Chapter 578: Suddenly Woke Up!

So far, I've seen metal, petrification, venom, and flame—but from my understanding, this thing's ability is the most outrageous; controlling air pressure is incredibly powerful!

Xie Yanshan nodded repeatedly, then asked with doubt: "But its displayed ability doesn't seem directly related to liquefied gas, Mr. Zhang—why name it that?"

Sniff… It's lost its smell.

Zhang Su sniffed the air, shrugged with a frown: "Yesterday it emitted the odor of liquefied petroleum gas, so I gave it that straightforward name. Now it's gone? Sniff…"

The room was warm, his nose wasn't blocked—if there had been any odor, he'd have smelled it immediately—but no matter how hard he tried, he only detected the usual laboratory smells.

I get it—its ability must be to form a protective barrier using liquefied petroleum gas, then manipulate the gas to generate pressure. That makes sense!

Xie Yanshan tried to justify his superior's earlier hypothesis.

There's a possibility. Doesn't matter—we'll know for sure once we dissect it!

Fu Weijun pulled a pair of gloves from his pocket, ready to begin at once—but then he remembered something, turned to Zhang Su, hesitated with visible reluctance, then seemed to make up his mind.

Mr. Zhang, our research on the cadaver transformation blocking solution has reached a dead end. I'd like to ask—when will we have an opportunity to retrieve the equipment from the island?

Technological advancement depends on the microscopic world; current hardware is too limited for breakthroughs.

After hearing Fu Weijun's question, Xie Yanshan sighed, removed his glasses, and wiped them.

Zhang Su felt equally frustrated. Facing two researchers, he had no scientific equipment to offer—like having a genius at home but being unable to buy him books to study. It was agonizing.

You both know why all branches have retreated to Tianma Island. The city's situation is beyond description—it's probably already overrun by the undead. And we're about to begin fortifying the Haihe River to prevent the horde from moving north!

Survival comes first.

Not just Fu Weijun and Xie Yanshan—even Zhang Su himself wanted to go to the Beihé District shoreline to investigate. He was deeply intrigued by the sea anomaly recorded in Liao Youzhi's notebook—but he couldn't tell anyone. If Fu Weijun and the others found out, they'd never leave him in peace.

Fu Weijun nodded understandingly, then mused: "More and more undead are gathering in Qincheng City—does that mean other areas have fewer? Could Beihé District be relatively safe? If so, could we bypass the city and enter Beihé directly?"

Your idea…

Zhang Su didn't immediately dismiss it. The man was highly intelligent and never offered opinions blindly—he considered it seriously.

Meanwhile, the other three in the room also wore thoughtful expressions. Duan Wuhu, seated in his chair, occasionally nodded, as if arriving at some insight.

From a single perspective, your view isn't wrong—but it doesn't hold up under scrutiny. When undead concentrate in one area, others should decrease—but this world isn't just Qincheng's three districts and four counties. Undead from elsewhere might still be flowing into Beihé District.

Fu Weijun nodded reluctantly: "Yes, you're right, Mr. Zhang—your considerations are thorough. But… I know this request is excessive, but if there's even a chance, please go to Beihé District and see for yourself. Only firsthand observation can confirm the truth."

"You're right—only seeing it with your own eyes tells the truth. That… " Zhang Su moved to end the topic, gestured toward other rooms, and asked: "Where are the three people we captured?"

"They've been cooperative—I locked them in an empty warehouse. Want to take a look?"

Duan Wuhu immediately stood up upon hearing Zhang Su's question.

"Cooperative is good. Let them sit for two days first. Don't shortchange their food or drink—treat them normally. But don't tell them anything. Restrict their movement." Zhang Su gave orders, then added: "I thought I heard Xiao Liu's voice earlier—has the treatment shown results?"

"Ah… sorry! Look at me—I got so caught up in studying the mutated undead, I forgot to report the treatment results."

Xie Yanshan slapped his forehead apologetically and hurried on: "In the past few days, we've treated seven wounded: Liu Tianji and Ke Zhiyu are doing best. Yu Jiaohua's prognosis is grim. Qiu Hui's condition is unusual. The other three show no special reactions and remain stable."

Zhang Su already knew about Yu Jiaohua and Guo Fenfang from Zhong Xiaoshan's report. Hearing Yu Jiaohua's prognosis was grim, he felt helpless: "Under limited conditions, you've done well. And… what's unusual about Qiu Hui?" Failure to save was sad, success joyful—but neither was as alarming as "unusual."

Fu Weijun, whose wheelchair had been facing the mutated undead, now turned it toward Zhang Su and took over: "Qiu Hui keeps switching between human and undead states—her condition is wildly unstable. When she loses reason, she's as strong as an ox—ropes creak under the strain. When she regains sanity, she remembers nothing of her rampages."

Zhang Su rubbed his temples. Either good or bad—he could handle it. But this back-and-forth? That was the worst. Treat her? He couldn't bear it. Let others know? That would cause chaos. Don't treat her? Then they'd have to waste manpower and resources guarding her forever.

Where is she? I'll go see her.

Now? Uh… this…

No need for you to accompany me. I'll go alone.

Zhang Su could see Fu Weijun and Xie Yanshan were eager to study the liquefied-gas undead—and he himself wanted results quickly.

"No problem, Brother Zhang—I'll go with you. We moved Qiu Hui to the room at the very end."

Duan Wuhu walked to the door. His curiosity about the mutated undead had been satisfied—he no longer cared about the rest of the research.

Zhang Su nodded and followed Duan Wuhu out of the suite.

"Qiu Hui's condition is unusual—we feared she'd cause major trouble, so we moved her to this small annex. From what I see, she might wake up fine. But that other girl, Yu Jiaohua… she won't make it through today. Come on."

Duan Wuhu pulled out a key and opened the door, speaking with quiet gloom.

"I heard you were incredible that day—drove straight into the undead horde! If not for you, even more people would've died. Master Duan, that's a great deed!"

Zhang Su praised Duan Wuhu.

Duan Wuhu turned the key, smiling and shaking his head: "I never expected the car to flip—it was terrifyingly close, hahaha."

He pushed the door open.

"Hey, you've set the mood well."

Zhang Su followed Duan Wuhu inside. Due to the heating system's end point, the room was slightly colder. Inside, a bound figure lay on a stretcher in the center. Though light didn't affect him, the scene still carried a full horror-movie vibe.

Click.

Duan Wuhu flipped on the light, shrugged: "Look at our lives now—compared to the horror movies we used to watch, what even were those?"

As they spoke, the two reached Qiu Hui's stretcher.

Zhang Su stared. Qiu Hui's expression was calm, her breathing even, her skin color normal. Aside from missing a leg, she showed no abnormalities, no emotional fluctuations—she looked exactly like she was asleep.

She looks fine.

Zhang Su scratched his eyebrow, wondering whether to wake her. Lying there, you couldn't tell a thing.

"Tsk…" Duan Wuhu gave a strange look. "Brother Zhang, have you heard Zhang Yu's songs? I'd rather watch her sleep so peacefully than face her when she's wild and furious! You don't know… hey!"

Just as Duan Wuhu was about to recount Qiu Hui's previous rampages, the woman on the stretcher suddenly opened her eyes.

(End of Chapter)