IABI -Chapter 114 Humanity’s Counterattack (15)

Chi Xin had imagined what it would be like to see those familiar people again. Yet now that she truly stood before them, beyond pure joy, there was also a deeper sigh in her heart.

A great battle was imminent. Privately, Chi Xin had hoped they would stay farther away from all this—stay out of it altogether. And yet, they still came.

She was glad they were alive and well. In the apocalypse, so many farewells meant never meeting again. Even if she trusted their strength, no one could guarantee that the next time she heard their names, it wouldn’t be as a passing mention of someone who had casually perished at some unknown corner.

Thankfully.

Looking at Yongning—whom she had parted from only a few months ago, yet who now seemed like a completely different person—Chi Xin revealed a smile from the bottom of her heart.

The position they stood in was slightly off to the side. From Chi Xin’s angle, she could clearly see Yongning’s stern expression as he spoke with Yan Wei, who was guarding the city, while simultaneously issuing orders to his subordinates to help the soldiers unload cart after cart of weapons. His bearing and manner of doing things already carried quite a bit of Rong Feng’s style.

The other person who came down was Leonid. This tall, honest-looking man from Country E actually appeared to take Yongning as his lead—whatever Yongning said, he did.

“Little Fengfeng really lives up to his name. One move and it’s already a grand gesture,” Yu Xiang clicked his tongue in amazement. “Damn, I even saw sleeve-arrow missiles. Isn’t that the kind you used before?”

Chi Xin’s eyes kept searching through the convoy. “Rong Feng himself doesn’t seem to be here.”

“What’s the point of guessing? Why not just go ask him yourself?” Yu Xiang said cheerfully, reaching out and giving Chi Xin a push on the back.

Of course, Chi Xin could have dodged. But at that moment, she didn’t move, letting the push send her forward, exposing her directly to everyone else.

Yongning turned around sensitively. Chi Xin clearly saw a sharp, piercing glint flash through his eyes.

Then he recognized her.

Yongning froze in place. His lips trembled violently, and just as he was about to step toward Chi Xin, he was startled by Yan Wei suddenly snapping to attention beside him.

It wasn’t just Yan Wei. All the busy soldiers of Base A straightened up at once and greeted Chi Xin in unison:

“Miss Chi!”

The sound was deafening, echoing into the sky.

Not only Yongning—other members of Houyi who had been brought along also stood stunned, looking at the soldiers, then at Chi Xin.

Chi Xin managed to keep herself from showing an awkward expression.

Even after so many days, she was still extremely unaccustomed to this kind of leader-level treatment.

But she also wouldn’t let others feel uncomfortable. She put on a gentle, reserved smile and responded to their greeting, “Everyone, get back to work. No need to mind me.”

With the heightened senses of a mutated merfolk, Yongning could guarantee that even after they heard Chi Xin’s words and returned to their tasks, there were still constant glances drifting in her direction.

Those looks were practically sparkling with little stars.

Chi Xin shook her head helplessly and took the initiative to walk toward Yongning and Leonid.

“Wow, you’ve grown taller.”

Only when she stood in front of Yongning did she realize that the merfolk youth—who had been barely shorter than her just a few months ago—was now more than half a head taller than her. She looked up at him, her face showing some surprise.

She had no idea that such an expression on her face could be so unbearably cute.

Yongning’s Adam’s apple bobbed once, but the smile on his face was as soft as ever, as though he weren’t the same person who had just been coldly commanding everyone moments ago.

“Big Sister Chi,” he said, the familiar tone unchanged. “Long time no see. You’re even more beautiful.”

“Really? I thought I’d gotten quite a bit tanner,” Chi Xin replied, feeling an inexplicable sense of strangeness well up inside her.

For some reason, this felt exactly like those business-style mutual compliments she used to exchange with so-called plastic sisters in her past life!

Of course, she didn’t say that aloud. Instead, she followed procedure and had the newcomers undergo testing.

“Brother Rong sent word for us to bring these supplies to Base A. He didn’t tell me anything else,” Yongning said to Chi Xin while waiting for the others to finish their checks. There was a hint of coquettishness in his tone. “I thought something had suddenly happened to him. Turns out you’re here.”

“But Chi Xin issued a global mobilization order earlier. You didn’t receive it over there?” Yu Xiang asked in confusion.

“Nope.” Yongning smiled flawlessly. “Brother Rong trusts me more and more. When Sister issued the order, I happened to be busy with a mission. I only found out about it afterward, but they didn’t tell me it was Sister who sent it.”

“Oh?” Yu Xiang teased. “Looks like your reputation as the war commander isn’t loud enough, Chi Xin. There are still people who don’t know about you.”

“Don’t talk nonsense. Yongning was busy with a mission—his environment must have been much more dangerous. In places like rainforests, who could receive any messages?” Chi Xin shot him a glare.

Yu Xiang pouted, while a trace of extremely deep amusement flashed through Yongning’s eyes.

Chi Xin then looked warmly at Yongning again, and he immediately returned to his obedient, admiring demeanor.

Yet Chi Xin didn’t notice at all. “Where is Rong Feng right now? When can he come over?”

Yongning pressed his lips together. “According to recent contact, Brother Rong has gone to Country I. He said the current forces are still far from enough and that more help is needed.”

“Country I? Isn’t that a desert country? Going there in this weather—you could roast a person alive,” Yu Xiang widened his eyes.

Chi Xin’s expression stiffened as well. A surge of indescribable emotion welled up in her chest, her gaze complex. “Setting aside the environment, with his personality, making him do this kind of persuasion work… it’s really hard on him.”

“This is for Sister Chi,” Yongning said, lowering his head slightly, his voice softening. “Brother Rong probably doesn’t think it’s hard. I’m too clumsy with words. I even envy Brother Rong—he can do these things for you… The help he can provide you is far more than just transporting a batch of weapons.”

Yu Xiang was dumbfounded.

“Well… uh… compared to persuasion, I’m more inclined to believe he’d directly use weapons and profit as leverage,” Yu Xiang said with difficulty. “You really don’t need to envy him.”

Chi Xin didn’t notice the undercurrent between the two. Thinking of the several trucks of weapons Fan Fu had brought earlier, she nodded in deep agreement.

Behind her, Yu Xiang and Yongning exchanged a glance and both reined in the expressions in their eyes.

Just as the testing was nearly finished, an off-road vehicle came speeding in from the distance. It was extremely fast and clearly had a target—flicking its tail as it came to a sharp stop right in front of Chi Xin.

The window rolled down, revealing Jing Xiubai’s grave face.

Chi Xin instantly felt a bad premonition. “What happened to Lou Chen?”

“Get in the car,” Jing Xiubai said succinctly, wasting not a single second.

Chi Xin didn’t hesitate. She turned back and instructed Yongning, “In a bit, go find Major Yan Wei. He’ll arrange accommodations for you. I’ll come find you once I’m back.”

Yongning showed a worried expression. “Sister Chi, should I come with you? My combat strength is very high now.”

“This matter may not require fighting.”

Chi Xin forced a bitter smile and said no more. The moment Jing Xiubai stepped on the accelerator and the engine roared, she pulled open the back door and slipped in like a swift fish.

Yu Xiang followed right after.

On the road, Jing Xiubai finally explained why he had rushed over so urgently.

“Lou Chen is disappearing,” he dropped a bombshell.

“Disappearing?” Even Chi Xin couldn’t help but feel shocked. “What do you mean by disappearing? Is he a little mermaid, vanishing into bubbles?”

“Boss Chi, I’m very gratified that you’ve inherited my talent for complaining. Although I’m really curious what a little mermaid is,” Yu Xiang said. “But let’s skip that for now.”

“Literally,” Jing Xiubai said, meeting Chi Xin’s gaze through the rearview mirror. “This morning, when the researchers made their rounds, they found his data declining. At first, we thought he was losing vital signs—but that’s not the case.”

Chi Xin’s heart tightened with every breath.

“He’s becoming transparent,” Jing Xiubai said. “He’s about to disappear.”

“How could this happen…” Chi Xin murmured. “Have you found out why?”

Jing Xiubai lowered his eyes in the rearview mirror.

His silence was the answer.

Chi Xin slowly clenched the hand resting on her knee. The smiling boy who had appeared in her dreams last night—his subtle trembling and tears—were still vividly clear.

How could he suddenly disappear?

Hadn’t he said he’d let her see him today?

Carrying emotions she couldn’t tell were sorrow or anger, Chi Xin got out of the car with a frighteningly sharp presence, storming all the way into the research institute, which was already in chaos. Not a single person dared to block her path.

Outside Lou Chen’s ward, Professor Jing and the Sero couple were already busy inside. No matter how impatient Chi Xin felt, she still restrained herself, put on layer after layer of protective gear, and entered through the passage.

Yu Xiang and Jing Xiubai stayed outside, watching the scene through the glass.

Ignoring Professor Jing and the others, Chi Xin saw Lou Chen at once—lying on the bed just like a few days ago, yet now so translucent that one could almost see the pillow beneath his face.

“Lou Chen?” Chi Xin called softly.

She didn’t know if it was her imagination, but she felt that after hearing her voice, Lou Chen’s face became a bit more transparent.

A look of panic surfaced in her eyes as she stared blankly at Professor Jing.

Professor Jing sighed. “Miss Chi, at this point, we have no choice but to draw a conclusion based on the most absurd speculation.”

“How absurd?”

“This Lou Chen may very well not have a physical body,” Professor Jing said. “All signs indicate that he is likely in a non-corporeal state. Based on his special psychic ability, we have reason to suspect that what lies here is merely his spiritual form.”

Chi Xin’s pupils shrank slightly. She recalled various details—how Jing Xiubai had repeatedly mentioned that external objects couldn’t leave marks on Lou Chen, and so on.

“Even if it’s a spiritual body, it shouldn’t become transparent for no reason, right?” Chi Xin glanced at Lou Chen again. “Do you have any hypotheses about the current situation?”

“There is, indeed,” Sai Ruo answered this time. “A previously stable astral form becoming transparent—we believe there are two possible reasons. One is that his physical body was damaged, leaving him unable to maintain a state of spirit separation.”

Chi Xin narrowed her eyes. “The one most likely to still possess Lou Chen’s body…”

“Is Raphael,” Sai Ruo said softly. “Lou Chen’s body is very likely with Raphael.”

“In other words, it’s highly likely that Raphael did something to his body.” Chi Xin took a deep breath. “And the other possibility?”

“The other possibility is very slim.” Jing Xiubai’s voice came through the speaker. “Unless he voluntarily transferred himself in this manner, it doesn’t make sense.”

“Transferred himself? Where would he be going?” Chi Xin asked.

“At present, we know nothing about that,” Professor Jing said slowly.

Chi Xin felt a lump rise in her throat.

“Oh no!” Albert, who rarely spoke, suddenly cried out, fear faintly lacing his voice. “He’s about to disappear completely!”

Chi Xin whipped her head around. Sure enough, in just the moments they had been talking, Lou Chen had become so transparent that only a faint outline remained.

“Lou Chen!”

Chi Xin lunged straight toward the bed, but even with her inhuman speed, she was unable to stop Lou Chen’s disappearance.

She tried to grab his hand, but only caught a corner of the blanket.

“Beep—”

The instruments could no longer detect any signs of life. After a single sharp beep, the fluctuating lines turned into a straight line.

Just like that, right before their very eyes, Lou Chen vanished.

Silence fell.

The researchers nearby—even Professor Jing—could not help but show expressions of confusion mixed with despair.

They had waited so long for the hope that could bring the apocalypse to an end. Everyone knew that Lou Chen was the viral progenitor.

Yet in just a few short days, that hope was shattered once again.

What was truly terrifying was never despair itself, but having hope within reach, only to watch it disappear before one’s eyes.

Low sobbing spread through the ward and even outside it.

“We’re finished,” someone muttered. “The final hope is gone. A vaccine will never be developed.”

Once he said that, more people who hadn’t been crying began to sob as well.

Even Professor Jing’s eyes reddened.

Amid the sound of collective grief, Chi Xin’s expressionless face stood out all the more.

“Now is not the time to cry.”

She had been anxious and uneasy before, but once the worst actually happened, she instead became calm.

Sweeping her gaze over everyone, she fixed her eyes on Professor Jing. “While Lou Chen was still here, he must have provided quite a bit of research data, right? Focus all efforts on breaking through that.”

Professor Jing looked at her with reddened eyes. “But without him, no matter how many experimental hypotheses we have, they can’t be verified.”

“Then find him.” Chi Xin’s final words fell with ringing force. “Why did we gather here in the first place? Was it only for a vaccine?”

Pairs of bewildered eyes turned toward her.

“Lou Chen’s body is with Raphael—that makes him very easy to find.” Chi Xin let out a cold laugh. “I was able to snatch Lou Chen back from him once, and I can do it a second time.”

The researchers exchanged glances, and the sobbing gradually stopped.

“That’s right,” someone said dazedly. “This is War Goddess Chi. She’s the one who seized the Zombie King on the battlefield.”

“She even rallied combat forces from all over the world. She’ll definitely be able to storm Raphael’s lair.”

“Exactly. The Zombie King didn’t disappear completely—his body is still there. He must have gone back.”

“Our hope hasn’t vanished.”

“No—it was never gone to begin with.”

Countless fervent gazes converged on Chi Xin, blazing with brilliant light.

Professor Jing looked at her for a long time before finally letting out a self-mocking smile. “How laughable. I’ve lived for decades, yet I’m not as clear-headed as you.”

“You’re just too worried,” Chi Xin said. “Take these few days as a rest. Put your mind at ease.”

If anyone else had said that at such a moment, it would have been dismissed as empty consolation.

But when Chi Xin said it, everyone truly relaxed, and the despair that had filled the room was swept away.

Outside the glass window, Yu Xiang turned around and looked at Jing Xiubai, unsurprised to see a fire burning in his eyes.

“So what’s the plan now?” he asked.

Jing Xiubai’s long fingers unfastened the buttons of his white lab coat one by one, tossing it casually onto a nearby chair.

Without turning his head, he said, “Find Raphael’s lair.”

Yu Xiang smiled. “That’s right. If one road is blocked, we can only take another.”

Jing Xiubai kept his gaze fixed on Chi Xin’s figure inside, not noticing that the playful smile Yu Xiang usually wore was gone, replaced by a deep, heavy gloom between his brows.

Professor Jing and the others stayed behind at the research institute to continue analyzing the data extracted from Lou Chen earlier. Jing Xiubai, however, abandoned medicine for combat and followed Chi Xin to the administrative building.

“Do you have any leads on where Raphael is?” Chi Xin asked Jing Xiubai in the elevator. “I was hoping Lou Chen would wake up and tell us, but that’s no longer possible.”

“I already had a vague guess about his location before,” Jing Xiubai replied. “But like you, once Lou Chen was found, I didn’t pursue it further.”

It was the first time Jing Xiubai didn’t look at Chi Xin while speaking to her. Instead, he stared at the changing numbers of the elevator. From his taut posture, Chi Xin could feel the surging battle intent radiating from him.

“Don’t worry. A Base A didn’t become the largest survivor base just because of its coastal location,” he said quietly. “I’ve already obtained his data from Sai Ruo. With satellite tracking, even if he were a rat, we could dig him out of the ground.”

Chi Xin hadn’t known about this. Her eyes lit up. “You had satellites and didn’t tell me earlier?!”

Jing Xiubai rolled his eyes toward her. Seeing her finally reveal a genuinely relieved smile, the corners of his lips lifted slightly as well.

After leaving the elevator, Jing Xiubai headed straight for Yu Shizhao’s office. Chi Xin took a couple of steps before feeling that something was off. Turning back, she saw Yu Xiang leaning against the wall after exiting the elevator, clutching his head and looking extremely unwell.

“Yu Xiang?” Chi Xin hurried over worriedly. Pulling his hand away, she saw the deep dark circles under his eyes and his exhausted expression.

“I’m fine. Probably just a bit tired,” Yu Xiang shook his head, but his expression said otherwise.

“Go back to the institute and have Professor Jing take a look at you.” Chi Xin frowned. “Your body is the capital of the revolution—don’t take it lightly.”

“I’ve just been staying up too late lately, it’s nothing,” Yu Xiang said. Seeing Chi Xin’s disapproving look, he flashed his trademark bright grin. “I’ll go back and sleep for a bit. Tomorrow morning, first thing, I’ll go see Professor Jing, okay?”

“If you feel unwell, go right away. Don’t drag it out,” Chi Xin said, reluctantly nodding.

Yu Xiang smiled and didn’t follow Chi Xin any further, instead casually entering a nearby lounge to sleep.

Watching his unsteady retreating figure, Chi Xin felt a sense of unease lingering in her heart. However, her attack system showed no reaction, and she couldn’t tell what was wrong, so she could only suppress the feeling for now.

The news of Lou Chen’s disappearance was temporarily kept secret, known only to the leaders of a few bases.

With the decisive battle approaching, morale was crucial. For the sake of overall stability, they decided to conceal it for the time being. The research institute was also specifically instructed to keep silent.

Still, this undeniable fact caused the atmosphere of the entire base to shift abruptly, carrying an oppressive sense of an impending storm.

After settling matters on this end, Chi Xin went to check on her friends. Under Yan Wei’s deliberate arrangements, they were all housed close to her.

During the days they stayed at the base, none of them were idle. They proactively joined task squads according to their abilities—those suited for the sea went to the sea, those fit for labor worked. Jiang Congyun was especially in demand, so much so that people fought over him, and he only returned exhausted late at night.

The group ate a simple meal together and exchanged a few words. Exhausted, they soon dispersed and turned in early.

That night, Chi Xin silently called Lou Chen’s name, but did not see him.

Carrying both worry and resentment over where that “bear child” had gone, she woke before dawn. A sudden premonition surged within her—her attack system was trembling.

What was going on? This was inside the base.

Chi Xin’s expression hardened. She immediately lowered her body and crept to the window to look outside.

The street was peaceful and quiet, with nothing out of the ordinary.

She then shifted her gaze to the door that connected her to the outside world.

Almost as if the person outside sensed her awareness, a soft knock sounded at the door—tap, tap, tap.

A gun silently appeared in Chi Xin’s hand. The moment she opened the door, she pressed the muzzle to the other person’s forehead.

She met Yu Xiang’s face.

“Yu Xiang?” Chi Xin found it even stranger. She didn’t lower her guard, keeping the gun raised as she asked cautiously, “Why are you standing outside my room so early in the morning?”

Yu Xiang slowly smiled.

His eyes curved upward, and the corners of his eyes and lips were tinged with red.

The smile looked good on his handsome face, yet a strong sense of dissonance enveloped Chi Xin, making her increasingly uneasy.

With a click, she racked the gun.

“Speak,” Chi Xin said coldly.

Yu Xiang stopped smiling, though amusement still lingered in his eyes. He looked at Chi Xin and spoke in a tone familiar to her, yet unmistakably not Yu Xiang’s. “Chi Xin, you’d really shoot someone you know?”

Chi Xin’s entire body jolted. A gun hand that had never trembled even when charging through countless enemies couldn’t help but shake slightly.

“Why aren’t you talking?” Yu Xiang tilted his head, staring unblinkingly at her face, even wrinkling his nose. “That reaction isn’t quite what I expected.”

Seeing that Chi Xin still didn’t speak, Yu Xiang let out a soft sigh and lowered his head to tug at the sleeves and hem of his suit. “This outfit is really uncomfortable. But the men in magazines all dress like this—do you like this kind of man?”

The most unwilling-to-believe yet most likely guess surfaced in Chi Xin’s mind.

“Lou Chen,” she said steadily, calling out the name.

“Yu Xiang” froze. He lifted his head, and the bright, cheerful smile from before was replaced with a different kind of delight. “You recognized me?”

His answer confirmed Chi Xin’s most absurd suspicion.

Chi Xin slowly closed her eyes. She felt the other person reaching toward her. The hand holding the gun trembled again, but she still didn’t fire.

Warm fingertips covered her eyelids.

“So nice,” “Yu Xiang” murmured, his fingers lingering obsessively over her eyelids. “So this is your temperature? This is the first time I’ve felt it, Chi Xin. Truly.”

His voice began to shake. “Do you know? All those times before, I could only see you in illusions, touch you in dreams. I never once felt your real skin, your real warmth. But they—Jing Xiubai and the people of this body—they were always by your side, touching you. I hated them. I was so jealous.”

As Chi Xin sensed that hand sliding toward her cheek, she opened her eyes.