nucmednet Chapter 414 Little Stone and Little Ginseng
Chapter 414 Little Stone and Little Ginseng
After several transfers and four or five rides, it took two whole days before Yu Liu and Little Ginseng finally arrived at the base in City B.
This place truly lives up to its former status as the capital. The city walls built by the superhumans are towering into the clouds, the entrance to the base is heavily guarded, and a long convoy of cars is parked outside the gate, waiting to enter the city.
The car carrying Yu Liu and Little Ginseng stopped at the rear of the convoy, quietly waiting to enter the city. By this time, the equipment for detecting the zombie virus was very advanced, and the convoy was moving quickly. Within minutes, most of the cars ahead had been checked.
When they arrived at Yu Liu's place, a soldier was holding a palm-sized device. He scanned the car, and blue light was emitted from the device. There was nothing unusual.
The car entered the city smoothly. After obtaining a temporary residence permit, Yu Liu did not lead the little ginseng in a reckless manner. Instead, she went to buy a place to live first.
It has been almost a year since the apocalypse began. This chaotic world is the best test of character. In broad daylight, if they want to find the highest leader of this base, they may not even be able to see him and will be kicked out of the base.
After all, the scientists hailed as the most promising vaccine developers haven't shown any signs of creating one yet. For them to claim they have a vaccine now would seem like charlatanry. As for using force to storm in, that's possible, but the people at this base aren't the enemy; there's no need for a major conflict.
Sometimes, it's better to be more civilized.
Force isn't a panacea; it might create enemies.
After a long and tiring journey, Yu Liu and Little Ginseng had a good sleep in the house they bought. When it got dark, the two energetic people made a hand seal, avoided the patrolling soldiers, and quietly headed towards the place in the base where the buildings looked obviously more glamorous.
You can tell from that place that the people who live there are of high status.
Upon arrival, a small villa with its lights on immediately caught Yu Liu's attention. This was the apocalypse; electricity was long gone. However, many generators could still be found in the city, enough to power one or two households. In this situation, only those in power had access to electricity. Whether for luxurious enjoyment or for official business, electricity was essential.
Yu Liu decisively chose the villa with the lights on.
Yu Liu gestured to the little ginseng, who understood, and a flower silently bloomed on the ground. The flower had a very large flower head, with a thick rootstock underneath. Yu Liu and the little ginseng walked onto the flower, and the flower immediately carried them toward the room with the light on.
Inside the room, an elderly man with a weary expression sat behind a desk, reviewing the documents on it.
"Old Yu, it's late, you should rest."
Another kind old lady carried a bowl of porridge into the study, offering words of advice.
"You go to sleep first, I haven't finished dealing with my business yet," the man called Lao Yu said without looking up, turning a page of the document in his hand.
"Can't you just listen to the doctor? The doctor said that your body won't be able to take it if you keep overworking yourself like this. We can look at these documents tomorrow. I know that in this world, any small thing can develop into a big thing, but for me, your health is the most important thing. We're both getting old, not young anymore. I don't want to worry about the future, I only care about the present. Can't you just rest properly, take care of your health, and spend more time with me?"
The old woman put down her bowl, looking at her husband who was still engrossed in the work at the base, a hint of sadness in her expression. What she prayed for, her husband longed to give her too. But after glancing down at the documents in his hand, he ultimately chose selflessness.
"Don't say such discouraging things. We're both superhumans now, and we have a long life ahead of us." He pretended to be relaxed: "Didn't you hear what Xiao Zhang from the Academy of Sciences said? Superhumans' lifespans increase with their level. Right now, level three superhumans can live up to two hundred years! Let's try to level up our superhumans. We have a long life ahead of us, so... let's not just focus on the present."
"Alright, stop lecturing me with these high-sounding principles. I don't want to hear them. You can watch it if you want, I'm going to sleep."
Watching his wife's unsteady departure, he looked somewhat dazed. Finally, he sighed, and after regaining his composure, continued to bury himself in the documents.
Outside the window. Having witnessed the entire process, Yu Liu sighed somewhat. She said to the little ginseng in a somewhat willful manner, "We won't look in the other rooms. It's decided then and there. Let's cooperate with him."
To be able to live here and afford electricity, the person must be of high status. Moreover, it's clear that he genuinely cares about the base and is working tirelessly for its sake. Yu Liu felt nothing but admiration. He knew that as long as he handed over the vaccine and convinced the person that it was truly effective, the person would definitely strive for the future of the world. Such a person was worthy of trust.
After waiting for a while, and sensing that the old lady had fallen asleep and the entire villa was quiet, Yu Liu raised her hand and knocked on the window.
"Who?"
The other person looked up alertly.
Through the dim light inside the room, two figures could be seen standing silently outside the window. The man felt a chill run down his spine; he was on the third floor, how could anyone stand outside the window as if walking on flat ground? But after the initial shock, he regained his composure and remembered that this was the apocalypse, and anything could happen.
He waited for a while and found that the two figures outside the window did not make any other movements. His wariness immediately decreased, and he slowly approached the window and tried to open it.
Neither Yu Liu nor Xiao Renshen made any rash moves. They waited until the window was opened and the old man left the window before entering the house through the open window.
"Who are you? Why are you here in the middle of the night?"
It's no wonder the other party was on guard. The entire villa area is heavily guarded, and no one has ever been able to get past the guards to enter before. This shows how rare it is that Yu Liu and Little Ginseng are here.
"Our late-night visit is truly unavoidable. We have something important to discuss with you, but we are just nobody. If we wanted to see you through normal channels, we would probably have been chased away long ago. So we have to find another way. Please forgive us."
Yu Liu smiled, extending her goodwill.
The old man looked them up and down, and his decades of experience in judging people told him that these two people didn't seem to have any ill intentions.
"What important matter do you need me for?"
He sat back down at his desk, tidying up the documents on it, and asked with a serious expression, clearly believing Yu Liu's words.
Yu Liu pulled the little ginseng to sit down on the sofa next to her: "It's a very, very big thing, it concerns—the whole world!"
"Oh?" The other person clearly didn't believe it: "You two young people are still young, what world-related matters could you possibly have?"
He smiled, his expression very kind, clearly regarding Yu Liu and Little Ginseng as juniors. This was understandable; Yu Liu and Little Ginseng both appeared to be teenagers, seemingly just reaching adulthood. Their immense strength meant they hadn't suffered even in the apocalypse, their complexions were rosy, their skin fair and delicate—truly appearing innocent and naive, as if they had been well-protected. To put it simply, their first impression was that they were the two who would drag the team down.
Such people are generally incompetent, so who would believe that they hold something to save the world?
“Hey, don’t look down on kids!” Yu Liu didn’t correct him for misunderstanding her and Little Ginseng’s ages: “At least we two kids are definitely better than those scientists in the research institute you’ve been supporting. After all, we have a vaccine that can save the world, while you don’t.”
Seeing the other person's amused expression, Yu Liu was already mentally prepared. "I know you don't believe me. You're of such a high status, we wouldn't dare to lie to you so easily. That's why we prepared a finished product before we came. Would you like to take a look? Or perhaps we could contact the research institute tonight to prepare for an experiment?"
Upon hearing this, the other person's expression truly changed.
"You said you have finished vaccines in your possession? Have they been confirmed to be ready for use?"
"Without confirmation, how could I be so confident as to bother you?"
Yu Liu confidently let him look her over, while the little ginseng standing beside her frowned slightly in displeasure.
"We came to you because we admire you. Are you going to look at us or not? If not, we'll find someone else!"
That appraising look in his eyes displeased him.
"Since you're so confident, I'll trust you this once and hand over the item."
Whether it was a prank or not, Lao Yu felt it was worth wasting a little time to get a result.
Yu Liu nudged the little ginseng, and only then did he obediently open the box he was carrying.
"That's all, that's all."
Three test tubes lay quietly in the box. Of course, this was not all the vaccine. In fact, Little Ginseng had left some behind, which Yu Liu did not know. So, after seeing the three test tubes inside, Yu Liu glared at Little Ginseng without leaving a trace.
When did this guy learn to be cunning?
Moreover, these vaccines are of no use to them anyway; they really can't tell the difference between good and bad.
Even if she harbored resentment in her heart, Yu Liu wouldn't expose him at this moment, and nodded cooperatively. "This is the finished product. The quantity is limited. We can give you one to experiment with. Whether you believe it or not, the result will not change."
Upon seeing the item, the old man became more convinced.
"In that case, give me the stuff. I'll arrange the experiment right now. Are you people living in the base? I'll let you know the results of the experiment tomorrow."
"Yes, we live in room 304 of section A. If you need anything, just go there to find us."
Yu Liu was fairly satisfied with the conversation; handing over the vaccine was like relieving himself of a heavy burden. He returned to his residence contentedly with Little Ginseng.
After daybreak, Yu Liu and Little Ginseng waited and waited, but they still didn't receive any news from the man called Lao Yu.
Logically, a vaccine should take effect within ten minutes; if it were for testing, it would have been completed long ago. It's impossible that they weren't notified. Could it be that the vaccine rollout is encountering resistance? Or is someone sabotaging it? Who could it be? The scientists at the research institute?
When noon came, Yu Liu received both bad news and good news.
The good news is that the vaccine trial was successful, and the person who was on the verge of turning into a zombie after receiving the vaccine has successfully recovered. The news has spread throughout the entire base and across the country at the speed of light, even spreading overseas.
The bad news was completely different from what Yu Liu had guessed.
The experiment used one dose of vaccine. After learning that it was effective, everyone at the B City base was overjoyed and no one would stop the vaccine from being rolled out. However, the remaining two doses of vaccine disappeared in full view of everyone.
Along with them disappeared, Old Yu, whom Yu Liu and the others had met the previous night, also vanished. The old lady hadn't disappeared, but she was clearly also confused by the situation.
His wife and the vaccine that could save the world disappeared together. Although he had devoted himself to the entire base, this special situation still made people suspect that the other party stole the vaccine. As time went by, this guess was eventually confirmed.
The unparalleled prestige the other side had built up here collapsed overnight, and the B City base fell into an unprecedented slump.
Even more terrifying, a few days later, the Zombie King sent a message to the human base, warning humans to stop developing zombie vaccines. As for the two finished vaccines obtained from the B City base, he had already taken them for himself.
As for the missing Lao Yu, it is said that after he was injected with a zombie vaccine, he successfully became the strategist by the zombie king's side.
The news drew a barrage of curses, but curses won't solve the problem; a vaccine is the key right now.
The vaccine in Lao Yu's hands couldn't have appeared out of thin air; someone must have given it to him. And that person is very likely the one who developed the vaccine. If we can find that person, we might be able to break the current stalemate in this world and allow humanity to defeat the zombies.
Yu Liu and Xiao Renshen observed each other quietly for a few days. Because she had entrusted the vaccine to the wrong person, Yu Liu felt a little embarrassed in front of Xiao Renshen these days. In addition, she was also somewhat glad that the other party had left a few doses of vaccine, which was the right thing to do.
What she witnessed that night truly impressed her. She didn't believe the other party had stolen the vaccine, so she decided to observe for a few days. The news that came over those days caused her emotions to fluctuate wildly.
The best news is that those vaccines weren't unique; they can be remanufactured. Even if the other side stole them, it just means it will take a little longer.
Little Ginseng had two doses of vaccine left. This time, Yu Liu decided to stop sneaking around and hand them over openly in front of everyone. She refused to believe that anyone could steal the vaccines despite the heavy guard. Anyone who dared to steal them would be taught a lesson by Little Ginseng!