Pei Zhaoqing had just returned to the team and was frustrated when he couldn’t find Song Jinshi in the besieged base. His mood darkened further when Bo Yan’an suddenly confronted him, demanding to “return” someone. Pei Zhaoqing was nearly blown up by this accusation. “Who am I supposed to return to you?”
Bo Yan’an, uninterested in trifling chatter, only wanted to find Song Jinshi quickly. “Stop pretending, you know exactly who I’m talking about.”
Pei Zhaoqing stepped closer, gripping Bo Yan’an’s collar. “You need to explain clearly who you mean.”
Bo Yan’an replied, “You know deep down who it is, don’t you?”
This statement almost instantly provoked Pei Zhaoqing’s rage. He delivered a merciless punch to Bo Yan’an’s face. “I searched for him in that base for many days, worried he would face an accident in the civilian area. I practically scoured the place, and now you tell me to return him to you?”
“Well, I want to ask you where you took him!”
The two didn’t back down, and soon found themselves in a physical altercation. “During the convoy, weren’t you the one who wanted to investigate him and took him away?”
“Are you saying I took him away?”
Clearly, both realized something was off. “It seems someone took advantage of our distraction and secretly made a move against him.”
The men, who had just been fighting, now temporarily reached an uneasy peace over this troubling matter. Having calmed down, they quickly analyzed the situation.
Currently, Song Jinshi was at least safe because someone had taken him away. However, it was uncertain whether that person had any other intentions toward him.
“Shall we cooperate?” Bo Yan’an proposed to Pei Zhaoqing. “I know you are from the special abilities team, but I’m also a core researcher, and my authority is not less than yours.”
After some consideration, Pei Zhaoqing agreed to Bo Yan’an’s proposal. First, they needed to find Song Jinshi; as for what would happen next, he didn’t believe Bo Yan’an could snatch someone from him.
Since joining the central base, they had not been directly incorporated but were assigned a specific area where everyone lived. Only a few researchers studying the zombie virus had been called away by the central base.
Song Ye was among those called. The reason he hadn’t searched for Song Jinshi was that he could always sense his location. He didn’t know how Song Jinshi managed to get so far initially, but he was certain that Song Jinshi was now heading in his direction.
He wasn’t worried that Song Jinshi wouldn’t look for him once he arrived; after all, the deadline was approaching, and he would crave his blood.
As Song Jinshi rushed toward the central base alongside Sui Han, he suddenly sneezed twice. Throughout the journey, Sui Han hadn’t spoken much to him, and his attitude remained unchanged, which bolstered Song Jinshi’s confidence.
“Sui Han, it’s all your fault! If you had directly teleported me to the central base, I wouldn’t have caught a cold—look, I’m sneezing!”
Sui Han tilted his head slightly, glancing at him. “Is that so? You still seem quite lively to me.”
Despite his words, Sui Han’s body was honest; he picked up Song Jinshi and directly brought him to the central base.
Outside the base, Song Jinshi saw a crowd waiting for inspection and suddenly remembered something. “Assistant! This is bad! During the time I lost my memory, I didn’t disguise my identity! Bo Yan’an must already know I’m a little zombie!”
He widened his eyes in realization. “I interacted with so many people in the convoy—surely not everyone knows I’m a zombie! What if there’s a trap waiting for me inside?”
The assistant soothed Song Jinshi’s anxiety. “Host, you’ve leveled up to a high-level zombie. Unless you deliberately reveal your identity, no one will discover it.”
“High-level zombie? Aren’t there only advanced zombies?” Song Jinshi questioned, puzzled.
“When you lost your memory, you subconsciously thought you were human, so they couldn’t detect you. Then, after drinking the blood of the zombie king, it allowed you to surpass levels. Due to his immense power, you’ve now become a high-level zombie, just a step below the zombie king.”
Song Jinshi nodded, somewhat understanding. He grasped one key point from this explanation: he was now one zombie beneath the king and above all others!
He suddenly felt empowered! Perhaps, this time, he could seek revenge!
“Host, don’t get carried away; you’re just at the high-level zombie rank, but you don’t have the abilities of an advanced zombie since your upgrade was due to special circumstances.”
This put a damper on Song Jinshi’s newfound confidence.
Following Sui Han, he trailed behind like a wronged wife being sold by her husband, hanging his head as he awaited the base personnel’s inspection.
Along the way, many would-be entrants cast discreet glances at Song Jinshi and Sui Han.
When they reached the inspection, the personnel asked if either of them had abilities.
Sui Han conjured a bolt of lightning. “Lightning-type.”
The inspector nodded seriously, recording the ability and Sui Han’s information.
Then, he turned his gaze to Song Jinshi, and when he saw his face, a flash of surprise crossed his features. “What ability do you have?”
Song Jinshi shook his head. “I don’t have any abilities.”
“What’s your name?” the guard inquired, his expression neutral.
“Song Jinshi.”
The guard silently committed this name to memory, preparing to present this young beauty to the higher-ups at the base, hoping to curry favor and perhaps elevate his own status.