Chapter 157: Your Doom Has Arrived (40)

Jiang Xunchu's timeline for developing the vaccine was uncertain, so they had to plan for the long term.

Centered around the laboratory, Ling Qiong led the people in starting construction.

Jiang Xunchu was making good progress on his end, having already moved inside the laboratory.

Ling Qiong had cleared out all the zombies in the vicinity. Over long distances, there was no need to worry about zombies catching the scent and coming for her precious darling.

*Worried sick over my darling.jpg*

Over the following period, they picked up a few more survivors.

The survivors joined the main construction workforce, and the safe active zone was soon expanded considerably.

These newly rescued survivors initially thought Ling Qiong was just a fragile and useless vase.

That was until they witnessed the vase dealing with zombies with their own eyes.

The speed at which she blew up heads...

This wasn't a fragile vase; this was a Shang dynasty bronze tripod.

...

"Brother Chen, we're running out of water."

On the provincial highway, the convoy was lined up like a dragon, and everyone was resting and taking a break.

Mu Chen and Base Leader Wang stood under the shade of a tree, discussing the upcoming journey.

Someone ran over to report.

Mu Chen asked, "How much is left?"

"At most, it will only last until tomorrow."

Mu Chen instructed, "I'll figure something out. Tell everyone not to panic."

"Yes."

Once the person left, Mu Chen closed the map. "Uncle Wang, are we really just going to leave Base S to its fate?"

Base Leader Wang had a crumpled cigarette between his lips, unlit. He sighed at the words, "Xiao Chen, we are not gods; we can't save everyone."

Mu Chen pressed, "And we're just going to turn a blind eye to what they're doing?"

Base Leader Wang replied, "Let's find a safe place first before we discuss this matter."

They lacked crucial items, making success far from easy.

Even if they wanted to stop it now, they didn't have the capability.

That man surnamed Zhao had won over quite a few people in the base, and his equipment was superior to theirs.

Base Leader Wang said, "For now, let's solve the water problem."

Mu Chen nodded and led a team to search for water.

Stagnant water was generally drinkable as long as it wasn't contaminated.

Mu Chen had good luck and found a mineral water factory. Before the apocalypse, it might have been an unscrupulous business, but now it was a life-saving water source.

Relaying on these water sources, the team traveled a great distance further.

"Brother Chen, come take a look." The lookout stationed on top of a vehicle hung upside down and tapped on Mu Chen's car window.

Mu Chen climbed straight out of the window and stood on the roof of the car.

"Is that City C?"

"Yes." The person beside him pointed to the side. "Brother Chen, look over there."

Mu Chen looked in that direction and found that the road ahead was blocked by a collapsed mountain.

"Brother Chen, if we want to get across, we have only one choice: pass straight through City C."

...

"Is this the only way around without entering the city?"

"Yes, this is the only route for this section. There are other roads only after we pass the collapsed area."

The timing of that collapse was just too unfortunate...

Entering the city was dangerous, but if they didn't enter, they would be stuck right here.

...

After discussing with Base Leader Wang, Mu Chen ultimately decided to pass through City C.

With their plan set, they first sent out a small team to scout the path and find a safe route to ensure the main force behind them could pass through quickly.

Mu Chen went into the city first as the team leader.

Perhaps due to bad luck, they ran into zombies as soon as they entered, resulting in a chaotic skirmish.

"Brother Chen, something's wrong with these zombies. Why are they all on the outer edges?"

Zombies in the city usually hid in the dark corners of buildings, mostly concentrated in the central area.

Zombies on the periphery were traditionally scarce.

This had been their experience for a long time, so why were there so many zombies on the outskirts of City C?

Chased by zombies, Mu Chen and his companions lost track of which direction they were running.

*Tat-tat-tat—*

Gunfire that did not belong to them rang out from a high vantage point.

The zombies behind them fell to the ground one after another.

Mu Chen looked up and saw a drone high in the sky.

And on the rooftop nearby stood a few people.

The most striking among them was a young girl sitting on the edge of the rooftop, wearing a crimson dress, with her hands propped on either side, swinging her legs casually.

Despite not seeing her for some time, she still looked impeccably clean, existing in a completely different world from those of them struggling in the apocalypse.

...

Ling Qiong bit on a lollipop and led her people down from a building as the drone flew higher and drifted into the distance.

"Why are you guys here?" Mu Chen asked, puzzled.

Ling Qiong took the lollipop out of her mouth and asked, "Why are you guys here?" returning the question word for word.

"..."

The atmosphere grew slightly awkward.

Ling Qiong didn't mind, biting on her lollipop as she sized up his teammates behind him.

In the end, Mu Chen spoke first.

"...We're heading to the base in the south. There are fewer zombies over there, and it's a safe base, but we have to get through City C to reach it."

That was why they were here.

"Oh, we live here temporarily." Following the principle of reciprocity, Ling Qiong answered as well.

"You live here?"

Mu Chen felt Ling Qiong must be joking. City C's population was by no means small; it was a massive metropolis of tens of millions.

How could anyone live in a place like this?

However, Mu Chen soon realized that what she said might actually be true.

Past the point where they had met, they didn't encounter a single other zombie.

They walked down the street, and even when they made noise, no zombies appeared.

"The rest of our main force is still outside. Can we let them come in first?"

"No, too many people entering the city will attract zombies." The speaker was the bearded An Changjian.

Mentioning this, Mu Chen voiced his own confusion: "Why are the zombies all gathered on the outskirts?"

An Changjian started, "It's because—"

"You talk too much." Ling Qiong cut An Changjian off.

"No... hehe." An Changjian gave an awkward laugh. "I'm going to check on the drone."

Ling Qiong led Mu Chen into a building. The elevator was operating normally; she pressed the button and motioned for Mu Chen to step inside.

Mu Chen stepped in, but Ling Qiong stopped the people behind him with a smile, saying, "You guys wait here for a moment."

The few individuals instinctively looked toward Mu Chen.

Mu Chen nodded slightly, and only then did they back away.

The elevator brought them to the entrance of the laboratory, where the personnel inside were carrying out their respective tasks in an orderly fashion.

At the sight of unfamiliar faces, some looked on with curiosity, while others remained absorbed in their own work, having no time to pay attention.

Mu Chen's brow knitted into a deep frown.

At present, seeing a laboratory gave him a somewhat physical sense of discomfort.

"What are you researching?"

"A vaccine."

"A vaccine?"

"Mhm."

"You can develop a vaccine?"

Ling Qiong blinked. "Mr. Mu, everything is discovered through trial and error. No one can guarantee that they will succeed at something on the first try."

Mu Chen: "..."

Ling Qiong led him to a spacious room and motioned for him to sit down.

Mu Chen figured Ling Qiong must want to discuss something with him; otherwise, she wouldn't have brought him here.

As it turned out, Mu Chen's guess was correct.

Ling Qiong asked him if he would like to stay here.

"Stay here?"

"That's right."

"Why?"

Ling Qiong stated righteously, "If the vaccine really gets developed, you don't expect me to be the one worrying about how to distribute it, do you?" The male lead should do what the male lead is supposed to do!

Mu Chen: "..."

The way she said it sounded as though she was utterly certain the vaccine would be developed.

Mu Chen didn't immediately agree to Ling Qiong's offer, saying he needed to go back and discuss it with the others.