I Blew Up the Lab and Walked Off with a Genius

Lu Chen wiped the filthy water from his face, his sharply defined features looking especially cold in the dim factory building.

He scanned his surroundings warily. The faint sound of explosions still came from behind him, like death's whispers, reminding him of everything he had just been through.

"Hey, now that was one hell of an entrance." A mocking smile tugged at Lu Chen's lips as his gaze finally settled on a hunched figure in the corner.

It was an old man in a filthy white lab coat, his hair as messy as a bird's nest. Who else could it be but Old Zhou?

"Old Zhou, you're pretty hard to kill. Even that didn't finish you off." Lu Chen walked over and clapped him on the shoulder, nearly knocking him flat.

Old Zhou was still shaken. At the sight of Lu Chen, tears streamed down his aged face. "Lu Chen... you... you really blew that place up?!"

Lu Chen shrugged, looking as though it were nothing. "No big deal. Don't get worked up. More importantly, take a look at this first."

He pulled out the documents containing the experimental data and handed them to Old Zhou.

Old Zhou accepted them with trembling hands. Under the dim yellow light, he turned the pages one by one, his face growing paler and his body beginning to shake uncontrollably.

"Th-this... this is impossible! They... they really went that far!" Old Zhou's voice was filled with despair, as though he had seen something unbelievable.

"'SSSS-Rank Talent Fusion'... They... they're complete lunatics!" Old Zhou jerked his head up and grabbed Lu Chen's arm. "Lu Chen, if you can master this technology, you... you can truly surpass everyone and become... become a true god!" he said hoarsely.

Lu Chen raised an eyebrow. A god?

He had no interest in becoming a god. He just wanted to take down everyone who stood in his way and live comfortably.

Still, Old Zhou's reaction gave him a better understanding of the documents' value.

"Easy, Old Zhou. Getting too worked up isn't good for your health." Lu Chen patted Old Zhou's hand, telling him to calm down.

Just then, No. 09 suddenly let out a pained moan. Her body went limp, and she collapsed to the ground.

"No. 09!" Lu Chen hurriedly helped her up and found that her face was pale and her breathing faint.

"How... how is she?" Old Zhou put aside his examination of the documents and hurried over to ask.

"She's exhausted, and with her earlier injuries, things don't look good," Lu Chen said with a frown.

"Let me take a look." Old Zhou moved to examine No. 09.

Lu Chen stopped him. "Do you know medicine?"

Old Zhou gave an embarrassed smile. "No, but... I can check whether she's been exposed to radiation."

Lu Chen ignored him and turned his gaze back to No. 09.

Since No. 09 was in this state because of her talent, copying it might help her.

Copy talent! Lu Chen thought.

This time, however, he sensed something unusual.

[Talent Compatibility Detection - D-rank]

A line of information appeared in Lu Chen's mind, making him pause.

What the hell is this? Lu Chen wondered.

[Talent Compatibility Detection: Determines whether a target has potential for a particular talent. The higher the rank, the greater the chance of awakening that talent.]

"Holy shit, it's that powerful?!" Lu Chen couldn't help swearing.

This SSS-rank [Talent Compatibility Detection] was practically a human talent detector!

With it, he could spot people with powerful talent potential at a glance in a sea of faces, harvest them early, and train them to become his subordinates.

"Lu Chen, how is she?" Old Zhou asked anxiously.

Lu Chen waved a hand, telling him to be patient.

He looked at No. 09 again, a strange light flickering in his eyes.

D-rank compatibility... Looks like this girl's talent potential is only average, Lu Chen thought.

Still, even a mosquito was meat, no matter how small. It was better than nothing.

Just as Lu Chen was about to copy No. 09's talent again, a flurry of footsteps suddenly came from outside the factory.

"Someone's coming!" Old Zhou's expression changed, and he spoke in alarm.

Lu Chen's face darkened too. He knew the people from the base must have come after them.

Looks like I'll have to make this quick, Lu Chen thought.

He scooped up No. 09 and said to Old Zhou, "Old Zhou, stay close. Don't fall behind."

With that, Lu Chen charged out of the factory ahead of him.

Outside was an abandoned industrial district, full of ruined walls and overgrown weeds.

Carrying No. 09, Lu Chen darted swiftly through the ruins.

Although Old Zhou was weak, he could only grit his teeth and keep going to save his life, following close behind Lu Chen.

Just then, they suddenly saw the distant sky turn red with firelight.

"That's..." Old Zhou's eyes widened as he stared at the distant flames in disbelief.

"Looks like the flame traps I set have done their job." A cold smile curved Lu Chen's lips.

He had known all along that the people from the base wouldn't let the matter rest and would surely come after him.

So before leaving, he had deliberately set a large number of flame traps at key points throughout the laboratory.

Now, those flame traps had finally come in handy.

The raging flames could not only hold back their pursuers, but also completely destroy all the evidence of the laboratory's crimes.

"Come on, let's say goodbye to an old friend." Carrying No. 09, Lu Chen headed toward the soaring flames.

By the time Lu Chen and Old Zhou reached the vicinity of the base, it had become a sea of fire.

The entire laboratory area had been swallowed by flames. Thick smoke billowed, and waves of heat beat against them.

Some of the researchers and soldiers who had escaped by sheer luck wailed and struggled in agony amid the flames, but were soon engulfed and reduced to ashes.

"What a sight," Lu Chen couldn't help exclaiming as he looked at the sea of fire before him.

Just then, a familiar figure suddenly appeared in Lu Chen's field of vision.

It was Tang Xue.

She stood at the edge of the flames, silently watching the burning base, her face expressionless.

Carrying No. 09, Lu Chen slowly walked up to Tang Xue.

"You... you really blew this place up." Tang Xue looked at Lu Chen, her voice trembling slightly.

Lu Chen shrugged. "Your boss made the first move. I just returned the favor."

Tang Xue was silent for a moment. Then she suddenly raised her head and looked at Lu Chen. "Professor Zhao... he's gone mad. In his pursuit of power, he was willing to sacrifice everything. He even... even lost his humanity."

"I know," Lu Chen said calmly.

"What... what are you going to do?" Tang Xue asked.

"Leave here, of course. Find somewhere safe and live a good life." Lu Chen smiled. "As for you people... good luck."

Tang Xue said nothing, only watching Lu Chen in silence.

Suddenly, she turned and walked toward the base.

"What are you doing?" Lu Chen asked with a frown.

"I'm going to let all those innocent people out," Tang Xue said without looking back.

Lu Chen watched Tang Xue's retreating figure.

What a kind woman, Lu Chen thought.

But he didn't stop her.

He knew that even if he did, Tang Xue would insist on going her own way.

Besides, he didn't want to stop her.

After all, he wasn't someone who delighted in killing. Saving a few people would count as doing a good deed and earning some merit.

Tang Xue walked to the entrance of the base, took out a remote control, and pressed it.

With a click, the base's main gate slowly opened.

Some of the experimental personnel and soldiers imprisoned in the base rushed out, scrambling to be first as they fled into the distance.

Tang Xue watched them escape, a faint smile of relief appearing on her face.

Suddenly, she turned to look at Lu Chen and said softly, "The next time we meet... I hope we won't be enemies."

With that, she walked into the sea of fire without looking back.

Lu Chen watched Tang Xue's figure disappear.

"The next time we meet... huh?" Lu Chen murmured to himself.

He didn't know what their relationship would be the next time they met.

Perhaps they would be friends, or perhaps enemies.

But whatever happened, he wouldn't hold back.

Because in this apocalypse, only the strong had the right to survive.

The sky grew pale as Lu Chen carried No. 09 on his back and supported Old Zhou, heading deeper into the ruins.

He looked into the distance, where an unknown fate awaited.

The sky began to pale with dawn as Lu Chen carried No. 09 on his back and supported Old Zhou with one hand, picking his way deeper into the ruins.

The air was thick with a pungent burnt smell that made him nauseous. Every so often, shards of broken glass crunched underfoot, making his scalp tingle.

"Pant... pant... Hey, young man, where are we going?" Old Zhou was out of breath, feeling as though his lungs were about to burst, and couldn't help complaining.

Lu Chen didn't look back, his gaze fixed resolutely on the distance. He had already made up his mind. "What I want isn't just power... but talented people who can control fate."

He could feel No. 09's body growing hotter and hotter. He had to find a place for her to rest properly, and fast.

Besides, Old Zhou, this "human encyclopedia," also needed a relatively safe environment to be of better use.

After walking for about half an hour, a dilapidated shopping mall appeared before them.

More than half of its outer walls had collapsed, exposing dark windows that looked like monsters' gaping mouths, ready to devour everything at any moment.

"This is the place." Lu Chen quickened his pace toward the mall.

"It's better than sleeping out in the wild. At least it'll keep some of the wind out."

He decided to settle here for the time being and carefully plan the direction of his future development.

After all, if he wanted to survive in this apocalypse, courage alone wouldn't be enough. He needed brains too.

"By the way... are you really taking an old man like me along?" Old Zhou looked at the dilapidated mall, his face full of distaste, but still followed close behind Lu Chen.

The corners of Lu Chen's mouth rose slightly in a meaningful smile. "Of course, old man. You're worth far more than you imagine."

"Wait, I think I heard something." Lu Chen suddenly stopped, his sharp hearing picking up an unusual sound.

He listened closely, trying to identify it. It seemed to be coming from inside the mall.

Was there... something in there?