The wind was indeed howling fiercely, at least to Zuo Lun.
When feeling gloomy, Zuo Lun would usually light a cigarette, but not today—even though the pack sat right beside the steering wheel.
The man in the passenger seat, however, was leisurely puffing away.
The two drove in silence.
"Hey," Mu Yiming, the passenger, finally broke the quiet. "Aren't you always spouting nonsense while driving? Why the sudden mute act?"
Zuo Lun didn't look at him. "Better focus on the road."
"Bullshit," Mu Yiming waved his hand dismissively, flicking ash out the window. "Quit the act. Spit it out. I'm not some cryptic mastermind."
Zuo Lun ignored him, eyes fixed on the road.
"It's a few hours from Wuxin to Nuocheng. You'd better decide if we're stopping midway. Time's tight—they won't wait forever," Mu Yiming said coolly.
He knew their situation all too well. Months of late-night efforts had yielded little, and now, with this rare opportunity, he refused to let it slip.
Besides, he couldn't afford to lose.
The car sped on. The late hour ensured a smooth exit from the city, and soon they entered a tunnel.
"About the plan," Zuo Lun spoke abruptly. "Those collaborators you mentioned in your text—can they really get what you need?"
Mu Yiming glanced sideways but stayed silent.
"If they can actually secure those things, color me interested," Zuo Lun continued. "Not everyone's bold enough to obtain what even that stubborn foreigner Mufario Kroze couldn't. These people are… intriguing."
"Execution matters, Lao Zuo. Their gear solves the hardware problem, but the real nightmare is the implementation," Mu Yiming scratched his stubbled chin. "Truth is, those gadgets aren't essential. The real prize isn't the equipment."
"So you're saying we don't need these collaborators after all?"
Mu Yiming turned away, lighting another cigarette.
"Let me put it this way," he exhaled smoke. "Their devices are just tools. What we truly need isn't flashy tech. Think—is a reactor hard to source? No. We could get one ourselves, but it's not the linchpin. What I need is what we saw back then. You know it, Lao Zuo. Two years ago in Hecheng—those things shouldn't exist. They're unstable. Our job is to *control* them."
He paused, cracking his stiff neck. Years of nocturnal work had left his joints creaking like an old man's.
Zuo Lun kept driving, refusing to engage.
Deep down, he understood. The memories surged—bizarre, unsettling.
*Mutants.*
Grotesque creatures radiating dread.
Zuo Lun vividly recalled locking eyes with one. No dazzling hues, no "auras" as foreign scholars described. Just hollow, lifeless voids—an abyss without end.
He'd fought the primal urge to destroy it immediately. No logic, just visceral revulsion:
*This doesn't belong here.*
Post-Hecheng events remained murky. Dr. Mufario Kroze himself had investigated, even roping in Chen Chen. Yet neither scholar could decipher the enigma.
Mu Yiming's ambitions diverged sharply. Like Chen Chen said, he was mad. While sharing Zuo Lun's disgust for the creatures, Mu Yiming aligned with his mentor Mufario's vision—but with a twist. Where the academics sought to study biology, Mu Yiming saw *evolution*.
Flawed evolution.
"They're failed prototypes," he insisted. "Mindless, thus unfit to exist. We'll refine the process—create *true* evolved beings. Autonomous. Intelligent."
This heresy had severed ties with Chen Chen. Mufario supported it, leading to their exile from Lanhai City. Drifting through cities, they'd finally found patronage in Wuxin—Lin Heyuan of Nuocheng.
"Face it, Lao Zuo," Mu Yiming interrupted his thoughts. "Chen Chen's vision is myopic. This is biological revolution. Someone must take the first step. If he's allergic to progress, why shouldn't we feast?"
He chuckled dryly. "We're making history. It's 2043—the pinnacle of human tech. We don't bail. We're pioneers. This… will be humanity's crowning achievement."
A beat.
"Besides—we're *scientists*. Trailblazers."
Zuo Lun finally met his gaze.
*Scientist.* The label felt alien, yet he'd craved it—proof of legacy. Mu Yiming's fervor was infectious. No more bending to critics like Chen Chen.
For the first time, Zuo Lun fully embraced the plan.
"After this," he said, "I want one thing. Take me back to Nuocheng. Before we end them… I need to see those things again. Fully."
"You think they're evolutionary keys too?"
Zuo Lun shook his head.
"No. I just… want to look closer. Beyond the horror. The *insides*. Do they… understand their sacrifice for evolution?"
Mu Yiming grinned.
"So you don't truly believe they're extraterrestrial."
"Never did. Just… aberrations of this world."
"What's the difference?"
Zuo Lun's eyes narrowed.
"Simple, Lao Mu. Your theory's about aliens."
"Fascinating…" Mu Yiming reclined, hands behind his head.
Outside,the wind still raged.
But unlike before, Nuocheng loomed an hour away.
Dawn broke—8:09 AM.