64: Chapter 64 Chen Jun's Pledge of Allegiance

Having said that, she turned to face Chen Jun, her expression earnest and serious.

"However, as long as you harbor no disloyal intentions toward me, I, Qi Yin, can ensure that you and your team will live safely and without worry for food or clothing in this Apocalypse."

Chen Jun glanced at the few researchers standing nearby who wore expressions of panic, then led Qi Yin to the relatively quiet office next door.

Closing the door, Chen Jun's expression was complex, tinged with a measure of gratitude and determination.

He took a deep breath, his tone becoming exceptionally solemn.

"During this time, thank you for providing us with a safe research environment and unreserved support. I believe that if it weren't for you, my team and I would have been captured by that group long ago, let alone having the opportunity to complete the Stinger."

That group? Qi Yin pondered for a moment; Chen Jun was likely referring to the group previously led by Qi Ming.

Or perhaps, the group that besieged the shelter and was wiped out by them.

She didn't speak, waiting quietly for what followed; it was clear Chen Jun had something more important to say.

Chen Jun was silent for a moment, organizing his words as if he had finally made up his mind.

"Besides the Stinger, in exchange for you protecting us, I want to tell you a secret."

He lowered his voice: "One about… sigh, a mistake I committed when I was young, which might be considered a huge fortune for you now."

Qi Yin's gaze sharpened; she thought she might know what Chen Jun was talking about.

She listened as Chen Jun continued.

"About twenty years ago, back when I was young and headstrong, I only wanted to produce results that would shock the world."

Thus, at that time, Chen Jun designed a complete, large-scale tactical attack system, the concepts of which were far too advanced for the world back then.

This directly led to the required funding and resources becoming an astronomical figure.

It was impossible to secure investment through regular channels.

Chen Jun, blinded by obsession at the time, accepted funding from a mysterious overseas entity.

As he spoke of it, an expression of pain and regret appeared on Chen Jun's face.

"At that time, I secretly researched and produced a batch of weapons for them with power far exceeding conventional standards."

This included, but was not limited to, directional demolition devices, energy cannons, and even prototypes of small fusion bombs.

Although she was mentally prepared, when she actually heard this, Qi Yin couldn't help but be shocked.

If not for the Apocalypse, these weapons would fall into the category of absolute taboos.

Thinking about it, what Chen Jun mentioned must be the other weapons that only appeared alongside the Stinger in the late stages of the Apocalypse in her previous life.

"Later, I inadvertently realized that this organization might have impure motives, so after the project was completed, I became afraid."

Afterward, Chen Jun continuously utilized every opportunity to go out.

He found some trusted people and slowly moved and hid that batch of weapons along with some core blueprints.

It seemed something happened to that mysterious organization afterward, and the matter was left unsettled.

The location where the weapons and blueprints were hidden became a secret, kept deep within Chen Jun's heart, never daring to tell anyone.

"You knew those two groups were looking for you before?"

Now, Qi Yin had a rough guess about the intentions of those mysterious men in black.

Chen Jun nodded: "Yes, they were capturing me for no other reason than to get the hiding place of these weapons."

When he looked at Qi Yin again, he found that she had produced a steaming cup of coffee from somewhere, a slightly bitter scent reaching his nose.

Qi Yin raised her eyes to look at him: "Why are you telling me all this?"

Was he not afraid she would kill him to seize the goods?

Chen Jun sat up straight, looking at Qi Yin with burning eyes.

"I just said it; there is no other purpose. I tell you the hiding place of these weapons, and you protect the safety of me and my team. That is all."

This world had completely overturned his imagination. Only when these weapons were held in the hands of his own people could they have a chance to survive.

Qi Yin completely understood; Chen Jun was handing over his greatest secret to her as a pledge of allegiance.

At the same time, this was also a heavy trust.

Looking at his sincere and determined eyes, Qi Yin slowly nodded.

"Rest assured, Doctor. Even without all this, what I promised you before will not change."

As for this batch of weapons, they were not needed for the time being and would require careful consideration.

That day, returning after once again improving the Stinger with Dr. Chen Jun.

Just as Qi Yin reached the door, she smelled an aroma that made her mouth water.

"Sister Yin, you're back! Come quickly and taste Yan Xiu's masterpiece."

Lu Jinwen held chopsticks and trotted over.

The drool at the corner of the gluttonous girl's mouth couldn't be wiped away.

Lu Yanxiu was wearing a Hello Kitty apron, staring intently at a gas stove on the counter.

In the pot, a large pot of fresh meat soup was boiling with fresh vegetables that Qi Yin had brought out from her space, along with tender, soft beef.

Qi Yin tasted a mouthful; the aroma went straight to her head.

"Not bad. It seems Uncle Chen didn't teach you in vain."

"Hey, what are you saying? This is Yan Xiu's talent."

Lu Yanxiu held two spatulas, looking very proud.

"That's right, a fire-user and kitchenware are the perfect match."

Ever since Lu Yanxiu became obsessed with cooking, their food quality had soared.

Every day they could eat different meals.

Of course, this was all credited to the large amount of food ingredients and energy that Qi Yin had stockpiled.

With hot, fragrant food in their stomachs, some of the dampness was dispelled.

Compared to the starvation of the citizens down the mountain, their lives were simply too comfortable.

This was already the second week since the torrential rain began to subside.

The outside world was still devastated, but fortunately, the flood that had lasted for over twenty days had finally receded.

However, the muddy and broken streets that were revealed were even more troublesome.

Thanks to Wang Tianyu's ability as a human-shaped crystal core purifier, the team's strength had steadily improved during this period.

With the consolidation of Wang Tianyu's ability, the number of crystal cores he could purify daily had risen from ten to twenty.

They absorbed two crystal cores every day, and the rest all went into Qi Yin's pocket.

Coupled with her previous accumulation, Qi Yin could clearly feel that her Ice-type Ability had significantly improved, and there were faint signs of leveling up.

Her Spirit-type Ability was also slowly consolidating.

On this day, after training ended, Chen Quan carried two pots of soil and suddenly asked her for seeds.

"Uncle Chen, this soil has been polluted by the blood rain, right? Can anything grow in it?" Although skeptical, Qi Yin still gave him several bags of vegetable seeds.

Moreover, the key was the future weather; extreme cold and extreme heat did not seem like a climate where plants could grow.

Chen Quan pointed to the two pots of soil: "This pot was rained on by the blood rain, and the other pot I dug from our basement. Let's try both. What if it works? If we can grow them, wouldn't we have a continuous supply of fresh vegetables to eat?"

"Alright, take it and play with it." She really wanted to say that she had plenty of fresh vegetables in her space, but she didn't want to dampen Chen Quan's enthusiasm.

...

In the city, as the rain stopped, the authorities began to try and extend their reach once again.

Sporadic gunfire rang out in every corner of the city; the authorities dispatched a large number of armed soldiers to clear out scattered zombies.

Some bolder survivors also began to come out of their hiding places, rummaging through ruined buildings for anything edible or usable.

The authorities attempted to call on people to unite, but doing so only highlighted the selfishness of human nature even more.

More people, upon seeing the soldiers, did not go forward to help at the first opportunity.

Instead, they directly reached out to demand things, and once they weren't satisfied, they were full of complaints and curses.

Complaining about the government's incompetence and the lack of rescue efforts.

In some small supermarkets where supplies could still be found, they even turned against each other for a pack of biscuits or dirty water.

It was precisely in this hopeless struggle and accidental fighting that a secret was gradually discovered by the people.

They, or the people around them, seemed to possess some kind of incredible power within their bodies.