Chapter 61: Corpse Resurrection in Southern Xinjiang! A forbidden zone for the living, where the divine healer and the God of War reign supreme!
The jeep drove out of the Lu family compound.
The warm lights and the figures of family members were mercilessly left behind, completely merging into the deepest darkness before dawn.
Inside the car, there was a deathly silence.
The guard driving the car kept his eyes fixed on the road, completely focused, even his breathing became soft.
In the rearview mirror, he could glimpse the young Battalion Commander Lu in the back seat. His profile was taut like a knife, and his whole body exuded a terrifying aura that said "keep away, no living person allowed."
Secretary Zhou Cheng, sitting in the passenger seat, opened his mouth several times, wanting to say something to ease the atmosphere.
But the words were frozen in her throat by Lu Zhanting's cold, hard profile.
Su Wanqing did not speak.
She simply reached out from a corner where no one could see her and tightly grasped Lu Zhanting's cold, large hand.
His hands were shaking.
The knuckles turned a frightening white from excessive force.
Su Wanqing knew that he wasn't afraid.
He was angry.
She was furious at her own powerlessness, furious at this damned fate that had once again dragged her into the abyss.
She used her body heat, little by little, to try to warm his heart, which was about to be frozen by anger and ice.
The vehicle drove through the empty streets, the snow reflecting a stark white light under the headlights.
The peace and tranquility of the capital city stood in stark contrast to the bloody hell they were about to enter.
"Commander Lu."
Zhou Cheng finally broke the silence, his voice dry as if sandpaper was being rubbed.
"I will give a detailed report on the situation in southern Xinjiang later on the plane."
"Now I can only say that the situation is ten thousand times more complicated than described in the telegram."
Lu Zhanting finally reacted, his voice squeezed out from deep in his throat, each word icy.
"Get to the point."
"yes!"
Zhou Cheng's body tensed up instinctively.
"The Red River Valley region is a primeval forest and an undeveloped karst landscape, with almost no communication signals."
"The local troops were brave, but they were severely lacking in weapons and experience in the face of a biological crisis like this that we had never seen before."
"Currently, the entire area surrounding the Red River Valley, spanning 300 li, has been designated as a top-level military restricted zone by the military, codenamed 'Cemetery'."
Su Wanqing listened quietly, etching every word into her mind.
Lu Zhanting's gaze seemed to pierce through the car window and into the dark night sky in the distance.
"Who's in charge of logistics? My squad, weapons configuration, personnel list."
His questions were precise, calm, and professional.
In an instant, he switched from a husband worried about his wife back to the iron-blooded commander who struck fear into the hearts of all his enemies.
"Supplies will be directly supplied by the General Logistics Department of the Southwest Military Region, with the highest priority!"
Zhou Cheng answered immediately.
"Your team members are top-notch individual combat experts secretly selected by the military from various military regions. They are already on standby at the South Xinjiang airport and will meet you directly. All the data is on the plane."
Lu Zhanting remained silent.
The carriage fell silent once more.
Su Wanqing could feel that the terrifying force with which he was holding her hand was gradually stabilizing.
He accepted reality.
Furthermore, they have devoted all their energy to this unknown war.
The military airport in the western suburbs was brightly lit, as if it were daytime.
A medium-sized military transport plane, like a lurking steel behemoth, was parked in the center of the tarmac, its propellers poised to take off in the cold wind, emitting a deep, muffled roar.
Armed guards were stationed every three steps and sentries every five steps.
The air was filled with the unique smell of rust and gunpowder that is characteristic of war.
The three boarded the plane directly, guided by a major, without going through any complicated procedures.
The cabin was simple and cold.
Rows of metal seats were fixed to both sides of the cabin, and several confidential staff members, also dressed in black Zhongshan suits, were already in place. On the small table in front of them, there were piles of documents and maps.
The hatch closed.
The plane roared to life, taxied briefly on the runway, and then its nose suddenly shot up like an arrow, plunging into the last, unfathomable darkness before dawn.
Su Wanqing looked down from the porthole.
The myriad lights of the capital city quickly shrank into a blurry halo, and were finally swallowed up completely by the thick clouds.
"Please have a seat, both of you."
Zhou Cheng pointed to the two relatively comfortable seats at the front and personally opened a sealed briefcase.
He took out a thick document and spread it on the table in front of the two of them.
"Battalion Commander Lu, Comrade Su, we will now begin the mission briefing."
"Codenamed 'Longevity,' this biological project, aimed at studying species unique to southern Xinjiang and seeking breakthroughs in military medicine, began three years ago and was led by Professor Chen Huanzhi, one of my country's top biologists."
Zhou Cheng pointed his finger heavily at an area marked with a red circle on the map.
"This is the Red River Valley, the location of the 'Longevity' project base."
"Six months ago, Professor Chen's team discovered an ancient virus sample that had never been seen before in an ancient site."
"Research has found that this virus can keep biological tissues active for hundreds of years, hence the project was named 'Longevity'."
Lu Zhanting's gaze was fixed on the red circle on the map, his eyes as dark as an abyss.
"The accident happened a week ago."
Zhou Cheng's voice was extremely low, with a slight, uncontrollable tremor.
"During a virus activity catalysis experiment at the base, a catastrophic leak occurred."
"According to Professor Chen's last report, the virus underwent a devastating mutation after coming into contact with an 'unknown high-energy mineral' deep within the ruins!"
"It lost its ability to repair itself, and instead gained terrifying aggression and infectivity!"
"Any creature infected by it will, in a short period of time, completely transform into something else."
"Change?"
Su Wanqing keenly grasped this word.
"What specific changes have occurred? What symptoms are present in the infected soldiers?"
Zhou Cheng looked up at her, his eyes filled with a mixture of fear and admiration.
He couldn't imagine that a woman could remain so calm after hearing such horrific news.
"Comrade Su, two members of our second reconnaissance team sent back their last voice messages before they lost contact."
"They said... they saw their comrades from the first missing squad."
“Those people… had skin that was a dull, bluish-black, like rotting tree bark, and their eyes had turned a murky, deathly white; they had lost all reason.”
"His movements are stiff, but his speed and strength far exceed those of ordinary people."
"They attack anything that moves, fearless and relentless. Unless... their heads are completely blown off, even if their limbs are shattered, they'll crawl on the ground with their teeth and keep attacking!"
Zhou Cheng's description made the temperature inside the cabin seem to plummet to freezing point.
Su Wanqing's expression finally became extremely solemn.
This is almost exactly the same as the record she saw in "Records of Strange Things in Southern Xinjiang"!
The flesh rotted, the mind was lost, and he became a walking corpse!
"Professor Chen's report also mentioned the most crucial point."
Zhou Cheng took a deep breath and turned his gaze to Lu Zhanting.
He said that the energy fluctuations of this mutated virus are from the same source as the unknown energy that caused the mutation of the Heart-Eating Vine in the 'Black Widow' jungle in the southwest!
"Moreover, in the base's last communication records, Professor Chen used his last strength to utter only one sentence—"
Zhou Cheng repeated those desperate last words, one word at a time:
"'Find Lu Zhanting...only he...knows the secret of this place...this is a curse...'"
As soon as he finished speaking, the communication was completely cut off.
Inside the cabin, there was a deathly silence, broken only by the deafening roar of the aircraft engines, as if mourning the dead.
Su Wanqing looked at Lu Zhanting.
His fists were clenched so tightly that the veins on the back of his hands bulged out, like a coiled, evil dragon.
That past, which he had deliberately buried with blood and tears, has ultimately found him again in such a tragic way.
After the briefing ended, Zhou Cheng and the confidential staff tactfully retreated to the rear of the cabin.
"It's the poison of the 'God of Corruption'."
Su Wanqing spoke softly, breaking the suffocating silence.
"The symptoms are exactly as described in ancient books."
Lu Zhanting slowly loosened his fist, a hint of undisguised exhaustion and bitterness flashing in his eyes.
“The local ancient tribes call it the ‘Rotten God’.”
"I always thought it was just a legend."
His words confirmed that his familiarity with the place far exceeded everyone's expectations.
Su Wanqing took out the three porcelain bottles from her backpack and placed them in front of him.
"These are the Mind-Clearing Pill and the Miasma-Breaking Pill that I refined overnight, specifically to counteract the 'Corrupting God's' evil and poisonous aura. When taken by a living person, they can resist the invasion of the poisonous aura. I added spiritual spring water, so the effect should be even better."
She paused, then took out a small, exquisite jade bottle and solemnly placed it in his palm.
"Inside here are three 'Nine-Turn Life-Extending Pills'."
"Zhan Ting, promise me, no matter what, never give up."
"As long as you have a breath left, it can snatch you back from the clutches of the King of Hell."
Looking into her clear yet worried eyes, Lu Zhanting felt a sharp pang in the softest part of his heart.
He stretched out his long arms and pulled her and the bottles and jars tightly into his embrace, pressing his chin firmly against the top of her head.
"good."
A single word carries the weight of Mount Tai.
He was no longer fighting alone.
He has her, his strongest armor and his most powerful support.
Several hours later, the plane began its descent.
Outside the window, the frozen snowscape of the north has long since transformed into a continuous green mountain range.
Thick clouds and mist coiled around the mountainside like venomous snakes, and the air was filled with a humid and sticky atmosphere. Even the sunlight seemed to have a decadent languor.
Southern Xinjiang border, frontline military airfield.
The moment the hatch opened, a wave of hot, humid air, mixed with the smells of dirt, vegetation, and diesel fuel, rushed out.
Unlike the strict atmosphere of the capital, the tension here was written on the faces of every soldier, a mixture of despair and vigilance.
At the airport, the soldiers were in a hurry.
Several military vehicles covered with heavy tarpaulins were parked beside the runway. Dark red liquid was seeping out from under the tarpaulins, leaving shocking marks on the ground.
A tall, dark-skinned, middle-aged officer with the rank of colonel strode forward to greet them.
He first gave Lu Zhanting an impeccable military salute, his voice booming like a bell.
"Reporting, Commander! Feng Yi, Commander of the Southern Xinjiang Border Defense Independent Regiment, has been ordered to come and greet you! You must be tired from your journey!"
"Commander Feng."
Lu Zhanting returned the greeting, his expression unchanged.
Feng Yi's gaze lingered for a moment on Lu Zhanting's excessively youthful face, a complex emotion flashing across his eyes.
There was a sense of awe for the central government's special envoy, as well as a natural scrutiny of the "parachuted" commander.
When his gaze fell on Su Wanqing behind Lu Zhanting, the scrutiny turned into undisguised astonishment and confusion.
"Who is this...?"
“Comrade Su Wanqing,” Zhou Cheng stepped forward and solemnly introduced, “is directly appointed by the highest level to serve as the special medical advisor for this operation.”
"Medical consultant?"
Feng Yi's brows furrowed instantly, his tone carrying the ruggedness and straightforwardness characteristic of a soldier.
“Secretary Zhou, if I may be so blunt, this is the front line! We are not facing ordinary wounded soldiers, but monsters that cannot be killed by bullets! To have a... female comrade as an advisor, isn't that playing with her life? I cannot take responsibility for that!”
He hadn't finished speaking.
The whole world seemed to have been muted.
Lu Zhanting did not release any killing intent, nor did he raise his voice.
He simply raised his eyes and quietly glanced at Feng Yi.
Just that one glance.
Feng Yi, a veteran of many battles, felt as if he were being stared at by a prehistoric beast, and his blood ran cold! It was an absolute indifference that came from crawling out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood, regarding all things as straw dogs!
His Adam's apple bobbed violently, silencing any further questions he might have had.
Lu Zhanting withdrew his gaze, his voice so cold it could freeze the air.
"My team members are not for you to question."
"Now, take us to the command post."
"I want to see all the unedited, original footage."
He offered no explanation, no argument, and issued an irresistible order in the calmest of tones.
Feng Yi was stunned by the invisible, terrifying aura. His body reacted before his brain could, and he suddenly stood at attention.
"Yes, sir! Please follow me!"
The temporary command post was set up in a row of military tents next to the airport.
As soon as you step inside, you are immediately enveloped by a tense and suffocating atmosphere of combat.
The constant ringing of radio calls, the figures of staff officers rushing back and forth, and the huge military map hanging on the wall marked with one shocking "killed in action" sign after another in red marker.
Lu Zhanting's arrival was like a boulder thrown into stagnant water.
The previously chaotic command center fell silent instantly.
"Immediately retrieve all the data transmitted back by the second reconnaissance team."
Lu Zhanting walked to the main control console and gave an order to a communications technician.
"yes!"
The technician's fingers trembled as he typed on the keyboard.
Soon, a chaotic snowflake appeared on the main screen.
The next second.
A heart-wrenching, inhuman scream, accompanied by a beast-like roar, suddenly exploded from the speakers, echoing throughout the entire command center!
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