Upon hearing this, Father Zhou was both surprised and delighted.
"What? Xiao Yan is also at the hospital? He didn't mention it. He's been on annual leave these past two days and hasn't returned to the institute yet."
"He's a core member of the research institute. After this incident broke out, we've been dispatching extra personnel to find him and ensure his safety."
"That's wonderful. Did you run into each other? Then come back together."
Zhou Yu'an pressed his lips into a thin line.
He lowered his voice and turned away, hiding from Yan Qingdu's line of sight.
"He has a gun."
"Oh, that was issued by the institute. Don't worry about it," Father Zhou said in a relaxed tone, then added, "Tomorrow's helicopter only has two seats. It's just enough for you two."
"But there are four of us here." Zhou Yu'an was taken aback.
"Four? Who else?"
"One is a patient of mine, and the other is Gu Man."
"The girl from the Gu family?"
Father Zhou paused for a moment, then immediately said,
"How about this? I'll apply to the higher-ups to add one more spot."
"As for that patient, we can't afford to care about so much in this kind of emergency. They can only blame their own bad luck."
Zhou Yu'an took a deep breath.
He closed his eyes.
Only three seats.
Did that mean he had to leave Chu Liuyue behind?
Her image flashed in his mind. Even though they had known each other for less than a day, Zhou Yu'an still found this decision incredibly difficult.
He had brought her all the way up here while escaping; was he supposed to just give up on her now?
"Dad, can you add one more spot?" he heard himself say.
On the other end of the line, Father Zhou was quite astonished and said,
"Do you have any idea how expensive every seat on that helicopter is? The girl from the Gu family is your future fiancée for our marriage alliance, which is why I'm going through all this trouble to add a seat."
"Why should we do this for an ordinary patient?"
Zhou Yu'an pursed his lips.
From the corner of his eye, he glanced at Chu Liuyue, who was standing not far away, looking down at her shoes.
He withdrew his gaze.
He seemed to have made up his mind.
"That item is on her."
Father Zhou was utterly confused and said, "What?! I only told you about this. Why didn't you get it? How did that patient end up with it?"
"Who is this patient? What's their background?"
Zhou Yu'an's voice was very calm.
"You don't need to ask so much, Dad. Four seats on the helicopter."
"The item will be brought back along with her."
Father Zhou wanted to say more, but the call automatically disconnected due to poor signal.
After finishing the call, Zhou Yu'an returned and was met with Gu Man's curious gaze as she pressed,
"Yu'an, was that Father Zhou on the phone just now?"
"I think I heard my name. Did Father Zhou tell you to take good care of me?"
Zhou Yu'an shook his head.
"No, you heard wrong."
In the distance, Yan Qingdu, with his hands in his pockets, slowly walked a bit closer.
He curled his lips and said,
"Just now, I think I heard the director call my name too."
Zhou Yu'an met his gaze and said in a calm tone, "It was an illusion."
Chu Liuyue, meanwhile, obediently tilted her head slightly.
"I didn't hear anything at all. Dr. Zhou and his father were talking about private matters on the phone. Why are you both hounding him with questions?"
Gu Man sneered coldly.
She said with great disdain, "Look at you acting all smart!"
Yan Qingdu smiled.
His gaze swiftly swept past Chu Liuyue before he turned and walked in another direction.
"Alright, I heard wrong."
Zhou Yu'an remained silent.
The four of them stayed on the top floor for the whole day.
Through the glass windows, they watched the night outside gradually darken.
The movements of the zombies also became relatively sluggish.
Chu Liuyue took out her phone and brought up the latest news.
"A massive outbreak of an unknown virus has occurred in Jiang City. Symptoms reportedly include biting, and it is contagious. Citizens are advised to stay safely at home and not go outside."
Yan Qingdu inadvertently glanced at it.
He spoke up,
"The situation is still controllable."
Chu Liuyue tilted her head slightly and looked at him.
"Mr. Yan, do you think this virus can be contained and won't spread further?"
Yan Qingdu gave her a strange look and said slowly, "Of course. As long as the city is locked down in time, the virus won't be able to spread."
Chu Liuyue nodded thoughtfully.
"Does this virus only target humans? What about animals and plants? Will they be affected?"
Yan Qingdu said with absolute certainty, "Only humans."
Gu Man mocked from the side,
"Could you stop showing off your stupid IQ?"
"Trying to seduce Zhou Yu'an is one thing, but our Senior Yan was the unattainable flower on the high peak back in university. How could he possibly be attracted by your clumsy tactics?"
After saying that, she leaned closer to Yan Qingdu and said,
"Senior Yan, right?"
Yan Qingdu pointed at himself as if greatly surprised.
"Me? An unattainable flower."
He couldn't help but burst into laughter.
Gu Man nodded seriously, looking like a brainless fangirl.
"Of course, you are the best at whatever you do. You were snatched up by the research institute in advance during your junior year."
Zhou Yu'an sat silently in a corner of the sofa, gripping his phone.
He had tried calling back later.
But it didn't go through.
He wondered what Father Zhou's reaction would be.
Would he fight for a fourth spot for him? Or...
From the corner of his eye, Zhou Yu'an glanced at Chu Liuyue, who was standing obediently not far away, his mind filled with complex emotions.
She was a living, breathing person after all. Was he really going to abandon her and leave with Gu Man and Yan Qingdu?
He probably couldn't do it.
Late at night.
Finally unable to resist their drowsiness.
The four of them decided to guard the main door in shifts.
Each person would sleep for two hours.
Gu Man took the first shift, speaking with absolute certainty, "I don't want to be woken up in the middle of the night. I'll go first!"
The others had no objections.
The second shift was Chu Liuyue.
Then it would be Yan Qingdu, followed by Zhou Yu'an.
In the distance, Zhou Yu'an had already fallen asleep leaning on the sofa, while Gu Man was curled up on a beanbag chair in another corner, holding a pillow and drifting into dreamland.
Chu Liuyue stood at the main door of the top floor's emergency exit.
Many zombies had already gathered here, but the iron door was of high quality. No matter how much they rammed against it, it was to no avail.
When she walked over in her little boots.
The previously agitated zombies seemed to quiet down instantly.
Chu Liuyue leaned against the iron door with a relaxed expression, sitting down and even swiping on her phone with great interest.
However, the internet had gone down an hour ago. Fortunately, she had downloaded some novels in advance and was now leisurely reading the screen.
Suddenly, a dark shadow fell over her.
Carrying an air of danger.
Chu Liuyue tilted her head up slightly, meeting a pair of bottomless, pitch-black pupils.
"It's not time for the shift change yet," she said, pointing at the time on her screen.
It was currently 1:00 AM; the shift change wasn't until 2:00 AM.
Yan Qingdu was smiling, but the pitch-black handgun in his grip was pressed against her temple, though she hadn't noticed when he drew it.
He leaned in.
Closing the distance.
The dangerous aura around him grew even thicker.
The words that spilled from his lips were like those of a midnight demon.
"Hand that thing over."
