Villain Boss Chapter 210
Translated by Digitalian (ko-fi)
Chapter 210: Youyou’s Past
What was so bad about the Shen family now?
Shen Lang couldn't answer that question.
From the perspective of outsiders, and even from the perspective of the younger generation of the Shen family, no one felt that there was anything bad about the Shen family.
In this chaotic world, the Shen family had indeed reached a height that many families could only dream of, but this wasn’t what he wanted.
Or rather, this was far from what he envisioned.
Shen Lang avoided Shen Bai's gaze and turned to walk toward the bed.
He coughed, his steps slow, but his voice was firm. "The Shen family should be able to achieve more."
Stubborn to the end.
Shen Bai ultimately refrained from saying those four words that were on the tip of his tongue.
He bowed slightly to Shen Lang’s back and said in a flat tone, "Grandpa, please rest well. I won't disturb you any longer."
He left the room and gently closed the door.
In the hallway outside, the moment he came out, the little girl who had been squatting on the ground stood up. She patted her little skirt, straightened her bun, and looked up at him.
Shen Bai’s gloomy expression softened upon seeing the little girl.
He smiled slightly, and as usual, patted her bun and said softly, "Youyou, I'm back."
She looked at him with bright eyes, nodded, and stiffly forced a smile.
Only in front of Shen Bai would she stubbornly show her smile—which looked rather silly.
Knowing that this action was meaningless to the little girl, Shen Bai still smiled even more gently. "Youyou is such a good girl."
He took her hand and prepared to go to the military command building to report on his work.
Shen Youyou’s hand was cold, and the feel was no different from that of an ordinary human child. On closer examination, one could probably tell that her finger bones were thinner and harder—the metal that was synthesized through multiple laboratory experiments, was best suited to simulate human bones. Its advantage was that it was harder than human bones, but its disadvantage was that it wasn’t stiff enough to withstand all high-intensity and high-force physical attacks.
He first met Shen Youyou in the laboratory.
At that time, the little girl's eyes were dull, and her expression was blank.
She sat dazedly in the chair, listening to the researcher's questions, nodding, or shaking her head in response.
They were testing her learning ability and logical thinking.
The final conclusion was that the little girl had a strong ability to imitate, but almost no ability to learn on her own.
The Shen family needed such puppets to carry out the many shady tasks they had.
Shen Youyou was thus allowed to stay.
As for other substandard puppets, they would be destroyed.
They would be thrown into a landfill, dismembered by massive machinery, and then thrown into an incinerator.
Of that batch of experimental subjects, only Shen Youyou was allowed to remain.
This was the puppet that his father protected with his life.
Having learned about the puppet from others, Shen Bai applied to his superiors, officially taking over all of Shen Youyou's research work.
However, he didn’t have direct contact with her. He simply observed her every move through the one-way glass each day.
Most of the time, she sat alone on the edge of the bed, motionless.
Occasionally, she would wander aimlessly around the room, probably because she was bored and wanted to pass the time.
Like the other puppets, she didn’t exhibit any superior qualities.
He spent twenty hours a day in the laboratory, and at least fifteen of those hours were spent watching her from outside the glass.
Although the other staff members found it strange, no one dared to raise any objections because of his status.
"Has Si Xu seen this child before?"
Because of the strict inspections from the higher-ups, the Shen family's laboratory was temporarily sealed off, and 117 was naturally transferred to Xiling laboratory.
As a key figure in the laboratory, Si Xu should know relevant information about her.
"Well..." Everyone in this laboratory was from the Shen family, so there was nothing they couldn't say. "Senior Mr. Shen thinks there's no need to contact Si Xu's side for the time being."
Si Xu was just an assistant after all. No matter how capable he was, could he be more powerful than the bomb planted in his heart?
"So he hasn't seen her before?" Knowing that Si Xu was brought up by Jiang Yize, he wasn't as hostile toward Si Xu as Shen Lang. "I'll find some time to report to Assistant Si."
The staff member didn’t object. "Okay. I'll consolidate the information for 117 and give it to you right away."
Of course, this information was only superficial. The important information shouldn’t be handed over to outsiders.
He made an appointment with Si Xu and arrived very early the next day.
As usual, he first went to the observation room of 117.
He glanced inside through the glass and his expression shifted slightly.
The door was wide open, and the observation room was empty.
117 had disappeared!
He casually placed the documents on the table, then quickly went down the stairs to the door.
There was indeed no one inside.
There was a pool of blood at the entrance.
"Oh, Mr. Shen, you're here so early today?" A staff member yawned as he walked in and greeted him politely.
"Where did 117 go?" His voice was deep, tinged with anger for the first time. "Why is there this pool of blood?"
The staff member was startled. "Isn't 117 inside?" He quickly walked closer, then suddenly remembered something and slapped his forehead. "Oh dear! I was so focused on helping Zhang just now that I forgot to lock the door!"
"Zhang?" Zhang was the guard watching Qin Huai, an experimental subject. Shen Bai asked coldly, "What happened?"
"It's that Qin Huai... he's gone mad again—he bit Zhang and stole the key, then fled all the way here. I don't know how he opened the door, but he got caught inside." The staff member muttered, "That fool must’ve thought this was the door to leave the lab. Once he's in, does he think he can still get out? He hasn't suffered enough."
Disliking the way the staff discussed the experimental subjects, he frowned and said, "117 is missing. It's your mistake. You have ten minutes to find her right now."
Startled by his chilling voice, the muttering staff member immediately bowed and scraped, "Yes, yes, I'll go right away!"
The staff member quickly left the observation room.
Shen Bai rubbed his temples and followed the man outside. Once in the corridor, he went in the opposite direction from the other man.
For some reason, he had a feeling that 117 was still in the vicinity of the observation room.
At the end of the corridor was the laboratory's back garden, where staff members enjoyed their afternoon tea.
He wandered aimlessly along the garden's cobblestone path, and then... under a patch of gardenias in full bloom, he found 117.
She must have been attracted by the scent of gardenias. She was squatting nearby, her head tilted back, and her nostrils flaring.
Was she smelling the flowers?
He stood behind her without making a sound.
The little girl craned her neck and smelled for a while, then raised a hand and gently touched the delicate white petals of the gardenia with her fingertips.
The flower branch swayed, and dewdrops slid off the petals, dripping directly onto the girl's neck.
She was chilled by the dew and shivered, shrinking her neck.
Seeing her actions, a slight smile appeared on his lips—finally, the little girl in front of him looked like a normal child, not a puppet born only to carry out orders.
