In an instant, everything fell silent.
Jiang Yu's eyes widened. She exchanged a glance with Li Wanyun, each seeing horror in the other's eyes.
Sheng An pressed her lips together, unable to speak.
Qi Lingwu held her hand and asked softly, "What happened? Was he killed by Otherkind, or... did he become Otherkind? Is that why you came?"
"More precisely-he killed himself."
Hao Jingye shook his head. "We didn't come because of Academician He. We came because of the meteorite fragments he pieced together..."
Sheng An stepped inside, gesturing for Hao Jingye to explain as they walked.
He walked on one side of Sheng An, with Qi Lingwu on the other, as the group entered the Meteorite Research Institute.
They left the pattering rain behind them, along with the world that had become even more broken under the acid rain.
Along the way, Sheng An learned what had happened.
To reduce the meteorite fragments' effect on Capital City, fragment research had always been conducted in Stone City, where they had established a Sealed Laboratory.
Although the containment had limited effectiveness, it was better than nothing.
Ever since Academician He became certain that he would turn into Otherkind, he had immediately taken a group of Superpower Persons and soldiers to the Meteorite Research Institute in Stone City and thrown himself into his research.
Even when the acid rain came, they hadn't returned.
According to Academician Liu of the Meteorite Research Institute, Academician He had been in a great hurry. He had practically lived in the Sealed Laboratory day and night, piecing fragments together, sleeping briefly when he was tired and grabbing something to eat when he was hungry...
His students had worried about his health.
Academician He had smiled but paid them no heed, continuing to do things his own way.