novelraw Chapter 258 - 249: Stratagem
Chapter 258 - 249: Stratagem
The massive earthquake had unexpectedly exposed the zombies in the Hibernation Chambers ahead of schedule.
Gu Xi immediately realized the situation put them at a great disadvantage.
Besides their own convoy, there were at least three other groups in the vicinity: the base’s Guard Team and research institute personnel who had just fled in the chaos, plus another group whose prior encampment they had discovered. All signs pointed to the fact that this area had been under surveillance for some time.
And since those zombies had crawled out of the fissure, the storage location for the Hibernation Chambers couldn’t be far.
Anyone determined to find it wouldn’t need much time.
The situation in City A was already complex. ’And who knows how many spies are hidden even within our own convoy?’
Unsure whether the enemy possessed devastatingly powerful heavy thermonuclear weapons, Gu Xi had to resort to a clever stratagem to find the Hibernation Chambers and destroy their contents before anyone else.
So, she made a snap decision. She would play on everyone’s desire to use her to find the Hibernation Chambers and turn their own scheme against them.
She created a public diversion, drawing everyone’s attention in the opposite direction. Meanwhile, she had Ye Junhan use the mutated plant attack as cover to slip away unnoticed, head to the real location, and get to the Hibernation Chambers first.
Gu Xi’s job was to buy Ye Junhan as much time as possible.
And she had.
After her feint, she had indeed focused everyone’s attention on herself.
However... Gu Xi glanced down at the fat worm still writhing on her blade. ’Some people really think highly of me, to even bring out this long-extinct snowline worm.’
The next moment, there was a flash, and Gu Xi vanished from sight.
"So fast!" Zhang Xin was stunned, blinking hard.
The smell of blood in the air grew thicker.
Wang Yang and a few others wanted to go help, but Wei Heng stopped them. Although everyone knew by now how strong Gu Xi was, she had far too many secrets. ’It’s best to keep some of those secrets hidden,’ Wei Heng thought, ’for as long as possible.’
Seeing that Zheng was still unconscious, Qi Xiang thought for a moment, then got the car keys from Shen Yue. She went back to their vehicle and retrieved a small black box from the dented driver’s cabin.
After entering the password, she pulled out a vial of green serum, handed it to Fang Rui, and rolled up her sleeve, motioning for him to draw her blood.
Fang Rui froze, clearly having no idea what the young miss was up to.
"What are you doing?" Wei Heng asked, frowning.
Qi Xiang glanced at the syringe in Fang Rui’s hand. She was scared to death, but she put on a calm face and said nonchalantly, "Mix my blood with that serum and inject it into Zheng. Let’s see if it works."
It had been a blessing in disguise; her body’s healing ability now far surpassed that of an ordinary powered individual. Gu Xi had also said she’d taken on certain plant-like characteristics, and her life force was now exceptionally strong. Using her blood to dilute the research institute’s medicine should maximize its efficacy.
Nearby, Shen Yue glanced at the vial of green serum Qi Xiang had given Fang Rui, but said nothing.
If he recalled correctly, there were several vials of a drug with the same packaging stored in the old man’s safe in his study, but their color was noticeably paler than the one Qi Xiang had produced.
And Qi Xiang had said it was a special-purpose drug from the research institute, one that Dr. Qi had secretly given her for emergencies before she left.
After Fang Rui read the instructions for the serum, his expression also grew strange.
But he didn’t ask any questions.
After injecting Zheng with the serum diluted by Qi Xiang’s blood, Fang Rui saw Zheng’s breathing steady and some color return to his face. He let out a sigh of relief, but when his gaze happened to fall on Qi Xiang’s arm, where the needle was still inserted, he froze. "Young Miss?"
"What are you yelling about!" Qi Xiang shot him an irritated glare. His shout had made her hand tremble, driving the needle in deeper. ’Damn, that hurts!’
Qi Xiang shoved the syringe, along with the blood she’d drawn, at Fang Rui and jutted her chin toward Zheng. "You figure out the right mixture."
That fat worm had given her a sinister feeling. Zheng’s life was saved, but a full recovery would be difficult.
’Of course, with Gu Xi around, it’s not a problem.’
But after a moment’s thought, Qi Xiang felt this was something she had to do herself.
Qi Xiang pressed down on the puncture mark, grimacing in pain. ’As Gu Xi’s best friend,’ she thought, ’I have to help carry some of the load.’
Just then, Qin Shi suddenly looked back. "Listen. What’s that sound?"
The group fell silent, straining to hear.
The sky had brightened considerably. After a full night of rain, the dark clouds were gone. The cloud cover thinned, and in the east, the first hint of dawn was beginning to break.
It promised to be a clear day.
And yet, a sound carried on the wind sent a chill down their spines—it sounded like some kind of beast chewing.
’Those cocoons in the woods... Have they really hooked a big one?’
Wei Heng and Shen Yue exchanged a look, the same thought occurring to both of them.
Qian Shan, the scout, was the first to climb onto a vehicle’s roof to observe the situation.
"Mr. Wei, should I take a few of the guys and go check it out?" Wang Yang asked quietly. "Miss Gu is strong, but that noise from the woods... sounds like serious trouble."
Besides, what kind of men would they be, hiding here and taking it easy while leaving a young woman to face the danger alone?
Wei Heng had officially left the Special Service Team, but Ye Junhan had given an order before he departed: everyone was to follow Wei Heng’s lead.
As the former vice-captain, Wei Heng was well-respected within the Special Service Team. Now, all eyes were on him, waiting for his decision.
Wei Heng slowly shook his head. "No. What happened to Zheng is a cautionary tale. The enemy is likely hiding nearby, waiting to separate us so they can pick us off one by one. It’s safer for everyone to stay together for now."
He looked toward the woods. "As for what’s in there, Gu Xi can handle it."
Wei Heng knew that by choosing to be with them, Gu Xi understood she didn’t mind revealing some of her secrets.
She trusted these young men.
But both Wei Heng and Shen Yue believed the fewer people who knew Gu Xi’s secrets, the better.
This wasn’t a matter of trust.
It was that the human heart was too fragile to be tested.
Besides, there was no need to burden their comrades with such troubles...
「Meanwhile, over ten kilometers away.」
"Strange, they seem to have stopped," Lin Jin said, lying prone on the roof of the pickup truck with his sniper rifle.
"Careful, it could be a trap," Liou He said from the passenger seat, reloading as he scanned their surroundings.
They’d had a run of bad luck. Just after they’d broken out of the encirclement of mutated tree roots, the car’s signal transmitter had broken.
With the aftershocks still rolling through and the roads in chaos, they’d somehow been separated from the main group.
In the back seat, Zhao Li, one arm in a sling, was still fiddling with the communications equipment, trying to contact the others. Hearing his companion’s words, he suddenly recalled something—before the great earthquake, Ye Nan and Xu Hai had come to see him together.
"Our vehicle might have been sprayed with some chemical."
Zhao Li explained what had happened.
Liou He and Lin Jin were shocked.
"Ye wouldn’t do that..." Lin Jin said instinctively.
"It wasn’t Ye," Zhao Li said, recalling the scene. "Xu Hai must have used her..."
"But how would they know this area was infested with mutated rats?"
Of all the mutated animals, the Special Service Team dreaded facing mutated rats the most. Individually, they weren’t very lethal, but they swarmed in the tens of thousands. As the saying goes, even ants can take down an elephant if there are enough of them.
Suddenly, the ground trembled violently.
With a SCREECH, Zhang Wen slammed on the brakes.
’Wait, did I just see Miss Gu?’