Chapter 51: Eyes Meet, Night Wind Stills

Their eyes met, and the night wind suddenly stilled.

Jin Zhaoye opened her eyes, annoyance and embarrassment rising in her voice: "Mami!"

"Okay okay, Mami won't say another word. You two have your mother-daughter chat." Lin Luo raised her hand, making a zipping motion across her lips.

Jin Xiting sighed and counseled gently: "Yeye, A Yun's words weren't actually wrong. Love and affection have always been the small matters in life. These days, you shouldn't be spending your energy on useless feelings."

"If it were before, we at most would just cut ties with the Fu Family. It might have shaken us to the core, but it wouldn't have been a big deal — my daughter's happiness matters most. But now, our family really can't withdraw from this engagement for the time being."

Jin Zhaoye remained silent, offering no rebuttal.

She had certainly thought about it, and she knew the current situation — their family was no longer what it used to be.

The Jin Clan's position within the Base appeared stable. They controlled the Research Institute, lived in the best houses, ate the Base's coordinated rations, and among ordinary soldiers and survivors, their reputation was not low. They even had their own contingent.

But all of this was actually依附在傅家之下。

The Jin Clan and the Fu Family's main bases were both in the north. The actual power holder of the Northern Base was Fu Yunsheng's Alpha mother, Ms. Fu Zheng.

There existed the most complete military-industrial production line in the country — whether firearms and ammunition, transportation equipment, or communication equipment, everything could be self-sufficient.

As Fu Zheng's only daughter, since Fu Yunsheng herself remained at the Dapan Mountain Base, Fu Zheng would definitely try every means to re-establish contact with the Dapan Mountain Army Base and open up a land route.

When Fu Yunsheng had just casually mentioned her mother and aunt, on the surface it was idle chatter, but translated it meant: your Jin Clan is依附于我，你妈我用着很顺手，所以别谈解除婚约的事情，我不允许。

Jin Zhaoye clenched her fingers, nails digging into her palm. That small sting brought a moment of clarity to her chaotic mind — she had been too impatient. Without cards in hand, no matter how she played, it would be a dead end.

What she needed most now was to have her own trump card, to gain the right to sit at the table.

Jin Zhaoye looked up at her mother and said quietly: "Mami, I need your help."

"What does Mami need to do?"

"I need a completely clean Research Institute." Jin Zhaoye looked at her mother. "Can you clear all the Fu Family people out?"

Jin Xiting let out a bitter laugh: "You're making things difficult for Mami. It's not really possible to clear them all out, but giving you a clean team and guarding the core data should be no problem."

Jin Zhaoye's eyes lit up, and fighting spirit rekindled on her face: "I will use the fastest speed to crack the X Virus and develop a stable Gene Agent. If I can make it, our family won't be controlled by others anymore."

"I'll support whatever you want to do, but before your research yields results, we can't撕破脸 with A Yun. Even if not for us, we have to consider the rest of the Jin Clan." Jin Xiting reminded her.

Jin Zhaoye pressed her lips together and nodded: "I understand, Mami."

Lin Luo embraced her daughter, her voice soft: "Go work with peace of mind. Mami Xiaobao will help take care of things, but you also need to take care of your own body — don't work too hard, understand?"

"Okay, thank you Mami."

Jin Xiting stood up: "Get some rest early."

After the mother and daughters finished talking, they各自起身回房休息。

......

The next day, before the sky had fully brightened, Jin Zhaoye woke early.

She hadn't slept much all night, her mind反复翻来覆去都是X病毒的各种数据，还有谢礼。

She threw off the blanket, got out of bed, pulled back the curtain, and looked toward the Base entrance, wondering if Xie Li was awake yet.

Standing by the window to clear her head for a moment, Jin Zhaoye turned and walked to the bathroom — washed up, changed clothes, then headed out toward the Research Institute.

She swiped her card at the entrance, pressed her fingerprint, aligned with the iris scanner. A green light flashed, the alloy door opened, and Jin Zhaoye stepped inside.

The guard on duty stood at the entrance, secretly yawning, mouth half open. When he saw someone enter, the yawn got stuck in his throat.

"Dr. Jin, you're here so early?"

"Good morning." Jin Zhaoye nodded, not breaking her stride.

The lights in the corridor lit up one by one with her footsteps. White light fell on the cream-colored floor, reflecting a cold, temperatureless glow.

The Research Institute was vast, nearly hollowing out the entire Dapan Mountain. Inside it was divided into several zones: an ecological farm, a stem cell regeneration laboratory, and a pharmaceutical laboratory.

There was also a complete pharmaceutical production line, responsible for researching and producing the various medicines the Base needed daily — for example, Alpha and Omega的抑制剂, even if the world was ending, Inhibitor and suppressant patches这些必需品也不能停产，不然基地会乱套。

Finally, there was the newly added X Virus Research Room, located at the deepest and most core area of the Institute.

Jin Zhaoye walked to the X Virus Research Room entrance, swiped her card again, passed through the airtight door, entered the changing room, and took out a fresh set of protective clothing to wear.

After putting on the protective suit, she swiped her card again to pass through the final door. Jin Zhaoye walked to the cell culture room, arrived at the operating table, and took out a sample box from the refrigerated cabinet.

Opening the lid, inside lay a transparent Crystal Core the size of a fingernail — this Crystal Core was the one Xie Li had given her before.

Jin Zhaoye picked it up with tweezers and examined it carefully in her palm.

Under the light, the Crystal Core presented an almost transparent quality. From certain angles, a very faint, mica-like blue-purple luster could be seen within, swirling in wisps.

Jin Zhaoye placed the Crystal Core into a sterile culture dish, covered it with a glass lid, and began preparing the reagents and consumables needed for the day.

After completing the preparations, she used sterile tweezers to take the Crystal Core out of the culture dish, placed it on the sample stage, and retrieved the dissolution solution.

The dissolution solution was in a centrifuge tube. Jin Zhaoye used a pipette to draw a small amount of the dissolution solution and carefully dripped it onto the Crystal Core's surface.

When the Crystal Core contacted the dissolution solution, fine patterns began appearing on its surface. Then, the Crystal Core started dissolving bit by bit, merging with the dissolution solution as one.

Jin Zhaoye took out those liquids, diluted them, divided them into portions, and observed them. Every step was done meticulously. At regular intervals, she would pause and write a few notes in the record book beside her.

Outside the laboratory, the sky gradually brightened.

The survivors of Dapan Mountain Base, with the rising sun, began their busy day.

Xie Li, Lan Ran, Tang Ran, and Fang Mai woke early, shouldered their随身行李，赶到任务大厅和刘昭阳、周雨汇合。

The group gathered together and filled in the information on the mission registration form.

There were many teams going out for field missions. They queued for over ten minutes before it was their turn.

The staff member behind the window looked at them and said: "The Base can provide you with vehicles and fuel. You only need to hand over twenty percent of the supplies you bring back as the rental fee."

Xie Li thought about it and directly refused: "No need. We have our own vehicle. We'll drive our own car."

"Right, we have a car. It's parked at the Base entrance." Lan Ran poked her head out from behind Xie Li's shoulder, adding another point.

The staff member didn't say more, took their team registration form, issued a release permit, stamped it, tore it off, and handed it to them: "The release permit is one-time only. Next time you want to go out, come here again. Stay safe."

"Thank you." Xie Li took the release permit, put it in her pocket, and walked out together with her companions.

"Fang Mai can fix cars. After we go out, if we find any drivable vehicles, we can try to bring them back." Xie Li said as she walked, her voice kept low. "The Base takes one-fifth of the supplies as the rental fee. That's too expensive — not worth it."

"That's what I was thinking too." Fang Mai gave a simple smile.

At the Base entrance, Xie Li handed over the release permit. The guarding soldiers checked it and let them through.

That battered truck was still parked at the entrance. Lan Ran took out the car keys, opened the driver's door, and got in.

Xie Li tossed her backpack into the truck bed, flipped and jumped in. Tang Ran and Fang Mai also climbed into the truck bed.

Once they were seated, Lan Ran started the vehicle and headed toward the Winding Mountain Road.

The morning wind carried some coolness. The people sitting in the truck bed leaned comfortably against their backpacks, enjoying this rare coolness.

Xie Li took out the map from her backpack, spread it open on the truck bed. "Come look. Who here is familiar with Dapan City? Where should we go to find supplies?"

Fang Mai reached out and pointed at a spot on the map: "After I escaped from the county town, I passed through Lanshan County. There's a local largest Food Processing Plant there. But I'm not sure what the factory looks like exactly. It might have already been picked over by survivors."

"I think we can give it a try." Liu Zhaoyang squinted at the location of Lanshan County on the map. "Anyway we're not familiar with this area. Like a blind person crossing a river — we feel our way forward."

Xie Li made the decision: "Then we're going to the Food Processing Plant."

She rolled up the map, held it in her hand, turned and climbed in through the passenger seat window, then spread the map open again for Lan Ran to see: "After we go down the Winding Mountain Road, we go from here..."

Lan Ran glanced over and nodded, hands gripping the steering wheel, her expression very focused.

Even though she had already driven this Winding Mountain Road once, she still didn't dare relax in the slightest. On roads like this, a moment's carelessness meant car wreck and death.

"Drive steady. I'm going to nap for a bit." Xie Li rolled up the map and stuffed it in her pocket, leaned back against the passenger seat, fastened the seatbelt, and closed her eyes to catch some sleep.

After separating from Jin Zhaoye last night, she had returned to the stuffy tent and tossed and turned for a long time before falling asleep. Especially after having experienced air conditioning, returning to that extreme heat was almost suffocating. It wasn't until after midnight when the temperature dropped a bit that she finally dozed off.

The truck drove on the Winding Mountain Road for over two hours. After descending the mountain, they traveled along the national highway for almost three more hours before finally reaching the area of Lanshan County.

Lanshan County was not large — a small county town sandwiched between two mountains. There was only one main street, running from west to east through the entire town. On both sides of the street were old residential buildings, five or six stories tall.

The Food Processing Plant was at the easternmost part of the county, right next to a dried-up riverbed. The few factories in Lanshan County were all clustered there.

Lan Ran stopped the car at a Gas Station outside the city, leaned over and patted Xie Li's shoulder: "Gift, wake up. We're at Lanshan County. Do you want to eat lunch before entering the city?"

Xie Li opened her eyes, leaned her upper body out the window, and squinted, looking around.

The Gas Station ahead was very small, with only four fuel dispensers beside it. Next to it was a small Convenience Store, its display window glass shattered. The situation inside was暂时看不见。

Beyond that, a dozen or so vehicles had crashed together nearby — presumably when the disaster struck, people had come to the Gas Station to refuel and ended up in a chain collision.

"Here it is." Xie Li pushed open the door and jumped out, hand shading her brow to block the glaring sunlight. "Let's check the Gas Station to see if there's any fuel left."

After getting out, Lan Ran used her横刀 to knock on the truck bed, waking the people who had been sleeping in a pile. The group rubbed their eyes sleepily and jumped down.

The six of them, carrying weapons, walked toward the Gas Station.

When they were still nearly a hundred meters away from the Gas Station, the Zombie Horde wandering nearby had already spotted them.

About a dozen Zombies were scattered among a pile of wrecked cars. The moment they sensed the presence of living people, they moved collectively.

When they charged out, Xie Li's expression changed.

No — these Zombies' speed was much faster than before. They weren't as stiff and shuffling as before. This speed was almost comparable to those Mutated Zombies she had encountered in the ship's cabin back then.

"Fall back, you first." Xie Li shouted. Without time to think more, she drew the Miao Dao from her back, her feet slammed against the ground, and her body shot forward like an arrow leaving a bowstring.

Her Psychic Domain instantly expanded. With Xie Li as the center, an invisible force field spread in all directions, covering a radius of several meters around her.

Within the domain, all the Zombies' movement trajectories were clear to Xie Li. Every action of theirs, in Xie Li's eyes, played out like slow-motion frames.

Xie Li's figure became a blur in the sunlight. The blade of the Miao Dao flashed through the Zombie Horde.

With every sweep of the blade, a head rolled.

In just a few breaths, those menacingly charging Zombies all turned into headless corpses on the ground.

Xie Li stood among the Zombie Horde, the Miao Dao hanging at her side, the blade tip still dripping blood.

Fang Mai and the others were stunned. They had all seen those Zombies' speed. If Xie Li hadn't blocked the front, when the Zombies charged at them, it definitely would have been a handful.

Lan Ran was the first to come back to her senses, muttering quietly: "Gift... when did you become so fierce?"

Xie Li turned back and looked at them. Her expression was not too pleasant — she had only lay in the Base for a few days, but outside, the Zombies had become so much stronger. This was not good news.

She shook the blood off the blade, searched through the Zombies' skulls, and picked out a few semi-transparent crystals.

It looked like these Zombies hadn't fully evolved yet. The crystals weren't as translucent as those from the skinless Zombies before.

Xie Li picked up those crystals, wiped them on the Zombies' clothes, and put them in her pocket.

"Let's go. Let's find some fuel and see if there's anything to eat."

Lan Ran ran up to her, curiously asked: "Gift, is what you dug out from the Zombies' heads the kind of Crystal Core written about in novels? The kind where eating it可以获得异能的?"

Xie Li shook her head: "Don't know. Don't eat it randomly. If you turn into a Zombie, we're done for. Wait for Dr. Jin's research results, then you'll know."

As they spoke, they entered the Convenience Store. The shelves inside had toppled over and lay on the ground, goods scattered everywhere. Some had been stepped on and broken, though a small portion of packaging was still intact.

Xie Li skipped over the stuff on the outer shelves and went to check the warehouse. The warehouse had also been looted — not even a cardboard box was left.

She undid her backpack and took out a few packs of Compressed Biscuits and two bags of ham sausages, then took out a few bottles of water and placed them on the counter.

"Eat first. After eating, we'll enter the city."

Lan Ran took a pack of Compressed Biscuits, opened it and took a bite. The others who had gone to check the fuel tanks came back. Fang Mai's face carried a hint of joy: "There's still less than half a tank of diesel in the storage tank. Taking it all back should earn quite a few Contribution Points."

Xie Li picked up the Compressed Biscuit and tossed it to her: "Can you pump it out?"

Fang Mai caught it, smiling: "Don't worry, leave it to me."

They had a simple lunch in the Convenience Store. Then Fang Mai led everyone to pump the diesel.

She was quite familiar with Gas Stations. From a small storage room behind the Gas Station, she found many transfer barrels.

They moved these oil barrels near the fuel tank and used a hose to siphon out the diesel, filling them up one by one.

"Xie Li." Zhou Yu called her quietly, "Zombies... are they evolving?"

Xie Li hummed in confirmation.

"Then you..." Zhou Yu asked somewhat hesitantly.

Xie Li smiled at her, giving an affirmative answer: "I seem to be getting stronger too. After being bitten by the mutated rat, my strength and reaction speed, even my wound healing speed, are all speeding up."

"Me too." Zhou Yu gave a bitter smile. "But it seems my changes aren't as big as yours."

Xie Li patted her shoulder, comforting her: "Don't think too much about it. If the sky falls, there are taller people to hold it up. Even if worst comes to worst, we can just stay inside the Base不出来，搬搬砖也能混口饭吃。"

Lan Ran added her own encouragement: "Right, Zhou Yu, don't think so much. For us, we live one day at a time."

While chatting and working, after about half an hour, the diesel in the storage tank was all pumped out.

Two hundred liter oil barrels — over twenty of them. Everyone worked together to load the oil barrels onto the truck. This old battered truck had reached its load limit. The rear wheels were pressed flat.

Fang Mai crouched down to look at the tires, wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand, and frowned: "It's a bit overloaded. Should we go back to the Base first? If a tire blows halfway, it'll be trouble."

Xie Li didn't know much about this, but Fang Mai was a professional. If she said the car couldn't handle it, there must be significant risk.

"Let's go back. On the first day going out, we've gained enough."

"Go go go. If we go back now, we can probably reach the Base before dark." Lan Ran tossed the car keys to Xie Li with a smile. "You drive back. I'll sleep for a bit."

Xie Li caught the keys, called everyone to get in the car. Zhou Yu, Liu Zhaoyang, and the others had no objections.

They were not greedy people. In this kind of world, greedy people often didn't live long. Greed would blind their eyes and make them ignore potential dangers.

On the first day of field work, returning to the Base alive was profit. Returning to the Base with supplies was a huge profit.

The trip back took five or six hours going out, but the return journey was even more grueling. The group sat on the oil barrels, enduring the scorching sun. By the time they reached the Base, their butts were almost shaken apart.

There was still a long queue at the Base entrance — survivors coming to seek refuge, and teams going out to search for supplies, returning before dark.

The two queues had different entry points. Xie Li turned the car to the entrance for field team entry and exit, queuing to wait for inspection.

When it was their turn, Xie Li and the others got out and接受了检查。 The inspection for returning field teams was much more relaxed than entering the Base. As long as there were no obvious external injuries on the body surface, they would generally let them through directly.

The soldier in camouflage confirmed they had no external injuries, took a flashlight and shone it into the truck bed. The light beam swept over the oil barrels, and her eyebrows明显地往上挑了挑。

"Good harvest! Go straight in, the logistics office is at the end." She waved her hand, the barrier lifted, and the truck was let through.

Xie Li drove the truck to the logistics office.

The logistics office was a two-story building. The entrance was a hall, the walls covered with various price lists for exchanging supplies for Contribution Points. Several staff members sat behind the counter, with calculators and registration books in front of them. Some people were carrying things to exchange at the counter.

Xie Li walked in, found a staff member, and asked if they needed to bring the diesel inside.

The staff member looked up at her: "A lot?"

"Yeah, several tons."

"Don't move it. You'll have to move it out later anyway. I'll go out and take a look with you." The staff member came out from behind the counter and followed Xie Li out of the hall.

Seeing the oil barrels on the truck bed, her eyes lit up: "Not bad, you actually got so much diesel. All the Gas Stations near Dapan City have been emptied by everyone. You must have gone pretty far, right?"

Xie Li smiled but didn't respond. She hadn't thought of that at all. Today was truly a fluke — she had accidentally brought back this fuel.

The staff member didn't mind her silence, went back to the hall and called a few colleagues out to help count. Soon, the entire truck of diesel was weighed.

"Ten Contribution Points per liter of diesel." She flipped through the record book in her hand and smiled. "You have twenty-five 200-liter oil barrels, that's fifty thousand Contribution Points."

Lan Ran let out an excited cry: "Wow, we got rich in one go! Today we're going to become rich people?"

The others' faces also showed more joy. Working at a construction site and carrying bricks, earning twenty a day — even working to death they couldn't earn fifty thousand Contribution Points. Indeed, the bolder the person, the greater the harvest.

Xie Li wasn't dizzy with this number. When it came to wealth, she was definitely the richest person in the entire Base — supplies so many they couldn't be spent.

She asked the staff member: "If we exchange for diesel from the Base, how many Contribution Points does it cost?"

The staff member: "Twenty Contribution Points per liter of diesel."

"..."

Zhou Yu's mouth opened. She held back for two seconds, couldn't resist, and muttered quietly: "In and out, you're doubling the Contribution Points to make profit?"

The staff member smiled politely.

Xie Li didn't dwell on it. The Base provided shelter for survivors, so everyone following the rules here was only right.

"Keep one barrel." Xie Li said to the staff member. "Count it as twenty-four barrels. Our own vehicle also needs fuel."

The staff member nodded: "That's fine. That's forty-eight thousand Contribution Points."

She took out a stack of small cards, colorful, with different denominations printed on them, counted them, confirmed the amount was correct, and pushed them toward Xie Li.

"Count it."

Xie Li took it and counted it in front of the staff member, then asked: "We leave the vehicle at the logistics office entrance. Won't the fuel be stolen?"

The staff member smiled politely: "...Anyone caught stealing will be expelled from the Base. Where would a thief hide such big barrels of oil?"

Lan Ran: "They could come here and exchange it for Contribution Points directly."

The staff member smiled politely again, turned around and went back behind the counter, ignoring them.

Xie Li gave a dry laugh, called everyone, and left.

After leaving the logistics office, Xie Li drove with everyone to the parking lot, spent ten Contribution Points to park. After paying, they felt at ease.

After parking, Xie Li directly divided the Contribution Points: "Eight thousand each. Take it."

Fang Mai looked at the card in her hand, hesitated: "This... the vehicle is yours, the oil is yours. Shouldn't we not take so much?"

Xie Li smiled indifferently: "Since we're a team now, we're all sisters from now on. No need to calculate so clearly."

Lan Ran leaned in, one hand around Xie Li, the other around Fang Mai, nodding along: "Right, we're all sisters. Being too calculating about gains and losses — there's no need."

Tang Ran: "Then I'll treat everyone to a meal. Actually, I feel like I didn't do much today, getting a big sum of Contribution Points for nothing. Let me treat everyone to the Canteen."

Lan Ran laughed and agreed: "Then I must really splurge on you."

"Let's wait on the meal first." Xie Li said. "I want to go rent a room first. Are you coming?"

"Go go go, together. I don't want to live in a steamer basket anymore." Lan Ran hung on Xie Li like a koala,摇晃着往前走。

The Base's rental rooms were not far from the tent area — a row of tidy buildings. Originally they should have been dormitories, now converted into single apartments, specifically provided for survivors有能力支付贡献点的。

The rent was not cheap. A smaller room cost four to five hundred Contribution Points per month. A larger one with a balcony cost six to eight hundred.

They went to the Apartment Management Office and rented several connected rooms on the sixth floor. Taking the keys, everyone excitedly went upstairs to see their rooms.

Xie Li's key was for room 606. Pushing the door open, the room's layout was clear at a glance.

A one-meter-two single bed, a table, a chair, a simple wardrobe, and a private bathroom. Xie Li went in and took a look. There was a small water heater hanging on the wall — not bad. At least they wouldn't have to take cold showers in winter.

Unloading her luggage, Xie Li took off her clothes, went into the bathroom, and took a shower, washing off the sticky sweat.

After showering and changing into clean clothes, she walked out of the room with a hint of moisture. The others had basically finished showering too. Together, they shuffled downstairs in slippers.

The Base Canteen's first floor was communal food, and there was also a small kitchen on the second floor. Xie Li and the others went directly to the second floor and found a large round table by the window.

Tang Ran took the menu and handed it to everyone: "Order freely. Don't be polite with me."

"No one's being polite with you. Next time I'll treat." Lan Ran took the menu, glanced at it, and ordered Yu Xiang Rou Si.

The others also ordered their favorite dishes in turn, plus a large basin of rice.

Tang Ran took the ordered menu to the window and handed it to the kitchen staff, saying something to the staff inside.

The staff member nodded and took the menu to prepare the dishes. The Canteen served quickly. Before long, someone came carrying a tray.

Besides the dishes they ordered, there were also six bottles of ice-cold beer on the tray.

"Tang Ran!" Lan Ran slapped the table and stood up. "You're really my good sister, actually splurging on beer for everyone."

Xie Li really hadn't expected Tang Ran to be willing to buy beer for everyone. A plate of pure meat braised pork only cost sixty Contribution Points. One bottle of beer was as high as eighty Contribution Points.

These six bottles of beer were almost comparable to a month's rent. Even Xie Li felt some pain — she had her space堆满了都，只是一时不方便往外拿。

Tang Ran took the beer, opened them one by one and handed them to everyone: "Earning Contribution Points is for enjoying, right? If we don't eat today, tomorrow we go out and can't come back, what then?"

Xie Li took the beer, raised it toward everyone with a smile: "That's right. Drink today for today is drink. Come on, toast to today!"

Lan Ran: "Toast to being alive."

"Toast to sisters!"

"Toast to Xie Li!"

Six beer bottles clinked together, making a crisp sound.

Some beer with white foam overflowed from the bottle mouths. The group howled mournfully while using their mouths to block it.

Xie Li took a sip of beer. The cold liquid slid down her throat, carrying a slight bitterness and the aroma of malt.

She turned her head to look out the window. The Base had scattered lights on. She didn't know which one was where Jin Zhaoye was.

"Don't stare. Eat meat quickly. It'll be gone soon."

Lan Ran poked over with her chopsticks. A piece of bright, oily braised pork fell into Xie Li's bowl — fat and lean, the soy sauce gravy seeping between the rice grains.

Xie Li came back to her senses, lowered her head and took a bite of rice. The meat fragrance mixed with the rice aroma in her mouth, making her feel dazed from the deliciousness.

A group of young people who had just formed a team围着一张有些摇晃的圆木桌，吃完了建队的第一顿晚餐。

The food wasn't exquisite, the beer was the cheapest beer, and the chairs were uncomfortable red plastic stools. But none of that mattered.

What mattered was the people sitting together — one meal, one battle side by side, that was the friendship that could most warm people's hearts in the Apocalypse.

......

When Jin Zhaoye came out of the Research Institute, it was already past midnight.

Walking out with sore, soft feet, she only realized the soreness in her eyes now.

She had spent the entire day in the laboratory.

The Crystal Core Xie Li gave was very strange — it contained high-concentration X Virus, with extremely high activity, yet it was mild and controllable.

Before this, the Research Institute had systematically collected and analyzed a large number of samples.

The X Virus's trajectory after invading a host's body roughly divided into two types. If it was a benign mutation, the situation was controllable. The virus either lay dormant in the host's body, or strengthened the host's cellular activity in a continuous but slow, mild manner.

Malignant mutations were much worse. Those Zombies were the best example. The host's body had already died, but the X Virus didn't die with it. It still craved energy, craved flesh and blood, driving the host's shell to hunt.

There was a third situation. This situation had only appeared in Fu Yunsheng so far.

Fu Yunsheng's blood sample was different from everyone else's.

Between the X Virus and her cells, an almost perfect balance had been reached. The virus enhanced the host's cellular activity, and the cells didn't reject the X Virus. Instead, they kept strengthening under the virus's stimulation. The situation was somewhat similar to those mutated creatures — they were all undergoing some degree of reversion.

Jin Zhaoye didn't know why Fu Yunsheng was so special, but she was clear about one thing: if she could overcome this difficulty, she would definitely be able to develop a safe and stable Gene Strengthening Agent.

Everyone could be like Fu Yunsheng, gaining enhancement or some special ability.

Walking to the Research Institute exit, Jin Zhaoye swiped her card to open the door.

The guard at the entrance stopped her: "Dr. Jin, someone is looking for you."

"Did they say who?"

The guard shook his head: "The person who passed the message didn't say. They just said the person is waiting at the villa area entrance."

Jin Zhaoye had a strange premonition.

Without asking more, she left the Research Institute. Her steps gradually quickened, until at the end she was running.

She quickly ran past the tree-lined road outside the villa area. The streetlights flashed past her one by one.

Jin Zhaoye herself found it somewhat unbelievable. She didn't even know who was waiting outside, yet it was as if she was already certain that the person waiting outside was the one she most wanted to see right now.

Near the exit, Jin Zhaoye's steps slowed.

Through a short distance, she saw the figure waiting outside the villa area.

The girl wore a clean white T-shirt, one hand in her pocket, her posture loose and casual. The other hand hung at her side, fingertips holding a lit cigarette. Blue-white smoke curled around her.

The warm yellow light of the streetlamp fell, gently outlining every contour of hers — quiet, warm, beautifully unreal.

Xie Li put the cigarette in her mouth, took a drag. The ember flickered at her lips for a moment, smoke slowly rising.

She squinted, casually glancing toward the villa area.

Their eyes met, and the night wind suddenly stilled.