It was quite the coincidence—coincidental enough that even while tailing someone, they could still run into each other.
Su Su decided to ask bluntly, “Why are you here?”
Jiang Hong understood her suspicion and answered just as frankly, “I’m tracking Qi Huiling. Earlier, I sprayed an odorless, colorless liquid on her body—only cheetahs can detect it.”
In other words, her tracking was unintentional, while his was deliberate.
That was why they had coincidentally run into each other.
Su Su’s tense nerves relaxed slightly. “Do you know where the others are? After the dust storm appeared, I got separated from the main group.”
Under her expectant gaze, Jiang Hong slowly shook his head. “I don’t know where they are either.”
“That Tier 7 zombie’s ability was too strong. No one could stay in place. Many people might have been directly…” Buried alive, torn apart by the hurricane.
Su Su held her breath for two seconds, unease creeping into her heart.
Seeing her delicate brows tightly furrowed, Jiang Hong reassured her, “Don’t worry. Your teammates are all Tier 6 ability users—they’ll be fine.”
“What about your teammates…?”
Su Su had only spoken half a sentence before she noticed Jiang Hong’s heavy expression and wisely shut her mouth.
There were too many Tier 5 ability users in his team. If they were lucky, they might have survived this disaster. If not… “Everyone has their fate. When they followed me here, they already knew what they were up against.”
Jiang Hong put away his emotions. “Let’s go. We should catch up to them first.”
“Mm.”
One person and one snake, one person and one cheetah, quietly followed Qi Huiling’s path.
On the way, Su Su glanced sideways and asked, “Can I ask why you’re tracking Qi Huiling?”
If it were someone else, Jiang Hong might not have answered.
But since it was Su Su… he answered candidly, “I want to obtain her so-called research data ahead of time.”
Many people supported the Research Guild’s studies, but he was different. From the very beginning, he had opposed every one of their projects, firmly believing that there was something shady behind them—something that would one day erupt completely.
“If I can get those documents, maybe I can prove something to the public.”
“That’s the real reason I took on this mission.”
Unlike Zeng Zhuyue, Lu Tao, and the others, Jiang Hong wasn’t particularly interested in the Tier 7 zombie. What intrigued him more was the research data that the Research Guild was willing to go to such lengths to retrieve.
It could be said that this was the sole reason he was here.
From his words, Su Su could hear his deep-seated determination to expose the Research Guild.
After some thought, she shared what she had just overheard. “…Perhaps the most important thing in Qi Huiling’s possession isn’t just research data.”
Jiang Hong picked up on her implication. “It could also be the latest research results.”
Seeing that he understood, Su Su didn’t say more.
One person and one snake, one person and one cheetah, continued moving forward in silence, sneaking along the path like shadows.
After walking about two or three kilometers, Qi Huiling’s figure appeared once again. This time, she led the masked woman into a grand loess building that was relatively well-preserved.
From the outside, it looked like just another dilapidated, once-distinctive structure.
Before the apocalypse, this place might have been a popular spot for visitors to take pictures. But after the world fell into chaos, even if someone happened to pass by, they wouldn’t necessarily go in to investigate.
Building a base here was truly… incredibly secure.
Who would have thought that the Research Guild would go to such great lengths?
But on the other hand, this also confirmed one thing—there had to be a major secret hidden within.
Su Su and Jiang Hong exchanged a glance. “Should we go in and take a look?”
“Let’s go.”
The two of them slipped into the ruined building. As soon as they passed through an unusually spacious and empty hall, they spotted a metal door in the corner, just about to close.
Without time to think, the two of them—along with the snake and cheetah—darted inside.
The space beyond the metal door had a minimalist, almost Syrian-style interior. The rough concrete walls suggested a stark contrast—it was as if they had stepped out of the simple loess building and straight into an unfinished, unfurnished apartment complex.
Clearly, this was something hastily built after the apocalypse.
At this point, neither Su Su nor Jiang Hong dared to speak. As they advanced, their sharp eyes scanned their surroundings, wary of hidden surveillance cameras. But whether due to a lack of equipment, power conservation, or sheer confidence that no one would ever find this place, the corridor—stretching dozens of meters—was devoid of any monitoring devices.
Just as the two of them grew suspicious, voices sounded from around the corner.
“There’s no one around now. You can take off your mask.”
A brief silence followed, then the rustling sound of fabric.
It seemed that the masked woman had taken off her disguise.
“What do I need to do now?”
“Go down that corridor. Find the innermost laboratory and bring out the crystals stored there.”
“What about you?”
“Me?” Qi Huiling chuckled softly. “Of course, I’m going to the core area to retrieve the most important item. This part—even you can’t witness.”
Lin Weiran didn’t care what the so-called “most important item” was. She was merely a tool—completing tasks and protecting Qi Huiling. Without hesitation, she turned and headed toward another passage.
Once both of them had disappeared into the forked paths, Su Su and Jiang Hong stepped out from the corner.
Before them were two long corridors, each leading to a different destination.
Jiang Hong looked at Su Su. “Are we going after Qi Huiling?”
But the latter didn’t respond immediately.
Jiang Hong found it odd and waved a hand in front of her face. “What’s wrong?”
Su Su’s expression was complicated as she stared at the other corridor. She remained silent for half a second before suddenly saying, “Let’s split up. I’m going that way.”
She pointed toward the corridor where the masked woman had disappeared.
Jiang Hong followed her gaze but couldn’t see anything unusual. “Why? Do you want the crystals stored here by the Research Guild?”
He misunderstood Su Su’s intention. After thinking for a moment, he added, “There definitely won’t be any Grade 7 crystals inside—at most Grade 6, which won’t be of much use to you right now.”
Su Su shook her head. “I’m not here for the crystals.”
She was here for a person.
When the masked woman removed her disguise just now, Su Su had clearly heard her voice—and instantly recognized her identity.
Lin Weiran!
She had actually joined the Research Guild!
Then what about Si Zhe? Where had he gone?
Su Su hadn’t heard any news about the two of them in a long time. But they had once ambushed her and Xiao Hei, and Xiao Hei had crippled Si Zhe’s ability. She never believed that those two would simply let things go. More likely, they had been hiding in some dark corner, waiting for a chance to rise again.
What’s more… Lin Weiran had obviously been embedded in the westbound team. She must have known Su Su was here, yet she had never revealed herself. One hidden in the shadows, one standing in the open—it was hard not to suspect that Lin Weiran had a hand in Qi Huiling instigating Huang Yongjun’s two targeted attacks against her.
Since they had already become mortal enemies, now that she had finally found Lin Weiran’s whereabouts, there was no way she would let her go.
Su Su said again, “You go after Qi Huiling. I have something else to take care of.”
From her expression, Jiang Hong could more or less guess what was going on.
“You have a grudge against that masked woman?”
“Yes.”
“Alright.” Jiang Hong nodded. “I’ll go after Qi Huiling. Once I have what I need, I’ll meet you outside.”
He wasn’t worried about failing his mission, nor did he think Su Su would be in danger.
After giving her one last look, he turned and walked into the right corridor.
Su Su took a deep breath and stepped into the left corridor.
It didn’t matter where Si Zhe was or what plans they had. She was going to kill Lin Weiran.
She still remembered how, when she had just been reborn, she felt resentment and bitterness toward this distant cousin. But back then, she had only wanted to break free from them and start over.
Never did she expect that after coming this far, all that remained in her heart was overwhelming killing intent.
The corridor was long, twisting and turning for over a dozen meters before finally leading to the deepest laboratory.
The metal door was half-open, and inside, a figure was rummaging through cabinets, searching for the stored crystals.
Su Su silently stepped inside.
The moment her footsteps suddenly became heavier, Lin Weiran abruptly looked up. “Who’s there?!”
“It’s me.”
After so long, the two familiar faces stood before each other again, each with complicated emotions in their hearts.
Lin Weiran seemed completely unprepared for Su Su’s presence, her expression changing drastically. “Why are you here?”
Even as she spoke, she instinctively took a step back.
She was indeed a Tier 6 ability user, but standing opposite her was another Tier 6 ability user—plus a Tier 6 battle pet.
If they really fought, she would be at an absolute disadvantage.
Su Su could see that Lin Weiran was searching for an opportunity to escape, but she stood firmly in front of the door, completely blocking the only exit.
“Where’s Si Zhe? I remember you two always stuck together—why isn’t he here this time?”
At the mention of Si Zhe, the hatred in Lin Weiran’s eyes nearly solidified into something tangible.
“You dare mention Si Zhe?!”
“If it weren’t for you, he wouldn’t have become a cripple!”
Su Su raised an eyebrow. “A cripple?”
She found it laughable, so she actually laughed.
“In your eyes, an ordinary person without an ability is nothing more than a cripple?”
So in their eyes, in her past life, she had also been a cripple—an insignificant existence who overestimated herself.
To Lin Weiran, her words were a blatant mockery.
“Su Su, from the start of the apocalypse, Si Zhe and I took you south with us. We never mistreated you—we even had a little bit of kindness toward you.”
“And what did you do? After awakening your ability, you pretended to be weak while secretly targeting us! You’re nothing but a backstabbing ingrate!”
“And Si Zhe’s injury… You did it on purpose! You deliberately made him suffer a fate worse than death, deliberately made sure we had no way to live peacefully!”
“What did we ever do to offend you, to make you come after us so viciously?”
“Were we supposed to worship you, never dare to slight you, just so you’d be satisfied? Is that it? Huh? Is that it?!”
A barrage of accusations hurled straight at Su Su’s face.
For a brief moment, she felt dazed—almost as if their logic made sense, almost as if Lin Weiran and Si Zhe were truly innocent victims.
—Like hell they were!
Su Su had inevitably picked up a bit of temper from Cancan, and right now, she was livid.
“Hiss—!!!”
Before she could even respond, the black snake in her arms bared its fangs and let out a threatening hiss. If it could talk, it would definitely be saying—Yeah, I did it!
It was the one who crippled Si Zhe. If Lin Weiran had the guts, she should direct all that shouting at it instead. It would gladly burn a hole through her dantian, too.
A wave of warmth surged through Su Su’s heart. She stroked Xiao Hei’s head, then looked up and said, “What kind of answer are you expecting from me? That I’d break down crying in regret? That I’d argue with you, point by point?”
“Lin Weiran, you’ve always had your own logic. No matter what I say, you won’t waver. You’ll just think I’m making excuses.”
“So why bother explaining? I followed you here for one reason only—to settle things between us once and for all.”
She didn’t bother concealing her killing intent.
Soon, Lin Weiran also pulled herself out of her earlier hysteria and smiled bitterly. “You’re right—there’s no point anymore.”
They had reached this point.
It was either her death or Su Su’s survival.
Lin Weiran’s face turned cold as she took a few steps back, stopping just in front of a blank wall.
“Since you’re ruthless, don’t blame me for being heartless!”
With that, she pressed an inconspicuous button.
With a loud bang, the laboratory door behind Su Su slammed shut, sealing the space completely.
In the next second, the wall facing Su Su suddenly flipped open—
“ROAR!!”
A corpse-pale zombie burst out from the concealed prison within the wall, lunging fiercely at Su Su—the most visible target.
At the same time, the wall behind Lin Weiran also rotated. She swiftly leaped into the hidden passage, disappearing from the sealed laboratory in an instant.
In the blink of an eye, the entire lab was left with only Su Su, now forced into a standoff with the released zombie.
The distance was too close—her body reacted instinctively, taking a step back.
Then, the moment she got a clear look at the zombie, her pupils contracted sharply.
It was that Tier 7 zombie from earlier!
It had been locked inside the laboratory all along!