022 An Unexpected Gain

Xue Feng’s suggestion was quickly accepted by the other three. Though they did not understand the urgency, they packed up without delay and readied themselves. With the recently encountered stealth mutant taken care of, the villa was, for now, a safe haven. The group set off on foot toward the villa mentioned in the intelligence report.

Their journey was soon interrupted by a small group of wandering zombies.

“These zombies are weak. You should use them for practice,” Xue Feng remarked, observing the shambling, stiff-limbed creatures.

“Alright,” An Xiaowei replied, drawing her Browning pistol. The compact weapon spun deftly in her slender hand before she raised it, aiming with precision. In moments, she had locked onto a target.

Bang!

A single gunshot rang out. The nearest zombie’s neck erupted in a spray of blood. The Browning wasn’t especially powerful, but penetrating flesh and bone was an easy task. The force sent the zombie reeling backward before it collapsed, twitching a few times before falling still.

“Not bad,” Xue Feng said, raising his brows as he glanced at An Xiaowei, who wore a look of pride. She had adapted to the apocalyptic struggle after only three days. With one shot, she had struck the zombie’s neck, the bullet piercing flesh and severing the brainstem. Most importantly, she was no longer screaming or panicking as she once had, but acted calmly and with fluid efficiency.

Not to be outdone, You Haoyun charged forward with the long blade Xue Feng had given her. She began maneuvering around a zombie, looking for an opening.

Clearly, melee weapons put one at a disadvantage in such battles. However, after several days of fighting and brushing shoulders with death, even the once pampered You Haoyun had gained a measure of experience and combat prowess.

“Hah!” she shouted, her delicate hands tightening around the hilt. With a crack, the blade plunged into the back of the zombie’s neck, shattering its brainstem.

“That’s quite good as well,” Xue Feng nodded. Her movements were still awkward and time-consuming, but she had dispatched her opponent.

Next was Nie Xiaoyue. She too had received a melee weapon from Xue Feng, but having only been rescued recently, she was still somewhat frail.

“But I can’t let this man think less of me,” she thought, casting a glance at Xue Feng’s back before charging forward, weapon in hand. After a few harrowing moments, she too managed to kill a zombie.

It was as if the three women were vying for his attention, for Xue Feng himself hardly needed to act. In no time, the zombies along the road were cleared away.

An Xiaowei remained composed, but You Haoyun and Nie Xiaoyue, having engaged in close combat, were soon covered in fragrant sweat. Xue Feng, on the other hand, was unusually relaxed.

“Number 362…” He eyed the number plate above the gate—it was the villa they sought. Entering was effortless.

“The intelligence said the generator was in the basement…” In the courtyard, Xue Feng casually dispatched the former owner, now a zombie, and located the basement entrance. An old wooden door, padlocked and weathered, blocked the way. Without hesitation, he kicked it open.

“Let’s go in and take a look,” he said, pulling out a headlamp and leading the way. The three women followed closely.

Inside, they found the basement packed to the brim.

“Well, this is a pleasant surprise!” Xue Feng exclaimed. There was a cache of food and several crates of bottled water, all dust-covered, suggesting they’d been there for some time. He sorted through the provisions, taking anything still edible.

Most importantly, there was an old diesel generator, thick with dust—clearly, it hadn’t been used in ages.

“Doctor, come have a look,” he called.

“Coming!” Nie Xiaoyue hurried over, her eyes lighting up at the sight of the generator. “It’s a generator, and the design is actually quite sound. Not sure if it’ll still run after all this time… But even if it’s broken, I can fix it.”

Within her element, Nie Xiaoyue was eager to demonstrate her worth. Xue Feng nodded, reassured that rescuing her had been the right decision. Without further ado, he stowed the diesel generator in his storage space.

“Wait, there’s another door here?” Nie Xiaoyue discovered a concealed door in the wall. It was unlocked. She pushed it open, and a wave of decay swept out, making her cover her nose and mouth as she peered inside.

A startled cry escaped her lips.

“What’s wrong?” Xue Feng asked, puzzled—surely there weren’t more zombies?

But upon entering, he found a different scene. Unlike the bare basement, this room was finished in spotless white, with both floor and walls immaculate. It was filled with various instruments. Xue Feng didn’t know what they were, but judging by Nie Xiaoyue’s reaction, they were valuable.

She darted among the machines, pressing buttons and examining components. Soon, she looked up, her face radiant with excitement.

“This is practically a fully equipped laboratory! With these devices, I can conduct research on the blood rain, and maybe even uncover the purpose of those mutation crystals!”

At this, Xue Feng’s eyes flashed with hope. An unexpected windfall indeed. After so many battles, he had amassed nearly two hundred mutation crystals in his storage space, but their mysterious nature meant the intelligence system offered no clues. Aside from occasionally feeding a few to his dog, they had been useless thus far.

But if Nie Xiaoyue could use this equipment to unlock the crystals’ secrets, their understanding of this apocalyptic world would deepen, and perhaps they could even unearth the mystery behind it all.

“Is it my luck at work, or is it You Haoyun’s?” Xue Feng mused. Perhaps both. But that wasn’t important now.

Once he confirmed all the equipment was useful, he swept it into his storage space.

“After we renovate the villa, I’ll set aside a room for you to conduct your research,” Xue Feng promised Nie Xiaoyue.

“Really?” Her eyes shone. With a proper lab, she could finally fulfill her potential!

“With this, how can An Xiaowei and You Haoyun ever compare with me?” Nie Xiaoyue grinned, though a moment later she caught herself. Wait, why am I even comparing myself to them?

Xue Feng, however, paid her no mind. As he stored the generator and laboratory equipment away, a prompt sounded in his mind.

[Intelligence confirmation successful!]