Qiao Jing, far away in the laboratory, knew nothing of the ongoing search by Zhan Qipei and Wu Xirui, who were at odds with each other.
After waking up, Qiao Jing got out of bed and freshened up.
Once she was done, she sat back down on the bed, feeling somewhat listless.
A night had passed, the island was calm, and there was no movement outside the laboratory, which meant that Zhan Qipei hadn’t arrived yet.
Qiao Jing found this odd.
It had been a day since she sent out her location.
Logically, given Zhan Qipei’s efficiency, he should have arrived by now.
Could something have happened to Zhan Qipei?
No sooner had this thought crossed her mind than Qiao Jing immediately dismissed the speculation.
After all, it was not easy to cause trouble for Zhan Qipei.
There were very few in the world capable of plotting against Zhan Qipei.
After a moment of contemplation, Qiao Jing could only conclude that there might be other signal jammers on the island, making the location she sent out less accurate, and that’s why Zhan Qipei needed more time...
As she pondered, the door to the laboratory suddenly opened.
Hearing the noise, Qiao Jing thought it was John and Frank coming to urge her to conduct experiments again.
But when she looked up, she saw that the visitor was George from last night.
George was holding a meal box, clearly there to bring her food again.
Seeing this, Qiao Jing couldn’t help but frown slightly.
She had made it clear the night before, so why did this man still dare to come?
Was he not afraid of being discovered by John?
Before Qiao Jing could speak, George had already come in.
After setting down the meal box, he patted his chest with a look of relief, "That was close; I almost got caught by the guard Mr. John appointed outside."
If he hadn’t reacted quickly, he might have been tied up by now, presented before Mr. John!
Qiao Jing gave him a glance, her brow still furrowed, "Didn’t I tell you not to come anymore? Why did you still come?"
Even if Zhan Qipei couldn’t arrive immediately, she had her ways to cope and didn’t need anyone else’s help.
While they spoke, George had already recovered from the shock of his near discovery.
He opened the meal box and started serving the food to Qiao Jing, saying with a smile, "Professor Qiao, you don’t need to worry about me, I’ll be careful."
"I heard you’re pregnant. If I don’t bring you food, you might last, but your baby inside might not."
"So please, don’t send me away again. I will come to bring you food every day from now on."
At this point, Qiao Jing knew that no matter how much she objected, this man would not give up on the idea of bringing her food.
She tugged at the corner of her mouth, replying indifferently, "Alright then, since you insist, I won’t say much more, thank you."
George quickly waved his hands, "No need to thank me, it’s an honor to be able to help you."
He never imagined he would get the opportunity for such close contact with Professor Qiao!
So even if Mr. John did find out and he faced punishment, it would be worth it to him!
After Qiao Jing had her fill, and George had just left with the bowls and utensils, John and Frank entered the surveillance room to check on Qiao Jing’s condition.
Both of them thought that Qiao Jing, having gone hungry for a night, must be very weak by now and believed she would soon no longer be able to hold out, and would lower her head in submission to them.
However, the moment they saw the surveillance footage, both of them were stunned.
In the video, Qiao Jing lay on the bed with her hands pillowed behind her head, looking utterly at ease, showing none of the signs one would expect from someone suffering from hunger.
Frank’s face was the picture of surprise, and he stuttered as he spoke, "How... how is this possible? She clearly went hungry all night and skipped breakfast, so how can she still look so well?"
Could it be that not only is Professor Qiao an agricultural tycoon and top hacker, but also a high-level ascetic who had achieved the realm of Fasting?!
Even with no food or water, it seemed to affect her not at all!!!
John furrowed his brows, his gaze fixed intently on the carefree Qiao Jing in the video.
After a long while, he snorted and finally spoke, "Worthy of her great reputation, she certainly is resilient. Let’s starve her for another two days and see then; I refuse to believe she can hold out that long."
Frank nodded and chimed in, "That’s right, this is just the beginning. No one can hold out forever without eating."
Unless, Professor Qiao really had achieved the ability to fast like those in cultivation tales!
Quickly, another day passed.
Zhan Qipei still hadn’t come, and George secretly brought food for Qiao Jing again.
Through surveillance, John and Frank saw that after two days and nights of hunger, Qiao Jing was still full of energy and rosy-cheeked, showing no signs of weakness, which made them feel even more that something was amiss.
The two of them discussed and secretly increased the security on the lab personnel, while also arranging for constant monitoring throughout the night.
They were determined to unearth the secret of how Qiao Jing could be so spirited after two days of hunger!
Qiao Jing was unaware of John and Frank’s revised security measures.
The next day, when she woke up and waited all morning, George didn’t show up even by nearly noon.
For the past two days, George had been punctual in bringing her food.
This abnormality today made Qiao Jing realize that something might have happened to George.
Just as she came to this realization, the door to the lab was opened.
It was John and Frank who entered.
Seeing them, Qiao Jing knew her guess was not wrong.
Before she could speak, Frank took the lead, "I thought as much, how could anyone stay so lively after two days without food? Turns out, we had a traitor among us the whole time, secretly providing you, Professor Qiao, with food."
Qiao Jing’s eyes lifted coldly as she scanned the two men standing before her, "What did you do to him?"
From Frank’s tone, it was evident George’s fate was far from good.
"Professor Qiao, you are our esteemed guest, and we would not treat you ill, but we also have our rules. For this kind of treachery, death would be too light a punishment!"
After John finished speaking, he gave Frank a look.
Catching the signal, Frank took out his phone, opened the gallery, and turned the screen towards Qiao Jing.
The screen revealed images of George after being brutally beaten.
From the photos, it was clear George was battered badly, his face swollen and bruised with fresh blood still hanging from the corner of his mouth, presenting a rather shocking sight.
When John and Frank caught George secretly bringing food to Qiao Jing, they were furious, and had someone give him a severe beating on the spot.
Initially, John had wanted to have George killed and thrown into the sea to feed the sharks.
But he reconsidered, thinking that perhaps Qiao Jing, grateful for George’s help, would not bear to see him dead on her account and might agree to the experiment.
So, he changed his mind, deciding to spare George’s life to test the waters with Qiao Jing, trying his luck.
After seeing the unbearable photos of George’s beating, Qiao Jing’s expression turned frostier by the second.
Just as John had anticipated, George had helped her after all, and she couldn’t allow him to lose his life because of her.