Chapter 543: Extra - 3: Unfulfilled Love, Part 1
Ever since the Land Improvement Agent was developed, Nadia had often been out of sorts.
After several experiments failed midway due to accidents, Academician Warren couldn’t stop himself from calling her over. “…You’ve been far too careless lately. How could you make a mistake in this kind of experiment? You’re not just wasting everyone else’s hard work, you’re wasting your own time! We did make some progress before, but there are still many difficult problems to overcome. We absolutely cannot afford to become complacent! Understand?”
Nadia lowered her head, murmuring, “I haven’t…”
Academician Warren sighed softly. After a long moment, he asked in a low voice, “You still can’t get over that boy?!”
Nadia remained silent.
She couldn’t deny it, but she felt utterly humiliated.
‘When Levi Young left the Research Institute, it looked like he was forced to, but only I knew the truth. He’d long since grown tired of being here. He must be so happy… getting to eliminate the person threatening Sister Paige and then leaving with her,’ Nadia thought, her feelings a tangled mess.
Seeing her like this, Academician Warren couldn’t help but shake his head. He spoke bluntly, “You… you should have seen it long ago. That boy’s heart isn’t with you. Never mind that he couldn’t stay at the Research Institute; even if he were granted a special pardon and could come back, he would probably still insist on leaving. Why torture yourself, worrying sick over him! You are my most beloved student. I want you to be happy. There are plenty of outstanding young men here at our institute. You might want to try getting to know some of them. In any case, you should give up on him.”
Nadia’s expression dimmed, but she just shook her head.
“No matter how great they are, I don’t like them. I only like Andy. I… I want to go find him…”
Academician Warren stared at her with exasperation for a long moment, then finally waved his hand in frustration. “Get out, get out. I don’t want to see you again today!”
He completely ignored her plea, and Nadia knew in her heart that the chances of her being allowed to leave Central City were minuscule.
The higher-ups in Central City had sent people, practically surrounding the Research Institute with an iron-clad defense to protect it. It was a huge hassle for her to even go for a walk in the city, let alone travel south.
Besides, she’d heard that things weren’t peaceful over there.
Zombie riots and the like were extremely dangerous.
But the more she heard, the more she worried about his safety.
Head bowed in dejection, she returned to her room and threw herself heavily onto the bed.
She knew she was a real fool.
‘I’m not pretty and I have terrible taste in men.’
‘I used to like Evan Pierce, and he was nothing but a heartless scumbag! After that, I swore I’d never give my heart away again, that I’d never fall in love with anyone. But can someone please tell me why I inexplicably fell for Andy?!’
Nadia buried her face in her quilt, letting the tears slowly well up.
‘I really like him, so, so much…’
‘It was like just having him around filled me with energy. I felt like I could take on even the most difficult experiments. I wouldn’t get discouraged, no matter how many times I failed.’
‘I liked him so much… that even knowing he only felt pity for me, that he just couldn’t bear to hurt me, I still threw caution to the wind and was good to him. I was hoping that even if he couldn’t love me, he’d feel even more pity, even more reluctance, until he couldn’t even bring himself to leave!’
But… it wasn’t enough…
He had left so cleanly, but she couldn’t be like him.
When Evan Pierce had left back then, she could at least focus on her experiments and forget everything else. But now, she couldn’t even concentrate on her work.
What was she going to do?
‘I want to find him. I want to see him. The thought is driving me crazy!’
Nadia’s condition worsened. Academician Warren had long since found it unbearable to watch. He wanted to help her, to at least let her see Levi Young one more time, but even he didn’t have the authority to make that happen.
And so the days dragged on, one after another.
Gradually, Nadia became much more withdrawn.
After confiding in Ms. Shaw, she reflected on her pain and made a firm decision. She buried the torturous longing for Levi Young deep in her heart, refusing to let it show. Because of this, however, her temper grew somewhat erratic. When her assistants and junior researchers were in the lab, they faced her expressionless face, completely unable to guess if she was pleased or displeased, satisfied or unsatisfied. They had no choice but to be extra careful to avoid setting her off.
This, of course, led to some gossip.
But her skills were undeniable. Although there were no major breakthroughs in her experiments, she was making steady progress, so her position at the Research Institute remained unshakable.
Nadia had almost resigned herself to living out the rest of her life this way.
But just as she was on the verge of despair, an opportunity to see him arrived.
Word came from Bloodfall United City. After further research on the Land Improvement Agent, they had created a new Land Activation Agent, which was even more effective at promoting crop growth. Furthermore, they intended to promote the agent throughout all of Astoria via Central City, hoping to solve the nation’s food crisis.
For everyone, this was absolutely cause for widespread celebration.
The Central Government immediately decided to send a team of researchers, escorted by the Power Corps, to Bloodfall United City to study it.
Academician Warren was too old for such a long journey, so he strongly recommended Nadia to go.
The Central Government had no objections.
Nadia was Academician Warren’s star pupil and had made significant contributions to the development of the Land Improvement Agent. Sending her would ensure a smooth and successful transfer of the Land Activation Agent technology.
When Nadia heard the news, she was stunned for a long time.
Academician Warren patted her shoulder. “Go. I fought for this chance for you. See him. Whether it works out or not, whether you stay or leave, just talk things through with him and get some closure. Otherwise, you’ll just…”
He paused, deciding not to finish the sentence.
‘This girl always bottles things up now,’ he thought. ‘If I say too much, I’m afraid she’ll overthink it.’
Academician Warren left.
It had all happened so suddenly that for a moment, Nadia didn’t know what to think.
Afterward, as if in a daze, she accepted the Government’s assignment.
Packing clothes, making lists, handing over the necessary lab equipment to the Power Corps for transport, and so on and so forth… Just like that, before she knew it, she had said goodbye to her mentor and was in a vehicle heading to Bloodfall United City.
The road south was much easier to travel now.
The extermination agreement between Central City and the Dead City had proven highly effective. This, in turn, motivated other bases. They began contacting Central City one after another, reaching written or verbal agreements that as long as they cleared a certain number of Zombies or a greater number of Mutant Beasts, Central City would issue corresponding rewards.
The direct result was that a clear path had been opened between Central City and Southreach.
Although mutated plants still covered many areas, and the road was full of large, uneven potholes, at least there was no threat from hordes of Zombies or Mutant Beasts. For the most part, their safety was reasonably assured.
Even so, it still took Nadia, her few colleagues, and the two hundred Power Corps soldiers protecting them over a month to arrive.
It was Nadia’s first time in Bloodfall United City. She looked around with curiosity, but had to admit she was shocked.
There were no excessively high walls here. However, as the Power Corps soldiers explained, the real defense was the double-layered metal fence outside the seven or eight-meter-high wall—a powerful deterrent.
One layer was an electric fence, and the other was a poison-laced one.
If anyone actually tried to attack, those two fences alone would inflict considerable losses.
It wasn’t just this that shocked Nadia, but also the sheer scale of Bloodfall United City.
Judging by the outer walls alone, it was nearly as large as Central City. Just driving along the perimeter took their vehicles half a day…
This made her even more eager to see what it was like inside.
However, all that curiosity and anticipation, along with every other emotion, seemed to crystallize into a single, unblinking stare the moment she saw that familiar face in the welcoming party at the gate.
After getting out of the vehicle, she stood a little over ten meters away, staring fixedly at the man smiling at her.
Instantly, tears fell.