Chapter 69

The research base hadn’t changed much from over a year ago—still heavily guarded, with people always coming and going in a rush.

The soundproofing in the rooms was still poor. Xue Ling had finally managed to keep Wen Jiuze out and hid inside Wen Yi’s soundproof lab, hoping to get some information about Wen Jiuze’s secret actions over the past year.

“Sister Yi, what secrets has Wen Jiuze been hiding? What has he been up to? Tell me,” Xue Ling asked.

Wen Yi wouldn’t keep secrets for Wen Jiuze. As soon as Xue Ling asked, Wen Yi spilled everything, revealing his entire past.

“…He keeps blocking my lab every now and then, asking if there’s a new drug that could help you regain your sanity… He promised not to cause trouble, but his words are worthless,” Wen Yi said with a cold expression.

“Later, he even insisted that I experiment on him. At first, I refused because I had other projects to work on.”

“Then he went mad and threatened to make me extract the Tai Sui drug from him. I told him it might kill him, but he wouldn’t listen… I could tell he was already losing it.”

Xue Ling fell silent.

It wasn’t surprising at all.

After the apocalypse, she learned exactly what kind of person Wen Jiuze was.

He was the type who would dig up her grave just to see her, even if she had already died and been buried.

He cared about very few things, so when he did care, he became obsessively attached.

“Actually, I wasn’t sure at all about the new drug you used. I was surprised you woke up. It was purely by luck,” Wen Yi continued. “But this kind of luck can’t be repeated. You need to prepare yourself, Xue Ling.”

Xue Ling understood. “I will try to prepare Wen Jiuze mentally.”

After talking for a while, she ended her brief conversation with Wen Yi and opened the door, only to find Wen Jiuze speaking with General Hao outside.

No wonder he hadn’t come knocking during their conversation. He had been held up.

“The situation in Jizhou City is getting worse. The mutated zombies there are generally more aggressive than those in other places. Animal infections were detected late last year, and this year, the situation has become even more severe…”

Xue Ling walked over and caught a few words, which seemed to be about a tough mission.

Seeing her approach, General Hao paused, quickly wrapping up his statement. “In any case, I hope you’ll reconsider this mission.”

He then gave Xue Ling a reassuring smile. “Xue Ling, I’m glad you’re recovering.”

After checking on her condition and offering more words of encouragement, the old leader went through his familiar routine.

Lastly, he said, “This year, we built a monument of merit, inscribing many glorious deeds and the accomplishments of the soldiers. You two are also listed. You can visit it when you have the time.”

The monument was placed at the back of the secret base, next to the martyr’s graves and another memorial stone.

The graves housed soldiers who had sacrificed their lives for humanity’s future in the post-apocalypse. However, many of the graves were empty, as many bodies could not be recovered.

Xue Ling walked along the clean, orderly tiled path and saw her name on the high, independent monument.

“Xue Ling, Wen Jiuze, completed an important rescue mission in Huaxing City in August 3037…”

“Xue Ling, Wen Jiuze, completed…”

“Xue Ling, Wen Jiuze…”

Xue Ling read several lines, then looked up at Wen Jiuze beside her, her gaze full of confusion.

Hadn’t she lost her mind at that time? How could they count her as having done the mission? And why was her name listed first?

From the other mission inscriptions, the leader, who had the greatest contribution, was usually listed first.

Wen Jiuze spoke up. “What’s wrong? You did the mission with me.”

The monument had been discussed months ago. At the time, they had even asked Wen Jiuze about it. He was never one to care for such honors.

When Captain Shen Zhang had asked him, Wen Jiuze had responded, “Don’t carve my name. If you’re going to carve anyone’s name, carve Xue Ling’s.”

She liked that kind of recognition anyway.

Afterward, Captain Shen never came back to discuss it, and it was only now that Wen Jiuze noticed they had included both of their names on the monument.

Xue Ling felt like she was taking credit that wasn’t hers. She hesitated for a moment, her eyes shifting as she subtly revealed her thoughts. Wen Jiuze immediately understood what was going through her mind.

“These missions, you deserve the most credit,” Wen Jiuze reassured her.

He had only taken on those missions because of her.

It was only when the contribution was large enough that General Hao and Professor Rong allowed him to approach Wen Yi, agreeing to use the precious new medicines on Xue Ling.

He saw it as a fair exchange, but he knew Xue Ling would feel moved, just as she would appreciate the recognition of the monument.

Xue Ling, who had always been accepted by those around her, felt a sense of belonging and responsibility, unlike him.

Wen Jiuze understood that General Hao had wanted them to see the monument. It was a subtle, gentle form of persuasion.

He knew Xue Ling must have heard about the difficult mission in Jizhou City that General Hao had mentioned earlier.

He was waiting for Xue Ling to bring it up.

But surprisingly, she never did, as if she hadn’t heard it at all.

“Why haven’t you asked about the mission in Jizhou City?” Wen Jiuze finally brought it up.

Xue Ling was searching through her wardrobe for a belt. She didn’t need to lose weight now, but she had to tighten her belts. The ones she used before, even when fastened at the tightest, were still too loose.

She rummaged through a pile of unflattering clothes with no memory of them, looking for a suitable belt. After a while, she answered, “If you don’t want to do it, then don’t.”

“You’ve already done enough missions.”

When General Hao mentioned it, Wen Jiuze didn’t react, and from the tone of his words, it seemed like he had rejected the mission before.

Wen Yi had also mentioned the Jizhou City mission to Xue Ling. From her tone, it seemed like she was hoping Xue Ling could persuade Wen Jiuze to take it.

But Xue Ling looked at Wen Jiuze’s sunken cheeks and the dark red scars visible on his exposed skin. She didn’t want to urge him.

It wasn’t his responsibility. Just because he wouldn’t die from his injuries didn’t mean they should unconsciously assign him all the most difficult missions.

He would burn out like her too.

He should be able to refuse.

“They said the situation in Jizhou City is serious. I thought after hearing that, you’d start worrying,” Wen Jiuze said, surprised by Xue Ling’s sudden lack of concern.

Xue Ling continued her search in the wardrobe, acting busy. After a moment, her tablet sounded with her response: “Right now, I’m most worried about you.”

If she had said it with her own voice, it would have sounded a bit dull, but with the tablet’s voice, it came across as cold.

Xue Ling added, “You should rest properly.”

Every time she made decisions for Wen Jiuze, things never turned out well.

She had hoped he could live more easily at the base, be accepted, and interact with others besides just her.

But now, he was still living like this.

Then again, it wasn’t that surprising. He had lived like this for the three years of the apocalypse too.

“Have you been digging through the wardrobe for a nest?” Wen Jiuze asked.

“Come over and talk,” he said, patting the table.

Xue Ling sat on the pile of ugly clothes in the wardrobe and crossed her arms, facing Wen Jiuze.

Sit over and chat? Such a bossy tone.

Wen Jiuze looked at her. If she wouldn’t come over, then fine—he’d sit near her.

He dragged a chair over and positioned it in front of the wardrobe, his legs pressing against the wardrobe door, facing her directly.

His feet were on the wardrobe, and Xue Ling’s on his.

“The Jizhou City mission isn’t something I can’t take on. I refused it for other reasons,” Wen Jiuze said, guessing that she probably still wanted to help.

He had previously refused to take on this mission because of the mutated zombies in Jizhou City. In addition to the zombies, animals infected with the mutated virus had also appeared, and they would attack both humans and zombies indiscriminately.

Xue Ling had lost her sanity and couldn’t protect herself, so it was dangerous for her to go there. That was why Wen Jiuze had declined several times.

Furthermore, the base in that area was not officially controlled. It was managed by a group of wealthy people who had seized resources and power, ruling like feudal lords.

They would not manage the place as strictly as Beizheng Base did. A place without any rules could be chaotic, and no one understood this better than Wen Jiuze, who had traveled through over a hundred bases in the apocalypse on his own.

He didn’t want to bring Xue Ling to such a dangerous place, and he certainly didn’t want her to leave his side.

He didn’t care about what General Hao or Wen Yi thought, but he did care about Xue Ling’s feelings.

If she really wanted him to go, then he would go.

She knew how to pressure him and wear him down until he agreed, but she hadn’t done so this time.

When Wen Jiuze brought up the situation in Jizhou City, she didn’t continue the conversation.

Wen Jiuze suspected that Wen Yi’s faulty medication had damaged Xue Ling’s brain, causing her to lose certain functions.

He had been meaning to say this for a while—Wen Yi wasn’t some outstanding young scientist. After all this time, the zombie virus serum still hadn’t been perfected. Xue Ling couldn’t be cured either, yet Wen Yi still won an award at the annual conference.

As he began to silently criticize Wen Yi for personal reasons, Xue Ling took his hand.

Wen Jiuze leaned forward, noticing that she buried her face in his palm—her face had become so small he could cover it entirely with his hand.

Her cheeks were thin, which made her eyes seem especially large—almost frighteningly so.

It reminded him of an internet celebrity Xue Ling once followed who had a similar exaggerated effect on their face. At the time, Wen Jiuze had commented, “Do all his fans watch him pretend to be an alien?”

Back then, he’d said that those huge eyes were ugly, but now, looking back, he realized that he was too certain of his opinion when he was twenty.

Xue Ling looked charming with those large eyes.

“Alright, I’ll take on this task,” Wen Jiuze said, interpreting her face-burying gesture as an act of coquettishness.

Xue Ling raised her wide, bright eyes, filled with confusion.

What did he mean by that tone of “I really have no choice”? When did she ever ask him to agree to it?

“No! Who asked you to go!” Xue Ling shook off his hand and argued with the tablet.

“You were holding my hand so pitifully just now. Weren’t you trying to get me to agree?”

“…” She didn’t want him to think she was pitying him.

Wen Jiuze quickly realized, “You really don’t want me to go? Oh, I get it now—you’re worried about me again, aren’t you?”

“…”

Xue Ling took a deep breath with her mind, pretending not to hear the barking of dogs, and wrote: “In the limited time I have, I want to be with you and not consider anything else.”

Wen Jiuze stopped his playful remarks and looked at Xue Ling. After a long moment, he typed a question: “Really? Then, would you be okay with leaving here?”