Chapter 027: Designation 007!
The next day, the weather was gloomy.
Drizzling rain fell from the sky as a young girl walked down the street in a black windbreaker.
She looked up at the hazy sun and involuntarily cleared her throat.
"Ah, ah, ah~"
"Still... not good..."
The girl uttered three syllables in a row, her voice extremely hoarse, with barely any difference between each syllable.
She returned home, pushing open the door to reveal a room filled with musical instruments such as pianos, guitars, and violins. Various CDs were stacked in one corner, while the walls were adorned with posters of different singers.
Taking off her windbreaker, the girl sat in front of the computer and attempted to sing a song.
However, her voice was raspy, making her clear singing sound unpleasant.
The girl, known by her stage name Xi, was a popular internet singer known for her ethereal and unique voice, capable of lending a special charm to any song.
But two months ago, disaster struck when her voice suddenly became hoarse.
She had always taken great care of her voice, avoiding oily and spicy foods, refraining from smoking or going to smoky places.
Until two months ago, her voice had been perfectly fine.
Then, one day, she fell seriously ill, suffering from high fever for several days and experiencing a dry throat as if it were on fire.
After recovering from her illness, she was invited to participate in a television program. At that time, she still didn't notice anything wrong with her voice. However, when she went on stage to sing, she suddenly lost her voice.
Her voice was extremely hoarse, and by the time she realized it, it was too late. She struggled through the song, but many of her fans who had come to see her perform were left in shock.
"Is this the voice of an angel kissed by heaven?"
"Isn't this the voice of someone who's been through a sawmill?"
After that incident, Xi fell from grace overnight.
No matter how she explained it afterward, attributing it to a cold and fever, no one cared. All they cared about was whether she could still showcase her beautiful voice.
Xi was extremely anxious, but it seemed as though fate was playing a cruel joke on her. Her voice never recovered.
A month later, unable to withstand the pressure from public opinion and her management, she reluctantly participated in a concert again. Knowing that her voice had not yet recovered, she planned to lip-sync.
This arrangement had been agreed upon with her management: endure this one time to weather the storm of public opinion and figure out the next steps later.
But even the lip-syncing didn't go as planned. She was exposed on stage!
With her secret out, Xi had no choice but to sing live again.
And with that, her reputation was completely ruined.
From the moment she lost her voice, she lost everything.
Because everything she had was built on her voice.
Since then, Xi had disappeared from the public eye, quickly fading into obscurity.
Internet memory is short-lived, constantly being refreshed by new events. No one would keep paying attention to a singer who deceived her fans.
Until now, Xi still couldn't produce her previous voice.
Sitting at her computer, Xi listened to the playback of her recent attempt to sing. It still sounded unbearable.
A tear rolled down her cheek as she curled up, hugging her knees, and cried softly.
But even her cries sounded hoarse.
After a long while, Xi wiped away her tears and went to the balcony.
This was the eighth floor.
Standing at the balcony, Xi walked to the edge and closed her eyes, then leaped off.
The descent was swift, without the usual slow-motion experience.
Xi plummeted to the ground floor in an instant.
But the expected pain didn't come.
Opening her eyes, Xi saw a man wearing a white mask standing inverted before her.
No, it wasn't the man who was inverted—it was Xi herself.
With one hand gripping Xi's ankle and the other hand in his pocket, the man let go of her foot abruptly.
Thunk!
Xi's head hit the ground instantly.
The sound of the impact indicated it was a solid hit.
Xi got up, holding her head. "Ouch... What are you doing?"
Hearing her words, the man turned his head in confusion.
"What are you doing?"
"Can't you tell? I'm trying to commit suicide!"
Xi held her head, wearing a helpless expression.
"I thought this was some kind of performance art."
The man, Chen Ye, wiped his hands with a white cloth and then retrieved a bottle of deep red liquid from his pocket.
"Since you want to die, why not assist me in my research before you go? At least your death would have some value."
Xi looked at the liquid in confusion. "What research?"
"About... life."
Chen Ye handed the vampire No. 1 serum to Xi.
"Drink it."
"What is this?"
"Since you're going to die anyway, why worry about it?"
"Then I at least want to know if it'll hurt."
"If you're going to die or not?"
Chen Ye shrugged. Though he was pleased to find a test subject during his outing, he didn't like curious individuals.
Facing Chen Ye's urging, Xi took a deep breath and reluctantly drank the serum.
Gulp.
The liquid was bloody and fishy, like blood.
As soon as the liquid passed her throat, Xi's body began to convulse violently.
"Ugh... Ah..."
Had the serum started to take effect already? So quickly?
Xi writhed in pain on the ground, feeling as though her muscles were being torn apart all over her body!
Seeing the girl in pain, Chen Ye began to record.
The main ingredients of the vampire No. 1 serum were human blood, bats, salamanders, and second-generation deep divers' blood.
The only difference between this serum and No. 2 was one of the ingredients.
Vampire No. 2 serum didn't contain human blood; it was replaced with leeches.
Both ingredients involved the concept of blood. Chen Ye wanted to see how a slight variation in materials would affect the overall effect of the serum.
Soon, scales began to grow on Xi's body, fins appeared on her ears, and her long hair turned dark green.
Before Chen Ye could react, Xi's legs suddenly contracted and merged together to form a fishtail.
This is... a mermaid?
No!
This is a vampire serum!
What kind of deviation is this, creating a mermaid? This effect is more than just a little off!
Oh no, this could be troublesome.
It might mean starting the vampire serum experiment over from scratch.
Although reluctant, Chen Ye recorded the girl's transformation into his file on his phone.
Designation 007: Siren.