At this moment, Ren Li was surely scrambling for a way out.
“The car is ready?” Ren Li asked coldly.
“Yes, Professor,” Sun Shi replied, sneaking a glance at him.
“And the machine? My experimental materials and data?”
“Professor, there’s not enough space. And the current situation doesn’t allow us to go back for them.”
“If you hadn’t insisted on capturing Gu Chi, we wouldn’t be in this mess!” Ye Wuhan walked ahead, his tone sharp, not bothering to look back.
“Don’t forget who gave you your powers,” Sun Shi said through clenched teeth.
“Of course I remember,” Ye Wuhan halted suddenly. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t have agreed to let the two of you into the car.”
He snorted. “It’s just a high-level ability user. What are you so afraid of?”
Hadn’t he easily won against that woman—Chi Ying—this morning?
“You don’t know sh*t!” Sun Shi snapped, but Ren Li raised a hand to silence him.
Sun Shi clamped his mouth shut, but frustration simmered in his eyes.
If that woman hadn’t wanted into the experimental base, they would’ve died the moment they met her outside.
“Then, if they catch up later, I’ll have to trouble you to hold them off,” Ren Li said, squinting behind him. His tone was polite, but cruelty gleamed in his eyes.
“Got it,” Ye Wuhan replied impatiently with a wave.
__
Chi Ying’s eyes widened at the massive transparent tank in front of her.
“So many crystal nuclei… There must be tens of thousands.”
Gu Chi had said they needed to figure out whether there were other secret exits from the base. Knowing Ren Li’s paranoid nature, there was a high chance he had a hidden escape route.
That led them to the base’s central management cabin, hoping to find architectural records or clues about the construction.
“No wonder.”
“No wonder what?” Chi Ying asked.
“The zombie corpses we saw in Yuhu City,” Gu Chi replied. “Their crystal nuclei were likely all brought here. The city has long lacked a power supply, yet Ren Li chose to use crystal nuclei to keep the experimental base running.”
Chi Ying suddenly remembered Gu Chi and the others powering their off-road vehicles with zombie crystal cores.
“So they really can be used like that.”
“Focus,” Gu Chi said. “We need to find the structural map.”
Chi Ying stared at the incomprehensible diagrams on the screen, her head beginning to ache.
What were all these?
[This is a human body temperature detection map. That one shows a sample ratio…] The system finally found an opportunity to show off and rambled on.
Chi Ying: Do you see a structural map of the base?
[Nope.]
Chi Ying sighed in frustration.
“Doesn’t seem like we’ll find it easily,” Gu Chi muttered.
It was unlikely they’d find a base map in this computer.
Without knowledge of the structure, they couldn’t be sure if any exits existed beyond the one they came through.
“Where’s Ye Wuhan? I thought Ren Li would send him after us.”
“He’s cautious. He’ll definitely keep Ye Wuhan nearby for protection,” Gu Chi guessed.
A timid voice spoke up. “If that’s the case… I-I might be able to help.”
Gu Chi turned toward Chi Ying, but the voice hadn’t come from her.
He looked around but saw no one.
Chi Ying’s expression shifted as she looked down at her chest. Realizing something, she quickly removed the pendant from her neck.
“Yun Ling?”
“It’s me,” came the reply from within the pendant. “Ye Wuhan is the original master of the Lingquan Space—the space inside this pendant. I can sense his location. If he’s with Ren Li, I should be able to help.”
Gu Chi stared at the red-and-black pendant, stunned.
—What is that?
Chi Ying glanced at him. “Let’s find them first.”
Gu Chi nodded numbly.
Honestly, after everything, was anything still surprising?
Yun Ling used the pendant to guide them. “Turn right again, we’re almost there.”
Chi Ying turned the corner, but no one was there.
“There’s no one here,” Gu Chi said, frowning.
“No, they’re definitely just ahead,” Chi Ying insisted. “There are three of them.”
Gu Chi raised an eyebrow and followed her quickly.
__
Down the corridor, Sun Shi pushed the wheelchair faster.
They didn’t have much time—Gu Chi and Chi Ying might catch up at any moment.
Ye Wuhan strode ahead, still seething.
A woman who hadn’t even been tested for her power level was being treated like she was above a ninth-level ability user?
So what if she killed a few leaders? If he took things seriously, he could’ve crushed them all.
Sun Shi tensed up as he heard approaching footsteps behind them.
Ren Li felt it too—his wrinkled hands clenched tightly around the wheelchair.
“Wuhan, it seems your help is needed.”
Ye Wuhan turned. Chi Ying and Gu Chi were now less than a hundred meters behind.
“Take care of it,” Sun Shi said smoothly. “We’ll be going ahead.”
Without waiting for a reply, he accelerated.
Chi Ying was about to chase, but Gu Chi stopped her with a hand.
“Gu Chi?” she asked, confused.
He raised a hand, showing her a communicator he’d just found. In a whisper, he said, “I’ve nearly confirmed the location of the exit. I’ll contact Lu Yunfei. He’s outside. We can’t let them get away.”
Chi Ying nodded, relaxing slightly.
Now she could focus on Ye Wuhan.
His expression was calm, almost arrogant. “Gu Chi, since we used to be colleagues, I’ll spare your life.”
Chi Ying just smiled.
Gu Chi glanced up at him, eyes cool. “Didn’t expect to see you siding with Ren Li.”
Ye Wuhan’s face twisted. “You think you can beat me with that useless woman?”
“I can’t,” Gu Chi said, stepping behind Chi Ying without hesitation. “But she can.”
Chi Ying glanced back at him.
Gu Chi smiled warmly.
Her heart skipped a beat, and she quickly turned away, trying to hide her fluster.
Ye Wuhan summoned his wood-type power in secret.
Bright green vines sprouted from the sterile floor and lunged toward Chi Ying.
But just before reaching her, they halted—then turned and attacked Ye Wuhan instead.
He dodged in shock. Only now did he realize: Chi Ying hadn’t used even a tenth of her power this morning.
Panicking, he threw more wood energy around him.
But Chi Ying frowned and raised her hand. Flames surged, condensing into a fire dragon that roared toward Ye Wuhan and swallowed him whole.
It was one of her old tricks as an NPC—draining but devastating.
When the flames died down, Ye Wuhan was still alive—barely scorched, but visibly shaken.
She had held back.
Chi Ying didn’t want to interfere with matters the Human Alliance was responsible for.
And with Ye Wuhan still bound to Yun Ling, she wasn’t sure what killing him might cause.
Ye Wuhan, disoriented, caught a glimpse of the red-black pendant around her neck.
“That’s mine!” he shouted.
Chi Ying raised a brow, pulling the pendant out by its chain. “You mean this?”
“No wonder your power is so strong—Yun Ling’s helping you!”
The pendant trembled slightly. Chi Ying tilted her head. “That’s right.”
“That’s mine!”
With a teasing grin, Chi Ying tucked the pendant back under her collar. “Not anymore.”
Ye Wuhan snarled, “I’ve already bonded with it! You can’t take it!”
“But you can’t take it back, can you?” she replied calmly. “After all the horrible things you’ve done, do you really think Yun Ling still wants you?”
Ye Wuhan faltered.
“I wouldn’t have done any of this without Yun Ling!” he snapped. “If she kept improving my powers, why would I need to work so hard?!”
The system muttered: [What an ungrateful idiot.]
Chi Ying wasn’t surprised. A stable contract, rising powers, even a romantic confession from Yun Ling… in the original story, everything had gone Ye Wuhan’s way.
[Tsk. That wood ability was granted by the Lingquan space. In the original book, he only awakened it after bonding with Yun Ling while escaping during the apocalypse.]
Chi Ying noticed the pendant had stopped trembling.
“Yun Ling,” she called. “Come out.”
After a pause, she felt a weight at her waist—Yun Ling had hugged her from behind.
“…Was it my fault?” Yun Ling asked softly.
Chi Ying pulled her forward and patted her head. “Ignore him.”
Tears welled in Yun Ling’s eyes, but the guilt slowly eased.
Gu Chi stared at the girl who’d just appeared out of nowhere.
Nobody else seemed surprised.
“…”
Well, he’d better learn to stay calm too.
“You—!” Ye Wuhan looked furious.
Chi Ying cast a cold glance his way.
He instantly went quiet.
She bound his hands with leftover vines. “Let’s go. Someone’s waiting outside for you.”
__
Meanwhile, Sun Shi pushed Ren Li toward a hidden exit. They were almost at the gate.
“Hurry, open it,” Ren Li urged.
Sun Shi let go of the wheelchair and hit the control panel. The heavy steel door slowly rose. Sunlight streamed in from outside, glaring after so long underground.
“Where’s the car?” Ren Li asked, squinting. There was supposed to be a vehicle waiting—but there was nothing.
He turned—and froze.
Sun Shi stepped out after him, then also stopped dead.
Lu Yunfei sat beside the gate, holding a communicator. Behind him stood several soldiers in dark uniforms, armed and alert. A few helicopters were parked in the distance.
Lu Yunfei smiled, teeth white and gleaming.
“Yo.”
Welcome to your own arrest.
__
After Lin Xun contacted headquarters to report the situation, the Alliance immediately dispatched personnel to Yuhu City. Given the urgency, they even utilized several of the Alliance’s rare helicopters.
Air transport vehicles like planes had mostly survived the outbreak of the zombie virus. However, without maintenance personnel and with high resource consumption during repairs, they weren’t as practical as regular vehicles. For that reason, the Alliance retained only a few aircraft, rarely deploying them—until now.
“Captain!” Lin Xun greeted them with visible relief when the team emerged from the underground passage. “I’m so glad you’re all safe.”
“What happened inside?” he asked. “Mu Yu gave me a brief update, but I still don’t know much.”
Gu Chi replied, “I’ll explain everything later. First, we need to bring Ye Wuhan back to headquarters.”
He stepped aside, revealing Ye Wuhan bound tightly by vines.
The armed men next to them quickly stepped forward and cuffed Ye Wuhan’s wrists.
Chi Ying frowned, still uneasy. “Why don’t I watch him? He hasn’t exhausted his abilities yet—if he tries anything, it’ll be dangerous.”
Ye Wuhan, who had just been thinking of making a move in her absence: “…”
Gu Chi nodded. “All right.”
One of the soldiers added, “Then you’ll have to return to headquarters with us today.”
Chi Ying glanced at Gu Chi. He smiled gently. “Go ahead. We’ll follow shortly.”
Chi Ying hesitated, then reached out and tugged lightly on his sleeve. “Come here.”
He followed her to the side, where she quietly handed him a bottle of medicine. “This treats the zombie virus. There are likely infected people here.”
Gu Chi accepted the vial without a word.
“There’s something else I want to ask.”
“Go ahead.”
“If I give this to Professor Yu, will he ask where it came from?” Chi Ying’s tone wavered slightly. “Would he think it’s suspicious and… arrest me?”
Gu Chi laughed. “He’ll ask, of course. But if he’s reasonable, he’ll only thank you. And you don’t have to tell the whole truth—prioritize your safety. Be a little selfish.”
He paused. “If you’re nervous, I can deliver it for you.”
“How would you explain it?”
“I’ll say I picked it up.”
Chi Ying was speechless.
Sam Williams On TYMIMA Chapter 152