Chapter 30 – The situation is out of control

It really proved that saying—every field has its own specialists.

Madman Su, who was always sharp and ruthless on the front lines, ended up getting looked down on at a simple testing station.

“Comrade, do you even know how to draw blood?”

It wasn’t the first time Su Fengzhou had been questioned like this. At this point, he’d lost count.

But mentally, he was solid. Not bothered at all. “Isn’t it exactly because I’m not good at it that I need the practice? First time’s unfamiliar, second time’s smoother. Look at this needle, I’m way more precise than the last one, right?”

“…”

You really can’t win against someone that shameless. For a second, no one knew what to say back. It felt like any criticism would be stomping on the enthusiasm of a hardworking young man.

After collecting another set of samples and handing them over to Ying Xize, Su Fengzhou leaned closer to glance at the equipment and finally found a moment to talk. “Why aren’t you all staying in the hotel? Why run around outside? This area’s usually handled by dedicated staff. Now you’ve taken over their job and saved them the trouble of assigning someone.”

Ying Xize didn’t pause his movements. “We came to support in the first place. We go wherever we’re needed. It’s all the same.”

“You’ve got a decent mindset, but you still need to be more cautious.” Su Fengzhou clicked his tongue. He glanced at Yu Qingyi, who was focused on her work beside them, and the smile on his face dimmed a little. “It’s true that we’re stuck in Pingcheng and can’t leave for now, but things here might be way more complicated than you think. You saw what just happened. These mutated individuals that keep appearing out of nowhere, there are more of them every day, and they’re showing up more often, too. Who knows, the next one might pop up right next to you.”

Ying Xize finally looked up at him. “The person next to me right now is you. So Captain Su, going by what you said, shouldn’t we keep some distance?”

“I’m different.” Su Fengzhou lifted a brow. Instead of stepping back, he moved two steps closer. “I can protect you.”

Yu Qingyi looked over and joined in, sounding casual on purpose. “Captain Su, are you only planning to protect Researcher Ying?”

Su Fengzhou didn’t play favorites. “I’ll protect you, too.”

That seemed to satisfy Yu Qingyi.

Ying Xize didn’t follow up on it. He held the freshly printed test report in his hand, his brows slowly drawing together. He muttered, almost to himself, “I wonder if the hospital’s general screening results will show the same ratio.”

Su Fengzhou might not know the details of the rear testing department’s work, but with how the frontline missions had been increasing lately, he already had a more direct sense of what was going on.

He wasn’t surprised at all by Ying Xize’s words. “See? Now you know I wasn’t trying to scare you.”

“But the more things are like this, the more we need people standing at the front.” Yu Qingyi spoke as she handed the now-empty sample collector back to him. “Captain Su, you can start on the next batch. Thanks.”

Ying Xize added in an even tone, “Thanks for your hard work.”

Su Fengzhou said, “…You two are really getting used to bossing me around.”

Ying Xize didn’t respond.

Just as the words settled, out of the corner of his eye, Su Fengzhou caught the faintest curve at the edge of Ying Xize’s lips.

He raised a brow and went back to his temporary role, drawing blood.

The testing continued in an orderly flow. Once the reports were issued, the people present were split into two groups.

None of the departments on site made any announcements, but the group that had been separated could already feel something was off. As they watched the other group being led toward the exit under staff supervision, a heavy sense of dread quietly spread through them.

Compared to the general crowd, it wasn’t only the people from the Investigation Department. Even the researchers from the institute had grim looks on their faces as they checked report after report.

It was obvious. The number of abnormal blood samples was far beyond what they had first predicted.

At this pace, the ratio was already close to 5%.

A frighteningly high figure.

Since there were still many ordinary citizens around, the Investigation Department didn’t act on the spot. Instead, they escorted those with abnormal results to a separate area in batches.

The entire time, everyone stayed on full alert. The moment any new mutation signs appeared, they were prepared to shoot without hesitation.

With all departments working together, the number of people still waiting for testing quickly dropped.

Just when it looked like the small-scale “incidents” in this area were about to settle down for now, a sudden gunshot tore through the fragile calm.

The breath everyone had let out tightened again. The crowd that hadn’t left yet broke into more screams.

The heavy psychological strain on the group being held back finally gave way when the first person was shot dead.

The first signs of resistance came from the group being escorted by the Investigation Department toward the quarantine area.

Once panic started to spread, it moved fast. In the chaos that followed, driven by pure survival instinct, people began running toward the exit in a frenzy.

At the exit, the Guides were busy wiping the memories of the ordinary citizens who were about to leave. The line had been neat moments ago, but the sudden surge of people crashing into it threw everything into disorder. The trauma from the earlier mutated individuals was still fresh. To the ordinary citizens, the group being escorted away already felt like a different species, and their appearance immediately set off another round of screams.

But even that wasn’t when things truly fell apart.

One after another, new mutated individuals began appearing among the crowd that had scattered in panic.

At the same time, the gunshots that had briefly stopped rang out again.

With everyone completely mixed, figures dropping one by one in the crowd drove fear to its breaking point.

According to the previous testing rules, having an abnormal blood sample alone wasn’t enough to strip someone of their human status. That made it even harder for the Investigation Department to keep control of the situation.

The emergence of new mutated individuals became the trigger. The testing plaza, which had been calm moments ago, turned in an instant into a killing field.

Some people ran. Some broke down crying. The nonstop screams of those completely overwhelmed echoed through the air.

And yet, at that moment, Ying Xize was standing in the safest spot on the entire site.

He lifted his head slightly. All he could see was the tall figure blocking his view.

The second the chaos broke out, Su Fengzhou had almost instinctively pulled him over and firmly shielded him behind his back.

Drawing his gun and firing happened in one smooth motion.

The middle-aged man who had been next in line for a blood draw at their station was shot on the spot before he could fully mutate.

Ying Xize watched as the splattered green blood stained Su Fengzhou’s protective suit, his expression calm and unreadable.