Chapter 316: His Thoughts Are Different

The three entered the lab, where the dissected venom zombie lay on a cold metal slab; after gradually accepting the hypothesis that it was a zombie robot, Zhang Su found it less and less like a living organism—truly resembling a modified robot.

Although each organ bore a striking resemblance to his own, they carried an odd material quality—not flesh or blood.

Fu Weijun slid over to a small cabinet, pulled out another vial of raw venom, handed it to Zhang Su but refused to let go, saying, "Mr. Zhang, if we find more zombies like this, I request five milliliters—no, three milliliters—for experimentation!"

Zhang Su watched Fu Weijun's expression, like a child reluctant to part with candy, and shrugged helplessly. "I'm not refusing to let you experiment—I can give you three milliliters right now. I'm just worried about accidents. Think about it: what if three milliliters of raw venom exploded? What would happen to our camp?"

"Hey, wouldn't the whole place just take off?" Duan Wuhu's face lit up as he added a soft "whoosh" sound.

"Then how about this, Mr. Zhang? You take one milliliter for me, dilute it a hundred thousand times—that should be fine, right?"

Fu Weijun finally released the vial, making his final small request. Of the entire venom zombie, only the raw venom was worth studying—he believed it had uses beyond just explosion.

"A hundred thousand times?"

"Yes. One milliliter of raw venom mixed with one hundred liters of water, bottled in mineral water bottles—five hundred milliliters per bottle. That means each bottle contains only five microliters of raw venom—safe enough!"

Fu Weijun gestured excitedly as he spoke, nearly jumping to his feet.

"If we confirm the diluted venom won't explode, I'll adopt your method. I actually want to support your research—don't worry, I'll have someone handle it tomorrow."

Zhang Su gave Fu Weijun's shoulder a firm, serious pat.

"Mr. Zhang, why wait until tomorrow? Let's test it now."

Fu Weijun couldn't wait—he pulled a sewing needle from his bag, implying they should dissolve a bit in water and try it.

Zhang Su found the man's enthusiasm unusually high, almost excessive—but if there was real progress, it was a good thing. He agreed to the request.

For safety, Fu Weijun used a dropper to draw one milliliter of raw venom, then dipped the needle tip into it. The loss was barely visible on the scale—perhaps ten microliters—then he swirled the needle inside a mineral water bottle.

Zhang Su expected nothing to change—but when the needle stirred at the bottle's mouth, the entire contents glowed a faint purple, like a crushed mulberry dropped into water.

"Whoa, that's beautiful."

Duan Wuhu bent down to inspect the bottle, murmuring in awe.

"This stuff… Dr. Fu, don't you dare drink it—I'm warning you!"

Zhang Su saw the water's color change and Fu Weijun's eager expression—he immediately warned him. Knowing Fu Weijun's past behavior, he was entirely capable of impulsively downing it in one gulp.

"Don't worry, Mr. Zhang. I know how to value life."

Fu Weijun answered seriously.

Zhang Su didn't believe his promise. He gave Duan Wuhu a glance—meaning, keep an eye on him.

Then, the group carefully tested the purple water for detonation. The experiment proved that neither fuse nor open flame could trigger it—the raw venom had lost its explosive property after sufficient dilution.

"Looks like it's truly safe. So… Dr. Fu, is this one bottle enough for you?"

Zhang Su tightened the cap on the mineral water bottle and handed it to Fu Weijun.

"More than enough. When I use it up, I'll ask you again. I won't see you off."

Fu Weijun took the bottle and immediately prepared to begin his research.

"Alright, I'm leaving. You two get some rest—don't stay up too late."

Zhang Su walked out of the lab carrying the mental weight of roughly thirty tons of TNT. Just as he reached the bottom of the stairs, he heard voices from above.

"What are you looking for, Weijun? Let me help."

"Where did I put the container I took from the zombie's skull? That crystal-like thing… there's still residue inside. Too precious to waste—I need to find it and extract it! Found it… haha!"

Hearing Fu Weijun's satisfied laugh, Zhang Su's lip twitched. He hadn't expected the man to hold back a reserve. He'd been ready to beg for it back—but after hearing the rest, he abandoned the idea.

"No more! It's fine—I'll rinse it with water, should still get some residue. Brother Duan, grab me a plastic bag from over there. I'll handle it later."

"You're taking it back again? No way. Do it here—finish before you go back to your room…"

"Fine. Then could you get me a few more mineral water bottles?"

"No problem!"

Zhang Su heard Duan Wuhu moving to leave and hurried downstairs toward Xiao Xingyun Guesthouse. Suddenly, he heard a faint sound from the direction of Su Xiaoya's confinement. Listening closely, he realized she was humming a tune out of boredom.

"Sigh…"

Zhang Su sighed softly. During the fierce battle at the military camp against Kuan Zhuang's group, there'd been no time to hesitate. Now, recalling Su Lei—Su Xiaoya's sister—memories of their time together surfaced in his mind.

Thinking of this, Zhang Su turned toward the room where Su Xiaoya was held.

He took the key from the doorframe, unlocked the door, knocked twice, then pushed it open. Su Xiaoya sat cross-legged on the bed, wrapped in a quilt. A small nightlight cast dim light. Someone had given her a box of Go stones—she was playing against herself.

"What were you guys doing just now? That loud bang shook the windows…"

Su Xiaoya's room could be described as cold—but the temperature would slowly rise, since everyone from Xida Ying Village was housed here, and heating had been turned on.

"We tested the bomb's power."

Zhang Su spoke calmly, then sat on the edge of the bed.

"How'd it go today? Any contact with Uncle Lei? When are they planning to swap me back?"

Su Xiaoya gathered the Go stones, asking in a casual tone, pretending indifference.

"Today we went to the Qinglong Army's headquarters. We ran into Lei Youliang's team inside the camp."

Zhang Su picked up a Go stone that had fallen on the bed, turning it over in his fingers as he spoke slowly.

Su Xiaoya sensed the tension. She spoke nervously: "Th-that's good! Meeting them is good! Perfect chance to cooperate—you were planning to cooperate anyway, right?"

"That's my plan. But Lei Youliang's idea is different." In the dim darkness, Zhang Su saw Su Xiaoya's lips pressed tightly together—she already sensed something serious. He continued.

"While we and another group were clearing the zombies from the camp, Lei Youliang sneaked in with his men and seized the arms depot. When we entered, he had zero intention of cooperation—he stood right in front of me, recruiting the other group to eliminate us!"

Creak.

Zhang Su heard the sound of fingers gripping the quilt tightly. He saw Su Xiaoya's fists clenched so hard the quilt wrinkled, her face grim, tears slowly welling in her eyes.

"I only asked Lei Youliang one question: 'Su Xiaoya is still on Tianma Isle. Are you really going to go to war with us?'"

"W-what did Uncle Lei say?"

Su Xiaoya finally spoke, her voice barely above a whisper, as if afraid to disturb something.

(End of Chapter)