Chapter 56: Tomorrow, Blow Up the Base and Elope with Jin Zhaoye

Tomorrow she'll blow up the Base and elope with Jin Zhao.

Xiao Tao quickly brought a cup of warm water to the bedside, inserted a straw, and held it to Xie Li's lips: "Drink slowly."

"Thank you." Xie Li parted her lips, caught the straw, and drank slowly, her gaze frequently drifting toward Jin Zhao.

Jin Zhao stood at the foot of the bed, back turned, head bowed as she flipped through the documents in her hands. From start to finish, she didn't look at Xie Li even once, as if she suddenly didn't care about her anymore, didn't care whether she lived or died.

After finishing the cup of water, Xie Li released the straw. Before Xiao Tao could even set down the cup, Jin Zhao had already closed the file and spoke: "Xiao Tao, give her a full examination again."

"Understood, Dr. Jin." Xiao Tao agreed, then went out to wash her hands before getting busy again, pushing testing equipment back and forth beside the hospital bed.

The examination process was similar to before: blood sampling, wound tissue sampling, nerve reaction tests, and so on.

Xie Li lay on the hospital bed, her hands and feet bound by restraint straps, letting these people work on her body.

Her gaze stayed fixed on Jin Zhao. She couldn't figure out why Jin Zhao had suddenly stopped talking to her.

Could it be that Jin Zhao was especially angry because this injury was too severe? So angry that she didn't want to speak to her anymore?

Xie Li turned the question over and over in her mind until her eyelids grew heavy, and she unknowingly fell asleep.

When she woke again, the hospital room was still the same as before, except that a few people in white coats had stepped away from her side, making it unusually quiet.

The fluorescent lights were painfully bright. Xie Li squinted, wanting to raise her hand to block the light.

A snap. The nylon strap broke directly in half from the middle, the broken end with uneven fibers, as if torn by brute force.

Xie Li lowered her head to look at her wrist, then glanced at the broken restraint strap. She remembered, she hadn't used much force at all—how could it have snapped?

She raised her hand to rub her eyes, temporarily setting aside this question. She propped herself up, untied the remaining two restraint straps on her ankles, and rolled out of bed.

Xie Li's bare feet touched the cold tile floor. She moved her body, and her spine crackled from top to bottom, like setting off firecrackers.

Her shoulder felt no pain whatsoever. She lifted the gauze—the wound had completely healed, the new skin showing a faint pink, not even a scar left.

She pressed with her fingers. Not a trace of pain.

Xie Li simply tore off that piece of gauze from her shoulder, crumpled it up, and threw it into the trash can beside the bed.

In someone else's territory, this secret of her rapid wound healing probably couldn't be hidden anymore. The medical staff would definitely check, so there was no point hiding it.

"Where did everyone go?" Xie Li muttered to herself, looking around the hospital room.

This Isolation Ward had three sides of transparent glass and one solid wall. The hospital bed was positioned against the wall, and various unfamiliar instruments were placed beside it.

Xie Li walked to the door, grabbed the door handle and pressed down—nothing moved. She tried pushing—the metal door creaked under the pressure, palm prints appearing on it, but the door still didn't open.

It was locked. Xie Li didn't dare force the door open. The place she was staying seemed to be her wife's territory. If she broke the door, Jin Zhao would probably be even angrier.

She walked to the glass wall and looked out. The corridor was empty; no one outside either. Xie Li raised her hand and gently knocked on the glass, calling out: "Is anyone there? I'm awake. Can you let me out?"

......

In the monitoring room, the high-definition large screen displayed the scene from the hospital room.

The researchers were all crowded here, watching Xie Li break free from the restraint straps, jump off the bed, try the door, wander around the room, and leave a clear palm print on the alloy door panel.

Every movement after she got up was captured by the cameras, displayed in real-time before everyone.

Fu Yunsheng stood at the front of the crowd, arms crossed, watching the Xie Li on the screen with great interest: "She actually survived?"

Jin Zhao stood at the back of the crowd, hands in the pockets of her white coat, her expression calm and impassive, her gaze never leaving Xie Li.

Hearing Fu Yunsheng's question, she secretly rolled her eyes: "Commander Fu has seen enough. Can we leave now?"

Fu Yunsheng spread her hands behind her. Ning Meng immediately handed over Xie Li's examination report.

She flipped through two pages, replying unhurriedly: "Don't be impatient. Let me look at the examination report. After all, she used six or seven Gene Agents. There should be some differences, right?"

"Did her shoulder wound heal so quickly because of the Gene Agent?"

Jin Zhao's gaze fell on that examination report. Too lazy to dialogue with Fu Yunsheng, she directly said to Xiao Tao: "Xiao Tao, explain to Commander Fu."

Xiao Tao stepped forward, cleared her throat, and briefly described the mechanism of Gene Agents in terms a layperson could understand: humans don't have completely identical gene sequences, and everyone's performance after unlocking their genetic lock varies greatly.

Some people might undergo extreme morphological changes—growing wings and flying through the sky isn't impossible. Some might have nothing, just improved physical strength and increased power. And then there are people like Xie Li, who gain recovery ability far beyond ordinary people—rapid wound healing is normal.

Fu Yunsheng nodded after listening, asked no more questions, and returned the report to Ning Meng: "Then I'll take her away. After all, we spent great effort to rescue her. She can't be wasted in the Research Institute."

Jin Zhao's heart tightened. Even though the examination report showed no abnormalities, Fu Yunsheng had still set her sights on Xie Li.

"Observe for two more days. We need to record her physical data. Wait until her condition stabilizes," she said casually, finding a reason to buy time.

"Alright, as you wish." Fu Yuanheng nodded, walked to Jin Zhao's side, and raised her hand to pat her shoulder.

Jin Zhao stepped back, letting her hand fall empty.

Fu Yunsheng's hand paused in mid-air. She didn't get angry; instead, she let out a light laugh: "What's wrong? Didn't I let you bring her back for research? Are you angry at me?"

"No."

Jin Zhao said only these two words and didn't speak again—basically carving the words 'I don't want to talk to you' on her face.

Fu Yunsheng tilted her head to look at her. The moment she saw Jin Zhao today, she noticed she had changed.

Jin Zhao was beautiful before, but now she was even more beautiful.

She carried an attractiveness that made people unable to look away—like now, when she coldly ignored someone, she was still so beautifully captivating.

This Jin Zhao was worth her spending more patience on.

Fu Yunsheng moved closer to her, her voice softening, with a hint of coaxing: "Since the Gene Agent has been developed,辛苦 you to speed up production. Recently, it's become increasingly difficult to obtain supplies outside. Zombies and mutated creatures have become much stronger, and casualties are significant. Let's pause outside missions for a while and first improve our Base's soldiers."

"The Crystal Cores are already exhausted. I can't produce in large quantities for now."

Jin Zhao wasn't lying. Last night, to make these Gene Agents for Xie Li, she had used up all the Crystal Cores in the Research Institute's inventory—including the Crystal Cores from those Mutated Zombie Dogs, which were used in the final batch of调配. Not one remained.

"I'll have people collect the Crystal Cores." Fu Yunsheng waved dismissively. "Later, let Ning Meng draft a list for you. Gene Agents will be prioritized for the military's elite soldiers."

"No need. I'll screen from the Base's survivor database."

There was a hint of surprise in Fu Yunsheng's eyes. She studied Jin Zhao, her tone half-joking and half-probing: "Our Dr. Jin, are you planning to cultivate your own little faction? What's mine is yours—why so formal?"

"Everyone's genetic composition is different, and their acceptance of Gene Agents varies. I'm just prioritizing selecting a batch of people who can best match the Gene Agents to avoid wasting already limited resources."

Fu Yunsheng couldn't find any flaw in her expression. She pretended to be resigned and spread her hands: "Fine, you choose. You pick the first batch, but later we still prioritize our military personnel. Otherwise, if survivors grow stronger and refuse management, there will be trouble."

Jin Zhao nodded, agreeing.

"I'll go first. The military has matters to attend to. Don't work too hard—go home, take a bath, and get some proper rest." Fu Yunsheng turned toward the door, then paused and added: "Ning Meng, take good care of Dr. Jin. Don't let her work too hard."

With that, she pushed open the door of the monitoring room and left.

Everyone in the monitoring room relaxed, returning to their respective posts to get busy.

Jin Zhao led the researchers from her group back to the Isolation Ward where Xie Li was.

Through that transparent glass wall, her gaze met Xie Li's, who was picking at her fingers on the bed.

Xie Li's eyes lit up. She happily bounced off the bed, ran to the glass wall in three steps, and looked at the woman outside with eager eyes, enthusiastic as a puppy welcoming its owner home.

Jin Zhao avoided her gaze and said to Xiao Tao: "Go prepare more food."

Xiao Tao obeyed and quickly brought back what Jin Zhao needed. The food containers were stacked several layers high and still steaming.

Jin Zhao took the containers and was about to push the door open when Ning Meng stepped forward to block her.

"Dr. Jin, you haven't rested these past two days. Go rest. I'll watch over her." Ning Meng finished, reaching for the food boxes in Jin Zhao's hands.

Jin Zhao sidestepped—the movement was subtle, as if it happened to miss.

"I'm not tired. If you're tired, go rest."

Ning Meng withdrew her hand without insisting, only slightly shifting to follow behind Jin Zhao: "I'm not tired either. I'll keep you company."

The two entered the room one after the other. Xie Li stepped forward two careful steps, sneakily glancing at Jin Zhao's expression to judge whether she could approach.

Jin Zhao tilted her chin toward her, her tone still not very familiar, carrying a hint of official business: "Eat something."

Xie Li obediently returned to sit at the edge of the bed, hands on her knees, looking up at Jin Zhao, her whole face written with flattery.

Jin Zhao opened the food container without looking at her, set down the chopsticks, stepped aside—having no eye contact with Xie Li throughout.

All of this was observed by Ning Meng.

Xie Li picked up her chopsticks dejectedly and buried her head in eating.

The meal was very sumptuous: white rice, luncheon meat, vegetables, braised beef—meat and vegetables paired, nutritious and healthy, far better than the Base Canteen's food.

The taste was good too, but Xie Li ate somewhat tastelessly.

She found it strange. After waking up, Jin Zhao was like a different person.

She didn't talk to her, didn't make eye contact—even a beckoning finger would make her dodge. Before she left the Base, their feelings were still inseparable, stuck together on her apartment's small bed, unable to be parted.

How did it become like this after just a few days? Could it be... during the days she was gone, did Fu Yunsheng come to pry her away again?

After weighing the pros and cons, did Jin Zhao think choosing Fu Yunsheng was more worthwhile, so she didn't like her anymore, hated her?

The moment this thought arose, the sourness in Xie Li's heart bubbled up unstoppably, the beef in her mouth turning sour.

The meal started in silence and ended in silence.

Xie Li finished the food in the container and said quietly: "Dr. Jin, I'm full."

Ning Meng quickly stepped forward, deftly collected the food container: "Dr. Jin, let's go. Let Xie Li rest well. You should go rest too. I'll keep watch here. If there's any situation, I'll notify you immediately."

Jin Zhao hummed, stood up, straightened her white coat collar, smoothed her long hair—every movement done very slowly.

Until there was nothing left to arrange. Ning Meng was already standing at the hospital room door waiting for her. Only then did she step forward, heading toward the room door.

As she passed Xie Li's bed, her pace paused for a moment—then continued forward, unnoticed by anyone, including Xie Li.

......

During the two-day observation period, Jin Zhao never found an opportunity to be alone with Xie Li to talk.

Ning Meng was like unshakeable sticky candy, following her every step. She could only see Xie Li during daily routine examinations.

Every time she avoided Xie Li's gaze, every time she casually dodged the hand Xie Li extended—how painful it was in her heart, only Jin Zhao knew.

She couldn't let Ning Meng see anything unusual. The current her couldn't protect Xie Li, couldn't protect Mama and Mommie.

Early this morning, Ning Meng pushed open the door of the Isolation Ward and said to Xie Li on the bed: "Xie Li, wake up. Come with me."

Xie Li rubbed her eyes, groggily got up, and followed her out of the hospital room: "Where are you taking me?"

Ning Meng answered succinctly: "Go on a mission with the Commander."

Xie Li's steps paused. She glanced back toward the corridor but didn't see Jin Zhao's figure. Was she really not going to acknowledge her?

"What kind of mission?"

"You'll know when we get there."

Xie Li didn't want to go on any mission with Fu Yunsheng. Right now, she wanted to ask Jin Zhao clearly why she had suddenly become cold—even if they were breaking up, they should say goodbye properly.

She tried: "Can I refuse?"

Ning Meng glanced at her: "The Commander says you alone wasted seven Gene Agents. If these seven Gene Agents had been used on different people, she would now have seven super soldiers under her command, instead of just getting one you."

Xie Li understood. All of Ning Meng's long speech translated to one sentence: you consumed too many Base resources and have no right to refuse the mission.

Actually, these past two days, Xie Li had already discovered her body was different.

The green light spots inside her had become more active and powerful than before, and much more obedient—any part of her body could be directed by her at any time.

She hadn't been sure before what caused it. Now, looking at it, perhaps those few Gene Agent injections had fed these green light spots, so they became obedient.

As for whether the genetic lock had actually been unlocked—she didn't feel she'd gained any special abilities. Her body was still her old body, just with greater strength and a lighter feeling. She felt she could probably punch through a wall with ease.

Exiting the Research Institute, sunlight poured down. Xie Li squinted against the glare.

A few days without going out—had the sun gotten bigger?

A military jeep was parked in front of the Research Institute, engine already running. Two soldiers stood by the door. When they saw Xie Li and Ning Meng emerge, they saluted.

Xie Li got in the jeep with Ning Meng. The jeep passed through the Base's main road and turned into a military restricted area she had never set foot in before.

The car stopped in front of a row of gray-white barracks. Xie Li jumped out and looked around.

The barracks were square and neat, windows polished bright, and the drill ground echoed with rhythmic commands.

Xie Li turned to look at Ning Meng, asking stubbornly: "Can I go back to my apartment to live? Even if there's a mission, there's no need for me to eat and live with you all, right? I paid rent over there."

"You won't need to rent a place anymore." Ning Meng tilted her chin, gesturing for Xie Li to follow. "Base enlisted soldiers don't need to spend Contribution Points on food or lodging. It's统一配给."

She pushed open an empty room, took a bag of clothes from the wardrobe, and stuffed it into Xie Li's arms.

"Go take a shower and change clothes. I'll wait here." Ning Meng lightly urged.

Xie Li carried the bag into the bathroom, took off her clothes, and turned on the faucet. The water rushed down, washing away the smell unique to the Research Institute.

After showering and changing into combat gear, Xie Li walked to the mirror to arrange her clothes.

The person in the mirror wore a set of black combat gear, the utility belt drawing a sharp waistline, sleeves rolled up twice to expose her forearms, long hair tied into a ponytail at the back of her head.

Xie Li blinked at the mirror. This outfit, when worn, really had something to it.

When she pushed open the bathroom door, Ning Meng saw her come out, scanned her up and down, and nodded with satisfaction: "Let's go. Assemble at the drill ground."

Xie Li followed Ning Meng out of the barracks. About twenty-plus people had already assembled on the drill ground—all Female Alphas, wearing neat combat gear, standing in formation.

Xie Li scanned the crowd and found a familiar face in the second row.

She squeezed to stand beside Tian Tiantian, lowering her voice to mutter: "Instructor, why are you here too?"

Tian Tiantian stared straight ahead, her lips moving slightly: "Shut up. Don't talk."

The moment she finished speaking, Fu Yunsheng had already walked out from the barracks shadows.

"Atten-tion!" Ning Meng's command rang out. The entire line snapped taut. Twenty-plus people simultaneously raised their arms to salute, movements perfectly synchronized.

Fu Yunsheng nodded, her gaze sweeping over everyone present, finally landing on Xie Li.

"Today's mission participants are all veteran members. I don't need to repeat the rules, but there's a newcomer today." She tilted her chin toward Xie Li's direction. "Xie Li, step forward!"

Xie Li stepped forward. Everyone's gaze fell on her.

Fu Yunsheng walked up to her, looking her up and down. She was slightly taller than Xie Li, looking down at her with a natural sense of superiority.

The corner of her mouth curved slightly. She raised her hand to pat Xie Li's shoulder—the one that had been injured by the Mutated Zombie Dog. Her movement was fast, and the force wasn't light either. An ordinary person would at least be knocked stumbling backward.

Xie Li's feet were like nails planted in the ground. Her body didn't move an inch.

Fu Yunsheng withdrew her hand and asked with apparent concern: "Is your injury all better?"

Xie Li nodded.

"Good. Say hello to everyone."

Xie Li turned to face the group and said loudly: "Hello everyone, I'm Xie Li. Please take care of me."

Silence in the ranks. Everyone stared at her with wide eyes, expressionless.

Xie Li waited a moment. She confirmed—Fu Yunsheng had called her out, patted her shoulder, had her introduce herself—all a show of power.

She stared back expressionlessly, from the first row to the second, staring at each person, not missing a single one.

Tian Tiantian in the ranks was barely holding back the urge to facepalm. This blockhead—having trained Xie Li was definitely an indelible black mark on her career.

The situation didn't stay frozen. Fu Yunsheng spoke to break the deadlock: "Applaud!"

Twenty-plus people raised their hands in unison, applauding.

Fu Yunsheng said: "Xie Li, return to the ranks."

Xie Li returned to the end of the line expressionlessly. In her heart, she decided—tomorrow she'd blow up the Base and elope with Jin Zhao.

Fu Yunsheng交代 a few more words about mission discipline, then waved her hand to announce dismissal.

The soldiers quickly dispersed, running toward the Parking Lot. Xie Li followed the crowd and ran to Tian Tiantian's side to probe: "Instructor, where are we going? What mission? Just these people?"

"Not yet. You'll know soon." Tian Tiantian didn't look at her, adding: "Stay close to me. Don't run around."

When they reached the Parking Lot, Xie Li knew this mission was definitely not a small matter.

The display was enormous. At the very front were two main battle tanks, followed by over a dozen armored vehicles with welded bulletproof steel plates, all firing ports open, a Heavy Machine Gun mounted on top of each vehicle.

At the very rear were dozens of heavy trucks, each welded with steel grating, doors reinforced with crash bars, front bumpers equipped with push-style bullbars, specifically designed to clear paths through Zombie Hordes.

Besides their twenty-plus elite special forces in deep black combat gear, there were also over a hundred soldiers in camouflage uniforms busy in the Parking Lot. Some were搬运ammunition boxes, some were distributing paper maps to the passenger seats of each vehicle, and some were lined up at the armory,领取equipment one by one.

The scene was chaotic, no one laughing. Everyone's expression was serious and tense, busy with their own tasks.

Xie Li received her assigned equipment while in line.

She put on the Tactical Helmet, wore the Tactical Vest, had a bunch of ammunition hanging on her body, a Grenade, tactical knife, and a backup pistol at her waist, held an assault rifle in her hands, and carried a tactical backpack on her back.

The full set of equipment weighed at least thirty to forty pounds. Xie Li moved her shoulders, hopping in place. Fortunately, while the load was heavy, it didn't much affect movement.

"Let's go. Get in the vehicle." Tian Tiantian led her to an armored vehicle in the middle of the convoy. Several soldiers were already inside, fully armed, holding their guns and resting against the vehicle walls with closed eyes.

Tian Tiantian settled into her seat, fastened her own seatbelt, then leaned over to fasten Xie Li's seatbelt.

"Remember to fasten your seatbelt next time." Tian Tiantian instructed.

Xie Li immediately responded: "Yes, Instructor."

The convoy soon began moving. Two main battle tanks led the way, followed by armored vehicles, and finally the heavy supply trucks.

Xie Li looked out through the armored vehicle's narrow observation window, hoping to see the person she wanted to see—naturally, she couldn't.

She收回视线, continuing to probe Tian Tiantian for information: "Instructor, with such a big display, where are we going? How long until we come back?"

"Going to Q City's Logistics Park. There's a logistics transit station there." Tian Tiantian didn't keep her in suspense, unfolding the map to show her the location.

Xie Li looked at the distance between Q City and Dapan Mountain Base on the map, somewhat surprised: "Q City? That far?"

"Where else nearby can we get supplies? Haven't they all been searched already?" Tian Tiantian put away the map, tucking it into her Tactical Vest.

"The Base has tens of thousands waiting to eat and drink. Recently, the temperature has been absurdly high. The water sources in the mountains are drying up. We need to find some drilling equipment to dig wells. Otherwise, before long, the Base will face water and food shortages."

Xie Li had actually guessed the Base was short on water. Otherwise, they wouldn't have controlled the survivors' domestic water so strictly.

After pondering, Xie Li asked the most important question: "How many days will we be out? When can we come back?"

She really wanted to see Jin Zhao—very, very much. She wanted to sincerely apologize and tell her she would never get hurt again. Please don't ignore her.

"Fast的话 ten days to half a month, slow的话 hard to say. When the trucks are filled, that's when we come back. Since we're going out, no one will come back empty." Tian Tiantian finished and closed her eyes. "I advise you to take the chance to rest now. Once we enter the city, you'll be busy."

Everyone in the compartment was resting. Xie Li had no choice but to shut up, holding her gun, and rest her eyes.

Soon after the military convoy departed, another military jeep drove out from inside the Base, chasing after them along the road.