"Speak up? Which one of you is Dr. Lin?" Du Ze's expression was clearly impatient.
Lu Sheng watched from a distance that was neither too close nor too far as Du Ze raised the lantern in his hand and approached the survivors to examine them.
It seems that Du Ze's target is also Dr. Lin Wanshan. Completing the mission and obtaining the reward is just a pretext. His real goal is to find the virus expert.
The survivors at Qingshan Base weren't stupid either. After exchanging glances, the leader among them said neither humbly nor arrogantly, "Dr. Lin's identity is special, and we can't just hand him over to you casually."
"Don't misunderstand, we'll take all of you away." Du Ze was taken aback for a moment, then realized that his attitude was too hasty and had aroused the people's suspicion.
The leader looked cautious. "We won't say anything until we reach a safe place."
Du Ze frowned, and the two sides reached a stalemate.
The remaining survivors at Qingshan Base were very united. Seeing that Du Ze's intentions were not pure, the few people who had just been excitedly waiting for rescue fell silent instantly.
Seven or eight people huddled together in a small circle, warily eyeing the group from the deep space base.
It was as if they would fight to the death if Du Ze dared to be dishonest.
"Alright, let's go to the deep space base first and rest for a bit before we talk." Du Ze forced a smile, then changed the subject, "Where are the data and equipment for the zombie virus research at the Qingshan base? We don't know when we'll be back after leaving here, so let's not waste anything."
The survivors hesitated for a moment, then huddled together to discuss for a few minutes before electing a middle-aged man named Song Ming.
They were well aware of the true purpose of the rescue, and after weighing the options, they decided to exchange valuable research data for a chance to survive.
Song Ming was relatively healthier than the others. He got up and opened the door with difficulty, pointing to the stairs directly in front of him, and said, "The research data is all in the laboratory on the fifth floor, but the upper floor has been completely taken over by mutated zombies."
With so many people flooding in at once, the air inside the safe house quickly thinned out, and the small ventilation window could no longer meet the breathing needs of dozens of people.
Soon everyone felt a shortness of breath, as the oxygen level in the air had dropped to an uncomfortable level.
Sun Lu's face turned slightly pale, and she felt dizzy and lightheaded from the stench. "We can talk about the rest later. Let's get out of here first."
Du Ze then gave his men a wink, "You've all worked so hard for so long. We'll help you carry the stuff. You can get in the car first."
After he finished speaking, several of his men uninvitedly helped the survivors pack their belongings.
"Don't move!" When the group touched the bulging backpack in the corner, Song Ming nervously reached out to stop them.
But he was a step too slow; several of Du Ze's men had already placed their hands on his backpack.
In a moment of desperation, Song Ming lunged forward and snatched the backpack from Du Ze's men.
Splash!
His movements were too sudden, and he lost his balance, falling to the ground with his bag. The contents of his backpack scattered all over the ground, and a round object rolled to Lu Sheng's feet.
After a brief silence, the safe house erupted in an uproar.
Lu Sheng frowned slightly, staring at the grayish-white substance coming out from his toes.
What rolled out of Song Ming's backpack were actually five human skulls!
Xu Yi squatted down, picked up the skull from Lu Sheng's feet and examined it. "They are all fresh bones, and the flesh on the bones has been removed very cleanly, as if they have been boiled in water."
The others present turned pale upon hearing this, and several even gagged uncontrollably.
Lu Sheng and the others exchanged glances, their expressions subtle.
No wonder there were no canned goods or packaging bags in the garbage. It turns out that the food that helped these survivors survive for a month was not canned food, but people, living people!
Song Ming lay on the ground, panting heavily with a ferocious expression. Then he scrambled to his feet, angrily picked up the skull from the ground, and quickly stuffed it back into his backpack.
"What...what's going on?! Are you eating people?!" Liu Peng asked, his face turning ashen with fear, pointing tremblingly at the backpack in Song Ming's hand.
Song Ming remained silent, carefully tidying up his backpack and holding it tightly to his chest.
Seeing that he didn't respond, the two groups, who were originally planning to leave, fell into a silent stalemate.
Sun Lu shone her flashlight on the group, saying, "Our cooperation is based on mutual honesty. Your evasiveness makes it hard for us to feel comfortable taking you away. What if you have some other ideas on the way and kill our people too?"
Finally, one of the younger survivors, a woman, managed to speak slowly, "We didn't kill anyone. These skulls belong to our comrades."
The crowd erupted in uproar, and the atmosphere instantly turned tense.
She choked up as she spoke, "They all volunteered to become food."
Zhang Xiaojuan was so shocked by these words that her scalp tingled. She couldn't help but ask, "Who would want to die if they could live? Even if you're lying, sister, can't you at least come up with a plausible reason?"
"We only found out after we hid in the safe house that all the food and water we had stored there had been taken away. There were fifteen of us in total, and the rations we had brought were only enough to last for three days."
The young woman recounted the story haltingly, her voice choked with emotion several times, "At first, we hoped for rescue, so we only ate enough food to survive each day. But after five days, there was still no news. Seeing that everyone was about to starve to death, in desperation, someone suggested drawing lots. The person who drew the shortest lot would cut a piece of flesh from their body to share with everyone."
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