At dawn the next day, just as the sky was getting light, Zhang Su was awakened by a rapid knocking on the door. He felt he had just fallen asleep for a short while...

"Brother Su, Brother Su, are you awake?"

Opening the door, he saw Lü Leiyang standing there with a grim look, sorrowful, "Qiu... Sister Qiu is in bad shape!"

"Sister Qiu? In bad shape?"

Zhang Su, draped in clothes, looked at Lü Leiyang with bleary eyes, momentarily forgetting who Sister Qiu was and why she would be in bad shape.

Suddenly, he remembered that Sister Qiu was Qiu Hui, the woman who had been amputated after being bitten by a zombie in Village No.2 several nights ago!

"What happened to Qiu Hui?"

"Sister Qiu, she... she woke up more than half an hour ago, but... sometimes she is lucid, and other times she howls like a zombie. Could you come and take a look..."

Lü Leiyang was in a state of urgency; as the deputy leader of the Reserve Team, he was the first contacted when something went wrong up there. After taking a look and realizing he couldn’t handle it, he hurriedly came to find Zhang Su.

"Sometimes lucid, sometimes like a zombie..."

Zhang Su spoke as he dressed, recalling that Chen Hanzhou hadn’t been in a coma for long, less than a day before waking up, while Qiu Hui had been unconscious for three or four consecutive days, and her condition worsened after waking up, which was very strange.

Originally, corpse mutation couldn’t be generalized. From the very few data on zombie mutation research by the Survivor Alliance, individual differences were significant.

"I’ll go over as soon as I’m dressed. Meanwhile, hurry up and notify Dr. Fu and Dr. Xie to have them come and take a look!"

Given the current situation, Zhang Su felt that even if he went over, it wouldn’t solve the fundamental issue. Unless it was a matter of deciding Qiu Hui’s life and death, perhaps letting the two doctors study it might bring a new turning point.

Principally, researchers weren’t allowed to study their companions, but now was a last-ditch effort to treat a dead horse as if it were alive; there was no other choice.

Fu Weijun lived with Zhang Su in Little Lucky, just for the convenience of monitoring his every move.

After Lü Leiyang reported the situation to Fu Weijun, he couldn’t even be bothered to dress, moving into his wheelchair without the help of Duan Wuhu. If it weren’t for a lack of accessible passages, he would be the first to the parking lot...

Outside the yard where Qiu Hui was in Village No.2, an MPV parked, leaving two wheelchair trail marks at the entrance.

Inside the house, Zhang Su and the others watched Qiu Hui on the bed with solemn expressions. She was wrapped in a thick quilt, tied with a rope outside, twisting on the kang like a big silkworm larva.

"Brother Zhang... kill... aw, aw, kill me, I feel so... awful, awooo!"

Qiu Hui’s intermittent voice came from her dry throat, making anyone listening feel distressed.

Two women from her company who kept vigil day and night stood silently at the door, wiping tears. They also hailed from Kuanzhuang, feeling very sad to see their former neighbors and friends reduced to this half-human, half-ghostly state.

Fu Weijun looked at Qiu Hui on the kang with a serious expression, his hands tightly gripping the wheelchair arms. Then he respectfully raised his head and said to Zhang Su, "Mr. Zhang, let’s talk outside."

Zhang Su felt slightly surprised; discussing a patient’s condition in front of them was considered impolite. He didn’t expect Fu Weijun to consider this aspect, so he nodded and signaled for Duan Wuhu to push him outside the house.

Once outside in the yard, Fu Weijun exhaled into his hands to warm them, rubbing his face seriously, "Mr. Zhang, Qiu Hui’s condition is extremely rare. I suggest sending her to the lab immediately, and Dr. Xie and I will do our best to treat her!"

Zhang Su’s eyebrow twitched slightly. He glanced askance at Fu Weijun and said, "Dr. Fu, you’d better mean real treatment, not using a human life for experiments!"

"Rest assured, Dr. Xie and I are researchers with the utmost professional ethics and will definitely respect science and life! Right, Dr. Xie?"

"Huh? Oh, yes."

Xie Yanshan was obviously not in the state, frowning deeply, lost in thought about Qiu Hui’s condition.

"All right then, I’ll leave Qiu Hui’s treatment to you two. I have something important today, so Teacher Duan will stay at the camp to assist you. In case of any danger, there’s at least someone to help!"

Zhang Su exchanged glances with Duan Wuhu, both understanding each other’s intentions without words.

"Sigh..."

Duan Wuhu sighed helplessly, knowing he would have to handle this troublesome task, turning to look at the yard before asking in a low voice, "Brother Zhang, make the decision beforehand, so if you’re not at the camp, we won’t be unsure what to do."

Everyone present knew what the so-called decision was.

Deciding matters of life and death was cruel, but as a leader, Zhang Su was already accustomed to it. Taking a deep breath of cold air, he said, "If there’s no chance of treatment, I’ll leave this damned task to you! Old Duan, I trust you won’t disappoint me."

"You’re annoying!"

Duan Wuhu wore a stern face, taking on this role.

Many things he didn’t approve of, but he couldn’t make decisions. Since this time he could handle it, he definitely wouldn’t let Fu Weijun use their people for those terrifying experiments.

Suddenly, Duan Wuhu thought of something, pulling Zhang Su aside, frowning, "Brother Zhang, aren’t you going to the camps of those forces in the city today?"

"Ah, yes, rest assured, I’ll compensate you when I return!"

Zhang Su patted Duan Wuhu’s arm, thinking that this trip, at the very least, was more interesting than staying in the wilderness. In the apocalypse, if they could have friendly contact with people from other camps, it was definitely something to feel good about.

"No, no..." Duan Wuhu waved his hand, "I’m not talking about that... do you still remember Yu Nuo?"

"Yu Nuo, of course, I can’t forget, what’s up?"

Zhang Su raised an eyebrow, speaking in a light tone.

Yu Nuo was a woman from the same neighborhood he lived during the early days of the disaster outbreak. They had an unpleasant experience while escaping the neighborhood, but there was no further interaction afterward, although he still remembered.

"She, well... how should I put it, about this matter..."

Duan Wuhu scratched his head, looking as if he wanted to say something but stopped, his expression strange.

Zhang Su glanced sideways at Duan Wuhu and said meaningfully, "Old Duan, don’t tell me you’re still thinking about that woman. If I remember correctly, you said she very heartlessly abandoned you and climbed onto Liao Youzhi’s bed, didn’t you?"

"Back then, it was indeed like that, but I’ve been thinking about it recently. She did it to survive better, and now that Liao Youzhi is dead, I..."

"Damn you!"

Zhang Su interrupted Duan Wuhu abruptly, pulling him further aside, angrily, "Have all the women in the world died out? Yes, I admit Yu Nuo has a bit of a mature woman’s charm, but she was incredibly heartless to you!

Even in the past, such a woman was unforgivable, let alone in today’s world. If given the chance, she would betray you for her happiness. How dare you even think of rekindling with her, she’s a heartless and selfish scoundrel!"

Zhang Su’s words were harsh, missing no words to spare Duan Wuhu’s feelings. If it were just the past unpleasantness during the neighborhood fallout, he wouldn’t rate Yu Nuo so negatively. But Duan Wuhu took care of her with no return, and she was completely unfaithful, her character was bad, and it could never be mended!

After being reprimanded by Zhang Su, Duan Wuhu frowned and lowered his head, deeply conflicted within.

"I noticed so many young wives and ladies came to Kuanzhuang, and you kept your distance, as if holding this matter in mind. I advise you to abandon this idea as soon as possible!"

Zhang Su jabbed his finger at Duan Wuhu’s chest sternly.

He could never forgive a woman like Yu Nuo. This wasn’t a question of whether Duan Wuhu could accept it, but as the leader of Celestial Horse Island, he couldn’t bring in a woman with such malicious intentions.

Duan Wuhu’s position was pivotal, acting as a link between him and Fu Weijun, someone who shouldn’t be destroyed by a manipulative woman!

"Alright, I agree with what you say, Brother Zhang. I admit I’m a bit lowly... but I still want to ask you one thing, can you leave her a way out, is that negotiable?"

Duan Wuhu looked at Zhang Su hopefully.

Zhang Su spread his arms and shrugged, "I’m not going to push a woman to a dead end. As long as she doesn’t dig her own grave, I’ll definitely let her go, and for your sake, I can even spare some supplies for her!"

Saying this, Zhang Su had already sentenced Yu Nuo to death in his heart.

If Duan Wuhu hadn’t brought it up, there might have been a chance for leniency, but after this, that woman had to die!

"With your word, that’s enough. Sorry for the trouble, Brother Zhang!"

Duan Wuhu apologized, patting Zhang Su’s arm.

Zhang Su waved it off as nothing, then the two of them headed back to the gate of the yard together.