"Oh, I didn't mean that."
Wu Ya was so angry she wanted to hit someone.
"Just kidding," Lv Bai smirked a bit less, "I know what you're asking. He's the same as me. If you see him, try to stay away as much as possible."
Tian Wang, who had come closer, couldn't help but glance warily in the direction Ah Gu had left after hearing the latter half of the sentence.
Ke Jiangni walked over to Wu Ya and asked quietly, "Then why do you two seem so... harmonious? Isn't it said that you would kill each other?"
"Well, doing that sort of thing in broad daylight isn't exactly great."
Lv Bai stood up, "Let's go, it's about mealtime anyway. You can get a taste of the Seventh District's food."
Hearing about eating, Tian Wang perked up, "Sure, sure, and after that, you can show us around the area."
To be honest, Lv Bai's knowledge of the Seventh District was actually about the same as Tian Wang and the others. During his time there, he merely figured out which direction had weaker surveillance.
Fortunately, with densely packed military tents, one could stroll in any direction.
After all, no one would consider a tent a tourist attraction.
Lv Bai accompanied the three to fill up in the "canteen," then prepared to take a walk.
Unexpectedly, just as he stepped out of the sunshade, he was stopped by a fully armed soldier.
"Company Commander Zhou wants to see you."
...
The administrative building where the command center was located.
Second floor, the sergeant's office.
Zhou Zongming sat at a desk, "What did you do this morning?"
"I moved a small stool outside to watch everyone chat. Ate too much at mealtime and thought about going to a quieter spot to digest. Then your people called me over," Lv Bai tilted his head as he spoke.
Zhou Zongming scrutinized him up and down, then extended a finger and motioned downwards in a circular gesture, "Turn around."
Lv Bai didn't comply, instead casually sitting down on the guest sofa, "If you like watching men turn around, I can recommend a bar called Big Bird Spin Spin Spin."
"I'm just confirming whether you're carrying weapons."
Zhou Zongming maintained his stern exterior without pressing the previous demand, "After all, the suspicion on you isn't cleared. Don't cause trouble, stay put."
Lv Bai nodded, "You said that last night. Well, I'll say thank you again then."
He genuinely wasn't being sarcastic.
According to wartime control regulations, someone like Lv Bai, with major suspicions, would need to be detained even without evidence.
But Zhou Zongming didn't do that, perhaps out of guilt for not identifying Cui Qing, the perpetrator earlier, or maybe because Lv Bai was still a student.
After all, this commander retained Lv Bai's right to roam freely to the greatest extent possible.
"You really do mean thanks."
Zhou Zongming awkwardly waved his hand.
Lv Bai glanced around, suddenly seeming to think of something, pointed out the window, and asked, "Is that the research center over there?"
"Yes. Why are you asking, kid?" Zhou Zongming instinctively replied, then quickly realized.
"I saw no one is allowed in over there, just curious. You can treat it as a kid being curious and asking questions," Lv Bai dismissed lightly.
He recalled the fleeting glimpse he caught before entering.
Just two soldiers were guarding the entrance to that building. It was hard to say how strong the defense was.
Not to mention those with supernatural powers like Death Fighter, even bold civilians might sneak in.
As for whether there were covert defenses inside the research center...
Not completely ruling out the possibility, but it's not very likely either.
Because the current research center used to be called the research building, housing some military labs.
But after the zombie virus outbreak, most military experiments were temporarily halted, and the defense forces were naturally redeployed.
Plus, a significant number of medical personnel and equipment rescued from the city were all moved into that building in one go, readily being converted into a virus research center mainly responsible for vaccine development.
...
Upon exiting the administrative building, Lv Bai keenly sensed multiple gazes on him.
He stretched lazily, nonchalantly scanning his surroundings.
Though he wasn't exactly sure how many Death Fighters were nearby watching him, he wasn't too worried about exposing his identity as a Death Fighter,
with the safety net of Super-speed Regeneration, his margin for error was higher than ordinary Death Fighters.
Not lingering long at the front of the administrative building, Lv Bai walked straight back to his tent.
Standing at the tent entrance, he inadvertently glanced at a piece of chewing gum on the ground.
Then, he gave the gum a thumbs-up.
After a few minutes, Ah Gu, wearing a white shirt, slowly walked over from behind a tent.
"Looks like you agree to cooperate."
"Aren't you going to explain?" Lv Bai glanced at the chewing gum beneath his feet.
"That's one of my abilities, Detective's Chewing Gum. It allows for eavesdropping and monitoring within a certain timeframe."
Ah Gu smiled, "I didn't intentionally hide it, that's my sincerity."
Hearing that, Lv Bai also smiled.
However, unlike Ah Gu's evidently formalized smiling, his seemed more like genuine joy from the heart.
"Since it's cooperation, then the most basic is information sharing, right?"
"Of course."
Ah Gu softly said, "I'll first talk about what I know. The vaccine development has made great strides. Entering the clinical phase should be within a day or two.
I believe you can vaguely sense the atmosphere in this temporary shelter is becoming increasingly tense."
Lv Bai glanced around, "Really?"
Ah Gu seemed momentarily stumped, then quietly nodded, "The calm before the storm feeling, although it sounds mysterious, does indeed exist."
Lv Bai sat on a small bench at the tent entrance, gesturing for Ah Gu to sit as well.
"Actually, I have another question. This so-called 'Node,' there's only one, right?"
"Yes."
"Then, who gets it when it's obtained?"
It's not like a shared power bank, where two phones can be plugged in simultaneously.
"I can't protect it."
Ah Gu didn't hesitate to show his weakness, "My current abilities don't involve much combat prowess, so you keep the vaccine. I only have one condition: in the final rankings, I want to be in the top ten."
Final rankings?
Lv Bai was a bit taken aback, but his innocuous smile masked it.
He had understood Death Fighter battles as a battle royale—eliminate other Death Fighters and be the last one standing, the winner.
Why did a 'final rankings' suddenly appear?
From Ah Gu's tone, it seemed like common knowledge.
"Top ten is fine."
Lv Bai kept his curiosity to himself, agreeing readily without questioning.
Ah Gu had no doubts, "Great, now we can discuss how to safely get the vaccine out of the research center..."