Jin Xuyan listened without interrupting. Only after they had all spoken did he finally say, "Being injured by zombies doesn't always mean you will turn into one. There is a chance you might awaken an ability power."
As soon as he finished speaking, he opened his palm, and in an instant, a whip of black flame ignited above it.
The soldiers' eyes widened in shock and amazement. Some wondered if exhaustion caused their eyes to play tricks on them.
Jin Xuyan clenched his fist, extinguishing the flame and continued, "When I was injured before, I developed a high fever. But when I woke up, I had the ability to summon fire."
One of the injured soldiers hesitated before asking, "Captain, do we really have hope?"
Jin Xuyan nodded and replied, "I have noticed that those who mutate usually show symptoms within two hours after being bitten. If you haven't turned by then, there is a chance you will awaken an ability instead. So far, the only sign of awakening ability that I know of is a high fever."
His gaze swept over them as he continued, "For the next two hours, each of you will be tied up and supervised by five men. If any of you show signs of turning into a zombie, I will personally send you off."
"But until the last second, I won't give up on you, and you are not allowed to give up either. This is an order!" he added sternly.
The soldiers' morale, once at its lowest, lifted instantly. As long as there was hope, they refused to surrender to despair.
Seeing the renewed determination in their eyes, Jin Xuyan nodded and said, "Zhang Yuan, tie them up and assign five men to watch over them. The rest of you, take a ten-minute break and clean up the area."
"Yes, Captain!"
After issuing his orders, Jin Xuyan turned and walked toward the mini-market near the rest area. He unsheathed his longsword before pushing the door open.
The moment the door was opened, a zombie lunged at him.
Before its sharp claws could touch his body, he swung his longsword in a clean arc. A second later, the zombie's head rolled to the ground, and its body collapsed with a dull thud.
After killing the zombie, Jin Xuyan pulled a flashlight from his pocket and illuminated the dark room.
As he walked down the aisle, he noticed that aside from a thin layer of dust, the only footprints on the floor were the messy, dragging tracks left by the zombie he had just killed.
Once he finished checking the storefront, he moved to the counter and spotted a door behind it. This time, he approached cautiously, pressing his ear against the door to listen for any sounds.
He waited for five minutes and didn't hear any sound coming from inside. Afterward, he pushed the door open and stepped inside.
The beam of his flashlight swept through the room, revealing something unexpected. The room was actually the warehouse. Though it was only about 100 square meters in size, the supplies inside were abundant and varied.
With this amount of supplies, they could last his team for at least three months.
As he considered how to transport everything, a thought crossed his mind—how useful it would be to have someone with a space storage ability.
But then, remembering human nature in these chaotic times, a sneer appeared on his lips. Even if he found someone with such ability-power, would he dare entrust all their supplies to that person?
The answer was obvious. No.
He threw that thought to the back of his mind and checked every corner of the warehouse. After ensuring that there was no zombie inside, he returned to the storefront.
The moment he stepped outside, a soldier hurried over and reported, "Captain, we found ten oil drums full of gasoline."
Jin Xuyan nodded and said, "Load them onto the truck and fill up the truck and jeep's fuel. There is food and water inside—bring some to everyone so they can eat."
"Yes, Captain."
The soldier was excited by the abundant supplies and rushed into the mini-market to gather water and bread for his comrades.
Thinking of the wounded, Jin Xuyan headed back inside. He grabbed several plastic bags and filled them with water, jelly drink, and fever medicine before making his way to the injured soldiers.
Seeing them leaning against the wall with pale faces, he patted the shoulder of a nearby soldier and said, "Help me feed them."
Hearing his order, the soldiers nodded and immediately assisted their comrades, giving them water and food.
Jin Xuyan knelt beside one of the injured soldiers, who was sleeping fitfully with a deep frown. He unscrewed a bottle of water and reached out, pressing two fingers against the soldier's forehead.
The burning hot temperature scalded the back of his fingers. Having a fever was a good sign.
Without wasting time, he fed him fever medicine and water. Since the soldier was too weak to chew, he gave him a jelly drink to ensure he wouldn't starve.
Zhang Yuan was feeding the soldier lying on the side, saw the soldier's flushed cheeks, and asked, "Captain, what's wrong with Xiao Qi?"
Jin Xuyan didn't answer immediately. Instead, he unbuttoned Xiao Qi's shirt and inspected his wounds. Seeing no sign of mutation, he finally said, "There is medicine inside the mini-market. Go get it and use it to treat their wounds."
"Understood," Zhang Yuan nodded and quickly went to the mini-market.
While Zhang Yuan went to fetch the medicine, Jin Xuyan checked the others. Out of the eight wounded, only one showed signs of mutation. His best friend.
The flesh around Qin Luzi's wound had already begun to rot and his temperature slowly dropped.