Chapter 146: Kill Mo Niannian

That day, over a million people surrounded the base. Countless camera lenses were trained on the main gates, while hundreds of millions worldwide waited to see how the situation would unfold.

The person-in-charge walked out of the base.

Instantly, a massive crowd roared in unison, "Hand over Jiang Hu! Hand over Jiang Hu!!"

The unified shout of over a million people pierced the heavens. Fortunately, they had prepared in advance; otherwise, their eardrums would have shattered. Not even the most shocking blockbuster film could capture even one percent of the current reality.

The official raised a hand. "Everyone, please quiet down."

His voice was projected outward through sonic amplifiers to ensure everyone could hear.

"We are well aware of and deeply understand everyone's anger. Upon learning of this incident, we took control of Jiang Hu immediately and have been investigating the matter in secret ever since."

"At first, we also thought Jiang Hu was responsible. However, as the investigation progressed, we discovered that the true mastermind is someone else."

"What does that mean?"

"What do you mean by someone else?"

"Speak clearly!"

The crowd began to churn. Even whispers, when gathered in such a setting, sounded like thunder crashing against their ears.

The official touched the noise-canceling earpiece, feeling a lingering sense of dread. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead, and his entire body was taut. For a fleeting moment, he regretted cooperating with Mo Niannian.

Yet, if the plan failed, they could easily shift all the blame onto Mo Niannian, claiming they had been deceived by her and had targeted the wrong person. They truly had nothing to lose.

With this thought, the official regained a measure of composure.

"Please remain calm, everyone. You all only knew that Jiang Hu was in charge of the laboratory, completely overlooking another person within it: Mo Niannian."

Because Mo Niannian had become entangled in this affair, her entire family lineage had been dug up. Soon, they remembered her—a woman whom everyone had always regarded as a pretty vase.

Not a single person believed this outcome. They even suspected this was merely a scapegoat the authorities had fabricated for Jiang Hu.

The scene erupted into immediate chaos.

The official tried to quiet them down, but to no avail. Overzealous individuals even attempted to charge in right then and there to kill Jiang Hu.

Left with no other choice, the official had no option but to have Mo Niannian brought out.

Mo Niannian strolled out leisurely, as unhurriedly as if she were taking a walk in her own garden. She glanced at the endless sea of people stretching for tens of miles. "Goodness, what a grand turnout."

The crowd fell silent.

Mo Niannian leisurely found a spot where she could look down upon everyone. "Fine, I admit it. I did it all."

Her words carried not an ounce of conviction, and the uproar below grew even louder.

"You don't believe me?" Mo Niannian stroked her chin. "Such a monumental achievement—why are you all so eager to credit it to Jiang Hu?"

"Jiang Hu's talent is passable, I suppose, but he is far too timid. He has been shackled for too long by your rigid, inflexible dogmas. He lacks the nerve, the ability... Heh, truly laughable."

"You say it was you, so it was you? Where is the proof?"

Someone shouted angrily at Mo Niannian.

Mo Niannian raised her brows slightly. "Proof? What proof? Is this enough?"

She snapped her fingers. The thousands of people standing closest to her simultaneously lost consciousness. Their eyes grew hollow and blank, devoid of even a sliver of light.

Mo Niannian snapped her fingers again, and they instantly recovered.

"Do you believe me now? It was clearly my research, and my hypnosis is times superior to his. Why should all the credit go to him?"

A fierce and ruthless glint flashed in Mo Niannian's eyes, as though she harbored immense dissatisfaction with the situation.

The people below were on the verge of going mad. It was their first time encountering the legendary, god-like hypnosis at such close range. The terror of being controlled, stripped of all personal thought, enveloped them completely.

They couldn't help but take a few steps back, their gazes fixed on Mo Niannian with unadulterated dread.

Mo Niannian paid them no mind. Her eyes locked onto several victims in the front ranks whom she had previously let go. With her hands clasped behind her back, she strolled leisurely toward them.

The thugs grew so terrified that their legs turned to jelly, and they backed away frantically.

"Such poor memory. Did you really forget what happened before?"

Mo Niannian grabbed one of them by the collar and hoisted him up. Her gaze turned icy and murderous. "Remember now?"

Lowering her voice into an arctic chill, she asked, "Am I someone you lot can afford to harass?"

Her dark, gloomy expression was terrifying. Combined with the parlor trick she had just displayed, the hoodlums were scared out of their wits. Memories surged back—the moment they had whistled at Mo Niannian on the street. Their very souls began to tremble with fright.

Mo Niannian's voice dropped another degree. "Do you remember the person who led you into the laboratory back then?"

Her face flashed repeatedly through their minds. One second, it was the scene of them whistling at her; the next, it was a blurred figure ordering them to follow. Terror consumed them, throwing their memories into utter disarray.

The most cowardly thug finally broke under the pressure, shrieking hysterically, "It was you! I remember, it was you!"

The memories of the remaining thugs completely collapsed, substituting Mo Niannian's face for the indistinct figure. Screaming in terror, they tumbled to the ground and scrambled backward, looking at Mo Niannian as if she were an evil specter.

"Useless trash," Mo Niannian muttered, casting a look of utter disgust at the thugs. "Good thing I didn't choose you as test subjects."

With that, she turned to the innocent woman. "I originally intended to spare your life. What a shame."

The woman's already fragile composure shattered completely. She dropped to her knees, weeping bitterly. "Please, spare me! I'll never dare do it again, I beg you!"

"Utterly useless."

Mo Niannian clapped her hands together and scanned the crowd with keen interest. "Does anyone else need me to provide proof?"

The crowd retreated another few paces, not daring to come anywhere near her.

"Impossible! You're just covering for Jiang Hu!"

"Covering for him?" Mo Niannian burst into laughter. "Why would I ever attribute my achievements to him?"

"I am contributing to all of humanity!"

"It is your honor to become my experimental subjects!"

"When the time comes, my name will endure through the ages!" she laughed wildly. "Everyone will remember my great feats. I was so close... so close to succeeding!"

"The obstacle of brain cells has finally been broken through by me. Hahahaha!"

Mo Niannian portrayed the mad, obsessive scientist to absolute perfection. Even the official, who knew the truth from the outset, was almost convinced.

As for the onlookers, they wished they could put as much distance between themselves and Mo Niannian as possible, terrified that she might suddenly snap and drag them down with her.

The official spoke up once more. "We only recently discovered that everything behind this..." He cast a deep, trembling glance at Mo Niannian, his hands shaking slightly. "...was done by Mo Niannian."

Self-reproach and guilt threatened to drown him. For a moment, he could no longer tell whether what he was doing was right or wrong.

Mo Niannian lifted her chin slightly. "I don't know what you people were thinking, insisting on crediting all this to Jiang Hu. Is Jiang Hu even worthy?"

"A timid coward whose talent doesn't even match a single finger of mine."

Mo Niannian acted as though she had no idea how to spell the words "impending doom." Arrogant and haughty, she declared, "Where is my laboratory? Take me there. I want to show you all my life's blood—my crowning achievement."

At the mention of this, excitement flared in her eyes once more, bordering on impatience.

The official glanced at the surrounding crowd. Seeing no objections, he led Mo Niannian away to a new location.

Followed by the camera lenses and hundreds of millions of people online and on-site, Mo Niannian arrived at the laboratory.

The facility was heavily guarded and sealed in layers. Upon receiving orders from above, the heavy laboratory doors swung open.

Familiar with the layout, Mo Niannian navigated straight to the experimental equipment. She stroked the machinery nonchalantly and switched it on.

"All of this is my life's work!"

"Brain cell culture and transplantation—a barrier the world deemed insurmountable has been breached by me."

"Hahahaha, a bunch of good-for-nothings spent years researching this, yet you can't compare to my few years of work."

As she spoke, Mo Niannian proceeded to complete a brain cell culture right before everyone's eyes. Anyone with even a shred of professional knowledge could see that her proficiency far surpassed their own.

So, had all of this truly been researched by Mo Niannian?

"Remember! Such greatness belongs to Mo Niannian! It was me! I am the one who researched this!" she repeated over and over, madness flashing in her eyes.

"Jiang Hu? A worthless piece of trash. I kept him around solely because he provided the venue. I suppose that's the only use that specimen had."

Mo Niannian's sequence of actions convinced the majority of the audience.

Her image as a mad scientist was firmly etched into everyone's minds; for such a person, no atrocity was beyond the realm of possibility. The terror they had previously felt toward Jiang Hu slowly shifted onto Mo Niannian, their fearful gazes transforming into murderous intent.

Careless of their reactions, Mo Niannian remarked with morbid curiosity, "I've grown quite tired of that specimen, Jiang Hu. Who's next in line?"

The crowd within her line of sight backed away frantically, clearing a massive circle around her.

"You're at death's door and still so arrogant?"

"Kill Mo Niannian!"

"Kill Mo Niannian!"

"KILL MO NIANNIAN!!"