Chapter 51: You’re not following the script, are you?
Su He’s imagined escape involved driving around constantly, making brief stops at various locations, and anxiously waiting for the enemy to arrive.
In reality: The doctor was out in the countryside providing free medical consultations and treating mutants.
She sat in a simple makeshift shelter, examining a mutant with a tumor on his back.
Since Su He was not a professional doctor and had no medical equipment on hand, she sought help from Yu Yan when faced with such a complex and difficult situation.
“Senior, I’m not very sure about this. Could you take a look?”
Yu Yan had just finished giving medication to a mutant in the car and turned to come over to assist with the examination.
“Yes, it’s an osteoma that has already become malignant. It needs to be surgically removed,” Yu Yan said, pressing on the skin near the tumor. “You must have had wings growing here before, right?”
The mutant replied, “Yes, a deformed wing. It was later pulled off by someone, and it took a long time to heal.”
No wonder the scar on his back was so severe; Su He felt a pang of sympathy.
Throughout the day, she examined the bodies of over a dozen mutants, each with horrifying old injuries.
What was even more frightening was that the old injuries, which had not been properly treated, had led to more serious conditions over the years.
Seeing this, it was possible to guess the kind of treatment they had suffered in the past.
In the morning, Yu Yan had suddenly suggested using this time to treat the mutants, and Su He was unable to understand his reasoning.
She had seen Senior Yu Yan in the underground city’s chaotic laboratory and hospital and observed him performing surgeries on several children. She guessed that he might enjoy treating people.
His sudden proposal to treat the mutants might have been a way to relieve tension or perhaps to build good relationships with the mutants, so they could assist when needed?
Xiao Wei and Xiao Hong helped call over several mutants who were feeling unwell. Yu Yan examined them and prescribed medication, while Su He just watched from the side.
By the afternoon, many mutants arrived on their own without needing Xiao Wei’s help. Su He began to assist as well, fully immersed in treating them and no longer thinking about her earlier speculations.
“There’s a bit of a problem,” Yu Yan said. “We don’t have surgical instruments here. After a while, let Xiao Wei and the others take you to the Golden Light District in the underground city for surgery.”
The mutant sat up and said, “There’s no need for that. Just prescribe some medicine like the others did.”
Yu Yan thought to himself that it really was like rural medical outreach—people were resistant to surgery and preferred to settle for medication.
Su He couldn’t help but advise, “It really needs surgery; medication won’t help. It will keep growing, and eventually…”
Yu Yan interrupted her, saying, “Alright, I’ll give you some painkillers.”
He found the appropriate medicine from the supplies they had brought and handed it to the mutant, sending him on his way.
Watching the mutant leave, Su He felt some reluctance and asked Yu Yan, “Senior, aren’t you going to persuade him further?”
Yu Yan packed up the medical box. “No need to persuade.”
Su He sighed. “I suppose so. If he won’t listen, there’s nothing more you can do. You’ve done your best.”
Yu Yan chuckled but didn’t explain. The reluctance for surgery was because the current pain was bearable, but once he took the “painkillers,” it might not be. Once the pain became unbearable, he would eventually be willing to undergo surgery without needing further persuasion.
The two of them rested in the shelter, and no more mutants came by. The little rabbit, who had been watching from the side for a while, approached and patted Yu Yan’s arm.
“Everyone is short on medicine. If you’re willing to bring medicine and help us treat the others in the future, we’ll help you deal with the enemies. How about it?”
Yu Yan, tapping away on his terminal, smiled and patted the little rabbit’s head.
Seeing that he wasn’t responding, the little rabbit grew impatient and hopped up. “Don’t look down on us. We’ve managed to get a lot of weapons!”
Their weapons had been scavenged from the Rainbow Cage Manor during the chaos. Song Jinsu had set up many weapons there for his own safety, meant to deal with mutant creatures outside.
Unfortunately, the trouble had come from within the manor itself, and those weapons were never used. In the end, Xiao Wei and the others had collected them.
“Don’t misunderstand,” Su He took the opportunity to gently pat Xiao Hong’s rabbit ears and said, “Senior just doesn’t want to put you at risk. Our enemies also have weapons; it’s too dangerous.”
Xiao Hong lifted his head with disdain, wanting to argue that they could attract many more mutated animals and create chaos.
Suddenly, Xiao Wei shouted from the nearby building: “Hey! We’ve got news!”
Yu Yan stood up and went upstairs to take the communicator from Xiao Wei.
This device was brought from the underground city to communicate with their allies there. However, once deep in the wasteland area, the signal was often unreliable. The signal was better only when standing on a high building.
While Yu Yan was treating patients below, he had asked Xiao Wei to hold the communicator on the rooftop to wait for updates.
There were only a few exits from the residential area, and once the Zhou family deployed a team to the wasteland to capture people, they could easily get information by stationing guards near these exits.
To prepare for this, Yu Yan had arranged several teams at different locations to relay messages.
Once the first message came through the communicator, more updates would follow.
“It’s unfortunate; they really have arrived.”
…
When the major families from the Central District mobilized, even though they tried to keep a low profile to avoid attracting too much attention, their presence was worlds apart from ordinary teams. Anyone with a bit of experience could immediately tell who they were.
From the rare vehicles and equipment to the bodyguards and their demeanor, everything about them was beyond what a small family could afford.
Moreover, these prominent families were exceptionally arrogant and noble. They looked down on the underground city and wouldn’t replenish their supplies from what they considered a trash heap. They kept their distance from the city.
They didn’t allow anyone from the outer district to observe them. Anyone who got too close was either driven away or killed, treated no differently from mutant creatures.
Thus, Yu Yan’s people could only observe from a distance.
The Zhou family had deployed dozens of vehicles and hundreds of loyal henchmen, all carrying numerous advanced weapons, making them fearless even in the depths of the wasteland.
Zhou Sheqing was seated in one of the central vehicles, which was spacious and contained only herself and another person—her uncle, Zhou Yuanyou.
Zhou Yuanyou had taken over the management of the Zhou family’s internal research institute many years ago, after his brother fell ill with gene collapse syndrome and had to enter a treatment pod.
When the evolution liquid was released, Zhou Sheqing initially believed she had taken over the Zhou family’s research institute. It was only later that she realized this wasn’t the case; the institute’s operations remained under the control of Zhou Yuanyou.
“Sheqing, you need to think carefully about how to persuade your young friend to come back,” Zhou Yuanyou said in a flat tone.
Zhou Sheqing looked haggard, having endured much torment recently. At his words, she suddenly looked up, “You deliberately had Father use the evolution liquid, causing his death.”
Zhou Yuanyou’s expression remained unchanged, his tone carrying a hint of mockery. “The evolution liquid is your creation. It was you who caused your father’s death.”
Zhou Sheqing continued, “You knew that Zhou Xiangcheng and his mother, He Xiaoyan, were going to die in the research institute, but you didn’t stop it. You did nothing to prevent it, all to eliminate He Xiaoyan and take control of the Zhou family.”
“Realizing you’ve made a huge mess, you’re now grasping at straws and blaming your uncle?” Zhou Yuanyou’s face twisted into a deeper smirk, clearly enjoying her discomfort.
Zhou Sheqing knew she had guessed correctly.
Zhou Yuanyou had pushed for the rapid release of the evolution liquid to enhance the Zhou family’s status in the Central District.
He had ensured that all other branches of the Zhou family used the evolution liquid first, leading to widespread mutations among them, while he himself had refrained from using it.
Zhou Sheqing had hoped to wait for Su He to develop a better evolution liquid before using it herself, but what was Zhou Yuanyou’s reason?
During this period, Zhou Sheqing had finally come to understand her seemingly docile uncle, who had stayed in the research institute for over a decade.
As members of the same bloodline with similar genes, Zhou Xiangcheng had been cold-blooded and emotionally detached, and Zhou Sheqing had strong controlling tendencies. It was clear that her uncle was no better.
Leaving the Central District, Zhou Sheqing knew she would certainly die in the wasteland; her uncle would never allow her to return alive.
It seemed that the search for Su He was the purpose, but Zhou Yuanyou was not truly concerned about her. It was merely an excuse to kill her—a temporary measure to stabilize the internal and external situation of the Zhou family.
Zhou Yuanyou personally leading her into the wasteland was not out of any special regard for her but rather to avoid the chaos in the Central District and stay out of the limelight.
“Uncle,” Zhou Sheqing took a deep breath, lowering her head, her tone turning pleading, “I can die, but you can’t kill Su He. Only she can solve the problems with the evolution liquid.”
Zhou Yuanyou finally showed a different expression, a disdainful smile crossing his face.
“Is that so? A young girl like her is the only one who can handle the evolution liquid research? If she were as capable as you say, the evolution liquid you produced wouldn’t have so many flaws.”
“If she’s willing to cooperate and hand over the research materials she has, and come back with me obediently, I’ll spare her life. If not, she’ll be buried in the wasteland along with you.”
Zhou Sheqing glared at him fiercely. “I’ve destroyed all the other materials! Only Su He has a copy left; you don’t want it?”
Zhou Yuanyou was indifferent, looking down at his enraged, powerless niece with contempt.
“Even if I can’t get that material, it’s just a matter of spending a bit more time. I’m not in a hurry. The Central District’s reshuffling doesn’t necessarily mean the Zhou family will lose.”
He opened the navigation on his device, seeing the tracking target remain stationary deep in the wasteland, and scoffed, “She thinks that hiding in the wasteland would keep her safe? Sheqing, your friend isn’t any smarter than you.”
Zhou Sheqing fell silent. Whether through threats or pleas, she had already said too much over this period.
The convoy drove into the ruins of City A, passing by the towering buildings overgrown with trees.
*
On the rooftop, Yu Yan stood with a pair of binoculars, observing the approaching convoy. The communicator next to him crackled with Su He’s anxious voice, “They’ve arrived. When should I come out?”
Su He had placed the necklace with the locator on the first floor of an abandoned building while she and Xiao Ye hid in a nearby structure.
“Just wait a bit longer, no need to rush,” Yu Yan replied.
The convoy stopped in an open area. The lead armored vehicle, having received some information, immediately displayed its weapons and fired at the front of the building, causing a massive explosion that demolished a large portion of the structure.
Dust, rubble, and debris cascaded down, disturbing a large number of insects hidden beneath the nearby ruins.
“Su He, you don’t need to stay hidden anymore. Come out within ten minutes, or we’ll destroy this building!” came the loudspeaker announcement.
The vehicle carrying Zhou Yuanyou and Zhou Sheqing at the center of the convoy had a pollution shield. Zhou Yuanyou did not prepare to get out; he only instructed that Zhou Sheqing be brought down.
As Zhou Sheqing exited the vehicle, she turned back and gave him a strange, eerie smile. She removed her mechanical eye, pressed it, and threw it into the vehicle.
The vehicle exploded with a loud bang. Zhou Sheqing was nearly knocked over by the blast.
She laughed maniacally, “If you want to kill me, you’d better be prepared to die yourself! Hahaha!”
Amidst the smoke and dust, a gunshot rang out from inside the vehicle. Zhou Sheqing was hit in the shoulder, letting out a pained grunt, “Ugh!”
“Miss!” The bodyguards rushed over, helping her to the side.
Zhou Yuanyou stepped out of the vehicle, holding an energy gun. Despite the blood on his forehead and cheeks, he was not as severely injured as Zhou Sheqing had hoped.
Zhou Yuanyou had taken refuge behind his bodyguards, who acted as shields, so he only suffered minor injuries. His expression was contorted with anger as he said, “Alright, I underestimated you. I didn’t expect you to have this up your sleeve.”
A large group of bodyguards rushed out of the nearby vehicles, most of them surrounding Zhou Yuanyou. However, a small group headed towards Zhou Sheqing to protect her as she tried to escape.
Zhou Yuanyou was even angrier. He had thought that everyone he brought was loyal, but he hadn’t expected Zhou Sheqing to silently bring her own people inside.
“Capture Zhou Sheqing first!” Zhou Yuanyou wiped the blood from his face.
Hearing the commotion outside, Su He, who was dazed from the noise and the blast, wavered as she considered whether to reveal herself. Suddenly, another explosion was heard outside.
The communicator crackled with Yu Yan’s voice, “Don’t move yet. It seems they’re having an internal conflict and fighting among themselves.”
Su He peered out and saw that a small group had detached from the main force and was heading towards the building she was in.
Yu Yan, observing from the rooftop, sighed in frustration. “Didn’t expect this twist.”
He glanced at 012, who had been restless all night but appeared slightly better today. It seemed that the more stressful the situation, the faster 012’s evolution progressed.
As he pondered this, Yu Yan’s binoculars reflected a glint of sunlight. Zhou Yuanyou, surrounded by bodyguards, spotted the flash of light on a nearby car window and looked up to see a figure moving on the rooftop of the adjacent building.
“There are still people spying. Take a team and deal with them, regardless of whether they are Zhou Sheqing’s people or not,” he ordered with a dark expression.
A squad leader next to Zhou Yuanyou immediately led a team into the building.
Most of the others went after Zhou Sheqing, while Zhou Yuanyou stayed behind, receiving medical treatment from his subordinates for his injuries. He was used to a life of comfort and had never encountered such trouble before.
“Not good, we’ve been spotted. Let’s run,” Yu Yan said, grabbing 012’s hand and pulling him to leave the rooftop.
012, oblivious to Yu Yan’s earlier actions, saw his partner’s anxious expression and immediately held him close. He shielded him as they jumped to the rooftop of the adjacent building, all the while comforting him by pressing his face close.
“Don’t be afraid. I’ll protect you.”
Yu Yan thought, ‘You jumped to the roof of the neighboring building. How will you bump into those people?’
