116: Chapter 116 Ma Chao Admits His Mistake and Returns to the Team? Half a Bottle of Black Liquid is the Real Apology

On the steps behind the Library, Lin Yuan did not move.

The night wind blew across the sports field, bringing with it the smell of burnt plastic and blood.

He only asked one question.

"Price?"

There was a half-second pause on the other end of the headset.

Liu Qing reacted immediately.

The sound of typing rang out.

She replied in Lin Yuan's tone.

[We can talk.]

[State your chips first.]

The other end of the screen went silent.

In the B1 server room, Liu Qing stared at the blinking cursor, her eyes behind her thick glasses not daring to blink.

She had set up three layers of bait ports.

Yet the other party was like someone standing at the doorway.

Not coming in.

Not leaving either.

A few seconds later.

A new message popped up.

[Three days later.]

[I will give Mr. Lin Yuan a chip he cannot refuse.]

Immediately after, the probe withdrew.

All abnormal traffic was cleared.

Liu Qing immediately initiated a counter-trace.

Seventeen nodes lit up simultaneously, then extinguished at the same time.

She bit her lower lip, her hands typing even faster.

Thirty seconds later.

[Target lost]

Liu Qing sat in her chair, her throat moving.

"Boss Lin."

"I lost the trace."

Her voice was somewhat dejected.

"Before the apocalypse, no one I had marked could ever escape."

"Even if it was the world's number one hacker, I could still find their springboard."

"But this person is different."

"They don't seem to be using the network."

"It's more like... they reached in, finished writing, and then pulled their hand back out."

Lin Yuan watched the students repairing the wall in the distance.

"Create a fake vulnerability."

"Make them think they can get in."

"But they can only enter the places you let them into."

Liu Qing steadied her breathing.

"Understood."

Su Xiaonuan's voice cut in.

"Boss Lin, are you not coming back yet?"

"Not for now."

Lin Yuan stood up and patted the dust off his pant legs.

"There are still things at Jiang University."

Su Xiaonuan did not press further.

She only said, "I will guard our home well."

Lin Yuan gave an affirmative hum.

The communication cut off.

He stood behind the Library.

This sanctuary of Jiang University was more valuable than he had imagined.

Chu Feng was a debtor.

Bai Jingchen was a suspected player.

As for the other students.

Those who were useful would be taken back to Tiangong No. 1.

Those who were not would be left to continue consuming zombies at Jiang University.

In the apocalypse, living people were also a resource.

Footsteps came from behind.

Fang Xiaoxiao walked over holding a short crossbow.

She saw Lin Yuan standing alone under the steps and frowned.

"Are you really not afraid of death?"

Lin Yuan turned back.

His face still wore that honest look.

"Can't sleep."

Fang Xiaoxiao fished out half a piece of compressed biscuit from her pocket and handed it over.

The edges of the biscuit were crushed.

"Eat it."

"You'll get used to it."

Lin Yuan took it.

"Thank you."

Fang Xiaoxiao waved her hand.

"That makes me sound like I'm running a charity."

She sat on the edge of the steps, placing the short crossbow on her knees.

"You're lucky today."

"If Ma Chao had really branded you an insider, at the very least you would have been locked in the basement."

Lin Yuan lowered his head and took a bite of the biscuit.

It was very hard.

It hurt his teeth.

"Does he hate me?"

Fang Xiaoxiao smiled.

"He hates everyone who makes me take a second look."

"Don't take it to heart."

Lin Yuan looked at her.

Fang Xiaoxiao was very ordinary.

No Superpower fluctuations.

Her appearance didn't meet the system's standards either.

But her temperament was stable, her execution was strong, she could lead a team, and she could save people.

Useful.

But she couldn't enter the core circle.

Fang Xiaoxiao felt a bit uncomfortable being looked at by him.

"What are you looking at?"

Lin Yuan lowered his head.

"Nothing."

Fang Xiaoxiao stood up.

"Go back to sleep."

"We have to work tomorrow."

Lin Yuan nodded and followed her toward the equipment room.

At the end of the corridor.

The Corpse Cleanup Team dragged three body bags past.

Suddenly, one of the body bags twitched.

A member of the cleanup team swung a sledgehammer, smashing it into the head of the body bag.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

Black blood flowed out from the opening of the bag.

Fang Xiaoxiao didn't look back.

Neither did Lin Yuan.

Early the next morning.

A long line formed at the canteen entrance.

Everyone got half a bowl of thin porridge.

Those who stood guard got an extra small piece of pickled vegetables.

Those repairing the wall got an extra half of a steamed bun.

Lin Yuan queued behind Search and Rescue Team 3.

Fatty held his bowl and sniffed it.

"The consistency of the porridge is pretty good today."

Skinny glanced at him.

"Your definition of 'pretty good' is getting lower and lower."

Fatty said seriously, "If you can see your face reflected in it, it's water; if you can't, it's porridge."

"Very scientific."

Fang Xiaoxiao couldn't be bothered to pay attention to them.

Just then.

A stench of corpses drifted in from the doorway.

Several people covered their noses.

Ma Chao had returned.

His clothes were covered in black blood.

Bits of flesh were stuck to the soles of his shoes.

His complexion was terrible.

The area under his eyes was dark.

The Corpse Cleanup Team wasn't as simple as just a punishment.

You had to move corpses.

You had to smash heads.

You had to dig out crystal cores.

You also had to confirm if infected people were faking death.

If you weren't careful, you would get bitten.

Ma Chao walked up to Fang Xiaoxiao.

He lowered his head.

"Xiaoxiao."

"I was wrong yesterday."

The canteen quieted down a bit.

Ma Chao turned to Lin Yuan.

"Boss Lin."

"I'm sorry."

"My jealousy got the better of me, and I almost got you killed."

"I shouldn't have pushed you."

He fished out a small piece of dried meat from his bosom.

The dried meat was wrapped in a dirty cloth.

It was obvious he had hidden it the whole way.

"This is my reward for today."

"I'm giving it to you as an apology."

Fatty raised an eyebrow.

"Yo, did the sun crawl out of a corpse pit?"

Skinny didn't laugh.

He looked at Ma Chao, his eyes complex.

Ma Chao gritted his teeth and kept his head lowered.

"I want to return to Search and Rescue Team 3."

"I've done my time in the Corpse Cleanup Team."

"I know I was wrong."

"From now on, I will follow orders."

"Xiaoxiao, you're the captain, you have the authority to transfer me back."

Fang Xiaoxiao didn't respond.

She looked at the wound on the back of Ma Chao's hand.

"Were you scratched?"

Ma Chao immediately said, "It didn't break the skin."

"It was just scratched by a bone in the body bag."

"Brother Bai has already checked it."

Fang Xiaoxiao was silent.

Fatty and Skinny exchanged a glance.

They were too familiar with this routine.

Cause trouble.

Apologize.

Play the victim.

Then cause trouble again.

It was a recurring loop.

Ma Chao looked up, his eyes red.

"Xiaoxiao."

"You can't just throw me into a pile of corpses because I made one mistake."

"We grew up together."

Fang Xiaoxiao's hand holding the bowl paused.

Lin Yuan stood to the side, not saying a word.

He covered Ma Chao with his Mental Energy.

His heart rate was fast.

His breathing was erratic.

But it wasn't fear.

It was suppressed excitement and hatred.

Fang Xiaoxiao finally sighed.

"You can come back."

"But starting today, you take orders from Fatty."

"If you mess up again, I will personally send you to Brother Bai."

Ma Chao nodded immediately.

"Okay."

"I'll listen."

Fatty's mouth twitched.

"Wait, why do I have to take the fall?"

Skinny patted him.

"The capable do more work."

Fatty looked at Ma Chao.

"Go take a shower first."

"With that smell on you, even a zombie would say it's too pungent."

Someone in the canteen laughed out loud.

Ma Chao laughed along.

He handed the dried meat to Lin Yuan.

"Boss Lin, please accept it."

"Consider it my apology."

Lin Yuan looked at that piece of dried meat.

He didn't take it.

"I'm not hungry."

Ma Chao's expression stiffened for a moment.

He awkwardly withdrew the dried meat and said in a low voice, "It's fine."

"Maybe next time."

After he finished speaking, he turned and went to the washroom.

The moment he turned his back, his face darkened.

That day.

Jiang University continued to repair the wall.

After the official forces retreated, the number of zombies in the vicinity began to increase.

Chu Feng led people to clear the streets outside the east gate.

Bai Jingchen did not make an appearance.

Lin Yuan moved sandbags like an ordinary newcomer.

He didn't vie for credit.

He didn't stand out.

He only observed.

Jiang University's granary was in the basement of the canteen.

The medicine was in the archives.

Weapons were scattered at three points.

Chu Feng's core team had thirteen people.

Among them were four Awakened Ones, whose abilities were average.

But the order was still relatively stable.

After nightfall.

The Corpse Cleanup Team set out again.

Ma Chao was also in the team.

After finishing this batch today, he would be able to return to Fang Xiaoxiao's team.

He was wearing a raincoat and a mask, following two other people as they dragged the body bags to the incineration pit behind the sports field.

The fire wasn't lit.

Diesel had to be saved.

They could only open the skulls to retrieve the crystal cores first.

The sledgehammer came down.

The skull cracked open.

Black blood splattered onto Ma Chao's cuff.

The person next to him cursed, "Hurry up, don't dawdle."

Ma Chao lowered his head.

"I know."

Taking advantage of the moment the person turned around, he slid a small plastic bottle from his cuff into his palm.

He brought the mouth of the bottle close to the infected person's gums.

He flicked it with the tip of his knife.

Black viscous liquid dripped into it along the groove of the knife.

One drop.

Two drops.

Three drops.

The bottle was very small.

Soon, it was half full.

The black liquid inside writhed against the bottle wall.

It looked alive.