After Raising Monsters, I Was Loved by Everyone in the Wasteland – CH11

Chapter 11

“…A total of 23 mutants escaped during this explosion. We recaptured 5 of them; 11 died accidentally during the pursuit. The whereabouts of the S-class super-dangerous mutants ‘Tyrannosaurus,’ ‘Venomous Viper,’ and ‘Blue Whale’ are still unknown.”

As the researcher continued his report, sweat began to stream down his face. “Also, there’s… there’s one more thing…”

“Speak!”

The researcher instantly lowered his head, trembling and not daring to look at his superior’s livid face. “The personnel responsible for the virus leak have been executed for dereliction of duty. We’re following up on the aftermath, but infections have been appearing in various regions.”

“…In no more than two months, there will be a widespread outbreak. By then, our secret initiation of forbidden experiments will undoubtedly be exposed.”

“Everyone involved will suffer, sir. We need your instructions.”

The middle-aged man, impeccably dressed, remained silent. His fingers pressed hard against his temples, his face gloomy and constantly shifting.

The researcher was terrified when he saw the middle-aged man gripping his cup tightly. Several times, he thought the cup would be thrown at his forehead.

Finally, the middle-aged man exhaled deeply.

He said hoarsely, “First the mutants, now the infected—there’s no way to hide this…”

The researcher’s heart skipped a beat.

If they couldn’t hide it, they would all be held accountable, and death would be the least of their worries.

He felt a deep sorrow, thinking they had truly become the world’s greatest sinners this time.

In the next second, he heard the middle-aged man say to continue concealing the information.

The researcher was shocked. “But sir, didn’t you just say we can’t hide it anymore?”

The middle-aged man leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. “Suppress the news; handle it covertly. We need to buy as much time as we can. Or is it that…”

He suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze as cold as a poisoned dagger. “You wish to die sooner?”

The researcher immediately dared not say another word.

After finishing his report and preparing to leave, he heard the middle-aged man ask how many mutants were left in the base.

The researcher answered truthfully.

The middle-aged man grunted. “Suspend all current research in the base. Gather all available resources and invest them entirely into the control experiments of the mutants.”

“Tell them that if they don’t produce results within two months, none of them need to live. Is that clear?”

Unconsciously, the middle-aged man’s tone had changed. Although his volume hadn’t increased, it seemed to brew a storm of bloodshed.

The researcher responded timidly, his heart filled with shock, his limbs weak.

According to protocol, those recaptured mutants were supposed to be destroyed. But the middle-aged man didn’t mention this at all. Instead, he wanted them to speed up and fully control the remaining mutants before the virus outbreak.

…Was he planning to raise an army to seize power?

“One more thing,” the middle-aged man seemed to remember something. “Is the Illusion Fox, which has the potential to evolve into an S-class mutant, still around?”

The researcher quickly replied, “Yes, it’s still here.”

“Focus on cultivating it. See if it can evolve soon.”

“Yes, sir!”

After leaving the room completely, the researcher’s back was drenched in cold sweat. Reflecting on the implications of the middle-aged man’s words, he felt that the entire world might soon be turned upside down.

“Director!”

An assistant researcher approached him urgently, looking anxious. “We just recounted, and we’re missing one C-class mutant!”

Still shaken, the researcher nearly had a heart attack. He hurriedly asked, “What about the Illusion Fox? Is that A-class Illusion Fox still here?!”

The assistant was startled by the fear on his face. “Ye-Yes it’s still here.”

“Take me to see it now!”

They rushed to the area where the mutants were detained.

Since the explosion incident, all mutants above B-class had been individually confined in separate cells. The walls were constructed from ultra-high-strength alloy; not even a fly could get in. The entire corridor echoed only with the deafening roars of beasts.

“Director, it’s this one.”

The researcher immediately peered through the observation window.

But he saw nothing inside. His soul nearly left his body. In a fit of rage, he lost his composure and grabbed a guard by the collar.

“You call this ‘still here’? This is ‘still here’?! Are you kidding me?!”

The guard was baffled and glanced inside. “It’s there—see? Director, please look carefully.”

The researcher looked again and indeed saw a faint pink silhouette in the otherwise empty room.

He wasn’t sure why he hadn’t noticed it earlier.

His expression became dazed for a moment. The presence of the Illusion Fox was so obvious—how had he overlooked it?

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, the researcher finally relaxed and sternly ordered the guards to keep a close eye on the Illusion Fox.

If he wasn’t mistaken, his superior intended to use the Illusion Fox, once it evolved, to deal with the other escaped S-class mutants.

After all, among all the mutants, only this Illusion Fox could confuse others’ perceptions.

The assistant researcher had been waiting nearby. Seeing that the director was about to leave, he stepped forward and asked, “Director, what should we do about the missing C-class mutant?”

“Only one C-class is missing?”

“Yes, we’ve checked multiple times. Only one C-class is unaccounted for.”

“What is the original gene of that mutant?”

“It’s a mixed gene, but its form is that of a canary…”

Upon hearing this, the researcher lost interest in listening further. He waved impatiently. “Just a C-class mutant, and a canary at that. If it escaped, so be it. Don’t bother with it.”

“But that canary learned mimicry, which is only possible for A-class mutants, and it’s the only one that survived after fusing two additional beast genes…”

The assistant researcher hesitated to speak, but seeing the director’s displeased expression, he swallowed his words.

At this moment, those conversing in the base had no idea that a thin young man was hurrying along a secluded path under the moonlight.

He held a small pink-furred fox in his arms. Its nose was wet, eyes round and bright. As he panted, it lifted its head. “Ooh…”

“Ah Jiu, we’ve gone too far. The illusion we’ve left behind can only last another half hour.”

The boy’s expression remained unchanged. “Then let’s hurry. We’ll reach the main road soon. I’ll hail a car, and you can confuse the human into giving us a ride.”

The little pink fox nodded, obediently nestling its head closer into his arms.

The boy patted it. “Can you still sense the location of Number One, the Tyrannosaurus? (Xiao Hei)”

The pink fox shook its head.

The boy paused, pursing his lips. “What about Number Seven, the Venomous Viper?”

The pink fox hesitated but still obediently pointed in a general direction.

“Ah Jiu, why don’t we look for the Blue Whale?”

“It lives in the sea; it’s too far. Besides, they’re all the same.”

The boy said calmly, “Mutants that have evolved to S-class, surviving countless deadly experiments—none of them are pushovers.”

“To those S-class mutants, we’re no different from meat they can eat anytime or weeds they can pull out at will.”

The pink fox sniffled sadly. “But the snake will eat you.”

“We’re not looking for the snake; we’re just using it to find Number One. You need the aura of an S-class mutant to evolve into your complete form. We also need the protection of someone strong. And Number One… at least won’t devour other mutants.”

The boy closed his eyes, a trace of deep unwillingness flashing across his cold face. He murmured, “If only we could become stronger, if only we could evolve into S-class like them, we wouldn’t be at the mercy of others anymore.”

*

Sunday, at Wen Xin’s home.

“Ah Lü! Did you sneak and eat those bags of chips I had in the storage room?”

The guilty Ah Lü turned tail and ran, but Wen Xin caught him, his voice rising in frustration, “You still want to run!”

He couldn’t be bothered to continue scolding and quickly checked Ah Lü’s stomach.

Fortunately, it was flat, with no unusual bulges.

Wen Xin was exasperated. It wasn’t that he cared about those bags of chips, but the floor was covered in chip crumbs, and half of a torn plastic wrapper remained.

This silly cat had actually eaten the packaging along with the chips!

If he didn’t know that Ah Lü wasn’t an ordinary cat, and if Ah Lü didn’t seem fine, he’d already be rushing him to the hospital for surgery.

Seeing Ah Lü’s shameless demeanor, Wen Xin rubbed his forehead and brought him before Xiao Hei.

“Watch him. Stand there for ten minutes.”

Xiao Hei: “…”

Ah Lü: “!”

The Ah Lü was utterly furious. As a lofty S-class mutant, being punished by a human to stand still—it was the ultimate humiliation!

He would rather die than stand! Not—standing—!

Ten minutes later.

Under Xiao Hei’s fierce gaze, Ah Lü didn’t dare to move, feeling wronged like a bullied child. “…Has the time ended?”

Wen Xin checked his watch and, seeing that time was up, asked, “Will you still eat things you shouldn’t?”

The Ah Lü meowed weakly as if saying he wouldn’t dare again.

Wen Xin rubbed his head and scratched his cheeks a few times, finally coaxing the unhappy furball into soft purring.

Glancing at his phone, it was almost time for his appointment with Tang Qi, so he tidied up and headed out.

“Be good and watch the house. I’ll bring you some treats when I get back.”

As soon as Wen Xin left, Ah Lü, who had just appeared dejected, immediately perked up.

He reverted to his viper form, flicked his tail, turned on the TV with a snap, and started swaying happily—like a monkey playing king when the tiger is away.

Xiao Hei couldn’t tolerate him and jumped to the top of the cabinet.

Meanwhile, the Ah Lü expertly found a melodramatic soap opera. In less than three minutes, he immersed himself as the female lead and began sobbing.

“What a miserable woman! You love him so much! Damn man, just turn around and look at her! Can’t you see she’s crying?”

Xiao Hei was so annoyed by the noise that he couldn’t sleep, taking a deep breath.

He couldn’t help thinking, it’s a good thing Wen Xin only picked up this dumb snake. If there were more, wouldn’t it be total chaos?

At this moment, Xiao Hei couldn’t have imagined that his words would come true.