Su Jin’s voice sounded somewhat hoarse as she said heavily, “Three days ago, we were surrounded by mutants. Among them was a Level 7 psychic mutant. To cover our retreat, Captain Lou chose to perish with the mutants.”
Jiang Chuan was deeply shocked. A Level 7 mutant! He was only Level 5 himself.
Moreover, mutants were different from zombies. They parasitized living humans, possessing all the memories and thoughts of their hosts. They were intelligent, cunning, and expert at hiding. Once a person turned into a mutant, they were no longer who they used to be; even towards family, lovers, or friends, they would kill without hesitation. Because mutants were extremely bloodthirsty, they had only one goal: to kill humans.
For Lou Lihan to be able to cover the team and vehicle convoy while surrounded by a Level 7 mutant was truly formidable. He deserved his reputation as one of the first powerhouses to awaken in the apocalypse. Jiang Chuan sighed inwardly; it was such a pity that Lou Lihan had died this way. He wondered how heartbroken Sister Xun would be, as he had heard before the apocalypse that she was deeply in love with him.
Lou Lihan was currently floating in the air. He knew he had died three days ago because he had seen his own lifeless body. For some reason, however, his soul had not dissipated immediately. Yet, he could feel that as time passed, his soul was growing weaker and weaker; in a few days, it would likely vanish completely.
Lou Lihan’s gaze fell on Zhaoxun. Seeing that she was clean and unharassed put his mind at ease. As long as Xiaoxun is fine. In his heart, Xiaoxun was his little sister. He hoped she would reach the central base safely. With Commander Chu and Muhuan there, even without abilities, her life would not be difficult.
Zhaoxun heard Su Jin’s words, her beautiful brows furrowing with a serious expression.
“Where is his body?”
Su Jin replied: “It is in a teammate’s spatial storage. Captain Lou died for us, and we must bring his remains back to the base.” At the very least, his family deserved to see him one last time.
Zhaoxun said: “Bring it out. I want to see.”
She pondered that it had been three days since Lou Lihan’s death; she didn’t know the extent of the damage to his body or if his soul had dissipated. If it hadn’t, she might find a way to resurrect him.
Su Jin knew Zhaoxun was deeply infatuated with Lou Lihan, so she wasn’t surprised by the request. She looked at another female member of the team. “Chen Yi, release Captain Lou from your space storage so Miss Chu can have a look.”
Chen Yi, with a cold expression, disliked the “vase” Chu Zhaoxun. Despite this, she reluctantly released the body of Lou Lihan that she had been storing.
Zhaoxun stepped forward, crouched down, and carefully observed Lou Lihan’s physical state, her fingers brushing over his body. His remains were well-preserved; despite looking disheveled, covered in blood, and bearing countless wounds, his cold, sharp, and handsome features were still visible. His fatal wound was a fist-sized hole in his heart; she could confirm he was thoroughly dead.
Had it been anyone else, Zhaoxun certainly wouldn’t have spent the effort to save them. But Lou Lihan was the person Chu Zhaoxun had cared about most before she died.
Zhaoxun pondered with narrowed eyes. To the others, her behavior looked like extreme grief.
Jiang Chuan comforted her: “Sister Xun, don’t be too sad. If Lou Lihan’s spirit is watching from above, he would be heartbroken to see you like this.”
Lou Lihan was indeed thinking exactly that. “Xiaoxun, don’t be sad. I died protecting my teammates and killed a mutant that threatened humanity; I am proud. I have always treated you as a little sister; you will meet others in the future. I hope you find happiness.”
Unfortunately, not a single person heard his words.
Chen Yi had always idolized Lou Lihan, and at this moment, she couldn’t help but lash out: “Our Captain’s death was caused by Chu Zhaoxun! If she hadn’t insisted on having the Captain personally pick her up, the Captain wouldn’t have died!”
Jiang Chuan didn’t like the sound of that. Hey, what kind of person dares to badmouth Sister Xun!
“What does this have to do with Sister Xun! How do you know Lou Lihan wouldn’t have died if he hadn’t made this trip? What if the mutant was aiming for him all along? Whether he came to pick up Sister Xun or not, the mutants would have killed him!”
Chen Yi became even angrier. “Who are you? Calling her ‘Sister Xun’ every other breath—do you like Chu Zhaoxun, or are you just eyeing the fact that she has a commander for a grandfather?”
“Chu Zhaoxun lives so comfortably in the apocalypse only because she has protection from an ability user like you. You say she loves the Captain deeply, yet she’s clearly entangled with you. Look at her—clean and well-fed, while our Captain is covered in blood and will never wake up again!”
Jiang Chuan was so angry he laughed. Sister Xun would live well even without me. But if I hadn’t met Sister Xun, I might already be dead in the hands of zombies!
Just as he was about to retort, Su Jin gave Chen Yi a cold look. “Enough! Apologize to Miss Chu!”
Chen Yi stubbornly remained silent.
Su Jin: “Are you going to defy orders?”
As soon as the word “orders” was uttered, Chen Yi looked at her in disbelief. This was actually an order? It wasn’t related to the mission; it was just because she was dissatisfied with Chu Zhaoxun and spoke a few words, yet Deputy Captain Su forced her to apologize. Is it just because Chu Zhaoxun has a good grandfather and a good brother?
Su Jin continued to stare at her. Chen Yi, feeling resentful, looked at Chu Zhaoxun, gritted her teeth, and said word by word:
“I am sorry, Miss Chu.”
Zhaoxun’s expression remained indifferent, and she ignored her. She turned her wrist, and a deep red bead appeared in her hand. She then stuffed it into Lou Lihan’s mouth.
Su Jin immediately furrowed her brows.
“Miss Chu, what are you doing?”
She immediately stood in front of Lou Lihan’s body and grabbed Zhaoxun’s wrist. Zhaoxun moved slightly, and Su Jin’s hand was shaken off. Su Jin’s pupils constricted.
How is this possible? How could Zhaoxun break free from my control? What was that thing she put in Captain Lou’s mouth?
Su Jin’s expression shifted, and she immediately said:
“Be on guard!”
Instantly, the members of the Dawn Rescue Team shifted into combat positions, surrounding Zhaoxun.
Zhaoxun frowned.
“What do you think you are doing?”
Su Jin watched her defensively, her eyes cold.
“You are a mutant!”
“What are you trying to do? Destroy Captain Lou’s remains?!”
When these words were spoken, Zhang Yuan and Jiang Qing were terrified, subconsciously stepping back a few paces. Jiang Chuan stood in front of Zhaoxun without hesitation.
“Deputy Captain Su, what kind of nonsense are you spouting? I know mutants are cunning and powerful, but you cannot slander my Sister Xun! On this journey, I have been following Sister Xun the whole time; she cannot be a mutant!”
As he finished speaking, Qilin jumped out of the car window and landed on Zhaoxun’s shoulder, a pair of cat eyes staring fiercely at Su Jin and the others.
Su Jin did not lose her suspicion.
“Jiang Chuan? I recognize you. You are Jiang He’s older brother, and you have awakened an ability. Not bad.”
“But mutants are extremely cunning. The mutation from human to mutant takes very little time; you might not even notice her change. If she isn’t a mutant, how could she, an ordinary person without awakened abilities, possess such strength just now?”