Translator: CinderTL
By the time Feng Qi closed his notebook, it was already afternoon.
He stretched lazily, preparing to head out.
Lin Ran had called earlier, inviting him to study at the library, but Feng Qi declined. He planned to visit Bai Fusheng that afternoon to inquire about Mu Qing.
Since Bai Fusheng was the principal of Star City Academy, Feng Qi figured he would have detailed information about Mu Qing.
He pulled out Bai Fusheng's business card, dialed the number, and Bai Fusheng's voice answered from the other end.
"Who is this?"
"Grandmaster, it's Feng Qi. I wanted to ask you about something."
"Ah, Feng Qi! Come to my office directly," Bai Fusheng replied readily.
After a brief chat and noting the location Bai Fusheng mentioned, Feng Qi left his dormitory and headed toward the principal's office.
Star City Academy was vast, and it took him half an hour to reach Building 1, as Bai Fusheng had instructed.
Entering the building, Feng Qi went straight to the top floor, found the room marked "Principal's Office," and knocked.
Bai Fusheng's voice immediately called out from inside:
"Feng Qi, right? Come in."
Pushing the door open, Feng Qi saw Bai Fusheng watering the office plants with a sprinkler.
A smile lit up Bai Fusheng's face when he saw Feng Qi. "Come, sit down. What do you want to ask me about?"
Feng Qi sat down at the desk, paused for a moment, and then said, "Grandmaster, I want to know more about Mu Qing."
Hearing Mu Qing's name, Bai Fusheng's expression shifted, and he asked in surprise, "Why do you want to know about her?"
"She's my friend."
"Friend? I advise you to stay away from her."
"Why? Do you also discriminate against her because she's a rune augment?"
Bai Fusheng didn't get angry at this. Instead, he explained, "Since I allowed her into Star City Academy, how could I discriminate against her? The main issue is her unstable emotions and immense power. She might accidentally hurt you. Mu Qing has lost control more than once during her time at the academy."
Realizing Bai Fusheng was worried about him getting hurt, Feng Qi pressed further, "Grandmaster, can you tell me what you know about Mu Qing?"
"I don't know much about Mu Qing. The main reason she was admitted to Star City Academy was due to a request from the Scarlet Research Institute, which is why I agreed. What's certain is that Mu Qing is an observation and research subject of the Scarlet Research Institute. Her transformation into a rune augment was also a result of their experiments."
Hearing this, Feng Qi was puzzled:
"Wasn't the rune augment project banned? How can the Scarlet Research Institute still conduct such research openly?"
"It is banned, but the Scarlet Research Institute is a special case. It's an organization completely independent of all other research institutions, directly under the military's command. They have the authority to conduct small-scale, specialized experiments, including the rune augment project. After all, even a path that once seemed impassable might still have a chance of success. If they succeed, it could undoubtedly advance the progress of all humankind."
"Even if the Scarlet Research Institute has the authority to conduct rune augment experiments, does that mean they can disregard others' wishes and forcibly subject people to human experimentation?" Feng Qi couldn't help but frown.
Bai Fusheng was taken aback by Feng Qi's words:
"All experiments conducted by the Scarlet Research Institute are reported to the military. Moreover, all living subjects participate voluntarily. How could there be coercion? Did you hear this from Mu Qing?"
Bai Fusheng's response made Feng Qi realize something.
It seemed many of the Scarlet Research Institute's actions were officially sanctioned, but he refused to believe they were innocent.
In Mu Qing's memories, there was a scene:
A woman in black took the orphaned Mu Qing away, claiming she needed to continue unfinished experiments.
At that moment, Feng Qi could clearly sense Xiao Muqing's inner resistance and struggle.
He was convinced the Scarlet Research Institute was hiding something!
With this in mind, he turned to Bai Fusheng and pressed further:
"Are you saying Mu Qing's transformation into a rune augment was also voluntary?"
"Of course it was voluntary," Bai Fusheng replied. "I've inquired about this with the Scarlet Research Institute myself. They told me Mu Qing's parents were originally scavengers from outside Star City. Years ago, Star City accepted and resettled a group of scavengers, and her family was among them."
"After settling into the city, Mu Qing's family volunteered as live test subjects for the Scarlet Research Institute's external recruitment program. They underwent a series of rune augmentation experiments, but due to severe rejection reactions between their bodies and the rune energy, none of them survived."
"That doesn't make sense. Why would Mu Qing's family willingly participate in rune augmentation experiments? Didn't they understand the potential risks? If something went wrong, what would happen to young Mu Qing? How could they not realize that?"
"I had the same doubts as you at the time," Bai Fusheng replied, watching Feng Qi's puzzled expression. "I asked the Scarlet Research Institute staff who were my contacts the same questions. Their answer was that Mu Qing's family had indeed volunteered, because they knew they didn't have much time left to live."
Bai Fusheng continued, "According to my information, Mu Qing's family was attacked by a Domain Transcender outside the city. Although reinforcements arrived promptly, Mu Qing and her family had already inhaled the toxic mist exhaled by the Domain Transcender. While the small amount they inhaled wasn't immediately fatal, modern medicine couldn't cure them. They were only expected to live for about three more years. That's why they made a series of requests to the Scarlet Research Institute and then volunteered for the rune augment project."
"What were their demands?"
"They wanted Mu Qing to grow up healthy and receive the best possible education. So, a year ago, the Scarlet Research Institute fulfilled its promise and sent Mu Qing to Star City Academy."
Bai Fusheng's answer left Feng Qi puzzled.
If Mu Qing had been forced into rune augmentation experiments by the Scarlet Research Institute, why would they voluntarily release her and allow her to study at the academy?
Information Feng Qi had gleaned from the future confirmed that the Scarlet Research Institute never interfered with Mu Qing's life afterward. After graduating, she joined a domain combat team and became a domain warrior.
If the Scarlet Research Institute truly was an evil organization, they should have imprisoned Mu Qing and continued their experiments.
This realization made Feng Qi question his previous perception of the Scarlet Research Institute as irredeemably wicked. Perhaps they weren't as evil as he had initially believed.
Feng Qi's thoughts became tangled.
Could there be hidden circumstances he was unaware of?
Having only witnessed a brief scene from Mu Qing's memories and now hearing Bai Fusheng's explanation, Feng Qi began to doubt his earlier assumptions.
If Mu Qing later chose to continue participating in rune augmentation experiments, what could have driven her to turn against all of humanity?
Unable to unravel this mystery, Feng Qi felt a headache brewing.
The truth he thought he was about to grasp seemed to dissolve back into a fog.
After chatting for a while longer, Feng Qi bid farewell to Bai Fusheng and returned directly to his dormitory.
Since he couldn't make sense of it, he decided to venture back into the Dream Realm to search for clues that might help him piece together the answer.
(End of the Chapter)
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