Chapter 30 The Apocalypse 29
Lu Xue took a half step back, her voice trembling with sobs, and said in horror, "Mingchuan, how could you kill someone?"
Before Luo Mingchuan could respond, the panic turned into a warm smile. Lu Xuejin's eyes curved into crescents, and her glass-bead-like pupils gleamed faintly in the dim light. He raised his hand to cover his chest, "It was too terrifying."
The sinister, bizarre smile added a chill to the already brutal murder scene.
Lu Xuejin looked at the bloody scene with great interest, then suddenly raised her eyebrows, made a viewfinder with her hands, and smiled at Luo Mingchuan.
Inside the frame, a tall man covered in blood, with a cold and sinister gaze, is starkly depicted.
They gazed at each other across the corpses and the pool of blood.
"Here—" Lu Xuejin tossed the special medicine to Luo Mingchuan. The green liquid sloshed in the transparent glass tube, forming a thin layer of green mist on the tube wall, which looked like some kind of unhealthy colored beverage.
His large, thick fingers gripped the glass tube firmly, and the semi-dried blood spread and seeped through, solidifying into artistic patterns. Luo Mingchuan looked up at him.
“It’s a special medicine that can cure the zombie virus,” Lu Xuejin said slowly. “I deliberately contacted Mu Huai to make him discover my identity, all for this small vial—the only one in the base. It really took a lot of effort; I’ve been sleeping in the lab these past two days, and my back is almost falling apart.”
She frankly recounted her hardships, but made no mention of the side effects Mu Huai had warned her about, nor of the fact that the medicine had not yet undergone safety testing and could potentially kill someone.
Lu Xuejin didn't mention any of this, and instead asked Dong Yao, "Why is there no movement? He got the special medicine, his dedication points should be full by now. As long as his dedication points are full, it doesn't matter if he dies the next second, right?"
[That darn male lead! His dedication value isn't changing at all! Doesn't he feel sorry for me working so hard?!] Dong Yao was incredibly indignant after checking the value, and added, [Don't worry, baby, I made this pipe for Mu Huai, it definitely doesn't...]
The confident words abruptly stopped. "Y-It should be fine, right?"
It accelerated Mu Huai's research and development progress on its own, but now I realize that the previous generations of special medicines in the original novel had significant side effects. The original author did not write about the specific side effects, but they should not kill people.
[...How about we hold off on giving this to Luo Mingchuan for now? Having experienced too much death, his silent, remaining soul is at risk of collapsing. We only need six more dedication points; let's be cautious.]
The glass tube felt cold to the touch and was fragile and easily broken in his hand. Luo Mingchuan held it carefully, afraid of accidentally crushing it.
However, he dismissed the so-called "miracle drug" in the tube and had no intention of drinking it.
From beginning to end, Luo Mingchuan never intended to revert to being human; everything was Lu Xuejin's own doing. She claimed it was for his own good, yet she bit his neck on his birthday; she said she wanted to obtain a special medicine to cure him, and brought him to the base. Her actions were completely contradictory. Luo Mingchuan believed this was all part of Lu Xuejin's little game, and he was merely an excuse to start it.
and……
Unconsciously, his fingertips rubbed against the glass tube.
They should have been kindred spirits traveling together in the apocalypse. If they turned back into humans, he and Lu Xuejin would no longer be the same kind of people.
"Have you had enough fun?" Luo Mingchuan put the special medicine into his pocket, seemingly not intending to drink it.
Lu Xuejin inquired again, but the contribution value remained unchanged.
"..." He seemed thoughtful. "Does it have to be forced down my throat?"
After considering the scene of forcibly administering the drug, Lu Xuejin abandoned her risky plan.
The researcher had bled profusely, forming a small pool of blood near the body. He gracefully stepped back half a step to avoid staining his shoes with blood.
With a quick glance, a new idea popped into his head. He skipped over the pool of blood and said in a light tone, "You've killed someone, so we definitely can't stay in the base anymore. Pack up, and let's leave tonight."
He finally ended his little game of finding amusement, so easily leaving the Mu brothers behind.
Upon hearing this, Luo Mingchuan felt his cold heart instantly filled with restless joy, swelling like a balloon.
He was overjoyed.
[Dedication Points +5]
Dongyao's Broadcast: [It's 99!]
It's just one step away from reaching the maximum value.
Lu Xuejin laughed and said, "Xiao Yao, is there something wrong with your network? It took so long to broadcast."
This made him think that what he had gone through so much trouble to obtain was completely useless.
Dongyao repeatedly checked the data source to prove himself: [There was no delay.]
[Baby, your husband is so strange. The baby didn't swell up when we finally got the special medicine, but now it's starting to move...]
Lu Xuejin was too lazy to argue with an artificial intelligence, so she gestured to Luo Mingchuan with her chin and said, "You're filthy, hurry up and wash yourself off."
By now, Mu Huai probably already knows he's not in the lab. If he lingers any longer, he and Luo Mingchuan could become cellmates in prison.
After Luo Mingchuan finished showering and changed into new clothes, the two of them shouldered their backpacks as they had come and left the apartment calmly and openly.
The defenses at the base gate were practically nonexistent in front of Dong Yao; their departure didn't even alert any of the guards.
A dark glint flashed in Luo Mingchuan's eyes as he looked at the guards who ignored them.
Ten minutes later, heavy footsteps and rapid breathing broke the tranquility of the luxury apartment.
The awakened resident angrily opened the door, intending to question the uncivilized intruder, only to find a group of people in front of him standing in dark combat uniforms, looking serious and armed, with familiar faces.
It was that hunting team.
"..." His anger was immediately extinguished by the cold water, and he quickly closed the door and stopped peeking.
The shepherd boy led his team into the apartment, only to find a corpse with its eyes wide open and a room full of blood.
"The target has escaped." Yun Hongli reported through her earpiece. After a moment, her expression turned strange. "Captain, they weren't stopped at the gate either. To be precise, nobody even noticed they left."
"A bunch of good-for-nothings!" The shepherd boy's angry shouts echoed in the empty room.
The team members behind him fell silent, not daring to utter a sound. They were all shocked to receive an urgent mission in the middle of the night, targeting the young man they had brought back and who had won everyone's favor.
The usually mild-mannered and timid young man actually stole classified experimental materials, committed murder, and fled.
You really can't judge a book by its cover.
Was her previous gentle and timid demeanor and her spring-like charm all a lie?
Fatty Liu Gao craned his neck to carefully examine the shepherd boy's face, but was frightened back by the man's gloomy eyes.
"Boss, this guy's chest has been ripped open. Judging from the method, it should be Luo Mingchuan's doing."
The hunting team's rising star's morbid homicidal tendencies were already well-known; the wounds were so clean and precise that it was impossible for a second person to be faking them.
Some team members couldn't help but speculate that Lu Xuejin might have been forced into it, perhaps deceived or even threatened by Luo Mingchuan, which forced him to use the captain's cousin to steal the special medicine.
The entire apartment was turned upside down, and the thorough search yielded no clues other than the remaining personal belongings.
The shepherd boy stood at the door of the master bedroom, the air still carrying Lu Xuejin's unique clean scent.
With his back to his teammates, his face was surprisingly calm. His brows, which were always full of anger and coldness, were now shrouded in shadow, and his light-colored eyes were dark and unfathomable.
Is this what you did to get close to Mu Huai? Why didn't you come to me?
The laboratory felt unusually deserted due to someone's absence. The blankets on the folding bed were disheveled, as if still warm from Lu Xuejin's presence.
The hard, cold chair supported my back, and short, urgent reports echoed in my ears.
"He lied to me." Mu Huai was rarely stunned, and muttered to himself.
The zombie in the petri dish seemed to understand his words, letting out a sharp roar, its lips curving into a stiff, blatant mockery.
No, there is another possibility.
Mu Huai tried to think calmly.
It's possible that Lu Xuejin was coerced and forcibly taken away—otherwise, how could he have quietly bypassed so many guards on his own?
However, based on various pieces of evidence, this possibility is extremely slim.
Looking back on everything that happened after he met Lu Xue, were his helplessness, fear, and tears all fake?
She tightly grasped his trembling hand, her eyes brimming with tears, and her suppressed sobs were all feigned, deliberately designed to mislead him.
Then, the young man who had been curled up in the corner and sobbing softly in his memory suddenly smiled meaningfully.
Mu Huai stared at the angel statue praying devoutly on the workbench, and for a moment he saw the fangs of a demon.
...
The post-apocalyptic night sky was exceptionally vast and clear, with a crescent moon hanging high in the heavens. Sadly, the survivors had no time to appreciate this beauty.
Looking back at the base after leaving the cordon, the dark silhouettes resembled a giant beast sleeping in the night, and the searchlights hastily turned on due to their escape were the beast's huge, hazy eyes.
The night wind of deep winter was biting; taking a deep breath felt like it could freeze your very soul. But it was the perfect temperature for the hognose snake. Its round head poked out, resting on Lu Xuejin's hand, hissing and flicking its tongue, its scarlet eyes surveying its surroundings.
Lu Xuejin grabbed the blood-stained white snake body and tossed it to the man who was half a step behind her: "Here you take it."
The pig-nosed snake was reluctant to leave and wanted to return to its favorite body, but the man who took it over had a terrifying aura, so the snake dared not move.
A horde of wandering zombies gradually appeared ahead, like ghostly shadows in the darkness.
Lu Xuejin suddenly stopped and looked at the horde of zombies not far away.
Among the group of walking dead, one zombie stood out.
The trench coat was crisp, and the wristwatch gleamed. Though the skin was bluish-gray, there were no signs of decay. A black collar hung around the neck, its straps dangling low and swaying in the wind, as if waiting for its owner to lift it up again.
The zombie broke away from the group and followed its instincts toward Lu Xuejin, obediently stopping just a step away.
"Cheng Ce." Lu Xuejin's voice was filled with surprise as she looked him up and down. Seeing that the zombie had cleaned himself up very well, she asked gently, "How did you get here? It's so far. Did you follow me?"
It's like chatting with a long-lost friend and asking about their recent life.
Cheng Ce remained motionless.
If he were to speak, he would only produce an unpleasant, hoarse sound.
What kind of reaction can you expect from a zombie?
Lu Xuejin asked several questions in succession, but the only response he received was the howling night wind and the roars of the zombies.
He then lowered his eyes, sighed helplessly, with a hint of self-mockery.
Behind him, Luo Mingchuan remained silent, his head lowered, his pupils turning crimson.
Cheng Ce, who hadn't reacted until now, tilted his head slightly as if in a playful response. He moved closer to Lu Xuejin, bent his stiff fingers, lifted the other end of the collar, and slowly presented it to her.
"ah."
"Ah." Lu Xuejin held onto the ring and gently pulled it, and Cheng Ce obediently followed her for a few steps.
"After I left, did you eat well? Did you make any new friends?" Lu Xuejin asked with concern.
Cheng Ce growled twice.
"Haven't you eaten?" Lu Xuejin stroked his cold cheek and said with a hint of pity, "Come with me, I'll take good care of you."
Cheng Ce blinked.
"..." Lu Xuejin immediately laughed. The night veiled his eyes with a hazy blue, like the dark blue sea before dawn, with gentle and joyful waves.
He turned around and finally remembered Luo Mingchuan, whom he had almost forgotten. He glanced at him with a smile and blinked gently.
He didn't speak, and neither did Luo Mingchuan. In the silent eye contact, Luo Mingchuan was the first to look away, taking half a step forward, but still maintaining his following posture.
He said in a muffled voice, "Let's go, it's almost dawn."
Where to go?
"Another home."
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