Chapter 63

The notebook was filled with dense red and blue lines.

There were straight lines, wavy lines, and entire paragraphs of text enclosed in oval loops, with red arrows pointing to blank spaces where annotations were added.

The entire notebook had no spare space left. The pages, from beginning to end, were filled with fine, dense characters and symbols. All of this was the result of Wang Qian's and several other researchers' insights and experiences over the past month.

After reviewing the entire notebook again, Wang Qian took a document from the drawer and opened it. Looking at Su Hao's photo on the cover page and the words "D4 Level Researcher" in the center, he slowly furrowed his brow.

After a moment, he reached out and pressed the call button on the desk. The door soon opened silently, and a tall, somewhat sinister-looking major walked in.

The officer approached the desk in large strides, slightly bowing, and said, "What do you need?"

His voice was very sharp. When he came closer to the well-lit area, it was clear that the officer was actually a well-endowed woman. She had a prominent chest and a beautiful face, but her expression was cold and unsmiling, like ice.

Wang Qian wiped the sweat from his fat, slippery face, took a bite of rice, and pointed to Su Hao's photo on the document, asking in a muffled but very suspicious tone, "This is the information sent from Chengdu. Both the local monitoring station's officers and the KD03 base commander have praised this person's abilities. His observation notes are very detailed, and many of the data and ideas are very useful for our next phase of research. Well... you know, I rarely get involved in administrative affairs. But I don't understand why such a capable young person hasn't been rewarded? He was only given the title of 'D3 Level Researcher'?"

The female officer glanced at the document, clearly already familiar with its contents, and said without hesitation, "The initial handling opinion from the Chengdu base was the same as yours. At the time, an order to promote the note-taker to a second lieutenant and award him was already issued. However, Researcher Xiao Lin claimed that this person named Su Hao must be managed by the Academy of Sciences. After the detailed information was archived, Su Hao's status was changed to D3 Level Researcher. According to Article 11, Case 38 of the personnel handling rules: for the identity assignment of non-military personnel without military merit, the Academy of Sciences has priority. The Chengdu base could only revoke the second lieutenant promotion order and follow Researcher Xiao Lin's personnel change request."

Wang Qian swallowed the rice in his mouth and casually picked up a document to use as a fan.

Looking at the title "Zombie Neural Reflex Data Comparison" on the cover of the document in his hand, and the large oil stain on its surface, the female officer twitched her eyes but said nothing.

"Xiao Lin... is she that pretty but restless girl?"

Wang Qian's memory could be described as "terrifying." He could list the names of all the researchers in the Academy, numbering in the tens of thousands.

The cold and beautiful female officer did not respond, indicating her agreement.

"When did she go to Chengdu? I remember, the Academy didn't assign her any tasks there?"

Wang Qian frowned, kicked off his left slipper, and stepped onto the table beam with his bare feet, hugging his knees and slowly stroking his coarse, hard leg hair, muttering sharply, "She doesn't have the ability to interfere with military decisions alone. Suppressing a second lieutenant promotion and changing his identity to a D3 Level Researcher requires a lot of help... Haha! Being beautiful is indeed an advantage that men can't match."

Though not explicitly stated, the shrewd director of the Academy had already guessed the general outline of the entire matter.

The female officer's expression remained cold, "She is working on transferring to a formal military position."

Wang Qian's gray eyebrows raised, and his furrowed brow relaxed after a moment, "Being a formal military officer does have many benefits, and it's more interesting than staying in the lab all day."

The female officer continued coldly, "She wants to transfer to the Xi'an base, and the personnel transfer has not been approved by the Academy. The Third Army Group has already inquired about her, and I haven't responded yet."

"Let her go!"

Wang Qian waved his hand indifferently, a gentle smile on his fat face, "Send all her files over, and the Academy will not keep any copies. Moving up is a natural human desire. Pass the message to the military—once she's out, don't think about coming back. This is the Academy of Sciences, not a retirement home."

The female officer nodded solemnly.

Not keeping any copies meant a complete severance from the Academy. Any promotions or rank advancements would not receive any support from the Academy.

Wang Qian was usually lenient with people, but on this matter, he was unyielding.

He never liked people who played power games.

Especially someone like Xiao Lin, who was restless and skilled at maneuvering between men.

The fat director turned his attention back to Su Hao's identity document.

"Regarding this person... let's handle it this way for now. His notes are very useful, and a sudden change in environment might disrupt the research. I hope to see his second observation report. It's winter now, and the zombie activity patterns should differ from summer. Hmm! Send a letter to the KD03 base, asking the military to provide him with some necessary research equipment and living resources. Let's wait and see. If this young man named Su Hao surprises me again, I won't be stingy."

...

More and more refugees were returning to the city.

On the roads leading to the city, you could see groups of people every day. They carried bags of various sizes and held all kinds of weapons. Their clothes were dirty, their hair long and matted with dust and mud. Due to the lack of bathing for a long time, they were covered in sweat and dirt, emitting a strong odor.

Few chose to walk; most rode bicycles, with the rear and front baskets filled with all sorts of items they considered useful—bundles of firewood, clothes from unknown sources, large plastic bottles of water, and bulging jute bags...

These survivors mostly formed family units or teams of a dozen people.

The virus storm that spread in May made them feel fear, and they subconsciously followed the flow of people out of the city. After wandering in the wild for a summer, many realized that zombies were not as terrifying as they had imagined. They moved slowly, lacked intelligence, and could not use tools, let alone run or jump. Although they were incredibly strong, with the right techniques, they were not hard to deal with. As long as one was brave and meticulous, and worked together with others, they could easily take down lone zombies.

Some survivors drove cars, which were faster and could carry more supplies. They were familiar with mechanics and electrical circuits, extracting fuel from the tanks of abandoned vehicles on the roadside. Especially those from mechanical technical schools or auto repair programs, they had become the most sought-after members of various teams.

By yesterday, Su Hao's team had grown to over seven hundred members.

The main buildings of the camp in the wild were completed, and most of the auxiliary facilities were installed. There was electricity, clean water, a tall and thick wall, and a well-stocked fuel reserve. Apart from the slightly cramped rooms, the living conditions in the camp were quite good, even comfortable.

Dong Guoping led the engineering team, busy every day. Besides the underground cold storage and garage within the camp, the defensive structures of the second, third, and fourth gas stations were nearing completion. Using a high-power radio transmitter obtained from the military, Su Hao established smooth radio communication with the surrounding bases, centered on the camp. Besides normal short-range communications, he selected sixteen team members to train and learn Morse code.

In addition to the gas stations around the camp, Su Hao set up two new bases.

One was a village he selected based on blueprints from the future world, which had a large amount of arable land nearby. With the convenience of water facilities, only the construction of a wall and the reinstallation of power equipment were needed to provide a steady supply of food.

The other was a wine group discovered to the southwest of the camp. It had large areas of grape cultivation and facilities that could accommodate hundreds of people. Under favorable road conditions, the camp could dispatch a large number of people for assistance at any time.

The grapes harvested this summer were mostly dried into raisins, which had become an essential source of nutrition for the survivor team.

The core members who initially joined the team were assigned to lead the various bases.

Tao Yuan was responsible for the safety and daily operations of the first to fourth gas stations.

Li Xiaomei still managed the camp's logistics.

Old Song was in charge of various camp matters and the qualification review for new members.

Chen Kun led thirty team members to guard the grape farm.

Zhou Chen spent most of his time in the camp laboratory. After obtaining all the drug formula data from the USB drive, he began to try to formulate first-stage enhancement drugs and immunity drugs. However, this was just a facade. Su Hao's true intention was to be able to produce energy drugs independently.

Xin Yan had become the second-in-command of the team. This ranking was largely due to Su Hao's influence. She was not autocratic and often discussed matters with Old Song and others. The team was a large "hive," and there had never been any instances of disobedience in terms of cooperation and compliance.

Wu Guoguang probably didn't know about the camp in the wild. Even if he did, Su Hao wasn't worried. Future world data showed that the military never tried to control survivor groups. They only selected warriors from the survivors and left the rest alone. This indifference was largely due to their strength. In the future, even large teams with over ten thousand members were not incorporated by the military and did not dare to provoke conflicts.

Su Hao never showed his strength in front of Wu Guoguang. He wouldn't reveal that he and his subordinates were enhanced humans. Occasionally, some soldiers would appear around the bank building. Under the watchful eyes of the observers, the team members often appeared very united, brave in fighting zombies, and skilled in combat. With the weapons and ammunition obtained through notes, the bank building had naturally become the strongest survivor team's base in the city.

...

On a gloomy winter day, it was hard to see such a clear sky.

Yang Lulu drove a "Land Rover" off-road vehicle and slowly stopped in front of a "KFC" fast-food restaurant.

For a nine-year-old child, 130 cm tall and weighing 28 kg, driving a vehicle was undoubtedly a farce in the eyes of adults.

After being injected with Su Hao's blood and the silver bones from a zombie, Yang Lulu's body had been enhanced to the third stage.

She was very smart.

After watching Xin Yan and Su Hao start a car engine with wires, step on the clutch, and perform a series of actions a few times, on a pitch-black night, she secretly sneaked into a "Santana" car parked outside the camp and drove it crookedly to the second gas station.

This incident caused a sensation throughout the team.

That day, Su Hao's face was very grim.

He and the other core members closed the door and patiently advised Yang Lulu. The main points were to be obedient, well-behaved, and to be a good child with ideals and morals.

They all liked this little girl and were reluctant to scold her, so they educated her according to their own ideas.

Yang Lulu didn't say anything at the time, looking like a well-behaved kitten that had done something wrong, tucking her paws and licking her owner's hand.

The next evening, she drove out again on her own.

The monotonous and disorderly tug-of-war lasted nearly two weeks.

Su Hao calmed down and had a good talk with Yang Lulu. The next day, he took the little girl to a car supermarket in the suburbs and chose a silver-gray "Land Rover."

She had no family left.

Suppressing her would only make her personality eccentric and strange, especially in the current environment where danger could be encountered at any time, leading to some abnormal and extreme thoughts. Yang Lulu was already a third-stage enhanced human, with consciousness, reaction, bone, and muscle strength far exceeding those of ordinary adults. Although her mental maturity might not be enough to understand novels like "The Golden Lotus," her logical thinking was sufficient to understand the basic mechanical concepts of vehicle operation.

The "Land Rover" was specially modified: the driver's seat was raised so she could see outside in a normal sitting position. The clutch, brake, and accelerator were padded with thick foam and rubber to solve the problems caused by her height and leg length. Finally, the steering wheel was replaced with a smaller diameter one. Otherwise, with her tender and short hands, it would be difficult for her to handle such a large and intimidating steering wheel.

Today was Yang Lulu's birthday.

She had told Xin Yan in advance that she wanted to go out alone and would be back by seven in the evening.

Su Hao couldn't refuse a nine-year-old's request. The only thing he could do was to equip Yang Lulu with sufficient weapons and sternly remind her to keep the car communication device on at all times to maintain contact.

The door of the "KFC" fast-food restaurant was already smashed, and many leaves had been blown into the store. A few pieces of glass were still in the empty window frames, and a thick layer of dust had accumulated near the threshold. The entire store was dirty, and there were black bloodstains, which were common in the city. Even the image of the white-bearded old man at the top of the porch, made up of red, white, and black, had a hole in the left eye, with a rotten, black human arm stuck in it.

Yang Lulu carefully avoided the puddles on the ground, picked up a large picnic basket from the car, and hopped up the steps.

She was wearing a brand new bright red wool skirt and a matching wool cap. White children's tights made her legs look slender, and with her brown-black short boots, she looked like Little Red Riding Hood from a fairy tale.

"Right! I'm going to give my grandmother a cake. But where is the big bad wolf?"

She muttered to herself as she walked into the fast-food restaurant.

As if in response to the story she was reciting, a zombie with a chef's apron around its neck slowly emerged from behind the counter. It dragged its heavy feet, its head tilted as if it might fall off at any moment, drooling and groaning, "Huh, huh," as it moved closer.

Most of the tables and chairs in the restaurant were overturned, and the messy arrangement blocked the zombie's path. This mindless creature clearly did not know how to avoid or go around obstacles. It stubbornly extended its hands, ignoring the chairs that tripped it. After about half a minute, the zombie lost its balance and fell forward with a loud thud.

Yang Lulu lifted her skirt, reached for a small, elegant "PPK" pistol from her right leg strap, aimed at the zombie's head on the ground, and pulled the trigger.

This gun was specially obtained by Su Hao from Wu Guoguang. It had a miniaturized silencer and a small stock, just enough for her to hold.

Yang Lulu instinctively wanted to go back to the car to get an axe to collect the silver bones. As she turned, she saw her blurred reflection in the glass window. After a moment of hesitation, she walked to the counter inside the store, found a relatively clean cloth, and spent a few minutes cleaning a table and chair by the window. Only then did she place the picnic basket on the table and open it.

The basket contained various chocolates and candies, carefully selected by Su Hao from the team's warehouse.

There were also some small stars made of fluorescent paper, created by Xin Yan and the Han sisters.

In the center of the basket was a cake.

Not large, but very fragrant, with honey and syrup on the surface, and raisins and some apple shreds sprinkled on top. This was a birthday gift specially baked for her by Cao Rui that morning. Although there was no cream, the cake had a thick layer of jam inside, and it should taste very good.

Yang Lulu cautiously looked around, making sure there were no dangerous creatures like zombies, and then took a palm-sized photo frame from her inner pocket, opened the back stand, and gently placed it in front of her.

It was a photo of her and her father—she was riding on his shoulders, and he was smiling happily, with many wrinkles around his eyes and forehead, and his eyes were squinted into a fine line.

Yang Lulu took out a pack of colorful birthday candles, counted out ten, and carefully and evenly inserted them into the cake, forming an irregular circle.

After today, she would be ten years old.

She lit the candles with a lighter and, through the flickering flames, quietly gazed at her father's photo, her eyes slowly becoming moist.