After a while, Zhou Rong picked up Si Nan horizontally, letting his arms hook around his neck, and walked towards the dormitory on the other side of the island.
“What are you laughing at?” Si Nan asked softly.
Zhou Rong said: “I was thinking about what Romulus said about you in the cafeteria…”
“Stabbing everyone to death with a spoon?”
Zhou Rong lowered his head, with Si Nan’s face pressed against his neck; from his angle, he could only see Si Nan’s raised corner of the mouth: “It’s true.”
“But that doesn’t seem like your character.”
Si Nan countered: “Do you even know what kind of person I am?”
Zhou Rong pondered for a moment, smiling: “Being able to stop on a street surrounded by zombies and actively rescue a group of strangers trapped in a parking lot, that’s probably enough to tell what kind of person you are!”
The smile at the corner of Si Nan’s mouth widened: “Well, I think I could brag about this for a lifetime… Hey!”
Zhou Rong laughed and slapped his buttocks hard.
They walked through the long road across the parking area with withered grass covering the roadsides stretching to the night sky, distant street lights flickering with faint halos. Si Nan’s lips pressed against Zhou Rong’s warm, soft neck hollow, lost in thought, and after a long time suddenly softly said: “Because there was a drug in the food.”
“Hmm?”
Edited Content:
“After I got the water, when I came back and took a bite, I noticed something was wrong. No matter who put the drug in the meal, I gave them a chance to leave, and those who didn’t want to leave were definitely accomplices.” Zhou Rong “Ah-” nodded: “Makes perfect sense.” “White Eagle Base is not a good place,” Si Nan said. “If someone has to die, I just want to make sure that person isn’t me.” Zhou Rong repeated again: “Makes perfect sense.” His voice carried a slight hint of a smile.
“The next day, General Zheng’s special order for Zhou Rong was finally published. Chun Cao, Yan Hao, Ding Shi, and Guo Weixiang were assigned to the special operations group, led by Tang Hao, to search for the ultimate antibody sample that fell down the valley in a zombie-dense land.”
Zhou Rong was specially appointed to return to his old job as a central guard.
At the military area gate in the distance, a military green jeep reflected light in the sunshine, Chun Cao and Yan Hao fully armed, Zhou Rong in a white T-shirt, black short jacket and long pants, light and neat, saying goodbye to his team members one by one.
Tang Hao sat impatiently in the driver’s seat, supporting his forehead and frequently checking his watch, showing his patience was gradually reaching its limit.
”Take the communicator, call Brother Rong at critical moments, Brother Rong will provide remote technical guidance…” Zhou Rong finally patted Chun Cao’s head, forcibly hooking Yan Hao’s shoulder, laughing carefree: “Hoping our former 118th Sixth Squadron members will be brave, face difficulties, and successfully clear the map and get equipment.”
Tang Hao roared: “Who’s non-lucky?! Zhou Rong!” Tang Hao slammed the car door angrily, and before he could walk forward, the four former 118 special forces turned around simultaneously.
They stared at each other for a while. Tang Hao covered his forehead and sighed: “You guys should calm down, the fighter jet is taking off in ten minutes, what time is it!”
Guo Weixiang seemed to want to say something, but was pulled back by Yan Hao, who shook his head slightly.
“Okay, let’s go.” Yan Hao picked up the thirty-kilogram equipment bag from the ground, threw it over his shoulder, and took the initiative to give Zhou Rong a tight hug: “Brother Rong hasn’t treated us to a meal after his promotion, remember to not escape this meal when we come back successfully with the antibody.”
Zhou Rong said: “Mm, okay, all-you-can-eat spicy vegetable noodles in the first cafeteria.”
Guo Weixiang: “I have nothing to say, I only recognize Brother Rong as my captain…” Before finishing, he was hit hard by Zhou Rong, his heroic words swallowed back.
Zhou Rong: “Scram!”
Zhou Rong watched them walk out one by one. However, Ding Shi did not respond to her gaze, deliberately keeping his head down like a boy who had done something wrong, quickly diving into the jeep.
Tang Hao finally honked the horn, the car slowly turned, raising dust as it drove towards the port. Zhou Rong took out a cigarette box, flicked out a cigarette, and took a long drag.
“Hey!” Zhou Rong called out loudly. Jiu Hua, the major, turned back and unexpectedly caught the cigarette box he tossed.
Jiu Hua smiled with slightly reddened eyes, mouthing a “thank you” to Zhou Rong.
On the third floor in the distance, wisps of white tea steam blurred Si Nan’s eyebrows and eyes.
“Zhou Rong really wants to go,” he suddenly said softly.
Ning Yu, concentrating on the microscope, hummed: “So why doesn’t he?”
Si Nan coldly said: “Because your damn experiment isn’t finished yet.”
Ning Yu sighed, “It’s okay. Soon we’ll have preliminary synthetic antibodies, though only suitable for those with excellent genes. We can implement it within special forces, giving soldiers the ability to quickly heal after zombie bites.”
Si Nan said nothing about the last sentence but glanced at Ning Yu.
“What?”
Si Nan said flatly: “This is the most human-like thing you’ve said since I’ve known you.”
Ning Yu immediately returned to his sharp self: “If you can’t speak Chinese properly, say less. What kind of crappy description is that? Come here, let me give you a vaccine shot… Hey, where are you going!”
Si Nan drank his hot tea in one gulp and walked out without looking back: “Going to Chinese supplementary classes.”
Zhou Rong squinted in the dazzling sunlight. Si Nan’s figure crossed the open ground, walking towards him against the gentle breeze.
Jiu Hua had already left. The military area was deserted, with sentries standing straight as spears in the guard posts. Zhou Rong watched Si Nan approach, smoking, then suddenly spread his arms lazily: “Hey, come here!”
Zhou Rong slyly countered: “How did I comfort you when you were in a bad mood last night?”
Si Nan thought for a moment and sincerely said: “Okay.” Then he suddenly bent down and, mimicking how Zhou Rong had carried him back to the dormitory last night, lifted Zhou Rong horizontally.
“Hahaha—” Zhou Rong’s uncontrolled laughter echoed across the open ground, nearly causing the two nearby sentries’ eyes to pop out.
Si Nan carried Zhou Rong, who was four inches taller, chest out and holding his breath, walking twenty meters before finally collapsing with a thud, both of them rolling on the ground, covered in dust.
Moments later, parachutes opened one after another, swaying in the gaze of zombies from miles around, drifting towards the canyon.
Chun Cao landed from the parachute pack, rolled on the ground, and quickly drew her assault rifle.
The nearby mountain path was a necessary route for zombie migration. Groups of zombies, ragged and with dark, withered faces, growled and converged on her.
Chun Cao fired rapidly, her machine gun’s muzzle spitting fire, blowing the zombies’ heads apart. More zombies approached from the distance. As she raised her gun, she suddenly saw a parachute overhead rapidly approaching, quickly crossing the stream and flying straight towards the mountain wall.
“Ahhhhh—”
In an instant, Chun Cao recognized the voice and was horrified: “No! Yan Hao!!”
Bang!
Chun Cao covered her eyes, unable to bear watching.
At the canyon’s height, Yan Hao slammed face-first into the mountain wall, the parachute slowly falling behind him.
Chun Cao: “…Team Flower, are you okay, Team Flower?
After a while, Yan Hao struggled to turn his head, dizzy and bruised, with two streams of nosebleed flowing down as he spoke:
“Not very good…”
