CHAPTER 250: CHAPTER 250

Qingran didn’t hear what Shen Li said next. She was already in her space.

The lab had never been used before. She stepped inside and it hummed to life around her, sterile white counters, automated dispensers, and a glowing multi-layered synthesis table at the center.

She placed the six pints of Shen Li’s blood into the bio-slot, watching the crimson liquid snake through the transparent tubes.

Monitors lit up with readings: antibodies, protein structures, regenerative markers, everything Lingquan had scanned earlier now detailed in real time.

[Her blood is stable enough to hold at room temperature for a few hours, but you’ll want to synthesize quickly.]

"I know.." Qingran said absently, already selecting the filters. She activated the stabilizer protocol, pulling out excess hormones, thickening agents, and isolating the regenerative compounds. The base material for the pill was forming.

Her hands moved fast, muscle memory kicking in.

Extract.

Distill.

Cool.

Layer.

[Do you want a coating or raw capsule?]

"Soft coating would be best.." she murmured. "It’ll digest faster."

While the pill printer began shaping the solution into dose-sized units, Qingran leaned back and finally addressed the question that had been bothering her.

"Lingquan. My virus couldn’t have possible turned humans into zombie right? I know its unique but it’s not strong enough to do thatz unless something was added or removed.

[Yes. It was re-engineered. Your original virus was designed to push cellular evolution but that’s all..]

"And that’s what made the infected lose higher function?"

[Yes. Someone rewired the genetic payload to erase the boundaries of cognition and self-preservation. Turning evolution into decay.]

Qingran’s expression darkened.

"So to reverse it, I need three things," she said, pacing now. "One: Shen Li’s blood for the regenerative baseline. Two: zombie blood, to trace the breakdown pattern. Three: my original virus, so I can see what was added, removed, or twisted."

[Correct. With all three, you can rebuild a counter-virus, possibly even purge the necrotic mutations and restore infected individuals to back to regular human beings.]

"But where the hell are the zombies? There should be at least one in Zone 2.."

[They were heree before. Traces of zombies at every street corner. But the deeper you went in, the cleaner it became. Too clean I’ll say...]

"The stakes in zone 2 are higher, I have the biting feeling that everyone is just laying low.."

Qingran turned back toward the pill printer.

The first batch was ready.

The capsules were small, transparent and filled with a soft bluish serum core suspended in a stabilized protein.

She picked one up, staring at it.

"This won’t help zombies. But it will stop the mutation in humans.." she murmured. "That’s one threat down."

[But the bigger threat still walks.]

She nodded. "We need zombie blood. I need to see the virus inside them. I have my original virus strain saved. But unless we get an infected subject soon and forget this only god knows where that re-written virus is, the body changes everyday, we need the cause first..."

Qingran pocketed the six pills, sealed the remaining materials, and powered down the synthesis bay.

Her mind was already ticking toward the next step.

"Finding a zombie isn’t hard. It’s finding that virus that’s hard. And I can’t keep using Shen Li’s blood, I’ll need a alternative.."

[Don’t worry, we’ll find a way.]

Qingran nodded, running her hand through her hair "It’s nice to see I’m making some progress. I’m finally see some light in this nightmare.."

Qingran stepped out of the lab, letting the cool, recycled air of the space fade behind her as she sealed it shut.

The automated lock hissed, securing the untouched environment for future use. In her gloved hands, she now held a hard-cased containment vial, no bigger than her palm housing six soft-coated capsules.

Each one shimmered faintly, the bluish core reacting slightly to the subtle changes in light. They were delicate, precise, and priceless.

Instead, she slid the vial into her pocket.

One wrong movement and the whole set could be ruined or worse, misused.

As she made her way through the store again, the faint murmur of survivors returned to her ears. Those infected were now seated or resting, watched closely by Ruihuang and a few other volunteers who’d risen to help.

Most of them looked better. Alert, even. The crisis had passedfor now.

Qingran didn’t slow.

She kept walking until she reached the back again, the aisle she’d left Shen Li in.

When she stepped behind the final row of shelves, her pace faltered.

Shen Li was awake.

The girl had moved the futon a little closer to the wall and now sat upright with her legs tucked under her.

A clean shirt, one Qingran had given her, was a bit too loose at the sleeves.

Her hair was damp from a quick clean-up using bottled water and a cloth and she had a blanket pulled around her shoulders.

A reused thermos sat nearby, still steaming faintly.

"You’re up.." Qingran said, surprised.

Shen Li looked over, her expression more alert than expected.

"Didn’t feel like sleeping anymore."

Qingran tilted her head. "Still dizzy?"

"Less now. Still feels like my bones are made of wet paper, but I’m not gonna faint on you."

Qingran crossed her arms, one brow arching.

"Bold of you to assume I’d catch you."

Shen Li grinned slightly.

"Please. You’d catch me and then scold me after."

Qingran snorted under her breath.

"Well you’re not wrong."

She sat down on a crate beside the futon and tapped the pocket on her side.

"The pills are done. Your blood worked better than I expected."

"That’s good... right?"

"It’s a relief.." Qingran said. "Anyone who shows signs would be given a pill."

Shen Li nodded slowly, her fingers tightening slightly around the warm thermos. "So... that’s it for today?"

"For the mutation, yeah." Qingran leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees.

Shen Li exhaled, her body sagging with quiet relief. "I’m glad."

"You should sleep, you know. They’ve had dinner. Even cleared the floor I didn’t think you’d still be awake."

"I wasn’t planning to be. But..." Shen Li’s voice trailed off, then she glanced sideways. "You were gone a while. Thought I’d just wait a bit.."

Qingran’s gaze softened slightly. She sighed, pulling another futon from her space and setting it down beside Shen Li’s.

"You didn’t have to wait," she murmured, kneeling to shake it open. "I told you not to wait up."

"I know," Shen Li said, tugging the blanket around her tighter. "But I wanted to."

Qingran didn’t answer. She fluffed the edge of the futon, peeled off her gloves, and finally sat down, letting out a long breath. Her limbs ached, her mind buzzed, but exhaustion was heavier than all of it.

She laid down, turned slightly away, and closed her eyes.

"...Qingran?"

A single eye cracked open. "Hm?"

"Do you ever get scared?"

Qingran stared at the ceiling for a second, then turned to look at Shen Li.

"Of what?"

"I don’t know... not making it. Or failing. Or... waking up one day and realizing everything you tried didn’t matter."

Qingran blinked slowly. "That’s three different fears."

"Okay, but they all count."

She sighed and rolled onto her back. "Of course I get scared. Anyone who says they aren’t is either lying or stupid."

Shen Li let out a small laugh. "You don’t seem scared."

"That’s because I don’t freeze when I am." Qingran yawned, eyes fluttering shut again. "I move. Even if I don’t know what I’m doing yet, I move."

There was a quiet moment, then Shen Li asked softly, "Do you think I did the right thing? Letting you take my blood?"

Qingran’s voice was muffled by the edge of her blanket. "If I didn’t, we wouldn’t have saved those three people. So yes."

"Okay..."

A beat passed.

"...Do you miss anyone?"

Qingran sighed heavily and flipped to her side to face Shen Li directly. "Do you plan on asking questions all night?"

"Maybe."

"You should sleep."

"I will. Just... one more."

Qingran squinted at her suspiciously. "That’s a lie."

Shen Li grinned again.

But her next question came quiet, small.

"...Do you think I’ll survive this?"

Qingran stared at her.

The shadows between the shelves were soft now. Only a faint lantern nearby glowed with amber warmth. The girl’s face was lit just enough for Qingran to see her eyes—open, earnest, and very much afraid beneath the bravado.

She didn’t answer with something gentle or hollow.

Instead, she said plainly, "If I’m alive, you’re alive."