Chapter 473: That Woman Must Die

The next morning, as the sky began to lighten, Zhang Su was woken by a frantic knocking at the door; he felt he'd just lain down moments ago…

"Brother Su, Brother Su, are you awake?"

When he opened the door, Lu Leiyang stood outside with a grim face, sorrowful: "Qiu… Sister Qiu's condition is critical!"

"Sister Qiu? Critical?"

Zhang Su, still half-asleep and wrapped in his coat, stared at Lu Leiyang, momentarily forgetting who Sister Qiu even was—or why she'd be in trouble.

Then it struck him: Sister Qiu was Qiu Hui—the woman from Two Village who'd had her limb amputated after being bitten by the undead a few nights ago. "What happened to Qiu Hui?"

Sister Qiu woke up over half an hour ago, but… sometimes she's lucid, sometimes she screams like a zombie—ao ao—please, go see for yourself…

Lu Leiyang was frantic. As deputy commander of the reserve unit, he'd been the first contacted when the situation arose. After seeing it himself, he knew he couldn't handle it and rushed straight to Zhang Su.

"Sometimes lucid, sometimes like a zombie…"

Zhang Su pulled on his clothes, recalling how Chen Hanzhou hadn't remained unconscious long—not even a full day—yet Qiu Hui had lain comatose for three or four days, and now her condition had worsened after waking. It was bizarre.

Zombie transformation couldn't be generalized; from the limited research data gathered by the Survivors' Alliance, individual differences were enormous.

"I'll get dressed and head over. Go notify Dr. Fu and Dr. Xie right away—tell them to come with me!"

Zhang Su knew his presence wouldn't solve the core issue—it would only mean deciding Qiu Hui's fate. But perhaps the two doctors could find a new angle.

Technically, researchers weren't allowed to experiment on their own comrades. But now, it was a last-ditch effort—no other choice.

Fu Wei lived in the same small compound as Zhang Su, specifically to monitor his every move.

When Lu Leiyang relayed the news to Fu Wei, he didn't even bother putting on clothes. Without waiting for Duan Wu to help, he wheeled himself into his chair. Had there been a ramp, he'd have been first at the parking lot…

Outside the courtyard where Qiu Hui stayed in Two Village, an MPV was parked, its tires leaving two distinct wheel tracks in the dirt.

Inside, Zhang Su and the others stood solemnly beside the bed, watching Qiu Hui. She was wrapped in thick cotton quilts and bound with hemp ropes, writhing like a giant silkworm cocoon on the kang.

Zhang… Brother Zhang… kill… ao wu… ao wu… kill me, I'm in too much pain… ao ao ao wu!

Qiu Hui's voice, hoarse and broken, scraped against their ears, making their hearts ache.

Two women from the Women's Corps, who'd been guarding her day and night, stood silently at the door, wiping tears. They too came from Kuanzhuang, and seeing their former neighbor turned into this monstrous thing filled them with grief.

Fu Wei stared grimly at Qiu Hui on the kang, gripping the armrests of his wheelchair tightly. Then, with solemn gravity, he raised his head and said to Zhang Su: "Mr. Zhang, let's speak outside."

Zhang Su was slightly surprised. Discussing a patient's condition in front of them was deeply impolite—he hadn't expected Fu Wei to consider this. He nodded, signaling Duan Wu to push him out.

Outside the courtyard, Fu Wei exhaled a puff of warm air and rubbed his face. "Mr. Zhang, Qiu Hui's condition is extremely rare. I recommend transporting her to the lab immediately. Dr. Xie and I will do everything we can to save her."

Zhang Su's brow twitched. He glanced sideways at Fu Wei. "Dr. Fu, I hope you mean real treatment—not using human lives as test subjects."

"You can rest assured. Dr. Xie and I are highly professional researchers. We respect science, we respect life—don't we, Dr. Xie?"

"Huh? Oh, yes."

Xie Yan was clearly distracted, frowning as he pondered Qiu Hui's condition.

"Alright, then Qiu Hui's treatment is in your hands. I have important business today. Let Brother Duan stay behind to assist you—if anything dangerous happens, at least someone's here to help."

Zhang Su and Duan Wu exchanged a glance—they understood each other perfectly.

"Heh…"

Duan Wu sighed heavily, as if he'd known this mess would fall on him. He glanced back at the courtyard, then lowered his voice: "Brother Zhang, make your decision now. If you're not here when we need to act, we won't know what to do."

Everyone present knew what this "decision" meant.

Deciding life or death was cruel—but as leader, Zhang Su was used to it. He drew in a deep breath of cold air. "If there's no hope of saving her, then this shitty task is yours. Brother Duan—I trust you won't let me down." "You're such a jerk!"

Duan Wu scowled, accepting the duty.

He didn't agree with many things, but he couldn't make the final call. Now that this was entrusted to him, he wouldn't let Fu Wei turn their own people into lab rats.

Suddenly, Duan Wu remembered something. He pulled Zhang Su aside, frowning: "Brother Zhang, aren't you going to visit the camps of those factions in the city today?"

"Yeah, that's right. Don't worry—I'll make it up to you when we get back!"

Zhang Su patted Duan Wu's arm. This trip, even if it brought no gains, was at least more interesting than staying out in the wilderness. In this apocalypse, friendly contact with other camps was genuinely uplifting.

"No, no… that's not what I mean… uh… do you remember Yu Nuo?"

"Yu Nuo? Of course I remember. What about her?"

Zhang Su raised an eyebrow, speaking coolly.

Yu Nuo was the woman from his neighborhood when the disaster first broke out. He'd had a tense encounter with her over escaping the compound, but they'd had no further contact since. Still, he remembered her.

"She… how do I put this… this thing."

Duan Wu scratched his head, looking torn, his expression strange.

Zhang Su narrowed his eyes at Duan Wu, speaking deliberately: "Brother Duan, don't tell me you still have feelings for that woman. If I recall correctly, you said she coldly abandoned you and crawled into Liao Youzhi's bed—right?"

"That's what happened then, but lately I've thought about it—she was just trying to survive, right? Now Liao Youzhi's dead, and I…"

"Shut up!"

Zhang Su cut him off, dragging him farther away. "Are all women in the world dead? Yes, I admit Yu Nuo has a certain mature allure—but she was utterly heartless toward you!

Even in normal times, such a woman would be unforgivable. In this world? She'd sell you out in a heartbeat for her own comfort. How dare you think of rekindling anything with her? She's a cold, heartless bastard!"

Zhang Su's words were harsh, showing no regard for Duan Wu's feelings. If this were merely a past quarrel over leaving the compound, he wouldn't have judged Yu Nuo so severely. But Duan Wu had cared for her all along—and she betrayed him utterly. That kind of soul was rotten, and it never changed.

After being scolded, Duan Wu frowned and lowered his head, clearly torn inside.

"I always wondered why you kept your distance from all the women from Kuanzhuang—now I know why. I'm telling you: crush this feeling now."

Zhang Su jabbed his finger hard into Duan Wu's chest, his tone uncompromising.

He would never forgive Yu Nuo. This wasn't about whether Duan Wu could accept her—it was about Zhang Su, as leader of Tianmayu, never allowing a woman with such malicious intent into his ranks.

Duan Wu's role was vital—he was the link between Zhang Su and Fu Wei. He couldn't be corrupted by a heartless schemer.

"Alright… you're right, Brother Zhang. I really am a fool… but I still ask you one thing: spare her life. Can we agree on that?"

Duan Wu looked at Zhang Su with desperate hope.

Zhang Su spread his arms and shrugged. "I'm not the type to drive a woman to death. If she doesn't provoke me, I'll let her go. For your sake, I'll even give her supplies."

But in his heart, he had already sentenced Yu Nuo to death.

Before Duan Wu mentioned her, there might have been room for mercy. Now? That woman must die.

"That's all I need to hear. Sorry for the trouble, Brother Zhang!"

Duan Wu patted Zhang Su's arm apologetically.

Zhang Su waved it off, and the two returned to the courtyard gate.

(End of Chapter)