Chapter 32: The Real and the Fake Heiress

Elder Tan swept a warning gaze across the room. The group shuddered, offering hurried assurances that they would not speak a word of this. These individuals had been meticulously hand-picked by Elder Tan for both their competence and their integrity. Yet, in the face of immense gain, human nature is rarely tested so severely. Elder Tan could only do his best to shield Huai Ying. He heaved a long sigh, hoping they would not betray the trust she had placed in them.

For an entire month, Huai Ying had been visiting the research institute whenever she was free. With her innate talent, she was already capable of refining exactly what she needed from the available materials. She believed it would not be long before she finished the work she had set out to do.

Cheers erupted from Elder Tan and his team once more. "It's done! We've successfully extracted it."

Huai Ying did not even turn her head. They had been working on isolating a substance beneficial to the human body, and now, they had finally made a breakthrough. She did not understand why they were so overjoyed.

Elder Tan walked over to Huai Ying and handed her a stack of documents. "Take a look. These are the patent applications I've filed for you. From now on, the royalties from these patents alone will be enough to sustain you for life. You can have a lawyer look them over before you sign."

Huai Ying took them, scanning the pages just long enough to realize that the terms were entirely to her benefit. She voiced her confusion: "Don't you want to claim these discoveries as your own?"

It would have been incredibly easy for Elder Tan to unscrupulously seize the credit for these findings. Everyone at the institute would have testified for him, and outsiders would never have believed that someone like Huai Ying could produce such groundbreaking work. If he had simply silenced her, he would have secured both fame and fortune. That was the choice a smart man would have made.

"What are you saying? These things are yours to begin with; how could I claim them as my own?" Elder Tan wore a stern expression. "In your eyes, am I really such a villain?"

Huai Ying did not answer, but her gaze said everything. Elder Tan was left speechless. Irritated, he raised his hand and gave her a light tap on the head. "You child," he muttered through gritted teeth, "you only know how to provoke me."

Remembering something, he continued, "I know you don't like writing research papers, so I've already had the team draft the findings from our recent work. You are the lead author." He smiled sheepishly. "I hope you don't mind that I've taken the liberty of being your faculty advisor." He did this in part to shift the potential risks away from her.

Yu Zhu finally patted her chest, relieved. Fortunately, these people had not succumbed to greed. The people in this world were kind enough to Huai Ying.

***

Disappointed once again, Huai Ying’s expression darkened as she studied Elder Tan.

"We have successfully extracted the materials we needed; it will take time to verify how to apply them," Elder Tan said, his tone laced with anticipation.

"When will the experiments begin?" Huai Ying finally showed some interest. She was not yet certain if her research would be effective on the people of this world.

"We can begin as soon as the new batch of lab mice arrives," Elder Tan replied nonchalantly.

"Are there not enough humans to conduct the experiments on?" Huai Ying asked.

The smile on his face froze, replaced by an expression of utter disbelief. He turned sharply to look at her. "What did you say?"

Huai Ying replied righteously, "Aren't experiments supposed to be done on people? Are there not enough living subjects yet?"

Elder Tan forced a twitch of his lips, offering an awkward smile. "Stop joking." But there was no trace of humor in her expression; she was clearly in earnest. He took a deep breath, struggling to suppress his rising anger. "How could we use living people for experiments? You mustn't make jokes like that."

Huai Ying found his reaction inexplicable. If not living people, then what? How could one know if something was effective for humans by using animals? These people were so strange! And so, she asked exactly that.

Elder Tan’s eyes widened in shock, as if seeing Huai Ying for the first time. "You..." His expression cooled, and he said with forced patience, "Take the engagement gift I gave you and study it carefully. This is against all ethics and morality. Never speak of such things again." He flicked his sleeves and walked away, struggling to keep his temper in check.

"Why was he angry?" Huai Ying asked, confused.

"Of course we can't use living people for experiments! That’s monstrous," Yu Zhu said, filled with righteous indignation. "Only beasts would do such a thing. Any person with even a shred of morality would never choose that."

"But it benefits human progress," Huai Ying countered. "Sacrificing a small number of people for the sake of all humanity—isn't that a good thing? Those who get to become test subjects should feel honored."

Yu Zhu was so stunned she could not speak for a long time. More than anger, she felt a profound sense of confusion. Why would Huai Ying say such things? Could it be... A thought occurred to her. She couldn't help but ask, "Do they use living people for experiments in the Interstellar?"

Huai Ying nodded. "Of course."

***

She had grown up in such an environment. Everyone had told her that being a test subject who contributed to the humanity of the entire universe was her honor. In the end, she decided she no longer wanted that "honor."

Yu Zhu watched her, her eyes shifting as she swallowed nervously. Her voice was hoarse as she asked, "Have you... have you been used as a test subject, too?"

Huai Ying nodded again. That explained it. Huai Ying was accustomed to such things. Yu Zhu felt a pang of heartache. Recalling Huai Ying's daily behavior, she imagined the most cruel possibility.

"How old were you when you started being a test subject?"

"I don't know. Ever since I can remember," Huai Ying said, her expression distant, as if recalling a past life.

"So, it started when you were very young?" Yu Zhu asked, her voice trembling. Five or six years old? That was far too cruel for a child. She thought of the black market and realized why Huai Ying had been so unfazed by it. "Was it an experiment even more brutal than those in the black market labs?"

Before Huai Ying could answer, Yu Zhu shook her head frantically. "Never mind, I won't ask." It must have been a traumatic memory; there was no need to revisit it. The Interstellar was technologically more advanced than this world; the methods used there were likely beyond imagination.

Yu Zhu sighed, only to hear Huai Ying let out a scornful laugh. "Are you pitying me? There's no need. Even though they imprisoned me for over a decade to conduct experiments, I learned a great deal in the process, and I dragged every one of them into hell with me."

"They enjoyed the benefits I brought them; naturally, they deserved the 'gift' of extinction I bestowed upon them in return." A smile curled at the corners of Huai Ying's mouth as she thought of something amusing. She clicked her tongue lightly. "They were no match for me. When the apocalypse virus arrived, they turned into zombies, and the Interstellar fell into chaos. They were all on their knees, begging me."

Thinking of those scenes made Huai Ying happy. When she was a child, if she cried out in pain during an experiment, she would be scolded for being useless. She was doing something beneficial for all of humanity—how could she be so selfish as to refuse or complain of pain?