Early morning, Shen Yi was preparing some food for Su Tang, but she stopped him.
“Let’s eat in the base.”
Shen Yi didn't say anything, just heated some water for her to wash up.
As the New Year approached, the weather grew colder and colder. Knowing she was sensitive to the cold, Shen Yi used his ability to warm his hand whenever he held hers. They abandoned the car and walked for a while. As they neared the base perimeter, Su Tang said, “Let go.”
Shen Yi hesitated slightly as he released her hand. Once he let go, he didn't know when he'd be able to hold it again.
Seeing his slight dejection, Su Tang felt a rare surge of sympathy. “Alright, here’s a little treat in advance.” She quickly kissed him on the cheek.
“Can we go now?” Su Tang thought a kiss would cheer him up. He looked like a large, abandoned dog just now, which was rather heartbreaking.
But she didn't know that this kiss was like opening a floodgate for Shen Yi, releasing all the emotions he had suppressed for so long.
Instead of letting go of her hand, he pulled her into his arms. Without a word, he lowered his head and kissed her.
His kiss was fierce and urgent, but his technique was clumsy. Su Tang felt a sharp pain. She hissed, and when they parted, she saw blood on her lip.
“Shen Yi!”
She was a little angry. Kissing was fine, but drawing blood? How was she supposed to explain this when they entered the base?
However, Shen Yi didn't stop. Instead, the taste of blood seemed to ignite something within him. Ignoring the wound on her lip, he kissed her again. This time, his kiss was deeper, more possessive, and even fiercer than before.
Su Tang cried out in pain and finally, in anger, bit him hard. She tasted blood herself, her own tongue now bleeding, before the kiss finally ended.
She glared at him, but with her reddened lips, she looked more alluring than intimidating.
Shen Yi opened his mouth, then lowered his head, admitting his fault.
Su Tang sighed. She realized she was completely smitten with him, as she couldn't bring herself to scold him. “If you act recklessly again after we enter the base, I will…” She paused, her gaze traveling down his body, finally settling on a certain sensitive area.
Shen Yi froze. That was a man's lifeline! This girl was ruthless!
Perhaps the warning worked. Shen Yi finally calmed down, though the aura around him remained intense and intimidating.
Before entering the base, Su Tang made them look more disheveled. Her previous appearance resembled a tourist, but she was a survivor, and survivors needed to look the part.
Lin Yang's name carried weight. As soon as she mentioned it, the guards at the base entrance escorted her to the VIP room and asked her to wait.
It wasn't long before an officer in camouflage uniform approached.
He stood tall and straight, relatively young, but the coldness in his face was chilling. “Dr. Lin.”
Su Tang leaned weakly against the sofa, feigning exhaustion. As a fugitive, she needed to look the part, not just in her appearance but also in her demeanor. Clutching her stomach, she spoke weakly to the officer, “I don't want to talk much. Can I get something to eat first?”
The officer looked down at her, her disheveled appearance not at all resembling the rumored Dr. Lin Yang with her supposed obsession with cleanliness. Only her face seemed to fit the description.
“Wait.”
The cold voice echoed. Su Tang didn't react.
The officer seemed less interested in her and more in Shen Yi standing behind her. “Is this Dr. Lin’s experimental subject?”
Su Tang, hungry and tired, remained silent.
The officer turned his head, his brow furrowed.
After a while, food arrived. Su Tang kept her head down, eating slowly. Only after finishing did she finally look at the officer.
“Apologies, my stomach was bothering me from hunger. I hope the officer doesn't mind.”
The officer snorted and repeated his previous question.
Su Tang had prepared an explanation beforehand.
Shen Yi was her experimental subject. Although he had gone berserk midway, he was now tamed. However, there were side effects. He had lost his human emotions and was like a killing machine.
The officer's excitement was evident. “Is that true?”
Su Tang replied, “The officer can spar with him. But I must warn you, he’s a zombie now. You need to be careful of his blood.”
The officer's initial eagerness was doused like cold water. He immediately calmed down. “It’s alright. Our base has plenty of experimental subjects. Have him fight them. I need to verify how much of Dr. Lin’s words are true.”
Su Tang remained indifferent.
This base was even larger than Sector A where she had previously stayed. It made sense, considering it was the former capital, and its strength was double that of Sector A.
The officer led them to the underground experimental base warehouse, where countless grotesque creatures were imprisoned. He proudly introduced them to Su Tang. “These are all developed by our base. That one, fused with snake genes, his limbs have atrophied, but he crawls faster than we run. Of course, what's more noteworthy are his teeth; the venom within can take down hundreds of people…”
Su Tang listened impassively to his introduction. When he finished, she said, “Locked in cages means they are still out of control.”
The officer paused, then admitted, “Yes, they haven’t been successfully tamed yet. That’s why I’m curious how Dr. Lin managed to tame one.” He glanced at the expressionless Shen Yi.
The incident at Sector A had been significant, and they were all curious about the extent of a single person’s power. Now that they had finally met the person in question, they naturally wanted to test him.
“Dr. Lin, please choose one from these experimental subjects.”
There were about a hundred cages in the underground warehouse. Su Tang didn't rush to choose. Instead, she probed, “What does the officer mean by ‘out of control’?”
The officer sighed. “More than half of them retain their memories. You know, experimental subjects with memories are difficult to control.”
Su Tang felt nauseous. She had once asked the system how the zombies in this world came to be.
The system told her that a large part of it was due to human factors.
The world was evolving. Animals could evolve, so could humans. Two years ago, a super blizzard engulfed the world, causing widespread death. However, it was natural selection; those who survived mostly gained abilities.
But the heavy snow also caused widespread power outages. Coupled with various natural disasters and coincidences, experimental subjects escaped, and in significant numbers.
To develop human weapons, the security group combined volunteers with various animals. This inhumane research was the ultimate cause of the world's chaos.