Chapter 170: His Service Attitude is Terrible
’Are Level 1 researchers really this impressive?’
Shen Lu followed Li Qin to her office in a daze.
Li Qin’s office was a bit of a mess. The left side of her desk was piled high with documents, while the right side was covered in various pieces of lab equipment. Shen Lu even spotted a few small flowerpots, from which tiny, faint green sprouts peeked out, so delicate you’d miss them if you weren’t looking closely.
Li Qin rummaged around for a moment and pulled out a few Star Coins from the very bottom of a drawer.
After a moment’s thought, she handed them all to Shen Lu.
"Miss, you don’t have to give me so many." Shen Lu took one of the bills. "This much is enough."
She had exchanged popularity value for the sanitary pads. Although popularity value was worth far more than Star Coins, the amount Li Qin was offering was clearly way over the price.
"Alright." Li Qin’s impression of Shen Lu improved even more. "What’s your name? What brings you to the Institute?"
"My name is Shen Lu. I came here with someone to make a delivery."
Shen Lu had originally considered lying, but after thinking it over, she decided to give her real name.
Everyone had to fill out visitor information upon entering the Biological Research Institute, and they even verified it against citizen records. It was impossible to fake, so there was no point in lying now and causing unnecessary trouble.
"Oh." Li Qin wasn’t suspicious. Plenty of people came to the Institute to deliver things; that was how they received many of their research samples.
’But that name, Shen Lu... Why does it sound so familiar?’
Shen Lu looked around, examining the details of the office, and asked curiously, "Miss, what is it that you research?"
"We’re probably about the same age, you can just call me Li Qin." Li Qin casually stuffed the remaining Star Coins back into the drawer. "I research plants."
"Do you research new crop varieties?"
"No, I research plant mutations."
"Plants can mutate? Is it the same kind of mutation that turns animals into mutant beasts?"
"More or less." Li Qin didn’t mind chatting with others about her research topic, since this part wasn’t confidential anyway. "Did you know that mutations are actually divided into benign and malignant types?"
Shen Lu shook her head. "I’ve never heard that before."
Perhaps all researchers have a bit of a teacher in them. Li Qin felt she and Shen Lu clicked, so she became a bit more talkative.
"Take Superpower Users, for example. They’re the result of benign mutations, while mutant beasts are the result of malignant ones."
Shen Lu’s eyes widened. ’There’s a theory like that?’
’Following Li Qin’s logic, does that mean anyone who awakens has a chance of becoming a mutant beast?’
’No, that’s not right. Then what about the mutant beast that crawled out of Fang Peng’s body?’
’That was more like it was parasitizing a human body, not a simple awakening.’
"What I’m researching is how to make plants undergo benign mutations, so they can grow faster, stronger, and bear more fruit."
Li Qin was looking down, searching through some documents, and didn’t notice the expression on Shen Lu’s face. "This project has been going for years without any major breakthroughs. Personally, I don’t think it has much research value."
She sounded like she was venting and complaining.
Shen Lu snapped back to reality. "Can plants really mutate? I’ve never heard any news about it."
"Of course they can mutate. It’s just that there are almost no wild plants left, and cultivated plants don’t have the right conditions to mutate at all." Li Qin clicked her tongue. "Let me walk you back to the conference room. We shouldn’t keep your partner waiting."
Shen Lu waved her hands frantically. "No, no, that’s okay! I know the way back. I can go by myself. I don’t want to interrupt your work."
"Alright then. Go out, turn left, then turn right, and you’ll be there. Try not to take a wrong turn, or you’ll be treated as a security threat." Li Qin instructed, "If you do get lost, just answer whatever questions they ask you. I’ll come rescue you."
Shen Lu: ...
Well, that comment squashed her grand, adventurous ideas into tiny, cautious ones.
Shen Lu had planned to "accidentally" get lost and peek into a few more offices, but now it seemed she’d better not push her luck.
’Don’t do anything risky during a sensitive time. If I get blacklisted, it’ll be even harder to get into the Biological Research Institute in the future.’
On her way back to the conference room, Shen Lu deliberately walked very slowly, occasionally peeking through the cracks of doors that weren’t shut tightly to glimpse the scenes inside.
They were all more or less the same as Li Qin’s office, nothing special.
She made it back to the conference room without any trouble. The glass case by Xue Can’s side was now empty. While she was gone, he had completed the handover with the Institute staff and was just waiting for her to return so they could leave.
The Biological Research Institute never allowed unauthorized personnel to linger, and this time was no exception.
A security guard escorted the two of them out the main gate. The rain outside was a little heavier than before. Shen Lu frowned. ’Why is this rain endless? It’s been pouring for days without any sign of stopping.’
"Let’s go." Xue Can looked up at the sky. "The rain will get heavier soon."
"It’s going to get even heavier?" Shen Lu’s little face scrunched up. "Why is it like this?"
There was no way to do business in this kind of rainy weather. Shen Lu was getting really anxious.
It wasn’t that she disliked resting, but too much time off gave Shen Lu a sense of crisis.
Opening for business every day was exhausting, sure, but it felt secure. There were more natural disasters to come, and she had to make herself as strong as possible to live the good life in this apocalypse.
"It’s always like this. We’re at the end of the rainy season, when the rainfall is heaviest." Xue Can put on his rain hood. "If we don’t go now, you’ll have to swim back."
Shen Lu couldn’t swim—she was a total landlubber. Hearing that, she immediately set off after Xue Can.
Just as Xue Can had said, they had barely passed the checkpoint when the moderate rain turned into a downpour. Huge, bean-sized raindrops pelted Shen Lu, and she could feel their weight even through her raincoat and short-sleeved shirt.
By the time they reached the Eleventh District, Shen Lu was leaning against a wall, panting. Her back ached so much she couldn’t stand up straight.
’So tired.’
’I can’t walk anymore.’
They had originally hailed a cab after leaving the Institute, but halfway there, floodwaters blocked the road, and the taxi couldn’t get through, so Shen Lu had no choice but to get out.
So, Shen Lu had to walk the rest of the way. Combined with the walk over, her stamina was severely drained.
’If only I had a boat right now. Even a wooden plank would do.’
The water on the ground had already risen past her calves and was still climbing little by little. A thick stench enveloped her completely. Shen Lu’s breathing grew ragged, and her vision started to go black.
Xue Can noticed the person behind him wasn’t keeping up. He turned back to see Shen Lu looking like she was about to collapse.
’Look at her. Serves her right.’
’I told her not to come, but she insisted on tagging along. Now she can’t keep up, can she?’
Just as Shen Lu’s nearly-shutdown brain was struggling to figure out what to do, her body suddenly floated into the air.
’Huh?’
’Did I pass out?’
’No, no, why is my head facing down?’
The sky became the ground, and the ground became the sky.
It took a full minute for Shen Lu to realize she had been hoisted onto someone’s shoulder.
The position wasn’t very comfortable. The person’s shoulder was digging into her stomach, which made it very unpleasant when they walked.
Shen Lu squirmed, trying to shift into a more comfortable position.
"Don’t move," Xue Can said coldly. "If you move, you can get down and walk yourself."
"Oh, I won’t move."
Shen Lu pouted and muttered to herself inwardly: ’His service attitude is terrible. Can I ask for a discount?’