Chapter 39

Su Hao looked around the room, but found nothing out of the ordinary. He refocused his gaze on the deceased, staring for a long time. He noticed that something heavy was in the left pocket of the white coat, pulling the fabric down and making the body look odd.

He reached into the pocket and pulled out a miniature recorder. The device was exquisite, about the size of a lighter. Su Hao studied it for a few minutes, then pressed the triangular play button. A pale blue light immediately emitted from the top of the slender device, projecting onto the opposite wall, forming an image that could be adjusted for clarity by changing the distance.

On the screen appeared a young, slender soldier in a white coat. From the shoulder insignia and the resume on his chest, it was clear that this was the body in the swivel chair. He had high cheekbones, sharp, piercing eyes, and a face filled with doubt and gravity.

"It is now 6:47 PM on May 29, 2020. Alert! The prototype drug transportation plan is likely a scam. We dispatched all armed personnel for escort, but received a final communication that the entire escort team was wiped out. I believe this incident is related to the head of KD03 base, Yuan Bin. He arranged the route and the escort personnel, but six minutes ago, I received an emergency communication that unidentified armed personnel attacked the convoy. Now, only four 'Dragon Tooth' team members remain in the entire research institute. We cannot provide support, and satellite communications have been cut off. We can only wait."

"5:00 PM. Still no word from the escort team. KD03 base claims to have dispatched a helicopter for support. Yuan Bin has repeatedly assured us of our safety. I don't trust him, but I have no choice. Higher-ups ordered me to abandon KD01 base. According to the plan, there is a copy of the data that needs to be destroyed. I do not intend to carry out this order—the escort team encountered a large group of zombies, and the prototype drug and the escorting Colonel Liu Jianguo have gone missing. The Northern Military Region urgently needs this data, but satellite transmission has not been restored. I have no choice but to defy orders."

The image was blurry, with constant flickering and interference. The young soldier on the screen looked grave, his eyes filled with anxiety. He spoke quickly, constantly looking behind him, as if waiting for something.

"10:41 PM. The rescue team from KD03 base has finally arrived. Surveillance cameras show two helicopters outside. Still no word from the escort team. I made another copy of the data as a precaution. I don't understand what role Yuan Bin is playing in this. The deaths of those people are definitely related to him. What does he want? Could it be the prototype drug? If so, the situation has already spiraled out of control... For now, I'll set that aside. As long as I leave here and reach the Chengdu base, headquarters will send someone to investigate the truth."

The image suddenly shook violently. The radio emitted a sharp, hissing sound, and the rectangular blue screen seemed to be torn apart by an invisible hand. The young soldier's voice became increasingly urgent, his shock and anger evident as he shouted, "Wait! What's happening? The radio interference is too strong... It's those support troops, what are they doing? No... No, they are attacking us, trying to break in... Damn! They released a strong electromagnetic pulse, and the base defense system is no longer operational..."

The image became more chaotic, with several fully armed figures flashing past the young soldier. Occasionally, someone would appear at the edge of the screen, whispering and discussing something urgently. The screen was filled with static, and the sound of scattered gunfire and shrill screams could be heard.

The young soldier reappeared in the center of the screen, his face distorted by the radio interference. The background was filled with static and interference, making his words disjointed and broken. Despite this, Su Hao could still discern the intent behind the fragmented syllables.

"My suspicions were correct; it was indeed Yuan Bin who orchestrated the entire incident. He was at the forefront, his dirty, arrogant face more disgusting than ever. They have already killed two 'Dragon Tooth' team members, likely to silence them. The automatic defense system is completely paralyzed, and we cannot stop him. If anyone finds this video recording, please immediately hand it over to General Zhao Zhikai at the Chengdu or Xi'an base. There is a hidden compartment behind the fire extinguisher at the end of the corridor. You can find a backup of the data there, with a 24-character password. I am Xu Yi, the highest-ranking official at KD01 Research Institute. This is my final message... Goodbye."

As the blue light screen disappeared, Su Hao felt a sudden darkness before his eyes, and the room returned to a dead silence. The air was still filled with the stench of decay, and the dead soldier in the swivel chair looked grotesque. However, for some reason, Su Hao did not find the decaying corpse terrifying; instead, he felt a faint sense of sorrow.

Military archives from the future world had mentioned "Xu Yi." Thirty-one years old, a biology expert, and a colonel. In the file, he was listed as a missing person from KD01 base.

Su Hao was not particularly interested in historical research. Moreover, the sealed secrets had already changed because of his involvement. He put away the miniature recorder and followed the instructions in the video, walking out of the room and silently reaching the end of the corridor. He took down the canister fire extinguisher hanging on the wall and used a dagger to pry open the hidden compartment.

It was a space about ten centimeters square. Inside was a pale green USB drive and a fully loaded "Type 95" pistol.

Su Hao picked up the USB drive and examined it in the dim light from a distance—apart from the color, it was identical in style and appearance to the one he had previously obtained.

Su Hao felt a sudden surge of adrenaline, and his entire body began to tremble uncontrollably. He was almost certain that this USB drive contained what he needed. Moreover, Xu Yi's final message on the recorder had mentioned that he made a copy of the data.

There were over a dozen computers on the desk, and the restored power allowed them to start working immediately. Su Hao suppressed the urge to turn one on and insert the USB drive to see its contents. He quickly gathered the guns and ammunition he found in the room, then walked to the bodies of the dead soldiers, picking up assault rifles and magazines. He quickly walked to the elevator and pressed the button to return to the ground floor.

His appearance had already altered the future trajectory of this world. Based on the information and intelligence from another timeline, it was not difficult to deduce that the loss of the prototype drug, as Xu Yi had said, was indeed a conspiracy orchestrated by a greedy military officer. He must have had significant power, numerous supporters within the military, and control over vast resources—otherwise, it would be impossible to explain why the future world's archives made no mention of a "conspiracy" or even of "Yuan Bin."

Su Hao repeatedly reminded himself that he must leave as soon as possible.

The military high command would not let the loss of the prototype drug go unaddressed. The presence of the dead soldiers' bodies in the underground laboratory indicated that the investigators had not yet arrived. It had been over a month since the zombie attack on the jeep in the square, and KD01 base had not changed at all—clearly, someone was obstructing and interfering with the investigation.

Getting into the heavy truck's cab and closing the door, Su Hao felt his heart pounding, almost leaping out of his throat.

His eyes flashed with a fierce and determined look. He gritted his teeth and slammed his foot on the gas pedal. The truck, suddenly powered, roared like a hungry lion that had spotted its prey, speeding toward the distant horizon, a blur of buildings.

...

It had been two days since he returned.

Su Hao locked himself in a room, facing two laptops.

This behavior was indeed unusual, and the other team members in the small building were worried about him. Xin Yan stood guard at the door, gently knocking at mealtime. Su Hao would open the door on time, take the water and food, give a few brief, urgent instructions, and then turn back into the room.

"13丙GHJ辛9巳XX51戊9RT7申未44FH."

This was the 24-character password for the USB drive's files. Perhaps due to the complexity of the input method, the passwords for both USB drives were identical, and the contents were the same.

"Optimized formula and clinical trial report for the immune drug."

"Formula for the first-stage enhancement drug."

"Formula for the second-stage enhancement drug."

"Report on the use of the third-stage enhancement drug (experimental) at room temperature."

"Theoretical data and vacuum simulation effects of the fourth-stage enhancement drug..."

The files contained millions of words, along with embedded video records, totaling 15GB of information. From these, it was clear that the military had made significant progress in drug research. They had the capability to mass-produce second-stage enhancement drugs, and the third-stage drug was still under development and needed further refinement. As for the fourth and fifth stages, they had a systematic theoretical basis and a complete set of experimental data.

In addition to the normal enhancement drugs, the files mentioned two other drugs widely used in the future world.

Energy drug.

Activation drug.

The first drug's primary function was to replenish physical energy. It was divided into four quality levels, A to D, based on its strength. Using active factors as a carrier, it was quickly absorbed by the intestines after entering the stomach. By stimulating cells and the central nervous system, it provided a series of effects such as muscle relaxation, increased red blood cell movement, and improved brain judgment in a short time. In short, this drug was like a hormone, providing the user with a burst of energy in five to ten seconds. Especially the higher-grade drugs, which could even reduce pain and increase explosive power.

Almost everyone in the future world would keep a bottle of energy drug on hand.

If used properly, it was like a second life in critical moments. At that time, energy drugs were the exclusive domain of the military and a few major families, and they were extremely expensive. Even the lowest-grade "D" drug would cost a beautiful and virtuous woman or thirty milligrams of silver bone.

The second activation drug stimulated the pineal gland to produce a hormone similar to a metabolic hormone, extending the user's lifespan. However, this drug was largely theoretical, and all experiments had failed. When Su Hao left his original timeline, the project had made no progress, and there were even calls from the military high command to stop funding and terminate the project.

Su Hao noticed that most of the files on the USB drive were created five years ago, the same time the future world's computer archives mentioned a breakthrough at the archaeological site in the Kingdom of Cambodia.

The "First-stage Enhancement Drug Formula" folder contained over a thousand files, with the latest experimental data recorded on June 27, 2018.

The "Second-stage Enhancement Drug Formula" folder was created on April 6, 2018.

The folder containing the third-stage enhancement drug formula was created on November 19, 2019.

Investigating the timeline was not without meaning. From the file order and creation dates, it was clear that the researchers had used the first-stage formula as a foundation, gradually developing higher-level drugs. There was definitely a connection between these drugs, and the successful development of the fourth and fifth stages was only a matter of time. The foundation for all this research was the mysterious prototype drug.

Looking at the dense, pale yellow folders on the computer screen, Su Hao sighed deeply, shaking his head and muttering to himself, "Where did they get the prototype drug? What secrets are buried in the ancient underground palace of Angkor Wat?"

No one could tell him the answer. Even after returning to the present through time travel, he still had to find the truth on his own.

One thing was certain—the military had known about the virus outbreak in advance and had prepared immune drugs and first-stage enhancement drugs. However, what benefit did they gain from abandoning civilians and cities? Even a war-madman wouldn't kill all of humanity. That would only leave a barren Earth and make themselves rarer than pandas.

Su Hao leaned back in his chair, frowning, lost in thought.

...

Leaves began to appear on the streets.

The weather was still hot, but the trees were starting to turn slightly yellow. New green buds no longer sprouted on the branches, and the leaves were covered in spots, with the branches becoming dry and hard. They often fell to the ground, subtly reminding the living that another season was approaching.

The tall walls of the field camp were still not completed on schedule. This was not Dong Guoping's fault, but rather because Su Hao had repeatedly modified the design, requiring the addition of a three-story building with an underground section in the camp. Reluctantly, the people had to change their plans and build according to his requirements.

Su Hao was not acting on a whim or trying to develop real estate in the wilderness. He needed a hospital.

More accurately, he needed a research laboratory with hospital functions. The USB drive contained the formulas for the first and second-stage enhancement drugs, which had been verified and had a solid data foundation. Su Hao's task was to manufacture them according to the formulas.

The prototype drug had an incredibly powerful effect, making Su Hao's blood highly advanced in its enhancement capabilities. Without needing to inject higher-level drugs, Lao Song and others could naturally evolve by increasing their silver bone intake. This meant that the various levels of enhancement drugs that the military had painstakingly developed were now useless. These once-expensive drugs in the future world were now less valuable than a drop of Su Hao's blood.

This was both terrifying and frightening.

It was not hard to imagine that if this secret were discovered by outsiders or the military, Su Hao's fate would be to be confined and used as a lab rat.

He had to cover up his secret.

He needed to fabricate a plausible lie, claiming that he accidentally discovered the KD01 research institute in the suburbs, found the miniature recorder on a dead soldier, and obtained the USB drive.

This lie had no flaws. As for the drugs—the electronic documents contained detailed configuration data, with the main components being the decayed fluid obtained from zombies. By cultivating it at low temperatures to induce mutation, the original bacterial strain could be obtained, and adding a certain proportion of active cells would create the true first-stage enhancement drug.

Su Hao needed to quickly establish a laboratory and obtain various equipment from abandoned hospitals in the city. With Zhou Chen's assistance, configuring the drugs should not be too difficult, and it would also explain the enhancement phenomena in other team members.

The virus outbreak had not wiped out all of humanity; many survivors remained. As more and more zombies were killed, people would gradually discover silver bones and decayed bacterial hormones. Naturally occurring enhanced humans were few, and in the face of increasingly powerful mutated creatures, people were constantly seeking greater strength. Exchanging first-stage enhancement drugs for silver bones and other materials that would grow in monsters a year later was indeed a good deal.

In this way, Su Hao could quickly accumulate a large amount of silver bones. He would give his blood to those he trusted, quickly gaining a group of fifth-stage enhanced people who would obey his commands.

This was the foundation for expanding his power and the root of his strength.

...

Following the path he had taken before, Su Hao stood in front of the abandoned clothing store, looking up at the window across the street, which was covered by thick curtains.

He could not give up on the child who lived alone in the apartment, cohabiting with zombies.

Su Hao's backpack was full of various foods. He even planned to leave the child a pistol and several rounds of ammunition.

This action clearly violated the rules.

However, even he could not explain why he kept seeing the image of a small, thin figure, like the young scavengers in the wastelands of the future world. They often matured at ten years old, with boys hunting monsters alongside adults and girls selling their bodies to buy food to support themselves and their families.

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