Chapter 260: Who Is It Again?

Thud… plop…

Zero-03 collapsed heavily, and the scene fell into a brief silence.

Zhang Su and Pang Dakun stood tense, electric batons raised, fearing the giant might suddenly lurch up and attack—until nearly half a minute passed and Zero-03 showed no movement, at which point they finally exhaled in relief.

Seeing Zhang Su and Pang Dakun lower their guard, the others hurried over.

"Brother Su, what the hell is this thing? Did the Green Dragon Corps really build it?"

Liu Tianji asked curiously, stepping beside Zero-03 and extending a finger to prod it—then hesitating, afraid to touch.

Zhang Su shook his head: "Don't know if it's a mutated zombie or artificially modified… hey, you guys, go get the cargo truck that held this thing, hook those iron chains onto its neck collar—they're electrified!"

Earlier, while observing covertly, Zhang Su had noticed the clues, and after hearing the Green Dragon Corps men speak, he'd learned the key to controlling Zero-03.

"Holy shit, so that's how it works!"

The others suddenly understood—some even wondered why the giant had sat quietly inside the vehicle; after all, it was still a zombie, not some intelligent weapon—it had all along been paralyzed by a weak electric current.

"Here, eat this!"

Guo Dachao stood nearby, gripping Yang Wenjie's hand tightly, face filled with anxiety—right now, even a blood transfusion was impossible, since they didn't know if their blood types matched!

Yang Wenjie lay on the bed, her shoulder a bloody mess, the sheets already soaked through.

Yang Wenjie had no interest in what Zhong Xiaoshan was feeding her; she struggled to open her mouth.

After the bullet was removed, she felt slightly lighter, her face nearly colorless, with only a faint red tint visible on her lips—her breaths were shallow, barely there.

Zhong Xiaoshan pulled out one bullet and tossed it to the floor, then began treating the tissue burned by high heat.

After giving instructions, Zhang Su headed toward Wangshan Guesthouse—he needed to check on the injured.

Clang!

Mo Qianlan and Yu Qing assisted nearby, both disheveled—Yu Qing had a bloody scratch on her forehead, but compared to Yang Wenjie lying on the bed, she was far better off, with no time to clean up before getting back to work.

She turned and saw Zhang Su standing nearby, giving him a worried glance.

Zhang Su entered the guesthouse courtyard and immediately heard muffled groans of pain—he followed the sound to the guest room, pushed open the door, and saw Zhong Xiaoshan removing the bullet from Yang Wenjie's shoulder.

"Sister Zhong, Wenjie has lost so much blood—what do we do, what do we do?!"

Zhong Xiaoshan shoved the zombie's thalamus directly into her mouth.

Zhong Xiaoshan had no time to soothe Guo Dachao's emotions; she pulled from her medical kit an unfamiliar, dull gray object, sliced off about one-fifth of it with a knife, and held it to Yang Wenjie's lips.

Zhong Xiaoshan's expression was grim—she didn't know how effective the thalamus would be; everything was based on Zhang Su's verbal description, and her heart pounded with tension.

"A kind of gene therapy!"

To make it easier for Zhong Xiaoshan to operate, Yang Wenjie wore only a bra on top—the warm room kept her from catching cold, but the intense pain made her clench her fists, occasionally letting out a groan, sweat dripping from her temples.

Guo Dachao leaned over the bedhead, gently stroking Yang Wenjie's forehead, whispering words of encouragement.

"Also, tie those bastards up tight and lock them away!"

"This… then, Sister-in-law, what medicine did you give Wenjie?" Guo Dachao stared blankly at Zhong Xiaoshan.

"Hold on a little longer, almost done!"

The two saw Zhang Su enter the room and were about to greet him when he raised a finger to his lips—silence.

"Dachao, don't worry—it's a biological gene drug developed by Dr. Fu, incredibly effective against all kinds of injuries, you'll be amazed!"

Only when Zhang Su spoke did Guo Dachao realize he was there; hearing it was the eccentric doctor's creation, he felt slightly reassured and nodded: "Hope it works, hope it works… uh, Sister-in-law, shouldn't we bandage Wenjie?"

The bloody wound gaped open, horrifying to behold.

"Not yet—let's observe first. Don't worry, Wenjie isn't in danger."

Zhong Xiaoshan packed up her medical kit and told Guo Dachao: "Stay here and take good care of her. I'll treat the other injured, then come back to check on her."

Even if the zombie thalamus proved useless for treating gunshot wounds, one must still hold onto hope for success and comfort the family with a positive attitude—that was professional duty for medical personnel.

Even if the outcome couldn't be changed, strive to make the process less painful.

Slap. Slap.

Zhang Su patted Guo Dachao's shoulder, about to say some comforting words, when his eyes suddenly widened—he pointed at Yang Wenjie's shoulder: "Look! Dachao, look! New tissue is growing! It's working—your wife will be fine, rest easy!"

Zhong Xiaoshan and the others crowded behind Zhang Su, staring at Yang Wenjie's shoulder—the miraculous sight left them stunned.

From the gruesome wound, fleshy tissue was visibly growing at an eye-visible rate, an eerie phenomenon like something from a sci-fi movie, so unreal it raised goosebumps on their skin!

Even Zhang Su, who had seen this before, felt awe inside—he knew gunshot wounds were nothing like the shallow cuts Fu Wei had made with his military knife; those only damaged skin and dermis, but this wound covered a vast area—and yet it was healing. Unbelievable.

"My god!"

Mo Qianlan covered her mouth with her hand, her heart reeling.

Yu Qing stood frozen, her eyes wide with awe as she looked at Zhong Xiaoshan—as if asking: What kind of medicine is this?

Guo Dachao's jaw hung open. Though he and Yang Wenjie weren't married, their bond forged in the apocalypse—through life and death—was stronger than many real marriages. Seeing her wound heal so rapidly, his emotions overwhelmed him.

"It's itchy… Dachao, I'm so hot, my shoulder itches so badly!"

Yang Wenjie felt the abnormality—her whole body burned with heat, the gunshot site itching unbearably. But earlier, to prevent her from thrashing, her hands had been tied to the bed—now she couldn't even scratch.

"It's fine, it's fine, Xiao Jie—the medicine's working, the wound's healing. Hold on, don't touch it, you'll be fine soon, very soon!"

Guo Dachao's face shifted between seriousness and smiles—his emotional control completely shattered.

"If the medicine's working, you're safe, Dachao. Go get some food later—wound healing consumes massive energy. Take good care of your wife. We're leaving—other injured are waiting for Xiaoshan."

Seeing Yang Wenjie's wound condition, Zhang Su finally relaxed, and led the others out of Guo Dachao's room.

"Who else is injured?"

Closing the door, Zhang Su asked.

Zhong Xiaoshan walked as she spoke: "Aunt Liu from the United Village was killed instantly—a bullet went right here" (she mimed a motion to her head). "Little Wu took a bullet in the thigh—hope the bone's intact, but even if it isn't… we'll see. Little Xue got shot, lucky—the petrified skin blocked it, but she likely has internal injuries—I saw blood at her lips. Master Jia was grazed by a bullet along his waist—didn't hit any organs, but still needs treatment. The rest are minor wounds."

"Brother Su, Sister Shan, just now… what was Wenjie eating?"

Yu Qing couldn't help asking, her face full of curiosity. As a chemistry teacher, she understood some drug compositions—but she'd never heard of anything that could heal wounds this fast.

In her view, the speed of Yang Wenjie's wound healing had shattered natural limits—almost anti-science!

"I don't know—ask him…" Zhong Xiaoshan shrugged, glancing at Zhang Su.

"Don't ask. Knowing too much won't help."

Zhang Su shook his head—he wasn't bothered, but others might be. The fewer people who knew this secret, the better.

Yu Qing bit her lip after hearing Zhang Su's reply. She figured he was just keeping secrets—and it made sense. Such an incredible thing should have safeguards. Unless someone had ulterior motives, they should keep it quiet—no need to pry.

The treatment took time; Zhang Su didn't stay the whole time. After offering a few words of comfort, he went back to his own business.

But before Zhang Su could find out where the Green Dragon Corps men were imprisoned, he heard Wang Xin shouting at the Shanmen gate—something about someone trying to enter, not allowed, etc. clearly, someone had arrived!

"Damn, tonight's really busy!"

Zhang Su was furious. Despite all his careful planning, his side still suffered casualties. He'd just planned to interrogate the Green Dragon Corps prisoners—and now someone else showed up. Annoying beyond words.

(End of Chapter)