193: Chapter 193 At Liu Bin's Grave, Teacher Xia Leaves a Spark for the Apocalypse

Zhou Lan lay on the ground, not daring to lift her head.

"They sent Zhao Gang the awakening serum."

"They also gave him guns, food, and communication devices."

"They said as long as he held the nodes along the line, he could get more."

Jiang Hao suddenly looked up.

"So you killed Liu Bin for that?"

Zhou Lan shook her head, crying.

"I didn't want to kill him!"

"Zhao Gang said Ston had a good location."

"I tried to persuade him..."

Lin Yuan interrupted her.

"Who else?"

Zhou Lan stiffened.

Lin Yuan took a step closer.

"Don't make me ask a second time."

Zhou Lan swallowed hard.

"I only saw it once."

"The liaison had seven codenames in their hand."

"Tiemen Fort was the third one."

"The others were all along the route from Jiangcheng to Shanghai."

"There were auto repair shops, grain depots, water treatment plants..."

The Capital wasn't just playing dirty.

After Shanghai fell, they were setting up a second line of defense in advance.

The problem was, they weren't picky about the people they used.

As long as they could block the invaders, they would even feed a dog the serum.

Someone like Zhao Gang was just a mad dog created by that feeding.

Lin Yuan looked at Zhou Lan.

"What else?"

Zhou Lan's lips trembled.

"That's it."

"I really only know this much."

Lin Yuan nodded.

"Then you are useless."

Zhou Lan's face turned pale.

"Mr. Lin, I can—"

A water thread from Lin Yuan pierced directly through Zhou Lan's skull.

Instant death was already the greatest reward for the intelligence she provided.

"Yumo."

Qin Yumo drew her blade.

Behind the iron gate, a group of armed men turned and ran.

Thirty seconds.

Screams rolled through the corridor from inside the school gate.

And then quickly stopped.

When Qin Yumo returned, blood was still dripping from her blade.

She looked at Lin Yuan.

"It's cleared."

Lin Yuan grunted in acknowledgment.

Xia Qingqiu crouched in front of Gu Nian.

Gu Nian was covered in wounds.

Bruises, ligature marks, old wounds covered by new ones.

Xia Qingqiu didn't cry.

She looked up at Lin Yuan.

"Mr. Lin, lend me a crystal core."

Lin Yuan raised his hand.

A red crystal core fell into her palm.

Xia Qingqiu crushed the crystal core.

Green light covered Gu Nian's wrist, inch by inch.

Gu Nian flinched in pain.

Xia Qingqiu held her down.

Gu Nian looked at her.

After a long time, she whispered:

"Teacher Xia."

"Your hands are so warm."

Xia Qingqiu's movements stopped.

She took off her glasses and wiped her face with her sleeve.

When she put them back on, her gaze was much steadier.

On the other side.

Jiang Hao rummaged through the abandoned administrative office and found a plastic file box.

He placed Liu Bin's head inside.

He also found a marker.

He wrote three characters on the lid.

Liu Bin's Grave.

The last stroke was crooked.

Jiang Hao couldn't hold the pen and crouched on the ground.

"Wait until I find a good place to bury you."

"I'll plant a tree next to it."

"Didn't you want to see penguins..."

"Watching a tree first is fine too."

No one laughed.

Lin Yuan raised his hand.

Spatial ripples expanded.

On the gravel ground, thirty portions of hot food appeared.

Rice.

Braised pork.

And a bucket of soup.

Gu Nian and the others held their lunchboxes, their hands still shaking.

The first bite of meat went down.

Someone crouched down and cried.

Lin Yuan stood by and said nothing.

Xia Qingqiu sat among the students, serving them soup one by one.

Her office lady jacket was stained with blood.

Her sleeves were rolled up.

But her movements were steadier than ever.

Lin Yuan dialed the communication device.

"Su Xiaonuan."

"Send vehicles to Ston."

"Bring back all the remaining people for medical exams, quarantine, and registration."

Su Xiaonuan responded immediately.

"Yes, Mr. Lin."

"What about Ston?"

Lin Yuan glanced at the entrance of Tiemen Fort.

"Abandon it."

"We don't need this outpost anymore."

Liu Qing's voice cut into the channel.

"Master, the drone patrol network has already covered the Ston direction."

"From now on, if any team approaches, we can provide a warning within three minutes."

In the afternoon.

The convoy left Ston.

Xia Qingqiu sat in the back row, not saying a word.

The blood on her hands had already dried.

Lin Yuan took a pack of wet wipes from his spatial storage and handed it to her.

When Xia Qingqiu took it, she brushed against his fingers.

She paused.

"Mr. Lin."

"I used to think I wasn't suited for the apocalypse."

Lin Yuan didn't turn back.

"And now?"

Xia Qingqiu lowered her head to wipe her hands.

The brown blood crust was wiped away bit by bit.

"Now I think..."

"The apocalypse needs people like me."

[Ding! Target Xia Qingqiu (Beauty 89), Favorability +5%, Current Favorability 17%.]

Lin Yuan looked at the road ahead.

He didn't speak.

The convoy returned to Cloud Top Palace.

Su Xiaonuan was waiting at the main gate of the Inner Circle.

Students and survivors were taken in batches for medical exams.

When Gu Nian passed by her, she stopped.

She looked at the stone walls, guard towers, and training grounds.

Captain Han Xue was blowing a whistle in the distance.

"Shield wall, advance!"

A row of female prisoners and the remnants of the South Suburbs soldiers advanced with shields raised.

Gu Nian asked: "Is it safe here?"

Su Xiaonuan looked down at her.

"Follow the rules, and it's safe."

Gu Nian nodded.

"I want to be a soldier."

Su Xiaonuan paused.

"Eat first."

"Then train."

At night.

B3 Experimental Chamber.

Twenty zombies selected by Lin Motong were locked in individual chambers.

The awakening serum air-dropped by the Capital was injected in batches.

The first one exploded.

The second one exploded.

The third one lasted for ten seconds, its muscles restructured, and red light lit up in the depths of its eyes.

Liu Qing stared at the screen.

"Energy is stable."

"C-Class."

The final results were out.

Six exploded.

Fourteen succeeded.

Twelve C-Class.

Two B-Class.

The two B-Class Zombie Girls had slender figures, tighter muscle definition, and pale gold in the depths of their eyes.

Liu Qing typed in the serial numbers.

"B-01, B-02, officially enlisted."

Tang Qiqi stood outside the glass.

She held a stack of folded clothes in her arms.

A black cropped jacket.

High-waisted tactical pants.

Embroidered with a white butterfly on the back.

That was the third version made for Number Seven.

She stared at the newly enlisted B-02, her mouth pouting.

"Number Seven was the first Zombie Girl to wear my clothes."

"She died."

Lin Yuan passed by and patted her head.

"Make some for the new ones."

"Make them look good."

Tang Qiqi sniffled.

"For sure."

"Anything produced by me, Tang Qiqi, has to be the best-looking, even in death."

Lin Motong sat by the console, hugging a tattered teddy bear.

She glanced at Tang Qiqi.

"Number Seven made a contribution."

"She deceived the Capital."

Tang Qiqi muttered softly.

"We still have to build a cenotaph for her."

Lin Yuan's footsteps paused for half a second.

"Granted."

Tang Qiqi's eyes lit up.

"Long live the Great Demon King."

[Ding! Target Tang Qiqi (Beauty 86), Favorability +2%! Current Favorability: 16%!]

That evening.

Xia Qingqiu found Su Xiaonuan.

She handed over a handwritten application.

"Tiangong No. 1 Basic Education Plan".

Su Xiaonuan opened it.

The first page read:

Students: Lin Motong, Lu Xixi, Zhou Niannian.

Subjects: Language, Mathematics, Basic Biology, First Aid Basics.

The second page was the class assignment plan for the students transferred from Ston.

The last line on the third page.

The apocalypse can lack order, but it cannot lack a spark.

Su Xiaonuan finished reading and looked up.

"Have you told Mr. Lin?"

Xia Qingqiu pushed her glasses up with her middle finger.

"If Housekeeper Su agrees, I will tell him myself tonight."

She paused.

The roots of her ears slowly turned red.

"Also..."

"Could you give me the chance to go to the master bedroom tonight?"

Su Xiaonuan looked at her for two seconds.

Then she picked up the stamp.

Thud.

She stamped it.

"You'll have to write the textbooks yourself."

Xia Qingqiu lowered her head.

"Thank you, Housekeeper Su."

"Also."

Su Xiaonuan closed the file.

"Change your clothes before going in."

"Mr. Lin doesn't like unprofessionalism."

Xia Qingqiu's face turned even redder.

At night.

The study.

Lin Yuan was processing data on the outposts along the line.

Water plants, grain depots, auto repair shops.

The Capital's web was being spread very quickly.

Things in Shanghai were probably very bad.

A knock on the door sounded.

"Come in."

Xia Qingqiu pushed the door open.

She was carrying coffee and holding files.

She was still wearing the same office lady outfit from the day.

Only she had changed into a clean shirt.

Black stockings wrapped around her long legs, and her high heels made very soft sounds on the floor.

She placed the coffee on the edge of the desk.

She stood there for a long time before speaking.

"Mr. Lin."

"I saw that there were a few typos in the documents you approved earlier."

Lin Yuan looked up.

Xia Qingqiu blushed but didn't back down.

"If you don't mind..."

"I can help you with some cultural lessons in the evening."

The study was quiet for two seconds.

Lin Yuan leaned back in his chair, looking at her.

Glasses.

Black stockings.

Teacher.

Standing in front of him, talking about extra lessons.

Lin Yuan laughed, a rare occurrence.

"Fine."