Chapter Twenty-One: Internal Strife

The research team leader, Guan Ling, was dying and undergoing a mutation.

His consciousness was fading, making it difficult for him to process external stimuli. The mutation was likely not caused by excessive exposure to a contamination source, but rather by his will to resist the corruption weakening as his body collapsed. Of course, it was also possible that his survival instinct had driven him to embrace the contamination voluntarily.

Qi An had seen many critically ill or injured people in hospitals who, having lost hope in human recovery, opted to mutate instead. Some succeeded, but many others had bodies too broken to withstand the violent process, leading to agonizing deaths.

The "Contaminated" were managed under a religious structure, with their supreme leader known as the "Source Priest." Since there was a priest, there must be a deity behind them. Dying people would pray to this dark god, sacrificing their souls for a chance to live... It was hard to blame them; Qi An felt it was merely an instinct for survival.

"The gunshot wound itself isn't fatal; it didn't hit his spleen. But because it wasn't treated in time, a severe infection has triggered sepsis." Su Qingran’s sharp, beautiful eyes looked toward Yang Yuning. She didn't say anything harsh, likely remembering the tragic state of his vehicle.

"Can he be saved?" Yang Yuning, gripped by visible shame and anxiety, asked urgently without waiting for a rebuke.

"I can't guarantee it." Su Qingran was blunt. She didn't stop her work, however, opening a field medical kit and pulling out a debridement knife. "I need to purify him first. If these granulations don't stop growing, there's no way to treat him."

Qi An sat at the head of the bed. "I'll attempt the purification."

Su Qingran nodded, and the two exchanged a look of mutual trust.

The incoherent murmurs of the patient in the room gradually turned into agonizing screams as the sterilization and debridement began. Yu Shuang, unable to stomach the sound, stepped outside. Zhao Bohan appeared from nowhere and pulled her into the woods.

"There’s a military tablet in Yang Yuning's car. No signs of damage, it has power, and it boots up," he whispered.

Yu Shuang was startled. "You went into his car to snoop?"

"I did." Zhao Bohan felt no shame. He had spotted the tablet before taking it, solely to verify Yang Yuning's identity and the truth of his claims. "The sandstorm has stopped, and communications are fully restored. If his tablet has power, he should be able to contact his base."

Yu Shuang understood. If Yang Yuning truly belonged to Northern Base 1, with its powerful, centralized command, they would have quickly located any nearby teams on missions and issued orders for them to support him. They were only separated from this cabin by a river; they should have received such an order.

Instead, they had stumbled upon him by pure accident. Was the tablet’s communication module broken? Had all of Yang Yuning's channels failed? Was he too busy hunting his mutated teammate to contact his base? Or was it that he had no intention of contacting them, or perhaps, had no base left to contact?

The two exchanged a grave look.

"Lure him out. I suspect he’s quite capable, but with Jiu and Guan Ling here, we can interrogate him properly. He’ll talk," Yu Shuang decided.

Luring Yang Yuning out wasn't difficult. Yu Shuang simply called out to him, "Comrade, a wild dog got into your car! Damn it, it took a dump in there!"

Yang Yuning, guarding the cabin door, was taken aback. "What?"

As he instinctively took two steps outward, Jiu appeared silently behind him. The boy moved without a trace, and though he was already close, Yang Yuning sensed something, chambering a round in his pistol and spinning around sharply. Jiu, who had put his tactical mask back on, remained expressionless as he faced the muzzle.

Yu Shuang stood up from beside the car and pointed at the tablet, which was partially hidden by clutter between the front seats. "I was mistaken, your car is fine. Comrade, can your fingerprint unlock this tablet?"

Yang Yuning’s thick brows furrowed, and he remained silent.

After a moment, Yu Shuang's smile vanished. She said to Zhao Bohan, "Report this to our base. Ask them to contact Northern Base 1 and run a check on this man, Yang Yuning."

Qi An, having just finished the grueling task of purifying the delirious man, was stunned. The atmosphere grew heavy. Jiu stepped forward, and Su Qingran, having just finished clearing the granulation tissue, glanced outside.

Yang Yuning spoke up: "If it’s a private communicator, you can do that. But if Central Base 3 issues an inquiry to Northern Base 1, the specific rescue operation will likely fall into the hands of my commanding officer."

The statement shocked everyone present. Yu Shuang realized the implication and asked uncertainly, "Your commanding officer... won't save you?"

Yang Yuning reached out, signaling for the tablet. Yu Shuang hesitated but handed it over. Yang Yuning turned it on and successfully unlocked it with his fingerprint.

"I cannot connect to the Starlink network; it risks exposing my location. There were fifteen of us on this mission—researchers and military guards. We weren't attacked by 'Falling Bugs'—it was a betrayal and assassination by our own team members! This assassination is definitely linked to my commander. I’m not sure how deep it goes."

Yang Yuning’s voice was cold, yet he looked at Yu Shuang with a plea. "Once Professor Guan wakes up, you can use his testimony to corroborate mine."

Yu Shuang’s head was spinning, as was everyone else's from Team 2. Qi An, recalling the latter part of Yang Yuning’s memories, felt a sense of realization. In those memories, he had been hiding from the sandstorm in a ruined house with his teammates when gunfire erupted. He had been horrified—not because of an enemy, but because his own people were the ones pulling the triggers.

Qi An now believed Yang Yuning was indeed a soldier from Northern Base 1, but she was alarmed that they had accidentally become entangled in an internal power struggle. What was Professor Guan researching? Was the betrayal aimed at the research team or the security detail?

"...Saving one life is worth more than building a seven-story pagoda. We will help treat Professor Guan, and we’ll spare some supplies for Comrade Yang," Yu Shuang said with a forced laugh, stepping back. They would go their separate ways after this; there was no need to meet again. Their own team had enough trouble of their own—how could they possibly get involved in the affairs of Northern Base 1?

But Su Qingran whispered to Qi An, "I can only provide emergency treatment. Antibiotics and nutrient solution won't save him; they only delay the infection and keep him alive. He needs a hospital."

Though whispered, everyone present had enhanced hearing and heard her clearly. Zhao Bohan realized this as well, and the atmosphere grew tense and silent once more.

"Professor Guan is an expert in nuclear physics. He must not die," Yang Yuning stated firmly.

Nuclear physics! Qi An’s education was limited; despite her efforts to learn at the base, she had only been studying for three years, mostly focusing on basic life skills and survival. But she vaguely knew that nuclear physics was the field of energy.

It matched the first memory fragment Yang Yuning had shown. As a primary energy source, "Bug Oil" had endless drawbacks, and new energy technology was essential. In the twenty years since the apocalypse, humanity had retreated into bases, losing almost all access to fire, water, and wind power. Without energy, there was nothing. This gray-haired Professor Guan, who had met them by chance on a starlit night, dying and weak—was he actually the hope for new energy?