"The physical reaction doesn’t show the actual reaction within the cell. We had been comparing the cell samples before and after."
Tianci paused for a second, then continued.
"There’s enough significance to show that the drug does work in deterring mutant cells from killing each other off."
"Why would the cell target its own cell? I don’t get it."
As Xiaoyun looked back at her in the eyes, he could notice a hint of loss on her face. It was almost as if she didn’t know the answer either.
"It’s just instinct for them. People go out and seek food when they are hungry. It’s the sa thing for those cells.
They actively compete within their own body for resources, killing others and constantly multiply even when they are idling."
"How would there even be enough resources for this to take place? Wouldn’t this process take an imnse amount of energy?
Mutants don’t even eat humans or anything either. All they do is kill the human and leave the body there."
"Well, they still share so similarity with zombies. They still get energy through the air alone."
"As if the air is the most nutritious thing ever."
This ti, Tianci didn’t respond as she could tell the frustration in his voice, clearly annoyed by the sheer illogical existence of zombies and mutants.
"Anyway, what’s inside this drug? You never told what it is made out of... How does it work to deter the cells from killing each other?"
"It’s complicated. But all you have to know is that 50% of the drug component is your blood."
"That’s why you’re drawing so much blood from every ti I co here?"
Tianci nodded her head, not rejecting Xiaoyun’s theory as she slowly got up from her chair.
"Do you want to say thank you or sothing?"
"That would be nice. Ahem, since there’s nothing I can do to help, I’m going to take this as my ti to leave then."
"Bye bye."
"Bye... Muah!"
Xiaoyun kissed her right on the cheek before storming out of the room, giving her zero ti to react as the door closed on its own.
"What was that for..."
Tianci murmured as her face blushed red, looking down at the empty table as she slowly sat back down in her chair.
---
"Hm... What to do now?"
As Xiaoyun stepped outside of the lab, the sun was only two-thirds of the way towards the horizon.
There was still plenty of ti before he needed to go back ho. Looking at the phone, there were no new ssages.
Once inside the car, his phone started shaking.
"Who is this?"
"Hello? Is this Governor Chen?" The familiar male voice asked from the other side of the phone.
"Yes, this is?"
"I’m Zhangfei. I just got a new phone here from one of your governnt shops... I’m about to head back ho."
"Oh, that’s nice of you. Have a safe trip."
"Thank you... Ahem, do you mind if we et again for a second? I just want to talk to you about sothing private."
"Where do you want to et?"
"At the sa airport where we first t. I’ll be waiting at the entrance."
"Okay. Be there in a few."
As Xiaoyun hung up the call, he quickly inserted the key, starting up the car before driving towards the Foshan airport.
Twenty minutes later...
"Governor Chen!"
"What do you want to talk about that needs to be talked about in private?"
Zhangfei tried to give him a hug, but Xiaoyun only shook his hand as they walked into the empty airport lobby.
"I just want to say goodbye. Who knows if this is the last ti we’ll see each other again in this wasteland?"
"What’s with the sudden pessimism? Is that really all?"
As the two of them took a seat at a nearby bench, Zhangfei took out a whole envelope from his jacket.
"A rchant wanted to hand this to you."
"A rchant?"
Looking at the envelope in his hand, Xiaoyun couldn’t find anything out of the ordinary. There was nothing unique about it.
"They paid my parents a lot of money to get this through. I don’t know what’s inside it, though."
Zhangfei’s eyes suddenly looked to the side as his hand awkwardly scratched his head.
"I was actually supposed to give this to you during the eting yesterday. But I kinda forgot about it until now."
"Do you know the rchant? Anything about him or any reasonings?" Xiaoyun asked, not opening it right away.
"I have no clue. All I know is they aren’t from Gansu... And they’re rich enough to buy a favor from my dad."
Xiaoyun didn’t say anything back as he opened up the envelope. Inside, it was a short, little, anonymous letter.
"Huh..."
"What’s inside it?" Zhangfei curiously asked.
"Just so trade stuff. Nothing that important. Ahem, well, Zhangfei, hopefully I’ll see you again when it’s November."
Seeing Xiaoyun not elaborating any further, Zhangfei didn’t try to dig deeper as he waved goodbye and headed towards the aircraft.
---
"Why are you here?"
Yueyue’s face looked a little surprised as Xiaoyun ca into her office unannounced, standing right across from her desk.
"I need you to investigate and give the most up-to-date information about the north."
"Now? Is it so sort of ergency?"
"Not urgent. But I need you to shift all of your agents’ attention up north. I need every info possible before I make the trip in November."
The look on Yueyue’s face went from bored to serious within seconds as she accepted the paper from him.
"This..."
"It’s a letter that a rchant gave to Zhangfei’s parents to be delivered to ... I’m just as shocked as you are when I read it."
As Yueyue put the paper down, it was just a single line on there that made her more shocked than ever.
The leader of the army was a zombie mutant.
"Xiaoyun, it’s going to be really hard to investigate this... It’s extrely hard to send anyone to the north, let alone the capital."
"I know. I’m not asking you to investigate if this letter is true or not. I just want you to start gathering any information that might be helpful."
"Okay... I’ll rearrange the agent’s priority and ask them to compile a report by the end of the week."
"There’s no rush. I just need it before the end of November. That’s when I actually make the trip."
Yueyue nodded her head in silence as Xiaoyun left the room, letting her sort it out as he headed towards the building’s exit.
"So many people..."
Xiaoyun murmured as he walked past hundreds of different people sectioned off into their own little groups.
After reaching the exit and getting back into his car, he looked over at the ti as it was exactly five o’clock.
"Still a little too early to go ho... What is there to do?"
Taking his phone back out, there were three ssages—one from Kate, one from Shuli, and one from Lily.
Kate: You’re always welco to visit our factories to try out the new prototype.
Xiaoyun: New prototype? For what?
While waiting for Kate to respond, Xiaoyun opened Shuli’s ssage next.
Shuli: Xiaoyun, you want to give a school speech on Friday? I think the students will be dying to see you.
Xiaoyun: I’ll think about it.
As he changed over to Lily’s side, it was much longer than he had expected, as there were rows upon rows of ssages from her.
All of them were recent as well, ranging from asking what he’s doing right now to describing how bored she was.
Xiaoyun: I’ll pick you up. When do you get off again?
Lily: In an hour.
Xiaoyun: See you there :Heart:
Just as he was about to put the phone away, Kate finally responded to his ssage earlier.
Kate: A new grenade. Much more lethal and made to penetrate through multiple zombies’ heads into pulp.
Xiaoyun: I’m good. Maybe next ti.
Closing the phone, Xiaoyun started up the car as he drove towards where he started in the morning.
After driving for ten minutes, he was right back at the university. With the car put into park, he started looking around.
Through the windshield, he could see students already coming out of the campus, heading across the streets towards the bus stop.
Watching more and more students coming out with no signs of stopping, a thought suddenly popped into his mind.
"Did they not let the student stay inside the university’s dorm?"
Thinking for a bit in his seat, Xiaoyun soon realized why none of them seed to be staying within the school campus.
There was literally zero need to stay at the school dorm when almost every single person lived in the sa city with their family.
It wasn’t like the university students were from other cities and provinces that required sowhere to stay within the city.
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