Chapter 69: A Strategic Detour for Supplies

Qiao Xia glanced down at his phone. Upon seeing the caller ID, he realized it was the Fat Police Officer he had met once before.

Previously, unaware of Liu Ge’s infection, Qiao Xia had taken him to the hospital, only for Liu Ge to injure someone and escape. The Fat Police Officer had then persistently staked out Qiao Xia, believing he was involved.

Fortunately, Qiao Xia’s ‘golden finger’ ability had provided an early warning, prompting him to call 110 directly, summoning the Fat Police Officer and the Square-jawed Police Officer. They had taken Liu Ge away once more.

Simultaneously, the unknown syringe found in Liu Ge’s pocket became yet another mystery for Qiao Xia.

What exactly was the mysterious liquid inside that syringe? And why did it allow Liu Ge to temporarily regain his sanity and control over his body?

Initially, Qiao Xia had only been concerned about Liu Ge’s illness, oblivious to the zombie virus outbreak.

Now, with the truth revealed, his curiosity had only intensified.

According to Duan Yulan’s explanation, the widespread zombie virus had no effective cure. The only solution was decapitation, a swift end to suffering.

Yet, that syringe was remarkably potent, capable of temporarily restoring a zombie’s consciousness. This led Qiao Xia to believe he might have stumbled upon a unique secret.

It felt like a special ‘Easter egg’ in a game, only appearing when certain conditions were met by a specific player.

Regrettably, however, just as Liu Ge, temporarily lucid, was about to reveal the answer, the Fat Police Officer’s sudden tackle had interrupted him.

Recalling this, Qiao Xia gestured to Duan Yulan before answering the call.

“Qiao Xia, the syringe’s test results are back. It’s a hospital tranquilizer.”

This time, unlike before, the Fat Police Officer didn’t cut off his explanation. Despite a hint of panic in his voice, he delivered the complete answer to Qiao Xia.

With this, one mystery could be struck from Qiao Xia’s mental list, clearing space for the next enigma to emerge.

For some reason, Qiao Xia couldn’t shake the feeling that his mind would soon be entirely occupied by Duan Yulan. ‘Being too mysterious isn’t good either!’ he thought.

‘Isn’t this just going to make me, the curious one, constantly revolve around Duan Yulan?’

“So, it was a tranquilizer!”

Qiao Xia felt his thoughts veering into dangerous territory, his mind inexplicably filled with Duan Yulan. He quickly shook his head, casting those thoughts aside to focus on the call with the Fat Police Officer.

Liu Ge’s tranquilizer likely came from the unfortunate doctor whose neck he had bitten. Alas, even a tranquilizer could only provide temporary control, not a lasting solution.

Otherwise, that doctor wouldn’t have met such a dismal fate. Even if he were still alive now, he would have to contend with the full-blown zombie apocalypse.

“Qiao Xia, do you know any adults who are particularly skilled in combat?”

“???”

Just as Qiao Xia was pondering the unlucky doctor, the Fat Police Officer’s voice rang out from the other end of the line. Hearing this, Qiao Xia’s face involuntarily creased with a question mark, unsure what the officer meant by the query.

‘Skilled adults? Would a female student who can sever a head with a single strike count?’ he mused.

“A few days ago, some chaos erupted in U City, and the police station experienced issues as well. The prisoners held in the detention cells escaped during the confusion, trapping us inside the cells. I need someone to help us retrieve the spare key to open the door and get us out of here.”

Although Qiao Xia didn’t speak immediately, the Fat Police Officer anticipated his question and quickly offered an explanation. Hearing this, Qiao Xia’s mouth twitched involuntarily. He hadn’t expected such an incident to occur at the police station.

No wonder he hadn’t seen a single police officer when zombies were biting people in the streets. They had all been locked up.

However, even with the Fat Police Officer’s plea, Qiao Xia didn’t know anyone else who could help. Among his acquaintances, only Liu Ge, the underground boxer, was formidable. Aside from Zhou Li, the only other person by his side was the mysterious Duan Yulan.

But they were preparing to leave U City. If they rushed to the police station, even if Duan Yulan was incredibly powerful, Qiao Xia feared it would delay their escape. A single missile strike could spell ‘GG’ for them.

If it were a simple matter, Qiao Xia wouldn’t hesitate. However, in this race against time, with no personal gain, he wasn’t willing to jeopardize his own safety for others.

Teachers like Ye Qiu, who would sacrifice their lives for students, were simply too rare.

“Officer, to be honest, the situation outside is extremely dangerous. The entire U City has descended into chaos. Those red-eyed patients are attacking people everywhere, and the injured quickly turn into red-eyed monsters, just like in a zombie movie. I just barely managed to sneak out of school and encountered many red-eyed patients.”

The Fat Police Officer was shrewd. Hearing Qiao Xia’s words, he didn’t hesitate for a moment. Reflecting on what the police station could offer, he immediately made a decisive promise: ‘Everything, we’ll give everything!’

‘Whatever they want, as long as they can save us, we’ll give it!’

“If someone can come and rescue us, you can take any firearms and vehicles from the police station. Even if there’s an investigation later, I’ll take full responsibility.”

It wasn’t that the Fat Police Officer was being reckless or not considering the consequences. It was simply that every number he dialed on his contact list went unanswered. Calls made outside U City were all out of service.

Within the city, Qiao Xia was the only one who had picked up. Hearing Qiao Xia’s description of the situation, and recalling the frenzied behavior of the red-eyed criminals during the earlier police station riot, the Fat Police Officer could no longer imagine the extent of the chaos outside.

In such dire circumstances, the only compensation the Fat Police Officer could think of was the police station’s firearms and vehicles, hoping it would entice someone to help open the detention cell’s iron door.

“Take anything, you say? Officer, I happen to have a very capable person with me. Please hold on a little longer; we’ll be right there!”

When Qiao Xia heard the words ‘firearms’ and ‘vehicles,’ his eyes immediately lit up. It was truly a case of ‘a pillow appearing when one was sleepy.’

He had been fretting over how to acquire weapons and transportation, and now, the Fat Police Officer’s call had delivered them both. Although the process would be a bit troublesome, considering what he stood to gain, Qiao Xia felt it was incredibly worthwhile!

Therefore, without the slightest hesitation he had shown moments before, Qiao Xia immediately agreed to the Fat Police Officer’s request. Indeed, in the face of enticing rewards, all dangers receded into the background.

Despite the Fat Police Officer finding it rather unreliable for a student like Qiao Xia to make such a grand promise, at this stage, he had no other option but to trust him. With a sense of unease, he hung up the phone, awaiting Qiao Xia and his rescuer.

“Duan Yulan, we need weapons and transportation to leave U City. The police station happens to have them, so we’ll need to make a trip.”

“Understood. I’ll follow your lead.”