NOVEL NEXT Chapter 201: Chapter 201: Aggressive Urges? What Urges?
Mo Chen didn't push Syuen any further. He pulled a chair over, sat down, and looked at her.
"How have you been lately?"
Syuen stood stiffly in front of him, nervous like a schoolkid facing a strict teacher. Her heart pounded wildly.
She had been traumatized by Mo Chen before—just seeing him made her legs go weak.
"Ah… N-nothing, nothing much…"
"What kind of nonsense answer is that?" Mo Chen raised an eyebrow and shot a glare at the frail woman before him. "I'm asking how you've been—your health."
Previously, he had injected the Punishing Virus into her.
Even though he had full control over it, he was still concerned that it might be too aggressive and end up killing her.
Even if it didn't, what if it altered her mind, like what happened with Marian? A complete personality shift wouldn't be ideal either.
Her health?
Syuen froze for a second before recalling the ordeal she had suffered. Her face turned pale, and she instinctively took a step back.
Mo Chen noticed her reaction and immediately frowned.
What the hell? Was she that afraid of him? (T.N. No shit Sherlock, you literally assaulted her…)
"Why are you backing away? Get over here—I'm not going to eat you."
He had intended to check in on her out of concern, but seeing her act so fearful only irritated him.
Was he really that terrifying?
Hearing him say "I'm not going to eat you" while keeping a stern face only made Syuen more nervous. She hesitated, her voice trembling.
"N-no, nothing's wrong… Everything's fine. I was just working with viruses earlier—wouldn't want any of it getting on you."
Mo Chen grabbed her wrist and pulled her forward.
"Quit making excuses."
As if some random virus could be more dangerous than the Punishing Virus.
Syuen was yanked toward him like a ragdoll, her frail frame as flimsy as a noodle. She was practically paralyzed with fear.
Even Mo Chen, who had plenty of patience, was starting to get annoyed. His brow furrowed.
"Am I really that scary?"
He started wondering if the virus had altered her personality.
He remembered Syuen as someone bold and arrogant—the kind of person who would kick whoever she wanted without hesitation. But now? She was acting so timid that if she hadn't yelled at him earlier, he might not have recognized her at all.
Syuen wanted to deny it, but after sneaking a glance at Mo Chen's face, she swallowed her words.
If she admitted it, who knew what he would do to her?
Mo Chen sighed and dropped the subject.
"How's the research on the neutralizer coming along?"
Despite her fear of Mo Chen, Syuen was genuinely passionate about research. She was especially interested in the neutralizer, hoping to fully understand it. More importantly, if it could purge the virus from her body, she had even more reason to take it seriously.
"The neutralizer's analysis is complete. I've identified a special compound that can disrupt NIMPH, rendering the infected Rapture virus ineffective. However, this compound is extremely rare, so I've been experimenting with substitutes…"
The moment she started talking about research, Syuen became completely engrossed. Her speech turned fluid, and technical terms spilled from her mouth rapidly.
Mo Chen listened, completely lost—her words might as well have been an alien language.
"Additionally, I found that the neutralizer has some correlation with the provided virus. When mixed, they undergo a chemical reaction, merging together. The virus you provided has a high affinity with my own strain… There may be a genetic link between them…"
"Stop, stop."
Mo Chen, feeling dizzy from all the technical jargon, quickly interrupted Syuen.
She was still eager to continue but, seeing Mo Chen's growing impatience, she promptly shut her mouth.
Though, deep down, she was a little irritated.
You were the one who asked me to explain, and now you don't want to listen? What a fickle man.
Mo Chen took a moment to process everything Syuen had said, organizing his thoughts.
In summary: the neutralizer was related to the Rapture virus.
The Rapture virus was connected to the strange virus infecting Marian, Snow White, and the others. And the Punishing Virus had similarities to this strange virus.
In other words, the virus infecting Marian and Snow White seemed to be an evolved hybrid of the Punishing Virus and various other viral strains.
However, this peculiar virus could be purified by Mo Chen's own virus.
Though "purify" wasn't exactly the right term—synchronize would be more accurate.
Anyone infected with this virus, once synchronized with Mo Chen, would regain their sanity.
Thinking back to the time he was pressed up against Snow White and Alice, Mo Chen finally understood—that's why they synchronized with me.
Meanwhile, the new neutralizer Syuen developed could stimulate this virus, triggering a more aggressive outbreak. And once the virus flared up, it would be easier for Mo Chen's own virus to synchronize with it.
In short, even though a new neutralizer had been developed, it could only be used by Mo Chen himself.
Additionally, there was a side effect—an extreme increase in aggression.
"Increase in aggression?"
Mo Chen raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
Like in games, where enemies become more aggressive at higher difficulty levels?
Now that they had reached the critical point, Syuen suddenly became evasive, her words vague and hesitant.
Mo Chen frowned at her reluctance. "Explain it properly."
But no matter how he pressed, she refused to say more—just muttering something about making people more proactive or more assertive.
Mo Chen was completely lost.
His gaze drifted to the row of crystal-like capsules lined up on the table, resembling bullets. They looked similar to the previous neutralizer.
He stood up, walked over, and picked one up. Turning to Syuen, he asked, "So this is the new neutralizer?"
Seeing that Mo Chen had stopped pressing her, Syuen secretly let out a sigh of relief.
"Yes. But the neutralizer still has side effects, so for now, it shouldn't—"
"Snap—!"
Before she could finish, a crisp sound echoed through the lab.
Syuen instinctively looked toward the source of the noise—Mo Chen had crushed the capsule in his hand. A burst of crimson liquid splattered out like an explosion.
A few drops even landed on Syuen's face.
Mo Chen coughed lightly, trying to cover up the awkwardness.
"Uh… the casing is too fragile. It needs reinforcement."
Syuen stood there, completely stunned.
Seeing her dazed expression, Mo Chen asked, "Is there a problem?"
Without saying a word, Syuen suddenly turned around and bolted.
She's running away? Was this some kind of trap?
That thought briefly crossed his mind, but he quickly reacted—reaching out and grabbing her wrist.
After all, with her thin arms and legs, how could she possibly outrun him?