The setting sun turns Wanxiang City golden, and the dim light enters the mall through the glass skylight. People are starting to get ready for the night. Announcements and loud noises all stopped after dark, fewer people walked around the mall, and although the low part of the huge exterior window glass was reinforced with composite panels, in order to minimize the light inside the gimbal from being discovered by the outside world, the giant curtains installed on the glass windows were also closed; From the inside, the huge curtain looks like a large curtain on a Broadway stage, and as she gazes at it, Ms. Zhang sometimes feels the urge to tear it off, but she naturally doesn't do that.

The radio was turned off after the last night's arrival was announced, and the loud electricity was reduced. Most of the shops are also ready to close, but there are also some that are open at night, such as the red light district; That's right, even with the advent of the post-apocalyptic era, this kind of place is still booming as usual, but it is absolutely impossible to see it in Qingshan.

Passing by the door of the store where a few bewitching women stood at the door scratching their heads and making gestures, Zhang Xiaoying, who passed by with a bag full of daily supplies, didn't even look at it. A couple of drunken men passed in front of him, apparently regulars there, and soon hooked up with the heavily dressed women at the door. But they didn't seem to be satisfied with this, and turned their filthy gaze to Zhang Xiaoying who was passing by.

"Hey! Chick! Why don't you come and play together? An obese man in a tattered brown jacket shouted towards Zhang Xiaoying.

Zhang Xiaoying ignored him and continued to walk her own way. The man who was ignored felt that he couldn't get over his face under the ridicule of his friends, and stepped forward angrily, blocking Zhang Xiaoying's way. "Hey! I'm talking to you! ”

Zhang Xiaoying calmly raised her head and looked at the middle-aged man who was taller than herself and stood in front of her like a black bear. said expressionlessly: "Give you a chance to get out, or you won't even be able to touch a woman tonight." ”

The man looked Zhang Xiaoying's slender waist and feet up and down, her thighs were not even as thick as the man's arms, and the man concluded that the little girl was just bluffing, he stretched out his fat hand and just wanted to touch Zhang Xiaoying's shoulder, but he immediately felt that something was under his crotch.

The man looked down and saw that it was a sharp dagger, the dagger itself did not look very intimidating, but between the man's legs, the shiny blade was enough to inflict indelible damage on him. The man froze in place, and his companion and the two women behind him were dumbfounded, not daring to make a rash move.

"Either get out or be a woman later." Zhang Xiaoying's cold gaze pierced through the last bit of the man's courage.

The man retreated unwillingly, Zhang Xiaoying didn't say anything more, and continued to walk forward, but just a few steps away, he heard hurried footsteps behind him, obviously coming at her. Zhang Xiaoying turned her head suddenly, and the fat man was rushing towards her, looking smug that she thought she could do it. The man swayed his fat belly full of oil and water from side to side, and his drunken steps were not too fast.

Zhang Xiaoying didn't think much about it, and shook her right hand with the dagger, and the man suddenly fell to the side. Holding his thighs and howling miserably, the small dagger stuck in his thigh pierced into the fat leg like a stinger, the blood quickly soaked his pants, and then drew a few messy patterns on the ground as he struggled in pain.

Seeing this, the middle-aged man's companion and the two women wearing heavy makeup hurriedly went to help the man stop the bleeding, but Zhang Xiaoying disagreed, turned her head and left the scene calmly, and left a sarcastic word. "Be quiet at night, don't you know?"

In Wanxiang City, there is no so-called police, and there are no rules and regulations like the one formulated by Qingshan for the security zone, as long as it does not threaten the safety of Wanxiang City, and does not kill people and set fires, basically no one will care. As for the robbery, rape and theft, which often happen in Wanxiang City, although the guards in charge of security will not ignore these acts, as long as they are not caught, it is basically impossible to pursue them afterwards. Of course, Wanxiang City will still protect the private property of those who live here. Therefore, it is a felony to trespass on someone's place of residence, and generally no one dares to trespass on someone's house, and there are guards patrolling back and forth in the residential area. The people of Wanxiang City are still very relieved at this point.

After passing through a few shops in the commercial district, Zhang Xiaoying came to her accommodation in the residential area on the second floor; Next door to her is Huang Weizheng's residence. In fact, the place where the two of them live is in the same shop grid, but a partition board is erected in the middle to divide the original store into two, Zhang Xiaoying is on the right, and Huang Weizheng is on the left.

Zhang Xiaoying did not walk directly into her room, but came to Huang Weizheng's door and knocked on the door: "Can I come in?" ”

"Well, the door is unlocked."

Zhang Xiaoying pushed open the door, Huang Weizheng was naked, wiping his wet hair with a towel, this period of tossing seemed to make Huang Weizheng, who was not very strong, even thinner, not only that, but also a few new scars on his body. Finding that Zhang Xiaoying's eyes swept over his body, he was a little embarrassed to put on a white crewneck T-shirt that was a little yellowed on the stool, and then continued to tinker with the towel on his head, hoping to dry his hair quickly.

Zhang Xiaoying also felt a little embarrassed, looked around the room left and right, and said without words: "Just came back from a shower?" ”

"Oh yes, I had a bit of extravagance today and took a hot shower." In Wanxiang City, solar panels not only provide enough electricity, but also provide hot water for the people here. But it's not something that comes for free. Residents use hot water to bathe in winter, which costs ten yuan of commercial coupons, which is equivalent to two standard bullets, which is definitely a luxury for some Wanxiang City residents who usually have little income.

"Yes, taking a hot bath can wash away a lot of troubles." Zhang Xiaoying leaned against the wall casually, and glanced at the clothes and a few old books that were difficult to see on Huang Weizheng's messy bed, "I just saw a good dress, you should wear it properly." ”

Although Huang Weizheng's hair was not completely dried, he didn't bother to continue to wipe it stupidly in front of girls, so he hung the towel around his neck, sat on the stool and found a comfortable position, looked at Zhang Xiaoying and smiled: "Is it?" Have time to check it out. ”

"I bought it back." Zhang Xiaoying said as she took out a gray plaid shirt from her bag, which looked very ordinary, with dark blue lines and gray and white plaid bottoms, but now, this brand new dress looks like it was bought from a brand-name store, no matter what color it is; Of course, nowadays, not to mention a brand-name store, there is no store in the real sense. Now the so-called shops are nothing more than places to resell all kinds of goods, old goods, and find supplies from the ruins.

"No, it's just new clothes." Huang Weizheng's eyes widened and stared at the shirt that was not special for a long time, and suddenly thought of something, and came back to his senses and asked Zhang Xiaoying, "How many bullets did it take?" ”

"Don't ask." Zhang Xiaoying threw her clothes to Huang Weizheng and turned around to leave.

Huang Weizheng grabbed the clothes and called Zhang Xiaoying again. "Oh, by the way, I'm going to Zhang Xingna later, do you want to go with you?"

It's not a boring invitation, and it's not like an awkward round. When Zhang Xiaoying turned around, she didn't expect Huang Weizheng to have her clothes on. A gray plaid shirt is more suitable for a boy like Huang Weizheng, who has thin shoulders but not narrow, and just the right amount to prop up the shirt and fit his physique. Zhang Xiaoying nodded happily, silently paying attention to Huang Weizheng, gesturing his body to feel the size of the shirt, but in fact, he was too shy to make the movements too obvious, and secretly laughed at him, and put on the clothes quickly. This superficially serious boy is actually a little ugly and beautiful.

Rarely wearing a comfortable new dress, Huang Weizheng stretched his waist and feet with satisfaction, and when he found Zhang Xiaoying looking at his stupid self with a smile, he immediately reined in and asked, "How is it?" Go? ”

"Well, let's go."

Zhang Xiaoying put everything else back in her room, and when she closed the door, Huang Weizheng was already waiting for him at the door with a jacket and a gun. Winter is coming to an end, but the temperature at night is still quite low, and wearing a jacket can ensure that you don't shiver after staying for a long time.

Wandering out at night, there is not so much hustle and bustle around, the sound of shoes rubbing on the floor, the sound of inhaling cold air, and even the sound of her own heartbeat, Zhang Xiaoying can clearly hear it. In fact, this is not the first time that they have wandered the streets at night. Like Zhang Xiaoying, Huang Weizheng also likes quiet nights, although there are dangers outside, but in Wanxiang City, the night is quiet but not dead, and the turbulent heart during the day can also calm down at this time.

At night, although Wanxiang City has a power supply, most of it is the small lamps used by each family, and these faint lights shine through the partition curtains, barely illuminating the road under their feet. Sometimes, Zhang Xiaoying can't help but glance at Huang Weizheng walking beside her, as if she was strolling on campus with her favorite boy after evening self-study in high school. Only at this time will Zhang Xiaoying put away her usual sharpness and be a gentle eighteen-year-old girl again, bowing her head with red cheeks and walking silently beside him.

Once, Zhang Xiaoying plucked up her courage and took Huang Weizheng's hand, but she didn't expect Huang Weizheng to be surprised or shake off her hand, but to hold her hand tighter. They didn't say anything, but just walked down the street holding hands. Huang Weizheng's hands were not as hot as those boys with strong blood, but there was a tenacious warmth. But perhaps out of protection for each other, they did not become like a couple in love because of that hand-in-hand, but instead kept a certain distance from each other, as if they were afraid of bursting the roundest and most dreamy bubble, and just quietly went to enjoy it. In fact, they all know that during this period, no one can give another person 100% commitment, even if they really like each other, they may leave the next day because of everything.

When she walked up the escalator leading upstairs, Zhang Xiaoying subconsciously glanced at the red light district she had just passed. There was nothing special to see except for a pool of blood on the ground, and the woman at the door was still showing off her body, as if nothing had happened just now. Because the surrounding lights are basically dim, the red light signs on the doors of the shops in the red light district are particularly dazzling, and they are as blatant as the women there. In the distance, there were a few small shops that were in business, just lighting an energy-saving lamp, and there were thick lampshades to cover one side of the bulb, and the light was too strong, violating the night rule.

"I heard someone screaming just now, I guess that's it." Huang Weizheng also noticed the bloodstains, "Did you see what happened?" ”

"No, I guess some bastard is unlucky."

As soon as Zhang Xiaoying avoided Huang Weizheng's eyes, Huang Weizheng knew that she must have hidden something, but he didn't ask. They were on the third floor, but the guards who seemed to have been waiting for a long time told them to go up to the fourth floor. The fourth floor is the experimental work area of Wanxiang City and the storage area of some materials. Usually no one comes up here, and even if they do, they don't stay here. Huang Weizheng and Zhang Xiaoying also came to the floor above the third floor for the first time. It wasn't as dark as downstairs, and a large area inside was brightly lit, and a white light shrouded the room full of precision instruments, but the light was too white to say it was too white, and it didn't feel cold at all.

The entire room is wrapped in a huge diaphragm, which is divided into many areas, preparation area, testing area, observation area...... Each area is isolated and kept absolutely clean, and it should be said that it is spotless. As seen in many movies about biological viruses, there are a few people in chemical protective suits in the room who are busy, looking at the microscope from time to time, testing a certain drug from time to time, observing the conversation, adjusting, and observing the conversation...... The cycle repeats itself, as if it were a three-dimensional hologram of medical propaganda that is playing repeatedly. Although they couldn't see their faces clearly, Zhang Xiaoying and Huang Weizheng could feel the grim expressions of those people. In a way, perhaps they have reached a state of self-forgetfulness. This area is far away from noisy residential areas, and at the same time avoids contact with outside light, perhaps even information has been cut off.

In one area there is a large row of transparent observation test chambers, each containing a guinea pig, but none of them seem to be in the same situation, and the only thing that is certain is that neither is very promising. Some were pounding frantically, some were lying on their stomachs, some were bleeding, some were convulsing strangely, and some were motionless...... Anyway, I don't see any good news from there. The three people standing in front of the box argued quite fiercely, but Huang Weizheng and Zhang Xiaoying, who were standing outside the room, seemed to have clicked on the mute button, and they didn't know what they were arguing about, but it seemed that their quarrel situation was not optimistic, so that one person stomped his foot angrily, pointed at another person and said a long word, and finally turned around and left angrily.

"It's like you're watching a play, isn't it?" Zhang Xing suddenly appeared behind Huang Weizheng and Zhang Xiaoying, he didn't seem to intend to scare them like this, but it was not ruled out that he used this way to lead up the topic later, "Every night I am here to see them doing these jobs that I don't know about. ”

"Are they the rumored researchers of Wanxiang City?" Huang Weizheng asked Zhang Xing to walk to a place where he could see his face clearly, and asked with a frown, "How long have they been working here?" ”

"From the moment we set up this lab for them. You know their leader. ”

Lu Huaxiong ...... "Zhang Xiaoying happened to see a researcher in the room disinfecting in the preparation room. When he took off his chemical protection mask, Zhang Xiaoying recognized the thin and tired face.

Huang Weizheng and Zhang Xing both followed Zhang Xiaoying's gaze and saw Lu Huaxiong. As if he knew in advance that Lu Huaxiong was going to come out at this time, Zhang Xing took the initiative to walk towards the door of the room, and at the same time turned back to Huang Weizheng and Zhang Xiaoying and said, "Come over too, today I just want you two to know what we are doing." ”

"Doctor, what's going on today?" As soon as Lu Huaxiong came out, before he had time to catch his breath, Zhang Xing asked respectfully.

"It's still the same ......as a few days ago," Lu Huaxiong shook his head, "After the HTS89R vaccine was developed, the original virus mutated again. It's like this thing is playing tricks on us, and every time we master its gene chains, new combinations of gene chains will appear shortly after we master it. ”

"Didn't you say the virus has stabilized?" Zhang Xing seemed to have some understanding of Lu Huaxiong's research process, and he crossed his hands on his hips, ready to listen patiently to Lu Huaxiong's explanation.

"That's right, after the appearance of 89, it has not mutated anymore, but after the appearance of the R-type subspecies, it has mutated again, but now it seems to have entered a stable state again."

"It seems?"

"Yes, City Lord, I'm an expert but not a genius, my original inspector is dead, and every time we come to an experimental conclusion, we have to spend a long time checking whether it's correct. And the virus is fickle, even if you give me the latest frontline information, I can't develop a vaccine right away. Lu Huaxiong shook his head helplessly, but his pace of speech was still methodical, and he didn't seem to have completely lost his patience, even if the bags under his eyes drooped almost to tear down his entire face like a living dead.

"Speaking of which." Zhang Xing turned sideways and motioned for Lu Huaxiong to move his attention to Huang Weizheng, who was standing beside him, he patted Huang Weizheng's shoulder and said, "I brought you the person you are looking for." ”

"Oh yes, thank you." After a brief thank-you, Lu Huaxiong looked at Huang Weizheng solemnly and said, "Your name is Huang Weizheng, right, first of all, thank you for the data you brought." This solved a lot of our problems. Either way, we've now got the genetic mix from the beginning of the runaway virus to the most recent one, perhaps buying us at least a year. ”

"Uh, this...... I don't know anything about this stuff...... So ......" Huang Weizheng was frightened by Lu Huaxiong, who was talking endlessly, and he took a step back with tears and laughter to leave a certain space to keep his distance from Lu Huaxiong.

"Oh, I know, sorry, I'm a little excited." After Lu Huaxiong found that he was a little out of shape, he immediately straightened his posture and pushed the metal glasses on the bridge of his nose, "Let's put it in layman's terms, the 89 I just talked about with the city lord is now HTS89." Prior to this, the virus had undergone multiple mutations, and finally the main structure stabilized under the eighty-ninth form, hence the name of the virus. When the virus is at its peak of mutation, there is basically no way for us to break it down and study vaccines. When the environment in which it is located is stable, the number of mutations will gradually decrease, and finally it will be in a stable stage, and we will grasp this period to pay close attention to research. Let's say that our research on vaccines is like solving a multivariant mathematical equation, and you have now given me a lot of reference answers to the equation that was calculated by the transformation of this equation, which is equivalent to cheating, in the words of your students. ”

"Wouldn't that be nice?"

"Yes." Lu Huaxiong nodded and accepted Zhang Xiaoying's evaluation, "But we don't know the original equation of this equation, and all the structures we see now are deformed equations...... We lack one of the most important constants, and once we have this constant, we can solve all the variants after calculating the original equation. ”

"I probably understand, so it's useless for you to tell me this...... I don't know anything about that. Huang Weizheng spread his hands and smiled awkwardly, "I have done my best to provide you with this data." ”

"I know, and thank you for everything. But I have a reluctant request, the lord said that your data came from another child, who got it from the commander of a front-line virus handling unit, but the details seem to be known only to you children, and I want you to tell me more about this. Lu Huaxiong stared at Huang Weizheng with his eyes tightly and kept eye contact with him to prove his sincerity.

"This ...... That unit is called the China Emergency Investigation and Search and Rescue Brigade, it should be a chemical special forces......" Huang Weizheng felt that now that the matter of Tian Yang could help Lu Huaxiong and them, putting aside the hidden ambition of Zhang Xing or the struggle with Qingshan, directly letting Lu Huaxiong, who was in charge of research, grasp this information will definitely be helpful for the study of the virus, "We met this unit in Tianyang, At that time, there was still a very capable person in Tianyang who was studying the virus, but this person organized his forces to do evil in the local area, and the emergency investigation team should be said to be a hostile situation......"

"Who is this person? The fact that he was able to decompose and calculate these gene sequences was quite remarkable. Lu Huaxiong was not satisfied with the information given by Huang Weizheng.

"This man is rumored to be a township doctor, but what he did clearly proves that his identity is not so simple. His name is Qin Rong...... Killed by me. Speaking of this, Huang Weizheng's heart trembled.

"Qin Rong? International Society for Special Medical Investigations? Lu Huaxiong suddenly lowered his hand and said to himself, "No wonder, if it is the International Society for Special Medical Investigation, then it must be possible." ”

"What International Society for Special Medical Investigations?" Now it was Huang Weizheng's turn to be confused. This name is definitely not unfamiliar to Du Yuheng, but Du Yuheng never mentioned it all the way back to Nanning from Tianyang, and it is no wonder that Huang Weizheng knows nothing.

"The International Society for Special Medical Investigation is an international organization organized by the United Nations with a special responsibility for responding to special outbreaks. When he first responded to the global outbreak of unusual influenza, he was the head of the Asia region. I also heard that when the virus got out of control, he seemed to be crazy, he was in western China or Southeast Asia, but he didn't expect it to be in Tianyang. Lu Huaxiong seemed to be thinking while explaining, "This person is very powerful, he discovered that the virus structure of the abnormal flu is inherently defective, and proposed to implant a special enzyme to make it automatically disintegrate, so as to achieve the purpose of curing the flu." ”

Hearing this, Huang Weizheng couldn't help laughing at himself: "It seems that I killed the wrong person." ”

"No, even if you don't kill him, there will be many who will kill him. Because of his approach, we gave birth to what we now have as the Doomsday Virus. According to his method, the flu virus will be dormant inside the human body and then recombine, and finally the so-called zombie virus will appear. So he is the murderer of this world's tragedy. ”

"No wonder he's so desperate to find a way to develop a vaccine."

"Yes, he's crazy." Lu Huaxiong sighed meaningfully and shook his head with a smile, as if he was secretly admonishing himself not to become the second Qin Rong, "Okay, if that's the case, you should be able to find some drug samples from the place where he studied, there can't be only one data, right?" ”

"Sample...... It doesn't seem to be ......" After Huang Weizheng thought about it, a person's name suddenly flashed in his mind, like a black lightning bolt that made his heart like a knife, his internal organs were suddenly churning and surging, and the heat in his chest made him have to bend his body and grasp his chest with regret, as if he was forcibly reloading the heart that was about to jump out into his body, "Du Yuheng...... That's right, Du Yuheng! ”

"Du Yuheng? Is that the child you wanted to save with the R-type vaccine? ”

"That's right. Du Yuheng is the one who originally held this data," Zhang Xiaoying comforted Huang Weizheng sympathetically, while explaining to Lu Huaxiong, who didn't know what to do, "but a few days ago...... Gone ......."

"Gone?" Lu Huaxiong realized Huang Weizheng's heartache, he lowered his head and comforted Huang Weizheng softly, "Mourning, the child ......"

"Du Yuheng was injected with a certain drug by Qin Rong in Tianyang, and later his body had abnormalities such as nosebleeds, but we didn't pay much attention to it...... It wasn't until he fainted and woke up in Nanning that he couldn't walk for a while that we realized something was wrong. But he recovered quickly, just like you said about the subspecies virus infected patients...... It's just that he doesn't seem to think so. ”

Huang Weizheng's explanation made Lu Huaxiong sure that Du Yuheng was the key to solving the "equation". He was silent for a long time, and after Huang Weizheng was able to calm down a little and take a breath, he sighed: "So, it seems that we can only rely on ourselves......

Just when the four of them were at a loss, a guard from Wanxiang City ran from downstairs out of breath, he didn't have time to pant and wipe his sweat, his eyes widened, and he hurriedly reported to Zhang Xing: "City Lord! Xie Tao and Ban Zhiyu are back! Whereas...... And they also brought a monster ......"

"Monsters?" Zhang Xing's eyes narrowed, as if he was suspicious of the guard's words. Of course, it is almost impossible for scavengers to return to Wanxiang City at night, because everyone knows that being outside at night is a dead end.

"Yes! The brothers tried to deal with the guy, but Xie Tao refused to hurt him. We have them detained now, and the people are kept in the underground maintenance area. "The guards knew about the relationship between Huang Weizheng and Xie Tao and others, and the matter of Qingshan would inevitably affect his mood. The last time Huang Weizheng made a big fuss about the control area on the third floor, it was deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and the guards naturally didn't want to be fisted, so they had to take a step to the side honestly.

Huang Weizheng didn't lose control, but he and Zhang Xiaoying didn't know about Xie Tao and Ban Zhiyu's outing, and after returning to Wanxiang City, they didn't have time to contact them. He glared at Zhang Xing, and could see that he believed that Zhang Xing was playing tricks. "Why did Xie Tao and Ban Zhiyu go out? What do they go to do? ”

Zhang Xing raised his eyebrows, completely ignoring Huang Weizheng's angry gaze. "They tried to bring the modified R virus vaccine to Castle Peak, but then it also disappeared. I sent someone to look for them the other day, and I was supposed to tell you later. But now well, you just know. ”

"If you want me to cooperate with you, then you have to give me enough reason to trust you."

"Alright, alright! I didn't force them to go, they asked to go. Zhang Xingman patted Huang Weizheng's shoulder indifferently, and under the guidance of the guards, he was about to go downstairs, "Do you want to go and see that monster together?" Huang Weizheng didn't speak, but he also walked towards Zhang Xing with Zhang Xiaoying. Zhang Xing beckoned to Lu Huaxiong as if he was calling friends to a party, "Doctor, you can come along." ”

Of course, Lu Huaxiong was willing to take a look at the so-called monster, so he stepped forward with great interest and asked, "What does that monster look like?" ”

"Basically, there's nothing special, it's just that the eye color is a little scary." The guard revealed as he led the way, "But he can make the zombies stand still like statues." The night watchman outside the building saw him and Xie Tao walking out of a group of motionless zombies. Zombies don't attack them at all. The guard paused and said, "But the guy looks like a normal eighteen-year-old kid, and he calls himself ...... It's called Du Yuheng. ”