Before Xu Duoduo could respond, a mutant core was tossed into her arms. She held it in her hands, still a bit dazed—it felt cold and smooth to the touch.

Meanwhile, Qin Luo was being questioned by Chen Xiaofei and Bai Shu. He simply said, “It’s just a low-level mutant core. Let her eat it. Isn’t her value worth more than a mere Level-1 core? If headquarters asks, I’ll take responsibility.”

Since the captain was willing to take responsibility, the two trusted him to handle it.

But Wang Weihu didn’t know that!

He hadn’t been there when they collected canned food, nor had he seen Xu Duoduo take porridge.

Just as Wang Weihu was about to ask something—his voice naturally loud, and surrounded by people—Chen Xiaofei, quick-eyed, rushed over, grabbed him, and dragged him aside. After a hurried explanation, Wang Weihu’s eyes widened in disbelief.

This old classmate, this little zombie—she actually had abilities? And a rare spatial ability at that?

She could even consume mutant cores?

Wang Weihu was utterly shocked.

By the time all this commotion settled, dawn was approaching. It was safer to travel during daylight, so they packed up and set off immediately.

If they were lucky, they could reach the survivor base before nightfall. It wasn’t too far—just in the neighboring H City.

Unfortunately, K City had completely fallen. It was no longer habitable.

There was no sun today.

But it was bright.

As their vehicle drove along, the landscape was littered with ruins, mostly remnants of past battles against zombies. Some areas bore the scars of brutal encounters—likely with mutant beasts.

Xu Duoduo remained in the vehicle. This time, she wasn’t tied up. She curled up in the back seat while Qin Luo sat beside her, absentmindedly playing with his knife.

He was adept with both blades and firearms.

However, after last night’s battle, the four of them—and the lone zombie—were all filthy.

But there was no time to clean up. This was the apocalypse, not the past.

Qin Luo stole a glance at Xu Duoduo. Ever since last night, she had been somewhat fearful of him. It wasn’t surprising—he had almost killed her.

The reason he brought her along was partly duty, partly childhood sentiment.

If she had lost her mind, he would have had to follow orders and eliminate her, just as he would have done for any infected teammate or survivor.

The apocalypse was always cruel.

Fortunately, she hadn’t lost her mind.

Qin Luo was genuinely relieved that she was still alive. This disaster had taken too many people.

Even Bai Shu and Chen Xiaofei had quieted down. After the ordeal with the mutant beast, everyone was exhausted.

The rest of the journey was smooth. Before they even reached their destination, they could already see a massive wall in the distance—towering, imposing.

At least twenty or thirty meters high.

Xu Duoduo was in awe. It had only been about a month since the apocalypse began, yet they had managed to build such a colossal wall?

It even seemed to have electric currents running along the top. No birds dared to fly near it.

Not far from the survivor base, they finally spotted other rescue vehicles. They exchanged honks in greeting.

Xu Duoduo pressed against the window, observing the other teams’ vehicles. None of them were in good condition—dented from collisions with unknown creatures, stained with strange, colorful smears. Some even had bizarre mutant animal corpses strapped to them—like sheep, but not quite.

When their vehicle finally stopped at the survivor base gate, everyone had to disembark for inspection.

Qin Luo got out and grabbed an old blanket, motioning for her to come over.

He simply stood there, waiting for her.

Xu Duoduo suddenly understood. If she wasn’t bound, others would be afraid of her—she wasn’t even sure what she was anymore.

But her consciousness still leaned toward humanity. She didn’t want to hurt humans. Once, warm-hearted grandparents had taken her in.

She liked warm people.

Though humans had their flaws, there were always good ones among them.

So if she wanted to stay among humans, she had to cooperate.

Xu Duoduo approached on her own, letting Qin Luo tie her up again. Then, he lifted her into his arms, carrying her like a child.

This position was much more comfortable.

Better than being slung over a shoulder.

The other survivors stared blankly at the massive city gate, lost in thought.

A familiar voice blared from the speakers at the entrance:

“Welcome to H City Survivor Base. All newcomers must enter the quarantine passage and undergo 24-hour isolation. After quarantine, personnel information must be registered. Injured individuals, please proceed to the left passage…”

Everyone felt like they had been transported to another world. But they were alive.

Without needing Wang Weihu to urge them, they voluntarily lined up for quarantine.

Chen Xiaofei stretched. “Damn, finally back. I’m exhausted.”

Bai Shu reached for his glasses—only to touch nothing. “I need a new pair of glasses as soon as I get back. I can’t get used to being without them.”

Their vehicle was also taken in for inspection by base personnel.

Qin Luo carried Xu Duoduo to a small registration booth near the gate, knocked on the window, and made a call inside.

Xu Duoduo was left facing a staff member, a young woman. She stamped a document and reassured her gently, “Everything will be okay. Now that you’re at the base, you can rest easy. The base will assign you suitable work.”

Unfortunately, Xu Duoduo still couldn’t speak. Maybe it was psychological.

The staff member seemed a bit awkward. Just then, Qin Luo returned.

The woman seemed familiar with him. “Brother Qin, who’s this little girl you brought back?”

Qin Luo clicked his tongue. “Mind your own business.” Then he scooped up Xu Duoduo again, waiting for their escort.

The woman muttered, “What’s with the attitude?” Then she called after him, “Brother Qin, don’t forget to get your ability data tested at the hospital!”

Qin Luo simply waved dismissively in response.

Xu Duoduo noticed the name tag on the woman’s uniform: Du Chunjiang.

What a nice name.

She glanced back at Du Chunjiang a couple more times.

How nice it must be—to still be human.

Qin Luo noticed her little movements and caught the hint of envy in her eyes. His heart clenched, a sour and complicated feeling welling up inside him.

Xu Duoduo didn’t have to wait long. Just as Qin Luo led her to the gate, a scholarly-looking man in a white coat arrived in a hurry.

“So, this is the student you mentioned? Hello, I’m Ji Yan. You can call me Professor Ji.”

Perhaps because of his gentle demeanor, Xu Duoduo felt slightly at ease. She pressed her lips together and nodded obediently—acting nothing like a zombie.

Professor Ji had never seen a case like hers before. He asked kindly, “Can you walk on your own?”

Xu Duoduo nodded.

Professor Ji glanced at Qin Luo, who scratched his face awkwardly.

“If she can walk, let her down,” Ji Yan said. “Take off the restraints. I can tell that she has no aggressive tendencies. However, to avoid panic, she still needs to wear a collar for now. Don’t worry—it won’t harm you as long as you remain non-aggressive.”

To reassure her, he explained how more and more people were undergoing mutations lately—some with terrifying, distorted appearances but still retaining human consciousness. They were considered harmless.