Chapter 101: Catastrophe Plant (5th Update—Request Monthly Tickets!!)

Zhao Yan watched Ding Junyi with urgent eyes; though she usually disliked this emotionally clueless colleague, she now knew Ding’s rationality far surpassed her own, and it was precisely Ding’s communication and conduct that had secured the rescue from Lin Xian and his group.

Seeing Ding Junyi busily at work, she suddenly brightened, realizing something, and quickly called to her student Xu Wen: “Xiao Xu, hurry, let’s copy and take our research data too.”

“Huh? Why take that?”

“This is our life’s work!” Zhao Yan glanced toward Ding Junyi, pulled Xu Wen aside, and whispered, “If we get out, these materials can prove our worth—if we want to join our old organization or the Tianqi Federation, don’t you think these are vital?”

Xu Wen drew a sharp breath, nodded solemnly, and understood the gravity: as researchers, this data could become their key to survival. Both women immediately rushed to their computers and began downloading.

Han Qiming, watching from nearby, grasped the situation and joined them in downloading the data.

Ding Junyi ignored the other three; besides the research files, she downloaded the full-holographic layout of the underground city, annotations for each chamber, and all recent backup surveillance footage, then glanced at the three figures rapidly advancing on the monitor and remembered something else—she began searching the underground train system’s internal records.

Soon after, Lin Xian’s trio vanished from the monitor; judging from their last location, they had passed Zone D23 and were now only a few hundred meters from their own Zone F13.

But the surveillance cameras in the corridors and passageways outside had been damaged, so Ding Junyi could no longer see Lin Xian and the others.

After finishing everything, she stood up and walked swiftly toward the lab, entering the sealed hall where the isolation door stood—her final line of defense.

Zhao Yan, Xu Wen, and Han Qiming followed her out, but seeing Ding Junyi standing by the door, they dared not approach.

“Are they coming?” Han Qiming called out.

Xu Wen looked anxious: “Director Ding, are you going to open the door? It seems like there’s no one outside.”

The three retreated far away, afraid to near the door, terrified that opening it would unleash countless flesh-eating monsters.

Ding Junyi merely raised a hand to signal silence, then stood calmly behind the isolation door, her slender finger gently resting on the open button.

Thump. Thump.

Inside the airtight, soundproofed chamber, nearly all noise was blocked; the hall was utterly silent, and the waiting group could almost hear their own heartbeats.

No one knew what awaited them when the door opened.

It could be rescuers descending from above—or a flood of terrifying monsters.

At this moment, every heart hung suspended.

Ding Junyi listened intently to the sounds outside, her expression unreadable, emotionless—then, her gaze flickered, and she decisively pressed her finger.

Hss~

The isolation door, sealed for days, suddenly opened, and a frigid rush of air surged in.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Gunfire erupted violently; the instant the door opened, three masked figures burst in, their backs filled with the howls of countless zombies.

Whir!

Kiki, upon entering, swung her hand backward—a silent psychic barrier surged, instantly blasting the pursuing zombies away.

“Ahh!!”

The horrifying sight sent Zhao Yan, Xu Wen, and Han Qiming scrambling into the corner; Han Qiming clutched a chair in front of him like a shield.

“Wow, you opened the door just in time!” Kiki stepped forward, astonished, staring at Ding Junyi by the entrance.

At that moment, Ding Junyi pressed the door-closing button again.

Clang~

The isolation door shut, sealing out the deafening howls; the lab hall glowed brightly, clean and orderly—utterly unlike the bloody, death-laden chaos outside.

Ding Junyi turned to face them and slowly raised both hands.

“I’m Ding Junyi. The air alert system hasn’t triggered, so you don’t need to worry about air quality—you can remove your gas masks.” Lin Xian aimed his gun at her; she stood with hands raised, calm, utterly harmless in every posture.

Seeing this woman, he felt a flicker of surprise.

Cold, logical, seemingly devoid of emotion—her features weren’t stunning, but finely crafted; gold-rimmed glasses, white lab coat, jeans, short heels—every detail radiated high intellect and icy elegance.

Lin Xian removed his gas mask, took a breath, then turned to Zhao Yan and the others, scrutinizing them: “So it’s just the four of you?”

“Zhao Yan, Ph.D. in Molecular Biology, Tier-One Federal Research Asset. Xu Wen, Ph.D. in Biochemistry, Tier-One Federal Research Asset. Han Qiming, Ph.D. in Microbiology and also an Ecology expert.”

Ding Junyi, still with hands raised, calmly listed their credentials—no wasted words, she swiftly laid out their value to Lin Xian.

Her speech was concise, uncluttered—clearly trying to tell him: the people he rescued weren’t ordinary; if he intended to kill them, he’d better think twice.

“We have no weapons. We’re willing to cooperate fully. If you get us out, you can exchange us for tangible benefits from the former Federal government or the new Tianqi Federation.”

“Yes, yes! We can offer value—don’t hurt us!” Xu Wen pleaded, nodding frantically.

“We’re just researchers. We mean no harm.”

“Yes, yes!”

!

Zhao Yan and Han Qiming quickly chimed in.

Lin Xian’s gaze hardened.

“Didn’t you just say you were abandoned assets?”

Ding Junyi didn’t refute her.

“Compared to rescue difficulty, we’re considered abandoned—but as long as we’re alive, we still hold some value to the authorities.”

Lin Xian internally sneered.

Even after being discarded, they still calculated their worth—typical intellectual logic: profound, yet infuriating.

But from a survival standpoint, it made perfect sense: these researchers could only thrive by joining a government organization—so what did it matter whether they were assets or people?

“Da Lou, check them.” Lin Xian nodded to Da Lou.

Da Lou stepped forward, gun raised; his massive frame sent Zhao Yan and the others scrambling backward.

He scanned their lab coats with his weapon, confirmed no hidden weapons, then nodded to Lin Xian.

“Whoa, what’s that?!”

At that moment, Kiki, having just removed her mask, spotted something and hurried over—inside the lab stood a sealed transparent growth chamber, containing a plant resembling a chrysanthemum, but utterly black, its petals speckled with crimson dots, eerily unnatural.

“Blood Plague Catastrophe Plant. We call this one No. 1—it was discovered during the first Polar Night,” Xu Wen nervously stepped forward. “Its leaves, stems, and inflorescence clearly belong to the Asteraceae family, but it appears to be a mutated classification, since it was found growing on…”

“On corpses!” Ding Junyi replied coldly.

New book launched—begging for monthly tickets! Infinite Train, soaring to the skies!

Deeply grateful!

(End of Chapter)