Chapter 72

Su Hao had never entertained the idea of capturing Lin Jingshang alive or using his own blood to transform Lin's armed personnel. This was simply unrealistic.

Zhou Chen's research indicated that blood cells would only accept the black particles injected into the body if the active mind first acknowledged Su Hao. This concept was somewhat vague and could easily be misunderstood by those with ulterior motives. After the injection, the recipient would undergo a second and third blood test between fifteen to thirty days. According to Zhou Chen's theory, only those whose blood met the "5" standard of black particles per milligram in the third blood test were true "worker bees."

Su Hao was very clear about what the wealthy conglomerate's so-called "gathering of refugees" entailed. They were extremely greedy, with no limits to their demand for population. Many refugees, who had narrowly escaped from zombies, were captured by slave teams and taken to concentration camps. Mines, farms, factories... it was impossible to count how many people had been worked to death. Compared to zombies, the smiling companions around them were the truly terrifying monsters.

Su Hao had already killed Han Fei. He had no reason to let Lin Jingshang go, nor could Lin Jingshang let him go.

The reason he disguised himself as a survivor and entered this room was to figure out the exact positions of the hidden sentries.

Su Hao's subordinates were all enhanced humans. In terms of combat power, they even surpassed the military's elite forces. However, they were not invincible superhumans; bullets were still lethal. Su Hao did not want accidental factors to cause casualties, so he had to disguise, deceive, and get close to the target.

He had taken the prototype drug and possessed a powerful "self-healing" ability.

Su Hao was now as calm as a statue. His face was expressionless, and his breathing was so shallow it was almost imperceptible.

Suddenly, without any warning, he leaped from the chair with ghostly speed and struck the nearest squad leader with the tin can in his hand.

*Thud*—The impact point immediately emitted a muffled sound. The sound wasn't loud, but the flat, round tin can was deeply embedded in the poor man's cheek, pressing his nose, eyes, and lips completely into his face. The small space couldn't accommodate so much. Excess muscle squeezed through the skin, spilling out from the corners of his eyes and the side of his head. This formidable strength almost made everyone stop breathing. They stared blankly at the scene, the stark contrast between reality and their thoughts causing their minds to freeze. They couldn't react or move.

Su Hao released his grip and his body darted forward like a sleek cat.

He dodged to the left, his hands moving like lightning to grab the chests of the other two people. His outstretched fingers were as sharp as knives, easily piercing through their chests. They tore through the combat uniforms, piercing the flesh, and with inhuman strength, penetrated the entire chest cavity.

This was no longer a normal human's method of killing. The two squad leaders looked down, their eyes filled with infinite fear and despair, as they saw their arms deeply embedded in their chests. They screamed in unison, blood mixed with internal organ fragments gushing from their mouths.

Without waiting for orders, the four other people still alive in the room immediately launched a counterattack.

The distance was too close. The two guards didn't have time to raise their assault rifles before Su Hao's hands had already penetrated the bodies of the two squad leaders. He quickly turned and advanced, using his bloody fingers like claws to grip the guards' throats, crushing their windpipes.

Beside him, the last squad leader had enough time to draw his dagger. He roared and stabbed at Su Hao's armpit. Su Hao, however, had no intention of defending himself. He grabbed the four bodies and slammed them down like a mountain. The weight, combined with the force of inertia, instantly crushed the insignificant dagger. The terrifying pressure deformed the squad leader's upper body, his muscles and internal organs being squeezed out, and his abdomen was flattened on the spot.

*Bang*—

A sharp impact came from behind, and Su Hao's body trembled. He felt something hard penetrate his lower back. He released the mangled flesh in his hands, lowered his head, and saw a bloodstain on his right abdomen, near his ribs, quickly spreading and staining his entire shirt.

Lin Jingshang's face was ashen, his eyes fixed on Su Hao, twitching uncontrollably. He held a gun, and a sinister smile gradually appeared on his tense face.

The shot was sudden, and Su Hao was completely unprepared.

A burning pain shot through his abdomen. Sweat began to bead on his forehead. He gritted his teeth and pounced like a terrifying hungry lion. His movements were so fast that Lin Jingshang couldn't react in time. Instinctively, he pulled the trigger repeatedly, 9mm bullets whizzing through the air, one after another, piercing Su Hao's body, splattering red blood on his clothes.

Chest, thigh, arm...

Su Hao felt his liver explode, and his intestines might have been severed. The bullets rolling inside his body created a powerful impact, tearing through his flesh like fangs. His body was on fire, and his blood flow accelerated, causing his leg muscles to burst with strength, propelling him to Lin Jingshang's face. He swung his fist and struck the hand holding the gun.

*Bang*—

Lin Jingshang's pupils constricted.

He saw in horror that his wrist was crushed at an odd angle, breaking in the middle, exposing white bone and spraying a shocking mist of blood.

He screamed, clutching his broken hand and howling in agony.

At that moment, Lin Jingshang's mind was blank.

Su Hao didn't give Lin Jingshang any chance to counterattack. He roared, grabbed Lin Jingshang's other hand, and twisted it in the opposite direction. Lin Jingshang immediately let out a shrill scream, instinctively trying to pull his hand back. Su Hao smirked, grabbed the shoulder joint, and twisted the entire arm like a pretzel. With a sharp crack, Lin Jingshang's eyes bulged, his mouth wide open, and a heart-wrenching "ah" sound emerged from the depths of his throat.

His vision blurred. The damaged nerves were affecting his brain, causing visual distortions.

In a daze, Lin Jingshang suddenly saw: Su Hao ripped off his shirt, and the muscles in his abdomen and chest were slowly writhing. It wasn't the result of limb movement but rather like fat, wriggling worms. The bullet wounds were being pushed open from the inside, squeezing out clumps of damaged internal organs and shattered bullet fragments. This horrifying self-healing process lasted less than twenty seconds. When the pus-covered bullet heads were expelled from the wounds, Lin Jingshang was frozen in place, unable to speak.

"Who... who are you?"

He didn't understand if the Su Hao in front of him was even human.

Su Hao didn't bother to explain.

He stepped forward, grabbed Lin Jingshang's forehead with his right hand, and with extreme force, slammed his entire head into the wall, crushing it flat.

Su Hao saw Lin Jingshang draw his gun.

He had calculated the shooting angle; the bullets wouldn't hit his head.

He didn't know to what extent his body had been enhanced.

He wanted to test how strong his "self-healing" ability was.

The first bullet entering his body felt terrible, the pain almost stopping his breathing.

The nerves, fully transformed by the prototype drug, quickly adapted to this new pain. They adjusted their transmission method, reducing the pressure on his brain. As a result, the pain from the second bullet was reduced by twenty to thirty percent. The rapidly dividing cells did an excellent job of repairing his internal organs, leaving no flaws. Apart from the strange sensation of his internal organs being crushed and then repaired, there were no negative side effects.

The bleeding had stopped, and the muscles around the wounds in his abdomen and chest were still writhing.

Self-healing required time. The cells first repaired the most critical internal organs, then the muscles, and finally the skin.

Compared to when he first injected the prototype drug, the self-healing speed had significantly increased. This ability clearly improved with the degree of physical enhancement.

The highest level of enhancement was only level five. To become stronger, one had to evolve.

The sound of hurried footsteps came from the corridor outside, and red lines of bullets flew past the window.

Su Hao shook his head, dispelling unrealistic thoughts, and quickly rushed out of the room.

...

The battle lasted less than ten minutes, and the gunfire over the camp had completely subsided.

Flames and bodies were everywhere, and spent shell casings littered the ground.

Cao Rui, with her long, black, silky hair tied up, wore a black Louis Vuitton leather jacket. The zipper was low, revealing a low-cut satin bra. Her full, round breasts almost spilled out with each breath. She wore matching leather pants and knee-high stiletto boots, making her legs look slender and long. She held an assault rifle and walked to Su Hao with the grace of a professional model, a meaningful smile on her lips.

"According to your orders, no one was left alive."

Su Hao gazed at the mature and alluring woman in front of him.

Her long, curled lashes were naturally black and thick. Her skin was very fair, and the deep purple eyeshadow accentuated her alluring eyes, giving them a mysterious, soul-stealing charm. Her glossy pink lip gloss was smooth and shiny, making one want to pounce and bite.

Cao Rui was indeed very beautiful.

Her beauty was different from Xin Yan's. The latter was youthful and fresh, while the former was a mature peach, full of sweet nectar, exuding a seductive charm.

Su Hao nodded faintly, redirecting his thoughts from the direction of desire, and focused on the task of counting the spoils of war.

Fifteen heavy-duty trucks loaded with weapons, electronic equipment, and supplies, with a total weight exceeding a hundred tons.

In addition to military-standard 5.8mm assault rifles, the trucks also carried a quad 20mm anti-aircraft machine gun. This weapon had a high rate of fire and was usually mounted on light combat vehicles. Besides, there were hundreds of different types of combat knives.

The food was mostly canned and compressed rations, with some dried vegetables and grains.

In one of the truck's cargo holds, Su Hao found thousands of immune drugs, boxes of antibiotics, two sets of modular battlefield life support systems... The quantity of various medicines and medical equipment was substantial, enough to maintain a small field hospital.

There were three sets of high-power surveillance equipment and two sets of mobile and fixed radio communication systems. The residents of the "Castle" urgently needed these electronic devices. With them, the surveillance radius of the "Castle" could be increased by two to three times, and communication with various checkpoints within the city would be smoother.

Su Hao gave a decisive order: "Take everything that can be used, and don't leave anything behind—"

Everyone immediately sprang into action.

They removed backpacks from the dead, searched every pocket for bullets, took daggers, and collected first-aid kits and compressed rations. Cao Rui led a dozen people to move between floors and rooms, loading surveillance equipment onto the trucks and carrying out ammunition boxes and food. As they were busy with these tasks, the guards stationed around the camp perimeter were responsible for repelling the zombies. The flames and gunfire attracted many mutated creatures. They stumbled out of their hiding places, gathering here to find food.

Cao Rui sat in Su Hao's SUV, flicked her hair back, and asked seriously, "Should we blow up this building and destroy the traces?"

Su Hao moved his gaze from her chest to the crowd of zombies approaching outside the window: "We are short on supplies, and there's no need to waste them on a bunch of dead people. They can't talk and reveal secrets, and they can help us deal with the bodies."

Cao Rui cleverly guessed Su Hao's thoughts: "You're planning another ambush?"

"I'm not sure, but we must leave enough surveillance personnel nearby."

Su Hao's eyes flashed with a calm light: "Inertia can largely determine people's behavior. Our ambush was quick, and they didn't have time to send a distress signal. Of course, the 'Shengfei' Group headquarters is well aware of what losing contact means. They will send people to investigate and dispatch new teams."

Cao Rui didn't respond, carefully considering Su Hao's words.

"These people are more greedy than you think. They won't give up any benefits they see. They try to gather refugees to gain unimaginable advantages. This city is a huge cake. Not just 'Shengfei,' but other wealthy conglomerates will also focus on it. When all the refugees are captured and only zombies remain, it will be our turn."

Su Hao's tone became firm: "We must eliminate all dangers in the bud. We are stronger now, but we can't predict what despicable means those people might use. We can't take risks or give the initiative to others."

Cao Rui's alluring eyes gradually turned cold.

She thought of Hu He and the humiliation of being raped by dozens of men in the gym.

Cao Rui asked seriously, "What should we do next?"

"Get ahead of them and try to gather as many survivors in the city as possible."

Su Hao turned his head and gazed out the window. In the dim light and darkness, his profile looked like a rugged rock sculpture: "Zhou Chen's research is very effective. According to his theory, we should screen all new members joining the team. We have food, water, and a comfortable and safe camp. These things are irresistible to survivors hiding and fleeing. Try to persuade them to join our team. A month should be enough to change their stubborn thoughts. In these extraordinary times, many people are willing to abandon their original beliefs for survival. You are an enhanced human and know the role of silver bones. Imagine if we had more people, a thousand, two thousand, ten thousand... all enhanced humans, at levels three, four, five... what kind of scene would that be?"

Cao Rui shifted her legs, which could spark endless fantasies in men, and her expression was serious: "What should we do with those who don't meet the blood test standards after the specified period?"

Before Su Hao could answer, she quickly asked herself: "Kill them all?"

When she said this, a cold light unconsciously flashed in her eyes, and her alluring aura instantly turned cold and beautiful.

Looking into those black, bright eyes, Su Hao couldn't help but think of a queen bee.

He suddenly smiled faintly.

His expression was gentle, but the curved corners of his mouth were eerie.

"Kill them all!"

...

The heavily loaded trucks sped along the road. When they entered the "Castle" gates and were surrounded by the team members, Zhou Chen was in the laboratory, carefully configuring the most critical drug under the electronic microscope.

Su Hao obtained three things from the dead soldier's briefcase: the prototype drug, a USB drive, and a triangular clay tablet.

The prototype drug's effects far exceeded expectations. It made Su Hao the "Queen Bee."

The data on the USB drive was identical to what Su Hao had obtained from the KD01 Research Institute, the legacy of Officer Xu Yi, containing various biological drug formulas.

As for the triangular clay tablet... Su Hao still hadn't figured out its specific function. However, it was clear that its importance was significant, as the escort had placed it with the other two items.

Zhou Chen could already configure first and second-level enhancement drugs.

However, these drugs were of little use to Su Hao and the other team members. The blood from the "Queen Bee" had both immune and enhancement effects, covering all the functions of different stage enhancement drugs. Taking similar drugs on this basis would be a waste of resources.

Su Hao and Zhou Chen's research focus was on the energy drug.