Chapter 81 Hidden Price
Su Wanqing and Lin Che were breathing heavily. The tunnel entrance behind them had completely collapsed and dust was still floating in the air.
They managed to escape with their lives, but the crisis was far from over.
"Are you okay?" Su Wanqing turned to Lin Che and found that there were gray lines spreading from the wound on his right arm, which had already spread to his forearm.
“I’m fine.” Lin Che shook her head, but her eyes were a little dazed and she seemed to be unfocused.
Su Wanqing pulled his arm over and carefully examined the gray lines.
They spread under the skin like tree roots, but there are no obvious signs of redness, swelling, or pain.
"Strange, you don't feel uncomfortable?"
“I feel a little dizzy, but not seriously.” Lin Che replied, his voice a little slow. “I’ll try to control it with my ability.”
He stretched out his hand, trying to summon water power to seal the wound. A small stream of water formed in his palm, but soon became unstable, as if it was disturbed by some force.
Lin Che's face suddenly turned pale, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
"What's wrong?" Su Wanqing hurriedly supported him.
“The water has become very heavy and hard to control.” Lin Che leaned against a rock. “I’ve never felt this way before. It’s like someone is pulling at my abilities.”
Su Wanqing frowned, took out a simple medical scanner from her backpack, and scanned Lin Che's arm.
The data showed that his vital signs were basically normal, but there were slight fluctuations in his brain waves.
"We have to get back to the base." Su Wanqing put away the scanner and said firmly, "Your condition is not right. The environment in these experimental areas may have a special effect on you."
Lin Che shook her head. "No, we have to find Lu Zhao. According to the intercom, he is conducting a critical experiment that may affect everyone's life and death."
"Your safety is more important." Su Wanqing said.
“No, finding the truth is the most important thing.” Lin Che stood up straight, trying to make himself look less weak, “You heard, ‘The fuse has been activated’, which means something big is happening.
If we back down now, we may lose the opportunity to resolve the issue forever.”
"But your condition—"
"I can hold on." Lin Che interrupted her, "Su Wanqing, we only have this one chance.
If the virus continues to spread, or the number of those special zombies increases, humanity’s last hope may be cut off.”
Su Wanqing fell silent, her eyes moving between the gray lines on Lin Che's arm and the direction of the factory in the distance.
“The lines are spreading,” she said finally. “I can’t risk you getting a full-blown infection.”
“Going back now would be risky,” Lin Che retorted, “We can only be truly safe if we solve the root cause.”
The two fell into a brief silence. Su Wanqing turned around and began to search the wreckage near the tunnel entrance, as if trying to divert attention and think of a countermeasure.
"What are you looking for?" Lin Che asked.
“Anything that might be useful.” Su Wanqing replied, pushing aside the gravel and dirt with her fingers. “Those special zombies searched so carefully, there must be something important here.”
Her hand suddenly touched something cold. After carefully digging it out, she found it was a metal waterproof bag with military markings.
“What did you find?” Lin Che walked over.
Su Wanqing opened the waterproof bag, which contained a medical refrigerator box.
She put on gloves and carefully opened the box, finding several tubes of blood samples and a paper report with partially damaged pages.
"It's a zombie experiment sample." Su Wanqing flipped through the report. "There is some data on it, which seems to be about the mutation process. This may be important information that researchers are trying to preserve during the crisis."
She carefully read the remaining contents of the report, her brows furrowed tighter and tighter.
"It mentions a special strain of virus that can slowly mutate within the host. It does not cause immediate loss of consciousness, but instead enhances certain abilities of the host."
Lin Che's eyes fell on the blood samples. "We can use these samples to analyze the characteristics of the virus and perhaps find a way to fight it."
"It's too dangerous." Su Wanqing hesitated, "We don't have professional equipment. If we touch these samples rashly, it may aggravate the infection."
“But they may be the key to cracking zombie mutations.” Lin Che said, “Especially now, the special zombies we see are obviously different from ordinary zombies. If we can find out the reason, maybe we can prevent more mutations from happening.”
Su Wanqing pondered for a moment and finally nodded. She carefully put the blood sample and report back into the waterproof bag and then put it into her backpack.
“Okay, we’ll move on, but there are three conditions.” Su Wanqing looked at Lin Che seriously, “First, I’ll check on you every half an hour. Second, if the gray lines spread to your neck, we’ll retreat immediately. Third, once you completely lose consciousness, I’ll use the system’s power to terminate this operation, no matter how it progresses.”
Lin Che nodded, "I accept."
"Also," Su Wanqing added, "if you feel anything unusual, tell me immediately, don't be stubborn."
"I promise."
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Su Wanqing took out the map and reconfirmed the location of the drain.
It was completely dark, and the fire from the factory in the distance became more obvious, accompanied by faint explosions from time to time.
"Let's go, we have to hurry." Su Wanqing said, "The appearance of special zombies means that the experiment has entered a new stage. We must find the answer before the situation gets completely out of control."
The two followed the route indicated on the map, carefully bypassing the zombie gathering area and heading towards the factory.
Lin Che suddenly stopped, a trace of pain flashing across her face.
"What's wrong?" Su Wanqing asked immediately.
“Nothing, just dizzy.” Lin Che shook his head, but his voice sounded labored.
Su Wanqing did not ask further questions, but she noticed that Lin Che's eyes became more confused.
She secretly decided to observe his condition more vigilantly.
"Hold on a little longer," she whispered, "We'll find Lu Zhao soon and resolve this."
Lin Che nodded but said nothing. Gray lines slowly spread across his arm, like a silent countdown, reminding them that time was running out.
When the two of them approached the drain, Su Wanqing looked back at Lin Che.
His face turned even paler, and his steps became a little unsteady. She felt uneasy, and for the first time she doubted her decision.
"Are you sure you want to continue?" she whispered.
Lin Che raised her head, her eyes firm, "Yes, continue. This is not only related to us, but also to the fate of all the survivors."
Su Wanqing took a deep breath and nodded. She knew Lin Che was right, but she was still worried.
The special zombies she saw in the tunnel and the gray lines spreading on Lin Che's arms all warned her of the dangers she was about to face.
"Then go ahead." Su Wanqing said, pulling open the metal cover of the drain, "but remember our agreement."
Lin Che smiled and said, "I remember. Now, let's go find out the truth."
The two looked at each other, then went into the dark sewer pipe one after the other.
The factory is ahead, and the answer may be there.
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