The next day, before Shen Feng had even woken up, the house became noisy. This was because Shen Feng's family members had all become evolved individuals. Their speed and strength had increased by a notch, so as soon as they got out of bed, they were shouting with joy over the powers they had gained. Shen Yu was particularly astonished, exclaiming, "I've always heard about evolved individuals in the army, and I always thought it was no big deal. Now that I'm an evolved individual myself, I'm going to take on ten of them!"
Shen Feng opened his eyes with a sigh. Seeing his entire family chattering in the living room about speed and strength, he couldn't help but shake his head and think to himself, "It looks like I won't be able to sleep anymore. I'll have to catch up on sleep when we get back to the camp."
Yu Renshu and Chu Zhaoyan also began to get up and wash. Shen Feng picked up his phone and saw a message from his senior. It read: "Don't worry, everything is fine in Luzhou. Be careful when you're out."
Seeing the message, Shen Feng finally felt a sense of relief. Luzhou was safe for now, and he had to prepare for battle on his end.
He Liping quickly made noodles. Although there weren't many seasonings, and they could only add a little white sugar, everyone ate with great relish. Afterward, everyone headed out. Shen Feng was to take Yu Renshu and Chu Zhaoyan back to the camp. Shen Yu and He Liping were going to work, while Shen Xin was returning to the military camp to continue preparing for battle.
Shen Feng said goodbye to his family, promising to gather for a meal after the battle ended. Yu Renshu and Chu Zhaoyan also expressed that they would visit again.
When Shen Feng arrived at the camp with the two women, he noticed people lurking in the distance. They didn't seem particularly unusual, but they kept pacing around the vicinity of the camp without leaving. This made it obvious that they were there specifically for surveillance. Shen Feng saw through their intentions but didn't stop them. Let them watch. After the fighting was over, he would take his family and leave, never to return.
Although the safety of Rongcheng could be guaranteed, surviving there was a tiring endeavor. Everyone had to work; if they didn't work, they didn't eat. Many women were unwilling to work, even for leisurely jobs. Instead, they chose to stand on the streets, their bodies being their most basic capital. Just as the woman from yesterday had said, why stand and earn money when you could lie down and earn it? Wasn't it tiring to stand?
Shen Feng didn't want his family to live in such a strenuous environment, so he planned to take them with him when he left. It didn't matter if there were rules against quitting within a year. In this chaotic period, the only way to protect his family was to keep them by his side, or so Shen Feng believed.
Upon returning to the camp, Shen Feng found a place to sleep. He hadn't slept well the previous night due to his worries about Luzhou's safety. Then, in the morning, his parents and sister had been making noise, causing Shen Feng to wake up early. Now, all Shen Feng wanted was to find a quiet place to catch up on sleep.
Meanwhile, at Yu Renshu's location, a man in a suit approached her. He began by saying, "Dr. Yu, hello. We contacted your mother in Yanjing, and she is alive. If it's convenient for you, you can come with me, and I can help you contact your mother immediately!"
Hearing this, Yu Renshu frowned and asked, "Who are you? Why should I believe you?"
Although Yu Renshu was excited to hear news of her mother, she didn't lose her composure. She didn't know her parents' specific situation and couldn't leave based on a stranger's word alone. Besides, what if they were scammers, and she would be in danger?
The man wasn't lying, as he immediately found a photo in the folder he was carrying. The middle-aged woman in the picture was indeed Yu Renshu's mother. Seeing her mother in the photo, Yu Renshu's eyes immediately welled up with tears. She hadn't seen her mother in a long time. She had been worried about her family's safety and couldn't reach them by phone, so Yu Renshu had almost despaired, thinking her parents had died on the day the zombies broke out. She never expected to hear news of her mother at this time.
The man continued to introduce himself, "My name is Zhang Guangyao, and I'm from the intelligence department. I heard that you, Doctor, study microbiology. On behalf of the Rongcheng Research Institute, I invite you to join us. We hope you can contribute your strength to the institute."
Hearing this, Yu Renshu immediately reacted and asked, "Are you saying that if I don't join the institute, you won't help me contact my mother? Is that it?"
"Of course not!" Zhang Guangyao quickly explained. "We would never threaten you with this. We simply believe that talent like yours can only be fully utilized in the institute. If you wish, I can take you to contact your mother right now!"
Yu Renshu hesitated, feeling that this matter was not simple. Why hadn't anyone helped her contact her mother before, but now that she had arrived in Rongcheng, someone was specifically contacting her? Moreover, the other party was inviting her to join the institute. If she agreed, wouldn't she have to leave Shen Feng's side?
However, Yu Renshu also understood that the only way to successfully contact her mother was through the intelligence department!
Therefore, Yu Renshu asked Zhang Guangyao to wait where he was and then prepared to go discuss it with Shen Feng. Shen Feng was sleeping in a private room. The person guarding the door stopped Yu Renshu, so she could only ask him to relay a message: she had to leave the camp for a while and would return in the evening.
After asking the guard to relay the message, Yu Renshu eagerly left the camp with Zhang Guangyao. She knew that she was now a third-tier ability user, and ordinary people couldn't harm her. Therefore, if there was an opportunity to contact her mother, she had to seize it.
Yu Renshu quickly left the camp with Zhang Guangyao and headed to an office building. Many people there were sitting in front of computers, seemingly gathering intelligence.
Later, Yu Renshu successfully contacted her mother by phone. Yu Renshu then anxiously asked about her father's whereabouts. Her mother remained silent for a moment before saying, "Your father turned into a zombie and was then killed!"
Hearing this answer, Yu Renshu couldn't help but start crying. On the other end of the phone, her mother was also crying. The family had finally reconnected, only to find that the family had already been shattered.
After crying for a while, Yu Renshu remembered something and quickly said, "Mom, wait for me in Yanjing. I'll definitely come back. Don't worry."
However, at this moment, Zhang Guangyao spoke up, "There's no need for such trouble, Doctor. As long as you agree to join the institute, we will send a private plane to pick up your mother. Then you two can be reunited. Isn't that better? And you won't have to go to the battlefield anymore!"
Yu Renshu ignored Zhang Guangyao and comforted her mother before hanging up. Yu Renshu knew that if she joined the institute, she would have nothing to do with Shen Feng. This made Yu Renshu unwilling. She liked Shen Feng, so why should they be separated?
If possible, Yu Renshu wanted to take her mother to live in Luzhou, but that was impossible. Luzhou didn't have private planes to transport her mother. The only place that could bring her mother to her was Rongcheng. However, joining the institute meant cutting ties with Shen Feng!
Yu Renshu changed the subject and asked, "Can I visit the institute?"
Zhang Guangyao nodded and said seriously, "Of course. I can take you to the institute now, but you cannot enter the laboratories. You can only observe from afar, and you have no right to view the information within the laboratories."
Yu Renshu wasn't interested in knowing where her future workplace would be or what her job would entail. What she wanted was to stall for time. She was in a dilemma: on one side was Shen Feng, and on the other was her mother. She didn't want to give up either. Shen Feng was her savior, extending a helping hand when she needed it most. Her mother had raised her through hardship. Both were people she couldn't bear to part with. Yu Renshu was deeply conflicted, unsure of how to choose.
Soon, Yu Renshu followed Zhang Guangyao to the institute. The vice dean of the institute personally led Yu Renshu on a tour of many laboratories.
In these laboratories, some were dedicated to studying the zombie virus, some to studying zombies, and others to studying mutated beasts. There were even people specifically studying mutated plants, seemingly attempting to cultivate new strains of food crops using them.
Finally, the vice dean brought Yu Renshu to a laboratory that resembled an assembly line. Pointing to the bottles and jars, he said, "This is where the evolution potions are produced. If you join us, you will also work here, researching and manufacturing better evolution potions!"
Upon hearing this, Yu Renshu was shocked and asked, "You know that I manufactured the evolution potions?"
In Luzhou, evolution potions had been produced on a small scale, but this matter had always been kept secret. Shen Feng had strictly forbidden his subordinates from revealing anything about the evolution potions, so very few people knew that Luzhou could produce them. Even fewer knew that Yu Renshu was the one who manufactured them!
Now, Yu Renshu realized that the matter of the evolution potions seemed to have been known for a long time. She immediately began to suspect, "Could there be a mole in Luzhou? Otherwise, how would anyone know about this?"
Zhang Guangyao smiled and said, "This is not a secret. We have known about this for a long time, so it is impossible for you to conceal it. Shen Feng believes his security measures are excellent, but in reality, anything we want to know, we can find out within a day!"
Yu Renshu fell silent. She hadn't expected that much intelligence from Luzhou had already been collected, and it had been collected a long time ago. Most importantly, Shen Feng had never noticed it before. Doesn't this mean that Luzhou had no secrets at all? Perhaps even the trade between Luzhou and Gangcheng had already been monitored, but Shen Feng thought it was all clandestine.
"Doctor, what do you say? Have you considered joining the institute? We believe that only in the institute can your talents be fully realized," Zhang Guangyao said with a smile.
At this moment, the vice dean also invited Yu Renshu to join. To this, Yu Renshu could only reply, "Please give me some time. I want to consider it."
"Of course, that's no problem. Please consider it patiently. I believe the institute is your ultimate destination," Zhang Guangyao said confidently.
Zhang Guangyao knew that Yu Renshu would eventually agree to join. The scale of the institute had already been shown to Yu Renshu, so if Yu Renshu wanted better development prospects, it would be to work in the institute. Moreover, the comparison showed that Luzhou's strength was insufficient, so why cling to a place with no future? Rongcheng was clearly a better place, both in terms of safety and treatment. As long as she joined the institute, she would have everything!
And Yu Renshu, after seeing the scale of the institute and thinking of her mother in Yanjing, heard that her mother had to go to work in a factory every day. She had been a white-collar worker before, unable to carry anything heavy. Now she had to work in a factory, which meant her life must be very difficult. If she could be brought to Rongcheng, she would be much safer. And the treatment for researchers was enough to support her mother!
Suddenly, Yu Renshu became conflicted. She didn't even know how she had left the institute. She returned to the camp in a daze. It was already dusk, and her mood was exceptionally heavy. She felt that no matter which choice she made, there was no perfect answer.
Shen Feng was on the rooftop, chatting and laughing with Chu Zhaoyan. It was a rare moment of peace, with no need to fight zombies or labor. So, the two of them were idly chatting on the rooftop. Shen Feng's literary knowledge was truly not very good, so he couldn't discuss literature with Chu Zhaoyan. Instead, he was telling one risqué joke after another. Usually, Chu Zhaoyan wouldn't react immediately. By the time she did, a while had passed.
"You shameless fellow," Chu Zhaoyan said angrily. "The jokes you tell are really vulgar. Can't you tell something proper?"
"What you tell is very elegant, but not funny at all. You always tell puns, and I can't find the humor," Shen Feng said with a smile.
Chu Zhaoyan said unhappily, "Your jokes are either about bodily functions or suggestive and vulgar. They're really too lowbrow, just like you."
"You don't understand this. If things weren't vulgar, humans wouldn't even be able to reproduce! You know, Confucius even said, 'Food and sex are natural desires'!" Shen Feng found strong evidence at a crucial moment and immediately used it as justification. See, even a sage supported my view, so why don't you? Are you separating yourself from the masses?
Chu Zhaoyan blushed and didn't want to argue about it. She then turned to look at the scenery and saw Yu Renshu walking in, looking dejected. She couldn't help but say, "Aren't you going to comfort Doctor Yu? She's in a bad mood right now. I don't know what happened."