Chapter 180 Heart-to-Heart Talk
The two remained silent for a while.
Lu Wei suddenly said seriously, "You think I'm strong, but I've been standing still. I fight zombies with determination, but that's all I'm fighting."
“You’re different; you’ll join the zombies.”
Lin Xi's eyes widened: "Weren't you going to praise me? Let's not talk about my embarrassing past."
Lu Wei let out a soft breath and seemed to smile slightly: "Hmm. You certainly have a lot of methods. I did borrow your methods for building safe houses for my family and stockpiling supplies."
"Hmm." Lin Xi sighed, "If you hadn't killed me, I probably would have just lay down as a zombie and wouldn't have had so many thoughts."
Lu Wei: "..."
He was speechless at this point.
Lin Xi recalled something from a long time ago and chuckled to herself: "If that were the case, when Nanhua loses power, I'll be locked in the monitoring room by myself, with no one to turn to for help."
After the power went out in Nanhua, the TV dramas that were set to play on a loop could no longer be broadcast. As a zombie, she had no entertainment, could not get out, and could not find relief.
An immortal zombie was locked in a small dark room.
"A chance encounter."
The two fell silent again.
Lin Xi hugged her knees, thinking to herself, "Didn't they say there was still a lot to praise? It really was just a consolation prize."
She was keenly aware of her progress and also keenly aware of her predicament.
After an unknown amount of time, Lu Wei spoke again: "Song Heng couldn't contact you and came to me asking for you. What are your plans now?"
Lin Xi shook her head slightly.
"Xiang Xin has been telling you to join the army."
Lin Xi shook her head again.
“This is something we did in our past lives, and you are doing it, and you are doing it very well.”
Lu Wei: "You'll do it just as well."
Lin Xi has good kung fu and marksmanship skills. He is not afraid of zombies and is familiar with their weaknesses and the patterns of change in the world.
She had the power, but simply chose not to use it.
Lin Xi finally revealed his distress once again: "Scientific research is really difficult. It's not like fighting zombies, where you kill one at a time. You don't have any real achievements until you actually make research results."
Lu Wei: "You've already gotten ahead of me."
"...?" Lin Xi didn't react.
Lu Wei explained, "As I just said, I always stay in the same place, and the only way to survive after being reborn several times is still the same."
He was a determined fighter.
Lu Wei: "But you changed direction and chose to pursue a scientific research career."
He has evolved from a coward who lay down and begged for death and stayed at home to survive into this.
Lin Xi rubbed her hair: "I just know that there will always be people fighting zombies, and adding one more person won't make a difference."
She asked somewhat reluctantly, "If... you find that force can't deal with the zombies, what will you do?"
“I have thought about it.” Lu Wei looked at her seriously and said, “I… might protect the research team and create conditions for them.”
Just like what I'm doing for Lin Xi now.
“But you dared to choose to become that kind of person.” Lu Wei added, “From choosing between arts and sciences to studying scientific research, I wasn’t just saying I wanted to praise you.”
Not everyone has the courage to change from scratch, let alone do something they are not good at at all.
Only Lin Xi herself knows how arduous this journey has been.
From the moment she changed her subject choices, her seriousness and anxiety were ever-present.
She takes her studies and knowledge seriously, but is also bewildered: people in every lifetime are doing things like fighting zombies and researching vaccines, will adding one more person really make a difference?
It wasn't until Lin Jie's zombies appeared that she suddenly realized that perhaps she really could bring about some change to this world.
Before she could make a decision, others had already made it for her.
Lin Xi remained silent for a long time before asking in a low voice, "Are you trying to persuade me to go back and participate in the research project?"
As a worker or as a test subject?
Lu Wei: "I respect your wishes."
Lin Xi knew that the words were true, but they were still empty words. Lin Xi responded with an empty phrase: "You are a good person."
Lu Wei didn't catch the playfulness in her words and replied seriously, "We are friends."
"Hmm." Lin Xi asked a somewhat silly question that she had never dared to ask before: "If... I have to participate in the experiment to extract antibodies and make a vaccine, and it's indispensable, do you truly respect my wishes?"
Lu Wei: "As you said. If I didn't have the ability to be reborn, you might already be dead, hiding somewhere we don't know. Even without you, I still have to find a way to survive."
If Lin Xi hadn't chosen to fight and conduct scientific research, hadn't appeared before everyone, had instead hidden away somewhere or died long ago, the world would still keep turning without her, and those who are alive would still have to find other ways to survive.
Lin Xi had heard their three answers before, but she hadn't analyzed the reasons so seriously.
Lin Xi: "I finally understand why Liang Hui, despite not having the memories of being reborn, is still with you in every life."
Lu Wei is a good partner.
His presence today as a sparring partner wasn't solely for sparring purposes; just like in his previous life, he was looking for an opportunity to offer guidance and assistance.
Lin Xi avoided the laboratory for many days, anxiously trying not to think about the problem, venting his emotions through training and fighting, but venting also has its limits, and it was time to make a decision.
She said firmly, "I will not give up scientific research."
After so many years of hard work, how can I be willing to give up before we've even reached the end?
-
April 8, 2027.
For the past two months, aside from the initial period of rest and venting, Lin Xi has once again immersed herself in the tedious process of studying.
Unlike before, living with everyone means there are often people at home, so we can exercise together and occasionally have tea parties.
When Lin Xi suddenly came to her senses, she realized that the three people didn't seem as busy as before, and they spent much less time going out on missions.
The base has undergone some changes; reportedly, mobile phones are now becoming more widespread.
After the refugees who arrived at the base penniless were provided with food and clothing, their quality of life gradually improved, and many of them obtained mobile phones.
Although the original network was open for free, there was a shortage of maintenance personnel. In order to ensure the smooth use of the network, each base successively established its own intranet. The Dawn Base was relatively late in building its intranet compared to other bases.
It is said that some bases have strict intranet management, preventing the use of original communication tools and social platforms, leaving people inside and outside in a state of disconnection.
Lin Xi didn't know how the network at Dawn Base would be planned after its completion, and he didn't have much time to care about the outside world anyway.
Although civilization has regressed, people have survived the days of separation, death, and lack of food and clothing. Although they miss the wonderful life on the ground, the fear of knowing that there are hardened zombies outside makes them cherish their current peaceful life even more.
Although the house is a bit small, at least it's safe, and life here includes work and entertainment, much like before.
May 10, 2027.
Lin Xi received a wedding invitation. It was from her former colleague Cheng Ling, who was getting married to another colleague who had once worked at the Nanhua Research Institute.
After the lab layoffs, they all left and found medical-related jobs in other parts of the base, where the pay was considered quite good among the available job options.
They lived the life of "ordinary people".
Lin Xi felt a little down: it seemed that everyone was getting more and more used to life at the base and starting to settle down and live a peaceful life.
Cheng Ling was unaware of what happened in the lab later. He invited a group of former colleagues to a restaurant on one of the floors of the base for a get-together, treating it as a wedding celebration during this special period.
Lin Xi contributed 200 points as a token gesture, but did not attend.
The thought of those people at the research institute still chills me to the bone, but it won't be too long before we meet again.
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