Chapter 176.1 – Key (19)

◎ “History’s strongest zombie tide is coming” ◎

Before setting off for Huangyuan, Zhuang Qingyan paid a visit to the official residence of the magistrate and had a closed-door conversation with Ye Zheng for a long time.

No one knew what they talked about, but in the end, Ye Zheng nodded and granted a few days off to this “new appointee” who was the subject of many rumors.

A silver-white starship zoomed by, with the dark night outside the porthole. In the cabin, under the bright yellow reading light, Zhuang Qingyan’s profile looked like a meticulously crafted perfect work of art. He was focused, fingers moving non-stop, and in his hands was a small precision instrument connected to a light screen, with the top bearing the logo of Qinglan, resembling a white egg.

This was retrieved from Wu Yarou’s spatial necklace, a basic model, not connected to the internet, with average functionality, but excellent confidentiality that could only be unlocked with Qinglan’s internal special methods.

Ling Yan sat across from him, staring at him for a long time, and took the initiative to speak, “Are you sure you just need to deliver it to Huangyuan?”

Ling Yue, after checking the autopilot route, sat down next to his twin brother and tossed him a bottle of special drink. Then, she glanced at Zhuang Qingyan, “We don’t have any missions recently. For safety reasons, we can continue to protect you.”

Although they were not clear about the abilities of the man in front of them, allowing two S6-level top-tier personal guards showed that it was Ye Zheng’s direct order, so they had to be extremely attentive in carrying it out.

“No need,” Zhuang Qingyan didn’t look up, his thin lips curved slightly, “The safest place in the world is by Song Ke’s side.”

The Ling siblings, caught off guard by this unexpected statement, exchanged glances.

Ling Yue, feeling uncomfortable, touched the chicken skin bumps on her arm. She was straightforward and said what was on her mind, “Handsome guy, with your, um, relationship with Song Ke… can you say a few good words for us? Anyway, that kidnapping was just following orders. My brother and I don’t want to be on bad terms with her.”

As the crisis at the Northern Base came to an end, the reputation of V587 soared. Now, the Ling siblings’ visits to the Awakener Department were particularly awkward, but they were not affiliated with He Qiuhong. They had merely naturalized and wanted to integrate quickly, following the leadership’s task assignments and executing them step by step.

“It’s possible, but the decision is up to her,” Zhuang Qingyan said indifferently.

Ling Yue, with her mixed-race appearance, smiled and whispered to her brother, “How about that? I told you ‘The Anecdotes’ was true, right?”

Zhuang Qingyan turned off the light screen, giving a final glance at the small central unit that stored research data on organ regeneration and some Fire Seed projects. Of course, the experimental subjects were excluded, and he set permissions so that only Ning Rong could activate it.

“Give this to Dr. Ning.”

Zhuang Qingyan looked quietly out the porthole, with six hours remaining until they reached Huangyuan, expected to arrive before midnight.

These past two days, whether at the Northern Base or on the eve of departure, he no longer felt the scrutiny. The two prying gazes outside the laboratory, perhaps intended for Ning Rong, had coincidentally implicated him.

Navigation alert: they were passing through a dark cloud with lightning, thunder, howling winds, and countless hailstones pounding down, causing the starship to sway slightly.

In the flash of lightning, Zhuang Qingyan’s expression became obscure and unclear.

The future was uncertain.

…

Six hours later.

A strong airflow rushed past Song Ke’s ears, blowing her shoulder-length hair into the air. The resilient isolation suit clung to her body. With one hand, Song Ke held onto the shaking face mask, looking up at the starship hovering down.

The cabin door opened, and a tall and straight figure appeared against the backlight. He, too, was wearing an isolation suit and face mask. Instead of choosing a stylish free fall, he descended steadily down the soft ladder.

Song Ke, with a faint dimple, unconsciously wore a bright smile and thought to herself: Princess Zhuang is truly something, even descending needs a ladder.

Zhuang Qingyan, with swift steps, had eyes only for Song Ke. Unable to restrain himself, he opened his arms and walked towards her with long strides, ready to embrace the slender figure he had missed for days. Just as he was about to hug her, someone in the crowd exclaimed:

“Oh, here he comes.” Lu Xiaoyu raised a mechanical arm and naturally shook Zhuang Qingyan’s left hand, swinging it up and down.

Su Cha glanced at his open arms, a hint of confusion flashing across his face. He was not used to Zhuang Qingyan’s sudden warmth, but he still pursed his lips and gave his right hand a high-five.

“Pfft! Hahahaha!” Lin Youyou, who witnessed the entire scene, had her mouth twisted, laughing heartily until she couldn’t straighten her waist.

Zhuang Qingyan: “…” Who wants to shake hands and exchange pleasantries with you guys? Can’t you have a bit of situational awareness?

He stiffened for a moment, then quickly composed himself, as if nothing had happened, and stood in front of Song Ke. His fingertips itched, and considering the occasion, Zhuang Qingyan refrained from any overly affectionate gestures. Instead, he simply helped Song Ke brush away the dried leaves from her hair.

“How did the negotiations go?” he asked.

Song Ke’s cheerful little face instantly wrinkled into a frown. “Not well at all. Complete failure.”

The upgraded A-level mission seemed very simple on the surface, with only three steps to complete: first, persuade the fallen ones led by Ada to leave; second, escort the fallen to migrate to Fenak; and third, submit the task.

Song Ke never expected to get stuck on the first step.

The first negotiation was attempted by Song Ke alone. Choosing the wrong moment, losing members of her kind made Ada in a bad mood. As soon as Song Ke reached the valley and hadn’t said a word, Ada discovered her, angrily roared, and then a horde of zombies rushed over to beat her up. It was a genuine “beating.” They didn’t intend to kill her, just drove her away with balls made of mud and plant leaves. Song Ke, feeling embarrassed, ran away with a dirty face.

In the second attempt, having learned her lesson, she sneakily hid in the treetops, opened a loudspeaker, and earnestly advised:

“Ada, how about changing your place of residence?”

“Have you heard of Fenak? It has less radiation, no people, especially safe. Come with me.”

“There, you won’t encounter… uh, won’t encounter zombies, so you won’t have to feel sad anymore.”

“Ada…”

Feeling tired of talking, Song Ke picked up a row of drinks, took a sip, crossed her legs, and assumed a posture for a serious discussion.

Rustling sounds came from all directions, and Song Ke suddenly turned her head. Amidst the vast canopy, numerous pairs of bright red eyes stared viciously at her, emitting low, hoarse roars from their throats. Oh dear! These zombies can climb trees! Song Ke slipped on the ground, nearly falling, and after a series of leaps, she clumsily escaped by grabbing vines.

The zombies left behind in the area curiously picked up the drink bottles and took a sip. Excitedly, they communicated with their fellow zombies.

On the third attempt, Song Ke, with the help of translator Xu Xing, finally explained their intentions. Ada stared at them without speaking, and Song Ke keenly sensed that she seemed hesitant. There might be hope! However, before the excitement could fade, Ada let out a low growl, and dozens of small blood zombies swarmed over, similar to wild monkeys in Rainbow Cloud City. They pinned Xu Xing to the ground, grabbing everything, leaving only a pitiful pair of yellow duck shorts.

Experienced in escape, Song Ke slipped away quickly. Ten minutes later, when she returned, she faced Xu Xing’s reproachful and resentful gaze.

“Sister, why did you run away by yourself?”

Song Ke stuttered, “I’ll go back and buy you new clothes, again.”

Xu Xing, teary-eyed, felt that Song Ke had changed. She must have been influenced by that person surnamed Zhuang. In the past, her sister would have definitely saved him!

On the fourth attempt, both teams mobilized, taking turns to persuade, yet they returned without success.

Ada looked at them warily and shook her head. “Humans… don’t trust.”

After hearing her pitiful recounting, Zhuang Qingyan calmly rolled up his sleeves and chuckled, “Understood, leave it to me next.”

His deep gaze swept over the four people from Duanmu Qi, recognizing them as the “food thieves.” Showing no outward reaction, he nodded reservedly.

However, Duanmu Qi did not recognize him. The Zhuang Qingyan they had encountered before was weak, pale, and entirely dependent on a wheelchair. He had no presence within V587. But the man before them was tall, upright, full of vitality, wearing a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, speaking with a cold and arrogant tone. They heard that he was a “foreign aid” from the Northern Base. The moment he appeared, he brought immense pressure, making it impossible for them to underestimate him.

After understanding the current situation, Zhuang Qingyan made a decisive decision, “I will discuss a plan with Song Ke. We’ll set out at six in the morning after dawn.”

“Go where?” Duanmu Qi was momentarily confused, but he saw V587 on the opposite side looking perfectly natural, and even Song Ke nodded in satisfaction.

“Sorry, I didn’t make it clear. I forgot you might not keep up with the train of thought,” Zhuang Qingyan said with the aroma of tea filling the air. “We’re heading to Fenak.”

“…,” Duanmu Qi was speechless. Were people from District B always so infuriating when they spoke?