Chapter 228: Ch 228: Research Work - Part 2

Noah’s first instinct was to say no to these researchers and emphasise that he was simply here to help them out, not to participate in their research.

But the researchers were giving him curious looks, which made it hard for him to say no to them.

His childhood fear of being punished by the researchers still dominated his mind, and despite knowing that it was not right, he decided to head towards the researchers and smile.

"What can I help you with?"

He asked as he sat down in the chair he had been assigned to.

The researchers looked at each other with that familiar, sticky smile of theirs before deciding to bring out an empty syringe to take his blood sample.

"You are a B-grade guide, right? Have you ever thought about what would happen if you were to raise your grade to an A... or even an S? We can help with that."

The researcher sitting closest to Noah spoke these sweet words.

His words were like a dream come true for most people. But Noah was already an SSS-grade guide who was hiding his power. There was no way he was going to fall for their tricks.

But he could not come out and tell them this.

So he pretended to hesitate and put on a worried expression.

"I am not sure... My mother died from excessive guiding. She was an A-class guide, and due to a shortage of guides, she was forced to keep guiding until she could not do so anymore. I don’t want to follow her path..."

Noah made up a sob story, and the researchers immediately looked sorry for him. They exchanged a look and decided against experimenting on him outright.

Humans were sentimental fools, and Noah’s sob story had managed to fool even these researchers.

"I see. That must have been hard. Still, you should rethink your decision. Following in your mother’s footsteps and helping this nation as a high-grade guide wouldn’t be a bad thing."

The researcher who was holding the empty syringe took his sample anyway and decided to check it.

But the more he examined Noah’s bloodwork, the more confused he looked.

In the end, he decided to return and ask Noah directly about what he needed to know.

"Actually, your bloodwork is weird. It’s as if you already have a lot of drugs in your system, but none of them are standard. Have you ever participated in any experiments before?"

The researcher asked in an uncertain voice, and Noah shook his head.

"I was caught in a few rifts before, and I drank the water in there... Am I going to die?"

The researchers’ expressions changed as soon as Noah said that, and they let out a sigh.

"I see. It’s fine. You are not going to die... but we cannot experiment on you either because your blood is no longer pure. The results won’t be... good. Also, make sure never to donate your blood, alright? You survived the rift, but who knows what might happen to someone else?"

The researcher patted his shoulder and pulled a sad face. He was disappointed that he had not found a suitable test subject.

As for Noah? He already knew this was going to happen.

These researchers were definitely connected to the labs, but they were not the same ones who experimented on children and conducted unusual experiments. Moreover, they did not seem to know who Noah was.

At least, not yet.

That was why they believed all his lies without questioning him too much.

Not that it was a problem for him. He was more than happy to stand back and observe whatever was happening.

The scientists also seemed happy to do what they wanted and ignore his presence. It was like hitting two birds with one stone.

After observing them for a bit longer, it was finally time for Noah to head back to his room. His first day here was finally over.

It had grown darker outside by now, but the inside still looked bright and was filled with people. Among so many people, no one paid attention to the lonely guide walking by himself.

He got into the lift, but there were already people inside, which was a little troubling.

Something inside Noah told him he should not use the special permit he had gotten from Alan and Daniel just yet.

So he scanned his ID and got off at the highest floor he could access, which was only the tenth floor. From there, he needed to wait for an empty lift to arrive.

Thankfully, an empty one did arrive in time, and as soon as he scanned the pass, he was able to reach the top floors.

But just because he had arrived did not mean all his problems were resolved. In fact, his two biggest problems were still waiting for him.

Noah took a deep breath before stepping out of the lift, already preparing himself for the sight that awaited him, since he had spent the entire day away from Alan and Daniel and had no idea what kind of mood the two of them would be in when he finally returned.

He had hoped to slip into his room quietly and perhaps get some rest before either of them noticed him, but that hope was quickly crushed when the door to their quarters opened before he could even reach for his access card.

Alan stood on the other side, his arms crossed over his chest and his expression far too pleasant for Noah to feel reassured by it.

"Welcome back, Noah. I was beginning to wonder if you had forgotten where we live."

His words sounded perfectly harmless, but Noah could sense the displeasure hidden beneath them, and he could only smile awkwardly as he tried to come up with an excuse that would not make the situation worse.

"I had some work to finish, so I got back a little late. It will likely happen again if I get assigned to the same place."