"I don't think we've found anything to gather clues up there," Qin Ci said, looking at everyone. "We still need to search the underground area. And personally, I think the most likely place for the signature is Laboratory D."
Zhu Haowen nodded slightly: "I think so too. Since the 'painting' won't set up an unsolvable puzzle for us, and there are no files or documents in Laboratories A, B, and C for us to find clues, then the most likely place is Laboratory D."
"How do we search?" Xu Zhen covered her cheek, which was swollen from Qi Qiang's beating. "Haven't we already searched it many times these past two days? Could there be another level underground in Laboratory D?"
"I don't think that's possible," Zhu Haowen said. "We still have a lot of files in Laboratory D that we haven't found."
"Moreover, judging from the previous paintings, sometimes the signature isn't there from the beginning," Ke Xun interjected. "It needs to be activated, for example, through some action, or by reaching a certain location, or by us deciphering the painting's original meaning before the signature appears."
"So, there must be something we haven't done, or an action we haven't taken," Zhu Haowen said.
"So what do we do next?" Xu Zhen, who had always been assertive and eager to take the lead, finally gave up on competing for the top spot and placed her hopes on these veteran members.
"Go get your numbers," Qin Ci said calmly. "Go to Lab D and search for clues before dark."
No one objected; getting a number early or late made no difference, so they all got up and headed towards the iron gate.
Ke Xun, having slept all morning, had recovered quite a bit of strength. He went over and carried Zhang Hanrui, who had been sitting on the table next to him. Zhang Hanrui had opened her eyes at some point, staring blankly at the ceiling. Her beautiful face had lost all its usual liveliness and vibrancy, like a walking corpse that only retained its breath.
Ke Xun took her phone from her pocket and put it on himself. It contained the girl's last message to her parents.
Li Yaqing, who drew number 1, cried as she received a number starting with "A." She had cried too much; her tears had long since dried up. Her crying now was just a dry sob, a dying animal's lament.
Qin Ci, who drew number 2, also got card number A.
Next was Ke Xun, who drew number 3, but Ke Xun didn't go forward to get a number. He only said, "Dongzi, let's switch."
Whether you draw a card from section A or section B, it's much easier to survive than from section C or D.
Wei Dong was stunned for a moment, then shook his head: "No, I won't switch. You always let me have my way before. This time, I'm going to be the dad."
"Heh," Ke Xun looked at him coldly, "You're still a long way from taking the lead. I can still get you a number first by using force. Stop dawdling and get your number."
"Ke'er..." Wei Dong frowned, wanting to argue again.
"Dad, I want to die with my idol," Ke Xun looked at him with serious eyes, "Please grant my wish."
Wei Dong was stunned again and looked at Mu Yiran beside him.
Mu Yiran was also looking at Ke Xun. Wei Dong couldn't describe what kind of look it was, but he felt that it was different from before. It seemed that something between the two of them had changed at some point.
Wei Dong understood Ke Xun, so he silently stepped forward and pressed the button to get a number.
It started with B.
Ke Xun's brow relaxed; with his "fainting technique," Laboratory B was arguably the most harmless of the four experimental areas.
But Qi Qiang, the next to press his number, got a card starting with C.
"Damn it!" Qi Qiang cursed, throwing the card on the ground and stomping on it twice.
Ke Xun's expression wasn't good either. Getting a C card so early meant that he and Mu Yiran wouldn't be the only ones in Laboratory D.
Because of the experimental format in Area C, there would always be four people. Currently, there were only three people in Laboratories A and B combined. Of the ten people, besides these three and the four in Laboratory C, the remaining three would be in Laboratory D. This meant that Zhu Haowen, who drew the third-to-last number, would also be in Laboratory D.
Unlike the 50% mortality rate of Laboratory C, the nature of experiments in Laboratory D makes it impossible to determine how many people will die, or become half-dead, vegetative like Zhang Hanrui. The more unknown it is, the more terrifying it becomes.
However, the three people assigned to Zone D this time showed no fear on their faces, calmly and confidently taking the lead on the stairs leading to the underground experimental area.
Qi Qiang, who was lagging behind, stared grimly at Ke Xun and Zhang Hanrui on his back. Suddenly, his eyes flashed, and he bent down to pick up his number card and followed.
It was still early before dark, so everyone had gathered in Laboratory D. Some were responsible for searching through documents, while others were responsible for searching every corner and every brick.
Ke Xun sat cross-legged in the corner, holding a flashlight and looking through the stack of photos in his hand.
The photos were the same stack he had seen when he first entered Laboratory D. They were all pictures of various handsome naked men, and even many pictures of men having sex. There was no mosaic to protect them; they were very explicit, very revealing, and very likely to make gay men's blood boil.
"What are you looking at so intently..." Wei Dong walked over and glanced down, mimicking Sun Wukong being blinded by the Yellow Wind Monster, "Ah, my eyes—my eyes—"
"Get lost." Ke Xun said without looking up.
"Damn it, what time is it? You're still looking at this?!" Wei Dong finally felt infuriated by his friend's insensitivity.
"What am I thinking?" Ke Xun numbly looked up at him, "I just think it's strange that this stack of things would appear in this place and occasion. Maybe there are clues on it, but its contents are easy to overlook."
"Didn't we say it might be something the staff used for their own amusement during their free time?" Wei Dong said.
"If you really want this kind of entertainment, just grab a porn book," Ke Xun said. "The photos are so conspicuous and obvious. Isn't this person afraid of being discovered by their colleagues? And we've all overlooked one thing: this research institute is a product of that era. Even in today's more open society, real homosexuals wouldn't so openly bring this kind of thing to the office to look at, let alone in that conservative era. Doing so would be tantamount to actively inviting others to see them as untouchable aliens and ostracize them."
"Huh?! That makes sense!" Wei Dong exclaimed in surprise. "Why didn't we think of that before!"
"It's not surprising that you straight men don't think of that. After all, you're not in this position, so you can't understand the psychology of people like us." Ke Xun held up a photo in his hand and shone a flashlight on it, trying to see through it.
This action was seen by Li Yaqing next to him, who couldn't help but exclaim "Ah!"
Ke Xun quickly put his hand down and turned to look at her: "Sorry, it's an eyesore. Girl, go over there, stay away. This is not suitable for children."
"No…" Li Yaqing said hoarsely, biting her lip with some hesitation and difficulty.
"Is there anything you want to say?" Ke Xun turned the stack of photos face down and looked at Li Yaqing.
Perhaps it was because Ke Xun's bright eyes easily made people lower their guard, or perhaps it was because his gay nature made it easier for women to mistake him for a close male friend, Li Yaqing finally pursed her lips and lowered her voice to tell him, "I've seen that photo before..."
This time it was Ke Xun's turn to be surprised: "Really? How could you have seen a photo like that?"
He flipped open the photo he'd just seen, glancing at Li Yaqing first: "Mind if I look at it again to confirm?"
"No problem, let me see." Li Yaqing took it, examined the photo carefully for a few moments, and handed it back to Ke Xun. "It's definitely this photo. The man in the photo has a heart-shaped birthmark above his navel; there shouldn't be any duplicates."
"Can I ask where you saw this person?" Ke Xun asked.
"I haven't seen him in person, I only saw a photo, and it's exactly the same as this one," Li Yaqing suddenly felt a little embarrassed. "You know… we're all fujoshi… sometimes we go to those kinds of websites… you know, those…"
"Gay sites, I understand." Ke Xun nodded.
"Hmm…and then there are a lot of these kinds of pictures on the site…" Li Yaqing tried her best to sound natural. "This photo is one of them. The reason I remember him so well is because of the heart-shaped birthmark above his navel. Hanrui even joked that…that the top would probably…react first when he sees that birthmark…"
"Ahem," Ke Xun closed the photo, "So you remember him very clearly, it's this person, right?"
"Yes, it's him." Li Yaqing nodded.
Ke Xun stroked his chin thoughtfully: "Many of the pictures on gay websites are selected from various websites. Anyone who looks handsome, has a good body and is sexy, or is dressed provocatively, is put on the site. Of course, many are also uploaded by users. But why would this photo appear in a research institute like this, and also on a gay website? Is there a connection between the two?"
Li Yaqing didn't know either, so she remained silent.
Zhu Haowen, who had appeared beside her at some point, suddenly spoke up, asking Li Yaqing, "Which website did you see this photo on? Tell me the URL."
Li Yaqing was taken aback for a moment, then quickly replied, "The URL is easy to remember, XXX.GAYJJ..."
Ke Xun: "..."
Wei Dong: "..."
Zhu Haowen, expressionless, said, "I know. This website is one of the best maintained and most well-managed gay websites, but it also can't avoid issues like copyright infringement and low standards. Many of the pictures on the website are collected by the team that runs it from various channels or media, including old newspapers, magazines, and celebrity posters. They scan them up for people to enjoy."
Ke Xun looked at him strangely.
Wei Dong, standing nearby, suddenly realized, "So, the picture these girls saw on the website was actually scanned and uploaded; this one is the original. But what does that have to do with the current situation?"
Ke Xun withdrew his gaze and continued Wei Dong's words, "It does matter. This at least proves that these photos weren't taken by people here. Judging from the image quality, they're very likely copies."
"Let me see!" Wei Dong quickly reached out, not caring whether the image was offensive, and carefully examined every pixel in the photo by the light of his flashlight. "That's right! They're copies! Damn, I should have checked these photos earlier—see, there's a clear shadow in the upper left corner. This is because the photo was copied from a pornographic magazine or some kind of shady publication. Paper things, if left for a while, will become damp or folded, causing creases or wrinkles. So, in the photo, this area will have a shadow. And judging from the image resolution, this is definitely a copy, not a fresh photo."
"So, isn't this strange?" Ke Xun said. "Why would the researchers at the institute take these photos and put them in the lab? It couldn't possibly be for personal amusement. The fact that they're so blatantly placed here is clearly deliberate and purposeful."
"What could that purpose be?" Wei Dong pondered.
"I think," Ke Xun picked up a ballpoint pen from a drawer, "this stack of photos is very likely related to the ET experiment mentioned in the research log. In any case, let's be safe."
With that, he scribbled a few strokes, and the naked man in the photo was dressed in black leggings.