abcnovels
Chapter 216
Chapter 216
Zhong Huainong was taken aback.
He didn't know why Yun Xiaoxiao would ask such a question.
But he didn't dare to ignore her inquiry, so he quickly replied, "We went out to dump the trash this morning."
Initially, Yun Xiaoxiao had restricted their movements to the hospital area.
Desiring to prove themselves and earn the freedom to move around the base like everyone else, they had volunteered to handle the base's trash collection.
Every morning, they would wake up early, drive the trash truck, and empty the trash bins across the base.
Then, they would transport the trash to a landfill built outside the base and dump it there.
"Did you encounter any strange people during your outing?" Yun Xiaoxiao continued to ask.
As she spoke, Lu Chen and the others seemed to recall something, their expressions subtly changing.
"There was one, actually!"
Before Zhong Huainong could speak, his wife, Wu Changlan, jumped in to answer first.
"This morning, right after we dumped the trash at the landfill and were about to head back, a man approached us asking for directions. He said he was going to some place... I can't remember the name. Anyway, since we didn't know, we didn't engage further with him.
What was strange was that even after we drove off, he remained standing there.
From the rearview mirror, we could see his eyes following our vehicle.
At that moment, I felt a chill run down my spine.
His gaze was unsettling."
Yun Xiaoxiao raised an eyebrow. "Do you remember what he looked like?"
"Two eyes, one nose, one mouth," Zhong Huainong counted off.
Yun Xiaoxiao and the others: ......
Wu Changlan slapped Zhong Huainong's arm, disdainfully said, "That's not helpful at all!"
She thought for a moment, then continued, "He appeared polite, had a slender build, and his skin was unusually pale, almost sickly. He looked to be in his mid-thirties.
Oh, and his hair was completely white."
Hearing this, Yun Xiaoxiao narrowed her eyes.
This description... it sounded somewhat familiar...
Suddenly, her eyebrows shot up.
That's right, the eccentric doctor Xiu Jie, who was known for his obsession with studying zombies in her previous life, fit this description.
She had learned about him from others, who described him as a strange man who captured zombies with special abilities for research.
In the end, he had lost control and been killed by a zombie king.
Calculating his age, he would be about thirty-four now.
He also had white hair and a sickly appearance.
If this man was indeed Xiu Jie, then it was highly likely that he was behind this incident.
Xiu Jie was a rare psychic control-type ability user.
Not only could he control zombies, but he could also manipulate humans.
It was likely that he had already begun subtly controlling Zhong Huainong and Wu Changlan's minds when he first encountered them.
Moreover, Ling Jing's unique physique was exactly the type Xiu Jie favored.
Therefore, it was highly probable that Ling Jing had been taken by him.
But...
If Xiu Jie's goal was to abduct Ling Jing, it meant he must have known about Ling Jing's special physique.
However, the only ones aware of Ling Jing's special physique were Yun Xiaoxiao and Lu Chen and the others.
Based on her understanding of them, they would never disclose such information to outsiders.
This left Yun Xiaoxiao puzzled.
Seeing Yun Xiaoxiao deep in thought, Lu Chen looked at her.
"Do you have a suspect?"
Yun Xiaoxiao was impressed by Lu Chen's keen observation.
She nodded. "Yes. Let's go now. We need to find Ling Jing."
If the suspect was indeed Xiu Jie, then he would likely be at a small town hospital not far from the Western Base.
Since she couldn't figure it out, the only option was to go and see for herself.
"What about these two?"
Nie Yizhou pointed at Zhong Huainong and Wu Changlan.
"Don't kill us, we're innocent!"
Seeing their attention shift back to them, Zhong Huainong and Wu Changlan immediately pleaded.
Yun Xiaoxiao frowned. "Let them go. Have them continue cleaning the base."
They weren't lying.
In essence, they weren't at fault.
They had merely been used as pawns.
Right is right, and wrong is wrong.
She wouldn't let her preconceived notions about them lead her to wrongfully punish them and expel them from the base.
It wasn't necessary.
Hearing Yun Xiaoxiao's decision, Zhong Huainong and Wu Changlan quickly thanked her.
"Thank you, Base Leader, for your fair judgment!"
Yun Xiaoxiao showed no superfluous expressions, but rather said to Lu Chen and the others, "Let's go."
Since they only had a rough idea of the location, they spent a lot of time searching.
Four days later.
They arrived at a place called Moxi Town.
This was a tourist town, beautifully constructed.
Outside the town was a large river with clear water.
On one side of the riverbank was lush green mountains.
On the other side was the town.
Along the riverside near the town, a long corridor had been built, lined with various shops.
There were stalls selling roasted corn, barbecue, milk tea, cold noodles, and cold skin...
However, at the moment, most of the food on display in these shops had spoiled and emitted a foul odor.
Zombies dressed in various outfits wandered aimlessly throughout the town.
The once bustling town had lost its former vibrancy, now reduced to a desolate and decaying state.
Crossing the bridge over the river, Yun Xiaoxiao and the others drove from the main road onto a side road.
The car stopped, and Mu Yang built a metal platform. He then used a telescope to scan the town.
"How is it? Did you see the hospital?" Nie Yizhou asked eagerly.
Mu Yang didn't answer immediately but continued looking.
Then, he moved the telescope back slightly.
"Found it!"
He handed the telescope to Yun Xiaoxiao.
"Take a look, little one."
Yun Xiaoxiao took the telescope and, following Mu Yang's indication, looked toward the right front of the town.
Due to the height of the metal platform, they had a clear view of every part of the town.
In the right front of the town stood a hospital.
Aliali: 6721458c3a4784313d77dbc3However, this hospital was quite different from the rest of the town.
While zombies elsewhere were roaming randomly, here, they stood like lifeless wooden stakes along the hospital's outer wall.
At first glance, they resembled human-shaped dolls placed there.
It was the first time they had seen zombies so obediently following orders.
"Yes, it should be here."
Yun Xiaoxiao put down the telescope.
At that moment, in the underground chamber of the hospital on the opposite side.
Ling Jing was bound to a specially designed hospital bed with several chains.
The bed was anchored to the ground, and the chains were embedded in the walls.
In front of the bed, a man in a white lab coat, wearing white gloves and glasses with white frames, narrowed his long eyes as he gazed at the unconscious Ling Jing, a slow smile spreading across his face.