S.C.I Mystery Series Volume 5 Chapter 186

Special Files – Witches 33 – Safety and Danger

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At the entrance of Zhou Hao's hospital room, a young nurse was pushing a cart.

Bai Ye watched her approach, feeling nothing unusual... it seemed she was just a nurse.

The cart was loaded with medications for various patients. She went from room to room, and when she reached Zhou Hao's room, Zhou Hao, who seemed quite familiar with her, cheerfully called out, "Sister."

Both Zhan Zhao and Zhao Jue looked up.

The nurse skilfully took out a saline bag and was about to change Zhou Hao's medication.

Zhan Zhao suddenly stopped her, "Wait a moment."

The nurse looked at Zhan Zhao with the saline bag in her hand.

Zhan Zhao asked, "What medication is this?"

The nurse replied that it was a painkiller, the last dose for today, and after this, there wouldn't be any more.

Seeing everyone looking a bit tense, Zhou Hao waved his hand dismissively, "It's about this much medication every day..."

"So every day at this time, you get medication and have it changed, following a fixed routine, right?" Zhan Zhao asked. "Including the order in which the medications are distributed?"

"Exactly," the nurse nodded.

Zhan Zhao and Zhao Jue simultaneously looked at that bag of medicine.

"What do you think?" Zhan Zhao asked.

Zhao Jue thought for a moment, "Hmm... there's an eighty per cent chance there's something wrong."

Zhan Zhao asked the nurse if she could get a new batch of medicine for Zhou Hao.

The nurse was a bit puzzled but still went to the pharmacy to fetch new medicine.

Zhan Zhao took an evidence bag and placed the medicine inside.

Zhou Hao stared at Zhan Zhao and silently clutched his cup, finally starting to feel a bit scared.

Zhan Zhao and Zhao Jue both shook their heads at him – You're lucky this time, but what happens next is hard to say... Can you escape the clutches of a serial killer?

Zhou Hao looked pitifully at the two of them.

At this moment, the elevator door opened, and a woman carrying a large bag rushed out.

She appeared to be in her thirties, with short dark red hair, makeup that looked like she was drunk, a leopard print skirt, and knee-high boots...

Zhan Zhao and Zhao Jue tilted their heads as they looked at her, feeling that she didn't quite match the image of the particularly capable Guan Yi they had in mind.

Even Zhou Hao gaped at his aunt – Had she changed her style?

Guan Yi ran in and tossed the bag to Bai Ye, who was beside her.

Bai Ye instinctively caught it, frowned, and glanced inside, wondering whether it was filled with iron or something... why was it so heavy?

It turned out to be filled with iron indeed, two dumbbells and a coat.

Bai Ye took out the dumbbells, puzzled – Had she come straight from the gym?

Guan Yi walked in, grabbed a makeup remover wipe to clean her face, pulled off the red wig, and tossed it back into the bag, revealing her black shoulder-length hair, which she tied up in two loops...

She took out a white trench coat from the bag and put it on, completing the whole "transformation" process in thirty seconds, so skilfully that Zhan Zhao suspected she might have lied about her profession.

After changing, Guan Yi walked over and held her nephew's face to check him over, and only after seeing he was fine did she breathe a sigh of relief.

Bai Ye brought the bag in and placed it by the bed.

Zhan Zhao and Zhao Jue also looked curiously at the two dumbbells in the bag.

"I came in a hurry, and couldn't find a suitable weapon," Guan Yi explained to the two of them while she signalled to the two – let's talk outside.

Zhan Zhao and Zhao Jue followed her out, and Guan Yi pointed at Zhou Hao, "Sleep!"

Then she closed the door.

Zhan Zhao directly asked Guan Yi, "You said we were mistaken?"

Guan Yi nodded, "Whoever you're trying to catch, that person is not the seventh generation! Or rather, not the normal seventh generation!"

Zhan Zhao and Zhao Jue both frowned at her – What do you mean?

"Because..." Guan Yi lowered her voice, speaking softly, "my nephew is the seventh generation!"

Both Zhan Zhao and Zhao Jue were stunned and looked at each other, asking together, "Zhou Hao is..."

Guan Yi hurriedly gestured for them to be quiet, "All seventh generations have congenital diseases, mostly heart conditions... just like my nephew!"

Zhan Zhao and Zhao Jue thought of Xiao Yumi's condition – So that's how it is...

"But Ding Ying called me and said a seventh generation lost control..." Zhao Jue, very rarely, showed a puzzled expression.

"That's a girl!" Guan Yi explained, "And she's very young! Completely incapable of killing!"

"Very young?" Zhan Zhao and Zhao Jue both instinctively thought of Xiao Yumi, "The baby sent to the Bai Group?"

"Baby?" Guan Yi seemed a bit confused, "No, Ding Ying said she was five years old."

"Five years old?" Zhan Zhao and Zhao Jue became even more confused the more they listened – Had there been a five-year-old girl recently?

While they were talking, Gongsun and Bai Yutang, who had gone to the emergency room to check on the "zombie" situation, came upstairs.

"How is it?" Zhan Zhao asked them.

"Just had their stomachs pumped, and none of the three are dead, but they were poisoned," Gongsun shook his head, holding three evidence bags, "They might have eaten some kind of poisonous mushroom, causing hallucinations, but we'll need to test further to be sure."

Zhan Zhao handed him the bag of medicine too, saying this should also be tested.

Gongsun took the items and, along with Bai Ye, brought Su Feifei back to the SCI office first.

Zhan Zhao looked at Su Feifei, who was still in a split state, unsure if she was Fan or Mi, quite haughty. But she seemed quite afraid of Bai Ye for some reason... Zhan Zhao was confused at this point, unsure who the seventh generation was, and Zhao Jue was equally unsure.

They told Su Feifei to wait in the SCI lounge or go back to the villa with Bai Ye, but not to be alone as it was dangerous.

Once Bai Ye left with everyone, Bai Yutang arranged for Zhou Hao to be placed in the room next to Xiao Yumi's, with reinforced security.

After dealing with the two "seventh generation" patients, the four of them went to an empty room next door to continue their discussion.

During the commotion earlier, Zhan Zhao had asked Zhao Jue – Is Guan Yi reliable? Could she be involved in this case?

Zhao Jue said Guan Yi's suspicion could probably be ruled out.

Zhan Zhao asked him for evidence.

"Well... she's generally quite normal here," Zhao Jue said, pointing to his temple, "And also, her combat skills are pretty strong."

Zhan Zhao recalled Bai Yutang's previous comment that Guan Yi was probably quite skilled and well-trained.

But these two reasons obviously didn't convince Zhan Zhao.

Zhao Jue sighed, "The most important point is... she's extremely superficial about appearances."

Zhan Zhao blinked, feeling this was getting more and more absurd, "Superficial about appearances?"

"Uh-huh." Zhao Jue shrugged. "If you asked her to kill Ding Ying, she'd refuse because she finds him greasy and balding. If you wanted her to work with the Leapfrog Killer, she'd decline because he's too ugly... In short..."

Zhao Jue pointed ahead.

Zhan Zhao followed the direction he was pointing and saw Guan Yi chatting with Bai Yutang. The aunt looked quite happy while looking at the handsome guy, even taking out her phone for a selfie.

Zhan Zhao held his forehead. "Does she only like Bai Ye's type?"

Zhao Jue laughed too. "She cherishes her life too much to exchange it for killing anyone. For her to take a life in exchange, it would have to be an absolutely stunning man."

Zhan Zhao crossed his arms, pondering for a while, and realised he was actually convinced...

Zhao Jue gestured towards the table for Guan Yi to sit.

Guan Yi, quite obedient, went over and sat down.

The four of them sat together, with Zhan Zhao and Zhao Jue first asking her about the seventh generation.

Guan Yi explained that after Ding Ying left the organisation, he had been searching for the scattered seventh-generation test subjects. Since the seventh generation was relatively stable, once he confirmed their safety, Ding Ying would delete their files and let them live ordinary lives with their adoptive parents.

For some more special test subjects, he would establish contact and continue to observe them.

The cost of the seventh generation's stability was that their physical functions were not perfect, with the most common "defect" being congenital heart disease.

Guan Yi had a sister who always wanted to adopt a child.

Guan Yi knew that Ding Ying had a newly born seventh generation, Zhou Hao, who was still a baby.

After Guan Yi told her sister about the situation, her sister wanted to adopt the child, so Guan Yi brought Zhou Hao back.

Of course, Zhou Hao himself was completely unaware of this. Guan Yi's sister and brother-in-law always treated him as their own son. From their earlier interaction, Zhan Zhao noticed that Zhou Hao was cheerful and lively, the kind of child who was both pampered and well-taught.

But for the Leapfrog Killer to target a child like Zhou Hao, who had an ordinary upbringing, there must be a reason, and it seemed to be related to his identity as the seventh generation.

Zhan Zhao couldn't figure it out and asked Zhao Jue, "Weren't you investigating this painting because you suspected it was done by the seventh generation? How did it turn out to be painted by Shen Bin?"

Zhao Jue thought it over, frowned and muttered, "It feels like the timeline doesn't match up."

"The timeline..." Zhan Zhao thought for a moment and nodded. "It doesn't seem to match..."

"How old is Zhou Hao this year?" Zhan Zhao asked Guan Yi.

"Nineteen," Guan Yi replied.

"At what age did he participate in the painting competition?" Zhan Zhao took out the painting and asked her about the boy named Shen Bin whom she met during the competition with her nephew.

Bai Yutang, listening on the side, agreed that the timeline didn't match. Zhao Jue's investigation indicated that the painting competition took place twenty years ago, while Zhou Hao was in elementary school when he met Shen Bin... so it couldn't have been twenty years ago.

"About ten years ago," Guan Yi said, holding the painting and seeming thoughtful. "There's definitely something off."

"Why do you say that?" Zhan Zhao asked. "Do you remember the child who drew this painting back then?"

Guan Yi nodded. "Of course I remember. That child wasn't the first to draw this painting."

Guan Yi's statement stunned Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang, while Zhao Jue understood, "The painting first appeared in the competition twenty years ago, and then ten years ago, Shen Bin drew an identical one. Is that what you mean?"

Guan Yi nodded. "I first saw this painting at Ding Ying's place, and it indeed dates back about twenty years..."

Zhao Jue pondered deeply for a long time. "Surprisingly, it's a copycat..."

Bai Yutang waved his hand, signalling – Speak more clearly.

Zhao Jue looked at Guan Yi.

Guan Yi explained, "The seventh generation has always been known for being safe and stable... but they are also marked as 'extremely dangerous'."

"Stable and safe, yet dangerous?" Bai Yutang asked. "Can you elaborate?"

Guan Yi sighed. "The seventh generation are all geniuses, possessing extraordinary talents, and they are very well-balanced. Aside from some physiological illnesses, they have no weaknesses in other aspects."

Everyone nodded – Indeed, that was evident from the experimental data.

"In the animal kingdom, stronger animals bully the weaker ones," Guan Yi said, somewhat regretfully. "That's why the seventh generation weren't raised in laboratories but needed social relationships."

"Oh..." Zhan Zhao suddenly understood. "The experiment wasn't just about the test subjects but about their social relationships? In other words, placing the seventh generation into different social environments to study how these environments impact such special children?"

Bai Yutang also got it. "To put it bluntly, the focus isn't on the children as test subjects but on the parents or other relatives raising them?"

"You could say the study examines the impact of the external environment on the individual," Guan Yi nodded. "Because the seventh generation are stable test subjects, their development depends on the environment they were brought up in."

Zhan Zhao's expression became serious, probably realising the gravity of the situation. Holding the painting, he asked Guan Yi, "You saw this painting at Ding Ying's place twenty years ago? Did he say anything about it?"

"Well, at that time, the painting was displayed with a trophy," Guan Yi said. "I asked Ding Ying about it, but he responded by asking me what I felt when I saw it. I said it felt 'evil.'"

Everyone frowned – Indeed.

"Ding Ying smiled and asked me, 'If a ten-year-old can paint something like this... is there any hope?'" Guan Yi continued. "I then asked if the child was a test subject, and suggested that the child might need psychological treatment. If that didn't work, they should be closely monitored, as they could be very dangerous in the future."

Zhan Zhao and Zhao Jue both nodded in agreement.

"Ding Ying then asked if changing the child's environment could correct their behaviour," Guan Yi shrugged. "I told him it's like raising a baby tiger in a sheep pen to see if it would eventually eat the sheep."

Bai Yutang asked, "So, would it or wouldn't it?"

Guan Yi shrugged again. "Maybe it would, maybe it wouldn't. But if it eats one sheep, it will definitely eat a second one!"

Zhan Zhao and Zhao Jue both held their foreheads.

"I asked Ding Ying what he planned to do," Guan Yi told Zhao Jue. "Ding Ying said he would wait and see; if things didn't improve, the problem would resolve itself in a couple of years."

"Resolve itself?" Zhan Zhao asked. "You mean because of the heart condition?"

Guan Yi nodded. "Most of the seventh generation have it. Surgery can cure it, but the symptoms usually appear in adolescence, meaning…"

"Children wouldn't be able to treat themselves, and if the adults didn't treat them, they'd likely die of the illness, essentially 'resolving' the problem..." Zhan Zhao frowned. "Is that what you mean?"

"So the physiological defect acts as an insurance policy for the seventh generation?" Bai Yutang asked. "If they become uncontrollable, they 'self-destruct'?"

Zhao Jue and Zhan Zhao exchanged a glance, as if suddenly understanding something. "The experiment was improved, creating the perfect seventh generation..."

"What?" Guan Yi didn't understand.

Zhan Zhao showed her a photo of Xiao Yumi and a string of numbers. "A super seventh generation! This young and already diagnosed with heart disease."

"It happened earlier?" Guan Yi was surprised. "Then..."

"If the new generation reproduces in the same way, the insurance policy is useless," Bai Yutang also grasped the key point. "Because no one can predict at infancy whether they will become uncontrollable later."

Zhan Zhao was speechless. "This is just nonsense. Even if they weren't test subjects and they didn't have special abilities, whether they will grow up as saints or villains can't be predicted. If they have so much free time, they might as well sweep the streets. If they're so keen on optimising breeding, they should work on a farm, growing crops and raising pigs!"

Zhao Jue nodded in agreement.

Bai Yutang held up the painting and asked Guan Yi, "So, did you ever meet the child who painted this twenty years ago?"

‿︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・❉・ ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ‿︵‿︵

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Translator Notes

Please feel free to comment any mistakes I made so I can improve and do better as I go through the book.

Translated: June 22, 2024 by Angel

Edited: December 23, 2024 by Soojin