“I said you are, so you are,” Fu Chen said domineeringly.
Bai Qingqing hummed but didn’t argue with him.
Fu Chen asked her, “Why don’t you want to go down?”
Bai Qingqing couldn’t tell him that she didn’t want to go downstairs because there were too many people in the Fu family. It would make anyone uncomfortable to hear that she didn’t like to meet family members.
So she diverted her gaze and casually said while pointing to her mouth, “Look, it’s all your fault. My mouth looks like this. How can I face people?”
“It’s my fault,” Fu Chen readily admitted.
Seeing that he apologized so quickly, Bai Qingqing didn’t say anything further and asked, “I heard that the Jingzhou Base has developed a virus vaccine. Is that true?”
If Li Jin was so capable and managed to obtain the virus source and develop a vaccine, then humans wouldn’t have to fear zombies in the future.
Fu Chen’s dark eyes sank slightly, and he said, “It’s still under research. The virus vaccine developed so far has side effects and may not be effective.”
Bai Qingqing muttered to herself, knowing that it couldn’t be that simple. Since heaven had bestowed this apocalyptic disaster, no matter how powerful humanity became, it wouldn’t be able to turn the tide in just a few years.
She knew that Fu Chen cared about the future of humanity, so she held his hand and said in a warm voice, “We have to believe in Li Jin. Since he has initially developed a vaccine, he will definitely research a perfect antidote for the virus.”
Fu Chen grasped her hand in return and said, “Is the experimental subject from the Death City Virus Research Institute still in your space?”
“It’s still there,” Bai Qingqing looked at him and asked, “Do we need to send it to the research institute now?”
“Not in a hurry. We’ll send it tomorrow,” Fu Chen replied.
Bai Qingqing nodded and asked again, “Is the virus vaccine effective against zombies?”
“Zombies?” Fu Chen questioned.
Bai Qingqing lowered her eyelashes slightly and said, “Is there a possibility of developing a vaccine that can cure zombies, even after they have been infected?”
She was thinking about the settings in many books where zombies could be restored to humans. If a virus antidote was really developed, could it save those zombies and correct this wrong world?
Fu Chen’s handsome face remained expressionless as he calmly said, “The virus antidote only works on humans. Once a zombie is infected, the virus destroys their body systems. Even if they receive a vaccine, their bodies cannot fully recover.”
Pausing for a moment, he added, “The same applies to high-level zombies.”
The so-called virus vaccine is for prevention of infection. After injection, it can defend against the zombie virus damaging the human body. Therefore, those zombies infected with the virus are the living dead and can never be restored.
Bai Qingqing sighed in her heart. Even though she knew the answer, she still felt somewhat disappointed.
The next day.
Bai Qingqing went to the research institute of the Jingzhou Base with everyone. The research institute was filled with a sense of technology, and the researchers in their white protective suits hurriedly worked at their posts.
When Li Jin saw Bai Qingqing again, a look of joy appeared on his face. He walked over and extended his hand to greet her, “Miss Bai.”
Bai Qingqing shook his hand politely and said, “Dr. Li, you can call me Qingqing.”
“It’s great that you’re still alive,” Li Jin sighed.
The image of this seemingly fragile girl from the Death City, bravely fighting zombies to protect him, was still vivid in his mind. When he returned to the Jingzhou Base alive and learned about her death, he felt guilty and sad for a long time. Fortunately, she was still alive.
Bai Qingqing took out the experimental subject from her space and said, “Dr. Li, I’m handing this experimental subject to you. Good luck, I hope you can save all of humanity.”
Li Jin looked at everyone, his expression firm and radiant, his tone serious and solemn. He said, “Don’t worry, I will do my utmost to research and develop the antidote.”
Since Li Jin still had work to do, the others didn’t want to disturb him and had the assistant take them on a tour.
The assistant led them to another laboratory where a zombie and some animals were kept. These were living creatures used for preliminary experiments.
“This is the newly developed virus vaccine. The mice that have been injected with the vaccine are still under observation. It will take at least four cycles to see the final results.”
Four cycles would roughly take about a month. The third wave of the zombie tide had just passed, and both the Zombie Emperor and his subordinate zombie kings were injured. Humanity had a little breathing space.
Liang Zhiyu and Cheng Rui were the leaders of the two major bases and couldn’t stay in the Jingzhou Base for too long. They would return to their bases in a few days.
Bai Qingqing had nothing to do during the day and went into her space to clean up many expired supplies. Looking at the space that had lost more than half of its resources, she sighed in her heart. Humanity had to find a way to save themselves.
The supplies could be worn out a bit more, and they could persist in using them for a few more years. As for food, they had to find a way to develop new lands.
The grains in the granary had exceeded their shelf life, and even if they sent out a team of ability users, they could hardly find any edible resources. The missions of the base’s ability users now mainly involved hunting zombies and searching for scarce resources.
Using her points, she cultivated several acres of land to grow vegetables and fruits, and she had the plant-like beings help with the work. Coming out of her space, she prepared to go around the Jingzhou Base.
She had been living in the forest for the past year, wearing clothes that were stored from previous supplies. It had been a long time since she bought anything new. The Jingzhou Base was well-planned, and those with money could enjoy themselves to the fullest.
She had stored many gold bars and jewellery in her space, which should be able to be taken out and exchanged for money.
The ancient Tang sword that Fu Chen had given her was particularly useful. Unfortunately, that detestable female zombie had broken her sword, so she wanted to see if there was anyone who could repair it.
Just as she was about to leave, a servant ran over with a worried expression. “Miss Bai, where are you going?”
“Going out for a stroll,” she replied.
The servant immediately said, “I’ll accompany you.”
The Jingzhou Base was filled with all sorts of people, and in case someone provoked Miss Bai without knowing better, it would be troublesome. Her task was to protect Miss Bai.
Bai Qingqing could tell that this girl was not an ordinary servant but a fifth-level ability user, someone skilled in combat. She was probably assigned as a bodyguard by Fu Chen.
She didn’t refuse. It was good to have someone accompany her while carrying the bags.
After strolling for the entire afternoon and buying many things, she unfortunately couldn’t find anyone to repair her Tang sword. In the evening, she returned to the Fu family and ran into Cheng Rui head-on. The tall figure of the man stood at the staircase, silently looking at her, hesitating to speak.
Bai Qingqing smiled at him and said, “
You and Liang Zhiyu are returning to the base tomorrow?”
Cheng Rui nodded.
Bai Qingqing’s clear eyes flickered slightly as she said, “Wishing you a smooth journey.”
She briskly walked upstairs without noticing the man’s desolate gaze behind her.
Back in her room, Bai Qingqing instructed her female bodyguard, “Alright, just leave the things here, you can go.”
The female bodyguard put down the bags and left. After rubbing her shoulders, she realized how sore she was after accompanying the leader woman for a day of shopping. As a highly physically fit soldier, she felt all over sore from just one day.
Bai Qingqing took out all the newly purchased clothes and threw them onto the bed. She stood by the bedside, taking out one item at a time and gesturing in front of the mirror.
The Jingzhou Base truly lived up to its reputation as the largest surviving human base. The designer styles were bold, and these clothes suited her, a beautiful and charming girl.
Shopping was indeed exhilarating, and her mood was good for the entire evening. The farewell banquet for Liang Zhiyu and Cheng Rui was scheduled for tonight, and she finally decided to go downstairs and dine with everyone.
The Fu family members didn’t show any surprise when they saw her. They appeared calm, particularly indifferent, not overly enthusiastic. Their conversation made people feel comfortable.
At 10 o’clock at night, Bai Qingqing was still awake, playing games on her phone. She heard a knocking sound on the floor-to-ceiling glass door of the villa. She looked up and saw a tall figure standing outside, their gazes meeting through the glass.
Bai Qingqing put down her phone, put on her slippers, and went over to the door without opening it. “What are you doing here?”
She had a whimsical thought. He was leaving tomorrow, could it be that he wanted to abduct her as well? She remembered the setting in the original book, and these men were capable of such things.
Bathed in the cold moonlight, the man’s features became even more refined and elegant. When he smiled, there was a hint of a refined and dissolute aura, charming yet provocative.
“Qingqing, you’ve changed. You wouldn’t have been so wary of me in the past,” Liang Zhiyu said, piercing through her thoughts.
Bai Qingqing felt a little embarrassed at being seen through. She paused for a few seconds, then opened the floor-to-ceiling glass door and said, “I didn’t expect even a gentleman like Dr. Liang to climb balconies.”
“No one said that a gentleman can’t climb balconies.” Liang Zhiyu walked to the white stone railing and said gently, “Come over and chat with me.”
Bai Qingqing walked over and stood next to him. She asked, “What do you want to talk about?”
“I came to retrieve my painting.” Liang Zhiyu looked at her delicate profile and said, “Do you remember in Wudu City, you said you wanted to give me the painting?”
Bai Qingqing remembered that painting. She hadn’t had the chance to give it to Liang Zhiyu and hastily stored it in her space. It must have gathered dust after a year, and she was surprised that he had been thinking about it.
She took out the painting from her space and handed it to him. “Here you go.”
Liang Zhiyu took the painting, and his brows and eyes softened. His well-defined fingers gently wiped away the dust, as if he was treating a lover, making the onlookers blush and their hearts race.
“You like this painting so much?” Bai Qingqing couldn’t help but ask.
Liang Zhiyu raised his gaze to look at her and said with a meaningful tone, “It’s not the painting I like.” He hinted, “It’s because of the owner of the painting that I’ve come to care about it.”
Bai Qingqing averted her eyes uneasily. He had laid bare his thoughts, but she couldn’t and wouldn’t respond.
Liang Zhiyu let out a soft sigh, holding the painting as he looked at her. He asked, “Qingqing, have you really made up your mind?”
“Hmm?” Bai Qingqing looked at him.
Emotions surged in Liang Zhiyu’s eyes as he said in a deep voice, “You’ve chosen Fu Chen.”
Bai Qingqing’s eyelashes trembled, and she pursed her lips without saying anything. But her demeanour clearly told him that she had already made her choice.
Liang Zhiyu felt unwilling, yet he maintained his composure. He wasn’t like Cheng Rui, who was reticent, nor like Xiao Yang, who was impulsive and wilful. Even though he wanted to claim her for himself based on his love, he couldn’t do it.
He understood that it was impossible.
He couldn’t bind her.
This beautiful and radiant girl was like the sun, shining brightly and irresistibly.
Liang Zhiyu asked, “Are you not angry that Fu Chen faked his death to deceive you?”
“I am angry,” Bai Qingqing spoke frankly.
Liang Zhiyu’s eyes under the golden-rimmed glasses darkened slightly, and with a hint of temptation, he said, “Shall I help you get back at him?” Bai Qingqing’s first instinct told her that the old fox was playing with schemes again. She asked, “How do you plan to get back at him?”
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