Chapter 764: Lab Rat Juliet |
Because in this small Western-style house lived the only female lab rat in this round, Juliet·Lean.
They had seen Juliet's photo.
She was incredibly lovely, so delicate you could squeeze water out of her skin.
They set their sights on this lab rat the moment they saw her.
But even if they had their sights set, they still needed to follow orders from above.
After Daniel and Smith arrived here, they saw the small Western-style house was pitch black.
They figured Juliet was probably already asleep at this hour.
They couldn't get in through the front door of the small Western-style house, so they climbed in through an unlocked window on the first floor.
After climbing in.
In their experience, a lab rat who made it to round 12 would lock the front door and lock all the windows shut.
At least she should have done that.
Daniel adjusted his glasses: "There's an old saying in Hua Country: 'Even the wise can slip a thousand times, and even the foolish can strike gold a thousand times.' Do you know what that means?"
Smith shook his head, indicating he didn't know.
Daniel said, "It means no matter how smart you are, if you overthink things, you're bound to slip up eventually. But if you're just an ordinary person, not particularly clever, and you think about something carefully a few times, you'll still find something worth learning."
Smith nodded, then asked curiously, "Hey, how come you keep dropping these Hua Country sayings lately?"
Daniel said, "I've been really interested in Hua Country recently. What do you know about it?"
Smith said, "East Asian country. I know more about Cherry Blossom Country and Korea. As for Hua Country... the only thing I know is all the 'Made in Hua Country' stuff..."
The three East Asian countries.
Cherry Blossom Country pushes cultural exports hard through anime.
Korea does it through K-dramas and K-Pop.
Compared to these two neighbors, Hua Country's cultural exports are indeed weaker.
A lot of Europeans and Americans know the first two but not the last one. That's just the reality.
Daniel said, "I recommend you check out Hua Country's culture and history, especially the proverbs and wise sayings. The more I learn, the more I realize they're all truths about life!"
Smith rolled his eyes: "So, does the Hua Country culture you've studied teach you to be a good person and not do these bad things?"
Daniel said, "Of course it does. Like, 'Don't do evil because it's small, don't neglect good because it's small.' 'Good deeds bring good rewards, evil deeds bring evil consequences.' 'A noble person helps others achieve good, not evil.' There are just too many to list."
Smith remained dismissive: "I've heard similar wisdom from other countries too. Stuff like that goes in one ear and out the other. How many people actually remember these lessons and live by them?"
Daniel said, "True."
"Take us, for example. There's no turning back now. I feel like that demon inside me has already taken root. If I ever had a kid, I wouldn't want them to end up like me."
The two chatted quietly, not wasting time idly, but using the conversation to let their eyes adjust to the dark. They chose not to use the flashlights on their phones or the ones they carried. Instead, they let their eyes adapt.
The human body is truly amazing. The parts you use often get stronger and more sensitive, while the parts you don't use slowly atrophy. Of course, that's not talking about overuse - pushing too hard leads to problems.
Take the eyes, for instance. Daniel and Smith's eyes were used to operating at night during their past crimes, so their night vision was much stronger than normal people's.
After their eyes adjusted, they moved quietly, searching the small Western-style house for their target.
The house had three floors. Daniel and Smith first checked the first floor, room by room. All the rooms were basically opened and glanced at, but they didn't find anyone.
Then they searched the second floor, but still found no one.
Next, they pinned all their hopes on the third floor. They were certain Juliet, this lab rat, had to be on the third floor since the first and second floors were empty.
So, after climbing the wooden stairs to the third floor, they moved even more quietly, blending into the darkness.
They checked each room with even more care, but strangely enough, after searching the entire third floor, they still found no trace of Juliet.
They were baffled. So, they did an even more thorough search this time, checking even the smallest spaces like stairwell closets or broom closets. But from the third floor back down to the first, they truly found no sign of Juliet.
Smith sat on the sofa in the first-floor living room and asked Daniel quietly, "Could it be that the intel Liu Baobao gave us was completely wrong? Does Juliet, that lab rat, not even live here, but somewhere else?"
Daniel thought for a moment: "Probably not."
Smith said, "Maybe that's it. When Juliet first arrived in Aisen Town, she lived here, but then she moved somewhere else."
Daniel said, "Unlikely. Every lab rat, from the moment they enter Aisen Town, has our people watching their every move. So if Juliet moved elsewhere, Liu Baobao would never have given us this address. Her information is generally up to date."
Smith said, "I have another guess. This is indeed Juliet's place, but she only pretends to live here while actually staying somewhere else. The purpose is to throw us off. After all, a clever rabbit has several burrows."
Daniel said, "That's unlikely too. If that were the case, how would she escape the eyes of the people watching her to live somewhere else?"
Smith said, "Don't trust those idiots watching the lab rats too much."
Daniel, reminded by Smith's words, recalled that such instances of unreliable surveillance personnel had indeed happened before.
After all, this job of watching lab rats was the most boring. He and Smith had done it too, and they often slacked off, putting in half-hearted effort.
At this point, Smith said, "Since Juliet's not here, send a message to Liu Baobao and ask if she actually lives here or not."
Daniel covered his forehead and said helplessly.
"Are you forgetting that woman's personality? If we message her about this, then that lab rat Juliet definitely won't be ours anymore."