Thus, he treated Subject 44 as his own child, often personally nurturing her, observing the extent of her abilities—they naturally hoped that Number Forty-Four's powers would become as strong as possible.
Qinghe now possessed the ability to control plants. She could command the vegetation around her, orchestrating it to her will. She had secretly experimented, turning all the flora within her grasp into lethal weapons; a rabbit was effortlessly torn into pieces.
Because of Dr. Li's "fondness," Qinghe's status had significantly risen, granting her privileges other subjects didn't have. She enjoyed the freedom within the confines of the laboratory.
Eventually, she found something that could aid in getting her revenge: a main control room containing a button that could destroy everything. It was the plants she had nurtured in her room that provided her with cover, allowing her to sneak out and discover it, for no one was allowed near this control room.
Hope ignited in Qinghe's heart, and she revealed a happy smile, yet it carried a somber and eerie quality to any observer.
From the moment she regained her memory, she had been carefully plotting, not even daring to sleep deeply, fearing she might reveal something in her dreams.
Finally, she found an opportunity. After much pleading, Dr. Li allowed all the subjects to play "Eagle Catches Chicks" with her in the garden—a game that wasn't childish for people like them, who had no memories and were starting over with a clean slate.
Qinghe led everyone to the lake's edge and instructed a larger boy to command everyone to jump into the lake after ten minutes.
These subjects, being human, had emotions. Some were angry with Qinghe for her betrayal, cozying up to the devils who caused their pain, and thus they did not listen to her. But, the boy was the "big brother" here; they followed his lead.
The boy, being the oldest here, gave Qinghe a complex look in his brown eyes. He possessed a pair of eyes that could see the essence of all things. He often noticed Number Forty-Four secretly sneaking out, and despite her apparent deep-seated hate for Dr. Li, she still managed to smile at him with innocence and radiance.
Qinghe tightly grasped his hand, pale and sickly-thin like hers, then without hesitation, turned and approached the onlookers, greeting them with a smile, and said something that led those two in white lab coats to follow her to Dr. Li.
That was the cue; Qinghe saw the ones who had killed her parents, her smile exceptionally bright. Then, sticking to the plan, she dodged everyone and reached the control room. Using the plants in the room, she killed the people inside and, with fingers as pale and frail as the boy's, pressed the red button without a moment's hesitation.
A mechanized voice announced, "Self-destruct sequence initiated, 5, 4, 3."
"Hahaha," Qinghe finally let out a crazed laugh, watching as those who desperately tried to run to the lake became more frantic, her laughter growing wilder.
The subjects outside naturally heard this announcement; tears welled in the oldest boy's brown eyes as he watched the devils attempting to run toward them, only to be blocked by the suddenly rapidly growing plants that filled the garden.
Decisively, he commanded everyone to jump into the lake. For those who hesitated, he kicked them in; he was the last person to leap into the lake, with the thunderous roar of the explosion filling his ears.
As the blast resounded, Qinghe closed her eyes with a smile, for her abilities, beyond those of ordinary people, had forever changed her destiny.
She had always been pure and kind since childhood, feeding stray dogs whenever she encountered them, but such kindness wasn't met with a happy fate. Instead, her path was one of tragedy. Ever since she regained her memories, the images of her parents and younger brother just before their death had haunted her mind.
She also finally understood the complex look in her parents' eyes as they were dying; it was their worry for their children's future.
So, she decided not to expect anything from anyone. If her kindness didn't earn her a benevolent fate, then she'd be cruel instead. She would overturn her destiny with her own hands; her fate would be controlled by her alone.
"Owoo," Qinghe was awakened by the sound coming from the small creature in her arms. Her clear, sparkling eyes were filled with a few crystal-clear tears, which she wiped away as she looked down at the little being in her embrace.
Little Snow Wolf's emerald eyes were moist as it looked at her, filled with boundless grievance and accusation, as though Qinghe had committed some unforgivable sin. It made Qinghe laugh; it was probably sulking because she had been preoccupied and had ignored it. As she stroked Little Snow Wolf's soft white fur, the darkness in her heart had already dissipated.
Qinghe took a deep breath, inhaling the fresh air of the forest and sensing the vitality of nature, which immediately elevated her mood.
The little one's chubby hand gave a light lift, and a bright, dewy wildflower appeared in her hand. She playfully placed it on Little Snow Wolf's head. If anyone had seen this, they would have been shocked; the flower had appeared out of nowhere. Even with magic tricks, given the little one's current attire, there was nowhere to hide such a thing.
However, Qinghe, as if nothing special had occurred, cheerfully engaged in a tug-of-war with Little Snow Wolf, her clear, bell-like voice playfully threatening the pup, "You'd better not take it off, or you won't get lunch."
Little Snow Wolf seemed to understand her words, looking slightly aggrieved but no longer pawing at the flower on its head.
Qinghe smiled joyfully, her eyes twinkling mischievously, "There, that's better. My Xiaohe looks even cuter with a flower on its head." Qinghe lifted Little Snow Wolf to her face and praised it.
From the name she had given to Little Snow Wolf, one could tell how much Qinghe treasured it.
She still remembered the scene when she didn't die together with all the sins she carried but was instead reborn into the body of an infant.
She had thought having special abilities was shocking enough, but compared to her current situation, that was nothing. She hadn't been reincarnated merely with memories; she had truly been reborn into an infant's body.
Based on her guess and the circumstances at the time, this infant was probably dead, and somehow, she had taken its place. This really annoyed her. Why settle for an infant's body? So many people died every day, couldn't she have found an adult body instead?
But then she thought it might be a consolation from heaven, giving her a chance to live again. She could accept that. What she couldn't stand was having no clue to what era she had been brought to by fate.
Sigh, when she was first reborn and saw the endless forest, she thought she'd have to die again, obviously from starvation. But then, she saw a beautiful Little Snow Wolf. The Snow Wolf sniffed around her and then turned and walked away. Before she could figure things out, oh crap, the little wolf actually brought back several wolves as large as mountains. At that point, she lost all composure and was terrified into trembling.