Ch 164: The Farmer Ger in the Apocalypse

The fifteenth day.

Today was the day Shen Qing and Song Kaiji had agreed to meet back in the apocalypse. Whether or not Song Kaiji had managed to kill Feng Hao, or whatever Chen Jiaxi had uncovered, Shen Qing needed to return first, meet with Song Kaiji, and then decide their next steps.

He was walking towards the Red City Base.

For the past few days, Shen Qing had been struggling with his appetite. Ever since he had slaughtered the wolf pack, the lingering scent of blood had unsettled him. On top of that, the sudden heatwave made him lose his desire to eat. No matter what was on the table, he could barely take a few bites. If he ate too much meat, he felt nauseated.

He had visibly lost weight.

Miao Shi teased him for developing a “rich man’s delicate stomach” while constantly trying to prepare appetizing meals for him. This morning, she made a plate of cold wild greens, seasoned with minced garlic, sesame oil, and a splash of vinegar—light and refreshing. Shen Qing managed to eat a bit more than usual and even drank half a bowl of porridge.

Perhaps because he hadn’t eaten properly in days, having more food this morning made his stomach feel uncomfortably full. As he walked, he burped and pressed a hand against his chest, distracted by the discomfort.

Just as he neared the base entrance, a child suddenly darted out from the refugee camp and ran straight at him.

Shen Qing, a seasoned hunter and fighter, might have been lost in thought, but his reflexes remained sharp. Instinctively, he sidestepped, barely avoiding the child’s impact.

The child’s face flashed with a moment of panic, but then he clenched his teeth, twisted his foot, and lunged forward, both hands reaching out. His fingers deliberately smeared against Shen Qing’s coat in one swift motion.

Shen Qing gagged on the spot.

The child, having succeeded in his task, bolted back into the refugee camp and disappeared.

Shen Qing hurried a few steps, turned into a quiet corner, and immediately doubled over, vomiting. The porridge and wild greens he had just eaten splattered onto the ground. The sight of the mess only made his stomach churn harder, and the metallic scent of blood lingering on his coat made it impossible to stop gagging.

He quickly turned away from the mess, yanked off his coat, and flung it far away.

That kid… what the hell was on his hands? His fingers had been covered in blood, even mixed with small bits of flesh, and he had deliberately stuffed something into Shen Qing’s pocket. Now, Shen Qing’s nose was filled with the sickening scent of blood.

That filthy coat wasn’t worth keeping. Shen Qing retrieved a fresh one from his storage and pulled out a bottle of perfume, spraying himself generously to suppress the nausea.

It seemed like bad luck was following him today. Shen Qing sighed, feeling an inexplicable sense of unease.

The base looked no different than usual. As he passed by his two storefronts, he noticed they were open, but Zhang Sujuan wasn’t at the counter. Instead, two young women—familiar faces—sat there, looking distracted, their heads lowered as if lost in thought. Even as their boss walked past, they didn’t notice him.

Shen Qing mentally noted this but didn’t stop to ask questions. Right now, he was in a hurry to find Song Kaiji.

He quickened his pace toward his villa.

During the day, most people in the villa district—including his own household—were usually out on missions. The quiet atmosphere didn’t seem unusual. He punched in the door code, and as the electronic lock clicked open, he pulled the door open—

A wave of stench rushed out.

His hunter’s instincts kicked in before his brain could react. Shen Qing rolled instinctively, landing in a low crouch, a long knife appearing in his hand as he swung it backward.

A zombie was impaled at the end of his blade, its arms still flailing.

Shen Qing’s pupils contracted. He instantly released his grip, leaped backward, and pulled out his handgun, firing a rapid burst of shots.

The zombie collapsed to the floor, finally motionless.

Shen Qing remained in a defensive stance, gun raised. The half-open door revealed nothing but eerie silence beyond.

His mind spun in chaos.

What was happening?

How could there be a zombie inside the base? Inside his villa?

And… why had it attacked him?

Zombies never attacked him!

A flash of realization struck him like lightning.

The strange child from earlier.

Before he could piece together the implications, a voice spoke behind him.

“Happy now, Engineer Feng?”

The voice was familiar. Shen Qing turned sharply—

Shao Nan stepped out from the shadows just beyond the courtyard, followed by a group of people.

Shen Qing’s gaze swept over them, and his breath hitched.

Song Kaiji. Qu Weiwei. Tang Wenjie. His entire team—including the ordinary human, Yu Le—stood among them, bound with unfamiliar silver chains. Their wrists and ankles were also tightly tied with ropes, and their mouths were gagged.

Every single one of them was staring at him anxiously.

Shen Qing’s chest tightened. His expression darkened as he turned to Shao Nan. “We’ve had dealings before. Weiwei and Xiao Tang have helped you more than once. What exactly do you think you’re doing?”

Shao Nan rubbed his nose, clearly feeling guilty, but he still stepped forward.

“I don’t have much of a choice, do I?” His voice carried a trace of helplessness. “What Engineer Feng said was just too shocking. Even if there was only a slight possibility, how could we not test it?”

At least…

At least Feng Hao had been wrong.

“This is all a misunderstanding!” Shao Nan quickly said, motioning to his subordinates. “Hurry up and untie them.”

The guards holding Song Kaiji and the others immediately responded, fumbling to loosen their restraints.

“Hold it.”

A figure stepped out from the shadows, his expression dark and menacing, eyes locked onto Shen Qing.

Shen Qing turned to look at him.

There was no doubt now—this was Feng Hao. The man bared his teeth in a sinister grin. “Long time no see, Little Boss Shen.”

Shen Qing didn’t respond. He wasn’t sure if it was better to acknowledge having met Feng Hao before or to deny it entirely. Instead, he turned to Shao Nan and commanded, “Let them go!”

“If we let them go now, do you think we’ll get another chance?” Feng Hao interjected, his gaze shifting to Shao Nan. “You know how strong they are, Commander Shao.”

Fifteen days ago, the moment Shen Qing had left, Feng Hao reported to the authorities that he had discovered someone who was immune to zombie attacks. The officials responded immediately, sending forces to surround their villa.

Disaster had fallen from the sky.

Qu Weiwei, Tang Wenjie, and the others weren’t going to sit around and wait to be captured. Fighting was prohibited within the base, but since the authorities had made the first move, they had no choice but to retaliate. A full-blown battle broke out. Qu Weiwei, Tang Wenjie, and Ge Bingbing worked seamlessly together, severely injuring over a dozen government soldiers. It was only when Feng Hao resorted to deceit—capturing Zhang Sujuan and the little girl, forcing them to split their attention—that the three were finally subdued.

However, such a commotion had instantly alerted their higher-ups. Shao Nan had rushed over with reinforcements, initially intending to rescue Qu Weiwei and the others. But then, Feng Hao had dropped a piece of information that Shao Nan simply could not ignore.

Shen Qing was immune to zombie attacks.

“We didn’t come here to harm them,” Feng Hao continued, gesturing toward Tang Wenjie, Qu Weiwei, and Ge Bingbing. Silver chains bound their bodies—chains recently developed by the research facility to suppress the abilities of ability users. Once shackled, they were no different from ordinary humans, unable to use their powers. “We just need their boss, Shen, to cooperate and help our vaccine research team. He could save all of humanity.”

Shao Nan remained silent.

On a personal level, he sided with Shen Qing’s group. His recent conflicts with the government made him detest the parasites in the research institute even more. But if Shen Qing did have something in his body that could end the apocalypse…

Shao Nan hesitated.

He had reported the situation to his superiors. The response had been clear: cooperate with the authorities for now and confirm whether Shen Qing truly possessed a zombie-resistant antibody. If he didn’t, they were to release him immediately, apologize profusely, and compensate him.

But if he did… they were to seize Shen Qing and bring him under military control at once.

The answer left Shao Nan deeply conflicted. He didn’t take action himself, merely standing by as Feng Hao used Zhang Sujuan as leverage to capture Song Kaiji.

Over the past days, Song Kaiji and the others had been detained at the research institute. They weren’t particularly mistreated, but they had lost their freedom and, with their abilities suppressed, had no means of escape.

Now, seeing the zombie lunge at Shen Qing with his own eyes, Shao Nan wasn’t sure how to feel.

Should he be relieved that his friend was safe?

Or should he mourn the loss of humanity’s best hope?

Shao Nan turned to Feng Hao. “We’ve seen it for ourselves—zombies attack Shen Qing. Either you were delirious that day, or you imagined it. You think your word alone outweighs the evidence witnessed by so many?”

Feng Hao was furious.

Delirious? Hallucinating? This was an insult to his abilities as a psychic ability user!

But he couldn’t afford to provoke Shao Nan—not when the commander was surrounded by soldiers.

Suppressing his anger, Feng Hao said coldly, “That zombie and Shen Qing were the only ones inside the villa. Maybe the zombie reacted to the sound of the door opening or sensed movement. Our research institute still has two test zombies—we should try again. Let Shen Qing stand in front while the rest of you stand behind him. If the zombie ignores him and attacks someone else, you’ll see for yourselves.”

He paused, then added, “And we need to draw some of his blood—”

Before he could finish, a razor-sharp spatial blade whizzed past his ear. If not for his bodyguard reacting in time, Feng Hao would have lost half his skull.

He stumbled back, both shocked and enraged, whipping his head around—

Song Kaiji.

His restraints had already been undone. The spatial blade had come from him.

“Don’t!” Shao Nan quickly stepped forward, blocking Song Kaiji from striking again. “Killing someone inside the base—especially a rare psychic ability user—will get you executed, and even I won’t be able to protect you!”

Song Kaiji glared daggers at Feng Hao but reluctantly stepped back, fists clenched.

Shao Nan continued, his tone filled with ridicule. “Do you even listen to yourself? Zombies don’t have hearing or sight. They rely entirely on their sense of smell! The security footage clearly showed that before Shen Qing even reached the villa door, the zombie inside was already agitated. And you, a so-called researcher, are standing here spouting nonsense?”

Song Kaiji shot Feng Hao a murderous glare, then shook off Shao Nan’s hand and rushed to Shen Qing’s side.

“Are you okay?” he asked anxiously, gripping Shen Qing’s wrist. He didn’t know whether to feel relieved or terrified—how had Shen Qing’s immunity suddenly failed? But at the same time… thank god for that! Otherwise, this bastard Feng Hao—

Shen Qing shook his head.

The moment that zombie had lunged at him, the putrid stench of rot had hit him like a wave, making his stomach churn all over again. He barely managed to suppress the urge to vomit.

Pushing down his nausea, he turned to Song Kaiji. “Are you okay?”

There was no need to ask—obviously, Song Kaiji had failed to assassinate Feng Hao. But had he even gotten the chance to make an attempt? Was he injured?

Nearby, Qu Weiwei wriggled furiously in her bindings, letting out muffled grunts—

They were still tied up!

Song Kaiji’s expression darkened as he turned to Shao Nan, his voice heavy with anger and betrayal. “Commander Shao, are you siding with the research institute against us now?”

Shao Nan clenched his jaw, then made his decision.

His superiors had already given their orders—if Shen Qing was attacked by zombies, they were to immediately release him and apologize.

What Feng Hao wanted now had nothing to do with him.

He waved his hand, signaling his soldiers to untie Qu Weiwei and the others.

Feng Hao stomped his foot in frustration. “Fools! You’d throw away humanity’s best chance to survive the apocalypse over some petty favors? You don’t deserve that uniform!”

Shao Nan’s expression darkened.

“Oh? And what about you?” he sneered. “You expect us to ignore what we just saw and take your word as gospel?”

“If that’s how it works, you could accuse anyone of anything and have them dragged off for ‘research’ just like that.”

The more he thought about it, the more Shao Nan felt he was right.

Maybe Feng Hao had a personal grudge against Shen Qing. Maybe he was just using this as an excuse to eliminate him.

Shao Nan scoffed. “If anyone here doesn’t deserve their uniform, it’s you.”

Feng Hao was fuming.

He knew what he had seen.

There had to be another explanation!

The argument escalated, nearly breaking into a full-blown fight inside the villa. Eventually, higher authorities intervened.

An official suggested, “Since this is a dispute, let’s compromise. We’ll give the military face and not force Shen Qing to face another zombie, nor will we take his blood for now. But we do have a psychic ability user who can read memories. Let’s have her verify what really happened that day between Feng Hao and Shen Qing.”

Feng Hao’s gut clenched.

This was not good.

He didn’t trust Chen Jiaxi anymore. He had a feeling about her—but no proof.

If he voiced his concerns now, it would only make him look like a paranoid fool.

He had no choice but to agree.

That child who rushed out from the refugee camp today—she was the one who arranged it.

She knew Feng Hao had been lying in wait for Shen Qing for a long time. That villa contained a locked-up zombie, prepared for the sole purpose of verifying whether Shen Qing would be attacked. Chen Jiaxi was well aware that Shen Qing wouldn’t be attacked—she had seen it firsthand in Feng Hao’s memories. But she had no choice; after much difficulty, she came up with an idea: zombies were extremely sensitive to the scent of human flesh, except for Shen Qing. So what if she smeared someone else’s blood on him?

It was a desperate gamble.

With so many eyes on Shen Qing the moment he entered the base, she had no choice but to bribe a child from the refugee camp.

The child had smeared human blood on Shen Qing’s jacket and had even secretly stuffed some flesh into his pocket.

Unfortunately, Shen Qing hadn’t understood her intentions and had simply changed his coat. Chen Jiaxi was furious—he had completely wasted her efforts!

Yet, in the end, Shen Qing was attacked by the zombie.

Chen Jiaxi couldn’t help but be filled with curiosity. Not only about why Shen Qing had suddenly lost his immunity, but also about his origins—was he really a traveler from another world?

Shen Qing stood facing Chen Jiaxi, watching as she pretended to focus her mental energy, putting on a show for the higher-ups, making them believe that she required external conditions to access someone’s memories. But then, in a fleeting moment, Shen Qing caught sight of Chen Jiaxi’s eyes widening in shock, her pupils trembling.

A deep, cold weight settled in Shen Qing’s chest. He had been so sure that Chen Jiaxi wouldn’t betray her word.

But then, she quickly averted her gaze, struggling to conceal the turbulence within her. A moment later, she sneaked a glance at Song Kaiji and Tang Wenjie. Nearly a full minute passed before she finally composed herself, rubbing her forehead as though exhausted from the exertion of her abilities. Then, she gave her report:

“He has always been attacked by zombies.”

“Liar!” Feng Hao nearly jumped up. “You’re colluding with them, aren’t you? I’ve suspected you for a long time!”

Chen Jiaxi’s expression instantly turned cold. “If you’re going to accuse me, Engineer Feng, you’d better have evidence. Don’t go around throwing baseless accusations! So now, whenever something doesn’t fit your expectations, it must be false? It must mean someone else is the bad guy?”

Feng Hao was momentarily at a loss for words.

Chen Jiaxi scoffed before adding with a sharp smile, “But you know what? If you want to think I’m colluding with them, that’s fine by me. After all, I’d rather not end up like Professor Zeng—dead under mysterious circumstances.”

Feng Hao’s face went pale.

Professor Zeng was the woman Feng Hao had personally thrown in front of a zombie. Back then, he and Professor Wang had been stranded outside the base, waiting for a rescue team to bring them back. The team had included a young recruit, Xiao Wang, who had gotten infected during their escape. Feng Hao and Professor Zeng had desperately run for their lives, and it was then that they encountered Shen Qing.

Professor Zeng had held a much higher rank and was far more skilled in her field than Feng Hao. The higher-ups had deeply mourned her death. If they ever found out that Feng Hao had been the one to push her to her doom…

Feng Hao had no doubt—if the research institute had to choose between saving him or Professor Zeng, they would have let him die instead.

Letting out an awkward chuckle, he swallowed his anger and quickly adjusted his attitude, his voice turning polite. “That’s not what I meant… I was too anxious. My apologies, Director Chen. We are equals—I shouldn’t have spoken to you that way.”

Chen Jiaxi merely snorted, acting as if she was magnanimously letting the matter slide.

“But if you’ve seen his memories,” Feng Hao pressed, “then you must know that I wasn’t lying about what happened that day—”

“You weren’t lying,” Chen Jiaxi interrupted, “but your perspective was wrong. You were running ahead of Professor Zeng at the time. She fell off the motorcycle, and the back of her leg was cut open, bleeding. Did you even see that?”

Feng Hao froze. He honestly couldn’t remember whether Professor Zeng had been injured or not.

“And then,” Chen Jiaxi continued, “you kicked this Shen—Captain Shen, right?—you kicked him down, hoping he’d be the one to block the zombie for you.” She didn’t mention how Professor Zeng had actually died, but it was enough to strip away Feng Hao’s dignity. Immediately, everyone—Shao Nan, his soldiers, and even Qu Weiwei’s group—turned to glare at Feng Hao with undisguised contempt.

Feng Hao’s face turned purple with humiliation. He wanted to lash out, but he couldn’t afford to direct his anger at Chen Jiaxi. Instead, he swallowed it down, forcing an awkward smile.

“The zombie chased after you at the time, but that was because fresh blood is more attractive to them,” Chen Jiaxi declared confidently. She was completely making this up. She could only hope that if anyone did test this theory, at least two out of ten zombies would give her some credibility.

Still, her argument sounded plausible.

“So aside from that single instance, Shen Qing has always been attacked by zombies.”

“Ah, I see!” Shao Nan immediately accepted this explanation. “Feng Hao, you didn’t do this on purpose—it was all a misunderstanding. Let’s put this matter to rest.” He then turned to Shen Qing’s group. “He was just trying to develop a vaccine, to contribute to humanity’s survival. I hope you can be forgiving.”

Shen Qing merely let out a cold snort, not bothering to reply.

Feng Hao’s face twisted with frustration, but he knew he had lost. Chen Jiaxi had planted the seed of his betrayal—if he pushed any further, he might just be the one to suffer for it. He had no choice but to relent. Instead, he turned to Chen Jiaxi with a different line of questioning:

“What about his background? That day, he was wearing ancient-style clothing, his hair was long… even now, he still keeps it that way. It doesn’t add up.”

Fortunately, Chen Jiaxi had already anticipated this. She had peeked into Song Kaiji and Tang Wenjie’s memories earlier and knew they had been university roommates in the pre-apocalypse days. She simply borrowed another classmate’s identity and slapped it onto Shen Qing.

“He wears ancient-style clothing because he’s a historical reenactment enthusiast,” she stated matter-of-factly. “Even before the apocalypse, he dressed that way. After six months in the apocalypse, of course his clothes would get tattered!”

“As for why he keeps his hair long—why wouldn’t a hanfu enthusiast grow their hair out?” She met Feng Hao’s gaze without flinching. “Totally normal.”

No matter how much Feng Hao probed, he failed to gain any useful information. His suspicions toward Chen Jiaxi only grew, but without evidence, he couldn’t act on them.

Shao Nan, growing impatient, cut in. “That’s enough, Engineer Feng. I get that it’s hard to accept when your theories turn out to be completely wrong, but we’ve already overstepped our bounds in how we treated Shen Qing and his team. They deserve some rest.”

Turning to Shen Qing, he continued, “You’ve been greatly wronged. The military will compensate you for this. I’ll also send a team to disinfect your villa—after all, that zombie’s been inside for several days.”

Shen Qing and his team said nothing. After this ordeal, it was clear that they could no longer trust Shao Nan. The damage was done.

Shao Nan understood this, and regret flickered in his eyes—but it was too late to change things now.

Reluctantly, the entire group left the villa. Chen Jiaxi was the last to leave. As she turned back, she found Shen Qing staring at her, his gaze burning with intensity. She lowered her head slightly, following behind Shao Nan.

But Feng Hao wasn’t done.

Chen Jiaxi’s reasoning had sounded logical, but his gut told him otherwise.

“Blood…” He suddenly thought of something. “He was tested at the base entrance, wasn’t he? Find me his test strip—now!”

Meanwhile, inside the villa, Shen Qing finally collapsed into Song Kaiji’s arms, clutching his stomach.

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