Chapter 178: "Cooperating with the investigation is your duty.
Chapter 178: Chapter 178: "Cooperating with the investigation is your duty.
"Hello, Miss Shen. We’re from the Biological Research Institute." The woman across from her extended a hand, her lips curved into a perfectly polite, fake smile. "We’re sorry to disturb you."
Shen Lu wasn’t quite sure what was going on, but out of politeness, she complied and shook the woman’s hand.
"You were looking for me?"
"Yes. We’d like to ask you to come to the Institute, Miss Shen."
Shen Lu’s mind immediately jumped to the pot of scallions in her backyard. ’Did someone let it slip? Do people from the Biological Research Institute know I managed to grow scallions?!’
But Shen Lu quickly dismissed the thought. Not many people knew she was growing them, and Lin Zhou didn’t seem like the type to gossip.
’The people from the Biological Research Institute must be here for something else.’
’Don’t tell me they found out I snuck a peek into that office the other day.’
’No, probably not.’
’If that were the case, they wouldn’t be using words like "ask."’
"It’s a little late today. How about I come by tomorrow afternoon?" Shen Lu’s mind was still on the ingredients she had just prepped. The fish was ready for the pan; she really couldn’t bring herself to leave now.
"I’m sorry, Miss Shen. We know this is sudden, but out of our responsibility to the survivors, we need your cooperation." The woman’s words were polite, but her tone was forceful.
Her tone clearly said, ’I’m not asking for your opinion, I’m telling you.’
Shen Lu felt offended. Her delicate eyebrows knitted together.
’What’s their problem?’
’It’s not like I’m refusing to cooperate. Why are they pinning this heavy label on me right away?’
’What, is the entire Imperial Capital Survival Base going to explode if I show up a few hours late?’
Still, for the sake of the hidden task, Shen Lu held her tongue.
"Alright. Give me a few minutes. I need to leave some instructions."
’A few minutes should be fine, right?’
The woman nodded. "We’ll wait at the entrance. We leave in fifteen minutes."
Shen Lu discreetly rolled her eyes. After changing out of her chef’s coat, she gave Cai Su a few instructions.
"I’ll have to leave dinner to you. You’ll also need to go upstairs and feed Fu Cheng. And later, Wang Xiaoci and Wang Xiaohui are coming by to drop something off. Please take it for me."
Cai Su nodded and asked worriedly, "Boss, what do they want you to do?"
In Cai Su’s eyes, the Biological Research Institute was a mysterious and terrifying place. After all, the Institute collected mutant beasts for research.
Mutant beasts were scary enough; wouldn’t a group of people who locked them up for research be even more so?
"I don’t know. It’s probably nothing serious. While I’m gone, I’m counting on you to look after the shop."
As Shen Lu reached the kitchen door, she remembered something else and turned back. "If I’m not back by tomorrow morning, don’t open the shop. We’ll be closed for the day."
Without her, the quality of the food couldn’t be guaranteed. The restaurant’s satisfaction rating had already dropped below three and a half stars, and Shen Lu couldn’t afford any more negative reviews.
"Okay, I understand," Cai Su replied.
Only then did Shen Lu leave, reassured. The moment the door closed, someone’s eyes narrowed slightly, a dark undercurrent swirling within them.
...
She got into the Institute’s vehicle, and the ride to their destination was smooth and unobstructed.
The weather had been bad on her last visit, and she had been exhausted from the trip, so Shen Lu hadn’t been in the mood to take a good look around.
Today, as she stepped out of the car, Shen Lu made a point to observe the Institute’s architecture.
To put it simply, it was several semi-circular, eggshell-like structures standing intertwined. Each pane of glass refracted the sunset’s afterglow into an orange light. At first glance, they looked like a cluster of crab roe.
The thought of crab roe made Shen Lu think of sushi. ’That would be perfect to make for Fu Cheng.’
’Fu Cheng can hold a steamed bun and eat it himself, so he could definitely handle sushi.’
’Sushi has rice and other ingredients. If I make them bite-sized, it would be very easy for Fu Cheng to eat on his own.’
Inside the Institute, a staff member guided Shen Lu to a seat in a conference room.
After being served a cup of tea and a plate of snacks, she was told to wait.
Shen Lu held the teacup without drinking. Her thoughts returned to the matter at hand as she tried to figure out why the Institute had brought her here.
Before long, the conference room door opened again, and Xue Can walked in.
"Mr. Xue? They brought you here, too?" Shen Lu’s eyes widened in surprise.
Xue Can grunted in affirmation and sat in the empty seat beside her. The accompanying staff member served him hot tea and snacks as well.
Soon, seven or eight researchers in white lab coats filed in. They were a mix of young and old, men and women. Shen Lu scanned their faces but didn’t see Li Qin.
’Okay,’ she thought. ’I can be pretty sure this has nothing to do with Li Qin, then.’
One of them, a man who looked to be around forty, sat down across from Shen Lu. He opened a folder and cleared his throat.
"Miss Shen, Mr. Xue, hello. My name is Lu Zhenxing, and I’m the leader of Research Group Three. We’ve asked you to come in today because there are a few things we’d like to ask you about."
Shen Lu and Xue Can exchanged a glance. They didn’t know what Research Group Three did, but since they had been summoned together, it was almost certainly about the mutant beast they had delivered.
Xue Can took it upon himself to act as their spokesperson. He sat up straight, his tone cold. "Go on."
"You delivered a mutant beast to us a while ago. Do you remember?"
"We remember," Xue Can replied, cleverly turning the question back on him. "Was there a problem with it?"
Lu Zhenxing ignored Xue Can’s question and pressed on with his own. "Can you repeat the process of its capture for us?"
Xue Can’s eyes narrowed. "What exactly is this about?"
"Please cooperate," a man standing beside Lu Zhenxing said curtly. "It is your obligation to cooperate with our investigation."
"And if I don’t? What can you do about it?" Xue Can sneered. "Throw me in prison?"
"Delay our research, and execution is a possibility!"
"Let’s all calm down. There’s no need to fight over something so trivial," Shen Lu interjected, stopping the two from bickering further.
’There are only two of us, and the Biological Research Institute has at least a hundred security guards.’
’More than half of them are Superpower Users.’
’If a real fight broke out, we’d be powerless to do anything but get beaten.’
Shen Lu looked at Lu Zhenxing. "Group Leader Lu, you have to tell us what this is about so we can cooperate. This interrogation, as if we’re criminals, is making both Mr. Xue and me very uncomfortable."
Lu Zhenxing considered for a moment. "It is, in fact, related to the mutant beast you delivered."
"Oh?"
"This type of mutant beast is a new species that has only appeared recently. Perhaps because they haven’t been around for long, they are mostly found in their juvenile stage." Lu Zhenxing chose his words carefully. "However, the one you brought in... after our examination, we discovered that he has already passed his juvenile stage. This is unprecedented, which is why we needed you to come in and confirm the details of his capture."
"I see," Shen Lu said with a nod.
"Now, can you answer my question?" Lu Zhenxing asked.
"Yes."
Shen Lu complied, recounting the entire process of capturing the mutant beast. Her story was basically identical to the one Xue Can had told them before.