"Are you saying that zombies have developed human consciousness?"
The apartment door had been closed, and Ning Yu poured a glass of water for Lin Hao, though he showed no intention of drinking it.
He gently bit his lower lip, looking down at his feet.
"Yes, although I don't understand why, but she gradually became less aggressive."
"She could even recognize me."
"Once she reached out her hand, and I instinctively moved away, only to realize she just wanted to touch my face."
Shen Yiyue remained silent on the other side, not participating in the conversation.
Although she knew who the man was when she heard Ning Yu say 'Lin Hao', seeing his dispirited state and that he didn't recognize her, she stayed back, accompanying her sister.
"If that's the case, then why..."
Ning Yu felt confused.
"Later, as you said, we ran out of food."
Lin Hao's eyes were completely lost in memories, a thin layer of mist covering them.
Tears rolled down from his eyes without him noticing, dropping onto the floor.
Ning Yu noticed fine lines had appeared at the corners of his eyes, which shouldn't be there at his age.
"I couldn't find any meat anywhere, and she became aggressive again."
"I felt there was no point in continuing like this, I had nothing left to live for."
"So I opened the door and unfastened her chains, wanting her to eat me."
Ning Yu felt her soul shaken, but somehow understood Lin Hao's actions.
"But she..."
Lin Hao could barely control his emotions, his lower lip trembling.
"She fought against her hunger, pushed me away, and knocked me unconscious."
"When I woke up, I found her lying on the ground, having stabbed herself in the head with a kitchen knife."
"She... committed suicide."
Lin Hao only realized his tears had soaked his clothes when Ning Yu handed him tissues.
He silently took them and wiped his face.
"She took out that note again and placed it on the table, weighing it down with cutlery."
Lin Hao pulled out something familiar to Ning Yu from his pocket - a crumpled piece of notebook paper with three characters written in elegant handwriting:
"Stay alive."
Lin Hao carefully put the note away, then clenched his fists tightly, his arms trembling.
"I swear!"
"I will find the people who created this virus."
"I curse them to hell!"
"How dare they... how dare they take her away from me."
"I'll make them pay!!"
He gritted his teeth, his nails digging into his palms, almost shouting the words "make them pay" in a hoarse voice.
Shen Qianqian, hearing this voice, raised her head fearfully:
"Sister..."
Shen Yiyue stroked her head and took her sister's hand:
"Come on, let's go read in the room?"
Only then did Lin Hao realize his emotions had gotten too intense, and he quickly wiped his face, showing an apologetic expression:
"I'm sorry... truly sorry..."
Ning Yu sat silently across from him, and after a while, she asked:
"Why are you so certain this is man-made rather than a natural disaster?"
As soon as she asked this, Ning Yu remembered the biomedical textbooks she had seen at Lin Hao's house that day.
Lin Hao, having recovered from his emotional outburst, didn't directly answer her question:
"I saw you go to Zhuang Wugou's office at the research group last night, so you really did come here."
"Yes, thanks to your intelligence."
Ning Yu nodded, not rushing to press for answers.
"I came to see you for two reasons."
"First, to give you the serum you submitted yesterday, though that's just an excuse to see you."
"Second, to warn you to be careful of Zhuang Wugou - he's definitely not what he seems."
Lin Hao looked at Ning Yu seriously.
"After joining the research group here, I've been looking for opportunities to study the T-virus."
"Zhuang Wugou always has us put the virus directly into machines for purification, never giving us chances to study it independently."
"I secretly kept some samples and discovered some issues in my private research."
"These viruses, after purification, not only enhance human bodies and awaken abilities but also contain other hidden information."
"Someone has hidden metadata in the T-virus's genetic sequence, involving some cryptography knowledge that I haven't decoded yet."
"But it's clearly artificially inserted large data sequences, and I'm absolutely certain there's something hidden in there."
"And Zhuang Wugou, he rarely participates in research work, yet understands the T-virus very well and possesses much advanced knowledge."
"I know he must know something about what's going on, but I haven't dared to do anything about it."
Ning Yu understood his meaning: when you're under someone's roof, what can you do even if you suspect something? Could you confront them directly?
"I'm also interested in his secrets."
Ning Yu spoke softly, causing Lin Hao to start slightly before his eyes widened and he leaned forward:
"Really?"
"Perhaps we can work together."
Ning Yu gazed at Lin Hao with her amber eyes, speaking calmly.
"What else do you need for your research?"
"I need more preliminary purified T-virus serum."
He answered without hesitation.
"With more serum and enough samples, I'll have a better chance of cracking the encryption key."
"No problem."
Ning Yu agreed immediately.
When she goes out with the expedition team to kill mutant zombies, she can give the serum directly to Lin Hao instead of through the research group's window.
Going through the window would mean it going straight into the machines, leaving Lin Hao no chance to study it.
"You need to be careful to hide your actions."
"Don't worry, Zhuang Wugou trusts me completely, he has no suspicions about me."
Ning Yu and Lin Hao arranged secret meeting methods and code words, ensuring their actions wouldn't be noticed by the Ark Base.
"As soon as there's any progress, I'll contact you immediately."
Lin Hao said this before leaving, putting on his gold-rimmed glasses, transforming back into that scholarly, frail-looking young man.
He opened the door and left.
Ning Yu stared at Lin Hao's departing figure, her mind wrestling with a series of questions.
The T-virus was really man-made - why would anyone create such a thing?
Was Zhuang Wugou involved in its creation?
If he was, why would he then create an ark to save humanity?
What was the connection between the blue-haired girl who didn't kill her last time and the T-virus?
Her head felt chaotic with many unanswerable questions.
"Knock knock knock"
Shortly after Lin Hao left, there was another knock at the apartment door.
Did he forget something?
Ning Yu went to open the door again.