Chapter 56 Part 1

Office.

Zhou Rong put down the paper filled with writing, considered for a moment, and said slowly, "Your generosity and cooperation are very surprising, Miss Chen."

Chen Yajing said, "I can be even more generous and cooperative."

Chen Yajing leaned back in her wheelchair, her hands crossed, looking very much at ease. "I can send people to meet you at the port once every ten days. That is to say, if you can't find the South Sea Base, you can come ashore regularly every ten days to replenish fresh water and supplies. I will also provide weapons and manpower. I can send people to search for experienced sailors and fishermen along the coast and persuade them with generous terms to accompany and assist you..."

Zhou Rong asked with a smile, "Are you planning to run for the Ten Most Touching Figures of China? Forgive my presumption, but that award probably doesn't exist anymore."

"No," Chen Yajing said lightly, "I have conditions."

Zhou Rong turned and walked away.

"Captain Zhou! Aren't you even interested in making a deal?"

Zhou Rong said coldly, "A deal? Miss Chen, I'm always the one setting the terms for others. Since when is it someone else's turn to make a deal with me?"

Chen Yajing was speechless for a moment. Seeing that Zhou Rong was about to walk out of the office, she shouted in desperation, "Your so-called mission!"

"...Your Omega." Seeing Zhou Rong's steps falter slightly, she said slowly, "All of you can go, but that person you call Si Nan cannot."

"Why?" Zhou Rong asked, tilting his head.

"Don't ask why, but you can pray..." Chen Yajing said, word by word, "Pray for the fate of all mankind that you will one day know."

Zhou Rong nodded and let out a breath. Suddenly, Chen Yajing's vision blurred.

She had no time to react. Zhou Rong was so fast it was as if he had vanished on the spot, suddenly appearing in front of her. He bent down, reached out, and tore open her pant leg!

With a rip, Chen Yajing couldn't dodge in time, and her entire grayish, decaying calf was exposed to the air.

"...Zombification," Zhou Rong sneered. "You really were infected, Miss Chen."

Zhou Rong reached out to drag her out of the wheelchair, but Chen Yajing's action was unexpected—she slammed an extremely inconspicuous electric button on the armrest of her wheelchair. In the next instant, the wheelchair shot back several meters as if it had a motor!

Clang! The door to the breakroom was knocked open, and a dozen armed guards poured out. Wan Biao moved to block Chen Yajing and roared, "Do it!"

The situation changed abruptly. Zhou Rong's pupils constricted, and he dodged back out of the office in a flash. The guards pursued him closely. Zhou Rong reached up and hooked the top of the doorframe, using the momentum to leap into the air. He kicked the two guards at the front, one with each foot, sending them flying backward, spitting blood!

Bang! Bang!

The subordinates fell to the ground, twitching, unable to get up.

—No one had expected Zhou Rong to be so fast and so vicious. Wan Biao cursed, "Damn it!" and raised his hand to fire a shot!

The bullet grazed Zhou Rong's heel, sending fragments of floor tiles flying.

"Don't kill him!" Chen Yajing yelled.

More than ten guards pounced like a pack of wolves, but they were completely unable to stop Zhou Rong's steps. Anyone who got close either had their bones broken or their head bloodied, their combat ability neutralized in a single move.

In just a few seconds, Zhou Rong broke through the encirclement like an enraged lion. He flew up and delivered a heavy back-kick, sending an opponent blocking his path crashing sideways into the wall, shattering a large patch of plaster!

"Stop!"

The remaining guards roared and opened fire, all aiming at his feet. But Zhou Rong was fearless, practically leaping on a floor of bullets. Like a special effects scene from a movie come to life, he stepped on the windowsill, leaped several meters through the air to the ground, and in the blink of an eye, rushed through the corridor, about to reach the stairwell!

Inside the office, Wan Biao rushed to the wall and pressed the alarm.

A piercing sound tore through the entire building. The alarm system suddenly activated, and the iron gate in front of the stairwell slammed down with a roar!

Zhou Rong's steps were halted, blocked right in front of the iron gate. He spun around instantly.

Clang! Clang! Clang!—As far as the eye could see, all exits were sealed by iron gates. The corridor connected to the office instantly became a sealed space!

Zhou Rong narrowed his eyes. He saw Wan Biao walk out of the office, toss his pistol, and pull another gun-shaped object from the back of his waist.

"It's useless, Captain Zhou." Chen Yajing wheeled her chair out, appearing behind Wan Biao, and said softly, "Did you think I would wait for you to obediently hand that person over? Doctor Zheng's side should have already succeeded."

Zhou Rong's expression finally changed. "...What did you say?"

·

The back of the cafeteria.

"The Nobel what?" Si Nan asked, surprised.

"The Nobel Prize in Biology." Doctor Zheng replied as he walked, glancing around from time to time as if on high alert.

"When Ning Yu was studying for his doctorate, his supervisor's team received a nomination, but unfortunately, they missed out on the final award. After returning to the country, he expanded on his supervisor's foundation in a new research direction and made a major breakthrough in just a few years, earning another Nobel Prize nomination... It's a pity the virus outbreak followed, and the apocalypse arrived. Otherwise, based on the talk at the time, he had a very good chance of winning."

The back door of the cafeteria connected to a secluded path, flanked by the outer wall of the dormitory building on one side and a dense thicket of trees on the other.

Si Nan seemed to sense something and stopped in his tracks. "What was his field of research?"

"Some kind of... some kind of technology that uses viruses to repair genes and extend human lifespan." Doctor Zheng's voice trembled. "I suspect it might be connected to the origin of the zombie virus."

It was unusually quiet around them. The voices from the cafeteria could no longer be heard. A light breeze rustled through the bushes, making an extremely faint rustling sound.

Doctor Zheng took two more steps forward, but Si Nan remained standing still, as if some instinct was stopping him from going on.

"I... I wanted to say," Doctor Zheng swallowed and stammered, "maybe we can sneak into that Ning Yu's lab and see what they're up to..."

Si Nan pondered for a moment, then shook his head. "Let's wait for Zhou Rong to come back. It's not convenient for me to move around with you."

"But..."

"I've been out too long." Si Nan interrupted him. "The vehicle over there isn't fixed yet. I'm going back to check on it."

Si Nan turned to walk back the way he came when suddenly, the sound of hurried footsteps came from behind him. "Stop!"

Si Nan whipped his head around and was shocked to see several fully armed base personnel appear out of nowhere, quickly surrounding the secluded path. And the biochemist Doctor Zheng had mentioned, Ning Yu, was standing not far away with his hands in his pockets!

'We were followed?!'

Doctor Zheng's face twitched rapidly. "Quick, run!"

It all happened so suddenly, but Si Nan calmed down in an instant. Not only did he not retreat, he even took half a step forward.

—With this movement, the encirclement immediately tightened, and several people drew their guns and aimed them at Si Nan.

Ning Yu pointed at Doctor Zheng and said coldly, "Take him away."

Doctor Zheng cried out. Si Nan shot forward like an arrow, and several of Ning Yu's men charged at the same time!

"Yan—Hao—!" Si Nan roared, pushing off the wall. He spun and kicked away two men, then grabbed Doctor Zheng first and yelled, "Run!"

·

"Surprised?" Chen Yajing said flatly. "Ning Yu convinced Doctor Zheng. Even if you escort that person you call Si Nan... who is actually named Noah, to the South Sea Base, the military won't have a more professional researcher than Ning Yu."

It was as if a thread had suddenly been pulled from a tangled mess. Zhou Rong vaguely felt some shadowy doubts connecting. "Wait, who is Noah? Escort?"

When he was suspicious, his usual cynical demeanor was replaced by a grim coldness, his features becoming exceptionally somber and sharp.

Chen Yajing thought he was playing dumb, so she didn't want to explain further and retorted directly, "Are you surprised that I know? Colonel Rommel came here and told me about his younger brother. But I can tell you clearly, I don't trust you or Rommel. He's just a pervert with twisted emotions, and you're a soldier who only thinks about completing your mission without any regard for the bigger picture, even wanting to let a precious test subject perish with you on the vast South Sea..."

"Rommel came to see you?" Zhou Rong interrupted rudely. "What test subject? Is it related to the vaccine?!"

Chen Yajing watched him for a moment and gave a short laugh.

"Captain Zhou, why did you become a soldier? If you had gone to Hollywood, you would have gotten your Little Golden Man by now."

Zhou Rong realized it was impossible to get any information from Chen Yajing. His gaze shifted to the strangely shaped gun in Wan Biao's hand, recognizing it as a tranquilizer gun.

"Raise your hands and walk over slowly," Wan Biao said in a low voice. "Don't try any tricks, or I'll blow you away."

Zhou Rong thought for a few seconds, raised his hands, and walked towards Wan Biao step by step.

The guards who had been knocked to the ground groaned, clutching their stomachs or ribs in pain. Zhou Rong stepped over their bodies, his eyes fixed on the muzzle of the tranquilizer gun, and walked to the corridor windowsill.

—Then, Wan Biao's vision blurred.

Zhou Rong snatched a guard with lightning speed, forcing him in front of himself as a shield. Wan Biao subconsciously pulled the trigger, instantly hitting his own subordinate in the abdomen!

"Stop!" Wan Biao roared.