The Green Tea is Always Targeting The Wrong Person (GREENTEA)
Time rewinds to a few minutes earlier.
Mu You had no intention of caring for these people, but fearing that Yue Chu might notice his lack of effort, he went through the motions of adjusting their postures and arranging their poses.
When it came to Jiang Quan, he frowned impatiently, "Can't you raise your arm higher?"
Jiang Quan, who had just been injured and hadn't fully recovered his self-healing ability, was in excruciating pain in his shoulder and couldn't lift his arm. However, seeing Mu You's anger, he gritted his teeth and managed to raise his arm.
Mu You snorted in displeasure before he roughly adjusted Jiang Quan's collar while sneaking glances at Yue Chu.
But as he turned his head again, a sudden spray of mist hit his face, causing him to stand up in fury and take two steps back, wanting to twist Jiang Quan's head off.
Almost instantly, a numbing weakness overcame him and rendered him unable to launch an attack.
Mu You's eyes widened in disbelief as his body fell backward.
In that split second, Jiang Quan, who had been limp just moments ago, suddenly sprang up and injected the Elixir into Mu You's bloodstream.
Mu You felt his heart pound with a deafening thud and sent a tingling sensation through his scalp. Something silently detached from his cells that carried his soul out of his body.
His pupils contracted as a drop of crimson slowly settling in the center before merging into the black and disappearing.
Mu You weakly opened his fingers, trying to grasp those precious things, but could only watch as his hand stiffly fell through the air.
With a thud, he collapsed to the ground with his hand hitting the floor heavily, yet he felt no pain.
He began to convulse violently with his face contorted in agony, until a powerful spasm abruptly stopped him and his eyes glazed over as if he had died.
Jiang Quan, while breathing heavily, carefully examined Mu You's condition. Confirming that the Elixir had taken full effect, he turned and walked towards Lan Yi and Lan Yao.
Lan Yao's gaze was dark while staring in disbelief at the familiar yet unfamiliar figure before him, his voice hoarse as he asked, "Why?"
He had always thought Jiang Quan was the most normal among them, as the incomplete infection had left Jiang Quan with most of his humanity intact. But now, it seemed he was so similar to Mu You, the madness spreading from those cold eyes was terrifying.
Jiang Quan didn't answer his question and instead directly injected the Elixir into Lan Yao's body.
Lan Yao suddenly laughed as a self-mocking smile flashing across his handsome, icy face.
So that's how it is, so that's how it is...
He spat out blood, and with his eyes filled with malice as he glared at Jiang Quan, "I underestimated you."
Lan Yao had always believed the entire Research Institute was under his control, and Jiang Quan was completely transparent in his eyes. But now, it seemed he had been too arrogant.
Right under his nose, Jiang Quan had developed the Primary Vaccine and perfectly concealed his intentions until now to deliver a fatal blow.
Jiang Quan remained impassive.
Seeing Lan Yao also incapacitated, he immediately went to Lan Yi's side.
He knew his time was limited and had to deal with these people as quickly as possible.
Lan Yi's reaction was far less intense than the previous two. His peach blossom eyes even carried a hint of a smile, though it was unclear whether he was laughing at Jiang Quan or himself.
Lan Yi: "I always thought that among us, you were the least affected. But now it seems that partial infection hasn't spared you from fate either."
Jiang Quan's hand paused. He looked up at Lan Yi as the lenses of his glasses reflected a dazzling white light and obscured the emotions in his eyes.
He said calmly, "I'm different from you. My love for him comes from the heart, not from the influence of the virus."
Lan Yi laughed, as if he had just heard the biggest joke that even his shoulders kept shaking with mirth.
After a moment, he stopped laughing and allowed Jiang Quan to inject the Elixir into him. His peach-blossom eyes, deep and unfathomable, fixed on Jiang Quan's cold, composed face. "Don't be too self-righteous."
Jiang Quan remained silent, letting the starlight in Lan Yi's eyes fade.
He then quietly turned his gaze to Yue Chu, who was anxiously walking toward him, and a faint smile tugged at the corners of his lips.
The hand that had been steady while pushing the needle now trembled slightly with excitement. Behind the lenses, his eyes shimmered with a watery glow as he struggled to contain his emotions while nervously awaiting Yue Chu's arrival.
Yue Chu was frantic.
He crouched beside Lan Yi and checked his breathing and pulse. Thankfully, he was still alive.
He looked up at Jiang Quan, who still appeared familiar yet somehow different.
At this moment, Jiang Quan was like a dusty pearl finally wiped clean and beginning to shine brightly.
Just as Yue Chu had initially thought, Jiang Quan, as one of the world's protagonists, was no ordinary person.
Yuan, however, was seething with rage and wanted to kill Jiang Quan. He could feel his connection with Lan Yi and the others completely severed—not just a temporary block of their senses, but a total loss of control over them.
And then there was the Elixir in Jiang Quan's hand. The danger it contained was what truly alarmed him.
For the first time, the Bora Star People, from billions of light-years away, recognized the intelligence of the seemingly insignificant race on this remote blue planet.
Yue Chu was overwhelmed by the chaos caused by these two.
This time, he truly realized one thing: trying to have it both ways was not advisable.
He had once been tempted by the idea, but now he was completely against it.
"Why?"
Of course, he hoped Jiang Quan would develop a vaccine.
It was a good way to combat the crisis, but it should not be used on Lan Yi and the others—at least not while the Elixir was still unstable.
The system's alarm had not been lifted, which meant Lan Yi and the others had not yet fully crossed the danger threshold.
Jiang Quan looked at him seriously with his slightly cold eyes, like a spring snow in March, filled with a unique determination and persistence.
That persistence was like a seed buried in the soil, inconspicuous at first, but quietly breaking through its shell and sprouting until it grew into a beautiful plant and blooming with radiant flowers.
"Because this is what you hoped for."
Everyone thought Yue Chu had infiltrated the lab to steal the Virus Entity, but after careful observation, Jiang Quan understood that Yue Chu's true purpose was to prevent the virus from leaking.
He had done everything in his power to maintain the delicate balance among Lan Yi and the others. Despite being able to easily take the virus away, he chose to return because he knew that until a vaccine was developed, no matter where the virus was hidden, the world would still face the threat of infection.
Thinking of this, Jiang Quan couldn't help but feel a softness in his heart. Perhaps only someone as gentle as Yue Chu would give up everything to be an unsung hero.
Whether he succeeded or not, no one would be grateful to him or remember him. Yet, he was still willing to immerse himself in the darkness and dance with the devil.
Jiang Quan had witnessed too much darkness in his life, which had almost erased all warmth and left only a cold emptiness in his heart.
He was intelligent, but it was precisely because of his intelligence that he could see through everything, becoming cold-hearted and detached.
He had long been aware of Lan Yao's exploitation of him, but he chose not to expose it, as it was merely a mutual exploitation.
Jiang Quan thought his life would remain in perpetual silence, but he never expected to be fortunate enough to meet Yue Chu.
The gentleness Yue Chu brought him was pure and selfless, so warm and bright, guiding him out of the cold and desolate darkness.
Yue Chu was at a loss for words and wished he could beat up the four fools infected by the idiot Yuan.
It was said that a woman's heart was as deep as the ocean, but he found Jiang Quan and the others even more unfathomable than a woman's heart.
He had no idea what they were imagining all day, but every time they caught him off guard, he watched in horror as the mission teetered on the brink of failure, feeling his heart race and his scalp tingle.
A bitter smile of helplessness appeared on his face as he straightforwardly admitted, "Yes, I had that thought..."
Hearing this, Yuan was stunned and felt his heart shatter into pieces.
The pain from the Elixir earlier was nothing compared to this moment.
He had never imagined that the partner he loved with all his heart actually intended to kill him.
The Red Gauze inside Little Ball stopped spinning before sinking slowly in despair, just like Yuan's heart, numb with pain.
Yue Chu took a deep breath and said softly, "But I never wanted any of you to die."
He had already seen through the death wish in Jiang Quan's heart. It wasn't just Lan Yi and the others who were infected by the virus; Jiang Quan himself was too.
Yue Chu took Jiang Quan's hand to retrieve the Elixir he had kept for himself, and put it in his pocket. Then he gently rubbed Little Ball, who had been driven to the brink of despair by his own imagination, stiff and cold.
He looked at Jiang Quan with his gaze like a light mist in the mountains, seemingly soft and powerless yet thick with emotion, pulling Jiang Quan into a bottomless vortex, leaving him with no strength to struggle.
"If I wanted to kill you, I could have done it hundreds of times, including Yuan, Lan Yi, and you."
"But I didn't. I couldn't bear to."
"So, could you please care a little more about yourself?"
Jiang Quan felt a pang in his heart, as if tears were about to fall. He quickly raised his head and widened his eyes, not wanting to expose such a fragile and disheveled side of himself.
It turned out that even the life he didn't care about was so cherished by someone else.
Yue Chu walked over to gave him a warm hug, and then gently let go.
"Will Lan Yi and the others be in danger?"
Only then did Jiang Quan regain his composure. He adjusted his glasses and said calmly, "No, there will only be some minor side effects, but they won't harm the body."
It wasn't until Jiang Quan said this that the system's shrill alarm finally ceased.
Yue Chu breathed a slight sigh of relief as a glimmer of light flashing in his eyes.
He never expected that the real boss was actually the protagonist, Jiang Quan.
However, Jiang Quan then turned a cold gaze toward Little Ball: "But as long as Yuan exists, the crisis for humanity cannot be resolved. When he fails to find a suitable host, he will spread uncontrollably for survival. Therefore, Yuan must die."
Yuan trembled slightly but lacked the courage to refute Jiang Quan because Jiang Quan was absolutely right.
When hunger reached its extreme, even he didn't know what terrifying things he might do.
He quietly looked at Yue Chu as his gaze deeply imprinted his image in his heart and never to be forgotten.
To love someone is to protect them.
For Yue Chu, he was willing to choose death.
【Let Jiang Quan give me the Elixir.】
Yue Chu was momentarily stunned before lowering his head to look at the red Little Ball in his hand.
【I only hope that in this final moment, you can stay by my side.】
【Yue Chu, you won't forget me, right?】
Yuan didn't even dare to ask Yue Chu to love only him forever, because he knew that in the long years relative to humans, someone would always appear to take his place and love Yue Chu better.
Jealousy, resentment, and despair gnawed at his heart like ants, making him want to immediately regret and overturn his seemingly magnanimous and fearless declaration.
Why!
He wasn't afraid of death, but he was terrified of losing Yue Chu.
He didn't want anyone to replace him in loving Yue Chu, because he would only be jealous of that person and loathe that person.
Yue Chu, however, smiled before tapping the round shell of the Little Ball.
His slender, jade-like fingers appeared even more exquisite and beautiful against the vibrant red.
"Then parasitize me."
What?!
Jiang Quan and Yuan both looked at him in disbelief, but in that gentle smile, one turned into endless despair while the other into wild joy.
"I don't know how much I can endure, but I am willing to turn to ashes with you, okay, Yuan?"
‘No, don't!’, Jiang Quan silently screamed with tears streaming from his cool, watery eyes but they only turned into silence.
He looked at Yue Chu humbly as his trembling colorless lips wanted to beg him to take back this cruel statement, but he couldn't say anything.
Because he knew this was Yue Chu's resolve.
Yue Chu smiled slightly while saying to him, "Take care of yourself.", and then resolutely walked into the storage room while holding Little Ball.
He unbuttoned his clothes one by one before he placed the Little Ball on his chest, and let the Red Gauze penetrate his skin then slowly crawled into his blood vessels, cells, and genes.
Yue Chu closed his eyes, like an angel from the holy scriptures offering a sacrifice before disappearing devoutly and sacredly with Yuan.
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