Chapter 420: Test Subject
Xiao Ye looked away, ready to leave, when he suddenly noticed something.
'Was that just...'
He thought he'd seen a pair of eyes, right up ahead!
He took a few quick steps, arrived at the restroom door, and flung open the trash can.
Inside, a child was crouched, shivering uncontrollably!
He looked no older than eleven or twelve and was staring at him in terror.
"What's going on here?"
The man hurried over, unceremoniously grabbing the boy by the collar and hauling him out. "He's a test subject. Anyone wearing these dark clothes with a number on them is a test subject."
"Using a child this young as a test subject—are you even human?"
The man looked at Xiao Ye with a disapproving expression. "Mr. Xiao, you're not a researcher. Naturally, you wouldn't understand."
"Many experiments require children. In fact, they can only succeed with children."
"You're right, I don't understand. But I have a conscience. I know that using children as test subjects is something worse than an animal would do!"
Xiao Ye shielded the boy behind him. "When I leave, I'm taking him with me."
"No way!" The man refused without a moment's hesitation. 'What a joke. If he takes a test subject away, what happens if our secrets get exposed?'
Besides, in their eyes, the test subjects were just a herd of livestock. Forget human rights; they were treated worse than animals.
"Mr. Xiao, you're just here to tour the facility. You have no right to interfere with the experiments. And no test subject is allowed to leave!"
"Please release him now. If a test subject runs loose, it causes a lot of trouble for the lab."
"And what if I say no?" 'If I hadn't stumbled upon him, that would be one thing. But I'm the one who found this child, so I have to protect him.'
"Mr. Xiao, don't disrupt the lab's operations. Otherwise, regardless of your status, you will face punishment from the Angel Association!"
Within the Angel Association, the experiments were indeed extremely important—even more so than some of its high-ranking members.
Without the laboratories, the Angel Association's status would be a shadow of its former self.
But Xiao Ye didn't care. All he knew was that, right here and now, he had to save this child. He would absolutely not stand by and watch the boy die here!
The man simply reached out, intending to snatch the boy away. "Mr. Xiao, you'd best not resist. If you get hurt, I won't be held responsible!"
Xiao Ye grabbed his wrist in a flash, a half-smile on his face. "A piece of trash like you thinks you're worthy of laying a hand on me?"
"Hurt me? In your dreams!"
With that, Xiao Ye kicked the man away. "Get lost. I'll say it one last time: this child is under my protection!"
The man lay on the floor, his face a mask of disbelief.
'Xiao Ye actually dared to run wild in the lab? He must have a death wish! Anyone who joins the Angel Association should know this, let alone someone like Xiao Ye who was permitted to tour the lab. How could he not know!'
The man scrambled to his feet, shot Xiao Ye a look, and then hurried away.
Xiao Ye, meanwhile, crouched down and looked at the boy before him. "Do you remember who you are?"
The boy could sense that Xiao Ye held no ill will toward him and was different from the others.
The look in his eyes had warmth; the others looked at him as if he were an object.
"I... I don't remember."
He'd forgotten his name. He had a feeling he was supposed to remember it, but for some reason, he just couldn't.
'The lab must have done something to him,' Xiao Ye thought, 'to make him forget his identity.'
"It's okay. I'll help you remember." Xiao Ye patted his head. "From now on, you'll stay by my side."
The little boy nodded obediently, looking utterly endearing.
The sound of frantic footsteps approached.
Then, a group of people arrived.
They were all researchers, though mixed in were several men who looked like security.
As the Angel Association's original Lab 1, its security was naturally top-notch.
The man had only called for people from inside. If he had summoned the personnel from outside, it would have been comparable to a small army.
"Release the test subject!"
"The lab will not tolerate any destabilizing factors. If you don't let him go, we'll have to use force."
Xiao Ye kept the boy shielded behind him, giving him a look to signal that he shouldn't be afraid.
When he looked up, he was actually smiling—a look of utter contempt. "Use force? Fine. Bring it on!"
Without another word, a security guard immediately took out an electric baton.
In a place like a laboratory, firearms were forbidden.
Because a single bullet could cause catastrophic problems.
In this kind of sealed laboratory, a fire or any other crisis would be a huge disaster.
Xiao Ye watched the guard charge at him, then unceremoniously kicked him away. "With your pathetic skills, you shouldn't come out and embarrass yourselves."
"You're no match for me. Send someone else."
"But I'd advise you to ask your superiors for instructions before you make a move. You don't want something to happen and have them take it out on you!"
The man refused to believe the higher-ups would let Xiao Ye take a test subject.
Sure, the test subjects had all been injected with drugs and even subjected to devices that made them forget their memories.
But that didn't mean they could never remember. Even one single exception could expose the Angel Association's affairs.
They wouldn't allow such a situation to occur. Not even rumors were permissible.
In Country A, there were many rumors about the Angel Association, but those only spread when the association couldn't contain them. At all other times, not a single detail was ever leaked!
"No need to ask! You're leaving the test subject here today!"
「Half an hour later.」
Xiao Ye looked at the people lying on the floor, took the boy's hand with a blank expression, and stepped over their bodies.
He then found an empty break room, settled the boy there for the time being, and even found him some cookies and milk.
The boy wolfed down the food. As a test subject, he was fed, but to ensure proper nutrition, the meals were the same every day.
He hadn't eaten anything so delicious in a long time. "Thank you."
Xiao Ye nodded.
Before long, the man appeared at the door. His face was black and blue, and he was holding a satellite phone. "The higher-ups have agreed to give you this test subject."
Xiao Ye nodded, unsurprised. 'It's just one test subject. In the end, he's nothing of consequence. The so-called rules only apply to internal lab personnel. For the Angel Association's top brass, any rule can be broken. It all just depends on whether it's worth it.'
"I told you to ask your superiors."
The man was clearly reluctant, but he had no choice but to accept it. "You have three days to tour the facility. I won't be accompanying you."