Since they were already out, they decided to swing by the research institute and check on their health.

Before the apocalypse, health check-ups used to cost money, but now they were free—though it wasn’t clear if that was considered a benefit.

Professor Ji was as busy as ever.

When he saw them return safely, he rushed them all to get their check-ups, and this time, he even made sure that Xu Duoduo got one too. He was worried that the coming of the Black Day might affect their health.

So, the four of them obediently stood in line to get checked.

Xu Duoduo was following behind Qin Luo, tugging at his clothes. When she turned her head, she noticed a little kid staring at her and almost didn’t recognize him.

It was the bald-headed child from before, but now he had a fluffy, white head of hair that looked like an explosion. When he saw Xu Duoduo, he was overjoyed, recognized her immediately, and shyly kept glancing at her, before saying, “Sister, you’re really beautiful.”

Qin Luo immediately turned around, lowered his head, and saw the kid. “Sister is beautiful, she’s my wife, how could she not be beautiful?” he said with a proud tone.

Xu Duoduo froze for a moment, and when she looked back at the little kid, he had already gone wide-eyed. Just as she was about to call Qin Luo childish, the little kid asked, “Can she be my mommy?”

Qin Luo immediately went stiff, about to say something, but the kid continued, “Are you going to be my daddy?”

Qin Luo was stunned.

Xu Duoduo was just as confused.

Chen Xiaofei turned around, shocked, “Wow, there’s actually a kid offering to be their son?”

He then nudged Bai Shu, “Old Bai, your favorite.”

Chen Xiaofei teased Bai Shu before turning back to the little kid, “Quick, there’s a spot for a son, just call him ‘godfather,’ he’ll be thrilled, really, it’s no joke.”

The little kid immediately turned to Bai Shu and Chen Xiaofei, looking back and forth, “Can you be my mom and dad?”

Bai Shu laughed, adjusted his glasses, and said, “You can call me daddy, and call him ‘Little Fei’ mommy.”

Chen Xiaofei immediately flared up.

After a while, Xiao Qiao finally caught up and hugged the little kid, “Aku, why did you run off?”

The little kid pouted, saying he was looking for his mom and dad, “All the other kids have moms and dads, but I don’t.”

Hearing that, the entire 3A team stopped their antics and their expressions turned serious.

Xu Duoduo felt a little sad.

Xiao Qiao picked him up, “Didn’t I tell you? Sister can be your mommy. I don’t want to have kids, but I’m going through the adoption process.”

The little kid rubbed his clothes and asked, “Really?” His expression showed doubt.

He seemed to lack a sense of security.

Qin Luo wrapped his arm around Xu Duoduo’s shoulder and said to Xiao Qiao, “What’s wrong with this kid? Why doesn’t he trust you?”

Bai Shu and Chen Xiaofei also looked at Xiao Qiao curiously.

Xiao Qiao gave a helpless expression, clearly worn out from taking care of the kids, especially the dandelion-mutated one, who was so fragile and lacked security.

“Don’t worry about it. Your turn will come for the check-up. I’ll explain later.”

After saying this, Xiao Qiao took the little mutant kid downstairs, still scolding him, though her tone was laced with a little tenderness.

Chen Xiaofei remarked in surprise, “Even a tigress like Xiao Qiao has a gentle side?”

Even someone as strong as Xiao Qiao had her soft side.

Qin Luo sighed, thinking about becoming someone’s parent. He felt like he wasn’t ready or fit for it, especially when he looked at Xu Duoduo, who sometimes still acted like a “baby.” How could he take care of a kid?

That kind of thing was something for later.

Joking about it was one thing, but the look in the child’s eyes was filled with expectation. Some hopes couldn’t be fulfilled, lest the child be more disappointed the bigger their hopes grew.

And for the members of the combat team, being parents meant worrying about their safety every day. A fragile little kid like Aku couldn’t handle that.

Qin Luo thought for a moment, “Actually, if Xiao Qiao were willing to adopt him, that wouldn’t be bad.”

At least she was in the base every day, much safer compared to being out in the field.

Xu Duoduo nodded seriously, “Mm-hmm.”

Qin Luo then raised his hand and pinched her cheek, teasing her, “You already figured it out? Just nodding like that?”

Xu Duoduo glared at him, “Bad. You’re not being good.” Sometimes, Qin Luo could be quite childish.

Chen Xiaofei clicked his tongue, “Yeah, Qin Ge, you’re not being good, you’re not being good~~”

Before Bai Shu entered the examination room, he had to make a little comment, “Oh no, Qin Ge is not being good.”

As soon as Qin Luo told them to “get lost,” the two had already dashed into the room, leaving behind a trail of laughter. These two really were so annoying.

The day went on!

After the check-ups, the 3A team waited for Professor Ji in the meeting room.

When he was done, he gave them all their results, asking about their health and showing concern.

“No problems. Xiao Qin’s upgrade went smoothly, no side effects. Xiao Wang, you three don’t need to worry too much, just go with the flow. When it’s time for you to upgrade, it will happen. Your abilities are stable.”

Professor Ji mentioned that breaking through to the fourth level was just a matter of time, probably in the next seven days.

The three of them felt much more at ease. Otherwise, they would have felt a little embarrassed not keeping up with their leader.

Men, after all, always care about strength.

Professor Ji smiled and marked the checkboxes, signing the forms. “Your upgrade speeds are already really fast, top tier in the country. You don’t need to worry too much.”

He praised 3A for being excellent.

Qin Luo smiled a little proudly, and the others felt a little shy.

“But what about Xu Duoduo? Is her health alright? Everything normal?”

Qin Luo couldn’t help but ask when Professor Ji didn’t mention Xu Duoduo.

Professor Ji laughed and reassured him, “Don’t worry, Duoduo is fine. Among the mutated humans, her situation is particularly special. It’s rare to see someone who’s still so strong and stable after so many battles.”

He checked off all of Duoduo’s boxes and praised her abilities, “Zombies usually evolve in speed, night vision, climbing, biting strength, etc., but Duoduo’s night vision isn’t great, and her climbing and biting strength are just average. However, her speed and jumping ability are exceptional, and she can train those more.”

Professor Ji also praised 3A for teaching her martial arts, and noted that she’d done well finding suitable weapons.

At least she hadn’t eaten anyone, so her biting strength hadn’t evolved.

It was said that there had been zombies with huge mouths before, and Professor Ji warned that they were terrifying, with extremely strong biting force. Even a second-level Rock Mutant had its arm bitten off by one.

Qin Luo and the others shivered at the thought of those big, bloody mouths. Just imagining it was disgusting.