Zhao Yan stared tensely at Ding Junyi.
Even though she normally disliked her emotionally detached colleague, she had to admit that Ding Junyi’s rational mindset far surpassed her own. It was her negotiations and approach that had secured Lin Xian’s team’s rescue mission in the first place.
Watching Ding Junyi work so efficiently, Zhao Yan’s eyes suddenly lit up. She had an idea.
She quickly turned to her student, Xu Wen, and urged, “Xu, hurry! Let’s copy all our research data and take it with us.”
“This is our life’s work!” Zhao Yan cast a glance at Ding Junyi before pulling Xu Wen aside and whispering, “If we make it out, this research will prove our value. If we want to seek refuge with our former organization or join the Apocalypse Union, don’t you think this data will be critical?”
Xu Wen sucked in a breath, realizing the importance of what she said.
For researchers like them, their findings could become bargaining chips—perhaps even the key to their survival.
With that in mind, the two immediately rushed to their computers and began downloading everything.
Ding Junyi ignored what the others were doing.
Apart from research data, she also downloaded:
She glanced at the monitors. Lin Xian’s group had already moved past D23—they were only a few hundred meters away from F13, where she and the others were.
However, the hallway cameras ahead had been destroyed, meaning she could no longer track their movement.
After finishing her tasks, she stood up and strode towards the sealed hallway, the last barrier between them and the outside.
Zhao Yan, Xu Wen, and Han Qiming followed behind her but kept their distance, hesitating to approach the isolation door.
“Are they coming?” Han Qiming called out.
Xu Wen anxiously asked, “Director Ding, are you really going to open the door? It looks like there’s no one outside!”
None of them dared to get too close—fearful that if the door opened, a flood of monsters would rush in.
But Ding Junyi simply raised a hand, signaling for silence.
Then, she calmly placed her slender fingers on the unlock panel.
Inside the highly sealed, soundproofed isolation chamber, almost all external noise was blocked.
The silence was suffocating.
Everyone could hear their own heartbeats pounding in their chests.
No one knew what lay beyond the door.
Would it be their rescuers—or a horde of flesh-eating abominations?
At this moment, their fates hung in the balance.
Ding Junyi focused intently, her face calm and unreadable.
Her gaze flickered slightly—then, she pressed down on the panel.
The isolation door—sealed for countless days—suddenly slid open.
A cold, eerie gust of air rushed in.
A hail of gunfire roared through the hall.
Almost instantly, three figures wearing gas masks stormed in, their backs against a swarming tide of zombies.
KIKI rushed in last, spinning around as she swung her hand—
A wave of invisible force erupted, sending the pursuing zombies flying backward.
The horrifying sight sent Zhao Yan, Xu Wen, and Han Qiming scrambling into the corner, trembling in fear.
Han Qiming even grabbed a chair, holding it up defensively.
“Wow, that door timing was perfect!”
KIKI whistled in amazement, looking at Ding Junyi.
But before responding, Ding Junyi had already pressed the close button.
The isolation door shut tight, sealing off the deafening howls and screams outside.
Inside, the research sector was bright and pristine—a stark contrast to the blood-drenched, corpse-ridden nightmare just beyond the door.
Ding Junyi turned around and calmly raised both hands.
"I am Ding Junyi. The air purification system is operational, and no contamination alarms have been triggered. You may remove your gas masks without worry."
Lin Xian kept his gun trained on her.
She stood still, hands raised, her expression serene—her entire demeanor radiating "harmlessness."
Seeing her, Lin Xian felt a moment of intrigue.
Completely unemotional.
Her features weren’t stunning, but she had a sharp, intelligent beauty—gold-rimmed glasses, a white lab coat, jeans, and short-heeled boots.
There was an icy, intellectual elegance about her.
Lin Xian pulled off his gas mask, took a breath, and swept his gaze toward Zhao Yan, Xu Wen, and Han Qiming.
“You’re the only four here?”
Ding Junyi, still holding her hands up, answered immediately:
"Zhao Yan—PhD in Molecular Biology, Level 1 Federal Research Asset.
Xu Wen—PhD in Biochemistry, Level 1 Federal Research Asset.
Han Qiming—PhD in Microbiology, also an expert in Ecology."
Her words were precise, concise, and free of nonsense—as if she were stating facts rather than pleading for her life.
Her intent was clear:
She wanted Lin Xian to understand that the people he saved were not ordinary civilians.
If he was going to kill them, he should at least reconsider the cost.
"We have no weapons and will fully cooperate with your operations."
"If you rescue us, you could negotiate valuable exchanges with either the former Federal government or the Apocalypse Union.”
“Y-yeah! We have value! Please don’t hurt us!”
Xu Wen nodded frantically, practically begging.
“We’re just scientists! We mean no harm!”
Zhao Yan and Han Qiming quickly echoed.
Lin Xian’s gaze darkened.
“Didn’t you say earlier that you were already considered ‘abandoned assets’?”
Ding Junyi didn’t deny it.
“In terms of rescue priority, we were deemed expendable.
But as long as we’re alive, we still hold some value to the authorities.”
Lin Xian snorted internally.
Even after being abandoned, they’re still discussing their ‘value’…
Typical intellectual mindset—
Ruthlessly pragmatic, yet undeniably logical.
And from a survival standpoint—
For scientists, their best chance at long-term survival was aligning with a government entity.
Debating human rights vs. being a “research asset” meant nothing in this situation.
Lin Xian gave the order.
Daluo approached, his imposing figure making Zhao Yan’s group shrink back in fear.
He patted them down, checking for weapons.
After confirming they were clean, he nodded at Lin Xian.
“Whoa, what the hell is that?!”
KIKI suddenly exclaimed.
She had spotted something in the laboratory—
A sealed, transparent containment unit housing a strange, flower-like plant.
It resembled a chrysanthemum, but was entirely black—
At its center, faint crimson veins pulsed ominously, exuding a sinister aura.
Xu Wen hesitated, then explained:
“That’s ‘Blood Scourge Flora’—Specimen No. 1.
We first discovered it during the First Polar Night.”
Ding Junyi cut in coldly:
"It grows exclusively… on corpses."