His surprise lessened somewhat. Still, seeing such an expression on that tiny face was rather unsettling. Xiao Baobao sighed before guiding Xiao Bai toward Yu Weiwei.
"Pa... Brother!"
The moment Xiao Bai saw Yu Weiwei, his eyes immediately lit up. He shouted excitedly before quickly changing the words after realizing that they weren't currently at home. Yu Weiwei smiled when he saw him and walked over before carrying Xiao Bai into his arms.
The moment Xiao Bai entered his father's embrace, he noticed Yu Weiwei's low mood. Without saying anything, the little boy snuggled deeper into his arms and gently patted his back with his tiny hands.
Yu Weiwei was stunned for a moment before he smiled. This time, the smile was genuine.
"Tsk, Weiwei. Has anyone ever told you that you look pretty when you smile like that?" Xiao Baobao lamented dramatically when he saw his smile.
Yu Weiwei didn't respond to him. Instead, he simply said, "I'll get going now. If any of them needs my Healing Authority, just inform me."
Before leaving, he used his Nature Authority to heal the test subjects and relieve their pain. The green light of his Authority spread across their bodies, slowly repairing the injuries that could still be repaired.
Some of the test subjects who had been unconscious began to stir, while others, who had been crying from pain for who knew how long, finally relaxed as the pain that had tormented them gradually disappeared.
Some even stared blankly at their healed bodies, seemingly unable to believe that they were no longer in unbearable pain.
As for the remaining problems, Yu Weiwei would leave them to the Empire. He couldn't solve everything himself, and right now, there was something else he needed to deal with.
The Imperial medical teams would be able to take care of the test subjects properly, while the Imperial Guards would handle the laboratory and everyone involved. There was no reason for Yu Weiwei to remain there any longer.
Yu Weiwei walked toward the exit. However, after taking a few steps, he suddenly paused and turned his head slightly toward Louise.
"Louise."
"Hmm?"
"You should keep an eye on Kiri."
After saying that, Yu Weiwei continued walking without explaining anything further.
Louise was somewhat confused by his words. Kiri was an SS-ranked powerhouse, and her Authority was the Dominion Authority. Besides, Kiri had been raised by the Royal Family, and she was loyal to the Empire.
Though her personality was somewhat aggressive and arrogant, Louise thought it was normal. Most powerhouses had their own eccentric personalities, especially those who had reached such a high rank.
Kiri was also someone who had always been straightforward with her thoughts. She didn't bother hiding her opinions, even when those opinions were rather extreme.
Lin Zhe had never really liked her because of this, and there had been several occasions where the two of them had disagreed because of her way of thinking. However, Lin Zhe had never considered Kiri an enemy, nor did he believe that she would intentionally harm him. He simply disliked her character and some of her extreme thoughts.
So why would Yu Weiwei suddenly tell him to keep an eye on her?
Louise's expression suddenly changed. Lin Zhe had never really liked Kiri, and if even Yu Weiwei, who was still somewhat ignorant of human emotions and their complexities, had noticed something strange about her, then something was definitely wrong. Yu Weiwei wasn't someone who would casually tell him to watch a loyal Imperial powerhouse without a reason. There had to be something he had noticed that they hadn't.
Louise's expression gradually became serious as he watched Yu Weiwei disappear from sight.
Immediately after Yu Weiwei walked out of sight, his expression changed completely. The gentle smile disappeared, and the murderous intent he had been suppressing suddenly burst out.
At this moment, he didn't look like a naive twenty-year-old kid. Instead, he looked like a ten-thousand-year-old demon who had crawled out from the depths of hell. The pressure surrounding him was terrifying, and even the air seemed to become heavier as his emotions surged.
Xiao Bai, who was still in his arms, stiffened in fright. His tiny body trembled slightly, and for a moment, he seemed unsure of what to do.
But instead of running away, Xiao Bai only snuggled deeper into his father's arms, instinctively seeking comfort from the very person who was frightening him.
Yu Weiwei noticed this and immediately calmed down. His murderous aura disappeared almost instantly, and his expression softened as he lowered his head to look at the little boy in his arms.
However, the moment Xiao Bai saw his father's expression return to normal, he suddenly burst into tears.
"Xiao Bai?"
Yu Weiwei was completely flustered. He immediately began soothing him, gently patting his back while trying to figure out what had frightened him so much. "Don't cry. I'm here."
But Xiao Bai's crying didn't stop. No matter what Yu Weiwei did, the little boy continued crying, his small hands tightly clutching his clothes as though he was afraid that Yu Weiwei would suddenly disappear.
Eventually, after crying for nearly two hours, Xiao Bai finally fell asleep. Even then, he continued to sob softly in his sleep, his tiny body occasionally trembling as though the fear from earlier had remained buried somewhere in his subconscious.
Yu Weiwei stared at him for a long time. His heart felt strangely heavy as he looked at the sleeping child. He gently stroked Xiao Bai's hair before carrying him back home, his expression much quieter than before.
He didn't know why Xiao Bai had reacted so strongly, but he couldn't help feeling guilty for allowing his emotions to frighten him.
By the time Yu Weiwei reached home, he was already exhausted. After settling Xiao Bai down, he finally lay down on the bed, his body sinking into the soft mattress.
The moment his head touched the pillow, his consciousness began to sink, and the exhaustion he had been suppressing throughout the day finally caught up with him.
His mind and body were tired, yet just as he was about to fall asleep, a distant memory suddenly surfaced.
A memory he had buried for a very long time.
His first death...
It was a memory he wanted to avoid remembering. It might not have been one of his most painful deaths, especially compared to some of the deaths he had experienced in his later lives, but it had been terrifying for his twenty-five-year-old self. At that time, he had been too young, too inexperienced, and completely unaware of how cruel the world could be. The helplessness of that moment had remained buried deep within him, even after countless lifetimes.
The memory slowly unfolded in his mind, dragging him back to a time he had tried very hard to forget. And for the first time in countless years, Yu Weiwei found himself remembering exactly how his first life had ended.
---
"Haa!!"
A female scream shattered the silence in this white world, a laboratory hidden deep underground. The scream was filled with despair and fear, echoing through the cold and sterile laboratory before slowly fading into the distance.
"I'm sorry... Ah... Ah, I won't run... I'm sorry! Spare me... I'm sorry!"
A pleading, fearful voice could be heard trembling through the laboratory. The woman's voice was hoarse from crying, yet she continued begging, as though pleading enough times might somehow convince the person standing before her to spare her life.
Twenty-five-year-old Yu Weiwei was lying on the ground, his limbs twisted in a gruesome way, yet his face was devoid of pain.
The blood beneath and surrounding him had already begun to coagulate, staining the pristine white floor with a horrifying contrast. If not for his disordered breathing, one would think that he wasn't feeling any pain at all.
But he was.
He was in unimaginable pain.
Every part of his body seemed to be screaming, yet he could no longer even move enough to react to it. His body had been pushed beyond its limits, leaving him only with the ability to breathe and remain conscious.
Perhaps that was the most cruel part of it all. He couldn't escape the pain, but he couldn't even move enough to end it himself.
Near him was a woman old enough to be his mother. The woman's body was covered with blood, and she looked wretchedly miserable.
Her right hand was mangled and drooping uselessly by her side, while bruises covered almost every visible part of her body. She was kneeling before a man old enough to be her grandfather, both knees pressed against the cold floor.
"My lord, I would do anything... Please. Kiri loves you... Kiri will do anything... Don't kill me."
Kiri's face was filled with tears, sweat, and snot. Her face looked pale and terrible, with bruises scattered all over it. The proud and aggressive woman that she was, was nowhere to be seen. At this moment, she was simply a terrified woman begging desperately for her life, yet hoping this lover of hers would spare her life.