Chapter 97: Covenantor (XX)

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Chapter 97: Covenantor (XX)

Ever since the first sample had been analyzed, the researchers had been constantly pestering Shang Ke for more. Shang Ke had conducted analyses himself, and he absolutely refused to believe that these experts genuinely needed to consume more material than he did. He therefore informed them sternly that there were no extra samples and they had better use what they had sparingly.

In the end, Shang Ke divided out three samples for them, while requiring a complete analysis report for every single one.

With no other choice, the researchers left dejectedly. Shang Ke finally regained some peace and quiet, while analysis reports arrived from time to time. Analyzing the samples was only the first step. Next came producing powdered components, calculating ratios, dissolving and blending the ingredients, conducting repeated experiments, and much more. It would be a long and tedious process.

Shang Ke worked seriously and meticulously. After several rounds of working together, he gradually earned the other researchers’ approval and officially joined the research team.

Lu Xiufan had originally worried that bringing Shang Ke to a residence so far from the city would leave him bored. In the end, Lu Xiufan was the one suffering from loneliness instead. In the past, Shang Ke would always come greet him the moment he returned. Now all that awaited him was the old butler’s weathered face and a cold, empty house.

Lu Xiufan looked at Shang Ke, who was discussing test results with the researchers. Didn’t they dislike him? How did they become so close after only a few days apart? Shang Ke had even successfully gained access to the laboratory the researchers treated almost like sacred ground.

“Sir, you’re back.” An older researcher was the first to notice Lu Xiufan and rose to greet him.

Another researcher beside him chimed in, “Sir, you’re here for Little Ze, right? We’ve finished our part of the work, so please feel free to take him away.”

Lu Xiufan distinctly remembered that only two days ago, this very man had vehemently objected to his bringing an outsider into the laboratory.

“Working hours aren’t over yet,” Shang Ke said.

The moment he finished speaking, everyone else gave him looks filled with “pity.” This poor kid gets so absorbed in work that he even neglects his own man. How can that be allowed? Hurry up and give him some proper attention. Better yet, lock him in the bedroom and roll around with him for another three days and three nights.

Shang Ke’s attitude toward his work over the past few days had won unanimous approval from the researchers. They had once dismissed him as nothing more than Lu Xiufan’s bed partner; now they thought the two could not possibly be more suited to each other.

“Who says working hours aren’t over?” The older researcher tapped several times on the virtual clock. The displayed time immediately jumped forward by thirty minutes, placing it exactly one minute past Shang Ke’s scheduled break.

Shang Ke: …Is it really all right to do that right in front of your boss?

Lu Xiufan: As expected of an expert. What flexible thinking.

Lu Xiufan gave the researcher an approving look, then took Shang Ke away from the laboratory.

The moment the two disappeared, the researchers immediately gathered together and began guessing how many days they would remain shut inside their room this time, occasionally breaking into lecherous laughter. It had to be said that when these dedicated professionals started gossiping, they were no less formidable than a group of neighborhood aunties.

Lu Xiufan did not disappoint them. He and Shang Ke spent four full days wrapped up in each other, breaking their previous three-day record.

Early one morning, several researchers got up to exercise. The moment they opened the window, they were captivated by the scenery outside.

Threads of light appeared along the eastern horizon. A cool, damp breeze swept across the sea of purple flowers, where crystalline droplets of dew shimmered beautifully. The enormous white dog Snowball bounded happily among the blossoms. Two tall figures strolled hand in hand through the magnificent morning light, like figures painted into a richly colored oil painting.

“Ah, should I find myself a lover and have a proper romance too?” a researcher in his forties suddenly sighed.

Everyone around him shot him sideways looks. Sir, don’t you already have a wife?!

Life at the isolated villa was peaceful and leisurely, and a year passed before anyone realized it. Research into the brain tonic finally achieved substantial progress. Through everyone’s combined efforts, they successfully formulated five candidate drugs. The next stage would be human trials.

Shang Ke knew it was unlikely that they could reproduce the brain tonic perfectly. He could only hope the new drugs would achieve the desired effects without causing serious side effects. He compared all five formulations with the original serum one by one. Their pharmacological properties were already extremely close, especially Drug No. 5, which had reached almost 92% similarity. But without clinical testing, there was no way to accurately determine their actual efficacy.

While the researchers were discussing applying to the authorities for trial participants, Shang Ke suddenly said, “Let me do it.”

“What?” Everyone stared at him in confusion.

Shang Ke said calmly, “I’m a Covenantor.”

Everyone froze.

He was a Covenantor?

After spending so long with him, none of them had realized it!

Aside from being a little expressionless, a little too punctual, a little quiet, a little aloof, and a little too calm… how exactly did this guy resemble a Covenantor?

His thinking was clear and his work methodical. Although he rarely initiated conversation, he always answered when spoken to and could even play along when the others joked with him. For example, someone had once asked him, “How good is His Excellency at sex?” Shang Ke had replied, “Well-measured up and down, with excellent control going in and pulling out.” The answer had immediately won the researchers’ admiration.

Yet this young man who looked perfectly healthy was actually a Covenantor with neurological damage affecting his emotions? Some of them had previously thought him cold and arrogant. Only now did they understand that he simply could not express his feelings normally.

“What do you think about letting me be the test subject?” Shang Ke asked again.

“No!”

“Absolutely not!”

The two objections came simultaneously—one from the researchers inside the laboratory and the other from Lu Xiufan, who had just walked in.

Lu Xiufan walked over with an unhappy expression. “I’ll find several Covenantors who are nearing the end of their lifespans. You are not allowed to personally put yourself at risk.”

Everyone else nodded vigorously.

“All right.” Shang Ke did not insist.

Even then, Lu Xiufan did not lower his guard. In private, he ordered the other researchers to keep an eye on Shang Ke and make sure he never had the chance to be alone with the finished drugs. That night, he reiterated again and again that Shang Ke was to follow instructions and obey orders, driving the lesson home in bed until Shang Ke was completely exhausted…

Five days later, Lu Xiufan brought in five Covenantors around thirty-three years old. Their brains had already begun degenerating, their cells could no longer regenerate, and they were approaching the end of their natural lifespans.

The researchers first conducted a series of physical examinations on them, then formally prepared to begin the human trials.

Before the trials, everyone remained generally optimistic. They believed that even if the drugs were ineffective, they were unlikely to accelerate the subjects’ deterioration.

For the first few days, the subject who took Drug No. 1 responded exactly as they had hoped. The damage to his brain gradually repaired itself, and his brain cells regained vitality. Just as normal function seemed within reach, however, he suddenly died on the seventh day.

Losing a life in the very first trial devastated the researchers so badly that they delayed the second trial again and again. The delay stretched to half a year, until one of the remaining four subjects was nearing the end of his life. Only then did they finally begin the second experiment.

Drug No. 2 underwent several modifications. This time, the subject did not die suddenly. Instead, the dying Covenantor regained some vitality. Unfortunately, the effect lasted for less than half a month, after which he still succumbed to aging and died.

Still, the result restored some of the researchers’ confidence.

For the third trial, Shang Ke requested that they skip ahead and use Drug No. 5. No one objected.

However, just as they were preparing to proceed, someone with malicious intentions reported the research group.

After some discussion, the Queen sent Prince Consort Lu Xiuqi, Lu Xiufan’s elder brother, to verify the situation. In reality, it was little more than a formality. The Queen had privately approved the research project herself; it had remained confidential mainly to avoid unnecessary controversy and trouble.

Surrounded by guards, Lu Xiuqi walked out of the palace and was about to enter his car when he suddenly felt a sharp prick at the back of his neck. He reached up and touched the spot but found nothing unusual, so he simply got into the car.

When he arrived at the mountain villa, Lu Xiufan and the others were already waiting at the entrance.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, they headed toward the laboratory together. Along the way, Lu Xiuqi curiously studied Shang Ke several times. It seemed his younger brother had truly fallen in love with this man; otherwise, he would never have devoted so much effort to researching a treatment for Covenantors. If possible, Lu Xiuqi sincerely hoped the research succeeded, so that Xiufan would never have to endure the pain of losing the person he loved.

As the elevator began moving, Lu Xiuqi felt a wave of dizziness. Assuming it was merely discomfort caused by the sensation of weightlessness, he paid it no attention.

The group had only just stepped out of the elevator when cheers suddenly erupted from inside the laboratory.

“Sir, we succeeded!” A researcher rushed over in excitement, completely forgetting proper etiquette. “Drug No. 5 achieved the expected effect! The damaged brain has essentially regained its vitality.”

Lu Xiufan suppressed the surge of emotion inside him and asked steadily, “Are you certain his condition won’t deteriorate?”

“Absolutely!” the researcher replied with certainty. “The subject’s recovery has been extremely stable. We’ve observed him for two weeks, and today we can finally confirm that Drug No. 5 has an extraordinary effect on repairing the damage suffered by Covenantors. Although we still can’t guarantee there are no side effects, extending their lifespan by five to ten years should be entirely possible.”

Hearing the answer, Lu Xiufan looked toward Shang Ke, joy swelling inside him beyond description. With this drug, he could spend an entire lifetime with him.

At that moment, the researcher finally noticed the man standing beside Lu Xiufan. His expression froze, and he hurriedly bowed. “Your Highness, my apologies. I was terribly rude.”

Lu Xiuqi smiled. “No need for such formality. I can understand your excitement. You don’t mind showing me the results, do you?”

“Of course!” The researcher proudly puffed out his chest.

They entered the laboratory and first saw the Covenantor inside the isolation room. Although his face remained expressionless, there was a spark of vitality in his eyes that made him look noticeably more alive than an ordinary Covenantor.

The researcher showed Lu Xiuqi the Covenantor’s examination data from before and after treatment, enthusiastically describing the course of his recovery.

Everyone’s attention was focused on the researcher and the Covenantor in the isolation room. No one noticed Lu Xiuqi’s face turning pale or his eyes becoming unfocused. When the researcher led them to the terminal containing all the experimental data, Lu Xiuqi suddenly roared and lunged at him, his face contorted as he bit down on the researcher’s ear.

“Ah!” The researcher screamed, while everyone else stared in shock.

The laboratory was a highly confidential facility. Aside from Lu Xiufan and Lu Xiuqi, all of the guards had been required to remain outside, leaving only members of the research team within.

Lu Xiufan reacted immediately and rushed toward Lu Xiuqi. Another figure, meanwhile, ran toward the nearby terminal and equipment, intending to move them somewhere safe.

In his deranged state, Lu Xiuqi possessed astonishing strength. He broke free of Lu Xiufan, knocked through the crowd, grabbed a chair, and hurled it forward with all his might.

“No!” The researchers’ expressions changed drastically. The chair was flying directly toward the terminal containing years of their research. If it were destroyed, recovering everything would be extremely difficult. Most of the older work had been backed up separately, but the latest data had not yet been transferred.

At that exact moment, someone was standing directly in front of the terminal. The chair struck him squarely in the back with a heavy thud. It was made of metal and weighed over twenty kilograms. The damage from being hit by it at full force was easy to imagine.

“Little Ze!” Lu Xiufan’s pupils contracted as he watched helplessly while Shang Ke collapsed over the terminal and spat out a mouthful of blood, his breathing nearly stopping.

Only moments ago, Lu Xiufan had been imagining a future where they grew old together. In the very next moment, he was watching Shang Ke collapse before his eyes…

Shang Ke felt as though his spine had snapped, the pain making his entire body tremble. I was only trying to push the equipment out of the way! How the hell did I turn around and immediately get smashed by a chair flying in from nowhere?! I wasn’t planning to court death right now!!!

As his consciousness blurred, he felt himself pulled into a familiar embrace while anguished calls echoed beside his ear.

I’m sorry. In the end, I still broke my promise…

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