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Jin Bo, feeling frustrated, slammed his fist down on the steering wheel. Not wanting to hit too hard, he accidentally struck the horn, which only stirred the approaching Zombies into a frenzy.
"Chase after them," Luci said, her cheeks flushed and brows furrowed. She pressed the gun against the window, adjusting its angle to aim directly at the small car ahead. "We can't lose them. I'll clear the way for you."
"Okay." Jin Bo was never one to hesitate. He buckled his seatbelt, reversed a short distance, and suddenly accelerated, charging headlong into the long-hidden Horde.
Luci's gaze was steady as she took a deep breath. Just as they were about to crash into the Horde, her eyes shifted, and she pulled the trigger.
A dazzling burst of flames erupted beside the car window as bullets rained down like a waterfall, splattering blood across the Zombies surrounding the Cabin. Jin Bo jerked the steering wheel, trying to avoid the bodies on the ground. The low chassis of their small car couldn't withstand the impact from the Horde; if they got stuck, their lives would be in jeopardy. The two worked in perfect harmony—one clearing a path while the other steered. The fiery red microcar weaved through the chaos, making some distance under the cover of gunfire.
However, their ammunition quickly ran out, turning their weapon into scrap metal. They could only rely on their nimble vehicle to ram through obstacles. At that moment, Fang Fei drove up in a Chang'an Benben, followed closely by a Nissan and a Jinbei. The gunfire intensified on both sides as they rushed to clear a path before their engine sputtered out.
The four cars streamed through the bloody Cultural Square, splitting up to encircle Yuan An's Golden Cup Van. Meanwhile, Wu Wentao and his team held back what remained of Commander’s forces in the middle of the road. The Cherokee stood firm like a sword drawn from its sheath, transforming into a mobile artillery platform as waves of bullets suppressed Commander’s men without regard for ammunition consumption. Taking advantage of the chaos, Jiao Ziqian slipped past while people scattered in panic throughout the latter part of the Industrial Zone. He grabbed one person at random to lead him; despite struggling and attempting to kill Jiao Ziqian, they ultimately surrendered after losing two fingers.
This was Song Jiu's first time entering a real laboratory. The lobby on the first floor was in disarray as he dashed up to the second floor. Before him lay a central Laboratory Hall divided by glass partitions and three corridors leading who knows where. Just half an hour ago, this bustling lab was now deserted; experiment tables lay empty with equipment scattered about, and piles of documents remained untouched while coffee still steamed on a table.
Frowning, Song Jiu scanned his surroundings. The corridors bore no signs or labels; at first glance, each corridor seemed filled with numerous rooms that he would have to check one by one. He hadn’t anticipated such a situation before coming here; had he known, he would have brought Dr. Zhong along—though he himself knew nothing about laboratories, someone knowledgeable could surely uncover something useful.
Outside, gunfire continued alongside chaotic shouts from crowds and faint Zombie growls.
He glanced at Jiao Ziqian holding onto a man and stepped forward to poke his face with the tip of his knife. "Can you understand what I'm saying?"
The man in a white coat covered his injured hand and turned pale as he nodded slowly before shaking his head vigorously.
"What is your role here?" Song Jiu didn’t rush to ask about the whereabouts of the graduate students; with everyone else chasing after Yuan An and this Experimental Base now deserted, there was no point in hurrying—they could only gather as much information as possible.
The man swallowed hard and murmured, "Associate Researcher."
"Oh." Song Jiu pretended to understand; it didn’t sound like he was just doing menial tasks. He then asked, "Do you remember if you captured a man and woman here today?"
"I do." The associate researcher’s eyes darted around as if realizing something; he opened his mouth but hesitated.
"Where are they?" Song Jiu asked directly.
"The girl—do you know her identity?" The associate researcher seemed to recall something but avoided answering directly with an unrelated question.
"Identity," Song Jiu chuckled softly, recalling Yuan An often holding a sketchpad and painting at Roundabout. He casually remarked, "I know, you're an artist."
The man in the white coat had a strange look in his eyes, with a hint of mockery at the corners of his mouth.
"I don't have time to chat with you. I've already found the woman; where's the man?" Song Jiu gazed out the window. Flames erupted between the Industrial Zone, and the gunfire from the skirmish gradually pulled away, retreating westward. From a distance, it looked like a dark tide of people surged forward.
"You found her," the man in the white coat said, taken aback. "You shouldn't have done that. You took her away; you've destroyed hope."
"Fuck you." Jiao Ziqian slapped his hand and dug at his ear, cursing, "Are you messing with me?"
Song Jiu raised his hand to stop Jiao Ziqian, who was about to resort to violence. He frowned and crouched down in front of the man in the white coat, probing, "She was originally my partner; she was abducted by you halfway through. We're just bringing our partner home—how is that destroying anything?"
"You know nothing. You're just a bunch of aimless, lethargic people who do nothing but wait for death," the man in the white coat said, his previous panic disappearing. Perhaps sensing his time was short, he dropped the pretense entirely. His gaze was filled with disdain and contempt as he glanced at the two before turning to look out at the chaotic scene outside, lamenting, "If there were fewer people like you in this world, everything would be different."
"This guy is insane. Stop rambling! Where are the people you captured? If you don't speak up now, you won't get another chance." Jiao Ziqian wanted to hit him again but stopped when he saw his expression. It wasn't out of kindness; he simply had no interest in beating someone who only wielded words as weapons.
Song Jiu remained silent, his face betraying no emotion. Somehow, he felt he could glean some meaning from the man's words. Remembering some past conversations among their group, Song Jiu asked, "Do you think those creatures you created—those half-human, half-monster Zombies—are superior beings?"
A flicker of surprise crossed the man's face before he scoffed coldly. "They are a superior breed."
"Superior breed, huh?" Song Jiu shook his head with a bitter smile as he stood up and pressed a Steel Saw Blade against the man's neck. "I'll give you ten seconds. As a superior being, what final warning do you plan to leave behind before you die?"
The man in the white coat met Song Jiu's icy gaze and slowly straightened his back, a look of determination and resolve appearing on his face.
Song Jiu sighed inwardly, surprised to find such a tough character among those who spent their days conducting experiments that harmed others.
He nodded slightly, accepting this stubborn silence from the man in the white coat before raising the blade slightly higher, ready to strike when suddenly the man spoke.
"I can't die."
"What?"
"What did you say?"
The hand holding the knife froze in mid-air as Song Jiu exchanged a glance with Jiao Ziqian, both feeling a sense of being played.
The man in the white coat stood tall and composed, his face betraying no emotion as he declared, "I cannot die. I am a valuable person, and my end is still far away."
"You are mistaken; your end is right before you," Song Jiu replied, unable to suppress a laugh at the absurdity of such a desperate plea.
The man in the white coat feigned calmness, brushing aside the cold blade with his hand. "I can tell you where the captured individuals are, but I have conditions."
"Understood. You lead the way, and I'll spare your life," Song Jiu scoffed, glancing at Jiao Ziqian, who wore a similarly disgusted expression. It was no wonder that the Infected Virus had wreaked havoc on the world; it turned out that those involved were all of this paranoid ilk.
"That's not it," the man in the white coat said as he stood up, rubbing his aching knees. "I must live; this cannot be considered a bargaining chip."
"However, you have no leverage," Song Jiu replied patiently, engaging him in dialogue. Outside, flames roared higher, and gunfire had shifted from a barrage to sporadic shots. A dark crowd was moving toward their location; they couldn't stay here much longer.
"I do have leverage," the man in the white coat said confidently with a smile. "My condition is simple: that girl belongs to me."
"What did you say?" Jiao Ziqian raised an eyebrow, seemingly not understanding.
"I want that girl; it has nothing to do with you." The man in the white coat smiled arrogantly as he moved toward a storage cabinet along the wall. He rummaged around until he found a pack of cigarettes, pulling one out and placing it between his lips. "Being with people like you will only bury her value; I can uncover her true worth."
Song Jiu completely lost his patience. He waved his hand dismissively at Jiao Ziqian and turned to walk down a corridor, planning to search one by one.
Jiao Ziqian shot him an irritated glare before drawing Steel Saw Blade and kicking the man in the white coat's knee. The man cried out in pain and fell to the ground. Before he could get back up, he felt a sharp blade pressed against the back of his neck.
"Wait, wait!" The man in the white coat panicked and shouted toward Song Jiu as he walked into the corridor. "Without me, your companion is doomed!"
"Is that so? Then I'll make sure you join him in death."
"It's not what you think!"
The man's face changed dramatically as he dodged Jiao Ziqian's large hand while urgently describing the graduate student's appearance. He called out loudly, "The laboratory has been destroyed by you! Besides me, no one can save him!"
Song Jiu paused, frowning slightly. Although this man seemed somewhat mentally unstable, he did indeed know very well what the graduate student looked like. This made Song Jiu hesitate. Remembering what Wu Wentao had said about capturing Living Persons for experiments here filled him with concern—could it be that the graduate student had been drugged?
Seeing that Song Jiu hadn't left yet seemed to relieve the man in the white coat somewhat. "You will have the privilege of witnessing an unforgettable scene; you will understand my value. I am no worse than Professor Tu; I am younger than him and more creative."
Jiao Ziqian felt a knot of anxiety in his stomach as he grabbed the collar of the person before him, lifting him up and shouting, "Where is he? What have you done to him?"
The man in the white coat struggled free, clutching his injured hand as he stepped forward, gesturing for the two to follow him.
They trailed behind the man in the white coat into a corridor, walking for over a hundred meters before stopping in front of a closed door.
The man in the white coat turned around, a manic smile of pride on his face. "Take a deep breath; this is a visual feast."
With a loud bang, Song Jiu kicked open the door, signaling Jiao Ziqian to keep an eye on him. Narrowing his eyes, he stepped into the room, where a strong smell of blood hit him, stirring unease within. The room was small, and there was a curtain in front of him. Song Jiu paused for a moment before slowly pulling back the curtain, revealing an Experiment Table. On it lay the faint outline of a square object.
Song Jiu froze.
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