Hatred

The office was silent, broken only by the occasional rustle of turning pages.

Dai Yong'an held several pages of documents in both hands, his gaze intent. His brow alternately tightened and relaxed, and his fingers occasionally tapped lightly on certain passages.

Throughout this, Dr. Gears sat motionless on the bloodstained sofa, as though he had become an exquisitely crafted statue. Only the lenses of his gold-rimmed glasses reflected a cold gleam beneath the lights.

After a long while, Dai Yong'an finally set down the file and slowly raised his head, looking across the desk directly at Dr. Gears on the sofa.

"Dr. Gears, are you representing the Ethics Committee right now... or yourself?"

"Both."

Dr. Gears adjusted his glasses. "I warned you a week ago, when D-87465 first participated in the experiment for project E-566.

Under Temporary Recruitment Protocol 7-B, Class-D Personnel obtained through nonstandard channels should, in principle, not participate in high-risk experiments rated Dangerous or above. But you disregarded that. This is already the second time."

Dai Yong'an gave a cold laugh. "You know what? I generally call this sort of condescending pity 'hypocrisy'... I've never denied my own ruthlessness, but plenty of people here clearly prefer to act behind a mask of morality."

"You're mistaken, Dr. Dai. Our mission may require us to compromise our humanity, but that doesn't mean we have no limits. The Ethics Committee exists to find that balance," Dr. Gears countered calmly.

"Hmph. Don't put yourself on the moral high ground. Can you really claim that none of your actions are driven by self-interest?"

Dai Yong'an lifted his chin slightly. "Gears, tolerating your interference in my project last time, and allowing you to erase D-87465's memories immediately after the incident, was already a concession on my part. Don't think I don't know you're actually one of the Conservatives."

"I have no intention of arguing with you over that, Dr. Dai." There was no fluctuation of emotion in Gears's voice. "If you cannot provide a reasonable explanation for your actions, your application will be rejected."

Faced with Gears's relentless pressure, Dai Yong'an suddenly fell silent.

Only after a long while did he give an enigmatic smile, as though he had reached some sort of decision.

"Gears, do you know why I always notice the details others overlook?"

Dai Yong'an explained evenly:

"Whether they're researchers or Class-D Personnel, I see only two kinds of people: useful and useless.

Only an idiot would distinguish between them and label them in advance solely on the basis of their past.

If D-87465 is unremarkable, just an ordinary member of Class-D Personnel, then he should die in an experiment or become some anomalous entity's excrement.

If he possesses exceptional skills and abilities far beyond those of ordinary people, then he should be sitting in an office, or standing on the front lines against threats.

If he possesses immense power he cannot control, and is dangerous enough, then he should be locked in a containment chamber and treated as a humanoid anomaly or a potential weapon..."

"Dr. Dai Yong'an, please answer my question directly." Gears's expression remained unchanged.

Dai Yong'an exhaled and slowly began:

"I have sufficient reason to believe that D-87465 exhibits a unique phenomenon distinct from common humanoid anomalies. This ability may involve multiple occult fields, including probability manipulation and causal interference, allowing him to survive multiple high-risk experiments in ways that appear plausible but are, in fact, anomalous.

You should know that in previous experiments involving the provisional containment item E-695, the 'Death Painting,' the survival rate for Class-D Personnel was zero. Yet D-87465 broke that record. He 'just happened' to encounter the project's periodic dormant phase. Subsequently, through a series of incredible coincidences, he became directly involved in two containment breaches and survived.

As you can see, this persistent 'luck' has clearly exceeded the bounds of a normal probability distribution..."

He paused, then continued, "Of course, in the interest of rigor, I haven't simply treated my conjecture as a conclusion. I hoped to verify this hypothesis through further controlled experiments. But you people... don't seem inclined to give me that opportunity..."

Dai Yong'an's voice suddenly rose:

"In that case, I will proceed directly with an Anomalous Interaction Experiment on the grounds that D-87465 is a potential threat entity! This complies with the Containment Facility's standard procedures for handling special unknown threats. Are you satisfied with that explanation?!"

"Understood." Gears adjusted his glasses and glanced down at his watch. "Then please submit a new experimental application report as soon as possible."

As he spoke, Gears began gathering the documents scattered across the desk and neatly returning them to the document envelope.

"I thought you'd drone on a little longer." Dai Yong'an raised his eyebrows and sneered, a hint of mockery in his voice.

"I stated my purpose from the outset," Gears replied evenly without looking up. "Now that it has been achieved, I naturally have nothing more to say."

Still sneering, Dai Yong'an watched Gears leave the office.

Only when the footsteps gradually faded down the corridor did he drop his smile and frown in puzzlement.

Site-17, Section B of the level 0-1 employee dormitories.

After returning to his room, Zhou Ze went straight to the bathroom, turned on the faucet, and repeatedly rinsed his face with ice-cold tap water.

Then he slowly took off his outer clothes, pretending to get ready for a shower while actually scrutinizing every inch of his skin.

Only after confirming that there was nothing abnormal about his body did Zhou Ze stare at his grim-faced reflection and ask in a low voice without turning around:

"What exactly did Dai Yong'an make me swallow?"

"Hmm... a gen+3-generation nanobot bomb."

Old Yang's voice came from the bathroom doorway, his assessment casual. "That's not Containment Facility technology. Getting hold of one isn't easy. Looks like he really spared no expense on you..."

At those words, Zhou Ze's expression gradually darkened, even twisting into something savage. His hands gripped the edges of the sink tightly, his knuckles whitening from the force.

For once, he didn't snark at Old Yang's remark. Instead, a deep resentment rose within him, impossible to suppress. Negative emotions surged like a tide, threatening to drown him.

This was the first time Zhou Ze had ever felt such intense hatred toward anyone.

In adversity, Zhou Ze played the madman or the fool; when things went well, he did as he pleased. But he had always maintained his own limits, and never tried to impose his personal values on others. He respected everyone's choices, even when he thought those choices might be wrong.

So he couldn't understand what he had done lately that was so unforgivable as to warrant being treated like this.

At that moment, outside the bathroom doorway where Zhou Ze couldn't see him, Old Yang's nostrils twitched slightly, as though he were gently sniffing something. His expression grew intoxicated, and a strange light flickered in his eyes.

He slowly raised his arm, his fingers tracing elegant arcs through the air, as though conducting an invisible symphony.