Chapter 62: The Turning Point – Part 3

There are three ways to correct this mistake: directly inject ordinary people and let the gene medicine fight their immune systems alone; or develop gene medicine that the immune system won't reject; or directly inject the medicine into the relevant tissue, such as the liver, to complete the gene segment replacement before the rejection response begins. This would first confirm the feasibility of the method, then proceed with molecular-level adjustments to reduce the rejection reaction.

Considering time and risk, the last method is the simplest and most effective. However, Tu Hongye doubted that Xiong Xiaolu would allow him to stab a sufficiently long injection needle directly into her body, even under the pretense of treatment. Unless her IQ had dropped below eighty, she would hesitate repeatedly. He could control Xiong Xiaolu with some medication and achieve the same effect, but handling the aftermath would be troublesome. Drawing blood from a test subject was one thing; if she complained of illegal experimentation or mysteriously disappeared, that would be quite another.

At the critical moment of personnel replacement and power transfer, getting caught with a slip-up by someone with malicious intent would be too costly.

It would be ideal to have a test subject who wouldn’t resist.

That thought flashed through his mind, along with a rather suitable target.

A Harbin test subject infected with the zombie virus but unconscious in bed due to an unexpected attack.

Han Li.

After packing the medicines needed to take back to the capital base and giving Mai Rujing some special instructions, Tu Hongye carried the refrigerated bag and boarded the return helicopter in the pre-dawn darkness.

At this moment, Wang Chen was unaware that the woman he cared about was being treated as a test subject by an extraordinary scientist. His own life was also under threat, as a deranged half-grown boy was planning to sacrifice everyone in the substation to avenge his grandfather.

Compared to the well-armed and heavily protected forward base, the Zero Eight Squad’s shelter was measly in comparison. Forget about separate bedrooms; as the number of women and children brought by Cui Yongzhi increased, the kids were assigned to beds in a bedroom, while the adults simply slept on the floor of the substation’s machine room, with a curtain hung between men and women as a simple divider. The rest would wait until daylight.

All survivors of the catastrophe, despite the damp cold ground, had laid down seat covers taken from the bus and patched-up old advertising cloth. In this very safe environment, free from zombie attacks, snores rose and fell in waves, yet no one complained.

Almost everyone was sleeping like the dead.

Almost.

Zhou Anwen fumbled in the dark, holding a knife. He knew time was running out; dawn was near. But the machine room was crowded with sleeping people, their forms shadowy and indistinct. The half-grown boy was reckless and impatient; the fiery anger from losing his family continuously burned inside him. After searching a few times, Zhou Anwen could no longer restrain himself. He randomly picked a figure near the curtain and plunged the knife in hard.

He didn’t even think about covering the victim’s mouth or slitting the throat to silence them; he stabbed recklessly.

Describing the scream as earth-shattering might be an exaggeration, but an older woman nearly had a heart attack. Luckily, the medicine was not a scarce drug, and since the woman carried it with her, no one died.

After the ensuing chaos, the defiant troublemaker was taken to the clearing outside the substation. Wang Chen looked toward the faint dawn in the east and sighed inwardly. That night, he had truly gotten no sleep.

Not just Wang Chen—everyone in Zero Eight Squad was yawning nonstop. With limited food and the morning fire to wake them, no one showed any kindness toward Zhou Anwen. The injured civilian was a fat man; the knife had pierced his shoulder, but the blade just grazed the bone and did not penetrate deeply. Thankfully, no major blood vessel was cut. After a simple stitch and bandage to stop the bleeding, he sat nearby, fuming and waiting to see how Wang Chen would deal with the boy who had attacked him without cause.

Zhou Anwen himself glared viciously at everyone. If not for the rag stuffed in his mouth, he might have sworn at them all.

Wang Chen had initially wanted to ask why the boy had stabbed someone. But judging by the kid’s attitude, he suddenly lost interest in questioning him. He waved his hand dismissively: “Kick him out. Zero Eight Squad’s base doesn’t need this kind of punk.”

Though his tone was mild, the crowd stirred uneasily. Everyone knew that zombies were multiplying rapidly. Throwing the half-grown boy out, leaving him to wander alone, meant he might survive the day by luck—or, if unlucky, be swarmed and devoured as soon as he rounded the mountain’s foot.

Wasn’t that punishment too harsh?

“He’s still a child!” a woman in the crowd finally objected.

“Is he? To me, fourteen or fifteen years old already means at least half the capacity of an adult. Since he hurt someone, he must bear the consequences! No one died, so I’m not demanding blood for blood! This is a chaotic world; strict laws must be enforced! Don’t talk to me about juvenile justice!” Wang Chen decided to set the rules firmly with this incident. He raised his voice: “If anyone thinks this is unfair and wants leniency, ask the injured man here if he agrees!”

Feeling all eyes on him, the injured man, who had been scowling, suddenly grew awkward. He moved his lips a few times and said harshly, “Anyway, I didn’t take that knife for nothing! If it had been a few centimeters off, I’d be dead! Anyone who talks big can come stand here and get stabbed too—I won’t hold back!”

Silence fell over the crowd.

Saintly hypocrites always say a lot but do nothing, only supporting those they deem weak without understanding the causes. When it’s time to stand up for the ‘weak,’ well—ha.

Wang Chen didn’t care much about these self-righteous types; he just disliked people stirring trouble for no reason. He fanned the flames further by saying, “If anyone sympathizes with Zhou Anwen and wants to leave with him, I won’t stand in their way. I’ll even give one day’s food and a cold weapon for self-defense.”

No one stepped forward.

No one was foolish.

Wang Chen was tired of wasting words with them. Civilians and comrades were different. He took two steps forward and stood before Zhou Anwen. No matter how brave or fierce the half-grown boy was, he could not compare to Wang Chen, who held many lives in his hands. The cold aura he casually radiated made the boy’s fierce glare vanish, replaced by a fearful, evasive look.

“My principle is that those who make mistakes must bear the consequences. Don’t think you can act recklessly just because you’re young. If you think it’s unfair to be kicked out, feel free to come back and kill me. I’ll be waiting.” After saying this, Wang Chen straightened up and walked away as if discarding a piece of garbage, not sparing Zhou Anwen another glance.