Apocalypse: the Most Ruthless Person

“Please go ahead, Mr. Zhang.”

Fu Weijun saw Zhang Su and the others walk into the room. Without turning his head, he continued with his work, tugging at the toe of a Petrified Skin Zombie with tweezers.

Without Zhang Su leading the way, usually only Duan Wuhu was allowed into this place. It was Chen Hanzhou’s first time observing a live zombie up close with such clarity that it made him frown.

“Dr. Fu, please stop for a moment, we’ve encountered a situation!”

Zhang Su said after shutting the door.

“Hmm?” Fu Weijun sat up straight, placed the tweezers beside the zombie’s foot, and asked, “Mr. Zhang, who is this?”

“Let me introduce you, Xiaochen, Chen Hanzhou, a fighter who’s been with our team since we broke out from Qin City. He was a student at the Technical Institute before.”

Zhang Su gave a brief introduction.

“Hello, Dr. Fu.” Chen Hanzhou courteously extended his left hand.

Fu Weijun smiled and gestured, “My hands are dirty, nice to meet you, Chen Tongxue.”

He might be somewhat arrogant but still understood the ways of the world. Since Zhang Su had given an emphatic introduction, this person must be a relatively important figure within the camp, so basic courtesy is a must.

Zhang Su didn’t want to engage in small talk. Pulling up Chen Hanzhou’s right hand, he said, “Xiaochen was bitten by a zombie over two months ago. I amputated that part of his arm, and a miracle happened, he didn’t trans…”

“Oh?”

Before Zhang Su finished his sentence, Fu Weijun pushed along the edge of the bed, slid his wheelchair to the workbench, sanitized his hands with hand sanitizer, and then slipped in front of both, gripping Chen Hanzhou’s right arm with eager intensity.

“Chen Tongxue’s experience is truly regrettable. Do you know what reactions occurred after being bitten by a zombie? Can you tell me?”

Experiments on living people turning into zombies were too cruel, and those people were unwilling to cooperate, offering negligible positive feedback, leaving Fu Weijun to rely solely on his observations. Encountering someone who had been bitten yet didn’t zombify was like discovering a treasure.

“Ahem!”

Chen Hanzhou hadn’t expected someone to be so hands-on, feeling slightly awkward and discreetly maneuvering Fu Weijun’s hand away, stepping back.

Zhang Su said, “Let’s solve the immediate issue. Tell Dr. Fu about your condition.”

“Okay.”

Chen Hanzhou nodded and then repeated what he just told Zhang Su. Regarding his experience after being bitten by a zombie, he had been unconscious and couldn’t remember anything, so he didn’t mention it.

“Self-healing, and even joint strains can heal? This…is amazing! Chen Tongxue, please elaborate more.”

Just like Zhang Su, Fu Weijun initially thought it was due to a Zombie Thalamus. Upon learning he became this way after snowfall, his face lit up with extreme interest.

“There aren’t more details, that’s pretty much it…”

Chen Hanzhou shrugged, noticing Fu Weijun’s attempt to grab his hand again, quickly stepping back once more.

“My assessment is that the Zombie Robot inside you is performing modifications!”

After pondering for a while, Fu Weijun concluded.

“We also guessed this. Now we just want to know if Xiaochen will be affected in other ways.” Zhang Su found Fu Weijun’s desire to dissect Chen Hanzhou rather unnerving, answering dismissively.

“Mr. Zhang, you mean to ask if he’ll zombify, right? Based on the data I have, such a mild transformation is unprecedented. From prior experiences, I infer Chen Tongxue won’t be under control!”

Without instruments to conduct further checks, Zhang Su and Chen Hanzhou had to rely on Fu Weijun’s supposed experience.

“Chen Tongxue, can you recount the process of being attacked back then, the time between being bitten and the arm being severed, and any special treatment methods? I want to…”

“Dr. Fu, stop contemplating excessively. Such experiments are too dangerous. Chen Hanzhou surviving might just be a rare case!”

Zhang Su knew exactly what Fu Weijun intended, rushing to stop him. Conducting live human experiments at the camp could cost him his place.

“Hmm…”

Fu Weijun pursed his lips, in a dilemma, “Unfortunately, animals haven’t shown signs of infection, otherwise we could experiment on them…”

After muttering, he continued, “Chen Tongxue, wouldn’t you like to know the limits of your abilities?”

“What do you mean?”

Chen Hanzhou asked, looking intently at Fu Weijun.

“Currently, it’s confirmed that joint strains and surface injuries can heal. Don’t you want to try other scenarios, like limb regeneration, or organ repair?”

“No, not interested, he’s not interested…”

Zhang Su cut in, decisively waving through the two, on behalf of Chen Hanzhou, stated, “Dr. Fu, we just want to ensure there’s no risk of zombification. Since there’s no concern, no other experiments are necessary!”

What a joke, experimenting with limb regeneration and organ repair on a healthy person, what if he dies?

“But…this could help Chen Tongxue understand himself better and utilize his abilities more efficiently in future battles. I even suspect if Chen Tongxue already possesses immunity against Zombie Robot infections, don’t you want to know?”

“I don’t, not one bit!”

Chen Hanzhou shook his head vigorously. Despite facing someone only a few years older, who couldn’t move his legs, his thoughts were wilder than anyone’s, to the point of leaping.

As if immunity to Zombie Robot infection meant getting bitten once more?

“It’s such a pity…” Fu Weijun felt deep regret, staring at Chen Hanzhou with lonely eyes, wanting to propose some conditions to persuade him to agree to an experiment, yet now he had nothing to offer.

“I respect Chen Tongxue’s wishes, but can you grant me a small favor?”

Fu Weijun’s last attempt at solicitation.

“Go ahead.”

Chen Hanzhou responded cautiously.

“In the future, should you sustain any injury, any injury at all, please record it, particularly the injury’s severity and recovery time, would you?”

“That’s no problem…”

Chen Hanzhou breathed a sigh of relief, relieved the opponent didn’t propose anything tricky.

“Alright then, Dr. Fu, return to your work as if we hadn’t visited, and don’t share any of this with anyone. Goodbye!”

With that, Zhang Su escorted Chen Hanzhou out of the lab under Fu Weijun’s reluctant gaze.

“Brother Su, is that person a real scientist or a lunatic…”

Exiting Cui Leng Pavilion, Chen Hanzhou glanced back toward the lab direction, whispering.

“Isn’t there a fine line between lunacy and genius? His research and understanding of zombies surpasses all of us. Didn’t you notice, he didn’t mention the zombie virus, but Zombie Robot.”

Zhang Su took out a cigarette box, offered one to Chen Hanzhou.

“Right!” Chen Hanzhou suddenly realized, “I was puzzled at first, thinking it was his habitual term. So, it’s not a virus but a robot? What does that mean?”

What he saw and heard in the lab opened a new world for Chen Hanzhou; strange people spoke bizarre tales.

“Back at the Survivor Alliance, Fu Weijun had numerous advanced detection instruments; his knowledge on zombies…”

Zhang Su filled Chen Hanzhou in on the situation, believing his understanding could easily accept these shocking outcomes.

“So, consider that the Zombie Robot inside you assumes you’re a zombie, transforming your body. You’re just fortunate that your brain hasn’t been controlled by it. However…”

Zhang Su’s expression complex, “However, I suggest you temporarily sleep in separate rooms from Pei Lan.”

Even if Fu Weijun was sure Chen Hanzhou wouldn’t zombify, deep down, Zhang Su still held some concerns.

Chen Hanzhou readily nodded, understanding that such matters cannot be left to chance.

“We need a reasonable excuse, or else others might become suspicious unnecessarily.”

Zhang Su advised.

“That’s easily done. I’ll say you’ve given me a special task. Pei Lan definitely won’t come to question you, ha ha.”

Chen Hanzhou laughed nonchalantly, after all, separating bedrooms wouldn’t stop them from having fun when the time came.

“Fine! Handle it yourself, no need to overthink. I feel Dr. Fu’s deduction is accurate, come on, let’s check out the venue arrangements for tonight, let’s unwind a bit.”