Chapter 264 Westward Exit of Yangguan
The research project on the half-infected has been stopped because all the half-infected individuals mutated into zombies within a year and have been destroyed. There are no experimental samples left, except for Lu Wei, the last half-infected individual.
Lu Wei had already shown obvious signs of mutation; rather than being a half-infected person, he was more like a zombie who retained his consciousness.
The relevant authorities have not issued any instructions regarding this last zombie, but the research institute's measures to recover the half-infected research project and the academicians' expressions of regret have given implicit hints.
Lin Xi and Lu Wei returned to Laboratory No. 8.
That day, Lu Wei did not continue studying; he had already memorized the formulas for the vaccine and the antitoxin.
Very unusually, he was also in a daze, his limbs trembling uncontrollably, and his eyes somewhat blank.
Lin Xi snapped out of her reverie, feeling both worried and awkward, but unable to find a topic to talk about, she simply asked stiffly, "How much does the shirt cost?"
Lu Wei did not turn his face or reply; his gaze remained blank and unfocused.
Lin Xi shook her head: It shouldn't be like that. He was still able to read literature this morning. It's not that sudden that he completely lost his mind.
Lin Xi once said that if he couldn't immediately give the command to indicate that he had mutated, she would definitely kill him.
Undeterred, Lin Xi asked again, "How much does the shirt cost?"
Lu Wei still didn't answer, and with difficulty turned his body to face her. This simple action made him feel like a phone that couldn't stop vibrating.
His gaze was fixed on Lin Xi, but he remained silent.
Lin Xi felt a lump in her throat. She had long been used to Lu Wei's indifference, but at this moment, she couldn't help but lean forward and rest against him, just as she had listened to his breathing and heartbeat countless times before.
"What's the price of the shirt?" Lin Xi asked persistently.
No one answered her; only a trembling hand rested on her back, gently pressing her against her heart.
It was cold and still there; there was no heartbeat anymore.
Are you leaving too?
-
The research institute invented a zombie disposal chamber, specifically designed to handle the hardened remains of zombies.
Lin Xi and Lu Wei came here.
Finally, Lu Wei, who was strapped to a special hospital bed, had blackened veins that spread across his face, his eyes were red, and his jaw was trembling uncontrollably.
The moment the needle that was continuously injecting antitoxin into his body was pulled out, he struggled violently and let out a hoarse growl.
Once you become a zombie, you lose control of your body.
Guo Xingyuan had already finished sighing. Since Lin Xi could arrive so calmly, he could only make his final inquiry: "Most of the half-infected zombies are not fully infected; their brains generally retain consciousness. For those half-infected who were forced into infection, we always practice humanitarianism, allowing them to see their parents and family before execution… We've discovered that Major General Lu's parents are at the Yizhou base, perhaps…?"
Conscious zombies cannot speak or act, but they can see them and hear their farewells.
Lin Xi shook her head: "He refused."
Seeing their parents in this state, facing destruction, is such a cruel torment.
Lin Xi imagined that she would have made the same decision in her place.
But she had to watch Lu Wei turn into this and personally send him to the destruction pod.
Then she thought again that Lu Wei had already seen what she looked like as a zombie.
They had seen each other at their ugliest.
"Alright." Guo Xingyuan left them alone and stepped outside the glass door to give them final supervision of the process.
Lin Xi calmly pressed the first button, and the specially made hatch closed, covering the zombie's body. Only the glass above the hatch revealed the zombie's face.
It is struggling, it is howling.
But no matter how much it struggled, it couldn't escape the destruction chamber that trapped it.
Perhaps it began to regret and resist the act of destruction, but this was the last decision Lu Wei made when he was able to express himself clearly.
From the moment Lu Wei was infected with the virus, Lin Xi dared not think too deeply about it, but she had already mentally rehearsed this scenario countless times.
She couldn't imagine what she would feel when that moment actually came.
But she remained surprisingly calm.
The lucid Lu Wei did not say goodbye to her, nor did he give her any other instructions.
There are many people in this world who disappear suddenly without a chance to say goodbye, but Lu Wei chose to remain silent.
Lin Xi pressed the button to inject the drug, and a cloud of white mist instantly rose from the destruction chamber, obscuring the appearance of the struggling zombies inside.
Lu Wei is conscious; he can clearly perceive death, and then he will go to another world with the vaccine and the antitoxin formula.
The destruction progress was displayed on the screen next to the destruction chamber. Lin Xi watched as the progress bar filled up. The process was not stressful and was much faster than Lin Xi had imagined.
When the notification sounded, Guo Xingyuan opened the door and walked in, accompanied by several female staff members. They simply stood guard at the door, seemingly to deal with any emergencies.
Guo Xingyuan walked to Lin Xi's side despite the pressure: "The hardened zombie bones are hard and cannot be completely decomposed, but the relevant departments stipulate that the remains and ashes of zombies will be kept in a unified manner by the relevant departments and cannot be returned to the families."
The voice was ethereal in Lin Xi's mind, and she took a while to respond before humming in response.
-
Lin Xi was assigned to a new place of residence. After the zombies were cleared, there was still a lot of cleanup work to be done.
The wasteland world needs to be cleaned up, the list of survivors needs to be compiled and tallied, and Lin Xi's job is to organize and collect vaccine-related records.
The zombie virus is the most powerful virus to date in human history, and its vaccine development process has very important reference value for future etiology and even the entire medical field.
Lin Xi was grateful that she still had work to do when she felt like she had nothing left.
-
In the new environment, everyone showed Lin Xi not only respect but also a special concern for her.
They all knew that Lin Xi had lost her friend, but they didn't dare to offer comfort easily, so they could only show their concern through small details.
Lin Xi can be careless at times, but she is also very perceptive in this regard.
After eight years of unrest, authorities have estimated that the population has decreased by 70%, and many people are facing the pain of losing family and friends.
The emotions that were difficult for Lin Xi to accept were also being endured by everyone else.
But she wouldn't refuse these kind offers.
-
Lin Xi was dragged by her colleagues to a business district for a meal to relax.
She had no interest in socializing, but here she saw someone she hadn't seen in a long time.
The man waved to her from afar, but didn't come over.
Lin Xi had no choice but to go over herself: "Li Shuyi."
Li Shuyi greeted her with a broad smile: "Academician Lin!"
Lin Xi stared at her intently.
“Lin Xi,” Li Shuyi said, a little embarrassed, patting her head. “The youngest academician, what a cool title!”
"..."
Li Shuyi would occasionally visit Lin Xi, bringing her snacks and trinkets.
She never appeared again after Lu Wei died, but some of her belongings were passed down to her intermittently.
Hearing Li Shuyi address him with such respect, Lin Xi felt a pang of emotion.
Li Shuyi quickly came to terms with it. The apocalypse was over, everything was in ruins, and the people who were tired of being underground had expectant smiles on their faces.
Li Shuyi smiled and said, "We all know that you are a key figure in vaccine development, and you deserve half the credit for saving humanity."
Lin Xi shook her head slightly, but did not discuss the topic in detail.
There are countless heroes who save humanity, some nameless, some who sacrificed themselves heroically, and also Lin Xi's friends.
"Back then, when you asked me for a charging pad at my doorstep and said you had a vaccine for the zombie virus and hoped I could support you in saving the world from the apocalypse, I thought you were a scammer, or at least a really bad one."
"……Then what."
"I never expected you guys to be 'robbers'! Yang Yicheng pointed a gun at me back then, it scared me to death!"
Upon hearing that name, Li Shuyi realized she had said the wrong thing.
She didn't dare ask about Lu Wei's situation. After arriving at the headquarters, she learned a lot about the world, including about the half-infected.
She finally understood why Yang Yicheng had been wary of Lu Wei, and why Lu Wei had been injecting drugs. She also gradually learned about Lin Xi's true identity. Lin Xi's role was far greater than Li Shuyi had imagined.
Li Shuyi, afraid that Lin Xi would be reminded of those who had passed away, changed her words and said, "But you guys are really amazing. I used to want to hide away and wait for someone else to save the world and liberate me, and then you actually showed up!"
"..." Lin Xi was somewhat dazed, "The same."
"?"
Li Shuyi didn't understand; it was the same thing.
She felt that Lin Xi was not in a good state. Although Lin Xi had never smiled since the first time she met her, she had always maintained a clear mind except when she was sick, and never said anything nonsensical.
She remembered how devastated Lin Xi was when Xiang Xin died, and naturally knew how much Lu Wei's death had affected her.
Li Shuyi quickly changed the subject: "By the way! The public network is fixed, and now we can contact people at other bases through it! My parents have passed away, but my aunt and cousin are still alive, and we recently got in touch with them! Do you want to try contacting some of your old relatives and friends?"
Hopefully, this good news will give Lin Xi some encouragement.
"Really..." Lin Xi was still unsettled, her eyes brightening, her expression a mix of sadness and envy. She simply said, "Congratulations."
Li Shuyi was immersed in her joy: "I don't know when we can meet! The air route has just been opened, and tickets are hard to come by. They are available at a high price but not in demand. Ordinary people like us have no way to buy them."
Lin Xi wasn't in the mood, and casually asked, "Where do you want to go?"
"Dawn Base! Before the apocalypse, my aunt's family lived in Wuzhou. Refugees from Nanhua and Wuzhou later moved to Dawn Base! Lin Xi, have you ever been to Dawn Base? I heard you used to be a researcher at the Nanhua Research Institute."
Dawn Base.
Lin Xi was momentarily dazed.
"Mm," she replied casually. "I'll take you there."
"Huh?" Li Shuyi was taken aback. "You mean you're going to Dawn Base with me?"
Lin Xi nodded.
“Oh…you’ve made outstanding contributions to the relevant departments, you’re definitely qualified to get a plane ticket.” Li Shuyi rubbed her hands together, a little embarrassed: “But isn’t it a bit…”
"Go, go right now." Lin Xi interrupted her about to say "I'm sorry" decisively.
Li Shuyi still has someone she wants to see, so let's take her to see them.
Lin Xi's flight ticket application and external investigation report were quickly approved, and a considerable portion of the preliminary work records in the vaccine research were left at the Dawn Research Institute.
She packed her luggage simply; in fact, she only had a few changes of clothes and no other luggage.
When she first arrived at the headquarters, all she had was a cooler.
There was also a pocket pistol and...
Lin Xi put the framed image of the four characters from the popular anime into her pocket and kept it with her, saying softly, "Going home."
-
All the checkpoints at Dawn Base were open, with no virus testing checkpoints, but the guards continued their patrols diligently.
On the day Lin Xi landed, many people came to greet her at Dawn Base.
Everyone knows that the key figure in developing vaccines to save humanity comes from the Dawn Research Institute, and therefore feels proud to come and see the demeanor of the youngest academician.
The base's senior management, along with the Dawn Research Institute, led the welcoming ceremony.
Lin Xi looked at these familiar faces but couldn't recall their names for a moment.
Although a few years is not a long time, Lin Xi has forgotten a lot of things.
These faces from the research institute did look familiar. Although Lin Xi couldn't recall their names, she vaguely remembered which faces she had beaten up before.
Someone couldn't help but call out, "Dean Zhang!"
The others nudged him, saying, "Don't call him Dean Zhang! He's Dean Lin!"
The man asked in a low voice, "Huh? Isn't she Zhang Sirui?"
Everyone knows that the success of the vaccine is inseparable from Lin Xi's teamwork and the hard work of Lin Xi and her partners in its delivery. But what is unknown is that Lin Xi, who invented the vaccine, was herself an antibody contributor.
Her secret of possessing antibodies was protected by Lu Wei and the entire Song Heng team and had never been leaked.
The research institute wanted to invite Lin Xi back to oversee things and give some presentations, as many people were interested in his experience in inventing the vaccine.
Some even joked, "When is Dean Lin going to take us on a team-building activity?"
"..."
Unfortunately, Lin Xi had no interest in dealing with them.
After a hurried welcome ceremony, the base's senior management arranged a room in a luxury guesthouse for Lin Xi.
Lin Xi asked, "Is the place where I lived with them back then still empty?"
The base replied: "Major General Lu's room has always been kept and has never been touched."
"Great!" Lin Xi touched the picture in her pocket.
Just like at the headquarters, everyone at Dawn Base was immersed in the joy of victory. Most of them were pale from living underground for years, but their eyes were beginning to shine, revealing an expectant look.
A little girl looked at her with sparkling eyes.
Lin Xi's expressionless face didn't frighten the little girl; instead, it attracted her closer: "I've seen you before."
The child was about three years old. Lin Xi had just returned to the Dawn Research Institute and had never seen the child before.
The little girl looked at her with admiration: "My dad used to be a colleague of the super amazing scientist Lin Xi!"
"...Who is your father?" Lin Xi asked.
A man in a white coat walked over, waved to the little girl, and she went toward him.
The man, holding the little girl, approached with a smile, stopping a meter away from Lin Xi: "Old classmate, do you remember me?"
Everyone's appearance has changed over the years, and the person in front of him has matured a bit, but Lin Xi remembered this person: "Cheng Ling".
Cheng Ling left the laboratory to work at the hospital after arriving at the Dawn Base.
Cheng Ling smiled and said, "You must be very busy, so we won't bother you any longer." He gently bounced the little girl in his arms and said, "Now that you've seen her, we should go home."
The little girl's bright eyes said, "Goodbye, scientist auntie!"
Having escaped that little incident, Lin Xi walked home alone.
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