After listening to Dr. White's account, Noah roughly understood the sequence of events.
It was essentially a rehash of some science fiction disaster movies he had seen in his previous life – ignorant experimenters conducting inhumane experiments endlessly, leading to the mutation of test subjects, ultimately resulting in their destruction.
His previous self had somehow escaped from this laboratory and had subsequently participated in the Zoldyck Family's butler examination.
Then, he was replaced by a version of himself from another world, ending his tragic life.
With these thoughts, Noah sighed inwardly and then asked, "Since you all believed I was dead back then, where did these 'Zero' cells come from now?"
"They were extracted and integrated from the bodies of the deceased experiment subjects. Because of this, these 'Zero' cells are highly unstable, with a lower success rate in fusion than before. Even if fusion succeeds, the experiment subject may experience a potential breakdown at any time," Dr. White replied.
"Defective products?" Noah commented, then continued, "It seems like I can't come into contact with these defective products. Whenever I do, it seems to trigger the breakdown phenomenon you mentioned."
"Yes, that's correct. Because the 'Zero' cells currently in use were extracted from deceased individuals, they are inherently impure. When they encounter… when they encounter you, it triggers a rejection reaction, leading to a breakdown," Dr. White explained, perhaps feeling that using the term "Host" repeatedly in front of Noah was inappropriate, as he changed his wording halfway through.
After a brief hesitation, Noah asked the final question that had been weighing on his mind.
"Will the breakdown phenomenon occur in my body?"
Noah had witnessed Rami and Betero turn into a bloody puddle. As the so-called Host, he must have had a substantial amount of those 'Zero' cells in his body. Noah didn't want to suddenly turn into liquid one day; that would be a nightmare.
"No! How could that happen?" Just as Noah anxiously awaited Dr. White's response, Dr. White suddenly straightened up, looked at him seriously, and said firmly.
"It's impossible. Although we don't understand why your body can extract 'Zero' cells, through our research, we can affirm that your body is absolutely incapable of undergoing a breakdown. Furthermore, during the testing phase, we discovered that your body's strength, resilience, and reflexes far surpass those of an average person. You can be considered a perfect human. It's precisely because of this that we dared to use the extraction method on you… use that particular extraction method."
As the conversation turned in this direction, Dr. White instantly transformed into the image of a mad scientist that Noah had in mind.
His eyes sparkled with zeal, lavishing him with praise.
Undoubtedly, in Dr. White's eyes, Noah's body was like a vast treasure trove filled with countless riches. However, as he reached the end of his statement, Dr. White's voice weakened considerably.
"A perfect human?" Noah smiled ambiguously at Dr. White's words.
With cells in his body capable of awakening Nen abilities, could he truly be considered a human?
"Let me confirm one more time. You are only responsible for extracting 'Zero' cells, and you genuinely have no knowledge of my origins and background, correct?" Noah stared at Dr. White, applying pressure with his Nen.
Although Dr. White had already stated that he would reveal everything he knew, Noah had no intention of placing full trust in him.
Under the pressure of Nen, if Dr. White still harbored any reservations, they would surely be exposed.
Feeling the pressure emanating from Noah up close, Dr. White's face turned deathly pale, and his body trembled slightly. However, he still spoke slowly, "I haven't lied to you. Only the Elder knows about your lineage and origins."
He hadn't told a lie.
Noah confirmed in his mind.
To be honest, White's reaction was somewhat unexpected to Noah.
In Noah's view, it wouldn't be surprising for ordinary people to have any kind of reaction under the pressure of Nen, and some might even be scared to death, just like that unfortunate Leol.
However, White's complexion only turned pale, and he didn't seem to be greatly affected.
In reality, what Noah didn't know was that from the moment he appeared, White had already mentally prepared himself for death.
The pressure from Noah's Nen was indeed terrifying, but when you've already accepted your imminent demise, there won't be much of a reaction.
The pale face and trembling body were simply instinctual human responses to stress.
Elder?
Noah silently thought in his heart as he stood up straight and walked towards the door without looking back.
Behind him, White stood still, and it wasn't until Noah was about to reach the door that he finally shouted, "Aren't you going to kill me? You should hate me, right?"
Stopping in his tracks, Noah turned back and smiled, saying, "I've already obtained what I wanted, and to be honest, I don't hate you that much." After speaking, Noah didn't wait for White's reaction and turned and walked out of the door.
If it had been the original Noah, he might have harbored hatred towards White and even killed him. But the Noah at this moment was no longer the same person.
That obsession had been resolved, and he had never personally experienced the torment and experiments, so he couldn't inherit the anger and hatred of the old Noah.
He was himself, whether it was Noah or Lin, he was just himself, not influenced by anything else. He only did what he truly wanted to do, without being compelled by any so-called obsessions.
"I will help you seek revenge, after all, I've also inherited your life. But to truly seek revenge, we need to find those elders, find the ones who brought us to this damn place, find the real masterminds."
"I'm not a soft-hearted person, I won't hesitate to kill those who deserve it."
"Likewise, I'm not a bloodthirsty maniac."
Muttering to himself, Noah left White's room, crossed the outer corridor, passed through the electronic door, and left this underground laboratory.
It was only after Noah had left that the staff in the rooms on both sides of the corridor gradually breathed a sigh of relief and sat down weakly in their chairs or leaned against the walls.
Even before, when Noah was in White's room, none of these people dared to send a message or inform the Elder's Council about the intruder.
This was because the pervasive smell of blood in the air and the soul-chilling pressure emanating from White's room made it clear to them that if they dared to make a move, they would undoubtedly die.
"Who is that young man? Someone go check on Dr. White and Dr. Crowly."
Several minutes later, some of them finally woke up from their daze. They walked to the door of White's room and peered inside.
White's room was in complete disarray. Supervisor Smith's head was almost embedded in the wall, Dr. Crowly's body was lying by the wall with his head almost turned 180 degrees, and Dr. White was sitting next to the cabinet with a dagger stuck in his chest.