"So that's how it is!"
Xu Jiao nodded, accepting the explanation.
The T-virus was potent. In less than half an hour, Xu Jiao's body began to grow cold, and her eyes occasionally rolled upward beyond her control.
Xu Long hadn't caused this. The T-virus had failed to fuse with her.
In two hours at most, Xu Jiao would turn into a zombie. By then, even an immortal couldn't save her.
Xu Long took out the serum and injected it into Xu Jiao. Her whole body shuddered, and she instantly grew weak, as if she had just been through a major battle.
The battle between the T-virus and her own genes had drained Xu Jiao's strength.
This couldn't be rushed. They had to take it slowly.
"Take a break. We'll do the second injection in a little while."
"No need. I can handle it."
Xu Jiao waved her hand, signaling for Xu Long to continue.
"All right, then!"
Xu Long nodded, drew another syringe of blood, and injected it into her.
This took a lot of stamina. Xu Jiao wouldn't last many rounds before begging for mercy.
Pull it out, push it in...
Pull it out, push it in...
After three rounds in a row, Xu Jiao finally couldn't take any more.
She lay slumped on the bed as if completely drained, her body still twitching involuntarily now and then.
"Going again or not?"
Xu Long sat beside her, his expression indifferent.
"Wait... wait... let me rest... for a bit..."
"Rest, my ass. We're continuing!"
Xu Long snorted and drew another half syringe of blood.
"Mm..."
As the liquid entered her body, Xu Jiao let out a muffled moan, and an unnatural flush appeared on her face.
Time ticked by, second by second. This time, her eyes didn't roll back like before. Instead, she began to run a fever.
That was a good sign. It meant her own antibodies could already take on the T-virus head-on.
Waiting was a long ordeal, and before they knew it, evening had arrived.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Boss, the medicine's here!"
Zhang San's voice rang out from outside. He knocked on the door a few times, not expecting it to swing open.
"Uh... this... am I here at a bad time...?"
Looking at Xu Jiao's vacant eyes and feeble state, then at the thoroughly upright expression on Xu Long's face beside her, his instincts told him something had happened.
"Put it over there!"
After that offhand remark, Xu Long immediately started ushering him out.
"Oh! Keep your voices down, you two. I'll guard the door for you!"
Zhang San said this furtively, then slipped out just as furtively, leaving Xu Long utterly bewildered.
"Fuck!"
It took Xu Long quite a while to realize what he meant. He cursed, wishing he could stuff his smelly socks into Zhang San's mouth.
What the hell was he playing at?!
Too lazy to explain, Xu Long casually stuffed the medicine into his storage space, then took out a syringe and drew a tube of Xu Jiao's blood.
"No more... it hurts..."
At this moment, Xu Jiao was frail and weak, showing none of the ferocity she'd had while chasing the Flame Hell Beast and hacking at it.
"Just once, just once. Bear with it and it'll be over."
Xu Long reassured her and pulled out the needle.
The Red Queen needed to thoroughly examine Xu Jiao's genes and see whether the fusion had succeeded, just in case anything went wrong.
Worried that Xu Jiao might feel unwell, Xu Long didn't go anywhere and stayed there with her.
He had to admit, Xu Jiao was far superior to Sun Yameng.
Her alluring face and sizzling figure left Sun Yameng in the dust in every respect.
In particular, the weakness caused by fusing with the T-virus gave her a delicate beauty.
As for her background, that went without saying. Xu Jiao's own standing was higher than Sun Yameng's father's. Now that she had fused with the T-virus, who knew how far behind she had left him?
At one in the morning, the Red Queen finally had the results.
"Master, I have good news and bad news. Which would you like to hear first?"
"The good news first!"
Xu Long guessed that the good news was that Xu Jiao had successfully fused with the T-virus, while the bad news might be that the fusion had gone in a slightly different direction.
That was normal. The T-virus's greatest strength was its adaptability, and it displayed different characteristics in different people.
Besides, Xu Long's genes had also acted as a mediator during the process. Nobody could say for certain what changes would result.
Xu Long was only half right. The good news was that the T-virus fusion had succeeded, while the bad news was...
Xu Jiao and he weren't biological siblings!
Xu Long: "..."
What was going on?
Although Xu Long had transmigrated here, Xu Jiao had shared more than ten years of affection with this body.
What was he supposed to do?
Xu Long felt torn. After thinking it over, he decided to bury the matter deep in his heart.
It was too melodramatic, simply too much to look at!
Still, come to think of it, Xu Jiao really was amazing!
Xu Long stayed by Xu Jiao's side all night, and all sorts of rumors spread outside.
Talk of a romance between siblings, of her body going weak, of her lying limp on the bed, of "no more," of "it hurts"...
Obscene!
Too much to look at!
Xu Long didn't explain. Instead, he called Zhang San over and gave him a savage beating.
When Zhang San learned that Xu Jiao wanted to see him, he was apprehensive.
When Zhang San learned that Xu Long was going to teach him a lesson, he was overjoyed.
A brat who hadn't even grown all his hair yet had the gall to say he was going to teach him a lesson.
But after Xu Long pinned him to the ground and pounded him senseless, Zhang San seemed to understand something.
On the third day, new rumors began circulating in the camp.
Talk of how valiant Xu Long was, how he was a real man, how he was the Lao Ai of the present age...
Obscene!
Too much to look at!
This time, Xu Long had truly had enough.
He couldn't be bothered to teach Zhang San another lesson. He simply ignored him, lest he pull another incomprehensible stunt.
"Remember this, no matter what. Your bodily fluids contain a deadly poison. You absolutely must not let any other living creature come into contact with them."
Xu Long warned her over and over, and even left her the two remaining doses of serum in the cooler.
"No need. I've already submitted my resignation. I'm planning to go back and retire."
Xu Jiao waved her hand. Ripples seemed to flow through her beautiful eyes, as though they held some special meaning.
"Go back and retire?"
Xu Long dug at his ear, wondering if he had misheard.
"Although the toxins in my body have been cleared, the report to the higher-ups doesn't say so. The fact that you carry the T-virus can't be exposed. Otherwise, there's a good chance you'll be captured for research, or perhaps killed outright. Besides, fighting the Flame Hell Beast is extremely dangerous. It's impossible to avoid getting hurt."
Xu Jiao shook her head, taking Xu Long's hand and gently rubbing it.
"I'm old. I don't have any fight left in me. Now I just want to go home and watch you fall in love, watch you get married, watch you have children..."
Sensing a towering wave of resentment rise from the ground beside him, Xu Long shuddered uncontrollably.
What the hell?
Had this woman known all along that the two of them weren't biological siblings?
At that thought, an idea suddenly occurred to Xu Long.
He abruptly pulled his hand free, then wrapped one arm around Xu Jiao's slender waist and placed his other hand against her shoulder blade.
Staring intently into Xu Jiao's eyes, he slowly slid his hand down.
Xu Long noticed that not only did Xu Jiao not pull away, but her breathing began to quicken, and a blush appeared on her face.
"We're screwed!"
Seeing Xu Jiao's reaction, Xu Long knew things were bad.
She definitely knew everything, and she had definitely been thinking about making a move on him for a long time!