Chapter 57

The task Wen Yi mentioned was progressing quickly. On the very day they entered the base, they received a notice for a meeting about the Donghai City operation.

Though Xue Ling had been told she didn’t need to participate in the operation, she still attended, as she heard that General Hao, who was in charge of the base, wanted to meet them.

The base they were in had no official name, only the code “01”. It housed countless important secrets and research projects.

So important that even if the neighboring Beizheng Base was attacked by a zombie horde, everything here would be prioritized for relocation to a safe place.

The main research institute in the base was managed by Wen Yi’s teacher, Professor Rong  Lanjia, while the military and security were under the charge of General Hao.

The old general was over seventy, having participated in many significant battles during his life, though his name was not widely known.

Before the apocalypse, he had already retired, but after the military suffered significant losses, he stepped up without hesitation to stabilize the situation. He was like an anchor, steadying the chaos.

It was also his decision to establish Beizheng Base.

Once that base was on track, he retired again and took charge of this secret base.

The old general had difficulty walking, leaning on a cane as he entered the meeting room, but his mental state was sharp.

With his thick eyebrows and sharp eyes, even Wen Jiuze, who had a casual attitude, couldn’t help but straighten up under his gaze.

General Hao observed Wen Jiuze closely before turning his attention to Xue Ling.

With two zombies present, everyone’s focus naturally shifted to Wen Jiuze.

General Hao noticed that Wen Jiuze often shielded Xue Ling with his body, not allowing her to be fully exposed to others’ scrutiny.

Although his posture appeared relaxed, the general’s piercing gaze immediately caught the tension in Wen Jiuze’s body. He hadn’t relaxed even for a moment.

The general didn’t trust anything in the base, despite their decent attitudes. His vigilance was unshakable.

He gestured for Xue Ling to come closer. Compared to Wen Jiuze, she seemed more straightforward. Noticing her nervousness, the old general smiled warmly.

“There’s no need to be nervous. Professor Rong has already told me about you. You’re all doing great!”

Only a few people attended the meeting. General Hao had brought a young guard and a serious-looking middle-aged subordinate.

Wen Yi also entered with her teacher, Professor Rong .

Everyone sat down around a simple conference table. The atmosphere was much less tense than Xue Ling had imagined.

Professor Rong , holding a chipped thermos, was chatting casually with General Hao, who seemed to enjoy the relaxed atmosphere.

The young guard by General Hao hurriedly served tea, offering it to everyone.

When he placed the tea in front of Xue Ling and Wen Jiuze, he hesitated for a moment, unsure whether zombies should drink tea. However, he treated them just like anyone else and placed tea in front of them as well.

Xue Ling looked at the steaming cup of tea in front of her, then glanced at the potted plant on the table, listening to Professor Rong asking General Hao how his leg was doing.

The relaxed atmosphere was completely different from the tense situation Xue Ling had imagined before arriving.

It was quite soothing, and the stiffness in her back slowly relaxed.

“Now, let’s talk about the operation in Donghai City,” General Hao began, switching to the main topic.

“We’ve sent two task forces to Donghai City, both of which failed. They couldn’t break through the dangerous areas in the city center, and ninety-seven people died.”

As he spoke about this, General Hao gripped the handle of his cane and leaned it in front of him.

“Those were my soldiers. I feel heartbroken with each one we lose, but the mission has to be done. No matter how difficult it gets, it must be carried out. If the predecessors don’t clear the path, the ones that come after have no way forward.”

“Now, with the two of you exceptional talents working with us, casualties will be greatly reduced. I’m truly grateful that you both are willing to step up.”

General Hao’s gentle attitude came from this sincerity.

The question of whether someone was a zombie didn’t concern this seasoned old man.

As long as everyone worked together, they were all good comrades.

“Given the failure of the previous missions, this time we plan to recruit skilled civilians to form a new special operations team to complement our soldiers, assisting with the task.”

“This operation will involve a total of forty people. Thirty special forces members will be led by Captain Shen Zhang, and eight special external members will assist Comrade Wen Jiuze.”

…

The meeting didn’t last long—just enough to finalize the arrangements before it adjourned.

Before leaving, General Hao casually patted Xue Ling and Wen Jiuze’s shoulders, telling them:

“As long as you still have reason, you are human. Stay firm and maintain the baseline of humanity, no matter how this world changes. Never give up on yourselves and always look upwards.”

“Do the job well, and I’ll award you with medals of honor!”

Wow, there would be medals! Xue Ling’s eyes lit up, and she grabbed Wen Jiuze’s arm, shaking it excitedly.

She also wanted to complete a mission and earn a medal.

Mom, I have made it!

After General Hao left, Captain Shen Zhang came over to greet the two and offered to shake their hands.

After shaking Wen Jiuze’s hand, he offered the same courtesy to Xue Ling.

Xue Ling: Ah, do I have to?

She looked at her own dark, pointed nails, then cautiously stretched out her hand to shake his.

“We’ll likely have many more opportunities to work together. I hope you’ll teach me more,” Captain Shen said calmly after shaking the zombie’s blue hand.

The Donghai City operation was set for three days later. During this time, Wen Jiuze had to undergo emergency training, including weapons training. Since he had a foundation, he passed quickly.

Another critical training session was with Wen Yi, who informed him about the essential equipment and materials he would need to take when entering the lab.

He had to learn how to carefully disassemble and transport these items, prioritize the most vital ones, and know which tools were necessary.

Captain Shen Zhang and his team would wait on the periphery. For that was the most dangerous zones for humans, only Wen Jiuze could enter that lab.

Thus, he also needed to learn how to break through highly classified doors.

With limited time, there was no opportunity for in-depth learning, so Wen Yi gave him several manuals to refer to if needed.

Wen Jiuze, holding the thick manual, didn’t seem to listen carefully.

Seeing him, Wen Yi doubted he would be able to avoid damaging the equipment and end up dragging broken machines back.

She placed a hand on Xue Ling’s shoulder, who was listening attentively, and warned, “Xue Ling can’t run away here. You’d better complete the mission carefully, don’t do it half-heartedly.”

Wen Jiuze’s dark red eyes turned dangerously towards her, “Threatening me again?”

At that moment, Xue Ling suddenly raised her hand.

“I have a suggestion,” Her tablet read aloud. “How about we leave Wen Jiuze here as a hostage and let me go on the mission instead!”

Wen Jiuze, who was about to get angry from being threatened by Wen Yi: “…”

Wen Yi, who seemed a little tempted: “…”

It seemed like it might actually work.

Xue Ling: “I’d like to compete for the position, boss. I have over three years of zombie experience. Isn’t that an advantage?”

Wen Jiuze: “You’re competing with me now? Really?”

Wen Yi: “You’ve got a point. Now, take a look at these books. Do you remember the important details I just mentioned?”

Xue Ling: “I can stay up all night memorizing them, I’ll definitely study hard!”

Wen Yi: “Mm, that’s a good attitude. Much more proactive than Wen Jiuze.”

If they kept talking, the roles in the mission might change.

Wen Jiuze interrupted, “Alright, I’ll study hard.”

Xue Ling, a little regretful: “Really, you won’t let me go?”

Wen Yi said, “Don’t worry, we have many other missions, not just the search mission in Donghai City.”

“This mission in Donghai City is quite challenging, involving a lot of heavy lifting, violent breaches, and extensive use of firearms. These are things you won’t be able to master in a short time.”

“Don’t worry, there will be opportunities for you to go on missions in the future. Since you won’t cooperate with the experiment, we won’t leave you idle.”

Wen Jiuze tapped the table, “Do you think I don’t exist?”

Watching Wen Yi and Xue Ling chatting back and forth, Wen Jiuze felt that Wen Yi was intolerable and Xue Ling was like someone being sold and then counting the money for the seller.

After class, as they were about to leave, Wen Yi remembered something, “By the way, just a friendly reminder: after you go out, don’t infect anyone. If you have to deal with humans, use weapons.”

If Wen Jiuze could laugh, he would probably give a cold smile, “Didn’t Xue Ling already warn me? Why emphasize it again?”

Wen Yi: “Oh, did she tell you why you can’t infect humans?”

The moment she said this, Xue Ling, who had been standing behind Wen Jiuze, widened her eyes and clasped her hands together in a pleading gesture.

Sister, please, don’t bring it up!

Noticing her strange tone, Wen Jiuze asked, “Why?”

Wen Yi exchanged a subtle glance with Xue Ling, her expression unchanged as she replied:

“After all, you’re a zombie. It was fine before, but now that you’ve been integrated into the base, if you infect humans again, it could cause problems with our position. If some troublemakers pursue it, it could be very troublesome.”

The explanation was so dull that Wen Jiuze couldn’t be bothered to listen any longer.

“Got it.”

While Wen Jiuze was buried in his books, Xue Ling quietly went to find Wen Yi to express her gratitude.

“You don’t dare to tell him your situation, are you afraid he can’t accept it? He’s already become a zombie, what could he possibly not accept?” Wen Yi said.

Xue Ling lowered her head to her tablet, and after a moment, handed it over. On the screen was the message: “I’m afraid if he knows, he’ll immediately start biting random people and end up in the same situation as me, and then return for you to study him first.”

Wen Yi: “…”

She sometimes really couldn’t understand some couples.

Logically speaking, all emotions are driven by hormones, so how could they still fall in love after becoming zombies?

That night, as she lay in bed, Wen Yi could vaguely hear Wen Jiuze being playful next door, almost like a lively and foolish college student.

Was this really her half-brother who used to be rebellious and against the world when he lived in the Wen family mansion?

“How long has Wen Jiuze been like this?” Wen Yi asked.

She tried to attribute it to the virus having affected Wen Jiuze’s mind, making him so mentally unstable.

Xue Ling: “?”

“What I mean is, is he like this now, or was he always like this?”

Xue Ling: “I think he’s always been like this.”

Sometimes it was more obvious, sometimes less so.

“It seems that you can only cooperate with me in my research.” Wen Yi said calmly, “Sister, you don’t want him to know what you are hiding, right?”

Xue Ling paused for a moment before realizing Wen Yi was joking with her.

She smiled and sighed, offering a sincere explanation: “Sister Yi, it’s not that I don’t want to agree. It’s that if I agree, Wen Jiuze will go crazy.”

After leaving Wen Yi, Xue Ling opened the door and was startled to see Wen Jiuze standing outside.

He was holding the thick manual that Wen Yi had given him, looking like he had been reading it until Xue Ling arrived.

He tossed the book aside and walked up to her, silently staring down at her.

Xue Ling leaned against the door, feeling guilty, her eyes darting around.

“Are you hiding something from me?” Wen Jiuze asked.

“Biting people and infecting them, what consequences will that have? It’s not just the problem Wen Yi mentioned, right?”

He moved closer, almost pressing his chest against her face.

“Why have you been so anxious these past couple of days, Xue Ling?”

Trapped between his chest and the door, Xue Ling had no escape. She suddenly squatted down, trying to maneuver around him.

Wen Jiuze: “…”

He squatted down too, blocking her by the door, and firmly held her down with one hand. “Speak up, don’t try to hide it.”

Xue Ling was pushed to her limit and raised her tablet in anger. “You won’t talk about your problems, so I won’t talk either!”