Chapter 63: Specimen Research

The supervision hall was a standalone building, likely part of a villa complex that was under construction before the apocalypse.

Located in this quiet and spacious suburban area, there were many standalone houses, which, with some reconstruction after the apocalypse, had taken on their current form.

The supervision hall was a two-story building with glass doors, guarded by two sentries at the entrance.

After getting out of the car, the soldier walked ahead and greeted the guards, allowing the group to enter. Fu Jingmo, carrying Lin Mu in his arms, maintained his agile posture, walking quickly and steadily despite the weight.

As they entered the hall, Fu Jingmo paused and asked, “What’s your name?”

The soldier driving the car snapped to attention, saluted crisply, and shouted, “Second Lieutenant, my name is Yu Hong, from the 045 unit. I’m currently assigned to Second Lieutenant Wen Tang’s team…”

Fu Jingmo raised his eyebrow, ignoring the long explanation that followed. He figured that the surviving units had likely been reorganized, but that had nothing to do with him. The 113 unit would never be restructured unless the captain perished.

“You, where’s the medical team? Take me there now.”

“Uh, but the officer instructed me to take you directly to her,” Yu Hong replied hesitantly.

He Ze stepped forward, frowning, “What could be more important than saving someone?”

Although Fu Jingmo had said that Lin Mu was fine, it didn’t make sense why everyone else recovered normally, while Lin Mu fell into a coma every time he used up his energy.

Yu Hong looked at Fu Jingmo in a dilemma, torn between following the orders of his superior and assisting the person he admired and respected the most.

Luckily, his internal struggle didn’t last long. Another person entered the hall—a man in a white lab coat, wearing gold-rimmed glasses. He was thin, with a pale face that looked devoid of any blood.

“Take him to the Academy of Sciences first.”

The excitement that flickered in the man’s eyes didn’t escape Fu Jingmo’s notice. As the man gestured for the two behind him to take Lin Mu away, Fu Jingmo stepped to the side, his eyes narrowing with a cold smile. “Did I agree to that?”

He Ze and Shen Rangchen instinctively moved to stand in front of him, blocking the way.

“Captain Fu, let’s take him to the Academy of Sciences,” came a woman’s voice from the stairs. Wen Tang descended slowly, and said with a leisurely tone. “The safe zone doesn’t have a medical team right now. Anyone who’s injured or has issues is sent to the Academy of Sciences.”

“Dr. Ji is the head of the Academy of Sciences. He can handle it,” Wen Tang said, with a firm voice.

Wen Tang had taken off her camouflage jacket, revealing a black tank top tucked into loose camouflage pants, with combat boots on her feet. Her red lips were striking, and the pale skin of her chest was exposed, giving her a sexy yet formidable appearance.

Her toned muscles hinted at her strength, clearly marking her as someone in the same league as Fu Jingmo.

Fu Jingmo remained unmoved, his eyes filled with caution. He had never had a good impression of researchers—they were capable of anything.

“I’m going with him,” he said coldly, leaving no room for argument.

Wen Tang was silent for a moment before nodding toward Ji Huaizhi. With that, the group headed to the Academy of Sciences.

The Academy of Sciences was located right next door, and it was even larger than the supervision hall, with much stricter security.

Four armed guards stood at the entrance. Upon seeing Ji Huaizhi, they saluted in unison, “Dr. Ji.”

Fu Jingmo’s eyes flickered with something, but he followed without a word. The group ascended to the second floor, where a heavy, high-pressure door was unlocked by retinal scanning.

Inside the sealed space, a group of people in white lab coats were busy at various workstations. They walked past them and followed Ji Huaizhi into the innermost room.

Lin Mu was placed on a cold hospital bed. Ji Huaizhi glanced at him, then raised his eyebrow at Fu Jingmo, indicating that he should explain the situation.

Fu Jingmo spoke coldly, not wasting a single word. “Plant fusion, ability overexertion.”

“I need to draw blood,” Ji Huaizhi’s eyes lit up with excitement. Plant fusion was something he had never encountered before—a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Ji Huaizhi quickly realized that whether or not he could proceed depended entirely on Fu Jingmo.

Someone who Wen Tang addressed as “Captain Fu” could only be the infamous captain of the 113 unit.

“Leave it to Dr. Ji, Captain Fu,” Wen Tang stepped forward to ease the tension. Although Ji Huaizhi was passionate—some might say overly so—about his research on zombies and mutants, he wasn’t the type to cross any serious lines.

“Stay here, He Ze,” Fu Jingmo ordered, leaving He Ze and Shen Rangchen behind. After casting a final glance at Lin Mu, Fu Jingmo followed Wen Tang out of the room.

Bright red blood dripped into the test tube. Ji Huaizhi placed part of it into a refrigeration unit, while another portion was fed into a modified centrifuge.

As the values on the instrument panel continued to change, Ji Huaizhi’s expression grew increasingly excited.

He Ze, sitting on another hospital bed, was intently watching Ji Huaizhi. He nudged Shen Rangchen with his elbow. “Wow, this guy looks like a dog eyeing a meat bun.”

Shen Rangchen shot him a disdainful glance, though he had to admit, the description was crude yet accurate.

…

Fu Jingmo spent the entire afternoon in Wen Tang’s office. By the time he returned, the sky had already darkened.

Yu Hong led him back to the Academy of Sciences. The moment the heavy door opened, the atmosphere inside made Fu Jingmo frown.

Ji Huaizhi was holding a silver scalpel, sitting on a stool with a cold, detached look in his eyes as he stared at He Ze, and a slight, provocative smile playing on his lips.

He Ze, held back by Shen Rangchen, was straining forward as if ready to throw a punch. He was cursing under his breath, “Damn it, try laying a hand on Mumu, and I’ll fight you to the death.”

“Why the hell are you holding me back? Let go of me, damn it!”

He spat out a string of expletives, only stopping when he heard the door open. Fu Jingmo stepped inside, with a calm expression.

“What’s going on?”

Though his voice was steady, it carried an authority that instantly silenced everyone in the room.

With his left hand in his pocket and standing at an imposing height of 1.9 meters in his boots, his presence was commanding, a result of years of rigorous training.

“Brother Fu, this guy’s got a screw loose! He took blood and now he wants to cut Mumu’s flesh,” He Ze shouted angrily, feeling more confident now that Fu Jingmo was there to back him up.

Ji Huaizhi looked up, still smiling slightly. “You’re really stingy. Didn’t you notice that the wound on his arm healed on its own? I just wanted to take a sample to study—”

Before he could finish his sentence, his jaw was suddenly gripped tightly, cutting off his words. Fu Jingmo had stepped onto the steel operating table, and the heavy surface instantly dented under his boot.

With his fingers turning white from the pressure, Fu Jingmo squeezed Ji Huaizhi’s jaw, and said with a cold voice, “A sample? Research?”

Pain flashed across Ji Huaizhi’s face as he instinctively reached up to try and pull Fu Jingmo’s hand away, but it was like trying to move iron—his arm didn’t budge an inch.

Outside, the guards immediately raised their guns, aiming at Fu Jingmo. The situation became tense, on the brink of escalation. Yu Hong quickly intervened, pressing down on their guns. “Hold on! He’s one of us—this is Captain Fu from the 113 unit!”

Yu Hong quickly stepped in, grabbing Fu Jingmo’s hand. “Captain Fu, Dr. Ji wouldn’t really do it. He was just talking.”

Ji Huaizhi had a reputation for being careless with his words and often offended people, but as the head of the Academy of Sciences, he was highly valued in the safe zone. People usually let him get away with his sharp tongue. However, it seemed today wasn’t his lucky day.

With a flick of his wrist, Fu Jingmo released Ji Huaizhi, who was thrown back against the chair. He adjusted his glasses andi muttered, “Tch, so stingy.”

“There’s nothing major wrong, just as you said—ability overexertion. But his blood is unusual. The density of the R1 element in his blood is more than 16 times that of a normal mutant.”

Ji Huaizhi spoke a bit awkwardly, rubbing his jaw, which felt like it was about to crack.

“If you won’t let me take a sample… well, there’s nothing more to say. Take him away, take him away. As for the rest, bring him back when he wakes up.”

He added to himself that if this plant-fused mutant agreed to a sample later, that would be a different matter entirely.

Fu Jingmo bent down and lifted Lin Mu into his arms. Just as Ji Huaizhi had said, Lin Mu’s injuries were barely visible now, with even the small cuts on his arm already healed.

The group followed Yu Hong out of the Academy of Sciences, and Wen Tang arranged for them to stay in a house right behind the Academy.

It was a standalone house with a small courtyard, two stories, white walls, and red tiles—a rather decent setup.

The interior of the house was well-furnished, with bright, clean windows, complete with furniture. There were three bedrooms, a dining room, a kitchen, and a living room spread across the two floors.

He Ze immediately flopped onto the sofa in the living room, kicking his legs in delight. “Damn, this is so freaking comfortable! Brother Fu, did you sell your looks this afternoon or something? How else did you score us a villa?”

He rolled around on the sofa, so excited that he ended up tumbling onto the floor with a thud, and clutching his head in pain.

Fu Jingmo shot him a look of disdain, then carried Lin Mu up to the bedroom on the second floor.

“Hey, Mumu’s sleeping with me tonight!” He Ze shouted from downstairs.

In response, Fu Jingmo kicked the door shut, locking He Ze out.