Chapter 34 - Thick Fog

It was already afternoon when he closed his laptop. Feng Qi stretched and prepared to head out. During this time, Lin Ran had called and asked him to go to the library to study, but he refused. This was because he planned to look for Bai Fusheng in the afternoon to ask about Mu Qing. Since Bai Fusheng was the principal of Star City Academy, Feng Qi felt that he definitely knew the details of Mu Qing’s situation. After pulling out his business card and dialing the number, Bai Fusheng’s voice sounded from the other end. “Who is this?” “Grandmaster, I’m Feng Qi. I want to ask you something.” “Oh, Feng Qi, come directly to my office,” Bai Fusheng replied readily. After chatting for a while and memorizing the location Bai Fusheng mentioned, he left the dormitory and walked towards the principal’s office. The Star City Academy was huge. After spending half an hour on the road, Feng Qi arrived at Building No. 1, which Bai Fusheng had mentioned. After entering the building, Feng Qi went straight to the top floor. He found the room marked “Principal’s Office” and knocked on the door. Bai Fusheng’s voice came from inside. “Feng Qi, is it? Come in.” He pushed the door open and saw Bai Fusheng holding a waterpot and watering the plants in the office. When Bai Fusheng saw Feng Qi, a smile appeared on his face. “Come, sit down. What do you want to consult?” Feng Qi came to the desk and sat down. He pondered for a moment and said, “Grandmaster, I want to know more about Mu Qing.” Upon hearing Mu Qing’s name, Bai Fusheng’s expression changed. He asked in surprise, “Why do you want to know about her?” “She’s my friend.” “Friend? I advise you to stay away from her.” “Why? Are you also discriminating her for being a Rune Transformer?” Bai Fusheng wasn’t angry when he heard this and explained, “Since I agreed to let her enter Star City Academy, why would I discriminate against her? It’s mainly because her emotions are very unstable and she’s extremely strong. She might accidentally injure you. During her time in the academy, Mu Qing has lost control more than once.” Realizing that Bai Fusheng was afraid that he would be injured, he continued to ask, “Grandmaster, can you tell me what you know about Mu Qing?” “I don’t know much about Mu Qing. The reason why she was able to enter Star City Academy was mainly because of the commission from the Scarlet Research Institute. That’s why I agreed to it. What I can be sure of is that Mu Qing is a subject of observation and research by the Scarlet Research Institute. The reason she became a Rune Transformer is also the result of the institute’s experiment.” When Feng Qi heard this, he was puzzled. “Isn’t the Rune Transformer Project banned? Why can the Scarlet Research Institute still carry out such research openly?” “It has been banned, but the Scarlet Research Institute is rather special. It’s a special organization that’s completely independent of all research institutes and directly under the management of the military. They have the right to conduct small-scale special experiments, including the Rune Transformer Project. After all, this path that once couldn’t be taken might still turn for the better. As long as it succeeds, it will definitely advance the development process of all mankind.” “Even if the Scarlet Research Institute has the right to conduct Rune Transformer experiments, can they disregard the wishes of others and force others to conduct human experiments without permission?” Feng Qi could not help but frown. Hearing this, Bai Fusheng could not help but be stunned. “All the experiments in the Scarlet Research Institute are reported to the military, and all living experimental subjects participate voluntarily. How could they be forced? Did you hear it from Mu Qing?” Bai Fusheng’s words made Feng Qi realize something. It seemed that many of the actions of the Scarlet Research Institute were approved, but he did not believe that it was innocent. There was a scene in Mu Qing’s memory. A woman in black took Mu Qing, who was already an orphan, away, saying that she was to continue with the unfinished experiment. At that time, he could clearly feel the resistance and struggle in Little Mu Qing’s heart. He felt that there must be something wrong with the Scarlet Research Institute! At this thought, he looked at Bai Fusheng and continued to ask, “Did Mu Qing become a Rune Transformer voluntarily?” “Of course. I’ve also asked the Scarlet Research Institute about this. They told me that Mu Qing’s parents were originally scavengers outside the city. In the early years, Star City accepted a group of scavengers and her family was among them. “After settling down in the city, her family took the initiative to sign up as a living experiment subjects during a recruitment mission by the Scarlet Research Institute. A series of Rune Transformer experiments were carried out on them. During this period, due to the repulsion reaction between their bodies and rune energy, they did not survive.” “This doesn’t make sense. Why would Mu Qing’s family take the initiative to participate in the experiment? Did they not know the possible risks? If something goes wrong, wouldn’t they know what will happen to the young Mu Qing?” “At that time, I was as puzzled as you. I asked the staff of the Scarlet Research Institute the same question. The answer I received was that Mu Qing’s relatives were indeed willing because they did not have long to live.” Looking at the puzzled Feng Qi, Bai Fusheng continued, “The news I received was that Mu Qing’s family had been attacked by a domain transcendent outside the city. Although reinforcements arrived in time, Mu Qing and her family had inhaled the poisonous fog spat out by the domain transcendent. A small amount of it was not enough to kill them but there was no way to cure them with modern medical methods. They could only live for about three years at most. Therefore, they made a series of requests to the Scarlet Research Institute and took the initiative to sign up for the experiment.” “What request?” “They wanted Mu Qing to grow up healthy and receive the best education. That’s why the Scarlet Research Institute fulfilled their promise a year ago and sent her to Star City Academy.” Bai Fusheng’s answer caused Feng Qi to be puzzled. If Mu Qing was forced by the Scarlet Research Institute to carry out the Rune Transformer experiment, why did they take the initiative to release Mu Qing and let her study in the academy? The information obtained from the future also proved that the Scarlet Research Institute did not interfere with Mu Qing’s life after that. Therefore, after graduation, she joined a domain combat team and became a warrior. If the Scarlet Research Institute was really an evil organization, they should have imprisoned Mu Qing and continued the experiment. Thinking about it this way, the Scarlet Research Institute, which he had originally thought to be heinous, did not seem to be as evil as he thought. Feng Qi could not think straight. Could there be something else going on? At that time, he had only seen a scene in Mu Qing’s memory. Now that he heard Bai Fusheng’s explanation, his previous guess was shaken. If Mu Qing was willing to continue participating in the experiment, then what was the reason that made Mu Qing think of becoming enemies with all of humanity? Feng Qi, who could not figure it out, felt a headache. The truth that he thought he was about to grasp seemed to have become a fog of uncertainty again. … After chatting for a while longer, Feng Qi bade farewell to Bai Fusheng and returned to his dormitory. Since he could not figure it out, he decided to explore the future dream again and see if he could find some useful clues to piece together the answer.