Chapter 202: Mermaid's Reef 03

Her voice was soft, yet like a boulder dropped into a calm lake, stirring up countless waves.

Bao Jing frowned tightly, a flash of bewilderment crossing his black eyes.

"An'an, how can you say that? Are you scared?" Bao Jing wanted to turn and hug Ye Xi'an but was bound by a metal ring; in his fierce struggle, the metal ring rang out crisply.

Seeing he couldn't break free, he could only verbally comfort: "An'an, don't be scared, we'll always be with you."

Ye Xi'an gave a bitter laugh; Bao Jing simply had no idea.

Ji Jiangci reacted: "Wife, do you know what place this is?"

"Mm." Ye Xi'an nodded, her voice trembling: "We… we are now in a terrifying human experiment lab."

Fear filled Ye Xi'an's violet eyes; she tried hard not to recall every detail from the dream—the cold instruments, the metallic feel of the restraints, and the bone‑piercing pain.

"They are obsessed with unlocking the mysteries of the human body, attempting to alter human genes to create a new generation of enhanced humans. And we are nothing less than their finest research material."

"Impossible!"

Yi Yang cried out, his sky‑blue pupils widening slightly from shock.

"Zhu Shen Xing does not permit such human experiments, let alone when the wife is female—who would have the gall?"

"Yi Yang." Ye Xi'an interrupted Yi Yang's words: "This isn't Zhu Shen Xing; this is... Diqiu, the place that has trapped me my whole life."

Ji Jiangci noticed the problem: Ye Xi'an was born and raised on Zhu Shen Xing since childhood—how could she be trapped in Diqiu?

Ye Xi'an naturally saw their doubt; thinking they were all going to die anyway, she might as well tell them the truth.

"Actually, I am not really your wife...."

After hearing Ye Xi'an's words, the three of them froze, their expressions turning to stone.

Soul‑crossing? What is that? But they roughly understood: it means this body is still Ye Xi'an's, only the soul belongs to someone else?

But some strange points finally made sense now.

Ji Jiangci murmured: "No wonder, no wonder you suddenly seemed like a different person—turns out you aren't really Ye Xi'an at all."

"You must be disappointed, I lied to you." Ye Xi'an closed her eyes, waiting for their judgment.

"That really is....." Bao Jing deliberately paused, then continued: "Great!"

Ye Xi'an startled, thinking she had misheard: "What?"

Ji Jiangci let out a soft laugh from his throat: "Bao Jing said it's great."

"Good thing it's you."

Yi Yang was only startled for a moment, then added: "Exactly, wife—if it weren't you, we might have already died alongside the original wife; perhaps you came to save us."

Anyway, Ye Xi'an is still his matched wife; once we get out, he will set up a grave for her.

Ye Xi'an self‑mocked: "You lot are barely saving me."

"But saying anything now is pointless; I escaped once, and Lin Si won't let me go—we might be tortured to death within a week."

Yi Yang looked at Ye Xi'an with heartache; it was the first time he had seen her so fragile: "Wife, don't be scared, we're all here, we won't die."

Ye Xi'an shook her head, tears slipping uncontrollably down her cheeks.

"No, you don't understand; you don't know Lin Si……"

Her voice choked, filled with despair.

"Lin Si will surely use his favorite dissection knife to slice open my skin, then pull out my organs bit by bit."

Bao Jing's face darkened horribly, a dangerous aura emanating from his whole body.

"If that Lin Si really dares to do this to you, I will definitely make him pay the price!"

Ye Xi'an looked at them, a sense of helplessness welling up inside her.

They have no idea how cruel that place is; what she has endured is far more terrifying than anything she could describe.

"We must find a way to leave here."

Ji Jiangci spoke calmly, the light of contemplation flickering in his cyan pupils.

"If Xi'an is telling the truth, our situation is extremely dangerous."

"Don't waste your effort; you can't escape."

Ye Xi'an recalled her escape experience; that opportunity had come after she waited over twenty years.

If it weren't for the institute staff being busy entertaining the visiting president and momentarily overlooking her, she probably wouldn't have even gotten out the door; this time, will this meticulous group really give her another chance like that?

The next day, the lab lights came on early; the cold, deserted hallway gradually filled with people in white coats.

They are the nation's top scientists, yet they came here for money and fame to conduct some heinous experiments.

Ye Xi'an and the others were shoved back into the lab where they had previously done research.

Li Zhao walked over with a grim face, rubbing Bao Jing's bones, but found nothing special: "How strange—what mechanism could turn you into beasts? Could your bones even deform?"

Li Zhao slapped Bao Jing's face twice: "Hey, you, transform for me to see."

"Get lost!" Bao Jing growled low, his sudden roar startling Li Zhao.

"Don't give me face then!" Li Zhao snatched a scalpel from the side, stabbed it into Bao Jing's thigh, then pulled it out without hesitation, blood spraying out.

"Beasts are beasts; even if they become human, they can't shake off their lowly nature!"

Ye Xi'an glared at Li Zhao with death‑like intensity; though she was used to his torment, now he was tormenting Bao Jing as well.

"Li Zhao! Touch him again and I'll kill you!"

Li Zhao was drawn in by Ye Xi'an's words, looking with interest at this overly obedient experimental subject: "068, you've grown some guts going out there."

Just as he was about to move against Ye Xi'an, the lab door was flung open; backlit, Ye Xi'an saw who had come.

We're doomed—it's really Lin Si!

His meticulously groomed hair, brown eyes revealing absolute detachment—though his face was familiar, it now made Ye Xi'an feel as if she had fallen into an ice cellar.

Lin Si.

The corner of his mouth always curled into a proper smile, yet it never reached his eyes—clearly a courteous façade maintained for show.

"068, we meet again."

His voice was gentle, yet it carried a chilling intimidation.

Ye Xi'an's pupils contracted sharply, her body went rigid, unable to move.

Lin Si walked up to Ye Xi'an, placing the tip of the scalpel on her belly.

Which items have been done?

He wasn't asking Li Zhao and the others; he was asking Ye Xi'an.

As the most obedient experimental subject in the lab, Ye Xi'an would proactively report which items had been finished each time Lin Si performed an experiment, so he could continue straight away.

Ye Xi'an bit her lower lip hard, forcing herself to make no sound, but fear flooded over her like a tide.

"068? I'm asking you, why aren't you answering."

(End of chapter)