Chapter 44

The faint sunlight poured into the small garden of the abandoned hospital.

It should have been a lively spring afternoon, but the scene was overshadowed by Comet’s frantic barking at the shadowy entrance of the underground parking lot.

Everyone stood up and grabbed their weapons. Guan Yuanfeng ordered in a low voice, “Wear your helmets, Zhou.”

Zhou Yan put on his helmet and looked toward the parking lot. The hospital’s underground parking lot was a two-level electronic facility, constantly damp and gloomy, filled with the smell of machinery and gasoline. He didn’t like it there.

The stench grew stronger.

A tall zombie slowly emerged from the shadows, accompanied by a deep, eerie growl that sent chills down their spines. Its skin had an unhealthy gray-green hue, but it glimmered with a metallic sheen. Its eyes were bloodshot and rotting, giving it an unusually ferocious appearance.

It was surrounded by dozens of zombies, swaying as they followed it. Their eyes were hollow, their fingers sharp, and they howled like beasts, mouths open and shaking their heads. They were densely packed, carrying an undeniable threat.

What’s worse, the towering zombie in the middle continued to scream, and on the nearby hospital road, more zombies began to surge toward this direction, seemingly to form a massive zombie army.

“It’s the Zombie King.”

Guan Yuanfeng quickly realized what was happening. Gripping his longbow tightly, he turned around and ordered, “Everyone, get up the trees, onto the RV roof!”

With a swift leap, he grabbed the edge of the RV with both hands, stepping nimbly along the side of the vehicle like a mountain cat, fluid and decisive in his movements. He quickly climbed to the roof and then reached down to pull Zhou Yun’s arm. Zhou Yun felt a strong force, and with a push, Guan Yuanfeng pulled him up onto the roof.

One by one, the team members followed suit, helping each other as they skillfully climbed onto the RV roof, armed with various weapons, ready for the impending battle.

The battle was about to start. The Zombie King let out a deafening roar, and the surrounding zombies seemed to be encouraged, slowly closing in on the RV below the special forces team. A sense of indescribable terror began to spread.

The special forces team, watching the seemingly endless horde of zombies swaying toward them, felt their scalps tingle with fear.

Su Jianing said, “It’s over. We’ve encountered the Zombie King and a zombie horde. We shouldn’t have stayed here to rest and eat. Get on the vehicles and retreat quickly!”

Guan Yuanfeng barked, “Shut up!”

Su Jianing’s face turned pale, but then suddenly, dozens of towering tornadoes appeared on the ground.

The tornadoes roared, wild and furious. They were like giant funnels, continuously spinning, capable of sweeping everything inside and grinding it to dust.

Countless rubble and dust fragments flew through the air, darkening the sky. Inside these swirling tornadoes, purple-white lightning coursed, speeding toward the zombie horde, quickly pulling the zombies into the funnels.

The zombie horde was torn apart like paper in front of the tornadoes, easily swept up and spun into the air. Lightning exploded inside the group of zombies, sending pieces of rotting corpses flying. Zombies that had just arrived from the distance instinctively turned to flee.

At the same time, Xuixing (Comet) leaped from the RV roof and landed heavily in the midst of the zombies, opening its mouth to unleash a massive fire dragon.

The roaring flames, like a dragon awakened, surged forward, instantly engulfing the zombie horde. The zombies screamed sharply, struggling in the inferno, and in the blazing fire, they were reduced to charred ash.

The special forces team gasped. Su Jianing murmured excitedly, “Captain… is it wind and electric dual abilities?”

It seemed that the Zombie King had developed some intelligence. It instinctively sensed that something was wrong and turned to flee.

Guan Yuanfeng took a deep breath and drew a steel arrow from his quiver. He nocked it on the bowstring, and purple-white lightning crackled around the steel arrow.

He adjusted his breath, aimed at the Zombie King, and suddenly released the arrow. It shot through the air like a meteor, emitting a sharp sound as it headed straight for the Zombie King.

The arrow pierced the Zombie King’s heart. The Zombie King let out a deafening roar, swaying, but its steps did not slow down.

Wu Jun nervously reminded, “Captain! The zombie’s head needs to be destroyed!” Although it would damage the crystal core, survival was the most important.

Before the words could be finished, the lightning power on the arrow erupted.

The Zombie King’s heart was directly pierced and exploded, its body crashing heavily to the ground.

The special forces team cheered.

After the Zombie King fell, the zombies began to retreat like a tide. Zhou Yun, holding the pearl, closed his eyes and raised his hand, unleashing the Ice Rain ability.

The once heated air, now cooled by Comet’s fire dragon, suddenly became icy.

Dozens of sharp ice blades, glimmering in the cold wind like the scythe of death, cut through the zombies’ most vulnerable necks with incredible speed. The high-speed rotating ice blades sliced through, causing countless zombie heads to roll. The decapitated zombies fell neatly, like wheat being reaped in the field by a sickle. The entire scene displayed an overwhelming killing power.

Afterward, facing the bodies of over a hundred zombies, the special forces spent more than an hour extracting crystal cores.

Both the RV and the off-road vehicle were filled with supplies. Two more trucks were found to load the equipment. Tang Ancheng and Xiao Liao each drove a truck, with pairs of people in groups. They drove back to the neighborhood, and under Guan Yuanfeng’s command, they placed the medical equipment in the sales office of the villa area.

The sales office had not been demolished because the houses hadn’t been sold yet. The spacious and bright lobby was decorated with luxurious furniture, featuring high-end sofas and coffee tables. Nearby, the display area showed the layout and plans of the entire Yunding Mountain Community, with a large screen showing community introductions.

When the medical equipment was brought in, Su Jianing felt puzzled. “When we return to the Zhongzhou base, we may never get a chance to come back here. Why does the captain go through all the trouble to bring all this equipment here?”

Dong Kexin glanced at him and said, “Just trust the captain, he’s never wrong.”

Su Jianing said, “It’s too dangerous. There’s a zombie tide. There’s no one left in this small place, and the zombies will only become more ferocious when they can’t find food.”

Dong Kexin sneered, “What are you worried about? The captain is so powerful.”

Su Jianing said, “I just want to get back to the base as soon as possible.”

Liao Jinsheng, who was straightforward, spoke up, “Only you guys, the well-fed ability users, want to go back to the base. The captain fights zombies with ease, picks up supplies freely, and eats meat without worry. Only a fool would want to go back to the base.”

Su Jianing: “…”

After working hard to unload the equipment, they finally returned to the villa. They cleaned up after a whole day of grime, and then Zhou Yun and Guan Yuanfeng really set up a barbecue grill in the villa’s yard and started killing and roasting lamb.

In addition to the lamb, they also killed a chicken, a duck, and a rabbit. They also brought a frozen giant mutated fathead fish. Yesterday, there was wine, and today they added mulberry wine, along with juices and cola from some unknown supermarket—everything was in abundance.

The special forces team, originally with large appetites due to their heavy physical activity, had been in a state of food scarcity and rations at the base after the apocalypse, with rescue missions back-to-back. They hadn’t had the chance to relax and enjoy food like this in a long time, and now they were indulging in the joy of abundant food.

As the sun set, the orange-red glow of the evening sky covered the peaceful yard. The lamb had been carefully prepared and was now securely placed on a special roasting rack. Tang Anchen was in charge of turning and brushing oil on it, while Liao Jinsheng added charcoal to the fire.

Other team members were either serving rice, washing vegetables, helping cook chicken soup, or preparing rabbit meat for cold consumption.

Their faces were filled with relaxed and proud smiles. Before they came to the Zhongzhou base, they were full of doubts, worries, hesitations, and skepticism. However, just one day and one quick, decisive battle led by Guan Yuanfeng easily lifted their spirits.

As the lamb roasted over the flames, the skin gradually turned golden and crispy, while the inside remained tender and smooth. Zhou Yun brought a bottle of honey for them to brush on the surface, and every time the lamb turned, the delightful sizzle and the sweet scent of honey filled the air.

As the lamb gradually cooked, the fragrance in the yard became more and more intense, blending with the floral fragrance of the small garden. Zhou Yun directed them to set up a large table beside the flowerbed. The team members sat around the fire, helping out enthusiastically while chatting.

Earlier in the day, there had been a bit of rain, but it had stopped by now. A gentle breeze brought the distant smell of flowers and the rustling of leaves.

Zhou Yun walked to the garden to pick some perilla and cilantro for the lamb, but he saw Su Jianing standing in front of the beehive, closely inspecting the bees. When he noticed Zhou Yun, he greeted him, “Dr. Zhou, I just heard Tang Anchen say these bees are yours? They seem mutated, they’re bigger than regular bees. I thought they were bumblebees at first.”

The bees were still diligently flying back and forth in the sunset, their wings glowing golden in the light, appearing unusually large and strong.

Zhou Yun, holding a small knife, cut a bunch of perilla and cilantro: “They should be.”

Su Jianing looked at him with excitement: “No wonder the honey tasted so rich last night with the wine! I thought it tasted different! So, you raised these mutated bees. The honey from mutated bees is very valuable, and so is the royal jelly! It has high medicinal and cosmetic value! It’s great for boosting stamina and immunity.”

Zhou Yun nodded, and Su Jianing continued, “This stuff should be taken back to the base! If you donate it to the research institute, you could exchange it for a lot of points!”

Zhou Yun: “…”

Su Jianing insisted, “We could pack it in boxes and take it back. I’ll talk to Captain Guan and see if we can get it on the helicopter. This could lead to a few new research topics.”

“These are my bees, not Guan Yuanfeng’s. I’m not donating them,” Zhou Yun said as he turned to take the herbs to Liao Jinsheng to wash. Su Jianing: “…”

He followed behind: “You don’t know how many resources and privileges the research institute has. Exchanging these things for points is definitely worth it. At the Zhongzhou base, even the ability users don’t have much space to live. These things are hard to maintain, and it’s better to donate them to the base for research and benefit everyone. Captain Guan will definitely support it.”

Zhou Yun handed the herbs to Liao Jinsheng and heard Su Jianing asking behind him: “Smells so good! Is it almost done roasting? Where’s the captain?”

Tang Anchen answered: “He and Captain Jiang went out, saying something about going to the security room. They told us to eat first.”

Tang Anchen and Dong Kexin carefully took the lamb off the grill and placed it on a large platter, using shiny knives to cut the lamb, sprinkling cumin on it. Liao Jinsheng also cleaned the cilantro and brought it over to be chopped. Zhou Yun personally prepared the sauce, drizzling hot oil on the lamb. The aroma immediately filled the air.

The team members gathered around to taste the roasted lamb, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with cumin and crushed perilla sprinkled on top, creating a unique fragrance. Zhou Yun also brewed a large pot of perilla and dried tangerine peel tea, adding a bit of lemon juice, which turned into a bright red drink with a great taste. It was said to have health benefits, and Tang Anchen couldn’t resist drinking a second cup.

Meanwhile, Guan Yuanfeng and Jiang Rongqian took a walk around the neighborhood, inspecting the area inside and out, including upstairs and downstairs. Only after that did Guan Yuanfeng instruct Jiang Rongqian: “Have you checked everything? If you need high-definition or night-vision cameras, hard drives, servers, monitors, infrared sensors, or any wiring, write them down. Tomorrow we’ll go to the computer market and get whatever you need.”

“I need all the surveillance cameras in the neighborhood, and infrared sensors and magnetic door/window sensors installed at Moon Creek No. 3. If anyone breaks in, the alarm will go off, and everything can be monitored from the 30th floor.”

“We also need a complete automatic irrigation system that can be controlled from the main control room.”

Jiang Rongqian, puzzled, asked, “Why are we bothering with all these security and automatic irrigation systems? We’re leaving soon.”

Guan Yuanfeng was silent for a moment and then replied, “Zhou Yun isn’t leaving.”

Jiang Rongqian was shocked: “How can you leave him here alone?”

Guan Yuanfeng remained silent for a while, then said, “He doesn’t like interacting with people. He’s fine on his own.”

Jiang Rongqian asked, “Isn’t he lonely being here by himself?”

Guan Yuanfeng furrowed his brow: “He’s independent. He doesn’t want to leave, and there are plenty of supplies here. He’s also an ability user, so he can protect himself.”

Jiang Rongqian said, “Well, you’ve been living well here. Dr. Zhou certainly seems like someone who enjoys life. It’s our fault, taking you away from here. I can see he doesn’t like leaving home. But now it’s the apocalypse, and leaving him here alone is still too dangerous. You must be worried about him.”

Seeing Guan Yuanfeng frowning deeply, Jiang Rongqian sighed, “No wonder you looked like you had a bad day. I can tell from your mood.”

Here’s the translation of the text:

“I see that Dr. Zhou is warm and gentle. Could it be that he’s a bit concerned about going to an unfamiliar base and is reluctant to leave here? Look at you all raising chickens, ducks, and planting vegetables; you’re really living quite well. How about we go talk to him, explain some things about the base, and try to ease his concerns?”

Guan Yuanfeng immediately stopped him: “No, don’t disturb him.”

He paused for a moment and added, “He’s actually the kind of person who makes decisions and doesn’t easily change them. I don’t have the right to ask him to leave his home and come with me to Zhongzhou Base.”

Guan Yuanfeng felt as though his heart had been rubbed raw by sandpaper. He knew that Dr. Zhou treated him differently, but now, as they were about to part ways, he suddenly realized he didn’t have the right to ask anything of him.

He felt heartbroken, worried, and reluctant to leave Zhou Yun behind, but he couldn’t let go of the responsibilities on his shoulders and abandon his former comrades.

Jiang Rongqian comforted him: “You go back to the base first. Once you’re settled there, you can come back and pick up Dr. Zhou.” Then he realized, “No wonder you’re collecting so many supplies we can’t take with us today. You’re worried Dr. Zhou will run out of supplies here, right? You’ve spread them out, so even if one place gets discovered and looted, there’s backup.”

Guan Yuanfeng furrowed his brows but said nothing. Jiang Rongqian took out a pen and notebook to write down the list. “Alright, I’ll go back and draw a rough map. Tomorrow, we’ll head to the computer city and bring back cameras and other equipment for Dr. Zhou. We’ll try to make the place safe.”

“We should go back now. The lamb should be roasted by now. If you don’t go back, they probably won’t dare to eat.”

When they returned, the sunset had completely disappeared behind the horizon. The courtyard was illuminated by firelight, and everyone was gathered around the dining table drinking wine, eating grilled rabbit skewers, and sipping chicken soup. Laughter filled the air, like every dinner after a mission before the apocalypse.

Guan Yuanfeng naturally sat next to Zhou Yun. Zhou Yun handed him a skewer of roasted potato slices: “Try it, just roasted. I picked this potato variety because it’s especially good for roasting, and it’s quite large right now.”

Guan Yuanfeng took it and ate, and Zhou Yun joked: “Once you get to the base, you won’t get potatoes this good. These potatoes don’t store or transport well, and the yield isn’t that high, so big-scale farms don’t use this variety. And that thin-skinned tomato, you should eat more of that.”

Guan Yuanfeng nodded. Zhou Yun asked him, “Where are you and Captain Jiang going? Isn’t a whole day’s work tiring enough?”

Guan Yuanfeng replied, “Jiang Rongqian is an expert in communications and information, so he can set up a lot of high-tech equipment. I asked him to optimize the monitoring system in the neighborhood, so you can check the downstairs and the gates from upstairs at any time. Don’t worry, I’ve had him set up the main control room in my room, so he won’t know what’s going on over there.”

Zhou Yun’s eyes lit up: “That’s great, you’ve really thought of everything. I had some doubts about my drone setup, and I was thinking of asking Captain Jiang for advice.”

Guan Yuanfeng said: “Just ask him. He can help you set up a drone patrol system for the neighborhood. Tomorrow we’ll go get more drone equipment and try to set up more automatic patrol points in the neighborhood to improve safety.”

He paused for a moment and gave a precautionary warning: “But Jiang Rongqian can be a bit chatty, and he may try to persuade you to go to Zhongzhou Base. Just ignore him, don’t take his nagging seriously.”

Zhou Yun softly replied, “No, you’re all good people.”

Guan Yuanfeng said, “While we’re still here these next few days, if you need anything or any equipment, let me know, and I’ll send someone to get it. I’m just a bit worried about you living alone in the neighborhood.” He hadn’t fully taught Zhou Yuan close combat; the time had been too short, and he had been a little soft-hearted. He hadn’t strictly trained him like he did with new recruits. At the time, he had thought that with him and Comet around, they could always protect him.

Zhou Yun said, “I have Comet. Also, I don’t go out much, so if someone comes, I just hide.”

Guan Yuanfeng replied, “Comet stands out too much, and some people might hunt mutated animals for crystal cores. Try to avoid contact with people. These things down here, once they’re gone, they’re gone. Things are secondary, but safety is the priority. I had them spread out food and supplies in different parts of the neighborhood, so even if someone breaks in, they might not find everything. So, don’t casually confront people.”

Zhou Yun nodded.

Guan Yuanfeng knew how much Zhou Yun treasured his medicinal plants and mutated animals. The more he cherished them, the more he worried about them being exposed to others, and someone might come and steal them. Zhou Yun was so strong-willed; he was afraid that once he became stubborn, things could get dangerous.

He stared at the palm lines in Zhou Yun’s hand, his mind in turmoil. In the end, he hated himself for not being strong enough. If he had enough power in the base, if he could make all the decisions, Zhou Yun would follow him, and things would be different.

Zhou Yun glanced at Su Jianing, who was looking intently at them from a distance, and thought that there were some things still worth guarding against. He handed Guan Yuanfeng a skewer of roasted lamb: “Here, with honey glaze, mutated honey, especially sweet.”

Guan Yuanfeng took it. “Thank you.”

But Zhou Yun quietly leaned in to speak in his ear: “Just now, your annoying teammate is going to ask you to donate the mutated honey to the base.”

Feeling his ear heat up, Guan Yuanfeng was momentarily distracted by Zhou Yun’s unusual gesture. “Little Su? He’s a bit confused, messing up his brain with all that research. Don’t pay attention to him; if you talk to him, he’ll go on and on, it’s annoying. Just refuse him, don’t explain, or he’ll talk your ear off again.”

Zhou Yun said, “I’ll refuse, but I think he’ll still bother you. He’ll definitely try to tell you about the benefits to humanity and society.”

Guan Yuanfeng saw the bright gleam in his eyes and felt happy that Zhou Yun didn’t treat him like an outsider. But at the same time, he felt a pang of sadness, realizing that he had failed to repay Zhou Yun for all the kindness he had received.

He whispered, “I’ll explain it to him. This mutated honey and the mutated plants; I’ll make sure he follows confidentiality rules and doesn’t reveal anything.”

Zhou Yun said, “There’s no need to worry too much about that. With spring coming, the number of mutated animals and plants outside will only increase. It’s only after winter that he’s been stuck at the base, so everything seems new to him. Once he returns to the Ability Research Institute, he’ll be in a better position. The institute will have priority access to all the research resources from Central Base. Once he sees more, he won’t find these things so rare.”

Although Guan Yuanfeng didn’t understand much about mutated animals and plants, he had seen a few after spring arrived, by the reservoir and in the mountains. He nodded: “He’s a simple person. As long as I tell him, he won’t spread it. He cares more about fame and medical topics like those. I don’t really understand. His elders entrusted General Tan to have me take care of him, and his mentor has a big reputation. Our team inevitably has to deal with hospitals, so it’s not a bad idea to maintain good relations with them, so I’ve been enduring it… Actually, this kind of thing happens a lot. There are always people with tangled relationships who bring up various requests. As long as it doesn’t violate principles and we can cooperate with training, it’s fine.”

Zhou Yun said, “You clearly have a debt to him, but he doesn’t think of returning the favor. Why does he dare to ask for more from you? Or is it that you have no boundaries or principles, and are used to giving good things to others? That’s why others take your things as their own, using lofty reasons to make you give them up.” Zhou Yun pointed at his knee, his gaze meaningful.

Guan Yuanfeng instinctively drew his leg back, feeling uncomfortable where Zhou Yun pointed—its presence was too strong. It seemed that since Zhou Yun had drunkenly claimed ownership of his leg, it no longer belonged to him but was cherished and cared for, not to be taken lightly or abused.

He coughed lightly, embarrassed, and said, “I really didn’t care about these things before, but I won’t anymore.”

Zhou Yun spoke softly, “Captain Guan always keeps his word.”

Guan Yuanfeng would care for a dog, and he would also help unfamiliar neighbors in the post-apocalyptic world. He always took on responsibilities that didn’t belong to him to prove his life’s meaning, easily giving everything he had.

But what would happen when his body and ability data were connected to someone else’s safety?

Guan Yuanfeng didn’t grasp Zhou Yun’s implication and promised again, “I will take good care of this leg.”

Zhou Yun’s gaze flickered, “Sometimes it’s not just about physical data or ability data. Do you remember what those people who tried to rob us said? Mutants and their descendants are very likely to also be mutants.”

Guan Yuanfeng froze. Zhou Yun looked at him meaningfully, “You have such good genes, tall, handsome, healthy, strong, and you’re a dual-type mutant. What if some research institute, or a superior organization, asks you to donate sperm…?”

Guan Yuanfeng shuddered. “No way!”

Zhou Yun stared at him seriously, “Do you think it’s the research institute that wouldn’t ask, or that you wouldn’t agree?”

Guan Yuanfeng took a deep breath. “Neither… Research institutions should have basic ethics… This isn’t right.”

He couldn’t imagine such a thing, not for love and responsibility, but for the sake of reproduction or scientific research.

However, after Zhou Yun’s reminder, he began to feel uneasy. Given the current state of humanity, could the basic ethical boundaries that had been upheld in previous civilized societies still exist? Law is the baseline for morality, but what if there were no laws?

And would someone really volunteer to donate? If there were mutants willing to donate, what would children born in the lab be? Also, since his abilities weren’t naturally triggered… Could his genes be considered mutant genes? If someone discovered the origin of his abilities—artificially triggered—what would happen to him and Zhou Yun?

A chill ran down his spine, and he even shivered slightly.

Zhou Yun looked at him steadily, his dark, clear eyes reflecting the flames flickering in the barbecue pit.

Guan Yuanfeng suddenly realized that the request Zhou Yun made that day wasn’t just drunken talk. Zhou Yun’s intense insecurity and complete mistrust of others weren’t unfounded.

Zhou Yun had always been uneasy, always afraid. He would rather stay on this “isolated island,” unwilling to go to the base, and kept silent, deep in thought, about the person who had stayed by his side through the apocalypse.

Even though he had already exposed so much in front of Guan Yuanfeng—risking his life to perform a crystal core transplant surgery for both himself and Comet—he had already entrusted his most lethal weakness and his highest trust to him. Could Guan Yuanfeng protect him? Could he keep this secret?

Guan Yuanfeng felt an unprecedented sympathy for Zhou Yun, and a heavy sense of guilt nearly overwhelmed him.

Looking into Zhou Yun’s clear eyes, Guan Yuanfeng solemnly promised, “I promise you, whether it’s body data, ability data, or anything else—organs, genes, blood—I won’t agree to let any institution or individual use it for research.”