Baisha ushered Parfen into the hovercar.
Adjusting her disguise, Baisha studied Parfen across from her. Parfen wiped tear-streaked cheeks, her pallor regaining faint color. Yet her sunken cheeks and shadowed eyes betrayed a haggardness no mask could hide.
Parfen's fingers pressed the hovercar's plush seat, its sleek upholstery screaming wealth. Her lips pursed, voice tangled with unease. "This car… it's that guy's? Your friend? You've got military connections?"
If she kept guessing, she'd peg Baisha as some elite in hiding.
Baisha cut her off. "It's my friend's car, not mine. He's ex-military, but I've got no ties to them."
Half-truth, half-dodge. Zhou Mi's uncle, Ning Hongxue? None of Baisha's business.
Parfen's expression wavered—relief or heavier burden, hard to tell.
"Not explaining your dad's drugs?" Baisha asked, her deep blue eyes cold as distant stars. "And what's a 'mutant'?"
"You don't know mutants?" Parfen's voice was low, strained. "You know star-beasts, right?"
"I'm not an idiot," Baisha said.
Parfen, taut as a wire, swallowed hard. "Everyone knows star-beasts' terror: they conquer a planet, siphon local DNA, and spawn mutant strains to dominate. They adapt perfectly, securing their rule. But humans? Their kryptonite. Star-beasts can't harvest our genes."
"Humans and star-beasts don't mix… except mutants."
"Some—sensitive to physique or mental strength—can be tainted by star-beast genes, transforming. It's rare, almost negligible. The military calls them 'mutants.' Spot one, kill on sight."
Baisha listened, mind drifting to Zhou Mi's exile on Lanslow. Tainted by ghost-beasts, not beyond saving, but he'd refused home. Likely tied to this. If his infection hadn't been curbed, he'd have become a mutant. His mental strength would've slowed the process, but he'd rather die quietly than face his family's torment.
A double-S mech soldier, a captain—ghost-beast infection was improbable. Yet his "hypersense" made his mental strength fragile, explaining it all. What would his family think if he returned?
"You dodged the drug question," Baisha said. "If you're stuck, I'll ask: why's your 'antidote' the same as Kangheng's upcoming 'anti-radiation vaccine'?"
Parfen, buckling, spilled. "The vaccine is a star-beast gene neutralizer!" Her words tumbled out. "It's only for Lanslow. Other planets' radiation differs, so it's useless there. Sounds logical, right?"
Per Parfen, Lanslow's "radiation" stemmed from star-beasts. Two glaring issues:
First, Lanslow's "radiation sickness" might be star-beast contamination, not radiation.
Second, Lanslow, a backwater far from frontlines, shouldn't have star-beasts in droves, silently poisoning its people.
Baisha opened her mouth, but Parfen clammed up, realizing she'd said too much.
A ping on Baisha's light-computer. Zhou Mi's message. He'd found research files in Luqi's wrecked study.
The files outlined Parfen's father, Kangheng's chief pharmaceutical engineer, tackling two projects:
A drug to briefly boost mental strength. High difficulty, with flawed prototypes causing sporadic loss of sanity. An anti-radiation drug for Lanslow's citizens. Near success, it blocked and dissolved star-beast genes, building on prior research. Luqi's contribution: reducing toxicity and side effects. As a long-term vaccine, it could reverse mild star-beast gene contamination.
The mental booster was far from ready, but the anti-radiation drug had extensive live data. They'd used Lanslow's death-row inmates, infecting them with a substance to trigger star-beast gene corruption, then tested the drug's recovery effects.
That substance? Labeled in reports as—
"Source Crystal," Baisha murmured. "What's that?"
"What?" Parfen's face flickered with confusion. "I don't know. An experiment byproduct? I never watched their tests."
"Maybe we'll find out at your dad's office," Parfen said. "Mental boosters, anti-radiation drugs—he's got samples. Probably Source Crystal too."
Baisha eyed her. "Could your dad and brother have turned like this from the unfinished mental drug?"
"No way," Parfen said firmly. "I used it secretly for a bit—you saw, just brief blackouts. I didn't know its flaws were that bad. Dad and Brother? They're the creators. They'd know better."
Baisha sighed. "Haven't you figured it out?"
Parfen blinked. "What?"
"If it's not the drug," Baisha said, flashing the light-screen, "it's Source Crystal."
Source Crystal caused severe gene corruption.
The backstreet chaos? Some from leaked mental drugs, but others…
Baisha recalled the fight pit's uproar. An incident enraging the Chief Security wasn't just a few madmen.
Mutants, likely, at the G1 arena.
Hence the mass detentions—to silence witnesses.
Yet Kangheng, Security, and Luqi were allies. Security aided Luqi's inmate experiments. They were Kangheng's lapdogs.
Post-disaster, Security's frantic cover-up protected Kangheng's secrets.
Who, then, had stirred this shadowy vortex into the light?
They sped to Kangheng's pharma plant.
Luqi's office crowned a silver, cone-shaped tower. By day, its reflective surface blazed Kangheng's logo. At night, it was dark, save for perimeter guards—no staff lingered.
"Your company's got nice perks," Baisha quipped. "No overtime."
"That's nice?" Parfen gaped. "Five days a week, eight to five, two-hour lunch, no afternoon tea, no team events, no bonuses. Headquarters treats staff way better."
Baisha: "…" A company using live test subjects, a model employer?
The world was wild.
Baisha sighed, following Parfen's lead—scaling walls, picking locks, dodging patrols. Parfen's timing was surgical, knowing every guard route and shift change.
They crossed the landing pad to the tower.
"How many times have you snuck in?" Baisha asked.
"Lost count," Parfen said, flattening against a wall as guards passed. She signaled, and they darted to a side door. Parfen swiped her father's ID.
"Verified. Welcome back, Professor Darhan Luqi."
A white flash, and the metal-lined door slid open. They slipped in, swiped again for the elevator, and ascended to the top.
Parfen guided Baisha through a labyrinth of white walls and glass partitions. She zeroed in on her father's office, pushing the glass door. Lights and devices hummed awake.
A soft AI voice chimed, "Hello, Professor Luqi. Welcome to Kangheng Pharma's system. How may I assist?"
Parfen ignored it, rushing to a cylindrical, climate-controlled display case. Inside, several vividly colored vials sat, tagged with e-labels.
Her fingers grazed the cold case, eyes reflecting the vials' unsettling hues. She bit her lip. "Damn it, I know the mental boosters. But which is the latest anti-radiation drug?"
Baisha nodded at a light-computer station. "Check your dad's work logs."
"It's locked," Parfen said, turning. "I don't know his password."
"Other methods? Fingerprint, retina, voice…" Baisha paused. With Luqi a mutant, his genes altered, even conscious, he might not unlock it.
"Before he lost it, did he say anything?" Baisha asked.
Parfen faltered. "He… told me to run, stay safe."
Her eyes reddened. Her stern, commanding father, facing family ruin, still shielded her.
"Think hard," Baisha said. "He's your dad. If you can't crack it, no one can."
Parfen inhaled, typing numbers.
Wrong.
She frowned, hesitated, tried again.
Wrong.
"Some light-computers use dynamic passwords, cycling regularly," Baisha suggested. "Would he?"
Parfen chewed her nail. "No, he sticks to one password, always."
Her fingers hovered, then entered new digits.
The screen's jumbled shadows coalesced into a clear desktop.
"The day he became Kangheng's Chief Genetic Pharma Engineer," Parfen said wryly. "Knew it. His proudest moment."
Every genius cherishes their moment of recognition. Fair.
Parfen scrolled her father's logs. Baisha spotted more on Source Crystal.
Source Crystal: massive crystals refined from star-beast genes. Mere proximity tainted humans.
Kangheng's Lanslow experiments with Source Crystal—drugs, tests—leaked trace amounts. Water, soil, air near refining sites carried it, twisting human genes. This, not "radiation," birthed Lanslow's defective and disabled children. Kangheng pinned it on "radiation sickness."
"I found it—star-beast gene neutralizer, RX06431…" Parfen's voice soared. She rushed to the case, grabbing a pale blue vial, eyes misty. "Dad's saved—"
A laser pierced the glass door, shards flying. The beam obliterated the blue vial in Parfen's reach.
"No!" Parfen screamed.
The case shattered, vials exploding into fragments, leaving a scorched mark.
Baisha drew her defensive gun, aiming at the intruder.
A young man in a blue-grey Security cloak, black boots crunching glass. His white-gloved hand held a laser gun, barrel glowing red from the shot.
Cold-faced, with slender brows, his smiling gaze carried venom.
Three black-armored patrol soldiers followed, guns raised, boxing in Baisha and Parfen. Two drones hovered, red-blue lights strobing, painting their faces.
"Alert: You are wanted by Security. Cease all aggression. Surrender for trial."
"Alert: Alert…"
"Shi Rongyuan!" Parfen roared, livid. "Why? You know how much my dad needs that!"
"Easy, Miss Luqi," Shi Rongyuan drawled. Baisha recognized him from star-net: Lanslow's Chief Security. "Forget why you need it—plenty more in the plant, grab some later. Right now, you've been misled by this girl, committing two crimes: trespassing Kangheng Pharma and data theft, violating Lanslow's security code. I must arrest the culprit."
He eyed Parfen. "For old times' sake, Miss Luqi, you can be an innocent hostage—or a co-conspirator."
He wanted Baisha. Parfen could walk if she stepped aside.
Parfen froze, then snapped, "You know what happened to my family?"
"I called your father, got no answer," Shi said coolly. "A quick check showed someone spiked his coffee with Source Crystal derivatives. I figured what went down at Luqi House."
"Give up, Miss Luqi. Security follows military orders: no mercy for mutants. I'll send a team to clear your estate. You're unharmed—don't waste your family's sacrifice. Rest at the Bureau; I'll arrange everything."
He waved. Two soldiers dragged a raging Parfen out.
Before leaving, Parfen saw Shi approach the workstation, copying all logs and data.
She realized: she'd been played.
A setup. Her every move watched.
Parfen fought, but soldiers hauled her to a transport.
Shi lounged at the workstation, at ease. Baisha stared, stone-faced, until he spoke.
"Tired of holding that gun?"
"Drop it and die?" Baisha retorted.
"Not bad, top of this year's academy prep," Shi nodded. "You know your guilt's up to me. Pointing a gun during negotiations? Bad move."
Baisha, thrown by his tone, saw no direct conflict. She raised a brow, lowering her gun.
"I know you," Shi said, glancing over. "West Lanslow High's star mech-tech, aiming for Central Military Academy's mech division. B-grade mental strength, at least. Lucky."
Baisha stayed silent.
"You know too much about Kangheng," Shi said. "By the book, I should erase you."
Baisha: "…"
"But killing you's a waste," he continued. "This ghost planet rarely births talents like us. Join me, work for me, and I'll let you live."
Baisha inhaled, locking eyes. "You did this to Luqi House?"
Shi tilted his head. "How'd you guess?"
She pointed at the copying light-computer. "Too obvious."
Shi shrugged. "Fine, I did it for these files. Luqi was a fossil, clinging to 'loyalty to one master' nonsense. The sky's shifting, and he wouldn't budge—fine for him, but dragging me down? No. I struck first, sent him to the stars."
Copy complete. Shi pulled a chip from his light-computer, grinning, handing it to a subordinate. "Deliver to the boss."
He turned to Baisha. "So? Prison or my team?"
"I know you," Baisha said, probing. "Years ago, you graduated Lanslow High, got into the Federation's third-ranked academy."
Shi's scores shone, but B-grade mental strength barred him from Central or Saint-Cyr. He took third place, returned as Chief Security—a Kangheng pawn, by his own admission.
"Old news," Shi said, his face cooling. "Think I'm a failure? Great academy, stuck on this speck, doing dirty work?"
"You're too naive. Every student is, once." Shi scoffed. "Central's not for mudfeet like us. Claw your way to a top academy, and elites crush you. Shine, they shun you; flop, they mock you. Small-planet kids don't belong with their golden heirs. You break or grovel to power, just another dog."
Baisha stepped back. "That's… extreme."
"Extreme? You don't know the world," Shi laughed. "You know Source Crystal, but not that purified Source Crystal powers mechs?"
"Top academies demand A-grade mental strength—a hidden gate. Human mental strength first sparked from Source Crystal in star-beast wars. Now, inherited mental genes, awakened by mech use, cluster in families. Purified Source Crystal, mech fuel, is rare, hoarded by clans."
"Great houses stay great. Geniuses share bloodlines."
"What do we have? Mech tech costs a fortune. Source Crystal production and purification? Federation secrets, locked tight."
Shi's eyes glinted with bleak scorn.
"You'll end up like me."