But this question was already meaningless; Yang Shuo's body, fixed to the bed, began to spasm, and the person who had been in a deep coma suddenly opened his eyes.

Xing Tianyang and Shen Wan worked together, successively adding different medicinal agents and high-concentration nutritional components to Yang Shuo's injection.

Zhuo Qing took the opportunity to raise an objection to Qi Zhengxun, whose eyes turned dark, as if he had made some new plan.

"Doctor Zhuo, do you think the mutated will stand on the side of humanity?"

Zhuo Qing, who was expounding on the dangers and drawbacks of Mutation, was suddenly interrupted by Qi Zhengxun; she blurted out without thinking, "Some can, such as Liu Mu and the few mutated individuals under her; you have also seen that she will not harm the innocent, nor has she shown any uncontrollable situations. But this does not mean that Mutation is an easy matter; in the Haicheng Mutation Laboratory, they have even captured people who had almost completely mutated into animals..."

"I know," Qi Zhengxun suddenly stood up, "What we must do now is provide a safe environment for Yang Shuo's Mutation. Miss Zhuo, you can remain in the cabin as the final line of defense."

"What's wrong?" Zhuo Qing hurriedly looked out the window, only to discover that the plane had been surrounded by a group of unidentified armed personnel not wearing military uniforms.

"Two doctors, we will find an opportunity to take off; get yourselves ready," Qi Zhengxun drew his service Handgun, and the remaining guards immediately left the cabin according to the crisis response plan they had rehearsed countless times.

Qi Zhengxun also left, and in less than a minute, gunfire rang out outside.

"Wasn't it said the route was absolutely safe? What is going on now?" Xing Tianyang felt slightly annoyed; although he had claimed it was foolproof, he knew in his heart that the medicinal agents this time were not nearly complete.

If it weren't for Liu Mu having someone find him to infiltrate the medical team and giving many guarantees, it would have been impossible for him to use the agents on a person so quickly.

"I don't know, focus on your work!"

Zhuo Qing snapped back impatiently, raised her equipped Handgun, and went behind the cabin door.

"It might not necessarily be for Chief Yang," Shen Wan's forehead broke out in a layer of sweat; he did not understand why Xing Tianyang had chosen him to do this, when clearly he himself could have perfectly replaced the drugs.

"Does that matter?" Zhuo Qing clicked the safety off, "No matter who the target is, we cannot stay out of this."

Shen Wan wore a sorrowful expression, "You're right, but I really don't want to die; if I had known, I wouldn't have come on this trip."

Fortunately, that was the only complaint he made, otherwise Xing Tianyang beside him would have given him an injection directly.

The monitoring equipment on Yang Shuo's body had all been removed; for some unknown purpose, Liu Mu had emphasized that this Mutation must not leave behind any data.

Following the trembling of his body, his opened eyes gradually became covered in a faint blood-red hue, as if the tiny blood vessels inside his eyes had been destroyed. Even so, his consciousness was becoming clearer and clearer; he opened his mouth several times wanting to say something, but only spat out a mouthful of blood with the movement.

The thing they were worried about happened: what Yang Shuo spat out was not just pure blood, but also mixed with bits of flesh.

"No need to panic, she anticipated all of this," Xing Tianyang's palms were also sweating, but he remained the calmest of the three, "I am injecting the Stabilizer now, you hold him down."

The liquid in the syringe contained fine, reflective substances; Shen Wan wanted to ask what exactly it was, but it was clear Xing Tianyang would not tell him.

He still couldn't help but remind him, "Doctor Xing, if the Chief has an accident, we will all be in big trouble!"

Zhuo Qing said irritably, "No need to wait for him to have an accident; an accident has already happened!"