Chapter Sixteen: The Genuine and the False Heiress
“This is my business card. I’ll wait for you at the research institute,” Elder Tan said with a pleased smile before turning to leave.
Hua Ying, as if nothing had happened, sat back down in her original spot.
Bai Jinwei hesitated, then tried to speak.
She stopped herself, then tried again: “Hua Ying, what’s in your bag?”
“Bacterial bombs,” Hua Ying answered without the slightest hint of concealment.
Bai Jinwei felt words stuck in her throat, unsure of what to say.
“Did you make those? Why would you do that?”
She did not expect an answer, but to her surprise, Hua Ying spoke boldly: “Because it’s useful—to destroy this world.”
Her tone was as calm as if discussing what to have for dinner.
Little Red let out a wail.
Sometimes, too much honesty isn’t a good thing.
Look at how scared everyone is.
Mu Jinnian opened his mouth, trying to salvage the situation.
But Bai Jinwei, her face filled with excitement, interrupted: “Really? How do you plan to destroy it? Do you need my help?”
The joy in her eyes was genuine, leaving Hua Ying momentarily stunned.
She turned her head, puzzled, studying Bai Jinwei.
Bai Jinwei cleared her throat awkwardly.
“What exactly does the bacterial bomb do? Does it infect everyone, causing a plague-like disaster?”
She frowned at the thought.
“Would dying that way be painful? Would the bodies look horrible? Is there a way to save them?”
“If it’s painful for a long time and then they’re saved, wouldn’t that be pointless?”
She pondered seriously on the feasibility.
“Of course not,” Little Red stepped forward.
Her eyes more serious than ever: “Boss, I could never accept you doing something like this.”
She sighed deeply, her expression grave.
“If you insist on destroying the world this way, I’m afraid I’ll have no choice but to perish alongside you.”
She seemed frightened; her voice trembled.
No one knew what would happen if the mission failed utterly.
Would she die once more?
“I’ll cooperate with you to complete the mission and earn points. After that, you can sever ties with me, and everything I have in this world will have nothing to do with you. How about that?”
Hua Ying didn’t want another voice buzzing in her ear endlessly and took the initiative to propose cooperation.
Completing the mission had always been Little Red’s wish.
Yet she did not immediately agree.
Instead, she said, “That’s not acceptable either.”
“Boss, viral warfare is cruel, not a game. I can’t think only of myself.”
“In my world, there were horrific bacterial experiments carried out on our ancestors—methods so brutal they were terrifying.”
“There were also rampant epidemics that caused countless deaths. Only through everyone’s joint efforts did we barely survive the darkest times.”
“I lived through it and naturally don’t want to witness it again.”
Little Red’s voice was filled with emotion, tears welling in her eyes.
Those years felt like a nightmare she never wished to recall.
Hua Ying’s interest was piqued. She pressed on, “Did your world also experience an apocalypse with viruses running rampant?”
As the one in charge, she was clearly excited.
“Did you manage to defeat the virus?”
“Of course,” Little Red said proudly, straightening her back.
“We’re strong. United as one, we finally defeated the virus.”
Knowing words alone couldn’t convey the full impact, she brought up related data from her mainframe for Hua Ying to see.
Everyone’s tacit cooperation, the kindness shown to strangers, especially the doctors and nurses who risked everything to rush into the ‘battlefield.’
Each story was utterly foreign to Hua Ying.
She momentarily drifted, her thoughts returning to the apocalypse.
Back then, the virus she studied broke out in the lab and swept across the planet at lightning speed.
People acted like madmen, doing anything to survive.
She was like an onlooker, looking down on everyone.
They only had themselves to blame.
In the age of interstellar travel, the relentless pursuit of technological gains had turned people into cold maniacs.
Yet she never expected that Little Red’s world, though technologically backward, held scenes she had never witnessed.
“You’re impressive,” Hua Ying breathed softly.
“If the people in the apocalypse were like you, maybe I wouldn’t have destroyed the world so easily.”
Little Red looked a bit embarrassed.
Scratching her head, she gathered her words and asked, “Why are you so determined to destroy the world?”
“Don’t you have anything else you want to do? Like a lifelong wish—I’ll help you fulfill it.”
A look of confusion flickered in Hua Ying’s eyes.
“That’s my only wish.”
Since she could remember, she had no other desires.
Little Red choked up for a moment, then said, “If you insist, I really can’t stop you. But I hope you’ll give it some thought.”
“There must be something else in this world you want to do. Even if you can’t think of it now, we can find it together.”
Hua Ying and Little Red’s conversation played out in their minds, but those around them only saw Hua Ying staring blankly.
Mu Jinnian spoke up to bring her back: “Hua Ying.”
She tilted her head toward him, confused, asking, “Do you want to die?”
“Huh?” Mu Jinnian was stunned.
Had he offended her?
“Do you want to live in this world? Is there anything you want to do?” Hua Ying pressed.
“Nothing in particular,” Mu Jinnian replied indifferently.
He was merely doing what everyone expected of him.
“And what about you two?” Hua Ying scanned the other two girls.
“Uh…” Xue Wei was caught off guard.
Frowning, she said, “I just want to live a quiet life, leave home, have my own little world, nothing extravagant.”
She once dreamed of escaping with her mother, but now she only thought of herself.
“As for me?” Bai Jinwei let out a self-mocking smile.
“Many times, life isn’t within our control. I want freedom—a life I fully command.”
“Even if I die, I want to die on my own terms.”
Hua Ying understood.
Something inside her seemed to quietly break open.
Hua Ying and Gu Mingxu quickly settled on the engagement banquet.
When trying on the trial wedding dress, it seemed only Bai’s mother was truly excited.
She pulled Hua Ying around, examining her from every angle.
But when she glanced at Bai Jinwei, a pang of guilt welled up inside.
She called Bai Jinwei aside.
“Tell your mother honestly—what do you really feel about Gu Mingxu?”
Bai Jinwei stiffened, feeling uneasy.
She forced a smile: “At most, it’s just a sibling-like affection. Mom, you don’t have to worry.”
Bai’s mother sighed: “You’ve always been so mature, never letting us worry. I just fear you’ll be hurt.”
“Hua Ying is probably childish and doesn’t really understand what liking someone means. Over time, she might not want to marry Gu Mingxu at all.”
“Maybe in the future, you two could still…”
Bai Jinwei cut her off sharply: “Even without Hua Ying, I would never marry Gu Mingxu.”
Her voice was firm and clear, cutting through Gu Mingxu’s heart like a blade.