Chapter 93 (^_^)
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Liang Hao’s gaze turned cold, “What do you want?”
“Do you hear the sirens?” An Lan turned his face slightly, “When the police arrive, it will be…”
Liang Hao suddenly approached without hesitation. An Lan sensed that he wanted to press the gun against him and, without any hesitation, pulled the trigger. The bullet struck him in the abdomen, and he clutched the wound, looking at An Lan with resentment.
“Now you know, I will shoot, don’t you?”
Just at that moment, a loud buzzing sound came from above. A helicopter flew over their heads, hovering and stirring up a whirlwind.
A rope ladder descended, and two fully armed individuals slid down, approaching their car with guns in hand. They tapped on the car window with the barrels, signaling An Lan to immediately open the door.
An Lan realized that this was definitely not a police setup. Before he could think much, the other side couldn’t contain themselves and smashed the car window with the butt of a gun. The barrel pressed against the back of An Lan’s head.
“Get out.”
A stern voice sounded, they were here to support Liang Hao.
Liang Hao’s reluctant expression gradually turned into a sneer. He took the gun back from An Lan as he got out of the car, saying, “Little kid is not suitable for playing with guns.”
An Lan could only watch as Liang Hao took the gun back. The next second, Liang Hao, without hesitation, punched An Lan in the face.
“Ugh…”
An Lan’s head almost slammed into the steering wheel.
“Hey, don’t ruin him.” The man outside, holding a gun, warned Liang Hao.
Liang Hao laughed, “This little guy is still in good spirits, considering we just flipped the car.”
The sound of sirens grew louder, and the car door was pulled open. An Lan was pulled out like a chick, dragged into the helicopter.
Everyone in the helicopter was fully armed, wearing black masks. According to their equipment, if it wasn’t the special police chasing them, they would be in serious trouble.
“Code number?” Liang Hao asked while fastening his seatbelt.
Although An Lan’s head was buzzing from that punch, he continued to carefully observe everyone here.
Liang Hao asked this question seemingly casually, but he still held the gun in his hand, the muzzle against An Lan’s waist. His vigilance was really too high.
“Mosquito,” the man sitting opposite them answered.
“How should a mosquito die?” Liang Hao asked again.
“Big cannon,” the man opposite answered.
Liang Hao smiled, “Is the boss concerned about me, or is he concerned about this little kid? He even sent you guys to rescue me.”
The man opposite didn’t speak, just threw a hemostatic bandage to Liang Hao.
In addition to the driver and the man opposite, there were two other people in the cabin.
One of them should also be an alpha. Judging from his physique, he seemed to be a mature man over thirty years old.
While the other one is a woman. An Lan carefully sniffed the pheromones of the woman but couldn’t detect anything, making it impossible for him to determine her true gender.
However, the woman smiled, “Little kid, are you sniffing my pheromones?”
An Lan was momentarily stunned.
The woman turned her face, deliberately exposing her neck, “Do you want to come over and smell it? I love little fresh meats like you the most.”
An Lan sat still in his place. He could see a tactical knife strapped to the woman’s waist, and even her fingerless gloves had embedded blades, showcasing a lethal charm with every punch. Such a woman was like a snake or a scorpion, and An Lan naturally wouldn’t get close.
“Keira, a mouse is not worthy of playing games with a cat,” the man warned with a cold, solemn voice.
The woman, Keira, spread her hands and said, “Such a pity, he’s quite cute.”
“Are you in charge of them? Where are you taking us?” Liang Hao asked.
“To a new experimental field,” the man replied before closing his eyes to rest.
Liang Hao lowered his head, focusing on treating his wounds. He was a tough person; he used tweezers to reach into his abdomen and extract the bullet. His face turned pale, leaning backward, and his lips trembled from the pain.
The cabin was filled with a strong smell of rust.
An Lan’s sense of smell was already keen, and this smell made him nauseous, but he hadn’t eaten anything for a long time, so even if he wanted to vomit, he couldn’t.
At this moment, the woman opposite tossed a Snickers bar to him and blinked.
“Keira,” the man resting beside her spoke, his voice low, but the words carried a warning.
The woman named Keira said with a somewhat gloating tone, “The little kid is hungry. I’m a very maternal person.”
The alpha sitting on the other side of Keira snorted, “You just like little puppies.”
“Little puppies are much more interesting than you old men.”
“In the experimental field, you can let him be your prey.”
Upon hearing this, An Lan’s heart sank halfway.
The so-called experimental field should be where the experimental group and the control group of “Eden” compete.
What exactly did they want to do? After being taken away, would he become part of the “experimental group” or the “control group”?
According to the logic of “Eden,” the “control group” was supposed to be the so-called hunters, and the “experimental group” was the prey. The prey must break through the blockade of the hunters, or even reverse roles with them, to prove that “Eden’s” “golden apple” was successful and qualify for survival in other experiments.
And the “control group” that successfully held the position of “hunter” had to continue hunting. Perhaps the next “experimental group” would completely overturn them.
In other words, neither side had an absolute hope of survival.
The only thing An Lan hoped for was to at least see Xiao Chen.
The man across from them calmly took out a gun, and just as An Lan lifted his head, the other party shot An Lan.
An Lan looked down in surprise, staring at his chest. There was no blood coming out; it was just a tranquilizer dart.
His vision quickly blurred, and An Lan fell forward, but the seatbelt caught him.
After some time, when he opened his eyes, the sunlight was somewhat dazzling. He raised his hand to shield his eyes.
His temples ached terribly. He moved and realized that he was covered with a blanket, but this place wasn’t the familiar environment he knew.
Whether it was the smell in the air or the feel of the bed, he tried to sit up and discovered that this was a completely enclosed room. There were four beds in the room, and even the most basic living facilities, such as wardrobes and desks, were absent.
The last memory in his mind was someone shooting him in the chest.
As memories returned, An Lan sat up abruptly, and his heart pounded— he should have arrived on “Eden’s” territory by now.
Just then, the door opened.
A woman stood at the door, holding her arms and looking at him against the light.
The scent on this woman was somewhat familiar, and An Lan immediately identified her.
“Jiao… Jiao Yun!”
Jiao Yun walked in without haste, looking at him and saying, “Awake? Then get up and eat.”
“Where is this?” An Lan asked.
“Where else could it be?” Jiao Yun’s face showed no hint of a smile. She directly pinched An Lan’s neck, “The last time you left me with the pocket watch, it was really miserable for me.”
“Uh…” An Lan saw a hint of killing intent in Jiao Yun’s eyes.
An Lan hadn’t learned martial arts, and his physical strength was indeed inferior to Jiao Yun’s. Even opening her hand took quite an effort.
As Jiao Yun let go, An Lan collapsed at the edge of the bed, coughing.
“Let’s go, tender flower in the greenhouse. It’s time for you to see the real world.”
After saying this, Jiao Yun forcefully pulled An Lan up.
They walked out of the room, which led to a corridor. There was no one in the corridor. Jiao Yun took him downstairs, opened a door, and the sound of utensils colliding could be heard.
More than a dozen people were eating, their heads bowed. In front of them were plastic trays, and they were using plastic knives and forks.
Among them was Liang Hao. When Liang Hao locked eyes with An Lan, his gaze revealed a bloody intent. If there were no one around, An Lan had no doubt that Liang Hao would rush over and kill him.
A chill ran down his spine.
An Lan received a standard meal, which was nutritionally balanced. Both carbohydrates and vitamins were comprehensive. An Lan, who was initially on the verge of collapsing from hunger, now had no appetite at all.
Subconsciously, he looked around for Xiao Chen, but he didn’t see him.
Originally wanting to sit in a place far from Liang Hao, Jiao Yun intentionally brought An Lan to the opposite side of Liang Hao. An Lan couldn’t fathom Jiao Yun’s purpose for doing so.
“Did you bring him in front of me to let me poke his eyes out with a fork?” Liang Hao looked up, and his bloodthirsty gaze made An Lan instinctively want to step back.
“Liang Hao, do you still think of yourself as a prodigy? Bringing people back, causing such a commotion, upstairs is very angry,” Jiao Yun disdainfully replied.
This enraged Liang Hao. As he was about to stand up, Jiao Yun swiftly snapped the fork he held into two, using the sharp end to press against Liang Hao’s neck artery. “Listen carefully, An Lan is a crucial resource for the ‘experimental group.’ Don’t let him defeat you.”
Jiao Yun’s words made An Lan’s heart sink.
Experimental group? Why would he become part of the experimental group?
“Crucial resource for the ‘experimental group’? He’s just a useless person,” Liang Hao lowered his gaze, coldly observing his neck.
Jiao Yun stopped, pressed An Lan’s shoulder, and made him sit down. “Do you think why an alpha who hasn’t fully differentiated has such strong pheromones to suppress you? Because his alpha glands developed with Gu Liyu’s pheromones as a catalyst. This rare experimental subject, you must protect him well. If he gets damaged, you’ll have no value to ‘Eden.'”
“Is that all?”
“This afternoon, take him to the coach. The test will be conducted in three days,” Jiao Yun said.
“Test? What test?” Liang Hao had a very bad feeling.
Jiao Yun smiled but didn’t answer.
An Lan could only lower his head, forcefully putting food into his mouth. He couldn’t taste anything, but regardless of what would happen next, he needed to preserve his energy. If it was a battle like Xiao Chen faced, without sufficient energy, he couldn’t even withstand the beatings.
On the opposite side, Liang Hao still had bandages on his thighs and abdomen, and An Lan could feel the hostility even through the air.
“Is it tasty?” Liang Hao’s voice suddenly rang out.
An Lan hadn’t looked at him the whole time. Startled by the sudden sound, he hurriedly swallowed what was in his mouth, choking. An Lan stopped, fingers tightly gripping the edge of the dining table, the lump of food unable to go down for a long time.
Liang Hao on the opposite side laughed, “It seems I don’t need to do anything; you can choke on your food by yourself. With just this, can you still be part of the experimental group?”
An Lan didn’t argue with him. Now, he was on ‘Eden’s’ territory, and it was better not to say a word if it wasn’t necessary.
Gu Liyu and the others must be looking for him all over the world. As long as he was alive, he would definitely leave this place.
“Done eating? Let’s go, meet your old acquaintance,” Liang Hao said, smiling as he stood up.
Old acquaintance? Could it be Xiao Chen?
An Lan’s heart was full of anticipation. As long as he could find Xiao Chen, even if he had to endure beatings together, An Lan felt it didn’t matter.
Liang Hao brought An Lan to the door of a room. An Lan’s emotions were uneasy, and he clenched his fists. The trembling of his shoulders revealed his current mood. Liang Hao glanced at him mockingly.
“You might be disappointed. The person inside may not be who you want to see… or it might surprise you.”
Liang Hao raised his chin, gesturing for An Lan to open the door himself.
An Lan pushed open the door, only to find a weapons storage room inside. Various weapons hung on the walls, leaving An Lan dumbfounded.
In the middle of the weapons storage, the person slowly turned around, and An Lan widened his eyes as he looked at the person. His legs felt like they were filled with lead, making it impossible to move.
“Long time no see, An Lan.”
It was a middle-aged man, stepping forward and looking at An Lan.
“I had hoped to take you as my student before, but you refused. Things change, and in the end, you still have to be my student.”
“Lin….Coach Lin…” An Lan stared at the person.
Coach Lin chuckled, “You look so surprised; it’s adorable. Like a fledgling bird on the edge of a cliff, seeing the abyss below for the first time.”
“You’re… you’re from ‘Eden’? We saw you on that list, and we couldn’t believe it!”
“I’ve provided a lot of fresh blood for ‘Eden.’ Perhaps you’ll be one of them,” Coach Lin said.
“Since you’re on that list, Uncle Gu has been in recovery; he can’t deal with you. What about Uncle Xu? How did you deceive Uncle Xu? Just a few days ago, we asked Uncle Xu to confirm your identity, and he couldn’t be sure if you were really a member of ‘Eden’!”
Coach Lin smiled gently, patting An Lan’s head. He lowered his head and said with emphasis, “As long as I’m a good coach, that’s all that matters. Am I not doing well with Xu Xingran and Gu Liyu?”
An Lan’s heart valve seemed to freeze into a thin layer of ice, ready to shatter with a gentle touch. “How… How do you plan to teach me?”
“You are unique. Teaching you to shoot is easy, but teaching you to survive here is much more challenging,” Coach Lin said.
An Lan immediately understood his meaning; there were no shooting competitions here, only life-and-death struggles.
“I won’t learn,” An Lan replied firmly.
Coach Lin seemed to have expected this answer, “We have daily teaching objectives. If you complete your daily goal, Xiao Chen gets to rest. If you don’t learn, he has to stay on the arena continuously, without day or night, without rest, until he’s thrown out like garbage in a sack.”
“You once taught Xiao Chen!”
Coach Lin chuckled, “I’ve taught many students; I don’t have the energy to remember each one. They are only distinguished to me by their usefulness or uselessness.”
Useful or useless – that’s also Liang Hao’s criterion for deciding whether a companion is worth surviving.
This should also be the criterion for “Eden.”
“Now Xiao Chen is already in the arena.” Coach Lin took out his phone and placed it on the table.
Xiao Chen seemed like a trapped beast, covered in wounds. An Lan couldn’t see his eyes, but he bowed his head, hunching his back, ready to collapse at any moment.
“If you don’t want to learn, that’s fine. Go back to the dorm, get a good night’s sleep, and if you get bored, they can put on TV shows for you,” Coach Lin said.
“I’ll learn… I’ll learn!”
“So, the first lesson today is firearm assembly.”
Coach Lin opened a rectangular box in front of him, revealing the components of a rifle: the stock, barrel, scope, and more.
They were not yet a complete unit but emitted a chill under the cold white light. An Lan’s brain started to ache.
In the video on his phone, Xiao Chen took a punch and fell to the ground.
“Oh, why so careless? Hit again?” Coach Lin sounded regretful, but his face displayed a mocking expression.
“Teach me quickly!” An Lan watched as Xiao Chen’s opponent raised his foot to stomp on his head. Fortunately, Xiao Chen dodged quickly; otherwise, it would have been over.
“Why the hurry? Just now, you seemed like you didn’t want to learn,” Coach Lin said.
Taking the components out of the box, Coach Lin assembled them in front of An Lan.
An Lan, anxious, watched Coach Lin’s movements while occasionally glancing at the video on his phone. In the blink of an eye, Coach Lin assembled the gun, but when it was An Lan’s turn, he fumbled because he was too concerned about Xiao Chen, neglecting several details.
An Lan, with a red face due to anxiety, couldn’t get the assembly right.
“See, chaos when you care too much. If you want to save Xiao Chen, you must learn to let go of him.” Coach Lin paid no attention to Xiao Chen but looked at An Lan. “In real combat, when your opponent uses your companion to threaten you, you raise your gun. Where your heart aims, your eyes will aim too. If you’re thinking about your companion, then the one you will hit in the end will also be your companion.”
An Lan’s hands were still shaking violently, but he seemed to understand Coach Lin’s words.
Taking a deep breath, An Lan said, “Please turn off the video.”
“This is a good start.” Coach Lin turned off the phone.
“Please teach me again.” An Lan pushed the box toward Coach Lin.
“Watch closely; this is the last time I’m teaching you.”
Metal parts clicked together, making An Lan inexplicably think of the sound of bones breaking.
In less than thirty seconds, a complete gun appeared in Coach Lin’s hands.
“Do you remember?” Coach Lin asked.
An Lan nodded seriously, “I remember.”
“Then let’s start practicing. When you can assemble it in one minute, Xiao Chen can rest.”
After saying that, Coach Lin walked to the side and lowered his head to watch a popular melodramatic TV series on his phone.
At first, An Lan could only fumble slowly, with clumsy movements. It took more than five minutes for him to assemble it the first time.
Coach Lin told him to disassemble it by himself, put it back in the box, and then assemble it for the second time.
The door to the weapons storage room remained closed, and Liang Hao leaned against the door, smoking.
Jiao Yun walked in with her hands in her pockets, teasingly saying, “Don’t you still have injuries? Shouldn’t you go back and lie down, maybe drink some red dates and wolfberries to replenish your blood?”
Liang Hao’s gaze sharpened. He attempted to lock onto Jiao Yun’s throat, but unexpectedly, Jiao Yun turned the tables, grasping his wrist and pressing it down. Liang Hao’s abdominal and thigh wounds immediately reopened, and the bandages were faintly oozing blood.
“You, as an omega, don’t deserve to be here!” Liang Hao said coldly.
“Really? Don’t deserve to be here because I can’t feel the oppression of pheromones? Or because you, who took alpha enhancement agents, can’t even beat an omega?” Jiao Yun squatted in front of Liang Hao, eyes full of scorn. “Are you feeling anxious? After all, that little kid not only suppressed you with pheromones but also… Coach Lin is teaching him hand in hand. You understand in your heart; ‘Eden’ wants to replace you with him, right?”
“He wants to replace me? A greenhorn like him wants to replace me?” Liang Hao’s anger was about to erupt from his eyes.
However, Jiao Yun, skilled in combat, firmly suppressed him. She said with a sneer, “Have you ever thought… you’ve worked so hard to climb out of the ‘experimental group,’ thinking you’ve become a member of ‘Eden,’ but in the end… you’re still part of the ‘experimental group.'”
“What are you?!”
“I’m just an omega with removed glands. I hate you alphas who are so high and mighty. My greatest pleasure every day is watching your pride trampled on the ground and thrown into the mud. I know myself well. The problem is… do you understand yourself?”
Liang Hao’s face turned red, and he forcefully pushed Jiao Yun away.
“Don’t give me a chance to touch a gun because the first one I’ll feed bullets to will definitely be you,” Liang Hao said.
Jiao Yun whistled and gestured with her chin to the other side of the door, “Tsk, do you think they’ll give you a gun upstairs? The gun is for him.”
Liang Hao stood in place, staring at Jiao Yun until her figure disappeared at the end of the corridor.
Turning back, his gaze seemed to penetrate the metal door.
“Impossible, only I am the strongest. You will never find a better sniper than me.”
On the other side of the door, An Lan was repeatedly assembling the gun.
His shoulders were sore, and his wrists trembled from the repetitive movements.
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