Chu Liuyue had no interest in playing any Wanwan substitute games.
She cast a sidelong glance at him.
A soft chuckle escaped her throat.
She hit the nail on the head:
"An'an looks good in anything."
"As for you..."
"Ugly people look ugly in whatever they wear."
A hint of hurt flashed through Yan Qingdu's eyes, but he forced a smile anyway.
He took the initiative to guide her to the experimental area.
Pointing to a plant in a petri dish, he said,
"According to the genetic analysis, we can't find an identical plant sequence on Earth, so it might really be of extraterrestrial origin."
Chu Liuyue had her suspicions before.
The giant plants were alien organisms.
But was this the important matter he had specifically called her over for?
Seeing her about to leave.
Yan Qingdu couldn't help but step forward, wanting to grab her wrist. Before he could even make a move, Chu Liuyue had already pinned him to the ground.
With his hands bound, he was pressed beneath her in a very humiliating position.
"Yan Qingdu, what exactly are you trying to do?" Chu Liuyue raised an eyebrow at him.
"I just wanted to see you."
"Don't waste experimental resources." Chu Liuyue let go and was about to leave.
Yan Qingdu called out again, "Wait! I do have a new discovery."
Chu Liuyue paused her steps, looking down at him from above.
"Speak."
Yan Qingdu pointed at the plant in the experimental area again.
"These spore plants are carnivorous. I tried feeding them zombie meat, but they won't eat it."
"They accept the meat of white mice. They reproduce and regenerate by devouring food. This means that as long as we inject inhibitors into the white mice and feed them to the plants,
they will lose their reproductive capabilities, which can prevent them from multiplying."
"Very good." Chu Liuyue nodded in satisfaction.
She prepared to leave.
From behind came Yan Qingdu's self-deprecating voice.
"You hate me, so why did you save me last time?"
"To torture you." Chu Liuyue turned slightly, the corners of her lips curling up.
Hearing this, Yan Qingdu actually laughed.
"Then can you continue to torture me?"
Chu Liuyue glanced at him and left with brisk steps.
Dropping a single sentence.
"Depends on my mood."
Yan Qingdu stood in place and took several deep breaths.
He smiled bitterly.
He rubbed his face. After staying up for several nights to confirm the experimental results, his complexion had turned sallow.
He needed to take good care of his skin; maybe he still had a chance.
...
Year three of the apocalypse.
Chu Liuyue had established survivor bases all over the country, and humanity now had a specialized set of countermeasures against zombies and spore plants.
As humans progressed, zombies were also evolving.
There was a certain probability that zombies would naturally evolve into xenomorphs after devouring spore plants.
And the scope of human activity maintained a delicate boundary with the scope of zombie activity.
Another mission came to an end.
Chu Liuyue led her team of superpowered individuals back to the base, and Zhou Yuan came to greet them as always.
Li Xichen, who was in the team, was still excitedly describing the several xenomorphs they had killed this time.
She noticed that a white shadow was missing from the welcoming crowd.
Ever since taking charge of the research institute, Yan Qingdu had completely changed his previous style. Perhaps he was copying Zhou Yuan, as he also always liked to wear a white lab coat.
The next day.
Chu Liuyue came to the laboratory.
She found that Yan Qingdu wasn't there.
She asked the others, "Where is Director Yan?"
The others shook their heads.
One of them said,
"The director said he seemed to have discovered the evolutionary principles of zombies devouring plants. He locked himself in the laboratory and has been there for a week now."
"He forbade us from disturbing him."
Hearing this, Chu Liuyue sensed something was wrong.
He hadn't come out for a week.
She quickly walked to that laboratory and turned the doorknob.
But it was locked.
She kicked it open.
Only to find Yan Qingdu collapsed on the ground, having been unconscious for who knows how long.
By the time he was sent to the infirmary, Zhou Yuan had also rushed over upon hearing the news.
He couldn't help but say,
"He always said he couldn't stay up late because it would make him ugly, but he still stayed up all night doing research behind our backs."
At this moment.
Yan Qingdu, who had been injected with an IV drip of glucose, slowly opened his eyes.
The first moment he saw Chu Liuyue, he was in disbelief.
He subconsciously muttered,
"Master."
"Am I dreaming?"
Hearing this form of address.
Zhou Yuan's expression changed instantly, and he couldn't help but glare at Yan Qingdu.
Yan Qingdu looked at him.
"Huh? Lao Zhou, why are you here too?"
Whenever Chu Liuyue and Li Xichen went out on missions, Yan Qingdu would always come to chat with Zhou Yuan whether he had a reason to or not. The two of them had gone from being at odds with each other in the beginning,
to now being frenemies who could trade a few insults with each other.
Zhou Yuan frowned.
Not knowing what came to mind, he silently retreated outside and closed the door.
Only the two of them were left in the room.
Yan Qingdu spoke up again, completely shameless.
"Master."
"Did you find me passed out?"
Chu Liuyue really couldn't hold back.
She lightly smacked him on the head, not using much force.
There was a hint of anger in her tone.
"Do you not value your own life? Researching day and night, are you trying to die young?"
"Yan Qingdu, if you die, who is going to oversee the big picture at the research institute?"
Yan Qingdu suddenly smiled.
"What are you smiling at?" she asked.
"You care about me."
"I'm worried you'll drop dead from overwork and make me look like a harsh boss." Chu Liuyue stood up to leave.
But he grabbed her wrist again.
Yan Qingdu tilted his head, looked at her, and pointed at his own face.
"Am I very ugly right now?"
"Of course not."
How could a man who had once been the student council president chased by countless fangirls be ugly?
"Then why aren't you willing to take a good look at me?"
"Even if it's just to torture me."
Seeing this, Chu Liuyue, with a hint of petty vindictiveness, vigorously rubbed the top of his head.
His perfectly fine hair was rubbed into a messy bird's nest.
Hmm.
It gave off the vibe of a decadent, messy-haired handsome guy.
"Like this?" she asked.
Yan Qingdu suddenly giggled out loud like a child.
He spoke up:
"Yueyue, I don't ask for much."
"I don't need to stand openly by your side like Zhou Yuan."
"Nor do I pray to fight alongside you like Li Xichen."
"I just need a tiny bit." He pinched his fingers together to show a minuscule distance, then added, "As long as you come back and see me every time you return from a mission, that's enough."
Chu Liuyue mocked him mercilessly:
"To see if you're dead yet?"
"Yeah!"
Yan Qingdu nodded vigorously and said earnestly:
"Yes. If you don't come to see me, maybe I'll die in the laboratory one day and no one will even notice."
"Serves you right."
Wasn't that because you forbade anyone else from coming near this room while you were researching?
Yan Qingdu repeated once more:
"Okay?"
"What?"
"Every time you come back, just take a look at me."
"I'll think about it."
"Okay, let's pinky swear."
"Wait! Yan Qingdu, you scoundrel, did I ever say I agreed?"
"Is Yueyue angry?"
"..."
"Where do you want to hit me?" He looked expectant.
"..."
"You're not going to hit me?" He seemed a little disappointed.
"..."
"Then it's a promise."
(End of the Doomsday World arc)
