If not used for legitimate purposes, it could very likely become a potent tool for controlling zombie legions.
"What are your plans for leaving now?"
"We were originally planning to leave through a secret passage, but we heard you say that place isn't safe. We want to go with you, is that possible?"
Qin Chuan pondered for a moment, then walked to the side, opened his communicator, and made a call.
Xu An watched Qin Chuan's retreating back, assuming he was negotiating their departure.
Wasting no more time, she woke her mother, picked up Yueyue, gathered all their belongings from the ground, and prepared to leave with Qin Chuan.
Qin Chuan finished his negotiations. "There are no problems on my end. You will need to undergo a full body scan. If the results are clear, you can go home."
"And if the test results are not clear?" Xu An asked Qin Chuan, holding her luggage after packing everything.
"You will need to cooperate with quarantine. The guarantee I can give you is that it will last until the antibodies are mass-produced. If it doesn't last that long, then no matter who it is, she will die."
"Understood." Xu An did not argue with Qin Chuan.
Nor did she accuse him of being heartless.
Because Xu An understood that these were the rules.
She turned her back and took out the virus antibody, which had been carefully preserved.
She handed it to Qin Chuan.
Qin Chuan took it with both hands, still finding it hard to believe that humanity had actually developed an antibody for the zombie virus.
Yet, there were people who did not want this thing to see the light of day.
"Then you pack your things. I'll call someone to pick us up. There are too many zombies below, and we need to clear them out before we descend."
Xu An nodded in agreement. "I've almost got my things sorted. Just let me know when you're ready on your end."
Xu An turned around and saw Xu Yan's gaze fixed on her, her eyes filled with worry.
"Xiao An, can that antibody of yours really get us out of here?"
Despite Qin Chuan's assurances, Xu Yan was still somewhat skeptical that so many of them would safely escape.
Only when Qin Chuan's figure was no longer visible did Xu Yan whisper into Xu An's ear.
"An'an, I need to tell you something."
Xu An looked at her mother's eyes and instinctively felt something was amiss. But seeing her mother's wary demeanor towards Qin Chuan and the others, Xu An knew that what her mother was about to tell her was no trivial matter.
She pulled her mother aside.
Just as she was about to hand the still soundly sleeping Yueyue to Zhou Haimei to watch for a while, Xu Yan nervously stopped her, her eyes filled with sheer terror.
Xu An immediately sensed that something was wrong.
"Mom?"
Xu Yan turned around, her face unable to hide her fear and guilt.
"An'an, Yueyue has had a fever. I really don't know what to do."
Xu Yan's voice was choked with tears. She had never felt so heartbroken over the loss of a life that was not her own.
She suddenly remembered Xu An's warning: do not form emotional attachments with anyone you are not willing to risk your life for in this apocalypse.
Because you never know when that person might die.
In the beginning, Xu Yan might have just been fulfilling her friend's dying wish, but as they spent more time together, Yueyue's obedience and thoughtfulness made her feel heartbroken.
Xu An, however, was not as panicked as her mother.
"Have you checked? Was Yueyue bitten by a zombie?"
At this moment, Xu An decided without hesitation that if Yueyue was indeed infected, she would use the last antibody to treat her.
Xu Yan nodded, then shook her head.
"No, no, I checked long ago. Yueyue has no wounds on her body."
But this was also what Xu Yan feared the most, worried that the virus was not transmitted through bites and saliva.
This would only prove one thing: the zombie virus had undergone a secondary evolution.
In that case, the antibody in Xu An's possession would become useless.
Zhou Haimei stood guard, knowing the mother and daughter had something to discuss, but it was the first time she had seen such an expression on Xu Yan's face.
She was also curious what they were saying that could make Xu An look so grim.
"This needs to be told to them," Xu An said, her gaze sharp. "Not to mention that Qin Chuan guaranteed our departure, and the condition for leaving is a full physical examination. Yueyue's situation cannot be concealed."
"More importantly, Zhou Haimei is here. Mom, we can't put so many people in danger because of Yueyue. We must be honest about this and let them make their own choices."
Xu Yan listened to her daughter's words, knowing Xu An was right. But looking at Yueyue in her arms, she felt a wave of fear and made a final attempt to resist.
"But I've checked! Yueyue has no bite marks on her."
"What about scratches? Are there no scratches on her body either?"
Xu An's question made Xu Yan realize that in her haste, she had only remembered to look for bite marks on Yueyue.
She hadn't considered that any abrasion, if it came into contact with zombie blood, could indirectly lead to infection.
Xu Yan placed Yueyue on the ground and reached out to start undressing her.
Zhou Haimei, standing nearby, sensed that something was wrong and walked over with a serious expression, looking at Xu An.
"What's going on?"
As soon as the words fell, Xu Yan had already quickly removed all of Yueyue's clothes.
Looking at Yueyue's flushed little face, Zhou Haimei understood everything.
She leaned closer and quietly asked, "Was Yueyue scratched?"
Xu An shook her head in despair. "I don't know."
Despite having met only once, Zhou Haimei had come to genuinely like Yueyue.
Seeing Yueyue lying there unconscious now, an irrepressible sadness instantly washed over Zhou Haimei.
"What are you going to do?"
"We'll see."
"What if she's really infected?"
"She'll be sent to quarantine."
Zhou Haimei glanced sideways at Xu An. Apart from her pale face, she was incredibly calm, as if they were discussing a stranger met on the street, not a little sister they had just begun to care for.
This Xu An was perhaps too serious, and too heartbreaking.
"What about your mother?"
Xu An closed her eyes tightly and let out a long sigh. "There's nothing we can do. We can't take risks for a girl we just met."
She added silently in her heart.
No one should be so selfish.