ATIGIBTC Chapter 21

«Are you willing to risk death by getting married?»

“Zhu Yan, I need to speak with Min Zhizhou. How do I get down there?” He Fang asked, looking at the empty space below.

Zhu Yan gracefully opened the elevator door beside them, making an elegant inviting gesture. “It would be my honor to guide the esteemed Lord of the City.”

He Fang: “…” The elevator was already right there; he probably didn’t need a guide.

Min Zhizhou was half-kneeling on the ground, clutching his side where he’d been struck. His face was ashen, his jaw clenched tightly, and his lips quivered slightly, clearly trying to endure the pain.

The young girl in front of him was flustered, her eyes wide with panic. She hadn’t expected that simply tossing a weapon would injure Min Zhizhou so severely. Her face was full of guilt and alarm.

“I-I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to—I never thought it’d hurt you this badly. I was just scared and threw the weapon without thinking… I… I didn’t mean to—”

He Fang’s expression twisted strangely. Well done, girl. That was a precise emotional blow.

Zhu Yan stepped forward and crouched down before the panicking girl. Though his voice was cool, it carried a soothing quality. “It’s alright. Don’t worry. Now, why don’t you take the elevator you came down in and head back up? There’s a researcher outside who will assist you with the next steps, and then you can take your reward money and buy whatever you’d like.”

“But… his face looks terrible,” the girl said anxiously, clearly concerned about the damage she’d inadvertently caused to Min Zhizhou. She didn’t even notice He Fang standing quietly to the side.

“It’s fine. This isn’t your fault,” Min Zhizhou said, half-holding his head. His face was drenched in sweat. His voice trembled with pain, but his tone was soothing, clearly trying to comfort her.

“Well… okay. But… if you’re seriously hurt and need money, you can come find me. I’ll give you my reward money,” the girl stammered. She glanced at Min Zhizhou several more times, her expression heavy with guilt, before finally retreating step by step and leaving.

Min Zhizhou, sweating profusely from the pain, still managed to give the girl a reassuring smile.

Then, in his field of vision, he noticed a pair of slender, fair ankles—completely non-threatening. He looked up and met He Fang’s gaze, which was laden with complexity and sympathy.

“How are you feeling now?” He Fang asked as he sat cross-legged in front of him.

“Not great,” Min Zhizhou replied honestly. Unexpectedly compliant in front of He Fang, he didn’t hide his true feelings. “When the weapon flew toward me, I had a strong premonition. If I didn’t dodge it, it might’ve cut me in half. I’ve always trusted my instincts. For years, it’s been my exceptional intuition that’s given me an edge over others in surviving longer and gaining more experience.”

Though Min Zhizhou had failed, his expression wasn’t one of defeat or despair. Instead, it carried the dazed relief of someone who’d narrowly escaped a disaster. From the start, he hadn’t underestimated his opponent. He had been mentally prepared, attacking and dodging with all his might.

Others might not understand, but He Fang understood all too well. With Min Zhizhou’s frail constitution, even a baby squeezing his finger could probably cause a fracture.

The stark contrast between the attributes of those inside the city and those outside had long remained unresolved, leaving He Fang perpetually anxious. However, even amidst his worries, he didn’t want anyone to get hurt during these tests and experiments.

“You said you’ve taken the best precautions, right?” He Fang turned to ask.

Zhu Yan’s cool and handsome face suddenly showed a faint trace of grievance. “We’ve taken all the necessary precautions. The clothes Min Zhizhou is wearing, though lightweight, are designed to minimize the risk of internal injuries. And while the weapons may look sharp, they’re all made of soft plastic toys.”

“Alright… my apologies,” He Fang said, realizing that Zhu Yan hadn’t done anything wrong and didn’t deserve his doubt. Turning back to Min Zhizhou, he asked, “Feeling better? Can you move? Let me see the injury.”

“A bit better.” For some reason, Min Zhizhou felt a sense of peace whenever he saw the calm and composed young man in front of him. In this land of overwhelming beauty, He Fang’s cool demeanor was like a breath of fresh air.

Min Zhizhou unzipped his shirt, revealing a sturdy, muscular torso. However, his waist and abdomen were covered with a massive, bruised patch of black and blue, looking alarmingly severe. He Fang couldn’t help but gasp.

“It’s fine. I’ve suffered similar injuries before. The research institute will arrange for hospital treatment,” Min Zhizhou said, his expression serious.

He Fang narrowed his eyes, skeptical of Min Zhizhou’s so-called “serious expression”. He’d worn the same look when a pretty girl had fed him before. “Are you, by chance, looking forward to seeing the doctor?”

Min Zhizhou’s composure finally cracked, and a blush spread across his face. “The nurses are… well… they’re very pretty. And gentle.”

He Fang: “…”

Clearly embarrassed, Min Zhizhou awkwardly tried to play it off. “I mean, come on, I’m still a single guy, after all.”

Seeing that Min Zhizhou’s mood had lightened, He Fang decided to change the subject. “Why do you keep coming to the research institute to participate in these experiments? I thought you liked working at the junkyard.”

“It pays well,” Min Zhizhou said, making a gesture to indicate money.

He Fang: “…”

Min Zhizhou cleared his throat and continued more seriously, “Besides, it helps the research institute understand the Nightmare Beast seeds more quickly.”

Zhu Yan, who had been silently observing, chimed in, “Indeed. Thanks to Min Zhizhou’s cooperation, we’ve obtained some very intriguing data.”

“Huh?” He Fang was confused. “I thought the Nightmare Beast seeds didn’t affect us?”

“We discovered that the seeds don’t become inactive on our city’s soil—they simply can’t parasitize us,” Zhu Yan explained, pausing to organize his thoughts before summarizing. “Nightmare Beast seeds can parasitize any living organism or its byproducts, but only if it’s Min Zhizhou. They’re completely ineffective on anyone else.”

Min Zhizhou’s face turned ashen: “…”

He Fang was utterly dumbfounded. Tentatively, he asked, “So… does this mean the seeds… think we’re… not very appetizing?”

“We still don’t fully understand the parasitic mechanism of the Nightmare Beast seeds. Having only Mr. Min as a sample may not be comprehensive enough for the experiments. My suggestion is to see if we can capture more individuals with a similar biological structure to Mr. Min for multi-sample data experiments,” Zhu Yan said in his cold and indifferent tone as if merely discussing an ordinary and unremarkable data set.

But upon serious consideration, wasn’t this essentially human experimentation?

“That doesn’t sound right.” He Fang shook his head. “Forcing experiments on people against their will would destroy public trust before the experiments even succeed.”

Zhu Yan’s gaze softened slightly, appreciating the Creator’s kindness and sincerity. He said, “Of course, we’re talking about compensated experiments. I believe that as long as we offer appropriate rewards, those suffering and struggling outside the city, like Mr. Min’s fellow compatriots, will likely make the same choice as he did.”

“I’m not sure if now is the right time to make contact with people outside the city,” He Fang said, his headache intensifying at the thought of the flood of resident requests piling up in the system. “You should leave. I need to speak with Min Zhizhou alone.”

Zhu Yan was visibly displeased at being dismissed. From an angle He Fang couldn’t see, a trace of hurt, mixed with disdain and malice, flashed across Zhu Yan’s flawlessly handsome face as he shot a sharp glance at the innocent Min Zhizhou before reluctantly leaving the pristine white research lab.

Min Zhizhou’s expression turned exceedingly complex. The refined and oblivious young city lord in front of him was deeply loved by the citizens, while he himself, with his unique biological traits, had been “specially entertained” by the city lord many times—often to his detriment.

Yet, Min Zhizhou didn’t mind. Compared to the constant threat of death and starvation outside, this place was like paradise. Even the schemes and intrigues here seemed endearing. These people, living under the shelter of peace and purity, had not displayed the vile and repugnant malice that arose during the apocalypse.

“City Lord, is there something you’d like to ask me?” Min Zhizhou inquired.

He Fang rubbed his chin thoughtfully and asked seriously, “Would you marry someone from my city?”

Min Zhizhou: “???”

“I mean…” He Fang carefully chose his words. “Would you risk being accidentally killed by your partner, if you marry someone from my city?”

Min Zhizhou: “?!”

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