PTYS Chapter 142

Xiao Muyu didn’t have time to worry about anything else. She quickly walked over and held Shen Qingqiu’s right hand, glancing at her bleeding arm.

Though annoyed, she felt more heartache than anger. Xiao Muyu promptly turned her head and called out to Zuo Tiantian, “Xiao Zuo.”

Zuo Tiantian understood immediately, quickly taking out the first aid kit and handing the bandages to Xiao Muyu.

Given the urgent situation, there was no time for a thorough bandage job. Xiao Muyu simply wrapped the bandages around Shen Qingqiu’s wound to stop the bleeding.

Shen Qingqiu glanced at Xiao Muyu, then coldly surveyed the people in the room, and carefully led Xiao Muyu and Zuo Tiantian out of the research institute.

Outside the research institute, they saw Qi Hongyue’s team. Shen Qingqiu shielded Xiao Muyu behind her, her gray eyes filled with cold killing intent as she said, “You want to join the chaos too?”

Qi Hongyue’s gaze swept over Shen Qingqiu and Xiao Muyu, then she glanced towards the back nonchalantly, and then stepped aside with a smile, “Captain Xiao, you misunderstand. I don’t consider us enemies. I’m not here to compete in this secret mission, so there’s no need to be tense.”

Although Shen Qingqiu was standing in front, she could feel that Qi Hongyue was addressing Xiao Muyu.

“Then are you here to watch the show?” Shen Qingqiu said bluntly, distrustful of anyone at this moment.

“Of course not. I just thought something significant might happen here, so I rushed over. Though it turned out to be a close call, I still want to remind you, Captain Xiao, that it’s not just those players who want to capture you. The apocalypse mission isn’t over yet, so take care.”

Qi Hongyue’s words seemed sincere. Even though Shen Qingqiu didn’t like her, she wasn’t ungrateful, so she nodded slightly, “Thanks for the reminder.”

She then quickly left with Xiao Muyu, heading towards the parked car. When Shen Qingqiu tried to open the driver’s door, Xiao Muyu pressed her hand against it.

Shen Qingqiu paused, seeing Xiao Muyu’s silent gesture, she obediently let go and sat in the passenger seat.

“Xiao Zuo, give her the first aid kit.” She said, starting the car.

“Disinfect the wound and then wrap it with bandages,” Xiao Muyu instructed, glancing at her indifferently.

Shen Qingqiu obediently opened the first aid kit and took out a bottle of alcohol.

As Shen Qingqiu twisted open the alcohol cap, Xiao Muyu couldn’t help but ask, “Don’t you have iodine?”

Compared to iodine tincture and alcohol, iodine is much less irritating and less painful. Knowing it was a futile question, Xiao Muyu still couldn’t hold back.

Shen Qingqiu looked inside and shook her head, “No iodine, only alcohol. Alcohol really hurts,” she added in a small voice, looking distressed.

Xiao Muyu shot her a glance, “You’re afraid of alcohol pain? Vines and knives don’t make you flinch, and you’re scared of a bit of alcohol?”

Shen Qingqiu sneaked a glance at Xiao Muyu, whose face was expressionless, cold as ice.

“It’s different.”

Zuo Tiantian watched Shen Qingqiu’s sudden shift with amusement, finding the dynamic between the two fascinating. Their vice-captain, who was fierce and decisive in front of others, became meek and obedient, even coquettish, in private.

Seeing Xiao Muyu’s demeanor, Shen Qingqiu couldn’t help but feel amused, though she dared not show it, fearing it would upset Xiao Muyu more. Xiao Muyu, with her tsundere nature, could easily cold-shoulder her.

So, Shen Qingqiu said nothing, took out a gauze pad, and braced herself as she poured the alcohol onto her wound.

The sting of alcohol on a wound is excruciating, often worse than the injury itself. Despite her high pain tolerance, Shen Qingqiu couldn’t help but groan softly, her right forearm tensing as she pressed it against her leg, her face turning pale.

Though the pain was intense, she refrained from vocalizing it after the initial groan. Instead, Xiao Muyu slowed the car abruptly, causing Shen Qingqiu to jolt forward. She quickly asked, “What’s wrong?”

The bleeding, not yet staunched, increased with her abrupt movement, soaking the bandages beneath.

Xiao Muyu’s furrowed brows revealed her distress. Unable to bear it, she swiftly pulled over. In the relatively desolate area, there were no zombies.

Without a word, she unbuckled her seatbelt and retrieved sterile gauze from the first aid kit, pressing it against Shen Qingqiu’s wound.

After finding anti-inflammatory drugs and Yunnan Baiyao in the kit, Xiao Muyu applied the powder to the wound, feeling Shen Qingqiu tense again.

“Bear with it,” she muttered, frustrated with herself for arguing with an injured person.

Working quickly, she carefully bandaged the wound. Looking at Shen Qingqiu, smiling despite her pale, sweat-covered face, any anger dissipated.

She wiped Shen Qingqiu’s sweat with her sleeve, unable to stop herself from saying, “You always act tough even though you’re scared of pain. This injury was avoidable, but you were reckless.”

Shen Qingqiu leaned closer, indicating Xiao Muyu should wipe her face more thoroughly, prompting Xiao Muyu to chuckle and exasperatedly wipe her face, “Sit properly and don’t touch the wound.”

“Okay, okay, I’m sitting very properly. Muyu, don’t be angry. I wasn’t reckless; they were persistent. We had to make them wary of us today, understand the risks, and not target you again. If they use cards, we might be caught off guard.”

The thought of their previous danger made Shen Qingqiu anxious, grateful the stealthy player wasn’t part of Jiang Wei’s team, or they could have been captured.

“I understand your reasoning, but still, consider yourself. If you’re hurt, who do I rely on to protect me?”

Shen Qingqiu was momentarily stunned, finding it hard to believe Xiao Muyu said that. She turned, staring at Xiao Muyu, and then laughed, “Don’t worry about me. I know this too. I won’t let anything happen to myself, trust me.”

In the back seat, Zuo Tiantian felt a pang of jealousy, wondering if she was so insignificant that they ignored her feelings completely.

Leaving the research institute, Xiao Muyu drove to where Sun Xi and her team were staying. The key was with Xiao Muyu, but inside, the food remained while the people were gone.

“Miss Xiao, Miss Shen, thank you for your help. I’m going to find my father. Take care.”

Xiao Muyu glanced at the note, the handwriting neat and elegant, indicating Sun Xi had left safely.

They now faced two major problems: how to protect the zombie and how Xiao Muyu, the chosen one with antibodies, could complete the hidden mission “I Am Legend.”

“I think we need to find Lin Jian. Although he’s not a researcher, he’s a doctor and knows more than we do.”

Watching the zombies outside, now rampaging due to hunger, Xiao Muyu said seriously.

“I agree.” The tasks in this instance seemed interconnected, like a series of linked rings. Perhaps Lin Jian was indeed useful.

Upon returning to Lin Jian’s neighborhood, Xiao Muyu sensed something was off as soon as she stepped out of the car.

“Qingqiu, something feels wrong here,” she said warily, noting four decapitated zombies at the entrance, all killed with precision.

“We cleared the zombies here before. This neighborhood is sparsely populated. Could there be someone else clearing zombies?” Zuo Tiantian also found it suspicious. Upon closer inspection, she called out, “Captain Xiao, Vice-Captain, are these gunshot wounds?”

Xiao Muyu immediately grew vigilant. After confirming, she quickly ordered, “Hide the car.”

As the car disappeared from view, a gunshot shattered the silence, presenting yet another tricky situation.

“Someone’s here, but we don’t know who. They have guns. I worry they might be after the mutant zombie.”

Cautiously, they re-entered the neighborhood, heading towards the source of the gunshot. Shen Qingqiu shook her head, “It’s Lin Jian’s building. Let’s hope we’re not that unlucky.”

She looked at Xiao Muyu, who had pulled out a gun, revealing only two bullets.

“That should be enough. Let’s go.”

Since the identities and positions of the intruders were unknown, they decided to climb up.

When they were three floors away from Lin Jian’s apartment, Xiao Muyu sensed the intruders were at Lin Jian’s door.

On the floor below, Shen Qingqiu peered out, observing the situation.

Six people stood at Lin Jian’s door, all in uniform with guns at their waists, identical to those used by the people capturing the zombie earlier—Norovirus Biopharmaceuticals.

Xiao Muyu saw this too and felt a sinking feeling. It seemed these people found Lin Jian not by coincidence but by following a trail.

Otherwise, in such a large neighborhood, Lin Jian wouldn’t be foolish enough to draw attention to himself. How could it be such a coincidence that someone would smash his door?

The door had already been opened. She saw Lin Jian being dragged out by one of the men. “Who are you? What do you want?” Lin Jian asked, his voice trembling as he tried to suppress his fear.

The man completely ignored him. He grabbed Lin Jian by the collar and slammed him against the wall, then pulled his hair, forcing him to look up. Another man took out a photo and placed it next to Lin Jian’s head.

The man glanced at the photo. “Lin Jian, is it?”

Lin Jian, overwhelmed by the situation, swallowed nervously. “Yes, what do you want?”

“The woman who took you from the hospital that day, where is she?”

Inside the house, the men were ransacking the place. Soon, someone came out and shook their head at the man in charge.

Lin Jian’s heart sank. Before he could think, a sharp pain struck his abdomen as the man punched him hard. “Tell me, where is that woman?”

Lin Jian curled up, groaning, and after a while, weakly said, “I don’t know. They left three days ago and haven’t come back.”

The leader pulled him up again. “Did she say where she was going?”

Lin Jian shook his head, and another punch landed on him.

“One more chance. This is the end times. If you die here, no one will care, understand?”

“Captain, there’s a lot of food stored here. There’s even meat in the fridge,” a slightly chubby man came out of the house, full of excitement.

“Useless! All you think about is food!” the leader scolded, then squatted down to look at Lin Jian again. His handsome features were stern, his eyes dark and sharp, clearly a trained fighter.

“Those supplies were stored by them, weren’t they?”

Lin Jian was in too much pain to speak, so he nodded.

“Do you really not know where they went?”

“I… I don’t know.”

Shen Qingqiu’s eyes flashed with a storm. She gripped Xiao Muyu’s right hand, pressed her thumb on the safety catch, and continued to watch the men. Just another group of fools.

“Alright, G City is without water and power now. The food here is extremely precious. They will definitely come back. We’ll wait here; eventually, they will return.”

He stood up and glanced at his men. “Take the high ground and observe carefully. Report any sightings immediately. Besides that woman named Xiao Muyu, do what you want with the others.”

Shen Qingqiu’s expression grew darker. He looked decent, but he was just trash.

She glanced at Xiao Muyu and gestured toward the two men holding guns, drawing her finger slowly across her throat.

Xiao Muyu frowned, looking at Shen Qingqiu’s injured hand. If she fought again, wouldn’t that be…?

Shen Qingqiu touched her injury and made an OK gesture. She kept her eyes on the scene. There were seven men in total: three on the left side of the door, two at the door, and two still inside.

She seized the right moment. When one of the men tried to drag Lin Jian back inside, Shen Qingqiu counted down with her fingers. As she curled the last finger, she pushed off with her back foot and leapt forward like a fish.

At the same time, Xiao Muyu stood up and quickly fired her gun. The two men who reacted fastest to raise their guns cried out and fell to the ground.

The guns dropped. Shen Qingqiu flicked one with her toe toward Xiao Muyu, who caught it, quickly reloaded, and without blinking, shot down the three men trying to rush out from inside.

She didn’t want to kill, but Shen Qingqiu was injured. If she didn’t fight ruthlessly, Shen Qingqiu would be the one hurt. She’d already been hurt enough; there could be no more accidents.

As the leader, the man had extraordinary skills. When Shen Qingqiu appeared, he raised his arm to block her knife. He ducked and struck his elbow toward her abdomen.

Shen Qingqiu lifted her left leg, meeting his elbow. Both stepped back simultaneously, but Shen Qingqiu didn’t pause. After retreating to absorb the impact, she swung her left leg horizontally and then kicked with her right leg in mid-air. Supporting herself with her left hand on the ground, she stood up nimbly.

The man blocked her left leg but was hit in the temple by her right leg, stumbling several steps and falling. He shook his head and quickly got up.

But Shen Qingqiu’s knife slashed at him. Unable to fend her off, he grew more frightened and his face turned pale. How could this woman be so formidable?

Another kick to the chest knocked him down. This time, he couldn’t get up in time. Shen Qingqiu swiftly pinned him, her left foot on his chest, and drove the knife through his right hand, making him scream in pain, sweating profusely.

“You were so arrogant before. Now it’s my turn. Who sent you to find Xiao Muyu? What’s your purpose?”

The man’s handsome face twisted. He looked at her, a woman who was stunningly beautiful but whose eyes were as cold as a cliff, making him shiver with fear.

He glanced at his fallen comrades and remained silent.

Shen Qingqiu sneered and punched him hard in the abdomen. He curled up, coughing.

“Uncomfortable, right? Don’t look at them. They’re still alive for now. But if you don’t talk, I can’t guarantee they will stay that way. This is the end times. Whether one person dies or seven or eight, no one cares. For such a simple question, it’s not worth it, is it?”

The man’s neck veins bulged. After a long pause, he croaked, “It’s Noro Biopharma. They said they could develop a cure and a vaccine, but they need more resources. They said Xiao Muyu has antibodies against the zombie virus. If we find her and bring her back, they can study how her body reacts to the virus and develop a serum. Our families can be saved.”

“Saved? You mean, even if they’re infected, they can be cured?” Xiao Muyu asked, puzzled.

“Yes.”