Chapter Twenty-Eight: Evidence

Chapter Twenty-Eight

“They really know how to pick their timing, showing up just now!” Mei couldn’t help but mutter when she saw Mo Chen go to open the door.

“Hah, I knew you all would be holed up at home feasting! I could smell the barbecue before I even stepped inside!” The visitor was none other than Yang Hao.

Yang Hao entered without the slightest hint of politeness, taking Mo Chen’s seat and, as soon as he was handed a set of chopsticks and a bowl, immediately picked up a slice of meat and popped it into his mouth.

“Who cooked this meat? It’s delicious!” he exclaimed after just one bite.

“It was Xiao You, the one right beside me,” Mei replied, smiling proudly as she introduced her companion. “Not inferior to your skills, wouldn’t you say?”

“Mm, not bad!” Yang Hao agreed, continuing to eat with quick hands, not sparing a second.

“Coach, slow down, leave me a couple of slices!” Lin Shaojie protested, unable to keep up with Yang Hao’s speed. With food before him, he forgot his usual deference to Yang Hao, diving in with his chopsticks to snatch meat alongside him.

“You’ve been eating for ages, I’ve barely had a few pieces. What’s the hurry?” Yang Hao shot him a glare, then swiftly swept the last pieces of meat into his own bowl.

Seeing the meat gone, Lin Shaojie slumped in his chair like a deflated balloon. He really wasn’t full yet!

Mei, Ye Jingxuan, An Ziyou, and Qu Wenjuan had all set down their bowls when Yang Hao arrived. Watching him finish the last of the meat, he still asked, looking unsatisfied, “Is there any more? Bring some out!”

“Brother Yang, haven’t you already taken control of the entire base? Has the base fallen into such poverty that you have to come here to mooch a meal?” Mei said, a hint of disdain in her tone.

After all, he was the leader of a base—did he really need to behave as though he hadn’t eaten meat in eight generations?

“There’s food at the base, but it’s not all mine. There are so many mouths to feed; if we don’t save, there won’t be enough for everyone,” Yang Hao replied, unaffected by her scorn. He didn’t mind, so long as there was meat to eat.

He remembered clearly how Mo Chen had taken nearly an entire snake away! Today, no matter what, he was going to eat his fill first!

Once he’d finally had enough, Yang Hao turned his mind to business. “You lot really aren’t being fair. Such a major operation today, and none of you came to help me!” he began, reproaching the group.

If they had been involved, the operation would have gone much smoother, and he wouldn’t have had to contend with the powered individuals recruited by the Huang family for so long—he would have secured the people much earlier!

“Without us, didn’t you still manage to seize control of the base? It goes to show our presence or absence didn’t make much difference,” Mo Chen replied, dismissing Yang Hao’s complaint.

“Hey, aren’t we brothers? After all we’ve been through together, you really lack loyalty!” Yang Hao feigned indignation.

“If Brother Yang thinks we’re not loyal enough, perhaps we should tell you something truly loyal,” Mei said, sipping water slowly from her cup, her manner languid.

“What is it?”

“There might soon be a zombie tide approaching,” Mei said casually, but the words struck Yang Hao like a bomb, leaving him dazed.

It took him quite a while to digest the statement before he collected himself, all traces of joking gone as he grew serious. “This isn’t something to joke about! Where did you get this information? How reliable is it?”

“I have my sources. You don’t have to believe me—no one’s forcing you,” Mei replied, still nonchalant. She glanced sideways at Qu Wenjuan, who visibly relaxed upon hearing her words. This woman really couldn’t hide her feelings!

Luckily, Yang Hao was too preoccupied to notice others, or Qu Wenjuan would have exposed herself right then. Clearly, it was best not to let her know too much in the future—she simply couldn’t keep secrets!

“So when exactly will the zombie tide appear?” Yang Hao pressed.

“Don’t know. But soon,” Mei replied, as if she were talking about what to eat today, rather than a matter of life and death.

Yang Hao was helpless before her attitude. Anyone else, he’d have had a gun at their head by now. But not this woman. Not only had she saved his life, her abilities made her someone he dared not offend. If a zombie tide was coming, he’d need her help more than ever.

He wiped his face in frustration and managed a bitter smile. “Little ancestor, how am I supposed to explain this to the others? No proof, no precise timing—never mind the powered and mutated folks, even my soldiers would be left scratching their heads!”

“That’s your concern, not mine. I’m not the base leader,” Mei said, uninterested.

She knew well Yang Hao was exaggerating. His soldiers were absolutely obedient—march east if he ordered, never west. And none of the powered or mutated individuals at the base dared defy him; those who did had long since been disposed of. He couldn’t fool her.

Yang Hao saw his argument wasn’t working, and his expression grew more resigned. “To be honest, all our supplies—the military leadership is demanding I hand over a batch to support other units. Without solid evidence to persuade them, I won’t be able to ask for reinforcements, and we might not even keep our own supplies. If we don’t have enough, and the city is besieged by zombies, even if we don’t die at their hands, we’ll starve inside.”

Mei considered this carefully before replying, “Fine. I can tell you the source of the information, but you must keep it secret. Don’t tell anyone—not even if your superiors order you. If you can promise that, I’ll tell you.”

Her words made Qu Wenjuan anxious again. Was she about to reveal her secret? What would happen to her then? Would she be seized for research?

While Qu Wenjuan was troubled, Yang Hao solemnly promised, “Alright, I swear on my honor as a soldier that I will never reveal your words to anyone.”

Satisfied, Mei nodded, then signaled Mo Chen, who brought out a laptop and placed it on the table.

Mei’s slender, pale fingers moved rapidly over the keyboard, so fast they left only a blur in the eyes of the others. Lines of code scrolled across the screen, dizzying everyone and making them marvel at her computer skills.

After a while, she stopped. The screen showed a loading bar, and when it reached 100 percent, her computer connected to somewhere. She input more code, and images began to appear on the screen.

“Take a look. These are recent photos taken by military satellites. This one is from a location over 300 kilometers from Moonlight Base, taken fifteen hours ago. Look at the number of zombies, and compare it to the photos from a few days ago,” Mei pointed out the photos and data to Yang Hao.

In just two or three days, the number of zombies at that location had nearly doubled each day. The fact that zombies were gathering was obvious. And with so many zombies congregating, what else could they want but the humans they saw as food?

The closest human settlement to these zombies was Moonlight Base.

“Not just here. Nationwide, in at least twenty or thirty places, zombies are gathering,” Mei added as Yang Hao finished absorbing the information.

Yang Hao stared at her in shock. “So many? Does that mean every base will face a zombie tide? Why hasn’t there been any news from above?”

“That I don’t know. Anyway, I’ve given you evidence. How you explain it to others is your business. But don’t ever mention me,” Mei reiterated, quickly disconnecting and letting Mo Chen pack up the laptop.

Her computer skills weren’t yet back to their former level, and the longer she stayed connected, the greater the risk of being discovered. The images were enough to prove her words; now they only needed to figure out how to respond.

Qu Wenjuan relaxed, grateful to Mei for covering for her.

In truth, Mei had never intended to expose Qu Wenjuan’s secret. If she revealed herself accidentally or willingly, it was her own business; Mei would never interfere.

So after learning about the zombie tide yesterday, Mei had been thinking about how to conceal the matter—how to keep Qu Wenjuan hidden while ensuring everyone believed the threat. The method was Mo Chen’s suggestion. Because she was unfamiliar with it, Mei often forgot she possessed a skill that was extremely useful in this world, solving problems her original methods couldn’t address.

Just like this time—the formation of the zombie tide was inevitable, as zombies couldn’t appear overnight from afar outside the city. Since military satellites monitored every corner, they would certainly notice abnormal zombie behavior.

Mei just happened to have the ability to hack military satellites, so she used this method to cover for Qu Wenjuan.

With solid evidence in hand, Yang Hao could no longer sit still. He hurriedly took his leave to convene his subordinates and discuss how to deal with the zombie tide.

Lin Shaojie and Qu Wenjuan stayed a while longer before departing as well. Lin Shaojie left reluctantly, lamenting that his own home was empty and nothing like here, where there was food and drink.

But no one asked him to stay, even as he walked out the door. The house was already crowded—any more and they’d barely have room to move. Besides, Mei had things to do, and she didn’t want everyone knowing her business. Lin Shaojie and Qu Wenjuan weren’t good at hiding things; compared to Lin Shaojie, Qu Wenjuan, who always had her own agenda, was even less trustworthy to Mei. It was best for both of them to leave.

“Xiao You has awakened powers, hasn’t he?” With only the core group left, Mei finally asked.

“Yes, but unfortunately my power doesn’t seem to kill zombies, and I don’t know how to use it,” An Ziyou replied, lowering his head so his expression was hidden.

No team would want a useless burden, and he was painfully aware of that. His power was useless; no matter that his physical strength surpassed ordinary people and he could kill zombies, powered individuals still looked down on him and treated him as worthless.

Hearing Mei’s question, An Ziyou could already foresee the outcome—he would still be abandoned, wouldn’t he?

“I honestly don’t believe there’s such a thing as a useless power in this world. You just don’t know how to use it yet. Come, let me see what your power really is,” Mei said, sensing the despair radiating from him. She comforted him and began examining his power with her mental abilities.

As she checked, her gaze at An Ziyou changed, surprise lighting her eyes as though she’d discovered some rare creature.