Sorry for the long MIA, been feeling unwell and stressed >.<

I will post the owed chapters... erm, slowly... 

XG 102 - If I refuse to activate my gene

"Volunteers that take part in this first experiment will dedicate their ability to the lab for five years. We will purposely try to manipulate what type of ability you will manifest in order to help us."

"What kind of help?"

"Such as electricity to keep our base running, fire to keep us warm or cook raw meat to eat, and forcefully enhance the growth of vegetables. The type of abilities to help humankind to survive," Suzie Yap explained.

Suzie Yap's explanation eased the volunteers' expression. They do not mind-manifesting those useful abilities. The main reason they volunteered was to help people and keep themselves alive.

"Lastly, our genes have their own weakness."

That sentence earned some harsh intake of breath from the listeners and the room became even more silent until they could hear other people's breathing.

"Just like the zombies outside that were less responsive towards winter, so do we after we achieve our Awaken state. It is confirmed that our ability will be weaker during winter, including our stamina, speed, and self-healing. But it will still be much better than normal people."

No one has any problem with that, as winter only affected them a little. It sounded similar to one having a cold with partially blocked senses. However, unless they personally experience it, they would deem it as something not to be afraid of.

"If none of you agrees with what I said, you can choose to withdraw your participation at any time until the date of the beta experiment, which is seven days from now. Please consider it well, because it will affect you for the rest of your lives. After that, regretting it will be useless. Even if the researchers succeed in discovering a way to deactivate your gene, the side effects have a high possibility of not going away."

"Can we take a look at the contract?"

"Naturally." Aurora stood up and passed everyone a copy of the contract at Suzie Yap's prompt. "The contract will only be retrieved in the next seven days, where you will no longer be allowed to change your mind again. Please read over it, if you have any questions, do ask me or Aurora during these days. We will do our best to clarify any confusion you have."

Wong Xue Guo breezed through the contract, her copy was written in English. Most of it contained what she already knew and what her mother had added in just now. It was a contract where one signed away their lives. Even if they activated their gene, they had to work for the lab for five years before they regain their freedom. There was no explanation of why it would be five years, but could it be the researchers estimated they would need at least five years to stabilize the apocalypse?

Suzie Yap and Charles Wong had revealed that they lasted ten years into the apocalypse before Chen YiWen sent their memories back in time. With the knowledge of the future, it might not be impossible that they would only need half the time to achieve the end game.

But it was still quite ambitious, right?

Wong Xue Guo was a little excited to look forward to what her parents would do to achieve that.

Spotting nothing wrong with the contract, Wong Xue Guo started to look around to observe other people's expressions. Chen Yibo and her were the youngest among the volunteers, and also the least resistant in being infertile. They had just reached adulthood not long ago and the idea of having kids was still far away from their worries.

As everything needed to be informed was already said, the question and answer session would be taken over by Aurora and a researcher. Most of the volunteers suddenly have many questions to ask and swarm around them.

Suzie Yap excused herself and got Wong Xue Guo to leave with her. Getting the hint that her mother wanted to speak to her, she followed her mother to another empty room, wondering if she was going to be pulled out from the volunteer list.

And she was right.

"Baby. I never would have known you had signed up as a volunteer if I had not seen your name on the list." Her mother's tone was one part sadness, one part worry and the remaining part disappointment.

It was enough to make Wong Xue Guo feel bad.

"... I apologize for my lack of consideration. I had merely assumed you and father would not mind that I volunteer since both of you did."

Suzie Yap sighed. She would have forced her daughter to pull out from the volunteer list, but doing so would very likely harm their recently amended bonding. "I want you to think properly about your decision to volunteer."

Wong Xue Guo nodded, a picture of a sensible daughter. "I know, mother. I will use these seven days well."

Of course, it was not what Suzie Yap wanted to hear. "You are still young. In the future, you will get married and would want your own children. You do not need to sacrifice your motherhood just to be stronger. Your father and I are capable of protecting you."

"Mother, I want to protect both of you as well."

Suzie Yap's stern composure crumbled. "Oh, baby, you don't need to. Children should be protected by their parents."

"But I'm now an adult. An adult needs to pick up her responsibility towards her parents. Mother, please let me do it. You have also heard the theory that my potential ability are feared by the mastermind. I want this... apocalypse to end so that we can go back to our normal life. I can't just stand by, being a coward when I know I could help to stop those bast- I mean, bad guys."

"Baby..."

"Mother, please. I... I might be killed if I refuse to activate my gene," Wong Xue Guo admitted her fears. "Our enemies have abilities and I will be helpless against them if they continue to hunt me down. I don't want to let them have the chance to kill me when I could do something to prevent it."

"We will protect you."

"I know. I'm thankful for everyone's kindness but I also feel bad for it. If I'm really the key to helping our side to achieve victory, I'm also the one that drives many people to die just to protect me. I don't want that guilt to drive me crazy." Wong Xue Guo shook her head and pressed her lips together. She was not that pragmatic to ignore that.

Suzie Yap could not deny her daughter's words, because her rational side also thought of the same way, that her baby would be useful in toppling the masterminds. There was nothing to consider about if that person was not her baby! She had just reconciled that her baby could defy the 'fated' death and was overjoyed that she does not need to experience the feeling of having a gaping hole in her heart again.

While it was true that having an ability increased her chances of survival, it also mean she would be placed in frontlines where the rate of death would be much higher. No one would agree to let her stay at the backline if she have a powerful ability.

Suzie Yap stretched out a hand and rubbed Wong Xue Guo's cheek. "I understand, even if I don't want to."

Her husband does not even consider pulling their daughter out of the volunteer list after spotting her name. Not only that, he agreed with their baby's choice, because they need to sacrifice things if they want to gain power to protect themselves. He would rather she have the means to protect herself if they were not around.

"I'm sorry, mother, for not doing what you want me to."

Suzie Yap let out choking laughter that held no amusement at all and shook her head. "Don't be. My baby is now grown up."

"Mother, do you and father not mind the side effects?" Wong Xue Guo asked tentatively. To be honest, she had always thought she was born out of obligation or an accidental child. After all, her parents hardly paid attention to her and their behaviour had everyone thinking they disliked children.

"We don't mind it." They would lose a few pounds of flesh but their strength would increase. Charles Wong does not mind having more children with her, but that fatal accident doomed her to only have Wong Xue Guo as her child in this life.

For the nth time, Suzie Yap bemoaned at her stupidity and indifference towards her only daughter just because she was predicted to die young. Even now that she did her best to love her daughter, it would never be enough to erase the pain she had inflicted on her daughter's heart.

She noticed the curiosity in her daughter's heart had started to loosen the 'do not enter' tape around the issue. But would her daughter think too much if she revealed the truth?