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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter Sixty: The Project
An Zheng deliberately closed the sliding door of the kitchen, leaned against the wall, and after a long pause, slowly said, "Su Lan and I are colleagues, but she shouldn't be here. If we are talking about the same person, it means something must have gone wrong on our end."
"Colleagues? From her outfit, she doesn't look like a doctor," Ming Junwei said as he swiftly sliced a carrot on the cutting board, not bothering to look back.
"We..." An Zheng bit her lip, hesitating. "I can't explain too much. Can you take me to find her?"
"Dr. An, I think there are some things you should tell us," Ming Junwei said seriously as he set down his work. "We need to trust each other, don't we?"
An Zheng lowered her head in silence. After a moment of hesitation, she whispered, "I suspect... those people from Power Station are looking for me."
"Looking for you?" Ming Junwei asked cautiously. "Is it related to Zombies?"
"Yes." An Zheng nodded, looking into his eyes as she softly said, "The organization I belong to is not a regular hospital."
"Why are they looking for you?" Ming Junwei pondered, fragments of thoughts swirling in his mind.
An Zheng avoided Ming Junwei's gaze, her words filled with helplessness. "I'm not sure; it should be related to research data." She paused for a moment, seemingly making up her mind, and gritted her teeth. "Xiao Ming, what I'm about to tell you must be kept confidential. Not even Jiang He can know, okay?"
"Why keep it from them?"
"They're still young; I don't want to drag them into this."
"Actually, most of the people in this house are already involved in the trouble you're talking about, aren't they?"
Ming Junwei pulled the window open just a crack, picked up a dry twig, and reached under the stove to light it. Using the flickering flame, he lit a cigarette. "To be honest, we had some guesses before, and now it seems we were not far off."
"Oh? Like what?" An Zheng asked with a smile, intrigued.
"Like your identity. You're not an ordinary doctor; your work seems to be similar to that of Old Bai and the others. You must have a common leader," Ming Junwei thought for a moment and added, "You've always wanted to go to the capital; your purpose should be to convey some kind of information, right?"
"Pretty much." An Zheng didn't change the subject this time and openly admitted Ming Junwei's assessment. "The organization I belong to is responsible for developing the Vaccine; we are part of the National Center for Disease Control and Prevention."
"Oh? I remember you left the city with Jiang He and the others. Is that Research Center located in the city?" Ming Junwei was not surprised by An Zheng's identity; it aligned with his previous guesses.
"Yes, we are the first pilot project nationwide, and because we are located at the source of the disease, our resources are all firsthand." An Zheng's breathing quickened; making this decision was not easy. "But suddenly all communication lines were cut off, and our logistical support disappeared, so we had to halt our research experiments. I brought the core data to the capital."
Ming Junwei nodded as he listened but questioned, "What is this core data? Has the Vaccine been developed?"
"Of course not," An Zheng replied with a bitter smile. "We only made some breakthroughs. If we continue to dig deeper based on that foundation, we will definitely find answers."
"I have a question," Ming Junwei flicked the cigarette butt into the stove. "Logically speaking, an organization like yours should have heavy security protection, right? Even if communication is cut off and data needs to be transmitted manually, shouldn't there be troops coordinating for protection? You’re just one woman, and you brought a child—doesn't that seem a bit reckless?"
An Zheng's expression darkened as she responded, "You're right, but that's just how it is. The hospital initially had Garrison protection, but later withdrew for various reasons. At that time, our research site hadn't made any progress, so it didn't attract attention from above."
"I'm a bit confused. Didn't you say you were the first pilot project?" Ming Junwei couldn't understand An Zheng's meaning.
An Zheng paused for a moment before realizing his confusion and explained, "I didn't clarify well. When I said first pilot project, I meant it's the first city where the project was implemented."
"Project implementation?" Ming Junwei became increasingly puzzled but seemed to have an inkling of something.
An Zheng pursed her lips, looking into his eyes as she said, "What a coincidence, aren't you the procurement manager of that company?"
"Ah? Yes..."
"You mentioned this at the toll station that night. Do you remember the scientists who died in your lab?" A hint of sorrow flickered in An Zheng's gaze.
Ming Junwei stared blankly and thought to himself, 'No way!'
"They were the first team, and we were the second. We were supposed to enter the lab the next day, but something happened that night." Seeing him still pondering her words, An Zheng continued, "Now do you understand? The so-called first pilot was only because the project happened to be implemented in the city first. We were all following this project. After the incident, we received orders to stand by, so we were closely protected in the hospital by the coordinating forces. During those days when the entire city fell, we knew nothing. Later, a few soldiers returned and told us everything, and they helped us set up a lab in the hospital."
Ming Junwei finally grasped the situation, staring at An Zheng in shock. "So you're saying that those who entered our factory lab were carrying the Infected Virus?!"
"No, they were already carriers of the virus." An Zheng casually dropped a bombshell: "Those scientists and researchers intended to operate on themselves for examination in your lab."
"What???!!!" For the first time, Ming Junwei felt his mind was a bit overwhelmed.
"They carried the fourth phase Vaccine. The experiment was supposed to be just a final adjustment, but unexpectedly..."
"Wait, wait, wait!!" Ming Junwei quickly interrupted, speaking slowly and deliberately. "Are you saying that those people were infected with the virus before entering the lab? And then they intended to use the already researched Vaccine to detoxify themselves???"
"That's one way to understand it." An Zheng shrugged her shoulders, her complexion gradually returning to a healthy hue. It seemed that revealing these secrets was also a form of relief for her.
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