Chen Yajing did what she said, and the news came back on the third day.

The patrol team found an abandoned coast guard ship, which had been towed to the port and cleaned up. They only needed to transport supplies, fresh water, and equipment, and then they could go out to sea.

The whole tube of light red serum was pushed to the bottom, and Ning Yu pulled out the needle. Chen Yajing took a long breath.

The office was so quiet that even a needle dropping on the ground could be heard. Wan Biao and other trusted aides stood guard around with guns. After a long time, Chen Yajing's face suddenly changed, and she seemed to be in great pain. She grabbed the armrest of the wheelchair.

"… Ah …"

"Yajing!"

"Miss Chen!"

"Ah …" Chen Yajing gasped violently. Her body was trembling, and the veins on the back of her hands were bulging.

The blanket on her legs slid down, and the muscles in her legs, which were loose because of paralysis, began to tighten gradually. A few seconds later, she pressed on the armrest of the wheelchair and stood up slightly!

Wan Biao was surprised, "It's working?!"

Ning Yu said flatly, "Wait!"

After Chen Yajing was a few centimeters away from the wheelchair, her face turned green and red, and her arms began to tremble.

Then, under everyone's anxious gaze, she suddenly lost all her strength and sat back down in the wheelchair again!

With a bang, the trusted aides rushed forward to help her up, but Ning Yu raised his hand to stop them.

The extreme pain made Chen Yajing's face convulse. The scar on her left cheek was distorted, and cold sweat flowed down her pale cheeks. She looked a little ugly and horrible.

But no one around looked at her. On the contrary, everyone looked dignified. Wan Biao closed his eyes heavily.

A few minutes later, the waves of pain finally subsided. Chen Yajing exhaled, trembling, and leaned back in the wheelchair.

"… It failed again," Ning Yu said in a hoarse voice and put down the empty syringe.

Wan Biao couldn't hide his disappointment, "Why is it like this? Doctor Ning, didn't you say that the vaccine research has made a breakthrough and is close to success?!"

Ning Yu wanted to explain, but was stopped by Chen Yajing.

"Don't be like this, Wan Biao …" she said tiredly. "It's not Ning Yu's fault."

She grabbed the armrest of the wheelchair and sat up. Her gaze swept across every dignified face in the office, and she smiled sadly. "From the moment we received the virus injection, we knew that anything could happen. The fact that I'm still sitting here is already a very good result, isn't it?

At least we still have a chance to succeed. "

"No, Ya Jing."

Ning Yu packed up the medical kit, stood up, and slowly said, "Your immune system can no longer withstand any more modifications and experiments. Even if it fails again, it could be fatal. You could die at any time from an immune disorder, or even more serious …"

"You will completely turn into a zombie," he finally said with difficulty under the shocked gazes of the people around him.

Wan Biao shouted, "Doctor Ning!"

Chen Yajing gently lowered his eyes.

Ning Yu said, "I'm sure that the vaccine research is in the right direction, but in the history of primate evolution, we have never encountered such a powerful and deadly virus, so much so that the fragile human immune system can't produce strong enough antibodies to match it.

I used to think that the serum in Romuir's hands could help me completely perfect the vaccine, but Romuir has obviously … "

He raised his hand and pressed between his eyebrows, as if he was barely suppressing his emotions. He shook his head and stopped talking.

"Yes, Ning Yu."

Chen Yajing said calmly, "Sometimes, between 'close to success' and 'actual success', there is a distance of decades or even generations.

The Black Death that ravaged the European continent from the 14th to the 18th century AD, smallpox that killed the Egyptian pharaoh three thousand years ago, HIV that has no effective cure, and Ebola that is still untreatable … If someone told me that the zombie virus will continue to exist on Earth for hundreds of years, I wouldn't be surprised at all. "

"But," she said, "this doesn't mean that our generation can sit here and wait for it to disappear naturally with time. We still have to fight it to the death."

The office was very quiet, and only the sound of people's breathing could be heard.

There were two knocks on the door.

"Come in."

A guard rushed in and whispered, "Miss Chen, Captain Zhou is here. He's waiting outside."

Chen Yajing and Ning Yu quickly exchanged a look and asked the guard, "What about Sinan beside him?"

"He didn't follow."

Wan Biao gestured to his men and led them quietly into another door of the office — it was a separate lounge.

When the door of the lounge was half-closed, Chen Yajing nodded to the guard, "Please ask Captain Zhou to come in."

The guard took the order and left.

Ning Yu stepped back with the medical kit and looked at Chen Yajing's pale face.

Zhou Rong's footsteps were heard outside the door. Ning Yu opened his mouth and said softly but clearly, "This is the last time."

Chen Yajing smiled and said, "It should be said that there is at least one last chance."

Zhou Rong pushed the door open and entered.

Ning Yu made a sharp turn and his white coat fluttered in an arc. He brushed past Zhou Rong and strode out of the office without looking at anyone.

"…" Zhou Rong watched Ning Yu's figure walk away quickly in the corridor. He seemed a little surprised and looked back at Chen Yajing, "Miss Chen, are you not feeling well?"

"It's just a routine physical examination." Chen Yajing raised her hand and gestured, "Please sit down."

Zhou Rong said, "It's okay. I can stand."

Zhou Rong was wearing a black short jacket, jeans, high-top military boots, and sniper gloves. He was dressed very smartly, which made his height look oppressive.

Chen Yajing narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. After a long time, she smiled and said, "I suddenly realized that Captain Zhou has never sat down in front of me."

"Is that so?"

"Can I ask why?

Could it be that you feel that something is wrong with me? Out of a soldier's instinct, you are ready to take action or retreat at any time? "

Chen Yajing's tone was very calm when she asked this question. There was even a hint of curiosity in her voice.

Zhou Rong looked down at her condescendingly, but the corner of his eyes scanned the entire office in an instant. After a while, he smiled and shook his head.

"No, soldiers are just used to standing."

Chen Yajing nodded to indicate that she accepted this explanation. Her attitude was very natural, "Okay, Captain Zhou."

She paused and said, "I invited you here today to discuss with you the issue of supplies for the sea … I have written a list. It is the greatest help that I can provide within my current ability. Please take a look."

Chen Yajing opened the folder and pressed a piece of paper with two fingers. She pressed it on the table and gently pushed it toward Zhou Rong.

At the same time, in front of the cafeteria.

A pair of gloves covered in oil grabbed the axle. Sinan slid out from the chassis of the car and wiped his sweat.

He was only wearing a black vest, revealing the white lines of his upper body. Because he was lying on his back, the thin fabric of the vest covered the outline of his flat and tight abdominal muscles.

Yan Hao looked away unnaturally. "How is it?"

"Wrench."

Yan Hao took out a wrench from the toolbox and handed it over. Sinan slid back under the car.

The golden noon sun shone on the open space. The sand on the sports field in the distance was slightly stirred up. Groups of people in thin jackets walked past in twos and threes. The air was already slightly warm at the beginning of spring.

"Do you need help?" Yan Hao squatted and asked.

Sinan's voice came from under the car, "No."

"… Shall I get you something to drink?"

"No."

Yan Hao was at a loss. After a long while, he confirmed again.

"You really don't need help?"

Sinan poked his head out and said seriously, "I really don't need it. I can do it myself."

Sinan was lying down while Yan Hao was squatting. The two of them looked at each other for a moment. Sinan finally couldn't help but ask,

"Why don't you help Spring Grass fix the bus?

Can I really do it myself? Or is it because of your pride as an Alpha that you can't watch me fix the bus alone? "

"No," Yan Hao said helplessly, "Captain told me not to let you be alone, so it's my job to keep an eye on you … although I think it's just a kind of mental torture."

“？”

"You can watch but you can't touch," Yan Hao murmured, "It's better to fight."

Sinan reached for the screwdriver and slid back under the car. He said, "I don't know, but the fighting, competition, and masochism between the two of you is probably a kind of fun. I don't really want to understand this."

Yan Hao squatted on the ground and held his forehead. He was almost powerless, "That's the relationship of obedience between superiors and subordinates in the army …"

"In the eyes of ordinary people," Sinan couldn't help but laugh, "it's called S&M."

Sinan clanked for a long time before he finally screwed on the last screw. He slid out from under the car and got into the driver's seat. He changed gears and stepped on the clutch.

The armored car's engine started, making a dull roar.

"Okay!"

Sinan took off his gloves covered in oil and threw them aside, "Later, I'll ask someone to change the bumper and the lights. Then it's almost done."

Yan Hao leaned against the door with his hands behind his back. His melancholy expression made it difficult to tell whether he had seen through the world of mortals or had given up on himself. After a long while, he finally mustered up his courage and asked, "Can I ask you a question?"

Sinan, "I've never loved."

"…" Yan Hao was helpless, "No, no, I want to ask why you chose the captain in the end … Is it really just because when you were trapped in Changsha, it was the captain who jumped out of the helicopter and finally found you, and not me?"

Sinan's hand paused slightly as he pulled out the car key.

The dense rainforest scent of his youth was wrapped in the early spring afternoon breeze, gently caressing his face.

But it was a sweet and sour secret, like the fragrance of a ripe wild fruit. It had been kept in his heart for a long time and was not willing to share it with anyone.

"That's not it," Sinan laughed.

Yan Hao held the car door and leaned forward slightly to stare at him. Sinan rested his chin on his elbow on the steering wheel, "That afternoon, when I passed by T City and rescued you from the parking lot …"

"I drove the car across the street, and you drove the armored car to meet me. Zhou Rong threw a grappling hook from the roof of the car and caught me in the air. At the same time, I rolled into the car."

"— That was the first time I met you. The first person I saw was Zhou Rong." Sinan said leisurely, "Maybe it was destined from then on."

Yan Hao now felt as if he had seen through the world of mortals, but there was still a trace of unwillingness to admit defeat, "If the person who found you in Changsha was me, and the person who was beside you was also me when the snow blocked the road …"

"Who knows?"

Sinan asked, "The fact is that the person was Zhou Rong. All the hypothetical conditions objectively don't exist, right?"

— — What he said was actually very reasonable, and Yan Hao also understood what he meant.

Only Zhou Rong had the decisiveness and ability to open the door and jump out at that time. Only Zhou Rong could carefully, calmly, and tenaciously go deep into the zombie hinterland to search for two days and two nights, and finally successfully take away the unconscious Sinan.

Every step must be completed by Zhou Rong. Therefore, all the hypotheses and possibilities would not actually happen, or even if they did happen, it would not lead to the final result.

Yan Hao was a little disappointed and sighed.

Sinan leaned forward and patted him on the shoulder. He jumped out of the car and asked very considerately, "Shall I buy you something to drink?"

"No, I have to go with you."

Yan Hao held the car door tightly and said sadly, "But I need some time to digest it … Just give me three minutes …"

"Beer?"

"Hmm.

Wait — — "

Yan Hao turned around and wanted to follow, but Sinan stopped him, "No, I want to change my clothes. Do you want to come too?"

Yan Hao: "…"

"In the eyes of us ordinary people," Sinan said seriously, "this is called sexual harassment."

Yan Hao could only stay where he was to digest his youth and his first love that had disappeared with the wind. Sinan walked into the cafeteria and asked for a beer at the snack bar. While waiting, he went to the bathroom to change into a T-shirt.

The black vest was covered with dirt and dust. Sinan put it on the side of the sink and carefully washed his hands full of black oil. Suddenly, he caught a glimpse of a familiar figure not far away.

— — It was Doctor Cheng.

Doctor Cheng stood under the tree outside the bathroom in the cafeteria. He looked around and seemed to want to say something, but stopped. Then he waved at Sinan.

Did he have something to say?

At this time, there was no one at the back door of the cafeteria. It was quiet nearby, and the sound of the kitchen aunties washing vegetables and chatting could be heard.

After bypassing the front yard of the cafeteria, the armored car was parked in the open space. Yan Hao was trying to remove the deformed bumper with his broken heart.

Sinan turned off the running tap, wiped his hands on his pants, and walked towards Doctor Cheng.