189 - Cinderella’s Dream: Together Forever

In the afternoon, Chen Wan and the others wrapped dumplings. She even specifically made watermelon juice for Zai Zai to drink. The little one relished both the dumplings and the watermelon juice. Meanwhile, Shi Tou had been taken back to the main base by some peculiar people. Their base was the county hospital on the outskirts of District One. The hospital entrance was heavily barricaded with steel plates, appearing impenetrable, and the whole hospital building served as their base. Terrified, Ke Qing shivered as she followed these people. One woman with a mixed ethnicity fetched ropes and tied Ke Qing's limbs, while some individuals in white coats dragged her inside. Inside the hospital, modifications had been made. The sixth floor, originally the operating room of the county hospital, now had its walls mostly demolished, forming a large hall. Within the hall were technologically advanced operating tables. On the other side, there were jars of formaldehyde preserving zombie corpses, and various human organs in smaller jars. Nearby on a table lay a person, their torso sliced open with their viscera in a gore-filled basin beside them. Ke Qing was paralyzed with fear, realizing what fate might await her. She wanted to scream but found herself unable to utter a sound, her tears blurring her vision as she pieced together her possible future from the grisly scene around her. Shi Tou was carried onto an operating table by a few people in white coats, his hands and feet tightly secured by electronic locks, and his clothes stripped off by someone. The man who had knocked Shi Tou unconscious chuckled lightly, "Dr. Wu, the specimen we brought you this time is an ability user. Let's see if he's lucky enough to survive to enjoy it." "Liu Meng, you and your team did an excellent job, even managing to bring along his woman. As you know, willingness can increase the success rate of such experiments by five percent." Dr. Wu smiled. "Hmph, of course we know. Don't forget how we managed to survive till now," Liu Meng replied, his eyes full of animosity directed at Dr. Wu. Dr. Wu reached into his pocket, seemingly gripping something, and said, "Young man, don't be so hot-headed. All your bodies have been modified by me; no one understands them better than I do. I advise against any rash actions." "For Hades' sake, I'm sparing you," Liu Meng gritted out. Dr. Wu laughed amiably at the group and gestured for his assistant to rouse Shi Tou. Despite the throbbing in his head, Shi Tou opened his eyes, feeling the cold touch beneath him and seeing the surgical light above. He quickly became aware of his restrained state and struggled vehemently, "Who are you people? Let me go, let me go. If you have the guts, untie me and face me in a fair fight! Tying a person up, what kind of skill is that?" "A fair fight? You think someone like you qualifies?" Liu Meng scoffed, looking at Shi Tou like trash. Seeing Shi Tou awake, Dr. Wu smiled at him, "Friend, don't be anxious. You're about to do something very meaningful—through my modifications, become a powerhouse in the apocalypse. Of course, there is a price for becoming superior. If the surgery fails, you might just end up as another specimen in those formaldehyde jars. How about that? Doesn't your life suddenly feel meaningful?" "You're insane, you madman, release me!" He shouted and struggled against his restraints. "Don't bother. The restraints on this operating table use special raw materials; even a power-type ability user can't break free. You'd be wasting your energy. Also, your woman has arrived here with us too." Dr. Wu smiled, signaling some others in white coats to bring the collapsed Ke Qing over. Ke Qing sniffled and finally uttered, “Shi Tou, sob… help me. I don't want to die here. I beg you, please, let us go. We haven't done anything." "Young lady, whether you live or not depends entirely on your boyfriend. Xiao Kong, draw blood from both of them to check for any infectious diseases." Dr. Wu smiled at Ke Qing, his hair white yet giving off a gentle appearance, though his words were venomous. "No, don't touch me! I beg you, Shi Tou, save me!" Despite Ke Qing's pleas, several people held her down and drew a vial of blood from her arm. Shi Tou shouted furiously, “What the hell are you people? Don't touch her!" Dr. Wu smiled serenely, "Whether or not she is touched depends on you, not me. I'll give you a choice soon. Truthfully, ordinary people aren't of much use to my experimental modifications; at best, they're just blood banks." Ke Qing, caught in her sobs, hardly registered Dr. Wu's words, continuing to tremble in despair. Xiao Kong and some researchers rapidly analyzed both individuals' blood and reported back to Dr. Wu: "Doctor, Shi Tou's physical condition is excellent. As a power-type ability user, he's a highly suitable specimen. The woman has type A blood and is one month pregnant." Hearing this, Dr. Wu's smile widened. "Pregnant? In this world, a new life is certainly a rarity." "A child! Ke Qing, we have a child. If I had known, we wouldn't have left District One. Please, I'm begging you, don't touch her. My child is so small, it hasn't been born yet." Shi Tou shouted, tears flooding his eyes. Dr. Wu remained calm, "As far as I know, District One doesn't expel survivors unless you committed a crime there—is that correct, Shi Tou? What I’m about to say is crucial for your family's lives, so listen carefully." "What do you want? I'll do anything for you; I'll even be your dog. I beg you, spare me, my girlfriend, and my child." Shi Tou cried and struggled but remained bound. "Mercy? I'm afraid that word isn't in our lexicon. We are New World, the rulers of this apocalypse. Our leader is Hades, overseeing ghosts and monsters. Mercy is not in our nature." Dr. Wu's warm smile sent a chill through Shi Tou. "Using any anesthesia in our experiments negates the effects, so I plan to cut you open and infuse your body with energy from other ability users or mutated animals to enhance your powers. Your skeleton, scanned by our instruments, lacks density, necessitating replacement with high-grade steel to double your speed and amplify your jumping. It might hurt a bit, but I believe you can endure it." Shi Tou lay on the table, trembling, "You're all mad! Mad! I'm not doing this! Let me go, please, I'll do anything for you." "Shi Tou, right? Once modified, you'll thank me. Cooperation boosts success rates; resisting could mean bleeding out when I cut your chest open. But if you comply, I assure you your girlfriend and unborn child will be unharmed." Dr. Wu smiled again. In a fleeting moment of desperation, Shi Tou made a decision, "Don't use me as a specimen. Use Ke Qing. She's pregnant, which might give you surprising results. She's of greater value." Dr. Wu’s kind smile remained, "I thought your love for her was strong, and you would agree to cooperate to save your girlfriend and child." "I refuse! Let me go, please!" Shi Tou cried out desperately. Ke Qing was shocked by Shi Tou's words, collapsing and pleading, "Don't kill me, please don't kill me. Shi Tou, just agree with them. They won't spare you anyway, so let me and the child live, okay?" "No, aren't you going to think about me? I don't want to die," Shi Tou's emotions spiraled into madness. Dr. Wu chuckled softly and said, "Well then, Shi Tou, you'll still be our experiment. As for your girlfriend, you've just given me an excellent idea. I've thought of inserting zombie genes into that little one inside her womb. I wonder what a zombie baby born with such inherited genes would be like." "No, I don't want to be a specimen, I don't want to..." Before Ke Qing could continue, she was sedated and fell unconscious. Dr. Wu smiled, donned his mask and surgical cap, and after thoroughly washing his hands, he put on sterile gloves and stood beside Shi Tou. "Let your girlfriend rest for a while. Before I make the first incision, let me remind you: voluntarily cooperating raises the success rate of the modification to about 7%. If you resist, the success rate drops to only 2%. You're a smart man; weigh your options carefully."