144: Sister Shen's new discovery

"Come in," Tian Ming said.

Shen Yuan pushed the door open, then walked in. Seeing Ji Ruping also there, she nodded to her.

Tian Ming said to Ji Ruping, "Just do as we agreed. You can go now."

"Alright, Boss," Ji Ruping replied and left.

After watching Ji Ruping leave, Shen Yuan stepped forward, "Boss, I'm back. So, did you miss me?"

"I missed you a lot."

The dead skin on Shen Yuan's face had completely peeled off, and her new skin was smoother and more delicate. She seemed to have become much prettier. However, she was wearing a hat, so the length of her hair couldn't be seen.

Regarding Tian Ming's response, Shen Yuan feigned displeasure and said, "You sound a bit perfunctory. I'm not the same as I used to be. Old Du even said my ability is second only to yours. This young lady is more than enough for you."

Tian Ming smiled, "Yes, yes, yes, I never said you weren't good enough for me. What was going on with you just now? You opened the door, then closed it and knocked again?"

Shen Yuan said with a grin, "When others are present, you are the Boss of the Shelter. I naturally have to uphold your prestige. As a subordinate, it's wrong to barge in without knocking."

"What about when no one is present?" Tian Ming asked with interest.

"That's different," Shen Yuan said mysteriously, tilting her head to look at Tian Ming. "Then I'm not your subordinate. When it's just the two of us, then we are..."

"Are what?"

Shen Yuan was a bit embarrassed and said, "Oh, anyway, it's not a superior-subordinate relationship. I heard all those mushy things you said next to me while I was unconscious."

It was Tian Ming's turn to be a bit awkward. He quickly waved his hand and said, "Alright, alright, when it's just the two of us, you can do whatever you want."

"Got it, Boss!"

Shen Yuan put away her smile and said seriously, "During this relocation, I stayed at the base over there for almost a week and discovered some things. I think these matters should be of great help to you, Boss."

"Oh?" Tian Ming raised an eyebrow and sat up straight. Shen Yuan sat down.

"Regarding the Corpse King, when we met Captain Xu Changsheng, you, Boss, said that their modified car couldn't carry much, so their purpose in coming to the city wasn't to collect supplies."

Tian Ming nodded slightly, "What was their purpose? Wouldn't asking Captain Xu Changsheng make it clear?"

"Oh, don't interrupt me. I was just getting to the exciting part."

Tian Ming smiled, "Alright, alright, you continue."

Shen Yuan nodded and continued, "I asked Captain Xu Changsheng what kind of mission he was on that day. He said he was going to catch someone, someone the leader told him to catch."

"Catching someone? Catching whom?" Tian Ming asked, puzzled.

"Captain Xu Changsheng said he didn't know, but he had a photo of that person, and this person was in the city and staying with mutated zombies," Shen Yuan said.

Tian Ming mused, "The photo, let me see it."

"Here it is." Shen Yuan pulled a photo out of her pocket and handed it to Tian Ming.

It was a black and white photo, very blurry. However, it was vaguely discernible that it was a woman. Even blurry, one could tell she was very beautiful.

Tian Ming took a look and was startled. The woman in the photo gave him a very familiar feeling.

Tian Ming asked, "This person, I feel a bit familiar. Where did this photo come from?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Yuan immediately asked, displeased, "Where have you seen her? This photo was given to Captain Xu Changsheng by the leader."

Tian Ming hesitated but still said with certainty, "I've seen her. In a dream, she told me, 'rules, broken,' and then turned into a zombie."

Shen Yuan was stunned, then slowly said, "I cleaned out that base leader's room and found a large number of electronic hand-drawn pictures on his computer. This woman was drawn by him. This leader, before he gained his ability, was a realistic electronic CG artist."

Tian Ming quickly asked, "Are there any other discoveries?"

"Yes, this leader had a female secretary who knew some things. Before he became the leader, when he went to collect supplies in the city, he saw that woman near the shopping mall's residential area. I guess this is one of the reasons Captain Xu Changsheng was assigned this mission."

Tian Ming fell silent. If this woman were fictional, the base leader wouldn't be so persistent in sending people to find her. Moreover, the woman's appearance was extremely similar to the one he had dreamt of.

Some things are better to believe than not. It's just a pity that the leader had already been killed by him. Getting information about this would be troublesome because the clue was broken.

"Boss?" Shen Yuan's voice pulled Tian Ming back from his contemplation.

Tian Ming then responded, "Don't bother with these matters anymore. That leader is dead. Even if this person truly exists, she won't be easy to find."

Shen Yuan nodded and said, "Boss, when I saw this woman, just her blurry image gave me a very strange feeling. I don't know why, but the leader's computer had many clear photos, yet only this blurry one could give me this feeling."

"What strange feeling?"

Shen Yuan pondered for a moment and said, "A feeling of awe, or perhaps fear."

"Alright, don't overthink it. I don't even have that feeling. Since you're back, get some good rest for two days. Our Shelter has so many more people, we'll be busy for a while again."

Shen Yuan nodded with a grin, "Okay! These past few days, I've learned many ways to use my ability. I can create many things myself, but my speed is much slower than yours."

"It's alright. With practice, you'll get faster and faster at this kind of thing."

Shen Yuan said with a bit of helplessness, "It's a pity, my replication ability can only replicate things that contain the elements I manipulate. And I've tried, one kilogram takes ten seconds, and the more complex the molecule, the slower the speed. You replicate instantly, sigh, in the end, I still envy you."

Seeing the little girl pouting and looking unhappy, Tian Ming reached out, pinched her cheek, and said, "Let's go. The building is completed. I'll take you to see it, and you can show off your ability?"

Shen Yuan nodded and said, "Okay!"