Cooking Gourmet Meals in the Apocalypse

Chapter 268: Chapter 265: No Dangerous Technology at All

The moment Chen Xing stepped into the darkness, a wooden club as thick as a man’s calf came swinging at her head.

She ducked, and after dodging the attack, she spotted the other person in the room.

’A Wood Ability User?’

Chen Xing was a little surprised.

’I can’t believe I’ve run into another Superpower User with an attribute in such a short time.’

The room wasn’t large. The man was squatting in a corner.

Numerous plants were coiled around him, as if to protect him.

Chen Xing took out the surveillance camera first.

Just then, the plants rushed toward her and Meng Hu, attacking again.

This time, it was vines trying to entangle them.

Chen Xing extended a hand toward the man in the corner, then pulled it back.

The plants wrapped around the man instantly withered, trapping him within their dead embrace.

And in a slot in Chen Xing’s Jiezhi Space, a Wood Attribute instantly appeared.

’It’s like it was a gift.’

’You might not meet a handful of Superpower Users with attributes in your entire life, and I’ve already run into two so easily.’

”You can come in now!” Chen Xing shouted toward the door.

This time, Zhang Jingtao wasn’t so selfish. He used his superpower to light the way, letting the pregnant women enter first.

Behind the pregnant women, the awakened test subjects followed along, confused.

Before they arrived, Chen Xing opened another door.

Inside, a panicked Lu Yanran was shaking her head at her, tears streaming down her face.

Before Zhang Jingtao could come over, Chen Xing pushed the door shut with both hands, separating them.

Zhang Jingtao assumed they had run into some kind of danger, so he didn’t press forward, instead quietly standing guard over the pregnant women.

Inside the room, Lu Yanran was tied to a chair.

Her mouth was taped shut, but it was clear she was terrified, and she kept shaking her head frantically at Chen Xing.

Chen Xing was genuinely shocked.

She had seen the bomb strapped to Lu Yanran’s body—that was why she had shut the door.

Otherwise, Zhang Jingtao, who loved Lu Yanran so much, would have gone berserk.

Chen Xing glanced at the bomb’s timer. It showed a little over three minutes remaining.

She slowly started walking toward her.

Lu Yanran shook her head more violently.

’Of course I know she doesn’t want me to get any closer.’

”It’s okay, I’ll just take a look,” Chen Xing said in a low voice.

To be honest, she was a little shocked that, in a life-or-death situation, Lu Yanran was trying to keep her away.

Seeing Chen Xing continue forward, Lu Yanran helplessly lowered her head, trying to draw Chen Xing’s attention to the bomb on her chest.

Chen Xing would never forget what the Lu Family had done, but in this moment, Lu Yanran’s selflessness warmed her.

She knelt in front of Lu Yanran, looked up, and gave her a small smile. ”I think I can handle this.”

Lu Yanran froze for a moment, then started whimpering and shaking her head again.

Worried that Lu Yanran’s cries would attract Zhang Jingtao, Chen Xing didn’t remove the tape from her mouth.

She slowly reached out and carefully lifted the bomb off Lu Yanran’s body.

It seemed to have been a last-minute decision by their enemies, as the bomb was just hanging on her.

Bomb in hand, Chen Xing loosened Lu Yanran’s ropes, then took the device and went through another door.

Without even taking the time to rip the tape from her mouth, Lu Yanran scrambled after her.

Before she even reached the doorway, the bomb exploded on the other side of the door.

Lu Yanran collapsed to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably.

A moment later, the door opened, and Chen Xing slipped out with a warm smile on her face.

Lu Yanran stared, stunned, for a moment before bursting into tears again, this time crawling toward Chen Xing.

Chen Xing went to her, helped her up, and pulled the tape from her mouth.

Lu Yanran looked at Chen Xing as an inexplicably deep emotion stirred within her. ”How could you be so foolish?”

”But I’m fine, aren’t I?” At that moment, Chen Xing felt that even being a Lu wouldn’t be so bad.

Lu Yanran’s concern was genuine; Chen Xing could feel it.

Just now, she had gone into an ordinary room next door. After destroying the camera, she had entered her Jiezhi Space.

She only came out after the bomb went off.

There was no risk at all.

”You can come in now!” Chen Xing yelled to Zhang Jingtao.

When Zhang Jingtao opened the door and saw his wife, he was choked with sobs.

How terrified he had been of losing her.

Watching Zhang Jingtao, Chen Xing found him a little less detestable.

’Oh, well,’ she thought. ’Loving Lu Yanran to the point of recklessness has to count for something.’

”Haoran... he was taken away!” Lu Yanran finally snapped out of her daze after Chen Xing’s life-risking rescue.

She said anxiously, without even sparing a glance for her husband.

Chen Xing frowned.

”They said they’d let me go if Haoran went with them... but they broke their promise! What’s going to happen to Haoran?”

”Lu Haoran’s life isn’t in immediate danger. We’ll figure out a way to rescue him. Right now, we need to think about what to do with all these pregnant women.” Since Lu Haoran was a test subject for the Research Institute, he was likely safe for the time being.

’But these pregnant women... they probably don’t have any family, do they?’

’If we just let them go, they won’t survive.’

Lu Yanran grabbed Zhang Jingtao’s arm. ”Honey...” she pleaded with her eyes.

She had spent the last few days with them, even though her memory was hazy.

Zhang Jingtao looked at the large crowd behind him and made a decision. ”They’ll all come to the Zhang Family Safety Zone!” He would do anything for his wife.

’So what if I have to support this many people?’

”I’ll go get some people. You all hide here for now!” Zhang Jingtao couldn’t bear to leave his wife, but he knew he couldn’t be selfish right now.

He entrusted Lu Yanran to Chen Xing’s care and left the Research Institute.

In less than twenty minutes, he returned with over twenty people and more than a dozen cars.

It couldn’t be helped; that was all the people he had with him.

The Zhang Family Safety Zone was over a hundred kilometers from the North Sea. They departed immediately, wanting to take advantage of the clear roads before the snow began to fall.

As they neared the Zhang Family Safety Zone, snowflakes began to drift down from the sky.

The Zhang Family Safety Zone was backed by a mountain, with a large river to its left and a small one to its right. The only way in was the main road at the front.

Fearing incursions from the mountain and knowing zombies could walk across the frozen rivers, high fences had been erected on all three sides.

From the mountain peaks to the rooftops and down to the main gate, security was multi-layered and tight.

Any zombie that so much as showed its head was shot before it could get close.

Barring a massive zombie raid, the place was quite secure.

Chen Xing didn’t even enter the Zhang Family Safety Zone. After ensuring everyone was delivered safely, she left.

Lu Yanran tried to convince her to stay, but when Chen Xing said she was going to look for clues about Lu Haoran, she didn’t insist.

However, Chen Xing did leave her satellite phone number with Zhang Jingtao, so he could contact her if he got any news about Lu Haoran.

She drove northwest.

Everyone’s attention was focused on the central, southern, and northern regions.

The eastern and western regions, however, were rarely mentioned in the post-apocalyptic world.

’If it were me,’ she thought, ’I’d definitely put the Research Institute somewhere that doesn’t draw attention.’

’I’ve already been to the east and found nothing. Maybe there’s something in the inconspicuous and inhospitable west?’