Qatar’s Choice

Xia Yuhe sat on the chair, her expression strained and pained.

The blue potion in her hand was already more than half gone.

Her body was growing weaker by the day, barely being kept alive by this nutrient solution.

Kada removed the helmet from his head.

“Hahahaha.”

“I really didn’t expect it to actually work, Doctor.”

As for the surprise assault plan against Red, Kada had never held much hope for it.

Even so, after Xia Yuhe repeatedly persuaded him, he ultimately went through with it.

Xia Yuhe did feel apologetic about it.

But for the sake of her own safety, she could only apologize to Red in her heart.

This place was an abandoned factory in the mountains.

Years ago, it had been shut down after being investigated for wastewater dumping.

Now, it had become their temporary base for secret operations.

After retrieving the repaired helmet from the technician in the afternoon, they had completed all preparations here for the soul-exchange procedure.

Xia Yuhe didn’t understand the technology behind soul exchange very well.

Fortunately, He Zunyi’s phone and cloud storage still contained research notes and summaries not belonging to Xia Yuhe herself.

Using those materials, she barely managed to answer Kada’s questions and successfully disguise her identity.

A heavy thud echoed from outside the door.

It sounded like something had struck it.

Xia Yuhe was about to check, but Kada moved first.

He went out on his own.

“You’re back too late, parasitic mud.”

“What a joke.”

“Look at the state I’m in.”

“How fast do you expect me to be?”

“And you really managed to find a place like this in the middle of nowhere.”

He Zunyi’s mouth was covered in mud.

Her limbs were restrained.

Her joints were locked in a grappling hold, like a human-shaped sleeping bag trapped inside a slime mass.

Only half her face was exposed so she could breathe.

Because she’d been hopping along the road the whole way, she had actually woken up midway through the transport.

Kada looked at her hostile expression and said,

“This has nothing to do with you.”

“Find somewhere else and get lost.”

“What am I to you?”

“You summon me when you want, and throw me away when you’re done?”

“Is that so?”

“You’re a failed product.”

“You should be grateful you’re still alive.”

“Now get lost.”

“Hey.”

“I fought Red head-on.”

“I tried my hardest to bring the young lady back.”

“At least show me some respect.”

“You were probably taken out in seconds.”

“Bringing Xia Yuhe back was just luck, wasn’t it?”

The parasitic mud fell silent.

Still, Kada showed a trace of basic decency.

He tossed over a canister of crude oil.

Then, under Kada’s gaze—like someone shooing away a stray dog—the creature was dismissed.

It was mud.

One of the failed products of artificial monster experiments.

Formed from remnants of human bodies, remnants of humanity itself—

A kind of “zombie” that couldn’t survive independently.

Normally, it lived by attacking small animals or parasitizing cats and dogs.

Most such entities had no consciousness at all, existing like rats.

It was one of the rare cases that had developed self-awareness.

It no longer remembered what kind of person it had been before becoming this.

The mud mass around He Zunyi dispersed instantly.

“Ha.”

The first thing He Zunyi did upon standing was punch Kada square in the face.

He was sent flying several meters.

“Nice to meet you.”

“This should be our first time meeting, Miss Xia.”

Kada lay on the ground, blood streaming from his nose.

“Yes.”

“It’s our first time.”

“So you’re Kada, then?”

Honestly, He Zunyi had thought she’d been captured because of her intention to defect from the organization.

She was annoyed that she’d been brought back by such a third-rate monster.

And Kada—had he really fallen so far as to start using poison now?

“You even know my name.”

“So memory sharing has progressed that far?”

Kada covered his nose and stood up, clearly surprised.

“Miss Xia.”

“Aren’t you going to call me ‘Doctor,’ at least out of nostalgia?”

Up to this point, He Zunyi still assumed the contact person had failed to respond, so the organization had dragged her back to force her to continue the mission.

But now—

“Memory sharing?”

He Zunyi frowned, glanced at Kada, then swept her gaze toward Xia Yuhe sitting beside her in her original body.

“This is how you treat your colleagues?”

“And why is Xia Yuhe still alive?”

“I didn’t eliminate her.”

“Why did you keep her?”

“Miss He.”

“I’m sorry.”

“The soul-exchange technology still has flaws.”

“If it’s interrupted midway, it can cause confusion in self-awareness.”

“So, as compensation, I plan to complete the process properly.”

Xia Yuhe interjected calmly as she explained.

“So you’re certain I’m Xia Yuhe with He Zunyi’s memories?”

He Zunyi sneered.

“My technology isn’t sloppy enough to make half-baked mistakes.”

“From where I’m standing, your intelligence is barely enough to get fooled by an ignorant rich girl.”

As Kada’s designated superior, He Zunyi had no reason to show him any courtesy—especially now.

As she spoke, Xia Yuhe behind Kada let out a quiet laugh.

The original plan had been to dispose of Xia Yuhe after the body swap, to prevent her from causing trouble using He Zunyi’s identity.

Yet here they were anyway.

“That doesn’t matter.”

“What we need is someone who can wear Xia Yuhe’s identity and still be useful to us.”

“Honestly, hypnosis and brainwashing would’ve been far simpler.”

“The Trinal Assembly choosing soul exchange for this was ridiculous.”

“But don’t worry.”

“We won’t mistreat you.”

“Your body will still be useful later.”

“Right?”

“Good.”

“So negotiation is impossible.”

He Zunyi tried to run.

As a non-combat specialist, the outcome was predictable.

She didn’t make it far before Kada caught her.

An electric shock device embedded in Kada’s prosthetic palm activated.

With just a light tap to her back, He Zunyi lost all mobility.

Kada dragged her along with one hand.

He Zunyi’s expression remained calm.

Anger wouldn’t help now.

Better to think about what could still be used.

She was tied to a chair.

Kada picked up the helmet and placed it on her head.

The helmet had been fully repaired from its previously fragmented state.

Additional components had been added.

Safety measures had been significantly reinforced.

“You got it repaired in one day.”

“Impressive connections.”

“But even with the helmet fixed, the device still needs the matching software.”

“Without that, you can’t do anything.”

“We have that.”

Kada grinned and held up a white USB drive shaped like a bunny.

Software?

He Zunyi was skeptical.

Especially after the helmet had been so heavily modified—

Whether the original software would even be compatible was questionable.

“Then the software configuration is up to you.”

Xia Yuhe said, sitting back down in her seat.

After enduring an entire day and spending so much time, it was finally coming to an end.

She would finally be free of this failing body.

The corner of her mouth lifted.

“Why did you put it on?”

Kada removed the helmet from Xia Yuhe’s head.

“What are you talking about?”

“The original plan was for me to swap bodies with Xia Yuhe at the end.”

“You didn’t actually believe her nonsense and think I was Xia Yuhe, did you?”

“I never lied.”

“I’m He Zunyi.”

Under Xia Yuhe’s confused gaze, Kada placed a hand on her shoulder.

“I believe you.”

Electric current surged through Xia Yuhe’s body.

“But do you really think someone who fully controls soul-exchange technology would obediently follow your orders?”

“Doctor He.”

“After a day of interaction, I realized you’re too radical.”

“Too impatient.”

“Letting you handle the plan is too risky.”

“Don’t worry.”

“I won’t let you die that easily.”

“After all, we were colleagues.”

“I’ll find you a new body.”

“Whether you like young girls, lolis, or married women—I’ll satisfy you.”

“And if you still want a male body, I’ll arrange that too.”

“So this time, I want to experience the life of the wealthy.”

“At least for the rest of my life.”

“I’ll take care of you.”

“Why…?”

Xia Yuhe thought she understood Kada.

But one day was far from enough.

“I understand.”

“I really do.”

He Zunyi spoke with unexpected ease, even mocking her.

“In this city, how many people break their backs trying to become rich?”

“They scheme.”

“They betray.”

“They sell their conscience and dignity to kneel before powerful families.”

“All for more.”

“Because being poor feels terrible, doesn’t it?”

“The young lady understands this well, doesn’t she?”

“If not for class differences, maybe we could’ve been friends.”

Kada still didn’t feel reassured.

He took out fast-acting sleeping pills and fed them to Xia Yuhe.

“I don’t think so.”

“You—”

Xia Yuhe’s body finally gave out.

She collapsed.