Chapter 1: Him? Her!
#### Location: Huaxia Kingdom
#### Time: 4:30 PM
#### Near Xia Family Village
A black-windowed van parked by the foot of a hill not too far from the road. Inside, the two people were waiting for their prey to walk right into their trap.
Why did they say that? It was because at this age, boys tend to be brave and adventurous, so there were some who didn’t like walking on main roads and preferred the small mountain trails for adventure.
And sure enough, before long, the two “prey” walked right up to the van.
“Brother, wait up! Why aren’t we going home with Little Qiang today?” A younger boy, panting slightly, followed an older boy.
The older boy was Xia Le, eleven years old. The younger boy, Xia Yu, was nine.
Why did they call Xia Yu “clear-browed”? Because Xia Yu had a twin sister named Xia Ling, and somehow, it wasn’t his sister who looked like a boy, but rather he who looked like a girl.
To make matters worse, Xia Yu’s hair was soft and delicate, even though he had the same crew cut as the other boys. His feminine aura was impossible to hide, making him look very much like a girl.
So, Xia Yu had acquired some not-so-flattering nicknames in school: girly boy, tranny, tomboy, you name it. But Xia Yu just didn’t care.
Not caring, however, didn’t mean it was fine with his brother Xia Le. As an older brother, Xia Le felt responsible for looking after his kid brother, but he couldn’t stand Xia Yu trailing behind him like a lost puppy.
Xia Le had warned Xia Yu not to follow him, but Xia Yu ignored him, figuring his brother would eventually calm down and wouldn’t actually do anything to harm him or chase him away.
After all, it was common enough for boys to hang out with boys and girls with girls at this age.
As they passed by the van, Xia Yu suddenly blacked out without knowing why.
When Xia Yu regained consciousness, he realized he had been sold off countless times. Each time, he’d struggle and shout, but they always managed to drug him or knock him out.
Fuzzy memories swirled back as Xia Yu woke again. He now knew better than to cause a fuss; drugging or knocking him out was really uncomfortable.
He found himself in a dark cage, with some adult male outside chatting, “This batch is good quality, here’s your pay.”
“Alright, a good deal.”
“Come on then, I need to start experimenting on this one. Staying too long makes them unhealthy, increases failure rates.”
“Got it.”
…
The door opened, revealing two middle-aged men in white coats standing beside an elderly man. The man looked Xia Yu, trembling in fear, up and down through the bars, then squeezed Xia Yu’s chin.
“Don’t worry, child. Soon Grandpa will give you a new life—or at least an escape.”
With that, old man gestured for the two men to proceed. They unlocked the cage and roughly pulled Xia Yu out.
Not surprised by Xia Yu’s strong resistance, the old man grabbed a syringe from his pocket and injected Xia Yu with it, rendering Xia Yu unconscious once more.
Even in a coma, Xia Yu could feel himself being moved. Clothes removed, he realized he had landed somewhere unfamiliar.
Hours later…
The old man produced a pink glow-in-the-dark syringe. This unusual vial was something he picked up by chance from a meteorite; it had the power to change s*x. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have embarked on this bizarre experiment.
Injecting Xia Yu with the glowing cocktail while monitoring nearby instruments, he noticed the effects began showing almost instantly.
“Genes reset successfully, where are those others? Bring them over. Just one successful case without rejection means leading the field.”
…
Cough, cough. Xia Yu turned her back into a girl.
When Xia Yu finally regained consciousness, she felt incredibly pained and exhausted. Opening her eyes and speaking were difficult tasks.
Escaping now seemed impossible, despite her desire to run.
Reluctantly, Xia Yu surveyed the surroundings and discovered she was in a room filled with hospital beds—many holding children her age.
Down below, the sensation was painful. Her abdomen felt different, somewhat hollow, and when she tried to look down, she found it obstructed by something. Helpless, Xia Yu collapsed onto the bed, tears flowing freely.
No child cried out in distress, knowing that doing so would immediately attract the white-coated nurses, who wielded needles.
The next few days were excruciating for Xia Yu. Adapting to the new organs, her nights alternated between hot flashes and chills. She often felt her life fading away like the others who had succumbed to organ rejection.
This memory haunted Xia Yu and was unforgettable.
A week later, Xia Yu’s symptoms subsided. She survived and felt increasingly better.
Meanwhile, fewer children arrived for observation, and no more white-coated “nurses” brought new arrivals. Their checks on Xia Yu grew more frequent and gentler, “Let us know if you feel unwell.”
Given Xia Yu was the first to survive the new organs, these staff became increasingly attentive. Perhaps, their success depended on her.
One positive outcome was ample. No more boys underwent the procedure due to its high cost.
Half a month later, Xia Yu regained strength and once again harbored escape plans. However, given their constant surveillance, fleeing was impossible.
Every time Xia Yu tried to get up, a staff member entered to cater to her needs, ensuring she remained compliant with their wishes.
Thus, Xia Yu was imprisoned for three months—enough time for her to fully grasp her predicament.
“Tranny,” Xia Yu never expected classmates’ taunts to turn into her reality.
She still hadn’t grasped the extent of her transformation. All she knew was that she lacked the ‘male parts.’
Under such conditions, “tranny” was the label Xia Yu used, given her limited knowledge.
Another three months passed, with Xia Yu periodically studied by white-coated researchers. Every day, she seemed more feminine, confirming their success.
Joyous researchers’ celebration abruptly ended when gunshots echoed through the air.
Uniformed gunmen stormed the room, firing without hesitation. Crimson bl**d stained the white coats of the fallen researchers as Xia Yu shivered.
“Stop! Put your guns down.”
At the stern command, the gunmen lowered their weapons to allow a leader through.
“Kid, don’t be scared. We’re not bad guys. Had we not taken out those scumbags, they would’ve shot us.”
To prove his words, the black-coated leader motioned for his team to search for weapons. Indeed, each man found a pistol on a fallen researcher, suggesting the researchers were prepared fighters. If they hadn’t attacked unawares, casualties may have been significant.
Xia Yu came to trust the black-coated leader: “Can you take me home?”
“Do you know where your house is?”
“Yes.”
“Got it, we’ll take you home.” The leader turned to a female agent, “This child was kidnapped and sold. Zhao Wei, take responsibility to escort her safely home.”
“But sir, shouldn’t we ask her for details?”
“A child won’t know much. She seems fine, probably hadn’t undergone the experiments. And we’ve rescued the young lady already. With the mission complete, we can go.”
“Fine, let’s move. I’m dead tired. Need some fresh air.”
With a lackluster response, Zhao Wei took Xia Yu’s hand and left the ward.
Another agent reported, “Sir, Dr. T… He committed s*icide. Destroyed all the research files.”
“What!”
Rushing to the lab with his team, the leader found Dr. T slumped in a pool of bl**d. Dr. T was the old man who performed Xia’s earlier experiment.
Computer records could easily be hacked. To prevent leaks, Dr. T kept all experimental notes on paper.
In Dr. T’s lab, the leader found charred documents, remnants of what he had destroyed.
“T’s dead, return to base.”
Capturing Dr. T alive remained an unrealized hope. Missing out on him was regrettable.
Swiftly, Xia Yu was led out of the ward. It had been half a year since she last ventured beyond this room.
Though outside lay wilderness, Xia Yu’s eyes darted curiously around.
