129 You are worthless!

Xue Feng tossed a portion of food into each cell, allowing the captives to regain a bit of strength. The survivors in the room wept with joy at the sight of the provisions.

This was food—the most precious commodity in the apocalypse. For a single piece of bread, survivors would kill one another; for a bottle of mineral water, they would do anything. During their imprisonment, they had been fed only slop that barely resembled food, sometimes mixed with unidentified meat. Meat in the apocalypse? It was clearly not normal, yet they consumed it anyway, desperate to cling to life. As long as they breathed, there was hope. Now, the food bestowed upon them by Xue Feng offered a glimmer of salvation. They tore open the packaging and began stuffing the food into their mouths with frantic hunger.

"You are free now. Run for your lives," Xue Feng said, using his nano-axe to shatter the iron bars. He needed to release them to create chaos in the hospital, providing himself an opening.

"Sir, please, let me follow you!"
"I'll do whatever you ask!"
"I can be your slave!"

The survivors made no move to leave. Instead, they knelt on the ground, pleading with Xue Feng, worshipping him as if he were a deity. The ability to conjure food out of thin air had filled them with awe, and they were not foolish; they knew that following Xue Feng meant they would never go hungry again.

"Leave within ten seconds, or you will die!" Xue Feng roared viciously.

The room fell silent for a heartbeat. No one had expected that the man who had just shared his food would turn so heartless in an instant. Realization dawned on them, and they scrambled out of the basement like madmen. Even the psychiatric patients joined the exodus, leaving behind only the zombies in straightjackets and Qin Fengshan.

"You should leave too; it’s not safe here," Xue Feng told Qin Fengshan, handing him a pistol and some ammunition. He still had to find Director Lao Feng, and it would be too dangerous for Qin Fengshan to accompany him.

"Understood!" Qin Fengshan nodded firmly. He hadn't been starved for long, and with a weapon for protection, he felt confident he could escape.

When Xue Feng and Qin Fengshan emerged from the basement, they were met with chaos. Survivors were desperately trying to flee the hospital—to them, it was a den of demons.

"The supplies are escaping!" the Head Nurse and her team shouted upon seeing the turmoil. Before they could react, a figure blurred past.

*Splat!*

Blood sprayed as the Head Nurse’s head flew into the air and landed heavily on the ground. Her expression was frozen in terror, unable to comprehend why her head had left her body. Before the light in her eyes faded, she caught a glimpse of a fleeting shadow. The remaining nurses were swiftly dispatched.

Xue Feng wiped the blood from his nano-axe and strode into the hospital. Beihai Hospital was divided into two sections: a three-story outpatient building in the front and a six-story inpatient ward in the back, separated by an open courtyard once filled with greenery. Now, the plants were withered and neglected.

The Head Nurse’s final scream had drawn attention. A mob of figures in white coats rushed out. Xue Feng realized that everyone in the hospital was dressed as medical staff—men in lab coats, women in nurse uniforms—which saved him considerable trouble. Many among them were superpowered individuals who immediately launched attacks. Their abilities were bizarre, ranging from flame manipulation to beast transformation, but before Xue Feng, they were inconsequential. With his *Divine Firmament* and *Stone Skin* abilities, no one could get within reach of him.

Meanwhile, on the third floor of the inpatient ward, a piercing scream echoed from the operating room. A green-haired woman was strapped to the table, her limbs immobilized. Four men in white coats stood over her, scalpels in hand, while a tray nearby held hammers and pliers. Their clothes and tools were drenched in blood.

The woman’s screams eventually faded into ragged gasps, then silence. She was dead.

"Director, the second operation also failed; the subject could not withstand the power of the crystal core," one of the men said, looking toward an elderly man sitting to the side with a gentle, smiling expression.

The elder, who appeared to be in his seventies, looked remarkably energetic and sat with a straight back. This was Lao Feng, the biologist and new director of Beishan Psychiatric Hospital.

"Next," the Director said calmly, as if discussing something trivial.

The men lifted the green-haired woman’s body and tossed it onto the floor, where another corpse—a short-haired woman with eyes wide open in resentment—already lay. Only one living person remained in the room: Chen Yilei, who was bound in the corner.

"No! No!" Chen Yilei was pale with terror. Having witnessed the deaths of his two companions, he was on the verge of a breakdown.

"Don't be afraid. You are contributing to the evolution of humanity," the Director smiled. "Who knows? You might be the lucky one. Besides, if you leave here, you’ll likely just be eaten by zombies. This place is far more valuable."

"Monster! You’re a monster!" Chen Yilei screamed.

"A monster? No, no, no! This is science!" The Director stood up, arms raised, his demeanor shifting into manic excitement. He paced the room, muttering to himself. "Since the birth of the steam engine in the 18th century, science and technology have surged forward! Natural generation, phlogiston theory, physical decomposition, anatomy, organ transplants, electrotherapy—all have emerged in succession! Great scientists of the past fused ancient alchemy with science and witchcraft! I am merely replicating that process, walking the path of those who came before!"

The Director’s speech grew faster, bordering on madness. He lunged toward Chen Yilei, staring intently into his eyes.