Chapter 249

Chapter 249

The night before departing for Base S.

In a laboratory of Building 3, Yang Kai hugged Gao Xuyang, who had just received three consecutive doses of the antiviral serum, with a pained expression:

"Professor Gao, Jiang Nian will be back tomorrow and can use Purify on you normally. No more injections."

With Jiang Nian away from the base, Gao Xuyang had to receive the antiviral serum every one or two days. Though not as effective as direct purification, it at least prevented the previous purification effects from being overridden by the virus.

"If I recover a bit better, I could go with you."

Gao Xuyang returned the embrace. His indifference toward the zombie horde was likely influenced by his undead instincts—an indifference toward human survival.

Without Jiang Nian's Purify, even with heightened rationality and human-level intelligence as his level increased, he would still lack humanity.

Yang Kai said casually:

"It's fine. Just take good care of yourself at home and wait for me to return."

Though reluctant to part with his beloved, he wouldn't risk taking him along. If exposed under such circumstances, there would be no way back.

"Mm."

Gao Xuyang nodded and kissed his cheek.

"Let's head back to the dorm. I'll stay here tomorrow while you're away."

In the base, there were more rules. With Yang Kai absent, he voluntarily put on the collar and stayed in Building 3 to avoid causing trouble for others.

...

Meanwhile, Tang Ji lay on Chu Yi's bed, on the phone with him:

"Chu-ge, your mission ended today. If you come back now, you can head to Base S with the Minister and Bro Kai. It’d be more convenient."

When he heard that Chu Yi had completed his task ahead of schedule, Tang Ji assumed he would return before setting off.

"No. I didn’t expect it to finish so soon, so I wasn't planning to return. Besides, I don’t need to resupply. I’ll just head to Base S first and wait for them."

Chu Yi's voice was as calm as always.

"Oh..."

Tang Ji bit his lip helplessly.

Damn it!

After a brief silence, when Tang Ji didn't respond, Chu Yi added:

"The Minister has already arranged it. Professor Gao’s situation is special—even if I returned, you still couldn’t come along."

While many survivors prayed to live safely without leaving the base or shelters, people like us, who were "slightly better off," were itching to roam—something hard for others to understand.

"No... I..."

Tang Ji started to object but trailed off.

The words "I just wanted to see you, not follow you there" hovered on his tongue but he never said them.

Chu Yi sounded confused:

"What's wrong? Did you run into trouble in Lab Building 3?"

"No."

Tang Ji brushed it off, coming up with a flimsy excuse:

"Just... you’ve been gone from the base forever..."

"Heh..."

Chu Yi chuckled, then teased:

"What, you miss me?"

"..."

Tang Ji’s fingers twitched, embarrassed at being read so easily. He couldn’t outright deny it, nor could he laugh it off and confess. Instead, he mumbled, trying to cover up his emotions:

"Everyone keeps asking about you."

"Oh..."

Chu Yi’s voice steadied again:

"Things will settle after S Base wraps up."

"Yeah."

Tang Ji gave a quiet nod. The talk hit a lull—normally, this would be the point where they ended the call. But he didn’t want to say goodbye, yet had no idea what else to talk about, leaving him wordless again.

"..."

"Xiao Ji."

After a long pause, it was Chu Yi who spoke again:

"Hmm?"

Tang Ji responded, his chest clenched with a strange pang.

"Is there anything else you want to say?"

Chu Yi asked, a hint of curiosity in his tone.

"Mm..."

Tang Ji clutched his pillow and turned away. After a long moment, he muttered into the pillow:

"Watch yourself at S Base."

"You too—stay safe... I’ll be back when I’m finished."

Chu Yi’s voice softened as well, the latter half with a gentle, reassuring edge.

Tang Ji’s pulse jumped, his face heating up as he buried his face in the pillow:

"Yeah, come back soon. There’s something I need to say face-to-face."

"Got it."

"......"

It took Tang Ji ten minutes after hanging up to cool down, his face still burning as he lay on his back, his mind racing:

Someone as sharp as Chu Yi must’ve picked up on it too, right?

That gentle tone—was it a sign of hope?

Was this their silent mutual agreement?

......

With no zombie hordes to disrupt them, everything in the Southern City Base remained orderly and stable:

The survivors had grown accustomed to the military's no-nonsense rules.

The antidote serum was constantly upgraded—more effective, with reduced pain and fewer side effects post-injection.

The first batch of the synthetic Superpowered program had already begun, with people undergoing Superpower Core transplant surgeries daily.

The antidote serum and artificial Superpowered individuals significantly alleviated the zombie threat. With anesthesia and healing-type Superpowered abilities, the subjects suffered little beyond the post-op adjustment period.

Accurate experimental data and successful outcomes meant the Southern City Base rejected cruel 'observation trials'.

The 'Superpowered Bounty Guild' also opened its doors. Members of the Superpower Corps, under Cheng Jing's command, began accepting both official and private missions—still answering to the military while operating as an independent department.

For now, Uncle Li and Li Liang were responsible for coordinating assignments between various parties.

The general store's business thrived, with Jiang Nian's point card balance skyrocketing and his collection of precious metals and rare collectibles growing steadily.

Li Shuhui, the young and vibrant "little shopkeeper," ran the show like a pro.

Over at the farm, the final layout was locked in. After the extreme heat, Jiang Nian collaborated with Li Sheng and the farm's resource department to set up a hydroponic veggie greenhouse.

With the drought's end uncertain and water running low, constructing the hydroponic setup required extra considerations—minimizing waste, recycling methods, and the necessary purification level for water sources—all needing researchers’ tech backup.

Fortunately, even with the headaches, it was successfully completed.

Now, all that remained was for him to swing by to Purify the entire farm's soil and water before it could be put to use.

"......"

Once again, Jiang Nian was glad they’d picked the Southern City Base.

Having witnessed the zombie hordes, survivors got a firsthand taste of the horrors they posed. Numbers-wise, humanity stood little chance—add in other disasters and human-made chaos, and it was a miracle they were hanging on.