The security system at Laboratory B7 had been destroyed. Two fully armed soldiers stood guard at the entrance, and the moment they saw Su Nuan, they raised their weapons.
"I'm Su Nuan," she said, forcing herself to remain calm. "Lin Xiu wants to see me."
The soldiers exchanged a glance, confirmed something through their communicators, and then motioned for her to enter.
Inside the laboratory, everything was in disarray. Equipment had been violently rummaged through, and several Ω-7 sample vials lay shattered on the floor, their blue liquid evaporating into the air.
Lin Xiu stood before the main control console, anxiously downloading data. When he heard footsteps, he turned around. A strange light flickered behind his glasses.
"Dr. Su! You're finally here!" He hurried toward her, but stopped when he noticed the wary expression on her face. "Don't worry. I'm not going to hurt you."
"Then what is this?" Su Nuan pointed at the broken samples and the armed soldiers. "Fu Linyuan trusted you, and this is how you repay him? By betraying him?"
Lin Xiu's expression grew complicated.
"It's not what you think. I'm trying to save more people!" He excitedly pointed toward the screen. "Look at these data! Ω-7 can put an end to this disaster, but Fu Linyuan locked it away, protecting only his own people!"
Su Nuan glanced at the screen. It was indeed research data on Ω-7, but some of the parameters had clearly been altered.
"Who are you giving it to? General Wang?"
"No!" Lin Xiu shook his head. "I'm giving it to people who genuinely want to end this disaster—the 'Genesis Organization.' They have the largest survivor network in the world. They can mass-produce vaccines!"
Su Nuan had never heard of this organization, but her instincts told her not to trust it.
"Why hasn't Fu Linyuan shared the research?"
"Because he wants to control everything!" Lin Xiu said agitatedly. "Whoever possesses Ω-7 will control the power of the new world!"
He stepped closer to Su Nuan, his tone suddenly turning pleading.
"But you can change all of this, Dr. Su. Your blood contains the original antibodies. They're purer than Ω-7. Come with me. Together, we can put an end to this nightmare."
Su Nuan took a step backward.
"If this organization is really as selfless as you claim, then why did they need armed soldiers to abduct me?"
Lin Xiu's expression froze.
At that very moment, Su Nuan caught sight of a symbol flashing in the corner of the screen—a blood-red eye.
It was exactly the same insignia she had seen on General Wang's flagship.
A lie.
This entire thing was a trap.
"I need time to think," she said, stalling as her fingers secretly moved toward the pistol hidden inside her sleeve.
"There's no time!"
Lin Xiu's expression changed abruptly. He gave the soldiers a signal.
"Take her away!"
The soldiers stepped forward and grabbed Su Nuan by the arm. She instinctively struggled. In the chaos, the pistol slipped from her sleeve and hit the floor with a crisp metallic clang.
Lin Xiu picked it up. His face darkened.
"Fu Linyuan gave this to you?" He let out a cold laugh. "Looks like he really does care about you."
"Too bad it's too late."
He gestured for the soldiers to escort Su Nuan outside while he continued downloading the data.
Just as they were about to leave, the entire laboratory suddenly plunged into darkness.
Only the emergency lights cast a faint red glow.
"What's happening?" Lin Xiu asked in alarm.
"The power has been cut!" one of the soldiers answered. "The backup power should—"
Before he could finish, large amounts of white smoke suddenly poured from the ventilation ducts.
Su Nuan immediately held her breath, but the soldiers had already inhaled the gas. They began coughing violently.
"Anesthetic gas!" one of them shouted before collapsing to the floor.
Su Nuan seized the opportunity to break free. Feeling her way through the darkness, she ran toward the emergency door she remembered.
Behind her came Lin Xiu's curses and the sound of his staggering footsteps.
Then a gunshot rang out.
The bullet grazed past her ear.
She stumbled into a side corridor. Countless branching passages disappeared into the darkness around her.
Suddenly, a strong hand covered her mouth and pulled her into a concealed alcove.
"Don't make a sound."
The familiar voice whispered beside her ear, his warm breath brushing against her earlobe.
Fu Linyuan.
Su Nuan's tense body instantly relaxed. She leaned against his solid chest.
Even in the darkness, she could smell the familiar scent of ambergris mixed with blood on him.
His wound must have opened again.
"How did you…?"
"The signal device." Fu Linyuan's answer was brief. One arm remained wrapped around her waist. "Chen Mo has surrounded this place, but Lin Xiu may still have accomplices."
The footsteps outside drew closer.
Lin Xiu's hysterical voice echoed through the corridor.
"Dr. Su! Don't let Fu Linyuan deceive you! He knew the virus would break out, yet he did nothing! He has something to do with your father's death!"
Su Nuan felt Fu Linyuan's body tense instantly.
"He's lying."
Fu Linyuan's voice was dangerously low, restrained fury simmering beneath every word.
"But your father did discover something… something about the virus being deliberately released…"
A sudden explosion shook the entire corridor.
It was followed by a barrage of gunfire and shouting.
Fu Linyuan moved in front of Su Nuan, shielding her with his body while raising his gun and cautiously watching the corner.
"Chen Mo has started the assault," he said. "We need to take another route out."
They crawled through a maintenance tunnel.
Fu Linyuan led the way, clearing their path ahead.
Even so, Su Nuan could tell that every step he took was causing him immense pain.
At the end of the tunnel was a small door leading to the beach on the western side of the island.
Under the moonlight, Fu Linyuan's face was frighteningly pale. The front of his shirt was already soaked through with blood.
Yet he remained astonishingly lucid.
He pulled Su Nuan behind a reef and kept himself concealed.
"Listen to me," he said between ragged breaths. "Lin Xiu isn't just a traitor. He may be one of the 'Purifiers.'"
"The Purifiers?"
"An extremist organization. They believe the virus is God's way of cleansing humanity."
Fu Linyuan grimaced in pain.
"They've infiltrated various factions, including the military… and the new survivor groups."
More explosions sounded in the distance, followed by the rapid bursts of automatic weapons.
Suddenly, Chen Mo's voice came through Fu Linyuan's communicator.
"Boss Fu! Lin Xiu escaped! He took a speedboat northwest!"
Fu Linyuan cursed under his breath and was about to respond when he suddenly began coughing violently.
A mouthful of blood sprayed onto the reef.
"Fu Linyuan!"
Su Nuan caught his collapsing body, her palm immediately becoming warm and slick with blood.
"I'm fine…"
He forced a weak smile, but the strength to speak was rapidly leaving him.
"The plan… continue…"
Chen Mo was still waiting for his orders through the communicator.
But Fu Linyuan's eyes had already closed, his breathing so faint that it was almost imperceptible.
Su Nuan tremblingly pressed her fingers against his carotid artery.
His heartbeat was weak and rapid.
Hemorrhagic shock.
She immediately tore the hem from her own shirt and pressed it firmly against the wound on his chest.
Then she shouted into the communicator:
"Chen Mo! Boss Fu is seriously injured! We need emergency medical assistance! Coordinates: the western beach, reef area!"
There was no response.
Only then did Su Nuan realize that the communicator had been damaged during the chaos.
She looked around.
The nearest building was hundreds of meters away, and in Fu Linyuan's condition, there was no way he could make it that far.
"Hang in there…"
She whispered as she continued pressing down on his wound.
"Don't die in front of me, Fu Linyuan. You still owe me too many explanations…"
Fu Linyuan's eyelids trembled slightly, as though he wanted to open them but couldn't.
His lips moved.
Su Nuan leaned closer to listen.
"The study… secret compartment…"
His voice was barely a whisper.
"Password… your birthday…"
Then his head tilted to one side, and he lost consciousness completely.
Tears finally spilled from Su Nuan's eyes, falling onto his pale face.
In this isolated corner of the world, beneath the blood-red moon and the mournful sound of the waves, humanity's last hope was slowly fading away in her arms.
But what frightened her even more was the sound she could faintly hear coming from the other side of the beach.
Footsteps.
More than one person.
They were approaching the place where she and Fu Linyuan were hiding…