Chapter 1646: Escort Professor Yao Out

At half past one in the afternoon, after paying to have her oil sunflower seeds dried at the Ninth Center, Xia Qing was driving back to Territory Three when she heard the roar of a helicopter.

The inspection team that had gone to visit the southern experimental zone was returning to the northern Zone One territory by helicopter. Once the experts got back to Territory Seven, they would be invited into the conference hall for a special discussion.

Eat lunch?

Zhang Song explained that, to make sure the experts' trip wasn't wasted, he had maximized the use of time and hadn't scheduled any meals at all.

What if they get hungry?

Territory Seven gives each person an X nutrient solution to guarantee nutritional supply, so they won't feel hungry!

What if the experts can't handle such a packed schedule?

If they can't handle it, they can apply not to attend the seminar and go back to their dorms to rest. But not a single expert asked for leave from today's seminar—even Jiang Cheng, who had broken off from the group that morning to inspect Mountain Fifty, came back.

Because this afternoon's seminar was being hosted by Fu Tianfeng, the director of the Territory Seven Research Institute! In the six days since entering Territory Seven, it was only under everyone's strong insistence that Fu Tianfeng finally agreed to spare half a day for face-to-face exchange—no one wanted to miss this chance.

Because it had been twelve years since the catastrophe, and this big shot had never once attended an offline seminar!

Attending an offline seminar for the first time, Fu Tianfeng brought an absolutely professional and candid attitude, carefully listening to every expert's remarks and answering everyone's questions.

The seminar ran from two in the afternoon all the way until six. When the experts came out of the conference room, their expressions varied, but not one of them could maintain composure. Clearly, they had all obtained from this discussion information that left them unable to stay calm.

Guo Qingbin, who had stayed behind in the conference room, wore a kindly expression and spoke in a gentle voice, "Tianfeng, it's getting late—shall we grab a meal together?"

The big shot from Red One University had personally opened his mouth to invite him to dinner, but Zhang San, sitting in his chair, wore obvious fatigue and didn't even lift his eyelids.

Seeing this scene, Jiang Cheng, who had originally wanted to take this opportunity to discuss a few more things with Fu Tianfeng, unhesitatingly lifted his leg and left.

Zhou Fen, a researcher from the Red One Research Institute, immediately followed, afraid that one step's delay would get her implicated by those few people from Red One University whom Fu Tianfeng didn't care for.

Yao Yuanxing, who had stayed behind, seeing that Zhang San hadn't reacted, also spoke with a smile, "Junior brother, the last time we had a meal together was when you got your PhD. I remember Teacher Guo was there that time too. Senior Sister Bai said at first she was busy, but she ended up coming over later."

Hu Guangdong also joined in reminiscing about the past, "I remember when Tianfeng got his doctorate, Yuanxing and Jiangxia were both at our university's postdoctoral mobile station, right?"

Bai Jiangxia, whose name had been called out again, only then spoke up, "Yes, continuing research on intervention therapy under Teacher Zhang."

That single sentence from Bai Jiangxia instantly killed the atmosphere that Guo Qingbin and the others had carefully built up.

The Teacher Zhang in Bai Jiangxia's mouth was Zhang Dongzhen, the advisor of her, Yao Yuanxing, and Fu Tianfeng.

After the great evolution of Blue Star, Zhang Dongzhen delved deep into his original research direction and began using high evolutionary-potential microorganisms to conduct targeted cross-species evolutionary intervention therapy research.

In the second year of the catastrophe, Bai Jiangxia was transferred to the Bai Qi Research Institute, while Yao Yuanxing remained in Zhang Dongzhen's research lab.

In the third year of the catastrophe, Zhang Dongzhen died. This was a tremendous loss for Red One University, a disaster accident that everyone found too painful to bring up.

The only one still sitting in the conference room, Zhang San slowly raised his eyelids and looked expressionlessly at Yao Yuanxing.

Yao Yuanxing's voice remained gentle, "If you have something to say, junior brother, just say it. There are no outsiders here."

Zhang San gave a cold snort, "Don't try to get chummy with me. You're a postdoctoral researcher and a P4 biosafety laboratory safety manager. I can't afford to climb that high."

Super-evolved Candida auris, in microspore form, penetrated the filter seam of Zhang Dongzhen's protective suit, triggering a violent autoimmune storm that caused multi-organ failure and death within a few hours.

Zhang Dongzhen's death was the collapse of systematic safety management. Responsibility should be shared by multiple parties, including Zhang Dongzhen himself, who bore self-inspection responsibility for the airtightness of his protective suit, as well as Yao Yuanxing, the laboratory safety manager in charge of that inspection.

Hearing Zhang San's utterly merciless words, Guo Qingbin was puzzled, Hu Guangdong shook his head and sighed, and Bai Jiangxia fixed her eyes on Yao Yuanxing.

Yao Yuanxing's pupils contracted sharply, his face instantly went pale, and his voice trembled, "Nine years…and you still suspect to this day that I killed my own advisor?!"

Yao Yuanxing raised his hand and thumped his own chest with a dull thud, in anguish, "He wasn't just your advisor—he was the mentor who carefully cultivated me for fifteen years! You think you're the only one who suffered when our advisor died…"

Yao Yuanxing was losing control of his emotions, his voice growing louder and louder, about to exceed the maximum volume permitted in the Territory Seven conference room.

Guo Qingbin sensed something was wrong and had just opened his mouth to warn him when a sudden, piercing electronic alarm blared inside the conference room.

"Beep—! Beep—!"

The conference room instantly fell deathly silent; everyone looked at the watch on Zhang San's wrist. Because the alarm had come from that watch.

Zhang San unhurriedly raised his wrist, glanced at the red waveform and the suddenly spiking values on the screen, then slowly raised his eyelids. His gaze, like a scalpel, fixed on Yao Yuanxing once more, and his voice was as cold as when he stood before an operating table, "Zheng Chen."

"Here!"

Zheng Chen at the door immediately led two guards into the conference room.

"The trial medication I am taking has lowered the regulatory thresholds of my cortisol and adrenaline levels to an extremely low level. The audio shock just now has already caused my real-time physiological monitoring data…"

Zhang San raised his hand, letting everyone in the conference room see his watch face, "…to cross the neuroendocrine stability red line set by the Special Subject Safety Protocol. According to the protocol, my current state has been automatically defined as a 'disturbed subject,' and the environment I am in is immediately upgraded to a contaminated zone requiring emergency purification. The source of disturbance must be eliminated…"

Hearing Zhang San's words, the blood that Yao Yuanxing's emotional agitation had rushed to his face drained away completely.

As a P4 laboratory safety manager, he certainly knew the weight that "disturbed subject" and "contaminated zone" carried in the highest-level experimental protocols. He had fallen into a trap constructed with the professional logic he knew best—a trap that could not be argued against at all.

The intense emotional swings in a short time left his voice hoarse, "You…you're abusing…"

Zhang San naturally wouldn't bother paying any more attention to Yao Yuanxing, whom he had blacklisted, and continued his listless order, "Zheng Chen, escort Professor Yao out and revoke his access clearance. Zhang He, send a copy of the protocol to the Red One University Ethics Committee for backup."

"Yes." Zhang He, who had been standing behind Zhang San serving as a backdrop, responded.

Yao Yuanxing gripped the visitor badge hanging around his neck and laughed coldly, "So you'd long since dug a pit and were waiting for me to jump, Fu Tianfeng. Are you really this afraid of me going to Xia Qing's territory? What unspeakable secret does her territory hold…"

"Click!"

Zheng Chen's gun muzzle pointed at Yao Yuanxing, his voice quiet but brimming with killing intent, "Professor Yao, this way please."

Yao Yuanxing shut his mouth and turned to leave the conference room without daring to hesitate for a second. Because he was certain that if he hesitated for one second, Fu Tianfeng would use it as an excuse to take his life.

Audio shock, uncontrollable variables…

What level of medication, with what kind of effect, could force Fu Tianfeng to trial it on himself?!

No wonder the visitation protocol imposed such strict regulations on decibel levels inside Territory Seven, no wonder Fu Tianfeng had never shown himself…

Guo Qingbin adjusted his glasses, suppressing the excitement he could barely contain in his brain, and gently reminded them, "Tianfeng, Jiangxia, you both understand the big principles, so I won't nag and annoy you. Get some rest early today. Health is the foundation of the revolution—only by taking care of your health can you be in the best condition to devote yourselves to the great cause of fighting the catastrophe."

After saying this, Guo Qingbin nodded to Bai Jiangxia and left the conference room with Hu Guangdong.

"Take care." Bai Jiangxia closed the door, walked up to Zhang San, and stared at him sternly.

Zhang San raised his thin eyelids and quietly met his senior sister's gaze.

In the end, neither of them said anything. One turned and left the laboratory; the other sat in place, pressed his forehead for a while, then took out his phone.

"Beep."

Xia Qing, who had been listening to the base news broadcast while eating meat-soup soaked rice, picked up her phone and found that her idol had sent her a message.