Chapter 113: Apocalypse 28

Chapter 16

"How is that possible? Didn't you say he was injected with the zombie vaccine by you and then rescued after being discovered by Old Li?" General Xia did not believe his words. With no progress made for several days, and more and more people looking for Xia Meimei outside—including Xia Linlin—he wanted to bring this matter to a swift conclusion.

"That is indeed the case, but his genes have shown no changes," Old Man Wang said. "Therefore, you must find a way to pry open that girl Xia Meimei’s mouth. She is Old Li’s star pupil; she must know something."

As the two were speaking, the basement door was opened from the outside. General Xia and Old Man Wang walked in.

"Meimei," Old Man Wang called out to Le Yixian affectionately.

Le Yixian looked up at him. "Professor Wang, what is it? Are you planning to let me go?"

"Meimei, tell me, where is the data for Professor Li’s vaccine?" Old Man Wang asked, looking down at her.

"If I knew, I would have researched it myself long ago. Would I still be tied up here by you people?" Le Yixian replied, rolling her eyes.

General Xia stared at her, threatening, "Meimei, you might not care about yourself, but you must care about Ke Yuandao. I heard he went to the research institute looking for you. Aren’t you afraid something might happen to him on his way back? After all, the apocalypse is a chaotic place."

"I really don't know. What do you want me to say?" Le Yixian was becoming frantic.

"Then what about him?" Old Man Wang pointed to Yang Zhengqi, who was sitting next to her.

"I wasn't there when the teacher was conducting experiments," Le Yixian answered.

"It’s fine, Meimei. Take your time to recall; we have plenty of time. Don't hold onto any hope; no one will find you here," General Xia said in a flat tone.

Old Man Wang, unwilling to give up, drew another vial of blood from Yang Zhengqi, and then the two men left.

Yang Zhengqi stared intently at Xia Meimei, making her feel uneasy. "What? Want to kill me now?"

"Are you Old Li’s student?" Yang Zhengqi asked.

"What else?" Le Yixian accepted this identity with peace of mind. Her little cutie had specifically set it up for her, and she would feel bad if she refused.

"Why didn't you say so before?" Yang Zhengqi knew about Xia Meimei’s teacher. In the research institute he guarded, a group of researchers led by Old Li worked diligently every day to develop a vaccine. Old Li would always greet them with a smile whenever he saw them; he was a very kind old man.

Until the apocalypse arrived. One of the crazy Old Man Wang’s test subjects accidentally escaped. The team members under his command who went on patrol that night never returned. After he discovered Old Man Wang’s experiments, he was captured and subjected to countless insane tests, ultimately being injected with the zombie virus.

He could only lie motionless, tied to a bed. Xia Meimei would come to draw his blood several times a day, and Yang Zhengqi had etched her face deep into his memory.

Later, his consciousness blurred—he must have turned into a zombie. After a long time, his consciousness inexplicably cleared.

It just so happened that something seemed to have occurred in the institute, causing chaos, and he took the opportunity to plant a bomb and escape.

He returned to the military base where he had once been stationed, but most of the people there had turned into zombies. Yang Zhengqi also discovered that he could control them.

It wasn't until Ke Yuandao and his group came to scavenge for weapons that he discovered Xia Meimei, and realized that not everyone from the institute had died.

"You were infected with the zombie virus and turned into a zombie at that time, but it was the teacher who saved you," Le Yixian said. "He was the one who developed the zombie vaccine."

"I apologize. I misunderstood you."

"Don't apologize. Hurry and find a way for us to escape," Le Yixian said.

"It’s useless. Haven't you noticed? There is something wrong with these ropes; I cannot use my supernatural abilities."

Le Yixian didn't speak again. A burning sensation flared in the hand that had been bitten, as if it were being scorched.

The wound seemed to be worsening because the treatment had been interrupted.

—

Ke Yuandao broke into the abandoned research institute alone, pushing open the rusted door and stirring up clouds of dust.

He circled around and found dust everywhere; it didn't look like anyone had returned recently.

She wasn't here. Ke Yuandao’s lips tightened. Where could she have gone?

"Ke Yuandao!" A soft, gentle voice called out from the depths of the institute.

Ke Yuandao paused his steps to leave. He turned toward the pitch-black corridor and slowly walked inside.

*Creak.* A door appeared on the wall. Ke Yuandao stared at it for a long time, knowing someone was deliberately luring him in. He didn't think too much and slowly descended the stairs step by step.

At the bottom of the stairs was a large room. It appeared to be a laboratory, also covered in dust. In the center was an experiment table, and on both sides were many cages, surrounded by deep brown stains—the color of dried blood.

*Ding!*

A voice recorder in the corner suddenly started.

"Why are you doing this?" An old voice suddenly rang out.

"Because the future world will be mine," a cold, indifferent female voice replied. "Besides, the apocalyptic world is a paradise for us, isn't it, Teacher?"

"No, you can't do this. The vaccine must be given to everyone in the world, *cough!*" The old voice began to cough violently.

"I won't hand it over. It’s best if things like this are destroyed."

"Stop it! You cannot destroy it. Xia Meimei, I order you to stop!!!!"

Ke Yuandao stared at the recorder in the corner, his expression unreadable.

"Look, she is lying to you. Kill her. She is the most evil person in this apocalypse," a voice whispered in his ear, like a lover’s murmur.

—

*Bang!*

The basement door was violently kicked open from the outside. An excited Old Man Wang rushed in, muttering something unintelligible. He approached Le Yixian. "I finally know. Xia Meimei, so it was you who caused all this trouble."

Le Yixian frowned, about to speak, but Old Man Wang had already pulled out a syringe and drew a full vial of blood from her arm.

"Hehe, there will be results soon," Old Man Wang said, looking at the vial of blood with an expression of obsession.

After saying this, Old Man Wang left again.

Only Le Yixian, who had been bled, and Yang Zhengqi remained.

The latter looked at Le Yixian, whose face had turned pale. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Le Yixian felt that, besides the burning sensation in the wound on her hand, her nerves had been throbbing with pain for days.

"Madam, would you like to rest for a while?" Gou Sheng asked in her mind.

"I'm fine. Do you know where Yuandao is?"

"My search range is limited; I cannot locate the Master," Gou Sheng replied after searching.

In the days that followed, the expression on Old Man Wang’s face became increasingly deranged, and more and more blood was drawn from Le Yixian.

The two trapped in the basement did not know that outside the base, Professor Wang from the Rescue Project Institute had developed the legendary zombie vaccine. Those who were injected with it would no longer fear being infected.