Chapter 72: They Are Not the Same Kind of People

The vehicle sped into the safe zone, heading straight for the surveillance building.

Fu Jingmo got out of the car, and the sound of the door slamming shut echoed loudly, startling the two young guards at the entrance.

However, Second Lieutenant Wen had instructed them not to stop Captain Fu when he came and went, so the two guards could only watch as he stormed upstairs with a fierce demeanor.

Fu Jingmo was never the type to reason with words. In the military, strength reigned supreme, and he always stood at the top. Entering the apocalypse made no difference.

In his view, being sent to eliminate a mutated zombie was one thing, but being thrown into a trap was another. When it came to matters of principle, no one should cross that line with him.

Fu Jingmo kicked open the heavy office door with his military boot, and as if expecting his arrival, Wen Tang was waiting for him behind the mahogany desk.

Her red lips parted slightly, “Captain Fu…”

Before she could finish the two words, Fu Jingmo grabbed her by the jaw. Leaning over the mahogany desk, he placed one foot on it, causing wood chips to fly. He bent forward, glaring into Wen Tang’s eyes, and his whole demeanor radiating an aura that warned others to stay away.

Since joining the military, he never differentiated between men and women, and there was no need to pretend to be a gentleman.

“What is Captain Wen thinking? When did you learn to gamble with your teammates’ lives? What is it? Has this apocalypse rotted your heart too?”

“Heh, have you forgotten my identity?”

With so many people involved in such an uncontrollable situation, how would she handle it if they all died there today?

She represents the nation, and this isn’t just a matter of life and death—it’s about trust.

What’s being consumed is the image built from the blood and flesh of every soldier.

What’s being consumed is the trust of all the people in their country.

He could be indifferent to life and death, but he couldn’t be indifferent to this!

In this apocalyptic world, countless people are waiting for the country’s rescue. This is the spark of hope for those struggling in the darkness, and it should not be tainted in the slightest.

Wen Tang formed a hook with her two fingers, clamping onto Fu Jingmo’s wrist.

She was a mutant with considerable strength, but her slender white fingers gripping Fu Jingmo’s wrist felt like an ant trying to shake a tree, as if she were squeezing a solid piece of iron.

“Heh, Captain Fu… do you think this is something I… Wen Tang, can decide on my own?” 

Wen Tang’s face gradually turned red, and she forced out each word from her throat.

Fu Jingmo flung her hand away and, in a rare show of mercy, gave her a chance to explain. “So?”

“Cough, cough… cough…”

Wen Tang let out a series of violent coughs, struggling to speak. “The orders came from Fengcheng; I was just following orders. If Captain Fu has the guts, go settle the score with them.”

“Reason,” Fu Jingmo cut through her provocation bluntly, not bothering with her taunts. His limited patience was ticking away by the second.

Wen Tang sneered, as she rubbed her neck, which bore the imprint of his fingers. “Out of the 106 evaluations, 6 are flagged—besides you, two are your own team members from 113. The other three? The White Eagle unit is already out of control.”

“Among the six of you, only you and him have been assessed as having level three abilities, while the other four are all level two.”

“The old guys at the Fengcheng research institute naturally worry that you might lose control too!”

Fu Jingmo had already considered this possibility on his way here. He knew Wen Tang wouldn’t dare act on her own like this. But if she thought she could play along with those old geezers and mess with him, she shouldn’t expect to get off lightly either.

“Out of control? What did he do?”

Fu Jingmo pulled up a chair and sat down, crossing his legs and resting them on the desk, as if all his previous anger had been just an act.

Wen Tang ignored his relaxed posture and even smiled slightly. “Well, not much. He just took over a safe zone in Cangjiang, completed half of the subsequent missions, and has now cut off communication with Fengcheng, setting himself up as king?”

Fu Jingmo did have some impression of this Bai Ying. During the mercenary competition back in the day, the two of them had crossed paths—heh, a defeated opponent.

“But before that, he confiscated all the supplies Fengcheng had sent over, including a truckload of firearms.”

Fu Jingmo’s expression finally shifted. He wondered what Bai Ying had gone through during his missions to end up like this. Bai Ying was one of the most elite soldiers, and ordinary circumstances wouldn’t easily shake his resolve.

“So, they’re worried I’ll end up like Bai Ying?”

“Exactly. They’re afraid that the only two level three mutants might both rebel.” Wen Tang raised her brows slightly as she glanced at Fu Jingmo, thinking that those old men were bold. Provoking someone like him could backfire badly.

“This is both a test and a deterrent. They want the might of the mutated zombie to show you that individualism doesn’t work, and at the same time, they want to gauge how far your power has developed.”

“Heh,” Fu Jingmo let out a cold laugh and stood up to leave. He glanced back and threw out a parting remark, “If you have a problem with me, come at me directly. Don’t harm the innocent. And don’t pin Bai Ying’s kind of trouble on me.”

“As compensation for today, kindly send a crate of heavy machine guns to my place.”

Abilities were great, but having a heavy machine gun in hand was quite satisfying too.

“You can have that, but the task of eliminating the mutated zombie will still require the Major’s participation.”

Fu Jingmo didn’t respond; he simply said coolly, 

“Wrong, it’s Second Lieutenant.”

—

By the time Fu Jingmo walked out of the surveillance hall, it was already late, and he brushed past Yu Hong, who had a bruised and swollen face.

Yu Hong stammered, “Cap-Captain Fu…”

Fu Jingmo gave him a cold glance, then pulled a bottle of medicine from his pocket and tossed it to him—serves him right.

“Thank you, Captain Fu,” Yu Hong exclaimed in surprise, gratefully tucking the medicine away. From behind, Fu Jingmo could hear Yu Hong’s elated voice.

Well, he still likes getting beaten up.

Since Yu Hong had returned, Lin Mu and the others were probably back as well.

When Fu Jingmo arrived at the small courtyard, Shen Rangchen was sitting at the dining table, eating a bowl of chicken stewed with mushrooms, with several more bowls of braised beef on the table.

Fu Jingmo, in a rare display of good temper, asked, “You like this flavor?”

Shen Rangchen nodded and took another sip of the soup. “It’s delicious.”

Quite a unique taste. He Ze hadn’t returned yet, and Fu Jingmo couldn’t be bothered to wait, so he leaned against the dining table.

“Where’s Lin Mu?”

“In his room.”

“Hmm,” Fu Jingmo pulled out two sausages he had swiped from the supermarket and tossed them to Shen Rangchen. “Did he say anything?”

“…”

Say what? Shen Rangchen blinked, not understanding what Fu Jingmo meant by this abrupt question.

Even Fu Jingmo himself wasn’t sure; it was just an inexplicable, strange feeling.

Seeing Shen Rangchen’s puzzled expression, Fu Jingmo realized he wouldn’t get any answers from him and headed upstairs.

The room was very quiet. Lin Mu had just taken a shower—there was electricity and hot water in the safe zone now, so not taking a shower would have been a waste.

He had just visited his space, soothed the irritated Xiao Yuan by stroking its fur, and organized the items inside.

Once those items entered the space, they seemed to be under his control. As long as he thought about how to stack them, they would neatly pile up, saving him quite a bit of trouble.

There were more things than he had expected. After taking a shower, the restlessness in his heart eased a little.

He was usually someone who was good at reflecting, but even after thinking about it the whole way back, he couldn’t figure out why he had felt upset at that moment.

The door was pushed open, and a tall figure with long legs walked in.

Lin Mu glanced up and said calmly, “You’re back.”

“Yeah. Have you eaten?”

He had casually grabbed a bite while organizing his space. “Have you eaten yet?”

Fu Jingmo nodded slightly and sat down by the edge of the bed. “Today…”

He hesitated. “Regarding the military district’s matters, I can’t really explain it to you right now. It won’t happen again.”

“What do you mean by ‘like this’?”

Lin Mu’s eyes were calm and cool, as if he was asking a perfectly ordinary question.

“…”

It seemed like he didn’t intend to dig deeper. Lin Mu stood up and said, “Let’s go, let’s get something to eat. He Ze should be back by now.”

With that, he opened the door and left the room. The thing he hadn’t been able to figure out suddenly became clear.

Before coming to Wushi, he knew that Fu Jingmo had a mission, but that had always felt like something abstract and distant.

But now, seeing Fu Jingmo with his organization and his teammates, Lin Mu suddenly felt a profound sense of disconnect between his world and Fu Jingmo’s.