Chapter 006: Setting Out Once More

“Just now I noticed that child’s face was smeared with blood. Could it have been him?”
“That’s almost certain. There was no third person at the scene, and most importantly, the little one himself was completely unharmed. It seems his brother couldn’t bring himself to hurt him.”
For reasons she couldn’t explain, Han Xue found herself warming a little to Xu Lang.
But the beastification disease brought severe complications, and this sudden realization weighed heavily on both of them.
When the fate of the world hangs in the balance, every person is responsible.
In the face of such a crisis, no one could stand by and do nothing.
Even Han Xue, at that moment, felt a flicker of purpose, though that sense of duty pressed down on her like a stone.
She hated this feeling.
Her dream had been to remain a blissfully naive girl, clever and emotionally intelligent, but the world no longer allowed for such innocence.
They returned to the jeep, one after the other, each lost in thought, so neither spoke. The silence in the car was stifling.
Wang Dawei, hearing them return, asked, “What happened? Why is it so quiet now?”
Zhou Yirong sighed and said, “We discovered that the beastification disease leads to severe complications. Once it erupts, people lose all sense of kinship. The consequences are dire.”
“And that crying just now?”
“That child—after he was infected, he bit his own brother, leaving him critically injured. Once he regained his senses, he just sat there crying...”
Wang Dawei opened his mouth, but couldn’t find any words.
What could he say?
At present, with the global infection rate of beastification disease over 99.9%, if what Zhou Yirong said was true, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Every person would be a ticking time bomb.
The entire world could spiral out of control at any moment.
Civilians would panic, the military would fall into chaos, government institutions would collapse—everything would become a mess...
Wang Dawei was a soldier, one who followed orders without question. He was not afraid of death; he could charge through hails of bullets, face one-in-ten odds on the operating table without blinking.
But now, hearing someone say the whole world might soon fall, he felt a rare pang of fear.
“What should we do?”
“Is there anything I can do to help?”
Wang Dawei’s voice was low, his heavy breathing betraying his inner turmoil.
Zhou Yirong was lost too.
He might be an expert in this field, but in the end, he was just one man.
Perhaps only movie heroes could save the world single-handedly.
Suddenly, Han Xue leapt from her seat. “Quick! Hurry! That child is the first living case we’ve found—we need to take him with us!”
Zhou Yirong immediately understood, grabbed the emergency kit, and ran toward the ruined factory.
“Xue, I’ll go stop the bleeding. Bring the surgical supplies!”
He didn’t need to say more—Han Xue was already preparing quickly: antiseptic, scalpel, rubber tubing, suture needles...
Within minutes, Xu Lang’s fate became their top priority.
Because, at that moment, everyone in the jeep needed him alive; only if he survived would Rong Hao willingly follow them, cooperate with their research, and offer no resistance—perhaps even help them.
It was more than pity for Xu Lang now—it was about his value.
The nature of their actions might have become a little cruel, but if the ending could be a happy one, then no sacrifice would be too great.
...
Xu Lang’s wounds were clustered mostly on his upper body, with three particularly severe gashes where the flesh had been laid open—a truly grisly sight.
Zhou Yirong could hardly believe such injuries had been inflicted by a child whose only response now was tears.
Beside him, Han Xue proved to be a capable assistant—handing over scissors and gauze, wiping away sweat, helping with the disinfecting...
After an hour, all the external wounds were stitched up; the rest would depend on Xu Lang’s own resilience.
But as things stood, his chances of survival seemed slim.
The main problem was massive blood loss, and in the dead of night, there was no way to obtain more blood.
Han Xue, panting, sat on the ground, exhausted.
Zhou Yirong was faring better—he’d once spent over twenty hours straight on his feet in surgery.
“We need to find blood for him soon, or he won’t make it,” Han Xue said.
Zhou Yirong nodded. “Rest a bit. I’ll test his blood type.”
A moment later, Zhou Yirong made a small sound of surprise.
“What is it?” Han Xue asked.
“It’s quite a coincidence—he’s O type, same as me.”
Han Xue got up, dusted off her pants, and said, “Is that all? That’s no problem, I’m O type too!”
“Are you sure?”
“Are you kidding? Why would I lie to you?”
Zhou Yirong froze, realizing he’d stumbled upon a possible connection.
He’d just examined Xu Lang and found that he, too, had not contracted beastification disease.
Back at the institute, only he and Wang Dawei had remained uninfected—and Wang Dawei was O type as well!
That meant all four people he knew who hadn’t been infected shared the same blood type. Could this be the key they’d been searching for?
...
The jeep was suddenly bustling.
There were two more people in the back: Xu Lang and Rong Hao.
Xu Lang and Wang Dawei lay side by side, both firmly strapped down, while little Rong Hao was tied securely to the seat beside them.
Zhou Yirong, wary of a sudden relapse, preferred to take precautions.
But Rong Hao didn’t cry or struggle. He just sat quietly, looking down at Xu Lang.
The jeep continued on.
They passed a small roadside shop, and after some thought, Zhou Yirong called the institute.
He gave a detailed report on Rong Hao’s situation and stressed the possibility of sudden beastification complications, warning the institute and the relevant authorities to prepare.
Though the crisis would be hard to contain, it was better to be forewarned than caught unprepared.
...
At the same time, the institute relayed two messages.
First, Professor Han Yi was no longer head of the special research task force.
Second, Zhou Yirong’s escape had been quietly covered up—the higher-ups neither endorsed nor condemned him, as if he no longer existed.
After hanging up, Zhou Yirong didn’t know what to feel.
Once, he’d been the pride of his village.
Now, he was destined to slip into obscurity.
His parents, his brothers and sisters back home...
He stood by the phone for a while, then sighed and returned to the car.
As a researcher, there were many things he’d have to let go—sometimes, even love itself.
Han Xue sat quietly in the passenger seat, a thick needle inserted into her arm, blood flowing steadily into a transfusion bag.
They didn’t have time to stop, nor dared they risk using blood from a local bank, so they decided to solve the problem among themselves.
Since everyone was O type and uninfected, they could trust each other’s blood.
The engine started.
Zhou Yirong glanced at Han Xue and asked, “Why so quiet today?”
Han Xue stared at the blood bag, dazed. “I was wondering... if my blood is transfused into him, will that make us blood relatives?”
“Why would you think that? Of course not!”
Her large, luminous eyes were filled with melancholy. “I know it won’t, but think about it... he’s about my age, and in the future...”
She didn’t finish, but Zhou Yirong’s expression had already frozen.
“Are you trying to say that, when you’re bored and lonely, you could... Never mind, that’s disgusting. I’m done with you.”
Han Xue propped her chin in her hand, blinking in helpless frustration.
“Xu Lang is pretty ugly, and he’s covered in scars, but if I can’t help my loneliness one day...”
“You think that will affect the baby in the future?”
Restless, Han Xue gazed out the window, then remembered something else.
“I’m only sixteen! Even if I can’t control myself, I can’t have a baby. I’m still a kid myself! That’s right—I can’t have a baby. If I want fun, I’ll just have to manage on my own!”
Zhou Yirong drove on, face expressionless and eyes fixed on the road, as if he were the only one in the vehicle.
Wang Dawei, in the back, was often amused by Han Xue’s antics, though his laughter was always cut short by a bout of coughing.
In the face of overwhelming hardship, everyone found their own way to cope.
Han Xue mostly joked at her own expense, while Zhou Yirong and Wang Dawei tended to bottle things up.
As for Xu Lang and Rong Hao, the newly arrived pair, they maintained a deep, unbroken silence.
Xu Lang slept heavily, while Rong Hao sat watchfully by, afraid that he might miss the moment his brother awoke.