Chapter 50: Assemble, Full Combat Power!
After confirming the new infection method—
All four major bases simultaneously entered full defense mode, beginning internal screening and quarantine procedures.
Fortunately, the infection mainly spread through blood transmission.
Even when parasite carriers were detected, the infection did not expand further; the situation was contained to its smallest scope before a full viral outbreak could occur.
[Good thing we stole the main storyline script.] The system still felt a lingering fear.
“That’s called investigation,” Qi He gently corrected.
“The screening will be handled by the specialists. What comes next,” he continued, “is the second key piece of information.”
—The source of the infection.
The next day, someone knocked on the apartment door.
Knock, knock. The door opened, and an adjutant stood there holding a stack of compiled news reports.
“Mr. Yu is tied up at the moment, so he sent me to deliver these to you.”
“Much appreciated.”
Qi He took the stack and closed the door behind him.
He walked over to the sofa, sat down, and spread the pile of documents across the coffee table. After the apocalypse, all kinds of news sources had become incomplete—some came from web archives, others from old newspapers.
Some even had unclear dates, which needed to be reorganized.
Qi He flipped through a few pages and sighed. “This is going to be a massive project…”
Then he patted the system, telling it to bring up the bookmarks it had saved before, so they could start cross-referencing them one by one.
The amount of information was overwhelming and complex.
But fortunately—
Qi He’s gaze was calm as he turned to the first page.
What he was best at dealing with—was data.
…
The thick stack of documents took him from daylight all the way into dusk.
By then, the entire timeline had been pieced together, and all irrelevant information filtered out.
Qi He had a bad habit—when he focused, he neither ate nor slept.
Halfway through, the system cautiously piped up: […Do you still remember how you died before crossing over?]
He automatically tuned it out and gave a light slap. “Shh.”
At once, the room fell silent again.
Night slowly descended outside the window.
Inside, only the soft rustle of turning pages could be heard.
So deeply absorbed was Qi He that his mind began to blur a little—as if he were back in his old world, staying up all night to analyze data.
Gradually, fatigue began to set in.
He put the papers down, leaned back on the sofa, and closed his eyes for a brief rest.
But once they shut, he had no idea how much time passed.
Faintly, from somewhere far away, came a single electronic beep—then silence again.
He seemed to dream he was back in his original world, so when there was a slight movement nearby, he didn’t stir.
When he opened his eyes again, there was a figure beside him.
Qi He jolted awake, instinctively reaching for his gun—
Yan Chuanbai’s profile was calm. “You’re awake?”
The gun in his palm slowly lowered.
Qi He exhaled in relief—only to realize this was the second time he’d fallen asleep beside Yan Chuanbai.
He reflected for a moment on his own lack of vigilance, then said to the system,
“Good thing it happened to be next to Yan Chuanbai. Otherwise, it could’ve been dangerous.”
The system replied coldly: [Not a good thing at all.]
“…”
Qi He narrowed his eyes at Yan Chuanbai. “How did you get in?”
So silent—no wonder he was the military’s top combat power.
Yan Chuanbai met his gaze. “I came the same way you did.”
Qi He paused for a moment, then glanced toward the window.
“I sent you several messages and got no response,” Yan Chuanbai explained. “So I came down to check.”
His communicator was lying on the desk—he must have fallen asleep earlier and missed it.
Qi He tilted his head, studying him. “You can’t use your abilities. Don’t tell me you climbed down by hand?”
A slender vine suddenly whipped up and coiled around his waist.
Yan Chuanbai braced one hand behind him, leaning in slightly. “…Like this.”
Under the dim yellow light, his sharp, handsome features were softened by shadow.
At this close distance, a faint tension—almost intimate—seemed to spread between them.
A subtle, tingling sensation rose from where the vine touched his waist.
Qi He’s eyelashes trembled; he lowered his gaze.
He picked up the papers from the coffee table, steadying his breath. “You were helping with the screening?”
“Yeah.” Yan Chuanbai drew back slightly and picked up another stack beside him. “Only got through part of it. These are what’s left.”
Qi He took them, methodically checking through each page again.
Yan Chuanbai didn’t look the least bit annoyed—on the contrary, his lips curved faintly, as if awaiting an inspection. “Well?”
Qi He raised a brow. “Not bad.”
Then he set aside the pile that had already been filtered.
—
After the preliminary screening, five possible locations remained before them—each suspected to be the source of the infection.
Qi He looked over the map and quickly noticed:
“These five initial outbreak points all share one common feature—”
At the same moment his words fell, Qi He said quietly, “River basins.”
He paused, tapping a finger lightly on the map.
For now, he set aside the conjecture that had surfaced in his mind and continued filtering through the data.
He remembered a line from the main storyline script:
“On the 120th day after leaving F City, Yan Chuanbai discovered the origin of the virus outbreak.”
Qi He thought for a moment, then asked, “If you were fighting zombies along the way, how far could you travel in 120 days?”
“…” Yan Chuanbai lowered his gaze. “You’ve really stumped me there.”
Qi He sighed. “Our physical stats are roughly the same, so let’s calculate it based on my pace.”
He had once tested outdoor survival games and specifically recorded trekking distances.
Roughly the same physical stats? Yan Chuanbai’s brow twitched slightly.
Qi He was already jotting down figures on paper. “Given the average zombie density and the time lost in combat, the travel distance should be reduced by one-third to one-half—”
He took F City as the central point and drew two circles around it.
“Then narrow it again for complex terrain.”
When the irregular circles were complete, he pointed to the overlapping middle zone. “That leaves three possible locations.”
After the adjustment, one site conveniently fell within the overlapping region, while the other two were too far apart and could be ruled out immediately.
Qi He asked, “What were these three places before the apocalypse?”
Yan Chuanbai’s eyes dropped to the map. “To know exactly, we’d need access to internal military records.”
Qi He frowned. “…So we’ll have to wait until tomorrow?”
Rustle. A thick stack of documents was suddenly placed on the coffee table from the other side.
Yan Chuanbai’s lips curved into a faint smile. “Good thing I have the clearance.”
Qi He froze for a second, then looked up at him.
Yan Chuanbai was also looking at him—quietly, as if waiting for something.
Waiting for what? Qi He pondered for a few seconds, then, just as he did when praising the system, reached out and patted Yan Chuanbai lightly on the head. “Good job.”
Yan Chuanbai froze, his expression shifting slightly…
His eyes locked onto Qi He, unblinking.
The system went rigid, furious.
[Is he a dog?!]
He got excited just because you patted him?!
Qi He, however, was completely on a different wavelength. “You’re overthinking it. I wasn’t insulting or provoking him.”
[……]
No—you’re underthinking it!
The system shut its eyes tightly, refusing to comment further.
—
By the time the night passed, they had finalized three locations within the designated zone. From south to north, they were marked as:
Point A: N City, X Municipal Hospital.
Point B: L Pharmaceutical Research Institute.
Point C: Chemical and Medical Waste Disposal Plant.
Outside, the early morning light was just beginning to rise.
Qi He exhaled, gathering up the useful documents again. “Let’s contact headquarters.”
Yan Chuanbai stood and nodded. “Get yourself ready first, take a nutrient solution. I’ll contact HQ and set up a video call in the central control room.”
He said this, then left through the main door.
—
Forty minutes later, in the control room.
Qi He, Yan Chuanbai, and Yu Tianxing stood before the console; the screen had yet to connect.
Yu Tianxing, summoned as the communications officer, glanced between the two of them for several seconds, doing his best to keep a polite smile.
“…You’re not going to start talking about your dream to Headquarters again, are you?”
“It’s not dream.” Qi He brushed the papers in his hands. “This time, it’s all backed by solid data.”
Yu Tianxing’s smile cracked again.
So the dream was only reserved for him, huh?!
Just then, the screen flickered to life.
The connection to headquarters opened.
At the top of the screen stood General Gong, flanked by senior officers of the military department, including Zhong Panqing and others.
Yu Tianxing immediately straightened, his expression turning serious. Together with Yan Chuanbai, he performed a precise military salute.
General Gong acknowledged the gesture with a nod before quickly getting to the point.
“I heard from Chuanbai that you have something important—important enough to convene a full military meeting.”
His gaze shifted toward Qi He, his tone softening slightly.
“The issue of the parasite carriers—we managed to get ahead of it thanks to your early prediction. What is it this time?”
Qi He replied, “It’s about the source of the infection.”
“The source of the infection?” General Gong’s face grew stern.
“I believe there may exist a fixed origin point of infection—something continuously driving the evolution of zombies and mutant species.”
The officers above fell silent for several seconds.
“What evidence do you have?”
Qi He spread out the documents in his hands. “These were compiled by Yan Chuanbai and me yesterday. The three locations listed here are very likely where the virus first broke out.”
On the screen, the timeline was presented in clear order, and the three locations shown indeed possessed the objective conditions for viral mutation.
“Then how do you prove there’s a fixed source?” someone asked.
Qi He continued, “It’s still a hypothesis. Even if it didn’t exist at first, at the most heavily contaminated epicenters, certain organisms could have survived. Once infected, they might have evolved into advanced living entities, possibly even developing spiritual power—”
That was why, in the original storyline, after Yan Chuanbai’s mutation, he gained the ability to sense things on the same wavelength.
Qi He concluded, “If we regard such an entity as a mother body, it would also explain why mutant species developed self-awareness.”
When he finished speaking, both sides of the screen fell silent for a moment.
The theory sounded almost mad—but it wasn’t impossible.
“Actually…” General Gong pondered for a moment before speaking. “Within the military, someone has proposed the same hypothesis—that the infection’s source might be a living organism. But during the early days of the outbreak, each base was stretched thin and we didn’t have enough forces to deal with it.”
Now, they had more troops, even two individuals above 4S rank.
Still, it remained only a hypothesis.
After a few breaths, General Gong suddenly looked at Qi He. “Qi He, you won’t be held responsible for what follows. I’m simply asking—if it were you, what would you do?”
Qi He drew in a second, then answered directly: “If such a source exists, its spiritual power must be substantial—”
Enough to force Yan Chuanbai to self-destruct, at least on the 5S level.
“So I would commit all S-rank combat units.”
“!”
Someone on the other side of the screen sharply inhaled.
An officer’s face plainly read ‘He’s gone mad’, and a lieutenant general anxiously turned to General Gong: “General…”
General Gong cut him off with a measured, authoritative tone. “I only wanted to know what he would do.”
He shifted his gaze back to Qi He.
A super-4S-level ability user, with top-tier combat skills and exceptional insight—
…commit all available forces?
General Gong then asked, “If we sent you to investigate, how many days would you need?”
Qi He replied, “Just to scout and narrow down locations, about a day. But if we find the source and must engage it in battle, we’d need at least two days.”
—Two days is not the guaranteed time to eliminate the source; it’s the maximum duration that spiritual power can be sustained.
…
General Gong’s gaze sharpened, his knuckles tightening slightly.
Fighting a living organism that serves as the infection’s source was an S-rank battlefield.
So: gamble all available forces to win; or take a conservative approach — send the two super-4S individuals to risk everything, and if they fall, rethink the plan.
After a long silence, his face hardened as if a major decision had been made: “All four bases will switch to full defensive mode. Mobilize all S-rank combat and S-rank support units to scout the infection source.”
A roar went up through the military!
“General—”
General Gong’s voice turned cold as he faced the interrupter. “What, do you think you can’t hold the base?”
The officer’s face flushed. “No—!”
General Gong raised his tone slightly, his eyes resolute: “The survival of humanity shouldn’t be the burden of a very few; it’s everyone’s responsibility. Each base, led by the military, will hold fast — everyone else must defend to the death! Buy the main force three days to resolve this—”
His words were like an iron hammer, pounding on everyone’s chest:
“Everyone must fight!”
The military fell into a single sharp silence; no one opposed. “Yes!”
Orders and deployments went out across the board.
General Gong turned to Qi He and Yan Chuanbai. “All S-rank forces will be dispatched to the front. Leave the rear to us. Also…”
His severe expression softened a touch. “I know your temperament and your courage, but if you cannot kill it outright, preserve yourselves.”
Qi He felt a rush of emotion.
He and the man beside him answered in unison: “Understood.”
—
The orders were quickly issued — all bases were to enter full defensive mode.
Bases I, II, and III, along with Headquarters, selected a midpoint within communication range to regroup and hold their position.
Qi He and Yan Chuanbai boarded a helicopter.
From their location, it took only an hour to reach the rendezvous point.
When the helicopter landed, the people from Bases II and III were already there. Base III had only Yang Cheng present, while Base II had Gong Lianyu, Xi Moqing, and Shu Ling from the auxiliary combat division.
“We’ve heard about the situation,” Gong Lianyu said, shaking his head repeatedly in disbelief. “This is insane—sending all S-rank combatants out of the bases for three days into a no-signal zone, with no guarantee of survival. I heard it was your Base I that proposed it? Ugh! You guys are crazy… my dad’s crazy too…”
Xi Moqing coldly exposed him: “Aren’t you actually happy about it?”
Gong Lianyu’s eyes lit up, his tone lively: “Mm~ If we can root out the source and eliminate this cancer once and for all, wouldn’t that mean the end of the apocalypse? How could I not be happy?”
Qi He recalled something. “Speaking of poison…”
Gong Lianyu froze with a click, then slowly turned his eyes toward Yan Chuanbai. “I’m not copying your ability again this time.”
Yan Chuanbai’s lips curled slightly.
“You won’t have a choice.”
“……”
Just then, the whirring sound of another helicopter rotor approached from the distance — the combat division from Headquarters had arrived as well.
The cabin door opened, and Le Yunyu, Zhuge Dun, and Guan Shangchun stepped out.
“Everyone,” Le Yunyu greeted with a faint smile, “long time no see.”
Guan Shangchun’s eyes lit up. “Qi—”
A sharp glare cut him off. Yan Chuanbai followed with a cold smile, “—He.”
Qi He was just about to turn his gaze toward them when a figure suddenly stepped in front of him.
It was Le Yunyu. Standing face-to-face, Qi He paused slightly, puzzled.
“…?”
A badge appeared in Le Yunyu’s open palm.
“This is your insignia.”
After handing it over, Le Yunyu took a half step back and gave a crisp military salute, his tone carrying both respect and solemnity:
“It represents Headquarters granting you the highest level of operational command and authority.”
————————————————————
Author’s note:
Qi He (the first thing he does after receiving it): “Gong Lianyu, copy Yan Chuanbai’s ability!”
Gong Lianyu: “……”
