Chapter 70

Chapter 70

Xue Ling nodded.

Wen Jiuzhe's stiff face twitched, and Xue Ling thought it might be a smile, but it looked rather sarcastic.

"Alright," he typed on the tablet, "Then we'll leave."

Where does he want to go? The remote cottage they lived in that winter, or somewhere else?

Xue Ling had no idea. Wen Jiuzhe said they would leave tomorrow, so she decided to say her goodbyes today.

Last time, she lost consciousness so suddenly that she couldn’t even say goodbye. If she left this time, she likely wouldn’t see them again.

When she went to say goodbye to the soldiers of the small teams she knew, Xue Ling didn’t want Wen Jiuzhe to follow her. She went to the familiar training ground by herself.

It was cold, but the training ground was bustling with people. Everyone was sweating, making the air warmer.

As Xue Ling approached, the hunger that had always plagued her became more intense.

At first, she wanted to find the small teams and captain she knew, but found herself unconsciously staring at the nearest group.

This group of people was sitting at the edge of the field resting, leaning on the iron fence and laughing.

For a moment, Xue Ling felt as if she had lost consciousness, walking forward quickly without thinking, and was stopped by the iron fence surrounding the training ground.

She snapped back to reality and quickly pulled her hand away from the fence.

She had been a zombie for a long time and had always managed to resist the hunger instinct of zombies. She was very clear that she didn’t like to attack humans.

This was the first time she found herself losing control while fully conscious.

Losing control while conscious was far more terrifying than when she had previously lost control of her body.

Without entering through the gate, Xue Ling turned abruptly and hurried back the same way, returning to Wen Jiuzhe.

"Finished saying your goodbyes already?" Wen Jiuzhe was still sitting in the same chair he was in before she left, not having changed his position.

Xue Ling went over and pulled his jacket open, hiding her head inside.

"What's wrong? Did they say anything bad about you?"

"..."

"Didn't you find the people you knew? Did someone you knew sacrifice themselves, making you feel upset?"

"..."

Wen Jiuzhe pulled her out and handed her the tablet, prompting her to respond.

Xue Ling shook her head with the tablet. After a moment, she opened her mouth, revealing her sharp teeth, and mimed pulling them out.

"Do you want to bite someone?" Wen Jiuzhe asked.

Xue Ling buried her head in his jacket again.

Wen Jiuzhe wrapped her in his jacket, stood up, walked to the desk, opened a drawer, and retrieved a small insulated box, taking out a low-temperature-preserved injection.

Xue Ling heard the sound of unwrapping and looked up. She saw a row of empty spaces in the box, except for the one in Wen Jiuzhe’s hand and one remaining vial.

She had seen similar medicine packaging on a nearby table when she had just woken up on Jiading Island.

Wen Jiuzhe held her by the back of the head. Xue Ling couldn't feel the sting of the needle, only a slight coolness at the back of her neck.

That coolness then spread inside her scalp like a spider web, accompanied by a sensation as if bubbles from soda were popping in her brain.

Xue Ling was dazed for a moment before she heard Wen Jiuzhe's reassurance from the tablet: "Don't be afraid."

"It's okay, I'm with you. It's okay if you want to bite someone."

Xue Ling still went to say a simple goodbye to everyone she knew, holding onto Wen Jiuzhe tightly, resisting the urge to bite someone. She walked through the dense crowd and felt a feeling of exhaustion when she left.

When she went to say goodbye to Wen Yi, her expression was a bit strange. "Is it necessary to specially come and say goodbye?"

"Of course," Xue Ling said, "This goodbye means we might not come back. Thank you for your help and care during this time."

Wen Yi's expression became even stranger. "Might not come back?"

She glanced at Wen Jiuzhe and didn't say much more. "Well, I hope your journey goes smoothly."

The next day, as Xue Ling sat in the car, she felt puzzled. "It’s surprising Sister Yi didn't try to persuade us, and no one stopped us from leaving."

They were officially registered. Was there really no restriction on leaving?

This confusion was soon resolved.

Because they hadn't been in the car for long before they boarded a train, and Xue Ling saw that the station sign said Jizhou City.

Xue Ling: "?"

"Where are we going?"

"Jizhou City."

"On a mission?"

"Ah."

"..."

What about all the mental preparation she had done, and those sincere goodbyes? What was the point of them?

Xue Ling realized she had been fooled by Wen Jiuzhe again. He never planned to leave the base with her; he intended to go to Jizhou City from the start.

Wen Yi must have known too, which explained her odd reaction to the farewell.

When he had asked, "Can we leave here?" Wen Jiuzhe did want to leave at that time.

Only after the bottom of his jacket was ripped into strips by Xue Ling did Wen Jiuzhe explain, "I didn't want to go before, but we received a new message from Jizhou City, and now we have a reason to go."

Jizhou City was a special place, special because, in the early stages of the apocalypse, it was the only city that was 'cleansed' by a special weapon. At that time, the entire city vanished.

Millions of zombies were entombed with the city.

But before people could celebrate, a worse situation arose.

The zombies near Jizhou City had mutated due to radiation exposure. Their bodies became distorted, more contagious, more resilient, more sensitive to humans, and quicker in movement, resulting in the fall of over half of the surrounding bases.

The remaining human bases continued to reorganize and retreat, moving away from Jizhou City.

But the mutated zombies did not stop their advance because of the retreat. They spread from Jizhou City to the surrounding areas.

Moreover, these mutated zombies began to infect animals, disproving the initial conclusion that animals couldn't be infected by the zombie virus.

A significant number of infected animals appeared around Jizhou City, and they were even more aggressive and invasive than the zombies.

Due to the still unrecovered communications, many regions operated independently, with information not circulating effectively.

The base in Jizhou City was also under lockdown, so only the well-informed Northern Base had access to some insider information.

"Over the past few years, the Jizhou City base hadn't contacted the Northern Base until this year when the situation became dire. The surrounding bases were barely holding on, and even the most important base was half-overrun. That's when they reached out to the Northern Base for help."

"The Northern Base had long wanted to regain control over other regional bases. They were previously too occupied to do so, but now it's a good opportunity. The requests from Jizhou City this year have grown increasingly urgent, and their attitude has improved significantly."

"The Jizhou base they rebuilt last year has recently been hit again by mutated zombies and infected animals, leaving it in a semi-overrun state. Three of the wealthy families controlling the base have also faced issues. This is one of the main reasons they're seeking help from the Northern Base."

"Wen Yi revealed some insider information. Among the wealthy alliance in Jizhou, one family owned a biological company before the apocalypse, which had a renowned biological research lab. They have top-tier human cryopreservation technology."

"Their latest achievement was thawing a patient infected with the zombie virus at the beginning of the apocalypse but who hadn't mutated yet. Using the latest vaccine developed by the Northern Base, they successfully restored him."

"The lucky individual didn't turn into a zombie, and apart from being weak, he was otherwise fine."

"At first, only wealthy individuals infected with the zombie virus opted for cryogenic freezing. After this success, many within the wealthy alliance were also willing to be frozen until the best zombie vaccine was developed or until the zombies were eradicated."

"Now, they are willing to trade their confidential cryopreservation technology for the Northern Base's support."

This is why Wen Jiuzhe is willing to go to Jizhou City.

There is no immediate solution for Xue Ling's condition, but given enough time, a cure might be found.

She could be cryogenically preserved and revived when a suitable drug is developed in a few years, just like the successful case in Jizhou City.

This ray of hope is enough for Wen Jiuzhe to reconsider and stay.

As part of the first batch of reinforcements sent by the Northern Base, Wen Jiuzhe's name was specifically requested by the Jizhou City side.

Upon arriving in Jizhou City, Wen Jiuzhe understood why they were willing to share their confidential cryopreservation technology. Their lab was in the overrun zone and is currently inaccessible.

To gain entry, they would need to force their way through, but a violent breach could easily damage their experimental materials and valuable cryogenic subjects. They could only choose the most peaceful method to recover the entire lab.

Wen Jiuzhe, a unique zombie who isn't targeted by other zombies, whose achievements were well-known in the Northern Base, was the most convenient, efficient, and safe choice.

Several bases that maintained good relations with the Northern Base had also borrowed him for assistance.

Before departure, Xue Ling had envisioned a scenario where two zombies left the base to wander the post-apocalyptic world, living freely and unrestrained. But now, she found herself accompanied by a large group of well-trained Northern Base soldiers.

Moreover, the young soldier following them addressed them as 'commander.'

"Ah? Is this team under our command?" she whispered.

With experience, Wen Jiuzhe said, "Just follow my lead."

Following him meant putting on a deadpan face and not reacting to anything.

The rest will be handled by the communication experts and negotiators in the team.

The wealthy alliance in Jizhou City, the current managers of the Jizhou Base, came to meet them.

This middle-aged wealthy man was very courteous, adopting an attitude of humility to honor those below him. Xue Ling could tell from his words that he was trying to poach them.

However, the clothes he wore looked somewhat comical and bulky. It was said to be a new zombie protective suit developed by the Jizhou City Base.

Expensive to produce, with few results, and supposedly impervious to zombie claws and bites... Really?

Xue Ling, with her now truly sharp teeth and claws, could easily tear through even Wen Jiuzhe’s tough skin.

Given all the hype about this protective suit, she really wondered if she could tear it.

As the middle-aged manager and the diplomat engaged in a verbal exchange, Xue Ling kept staring at the zombie protective suit the middle-aged manager was wearing.

She wasn’t paying attention to their conversation, but it seemed unpleasant.

Finally, the middle-aged manager insisted on shaking hands with Xue Ling and Wen Jiuzhe.

Wen Jiuzhe didn’t extend his hand, but Xue Ling did, and her sharp fingernails tore through the sleeve of his protective suit with a hiss.

Xue Ling clearly saw his face change as he quickly pulled his hand back, his composed demeanor vanished, and he stepped back two paces in shock, and finally left in a flustered state.

Xue Ling wondered if she would have to pay for the damaged suit.

The diplomat in the team suddenly applauded and praised her, "That was quite a powerful threat just now!"

Xue Ling: "..." Was that considered a threat?

Wen Jiuzhe gave her a remark: "You say you don’t want to do the mission, but you’re acting eager to help. You were very cooperative."

Xue Ling: "..."