Chapter 45: A Bowl of Fish Noodles

Chapter 45: A Bowl of Fish Noodles

Guan Yuanfeng was fully focused on Zhou Yun, his expression wearing an affection and cherishment he didn’t notice himself.

However, the special operations team members roasting lamb by the opposite bonfire could see it clearly and felt a bit envious. "Captain Guan has really changed. He used to seem so stern all the time."

"Today, watching Captain Guan work in tandem with Doctor Zhou and Comet, their coordination was impressive. Even the zombie king stood no chance."

Su Jianing chimed in, "No wonder the captain asked me if dual psychic abilities were rare yesterday. I didn’t know Captain Guan had wind and electric dual abilities." His eyes sparkled, "Those old experts at the research institute would be over the moon."

Wu Jun gave him a cold look. "Can’t you stop thinking about studying people all the time? Why don’t you work on a zombie vaccine instead? If ordinary people could get vaccinated, we’d be able to fight zombies much more freely!"

Su Jianing rubbed his nose. "But most people believe that zombies and psychics get their powers from similar sources. It’s possible to evolve into a psychic after being infected by the zombie virus, so not many people are researching a vaccine... And don’t you want to safely and stably possess psychic abilities? That’s what we’re striving for."

Dong Kexin sneered. "I think it’s because the only funded research is on psychic evolution. It’s the same as before the apocalypse; capital dictates everything. It’s just that the people controlling the capital have changed."

Su Jianing felt a bit wronged. "At the Central Base, including myself, many psychics have signed service agreements with the base and research agreements with the Psychic Research Institute. We all give blood samples every month for research. Everyone is doing their best to study how to safely awaken psychic abilities in ordinary people. We psychics get called first, which means we have some perks, but we also have responsibilities."

Dong Kexin looked at him. "Isn’t it because you were weak back then and needed us to hunt crystal cores for you? That’s why you signed those deals."

Su Jianing was about to say something more, but when he saw Zhou Yun getting up and heading inside, leaving Guan Yuanfeng alone, he quickly got up and walked towards Captain Guan.

Guan Yuanfeng was feeling distressed and, upon seeing Su Jianing, remembered how the first thing Su Jianing had asked upon meeting Zhou Yun was whether the data on limb regeneration after awakening abilities had been recorded. He had a righteous attitude, assuming that Guan would cooperate with the research at the institute.

In this post-apocalyptic world, had the "Psychic Research Institute" come to assume that all psychics should cooperate with their research?

And if one didn’t comply, what would happen?

Even ordinary soldiers were made to sign "voluntary" research cooperation agreements...

Psychics were above ordinary people, and the institute, under the guise of researching and awakening psychic abilities, was above the psychics.

Thinking about it this way, Zhou Yun had indeed gotten angry when Su Jianing suggested that Guan Yuanfeng volunteer as a research subject. A usually calm and rational person, Zhou had been so angry that he shattered a wine glass. Zhou Yun had never felt secure, and now Guan Yuanfeng was about to go to the Central Base with his teammates. Zhou was meticulous, and he must have already feared that Guan would become a research subject.

Guan’s face turned cold. "What is it?"

Su Jianing, not used to Guan’s serious expression after having seen him smile warmly while talking to Zhou Yun, hesitated but suppressed his fear and asked with a smile, "Captain, you’re neighbors with Doctor Zhou, right? Where is his house? I heard it’s in another building in this neighborhood?"

Guan Yuanfeng said, "Just get to the point. Don’t beat around the bush."

Su Jianing said, "I noticed you have a rare hive of mutated bees in your backyard. I was thinking of discussing with Doctor Zhou about bringing the mutated queen bee back with us."

"Royal jelly contains a special acid that kills bacteria, fights cancer, and protects against radiation. It shows outstanding performance in boosting immunity and maintaining cell vitality. Before the apocalypse, it was commonly used in life sciences."

"Also," Su Jianing pointed to the large cactus next to him. He had initially thought it was an ordinary cactus but later discovered silver traces on it. The dark green sphere was enormous, and a light pink flower had bloomed on it, its petals like gauze. It was a mutated Peyote.

It was surprising that a cactus had survived the cold winter in Danlin City, which wasn’t tropical. Upon further inspection, Su realized that the plants in the yard, including the large Cereus cactus by the wall and the blooming jasmine, trumpet vines, and camellias by the front garden, were all mutated plants. He had initially overlooked them, thinking it was just an ordinary garden. There were so many mutated plants here. Could they be related to the mutated bees?

Su Jianing was both surprised and excited to learn that the institute was focusing heavily on researching mutated plants, as it had been proven that mutated plants enhanced their original effects. Psychics using mutated plants and animals could quickly replenish their energy.

However, mutated plants were hard to come by, only brought back by those sent on missions and exchanged for points at the base. Many died in the winter due to improper cultivation methods.

But it seemed that after the spring, there would be a trend of more mutated plants appearing in the wild. When he got back and put out a call for mutated bees, plants, and herbs, people would rush to help, hoping he’d save them later.

He tried to convince Captain Guan, thinking that Guan and Zhou Yun might not realize the value of these things. Guan, being so righteous, might think he was trying to seize property from the people. Guan didn’t know how different the post-apocalyptic world had become, nor the special nature of the research institute. They had raised these plants for so long and might have grown attached to them without knowing their significance.

"Peyote is a famous hallucinogenic cactus, containing various alkaloids. If it has mutated, the hallucinogenic effects must have intensified. The extracted alkaloids can be used for many studies, especially now that the emergence of mutated plants and animals has validated some theories in traditional medicine... Medical research will definitely explore how mutated plants and animals can be used medicinally, along with ways to enhance psychic powers."

Su Jianing looked at Guan Yuanfeng with great eagerness. "I discussed this with Doctor Zhou. If he donates to the research institute, my mentor and I can recommend him, and with these mutated bees, he can smoothly enter the core research team and participate in key projects."

"But Doctor Zhou probably doesn't understand the significance of the Psychic Research Institute and is unwilling."

"I'm not asking for anything from him. As a light psychic healer, I only need to post a task bounty at the base, and people will bring me the necessary mutated herbs and animals. However, Doctor Zhou is your friend. I can form a research team with him. I'll handle the project funding application and ensure he gets credit in the research..."

He explained, "For example, the Comet. Research on domesticating these mutated animals is also highly valuable."

Guan Yuanfeng stared at him in silence.

Since the apocalypse, Su Jiaoning had awakened his light healing psychic abilities. Wherever he went, people greeted him with smiles, and he received unprecedented attention and resource allocation. Priority supplies of crystal cores were given to him to level up, and countless former dignitaries who used to look down on him now smiled and asked him to heal their relatives.

It had been a while since Guan Yuanfeng had stared at him so intensely, creating an oppressive atmosphere. The familiar fear from being strictly disciplined by Guan Yuanfeng before the apocalypse surged up again.

He forced down the fear creeping up his spine, but his voice unconsciously became softer, "I know Brother Zhou is not a military person or a public official. He has no obligation to contribute his property. I'm doing this for his own good. You and Doctor Zhou have been living here and don't know how much importance is placed on psychic research in the various bases outside now. The Psychic Research Institute is a place that researchers aspire to join. This is a great opportunity to contribute to the institute and benefit humanity..."

He tried to steady the tremble in his voice as he defended himself, "I'm not guilt-tripping him, but since Brother Zhou is new to the base, having some significant research projects would help him enter the core research circle. He studied traditional medicine, and this would be a great way to make a breakthrough in researching mutated herbs and animals."

Guan Yuanfeng stared at him for a long time before asking, "During today's battle, instead of following commands, you chose to accuse and complain when facing the zombie horde."

"You've never been so unprofessional before. At least, you used to have the surface-level humility and obedience to orders. Your father and brother have merits to the country, and both General Tan and I have taken care of you because of them. But you've never been so arrogant, selfish, and flaunting your privileges before. What changed you? The precious healing psychic abilities? The special status of the institute? The privileges of psychics?"

Su Jiaoning's face turned pale as he hurriedly explained, "Captain Guan, I was just anxious. The enemy now is zombies, different from before. It's the apocalypse, and people are dying every day..."

Guan Yuanfeng thought deeply and asked him, "Su Jiaoning, I saved you. While I don't intend to boast, you approached me with a heart full of guilt, yet the first thing you did was ask for things from me. Zhou Yun explicitly refused you, and yet you came to me. Those things are clearly grown and raised by Zhou Yun. Why do you think I would support you and persuade Doctor Zhou?"

"You unconsciously belittle him, despite his evident strength as a psychic."

Su Jiaoning stammered, panicking to explain, "Captain, you've been incredibly kind to me. How could I betray you?"

Guan Yuanfeng interrupted him, "You're not looking down on him. After all, you've only known him for a few days. You're actually looking down on me."

"After joining the team, you resented my strict discipline. You harbored a sense of superiority, thinking your family background and scarce profession would eventually put you above me, making me regret my previous strictness. You thought I bullied, suppressed, and insulted you, and you longed for the day you could stand tall and take revenge."

Su Jiaoning's face turned a deep red, "I didn't!"

Guan Yuanfeng coldly spoke as he had done many times before when Su Jiaoning failed his tasks, "But then I saved you, creating a great debt of gratitude. You couldn't do anything about it, so you asked your family to arrange a cushy teaching position for me in the military academy, hoping to repay the favor quickly. With my injuries and phantom pain, I was unable to fulfill any teaching duties. You allowed me to collect a salary without any responsibilities. How could such an arrangement be sustainable? I refused and returned to my hometown, completely leaving your circles behind."

He watched as Su Jiaoning's lips trembled, unable to speak, and continued, "It's the apocalypse now. You awakened your psychic abilities and rushed to meet me because you heard I hadn't awakened any. You were eager to see me struggle in the apocalypse, hoping to appear as a savior with your light psychic abilities and offer me help from above, making me your research subject. You wanted me to beg you for treatment, regretting how I treated you before. After discovering I had awakened psychic abilities, you were eager to use my data to bolster your academic work. Does a great favor truly turn into a great enmity?"

Tears rolled down Su Jiaoning's face, "Captain, how can you think of me that way? I didn't!"

Guan Yuanfeng coldly said, "If you truly valued my kindness, why didn't you come to my aid when General Tan was still able to contact me?"

"What were you busy with then? Fighting for a spot on the ship? A winter passed, and even the base was tense. What do you think would happen to an ordinary person with no psychic abilities and both legs amputated during a long winter surrounded by zombies? Why didn't you come to save your benefactor?"

Su Jiaoning's lips trembled, "I... had just awakened my psychic abilities then. I didn't know what it was, and it might have been a new virus. People wouldn't let me leave. Captain, I wanted to come. I assumed General Tan would take care of you."

Guan Yuanfeng calmly said, "Yes, you were still too weak then and couldn't show off in front of me. Now that you're the most powerful healing psychic, favored in the base, you can finally stand tall in front of me, so you rushed to meet me."

He looked at Su Jiaoning with sarcasm in his words, "Unfortunately for you, I also awakened psychic abilities—dual abilities, in fact—with exceptional combat strength. You owe me a debt you can't repay, and it frustrates you, but you don't dare to vent it at me, so you target Doctor Zhou."

"Su Jiaoning, do you think I can't see through your little schemes? I just don't bother to argue with you about it. Do you think others can't see it either?"

"Why do you think the brothers in the team never treated you like a brother? Your attitude of looking down on them was too obvious. They were polite and accommodating to you because they hoped you could save me. But now that it's unnecessary, their disdain for you is obvious."

"You've noticed it too, so you're eager to seek out his most prized possessions, flaunting your superiority and exploiting my lack of knowledge about the base and the institute to create problems for Zhou Yun. You want to put him in your debt and satisfy your petty vanity."

Su Jiaoning was on the verge of breaking down, "Captain! I didn't! You're wronging me!"

He felt as though he had returned to the painful days when he first joined the special operations team, being corrected by Guan Yuanfeng again and again, punished to retrain, and mercilessly criticized. Every word struck his deepest wounds without mercy.

"Are you relying on your father and brother's achievements to coast through the special ops team? Then why not go somewhere else? Why come here? You keep making mistakes—are you trying to use other people's lives to pad your own achievements?"

"Everyone else can handle this level of training, so why can't you? In the special ops team, there's no room for special privileges. If you want them, leave now."

"In the special ops team, mistakes are deadly—you're practically a murderer!"

The countless icy remarks felt like poisoned thorns, each suffocating sentence still vivid in his memory. He cried into his quilt late at night, suspecting that Guan Yuanfeng was deliberately trying to force him out of the team, suspecting that everyone in the special ops team was targeting him and laughing at him. He had never experienced such darkness and humiliation in his life, never been so belittled.

Just as he was ready to give up, his father sternly reprimanded him, refusing to let him quit halfway. Disheartened and disappointed, he planned to just slack off and leave the team, but unexpectedly, the captain saved him.

He owed the special ops team a huge debt of gratitude, and there was no going back. He regretted his choice ten thousand times—why did he choose to join the special ops team? He could have just focused on academics. But no, he had to prove himself because his father only valued his brother… always looking down on him…

Su Jiaoning trembled all over, the traumatic reactions from those painful days returning to him. He relived the suffocating pain, as if he were still that battered soldier, the poor little guy looked down upon by his father and brother, everything arranged by his family…

But Captain Guan wasn't letting up: "You're upset because I called you out. You have so many people willing to provide you with mutated animals and plants, but you had to take Zhou Yun's. Weren't you doing it on purpose?"

Su Jiaoning screamed: "Captain! I swear I didn’t! I’m not ungrateful!"

The special ops team members had been quietly observing. They exchanged glances. The captain had always criticized him privately, never in front of the team, giving him plenty of face. Yet, he would cry in the dormitory every night as if he had suffered a great injustice.

So, what had he done now to anger the captain?

The team members had long disliked his arrogance and were somewhat enjoying his misfortune, but they knew better than to go over and pry.

Captain Guan kept pushing: "No? Then why did you immediately try to make me a test subject? You wanted Comet to be a test subject, and even our flowers and plants to be test subjects. In your eyes, everything can be a test subject because you don't see others as human. In this apocalypse, your true colors are revealed..."

Su Jiaoning cried desperately: "Captain, why do you see me as such a vile person? I signed the research agreement at the institute! I'm willing to contribute to science! Many psychics have signed it! We're all doing it for humanity's future!" He was sobbing uncontrollably, shaking all over…

Guan Yuanfeng's voice was like a blade: "What intentions do you have in trying to convince me to be a test subject? Do you think because I'm disabled, I'll definitely agree? Now that I've refused you, are you planning to go back and try every means, using your influence, moral coercion, under the pretense of the hope of all humanity, to coerce me into cooperating with your research?"

"Are you also going to tell your mentor about even the information on these mutated bees and plants, just to persuade me through your mentor, all for the sake of your scientific achievements... All this talk about morality and doing it for humanity, yet you’re insatiable and shameless, never letting anything go..."

Su Jiaoning broke down: "Captain! If I have such intentions, may heaven strike me down! I didn't! I won't tell my mentor about these small matters! They're just some mutated plants and animals! Many others are working for me! If I ever ask you to cooperate in research or experiments in the future, may lightning strike me dead!"

Guan Yuanfeng no longer bothered to hide the oppressive aura he had built over time, giving Su Jiaoning a cold look, as if warning and commanding: "I hope for your sake, you don't."

He calmly stated the truth: "Even with your father and brother's influence, I was never afraid of them. They even boarded the ship. What qualifications do you have to act superior in front of me?"

Tears of anger and shame streamed down his face as Su Jiaoning stormed back into the villa, slammed his bedroom door, and collapsed onto the bed, sobbing.

Captain Guan ignored him and shot a glare at the special ops team members, who were exchanging gossiping looks. He then turned and headed toward the back door of the villa, only to see Zhou Yun standing there, with Comet by his side, smiling at him.

Guan Yuanfeng felt a bit awkward, his face still filled with lingering anger, unable to switch expressions in time, so he could only cough twice: "You heard? I did it on purpose… I was afraid he'd cause trouble for us later. It's better to provoke him a bit. He owes me a favor, and after this, he'll be too embarrassed to bother us."

He anxiously watched Zhou Yun's expression, afraid that he might misunderstand this fierce side of him: "Normally, I treat all team members equally. I didn't bully him. He just couldn't handle the hardships."

Zhou Yun smiled: "Thank you, Captain Guan, for standing up for me."

Guan Yuanfeng breathed a sigh of relief: "I was worried that seeing him cry like that, you might think I actually bullied and humiliated him... But he used to wear his emotions on his sleeve, like many new recruits. They all come in with that 'don't underestimate me' look, thinking they'll outrank us and seek revenge, but in the end, they all fall in line."

Zhou Yun chuckled: "After knowing you for so long and only meeting him recently, why would I trust him?"

Guan Yuanfeng glanced down at Comet: "Didn't you just say you were feeding the dog, is it done?"

Zhou Yun replied: "Yes… I made you a bowl of noodles."

Guan Yuanfeng was a bit puzzled: "I ate quite a bit of roasted meat just now, why did you make a separate bowl of noodles for me?"

Zhou Yun smiled: "Come inside."

Guan Yuanfeng lowered his head slightly and stepped through the door. A small flame flickered on the gas stove. Ever since the apocalypse, when he was able to go out and scavenge for resources, he had brought back numerous gas tanks from the station to store. But now that he wasn't around, even though there was still electricity, it was ultimately unreliable.

In the small pot, the noodle soup was boiling hot, with tiny bubbles rolling around. White steam rose slowly as Zhou Yun washed the scallions he was holding, then pinched and sprinkled them into the soup.

Guan Yuanfeng realized that Zhou Yun had probably gone to the vegetable plot to grab some scallions and happened to witness him scolding Su Jiaoning.

Zhou Yun lifted the pot and poured the noodles into a delicate, large noodle bowl. The round and slender noodles were light yellow, garnished with scallions. The soup contained dried scallops, shrimp, and thinly sliced lamb that was translucent as paper, clearly showing how meticulous it was.

Zhou Yun said, "These are fish noodles. The meat of a mutated silver carp was minced into fish paste, mixed with flour to make the dough. They are very fresh. Try them."

Guan Yuanfeng smiled and asked, "Why is there only one bowl? You should eat together."

Zhou Yun, however, handed him a pair of chopsticks with a smile in his eyes. "This is a longevity noodle, so the birthday person eats it. Happy birthday."

Guan Yuanfeng was stunned for a moment and then laughed. "In this apocalyptic world, I've forgotten. Today is April 26th? How did you know it was my birthday?"

Zhou Yun smiled. "When I was organizing your old belongings, I found your student ID. I thought that you probably wouldn't like a birthday celebration. Sure enough, your team members didn't seem to know either. So, I decided to cook you some longevity noodles."

Guan Yuanfeng sat down, picked up the chopsticks, and went to pick up a noodle. He saw that it was an unbroken longevity noodle, symbolizing long life. It was clear that Zhou Yun had gone to great lengths, and he felt a warmth in his heart. Just as he was about to say some words of gratitude, he heard Zhou Yun continue, "Once you're off to Central Base, we won't have many chances to cook for you."

Guan Yuanfeng fell silent.

Zhou Yun smiled more mischievously. "But I've steamed the fish noodles, cut them into strips, and dried them to make these dried fish noodles. Take them with you. Whenever you're hungry, just boil some water, throw them in, and add meat sausages, eggs, or scallions. It's very convenient. I heard that food is rationed and quite scarce there. You can prepare these on your own. They're made from mutated fish, so you won't go hungry."

Guan Yuanfeng lightly coughed. "Well... Thank you for celebrating my birthday with me." A bittersweet ache welled up in his heart, pricking him like needles.

He lowered his eyes to the bowl and picked up the chopsticks to eat the noodles. They were soft, smooth, fragrant, and delicious. The steam rose to his face, and he felt his eyes welling up with emotion.