After stocking up at the maximum level, all the handsome men in the apocalypse are looking for suppo

Chapter 17 Unexpected Outburst 1
The SUV drove into an abandoned gas station. The gas pumps were rusted, but the small supermarket attached was still intact.

Su Wanqing parked the car and turned off the engine.

"You guys stay in the car, I'll go check it out."

Xiao Ran grabbed her wrist and said, "It's too dangerous. I'll go with you."

"Take good care of him." Su Wanqing shook off Xiao Ran's hand and pointed at Lin Che. "If anything happens, I'll send a signal."

Without waiting for Xiao Ran to object, Su Wanqing got out of the car, holding a small knife in her hand, and approached the supermarket quietly.

Xiao Ran shook his head helplessly and turned to Lin Che: "Is she always so alone?"

Lin Che looked at Su Wanqing's back and replied softly, "She said that trust is a luxury."

"Indeed." Xiao Ran sneered, "Especially for experimental subjects like you."

Lin Che couldn't help but ask, "How do you know so much about the research institute?"

Xiao Ran was silent for a moment, and finally spoke: "I used to be a member of the special forces responsible for the security of the research institute."

Lin Che's eyes widened. No wonder Xiao Ran knew so much, no wonder he could easily identify the experimental subjects.

Not only is he X-7's older brother, he was also once part of the institute.

"Then why-"

"I don't know what they are doing." Xiao Ran interrupted him in a low voice, "We are only responsible for the outer perimeter security and are not allowed to enter the experimental area. Until one day, I discovered that my missing sister might be inside."

Lin Che asked cautiously, "Have you tried to break in?"

A trace of pain flashed in Xiao Ran's eyes. "I tried, and nearly lost my life. They were well prepared to deal with traitors like me."

Outside the car window, Su Wanqing came out of a small supermarket, holding a few plastic bags in her hands.

She looked around vigilantly, and after confirming it was safe, she quickly returned to the car.

"Found it." Su Wanqing opened the car door and tossed the bag to Lin Che. "There are also some canned food and water."

Lin Che couldn't wait to open the bag and find a bag of salt. He tore open the package and poured it directly into his mouth, moaning with satisfaction.

Blue veins slowly appeared under his pale skin, then gradually disappeared.

"Disgusting." Xiao Ran frowned, but there was curiosity in his eyes, "Is this the Blue Blood Project?"

Su Wanqing started the car: "This is just the tip of the iceberg. Where is your technician?"

"East District, abandoned industrial park." Xiao Ran pointed in a direction, "But it's too risky to go there now. We should wait until dark."

Su Wanqing nodded and drove away from the gas station. The rain started to fall again, gently tapping against the car window.

Lin Che licked the salt grains remaining on his fingertips and felt the discomfort in his body gradually ease.

"How far is it to the industrial park?" he asked in a low voice.

"It's a half-hour drive," Xiao Ran replied, "but we can't go directly there. People from the institute will set up checkpoints on the main road."

Su Wanqing drove onto a secluded country road. Weeds grew on both sides of the road, and factory chimneys in the distance were barely visible in the rain and fog.

"Why is the institute so anxious to retrieve Lin Che?" Su Wanqing suddenly asked, "Is it because he's the prototype of the Blue Blood Project?"

Xiao Ran shook his head. "That's not all. As far as I know, the Blue Blood Project already has seven successful samples. They won't invest so many resources just for a single escaped test subject."

“Unless,” Lin Che said hesitantly, “Unless I know something I shouldn’t know.”

The car fell silent again. The sound of rain grew louder, and the wipers swung rapidly, but still couldn't keep up with the downpour.

Visibility dropped sharply and Su Wanqing had to slow down.

"What did they do to you in the lab?" Xiao Ran turned to look at Lin Che.

Lin Che closed her eyes, memories flooding back. "Injections, blood draws, electric shocks, endurance tests—every day was different. Sometimes they'd have me fight against other test subjects to see who was stronger."

"Have you ever seen a red-haired girl?" Xiao Ran asked anxiously, "About this tall, with amber eyes."

Lin Che shook her head. "I really don't remember. They regularly erase our memories, especially those of other experimental subjects."

"Why?" Su Wanqing asked.

"Prevent us from establishing a connection." Lin Che whispered, "Connection means feelings, and feelings will affect the results of the experiment."

Xiao Ran cursed and pounded the car door with his fist: "Those bastards!"

"But," Lin Che said hesitantly, "sometimes, memory erasure isn't 100% effective. Some impressions, certain feelings, will remain." Su Wanqing looked at him in the rearview mirror: "What do you remember about X-7?"

Lin Che closed her eyes, trying to recall the deleted fragments of memory: "Red. Hair like fire. A clear, crisp laugh. And... fear. Every time she came, the other test subjects were terrified."

A hint of pride flashed in Xiao Ran's eyes: "That does look like my sister. She has had fire abilities since she was a child, and her control is very strong."

"But I'm not afraid of her," Lin Che said suddenly. "I remember, every time she came, I was always calm. It was like... like I'd found a balance."

Xiao Ran nodded thoughtfully: "Key and lock."

The car suddenly jerked, the tires skidded, and it lost control on the muddy road.

Su Wanqing turned the steering wheel quickly, but the SUV still skidded sideways and hit the guardrail on the side of the road.

"What's going on?" Xiao Ran looked around vigilantly.

Su Wanqing's face was solemn: "The tire was punctured by something."

She was just about to get out of the car to check when a harsh sound of metal friction came from the roof.

The three of them looked up at the same time and saw a long scratch on the roof of the car caused by some sharp object.

“Damn it, zombie dogs!” Xiao Ran pulled Lin Che over and protected her behind him. “Let’s go!”

Su Wanqing quickly took out her backpack and weapons: "There are raincoats and weapons in the trunk, take them!"

The three of them got out of the car in a hurry, and the cold rain instantly soaked their clothes.

Just as Lin Che stood firm, he saw three mutated zombie dogs leaping down from the roof of the car, black liquid dripping from their fangs.

Their skin was ulcerated, revealing scarlet muscles and white bones, but their eyes were frighteningly bright.

"Run over there!" Su Wanqing pointed to the abandoned warehouse not far away and drew the Tang sword from her waist.

Xiao Ran had already rushed forward, and a dazzling red light burst out from his arm.

He punched the zombie dog in front, sending it flying several meters away.

But the other two had already pounced on Lin Che.

"careful!"

Lin Che instinctively raised her arm to block, but saw the inhibitor on her wrist suddenly light up blue.

A wall of water appeared out of nowhere, repelling the oncoming zombie dog. The water wall condensed into an icicle in mid-air, piercing the zombie dog's head with pinpoint accuracy.

"Your ability..." Xiao Ran looked at Lin Che in surprise. "Can you control water?"

Lin Che looked at his hands in similar shock. This was the first time he had spontaneously used his supernatural power since the suppressor was removed. It felt both familiar and unfamiliar.

"Hurry up!" Su Wanqing shouted, "There will be more coming!"

The three of them ran towards the warehouse, and behind them came the howling of more zombie dogs.

The rain blurred his vision, but Lin Che found that he could sense the trajectory of the raindrops and even slightly change their direction.

The water element resonated around him, as if welcoming his awakening.

"What can you do with water?" Xiao Ran asked as he ran.

"I'm not sure." Lin Che panted, "They never let me use my abilities to their full potential."

Su Wanqing kicked open the warehouse door, and the three of them rushed in. Xiao Ran immediately closed the door and propped up the door handle with a nearby metal bar.

"It won't last long," he warned.

The interior of the warehouse was empty and dark, filled with rusty machinery and scattered parts.

Rainwater dripped from the damaged roof, forming small puddles on the ground.

Su Wanqing quickly checked the environment and pointed to a small door at the back.

"That might lead to a basement. We can hide there for a while."

Lin Che stood there, staring at his hand. The suppressor was still flashing blue light, but the burning sensation was gone.

The water element danced at his fingertips, forming tiny vortexes of water droplets.

"Focus, Water Boy!" Xiao Ran patted him, "This is not the time to play."

(End of this chapter)