The footsteps drew closer and closer.
Su Nuan held the unconscious Fu Linyuan tightly in her arms while her other hand reached for the pistol he had given her. Under the moonlight, the gun gleamed with a cold metallic sheen, its heavy weight reminding her that this was her last means of self-defense.
"This way! The blood trail leads over here!" an unfamiliar male voice shouted.
Su Nuan held her breath, her finger resting on the trigger.
Three dark figures appeared above the reef, assault rifles in hand. Beams from their tactical flashlights swept across the place where she was hiding.
"Target located!"
The lead man suddenly raised his weapon—but instead of aiming it at her, he pointed toward the sea.
"Medical team, move in! Mr. Fu is seriously wounded!"
Su Nuan froze for a second before realizing they were not Lin Xiu's men.
She cautiously poked her head out.
"Who are you?"
Only then did the man notice her. He immediately lowered his weapon.
"Xu Zheng, head of the Eastern District of the Genesis Organization. We're here to help."
"The Genesis Organization?" Su Nuan repeated warily.
It was the very same group Lin Xiu had claimed he intended to join.
Xu Zheng seemed to sense her suspicion and explained quickly.
"Lin Xiu is a traitor. The data he stole could get thousands of people killed. We tracked him here and happened to arrive in the middle of this chaos."
Behind him, two medical personnel had already climbed down from the reef and begun examining Fu Linyuan.
Su Nuan reluctantly loosened her grip on him, though she kept the pistol firmly in her hand.
"Hemorrhagic shock. Blood pressure sixty over forty. Pulse is weak," one of the doctors reported quickly. "He needs a transfusion and surgery immediately."
Xu Zheng made his decision without hesitation.
"Use our mobile medical unit. Captain Chen has already authorized us to enter Warehouse Three."
Su Nuan was surprised to discover that they appeared to be in contact with Chen Mo.
Just as the medical team prepared to move Fu Linyuan, she stopped them.
"Wait. His blood type is AB negative. There isn't enough in storage on the island."
"We have universal plasma," the doctor replied. "It can buy us twelve hours."
Su Nuan bit her lip before making her decision.
"Use my blood. I'm O negative—the universal donor."
There was something else she didn't say.
Her blood contained antibodies that might help Fu Linyuan fight off any possible infection.
Xu Zheng's sharp gaze lingered on her face for a moment, as if he had seen through her, but he merely nodded.
"Hurry. We don't have much time."
The mobile medical unit was actually a modified armored ambulance, equipped with facilities comparable to those of a state-of-the-art hospital operating room.
Su Nuan was seated beside Fu Linyuan.
A tube connected her left arm to his right, and bright red blood slowly flowed into his veins.
"Direct transfusion carries risks," Xu Zheng said from across from her as he watched the monitors. "You're very brave."
Su Nuan didn't answer.
Her eyes remained fixed on Fu Linyuan's pale face.
The man who was normally so commanding and seemingly invincible now looked as fragile as a child. His long eyelashes cast shadows across his cheeks. His breathing was weak, but steady.
"Why did you come here?" she finally asked, her voice hoarse. "Was it really just to stop Lin Xiu?"
Xu Zheng smiled faintly, fine lines appearing at the corners of his eyes.
"Partly. We're also here to seek cooperation."
He pointed toward the window.
"The world has split into three factions—the military dictatorship led by General Wang, our Survivor Alliance, and Mr. Fu's Ark Island."
"You want Ω-7."
Realization dawned on Su Nuan.
"We want to end this disaster," Xu Zheng corrected her. "Mr. Fu's methods are too closed-off. Science should be shared, especially when humanity's survival is at stake."
Su Nuan said nothing.
Fu Linyuan's obsession with control had indeed caused many problems, but Xu Zheng's enthusiasm also made her uneasy.
Any group that remained so highly organized in the middle of an apocalypse had to be driven by something powerful.
And that something was not necessarily goodwill.
The transfusion continued for forty minutes until the doctors determined that Fu Linyuan's condition had temporarily stabilized.
When Su Nuan pulled out the needle, a wave of dizziness hit her.
Xu Zheng handed her a cup of glucose water.
"You need to rest. We'll take Mr. Fu back to the medical ward in the main building."
Su Nuan shook her head.
"I'm staying with him."
Xu Zheng didn't insist. He simply gave her a meaningful look.
"He's important to you, isn't he? And not just because of your blood."
The question left Su Nuan at a loss.
Yes, Fu Linyuan was special to her.
But in what way?
Was it because he was the man who had shown her photographs of her mother in his study?
The warrior who had shielded her from a mutant attack?
Or the cold, ruthless dictator who had ordered a refugee ship to be sunk?
The medical ward in the main building had been converted into a sterile isolation room.
Fu Linyuan was connected to various monitoring devices. His face was still as pale as paper, but his breathing had become much steadier.
Su Nuan sat beside his bed, mechanically recording his vital signs while Xu Zheng's words replayed endlessly in her mind.
He's important to you.
Was that true?
Or was she merely a pawn in his plan for revenge?
A test subject in one of his experiments?
Late that night, only the steady beeping of the medical equipment remained.
Su Nuan gently took Fu Linyuan's hand.
She was surprised by how warm it was.
Only a few hours earlier, those hands had been as cold as a corpse.
His fingers were long and strong, with thin calluses on his fingertips from years of handling firearms. Yet now they lay powerless in her palm.
"You have to survive," she whispered, unsure whether he could hear her. "You still owe me an explanation. About my father... about everything."
Fu Linyuan's eyelids trembled slightly, as if he were dreaming, but he never woke.
Three days passed.
Fu Linyuan's condition fluctuated between improvement and decline. The fever kept returning, and his wound developed a mild infection.
But the most dangerous problem was the effect of an unknown neurotoxin.
The doctors could not determine whether it would cause permanent damage.
Su Nuan barely left his side, resting only occasionally after Chen Mo insisted.
At dawn on the fourth day, while she dozed beside his bed, a faint movement woke her.
Fu Linyuan's eyes were open.
Though dim, they were clear and focused.
He was staring directly at her.
"You're... awake!"
All traces of sleep vanished from Su Nuan at once. She reached for the call button, but he gently caught her hand.
"How long?"
His voice was so hoarse that it was almost inaudible.
"Four days."
Su Nuan poured him a glass of water and carefully lifted his head so he could drink.
"You lost too much blood, and there was also the neurotoxin. We... we were very worried."
Fu Linyuan slowly looked around the room. His gaze paused briefly on the guards standing outside the door.
"The situation?"
"Lin Xiu escaped with some of the data," Su Nuan reported briefly. "But Xu Zheng's people intercepted the information he sent out. The Genesis Organization is currently on the island helping with the defense."
The moment Fu Linyuan heard the name, his eyes sharpened.
"Xu Zheng... is here?"
"He brought medical equipment and personnel. Otherwise..."
Su Nuan didn't finish the sentence.
But Fu Linyuan understood.
Otherwise, he might already be dead.
"Dangerous."
Fu Linyuan struggled to sit up, but weakness overwhelmed him and he fell back.
"He is not... an ally."
Su Nuan pressed a hand against his shoulder.
"Don't move! You'll reopen your wound."
She hesitated.
"Why do you say Xu Zheng is dangerous? He saved your life."
Fu Linyuan pressed his lips into a thin line.
Clearly, he had no intention of saying more where they might be overheard.
At that moment, the door opened.
Xu Zheng himself walked in, holding a tablet.
"Mr. Fu! Thank technology—you're finally awake."
He walked warmly toward the bed.
"How are you feeling?"
Fu Linyuan's usual cold expression had returned.
"Thanks for your concern. I hear I owe you my life."
"Just helping each other."
Xu Zheng smiled and handed him the tablet.
"This is a list of the data Lin Xiu stole. The good news is that he didn't get the core algorithm. The bad news is that he may have already contacted General Wang."
Fu Linyuan quickly scanned the screen.
His frown deepened.
"This data is fake."
Xu Zheng raised an eyebrow.
"What do you mean?"
"I suspected Lin Xiu had divided loyalties a long time ago."
Though weak, Fu Linyuan's voice carried unquestionable authority.
"Three months ago, I began planting misleading data throughout the system. What he stole leads to a dead end."
Su Nuan stared at him in surprise.
So he had prepared for this long ago.
He had even kept a safeguard against his own chief scientist.
Xu Zheng's expression turned serious.
"That changes a lot of things. Once General Wang gets the fake data—"
"A lot of people will die," Fu Linyuan said coldly.
"But they won't be my people."
Silence filled the room.
Xu Zheng seemed to reassess the man lying before him.
At last, he nodded.
"Mr. Fu truly lives up to his reputation."
Then he turned to Su Nuan.
"Dr. Su, may I have a word with you in private?"
Fu Linyuan's fingers suddenly tightened around Su Nuan's wrist.
A subtle warning.
But she had already stood up.
"Of course. Mr. Fu needs to rest."
Out in the corridor, Xu Zheng's expression became serious.
"Dr. Su, I have a request."
Su Nuan felt her heart tighten.
"What is it?"
"We need a sample of your blood for research."
"Why?"
"Mr. Fu's fake-data strategy may be clever, but it has also delayed the development of a real cure."
Xu Zheng spoke with apparent sincerity.
"We have three laboratories and twenty top scientists. If we can obtain a sample of your original antibodies, we could increase the speed of our research several times over."
It sounded perfectly reasonable.
But Fu Linyuan's warning still echoed in her mind.
Su Nuan answered cautiously.
"I need time to think about it."
"Of course."
Xu Zheng nodded understandingly.
"But time is running out. Once General Wang realizes he's been given fake data, he'll launch a full-scale attack on Ark Island."
He handed Su Nuan a small communicator.
"Contact me whenever you've made your decision. And remember—this isn't just about science. It's about choosing a side."
"Fu Linyuan's closed dictatorship... or humanity's shared future."
When Su Nuan returned to the medical ward, Fu Linyuan had fallen asleep again.
She quietly sat beside his bed, her thoughts in turmoil.
Xu Zheng's words made sense.
But Fu Linyuan's warning couldn't be ignored.
She needed more information.
And there was one place that might contain the answers—
Fu Linyuan's study.
Taking advantage of a shift change among the medical staff, Su Nuan quietly left the ward and headed to the top floor of the main building.
Fu Linyuan's study looked exactly as it had the last time she had seen it—simple yet elegant.
She walked to the desk, remembering what he had said before losing consciousness.
The secret compartment... the password is your birthday.
After feeling around beneath the desk for a while, she found an almost invisible seam.
She entered her birthday.
A small wooden panel silently slid open, revealing a hidden compartment.
There were only two things inside.
An old-fashioned key.
And a leather-bound notebook.
Su Nuan took out the notebook and opened the first page.
She immediately recognized her mother's handwriting.
If this notebook is ever discovered, it means the thing I feared most has already happened. Whoever you are, please find my daughter, Su Nuan, and protect her. The key to ending all of this lies hidden in her blood...
Su Nuan's hands trembled as she continued reading.
The contents of the notebook gradually revealed an astonishing truth.
Her mother, Lin Xue, had not only been the founder of the Prometheus Project—she had also been the first person to discover the potential threat of the Blood Moon Virus.
Secretly, she had altered the direction of the research, attempting to turn a weapon into a treatment.
Because of that, she had become a target of the military.
But an even more shocking discovery awaited her.
Su Nuan's unusual constitution was no accident.
It was the result of genetic modification carefully designed by her mother.
While pregnant, Lin Xue had taken the enormous risk of altering her unborn child's genetic sequence, creating a natural carrier of antibodies.
I know this violates every ethical principle, but when I discovered that the military intended to weaponize the virus, I had no other choice. My daughter will be humanity's last hope...
Several photographs were attached to the end of the notebook.
In one, a young Lin Xue stood beside an elderly man in military uniform.
Written on the back were the words:
Discussing project progress with General Wang Zhenguo, May 1999.
General Wang looked much younger than he did now, but the coldness in his eyes was unmistakably the same.
Another photograph struck Su Nuan like a bolt of lightning.
Her mother was holding her as a baby.
Beside them stood her father, Su Mingyuan...
And Fu Linyuan.
He had been much younger then, wearing a white lab coat instead of his usual suit, but those sharp, unmistakable eyes were already there.
On the back of the photograph was written:
Xiao Nuan's first birthday. Linyuan came from the base to celebrate.
Fu Linyuan had known her when she was still a baby?
He had always known of her existence?
The realization made Su Nuan dizzy.
She had always believed Fu Linyuan found her only after her father died.
But clearly, their connection went much further back—
and much deeper—
than she had ever imagined.
Tucked inside the final page of the notebook was a letter.
Written on the envelope were the words:
To Xiao Nuan.
With trembling hands, Su Nuan opened it.
It was her mother's handwriting.
My dear Xiao Nuan, by the time you read this letter, Mommy may no longer be alive. Please forgive my selfish decision to burden you with such a fate. But believe me, this world is worth saving, even if it is filled with darkness...
The sound of the door opening interrupted her.
Su Nuan abruptly looked up.
Xu Zheng stood in the doorway, his expression complicated as he looked at the notebook in her hands.
"It seems Mr. Fu truly trusts you," he said softly. "He even entrusted Lin Xue's private notebook to you."
Su Nuan instinctively closed the notebook.
"What are you doing here?"
"Chen Mo said you might come to the study."
Xu Zheng stepped closer.
"I originally wanted to talk to you about the blood sample, but it seems... you've discovered something more important."
His gaze fell on the open secret compartment.
Su Nuan quickly slipped the notebook and letter into her pocket.
"Just some private documents."
Xu Zheng smiled but didn't press the matter.
"So, have you thought about my request?"
Su Nuan stood.
"I need more time."
"Time is the one thing we have the least of, Dr. Su."
Xu Zheng sighed.
"General Wang's fleet is already assembling. He will attack within forty-eight hours at the latest. We need your antibodies to accelerate vaccine development."
"Why are my antibodies so important?"
Su Nuan stared directly into his eyes.
"Isn't Ω-7 already enough?"
For a brief moment, Xu Zheng's expression stiffened.
"Ω-7 is an imitation. It has serious side effects. Your natural antibodies are the key."
He paused.
"Didn't Fu Linyuan tell you? Your blood can not only prevent infection—it can also reverse the symptoms during the early stages of infection."
The revelation hit Su Nuan like a heavy blow.
She struggled to keep her expression calm.
"I need to discuss this with Mr. Fu."
"Of course."
Xu Zheng nodded.
But then his tone suddenly changed.
"However, do you know why Fu Linyuan treats you so differently?"
Su Nuan's heart began to race.
"What do you mean?"
"The original purpose of the Prometheus Project was to create super-soldiers."
Xu Zheng lowered his voice.
"And you, Dr. Su, were the first successful case. Your mother completed the genetic modification before you were even born."
Su Nuan felt as though she had fallen into an abyss of ice.
Xu Zheng knew far more than she had imagined.
"Fu Linyuan was involved in that project," Xu Zheng continued. "He has been watching you all this time, waiting for the right moment to 'retrieve' this valuable specimen."
"You thought he was your protector?"
"No."
"He was simply a diligent caretaker."
"You're lying."
Su Nuan's voice trembled.
But the notebook in her pocket suddenly felt unbearably heavy.
Her mother had indeed written about the genetic modification.
Xu Zheng didn't argue.
Instead, he handed her a data chip.
"This contains part of the information we intercepted from Lin Xiu."
"See for yourself."
With that, he turned and walked away.
Su Nuan remained standing alone in the middle of the study, clutching evidence that might overturn everything she had ever believe