Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Mysterious Metal

Seeing that the witch Xue Zhu was no longer pursuing them, everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief. Inside the “Puma” vehicle, Wood suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood, shocking the group. Qiao’er and Mu Siyu hurriedly supported him, anxiously asking, “Brother Mu, are you hurt?”

Wood slowly removed his shirt, revealing two dark purple whip marks across his back—wounds inflicted by that woman. Seeing the worried expressions of the women, Wood shook his head and said, “It’s nothing.” With that, he took a pill from his storage bracelet and swallowed it.

“Miraculous Bean”: Instantly heals severe injuries upon consumption, a magical item. The reputation of this pill was well-deserved; as soon as Wood ingested it, the bruised whip marks visibly faded, and the oppressive feeling in his chest vanished completely. Next, he took an “Energy Fruit,” whose effect was to rapidly restore mental and physical strength. Though the recent fierce battle had not lasted long, it was fraught with danger and had drained much of his stamina and true energy. If he didn’t replenish himself quickly, it would be troublesome if the witch caught up again.

Not until they had left the city did the lingering fear in everyone’s hearts subside. Yang Xiu asked her husband how he had realized Xue Zhu was a monster. Kong Yangyun raised the disc in his hand proudly and said, “That witch had no idea her every action was recorded by the surveillance cameras. Mr. Mu and I examined the discs and found the clue!”

Qiao’er blushed, chiding, “Brother Kong, you shouldn’t be watching such things!”

Kong Yangyun replied smugly, “Hey, it wasn’t just me—your Brother Mu watched too!”

Mu Siyu stopped their bickering. “How many discs did you bring down from upstairs?”

Kong Yangyun replied, “Seems like only these four.”

Mu Siyu pondered for a moment. “Perhaps the cause of this viral infection can be found on these discs. While checking the computer, I noticed there was information on Xue Zhu in the CEO’s office, and the photos matched, so I didn’t suspect anything. Now it seems Xue Zhu was originally a normal person, and only mutated after… what happened with the CEO. Maybe the disc will reveal what caused her transformation.”

Wood was taken aback. “You make a good point.”

The “Puma” was fully equipped with all necessary electronics. Mu Siyu first instructed them to find a secluded yet open location. She sent her sister out of the vehicle, then began reviewing the discs with Wood.

Every disc contained scenes of men abusing women in secret chambers. After watching two, they found nothing of value, but their blood was stirred. Wood, unable to restrain himself, slipped his hand under Mu Siyu’s clothes, kneading her slender waist and making her body flush with heat.

It wasn’t until the third disc that they noticed something odd. Two men placed Xue Zhu on a bed and inserted an oval object into her body. At first, Wood paid it little mind, but Mu Siyu froze the image, and suddenly Wood realized the object looked familiar, though he couldn’t recall what it was.

Afterward, the footage seemed no different from the previous discs—nothing special. Mu Siyu reflected, “According to the disc’s timestamp, Xue Zhu’s mutation happened during the days when the city was overrun by zombies. Still, there’s nothing conclusive in the footage. I originally thought those degenerates injected drugs into the poor girl, causing her mutation.”

Hearing the word “mutation,” a thought struck Wood. He rewound the disc to the moment the men produced the oval object. Sure enough—he took out an oval metal item of his own. “Look, isn’t this just like the one in the video?”

Everyone zoomed in on the paused frame. The two oval metal objects were identical in both size and markings. Qiao’er asked curiously, “Where did you find that? Are you planning to…?” Her face turned red.

This was a misunderstanding. Wood had gotten the object after joining forces with Gu Feng, Baldy, and Zigu to slay the mutated Queen Mother in the science fiction realm; Gu Feng had given it to him as a memento of his first battle. He just couldn’t figure out how those two perverts had gotten hold of such an item.

“I remember now!” Mu Siyu suddenly exclaimed. “There was an image of this on the CEO’s computer. The records said a subordinate found it, and preliminary tests identified it as alien in origin, to be handed over to the military for research. But unexpectedly, it fell into their hands…”

“That’s it!” thought Wood. “If this thing could mutate the Queen Mother in the sci-fi world, it could also mutate an ordinary human—and seemingly not for the better.”

They watched a bit more. Sure enough, after the foreign object was inserted into Xue Zhu, she suffered for a long time, but the two degenerates only laughed, unaware of the disaster they had unleashed on themselves and the entire planet.

The source of the problem was found, but the solution was far from clear. Wood could sense that the woman’s true power was not yet fully revealed; perhaps she was holding back for some reason. After a moment’s thought, he released a mechanical bee and instructed it to monitor the pharmaceutical company. He also sighed inwardly: If only Fearless One had come along, this problem would be easily solved. But this trial mission seemed designed to test the agents’ own abilities, limiting the resources they could rely upon.

“It seems Gu Feng was right,” Wood mused. “The skills you’ve mastered are your true assets.”

The mechanical bee’s greatest advantage was its ability to observe distant targets. Unfolding the transparent map provided with the bee, everyone could see clearly that the zombies in Bio City had resumed their aimless wandering, while at the pharmaceutical company, Xue Zhu was nowhere to be seen on the top floor. Eventually, the bee found a human-sized cocoon in the elevator shaft, suspended by several strange vines from the ceiling. Through the translucent shell, they could see Xue Zhu sleeping naked within. That explained why she hadn’t chased after them.

“Is she injured? Or evolving?” Wood wondered. She had managed to block his “particle waves,” but internal injuries were likely. If that was the case, once he mastered the particle wave to its highest level, he might truly be able to harm her.

“She must be hurt,” Mu Siyu whispered against him. “If she were evolving, there would have been some sign when we first found her, and she wouldn’t have let us escape so easily. She must have been wounded.”

“But we need allies,” Mu Siyu continued, having assumed the role of strategist lately. “There’s strength in numbers. Judging by the witch’s abilities, she can summon zombies. If we fight her and she calls in evolved zombie beasts, we’ll be in real danger.”

“Allies? That’s right!” Wood was delighted. Bio City was a mega-city, reportedly with a population nearing a hundred million. There had to be other evolved humans among them. If they could unite, defeating the witch would be much more feasible.

They pulled out a map. After searching for a while, Mu Siyu pointed to a spot. “There’s also a Starlight Chain Market here—one of the three largest in Bio City. It’s well-stocked with food and water. If there are evolved survivors, they’ll certainly use it as a base. Let’s go there tonight.”

After some discussion, they decided that Wood would leave part of their food and water, and Kong Yangyun would stay in the vehicle with the three women, ready to escape if anything went wrong. Wood and Mu Siyu would head into the city to contact other evolved humans. Since Mu Siyu had already evolved, she also needed combat experience to improve and better support Wood.

That night, once everything was arranged, Kong Yangyun drove the car to the city outskirts and set a meeting point. Wood and Mu Siyu slipped quietly into the city. With his formidable strength, Wood was unafraid of zombie attacks and continually unleashed “particle waves.” Mu Siyu, though not as strong yet, could control a whirlwind over three meters high; wherever the wind swept, zombies toppled, and those struck head-on were torn limb from limb. It was the perfect skill for clearing a path, though her physical limitations meant she could only use it every ten minutes.

Their progress was slow as they advanced and honed their abilities. Fortunately, Wood’s particle wave was a linear area attack, and, powered by true energy, allowed them to push forward without fear of being overwhelmed. As his skill reached the fourth level and his energy was nearly spent, Wood found a car by the roadside, and together they sped toward the Starlight Chain Market.

Mu Siyu’s analysis proved correct. Inside the market was a small survivor base. As soon as they stopped their car, they saw the iron gate open slightly, and someone whispered, “Come in.”

As they approached, the gate shut quietly behind them, and three men with submachine guns surrounded them.

“Here to trade for food? What do you have?” one of the men asked, shining a flashlight rudely in their faces. “Hey, the woman’s not bad. Planning to trade her for food?” In this zombie-infested world, a woman’s beauty had become a key to survival.

Another man said kindly, “Is she your wife? What a waste of such a beauty. The guard on duty tonight is an enhanced ability user—most women wouldn’t survive. Do you have weapons or ammo? Those can also be traded for food.”

Wood glanced at him, noting his upright appearance and lack of malice. “I’m not here to trade food. I’m here to propose a partnership.”

The man was puzzled. “A partnership?”

The other two sneered, “A partnership? Who do you think you are?”

Wood smiled faintly and exchanged a look with Mu Siyu. Understanding, Mu Siyu raised her hand, conjuring a whirlwind before their eyes. The three men immediately became much more respectful, exclaiming in unison, “Ability users!”

The kind-hearted man said, “Do you want to join our group? Don’t worry—we welcome ability users very much. Please, come with me.” With that, he gestured for them to follow, leading the way to meet the leader of their organization.