Apocalypse, then transforming into a magical girl

"But then again, although that professor's research is a bit strange, I've heard he's quite a humane person."

"He's probably one of the best professors in our university. He's very kind to his students and often treats them to meals."

Bai Shuyuan interrupted Xia Zhaozhao's gossip at the right moment: "We can talk about Professor Qin Zheng's personal evaluation later. Based on my speculation, the university's small seed bank should also be located in this laboratory building, and it is very likely not far from the 606 Genetic Engineering Laboratory."

"I thought seed vaults were all in those deep underground fortifications, the kind that could withstand nuclear bombs," Little Green said doubtfully.

"That's a strategic-level doomsday seed vault; there are only a handful in the entire world, and they're usually built in remote areas."

"University seed banks serve research and teaching needs more than absolute physical protection. However, their internal storage conditions are still quite stringent."

The three of them walked up the brightly lit staircase. The entire building was eerily quiet, with no sound except for their own footsteps.

However, when they arrived on the sixth floor and found the room with the number "606", a strong smell of blood suddenly wafted out from under the door.

"Damn, what's that pungent smell!" Xia Zhaozhao's expression changed, and she subconsciously put her hand on the handle of the wood-chopping knife at her waist, protecting the two people in front of her.

Xiao Lü frowned as well. She gestured for Xia Zhaozhao to slowly push open the door, while she herself remained vigilant.

The laboratory was in a mess, with various sophisticated and expensive instruments and equipment lying around, some even falling off the lab bench and smashing to pieces.

In the center of the laboratory floor, a blurry, dark-colored object could be vaguely seen lying there, its shape irregular and its exact nature unclear.

However, there seemed to be a lot of dark stains spreading across the floor around the object, giving people an unsettling feeling.

"What...what is that thing?" Xia Zhaozhao pointed to the blurry object in the center of the laboratory, her tone tinged with disgust. "It looks disgusting, and the smell of blood is coming from there."

Bai Shuyuan seemed to be drawn in by this unusual aura as well. An impulse stemming from her "quest for knowledge" surged within her.

This time, there was no strong, intuitive warning like before when she wanted to look directly at "Sasha." She hesitated for a moment, and finally slightly lifted her eyelids, opening them to a barely visible slit.

That single crack was enough to send the distorted, chaotic illusions surrounding the laboratory, along with a jumble of disordered information, rushing into her mind and bringing waves of familiar dizziness.

She forced herself to suppress the discomfort, closed her eyes again, and processed the information she had just seen.

"The rest of the lab remains a highly chaotic cognitive interference for me. However... the anomaly you're pointing to is very special."

"I could see the despair contained within, as well as the tattered white cloth and the congealed blood."

After listening to Bai Shuyuan's description and looking at the blurry object on the ground, Xiao Lü and Xia Zhaozhao carefully moved a few steps toward the object in the center of the laboratory.

As she got closer, the outline of the object gradually became clearer in her eyes.

Finally, the two were able to make out the white hair scattered around the object, and a blue plastic sign that was torn to shreds but still had the words "Qin Zheng" barely legible.

"This...this is Qin Zhengyao? He's dead!" Xia Zhaozhao exclaimed in a short, sharp voice.

As Xia Zhaozhao exclaimed in surprise, and as she confirmed the concept of "Qin Zheng's corpse" in her mind, the scene before Xiao Lü's eyes also changed!

The previously blurry object quickly became clear in her eyes; it was a male corpse wearing a white coat, lying face down on the ground!

Beneath him, and on the surrounding floor, were large splatters of thick, congealed, blackened blood.

Xiao Lü cautiously took a few more steps closer, and when she saw the horrific state of the corpse, she couldn't help but gasp.

"His back was riddled with holes, as if he had been stabbed dozens or hundreds of times with a dagger."

"That's outrageous." Xia Zhaozhao's voice was filled with anger.

Upon hearing this, Bai Shuyuan opened her eyes again for an extremely brief moment. This time, her gaze landed precisely on the corpse.

This time, she truly "saw" it clearly. Unlike the fragmented scenes around her that still overwhelmed her with information, the corpse in the center of her vision presented a chilling sense of realism.

"No," she said slowly, "the edges of the wound are extremely irregular, and the depth varies."

"It's less of a knife wound and more like the result of a creature with sharp claws and teeth repeatedly tearing and stabbing in a state of extreme rage."

Xiao Lü was shocked by Bai Shuyuan's accurate description: "Miss Bai...you can see it?"

"Yes. The rest of this laboratory still appears incomprehensible to me."

"But it's strange. This corpse feels unusually clear to me... or rather, in this laboratory, perhaps it's the only one that isn't an illusion."

As Xiao Lü listened to Bai Shuyuan's analysis, she looked in the opposite direction from where the corpse had fallen and her gaze fell on an overturned chair and a messy experimental table not far away.

"He was sitting behind that table when he suddenly got startled and tried to run towards the door, but halfway there, that thing attacked him from behind?"

After hearing Xiao Lü's analysis, Bai Shuyuan nodded slightly: "Judging from the position and orientation of the corpse, this possibility is very high."

The expression on his face confirmed this. It was a sudden, extreme fear.

Xia Zhaozhao's gaze fell on the lab table. Scattered on the table were some papers, several pens, and a piece of paper in the center of the table.

The piece of paper seemed to appear out of nowhere.

A slight stirring ran through her heart. She stepped forward and picked up the A4 sheet of paper with writing on it.

The upper part of the handwriting is relatively neat, but it becomes increasingly messy towards the bottom, clearly indicating that the writer's emotions were extremely unstable.

"Is this... a suicide note?"

She moved closer to Xiao Lü and together they deciphered the words on the paper. Xiao Lü began to read the contents aloud in a low voice, so that Bai Shuyuan, who had her eyes closed, could hear them.

To the person who reads this letter:

[If anyone ever reads these words, please remember this: A brutal massacre took place in Room 606 of the Biological Science and Technology Experiment Center at Xinmao University.]

The killer is right here. It's right next to me, but I can't see it. Be careful, it might be watching you from nearby.

It killed my student right before my eyes in the most brutal way, and I could do nothing about it. It wouldn't even let me die!

If you have the ability, please find out the truth for the sake of those innocent children who died. Otherwise, please leave immediately!

My name is Qin Zheng. I am a professor at the Biological Science and Technology Experimental Center of Xinmao University.

This disaster came too suddenly. Crimson rain, and those monsters.

The laboratory sealed off its exits immediately, and its supplies and water reserves were sufficient. We thought we could hold out until rescue arrived, but we were wrong.

The real terror does not come from the outside world.

My students, Han Xue, Yang Qian, and Zhu Hui, are all dead. They died right in front of me.

It was killed by something I cannot understand. We cannot see it, hear it, or even feel its presence.

On the paper, the next few lines of text were written with noticeably more force and were much messier, almost piercing through the A4 paper.

However, the attacks appeared out of nowhere. Han Xue was tidying up a petri dish when her throat was suddenly ripped open. Then, Yang Qian's chest was also ripped open with a bloody hole. And Zhu Hui didn't even do anything before his head was severed.

Every single time, without warning. That guy is toying with us, reveling in our fear.

What baffles me most is that it seems to target only my students. Several times I've wanted to rush up and fight that unseen thing!

Or perhaps, I should end my own life and go with them. But it stopped me. Every time I tried to kill myself, an invisible force would push me away or take what was in my hands.

It seems to be deliberately keeping me alive, forcing me to witness all of this, forcing me to endure this endless torment.

I began to recall: Whom had I offended in my life? Why did that monster harbor such resentment towards me? Could it be...?

The handwriting on the A4 paper then slashed outwards towards the edge, even tearing the paper.