She’s Fiercer Than Zombies - Chapter 50

The group settled into the conference room, their gazes fixed intently on Yin’s parents, hoping to glean useful information from them.

Yin’s parents looked at Yinxi with a mix of tenderness and complexity that others couldn’t quite decipher. Wringing their hands, they hesitated, unsure of how to begin.

“Uncle, when did you first realize something was wrong?” Qiao Gaogao asked anxiously.

If they hadn’t anticipated the situation early on, they wouldn’t have made so many preparations.

Yin’s father sighed deeply, his tone heavy as he looked at Yinxi. “When Xiao Yin was still young, a meteorite was suddenly discovered. At the time, we were called in to participate in the research. After extensive study, Xiao Yin’s mother and I discovered a unique substance in the meteorite that could regenerate hematopoietic stem cells. We were thrilled by this discovery.”

“Leukemia has always been a challenge we wanted to overcome, so we began researching how to use that substance to develop a drug to treat it.”

“So, initially, you just wanted to save lives?” Song Qingxu asked.

“Yes,” Yin’s father replied gravely. “But as time went on, things slowly changed. During the continuous experimentation, we gradually discovered another effect of the substance.”

He looked up, studying them carefully, his throat dry as he continued, “It accelerates the body’s metabolism and even generates new cells to replace aging ones. It can make the elderly appear increasingly younger and, to some extent, maintain the youth of younger individuals.”

“This…” The others widened their eyes in disbelief.

“You mean it can reverse aging and preserve youth?” Qiao Gaogao asked incredulously.

Yin’s father gave a bitter smile.

“You could say that, but nothing in this world comes without a cost. Birth, aging, illness, and death are natural laws. Attempting to defy them comes with unknown consequences.”

“Back then, we identified some unstable factors in the substance and advised against using it to maintain youth. However, we never expected that someone would take all our experimental data and secretly develop the project behind our backs.”

“Uncle Zhou?” Yinxi suddenly interjected.

Yin’s parents glanced at her, nodding with a hint of guilt. They blamed themselves for misjudging someone’s character and, worse, for involving her in the fallout.

“But why did the zombie virus outbreak happen on the same day?” Tang Jiu asked, puzzled.

“Perhaps you didn’t notice, but on the day of the outbreak, another meteorite fell. Its magnetic field triggered the unstable factors in the original substance,” Yin’s mother explained slowly. “To this day, we still don’t understand why the magnetic field of that meteorite had such a vast range, but the fact remains, it happened.”

Qiao Gaogao and the others were stunned. So, to some extent, the information initially released by the government was true?

“They were well aware of the substance’s instability, but the potential benefits it promised were unimaginable. Driven by greed, they were willing to take the risk. However, without the cooperation of me and Xiaoyin’s mother, many projects would grind to a halt. That’s why they secretly injected Xiaoyin with a reagent containing the special substance to force us into researching how to eliminate its instability.”

The young people exchanged thoughtful glances, each lost in their own reflections.

So, in the end, it was human greed that led to this tragedy.

Clearly, Xiaoyin’s parents understood that if they continued their research, they would become accomplices to this wrongdoing.

The company would never back down; they would only grow more relentless in their pursuit of profit.

That’s why they had turned to the biotech firm where they once worked. To convince their former boss that their claims were not baseless, they went to great lengths, ultimately establishing this research facility in an uninhabited zone.

“If you knew what was going to happen, why didn’t you tell your daughter? Why didn’t you even bring her here?” Qiao Gaogao pressed, her lips pressed tightly together.

At this question, Yinxi’s expression stiffened slightly, her gaze fixed intently on her parents.

Her parents exchanged a look, their eyes reddening simultaneously.

Suppressing her emotions, Yin’s mother explained, “We didn’t want to, but we had no choice. We didn’t know exactly when the disaster would strike. Xiaoyin had her own life to live, we couldn’t take away her freedom.”

If they had brought Yinxi back, she would have become an unpredictable variable. Even with their best efforts to mitigate the risks, they couldn’t guarantee she would escape the mutation and avoid turning into a mindless monster.

Bringing her back would have meant confining her, restricting her movements.

They couldn’t bear to do that.

She was their daughter, not their prisoner.

To protect her from being found by the Tai’an group, they didn’t dare reveal the truth to her.

Their explanation left Qiao Gaogao and the others in somber silence. Under such circumstances, no one could blame them.

“Xiaoyin, I hope you’ll stay and conduct the experiments here,” Yin’s father said, turning to Yinxi. “This place is fully equipped, and it’s sparsely populated. If anything goes wrong during the experiments, it won’t affect others.”

If they conducted the research at the base, the high population density would pose too great a risk.

Hearing this, the group exchanged glances. Qiao Muyi was still waiting for them to return.

Noticing their hesitation, Yin’s father sighed bitterly and ran a hand through his hair. “The equipment we use emits a certain level of radiation. We don’t want to relocate it to avoid affecting others.”

“Will it have any impact on Yinxi?” Qiao Gaogao immediately grew anxious upon hearing about the radiation.

This time, Yinxi’s parents finally gave Qiao Gaogao their full attention, studying her and then Yinxi, sensing that her concern went beyond ordinary bounds.

Under their intense gaze, Qiao Gaogao bit her lip, feeling flustered. Her ears turned faintly red, but her worry for Yinxi remained evident.

Seeing their focus on Gaogao, Yinxi’s cheeks also flushed slightly. She reached out and took Gaogao’s hand, murmuring softly, “Mom, Dad, this is my girlfriend, Qiao Gaogao.”

Hearing her senior declare their relationship so seriously, Qiao Gaogao immediately pursed her lips into a sweet, radiant smile, her gaze toward Yinxi sparkling with delight.

However, Yinxi’s parents froze in stunned silence, staring blankly at their daughter’s serene and joyful expression.

Had their daughter, whom they hadn’t seen in two years, fallen for a girl?

For some reason, Song Qingxu and the others nearby couldn’t help but feel amused by their expressions, finding the situation almost comical.

Why did it feel like the sky was falling?

Yin’s father hesitated, wanting to speak but holding back, clearly wrestling with his thoughts.

Yin’s mother, snapping out of her daze and seeing the genuine happiness on Yinxi’s face, didn’t say anything. She knew her daughter well, if Yinxi was this happy, she must truly be in love with that adorable-looking girl.

“Mom, Dad, I really do like her. When I turned into a zombie and couldn’t move well, she was the one protecting me and taking care of me,” Yinxi said, slightly embarrassed to be sharing such personal feelings in front of family and friends.

Yin’s father’s expression remained complicated, but he ultimately said nothing. Their daughter had always been sensible and independent since childhood. Once she set her heart on something, she would stick to it no matter what. Arguing would be pointless, so it was better to pretend nothing was amiss and let them be.

“Uncle, Aunt, you haven’t answered my question yet. Will the radiation have a big impact on Senior?” Qiao Gaogao asked timidly, biting her lip.

As soon as she spoke, everyone’s attention turned to her.

Wait, was she always this delicate?

Yinxi struggled to suppress the urge to smile, thinking how adorable Gaogao looked while pretending to be well-behaved. She just wanted to pull her into an embrace and kiss her.

“There will be some effects, but not too severe. We’ll make sure she’s well protected,” Yin’s mother reassured.

Even with their reassurance, Qiao Gaogao still seemed worried.

Yinxi squeezed her hand and said to her parents, “Alright, I’ll stay here then.”

“We’ll stay too!” Qiao Gaogao and the others quickly chimed in.

“Very well,” Yin’s parents nodded, feeling a sense of relief and gratitude that their daughter had so many sincere friends by her side.

In the days that followed, the group settled into the research institute. After sending word to Qiao Muyi and the others through official channels, they patiently awaited the results.

Staying there had its advantages all the researchers had already established a good working relationship with Yin’s parents, and there was no need to worry about relying on researchers from Tai’an if they returned.

Every day, Yinxi’s physical condition was closely monitored, and blood samples were taken to analyze the substances in her bloodstream.

The fact that she had retained consciousness after initially turning into a zombie and had evolved so rapidly back into a human form indicated that the substance Yin’s parents had injected into her earlier was effective, and their research direction was viable.

However, developing a suitable serum was no easy task. While they continued their research, the authorities outside had consolidated all surviving safe bases and launched a plan to eradicate the zombies.

Unfortunately, the zombies were growing increasingly powerful, and the eradication efforts were not progressing smoothly.

Half a year passed quickly. Although dangers still lurked outside, order had been restored within the safe base. As long as one didn’t leave the base, life had even returned, to some extent, to what it was before the zombie outbreak.

During this time, Qiao Gaogao and her companions had been entrusted to collaborate with the authorities in joint operations to eliminate some of the more formidable zombies. They even earned military honors for their efforts and were granted military ranks and positions.

Regarding this, they could only say that the authorities were still quite cunning.

Previously, some high-ranking officials had colluded with people from Tai’an, which had, to some extent, fueled Tai’an’s arrogance. However, as those individuals were gradually purged, the people from Tai’an, the main culprits behind the disaster were also brought under control, awaiting future accountability.

The world seemed to be moving in a better direction. Yet, after this catastrophe, the population had drastically declined, and it was uncertain how long it would take to rebuild.

But the future was no longer something they needed to worry about.

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