Ambush

"Seeing that they won't even let people in over there, just curious. Treat it like a kid asking out of ignorance."

Zhou Zongming slammed his palm on the desk in front of him: "Don't you dare take my warning as wind in your ears. If you sneak in and get caught, they'll shoot you on the spot. You won't even have a place to plead your case."

"Is that building really that important?" Lu Bai laughed. "It's just researching a vaccine, isn't it?"

Hearing this, Zhou Zongming's expression hardened. He pulled out his sidearm and aimed it at Lu Bai, his voice low: "Where did you hear that?"

Lu Bai made a bear-paw gesture, unhurried as he said: "That big a reaction? If I told you someone plans to steal the vaccine tonight, would you jump out of your skin?"

Zhou Zongming ignored the teasing in Lu Bai's words, speaking each syllable deliberately: "Do you know what you're saying, kid? This isn't a joke."

Lu Bai kept his smile, but his words no longer held any trace of amusement.

"But do you dare to bet?"

"You don't."

Lu Bai tilted his head back, staring at the pristine white ceiling.

Rough on the surface, meticulous underneath, with a strong sense of responsibility.

Zhou Zongming was the textbook definition of a soldier's character.

Though they hadn't known each other long, Lu Bai could easily deduce how Zhou Zongming would react to this news.

Since the source was himself, the intelligence couldn't be guaranteed reliable. So the company commander wouldn't rashly report it up the chain, nor would he make a big show of mobilizing troops.

Zhou Zongming's most likely choice was to guard the lab alone, ensuring the vaccine's safety.

"They should have met by now, right?" Lu Bai looked down at the researcher he'd tied up like a dumpling. "Where's Professor Jiang's lab?"

At that moment, in Professor Jiang's lab.

Agu, clad in his lab coat, frowned deeply. He couldn't understand why Zhou Zongming had suddenly appeared at the Research Center.

After all, this military base, after the initial chaos of the zombie outbreak, had only a few hundred soldiers left.

After reorganization, there were barely five companies' worth of personnel. Zhou Zongming's status in this temporary shelter needed no elaboration.

After a brief moment of surprise, Agu slipped back into his refined, scholarly demeanor and spoke first: "Company Commander Zhou? What brings you here?"

Zhou Zongming kept his right hand in his pocket, not showing too much alertness, and said calmly: "It's late. What brings Inspector Gu here? I recall your job is analyzing the virus's composition, isn't it?"

"Can't help it. Professor Jiang notified me tonight to deliver a vial of virus solution to his lab. I got busy and forgot, only remembered now."

Agu smiled as he spoke, casually closing the distance between them.

Zhou Zongming's gaze never left Agu: "Is that so? Then you wouldn't mind if I called Professor Jiang right now to confirm, would you?"

"Uh... Company Commander Zhou, has something happened?"

"I received intelligence that someone plans to infiltrate the Research Center tonight."

The lab's ceiling was spotless, blindingly white. The gaps between floor tiles were cleaned of any grime.

In the center of the lab stood an isolation room about five or six square meters. Frost fog clung to the palm-sized two-way bulletproof glass on its door, clearly indicating the temperature inside was much lower than outside.

Reflected in the two-way glass, Agu's formulaic smile gradually stiffened. He deliberately showed displeasure.

"Company Commander Zhou, are you suspecting me?"

Zhou Zongming shook his head: "That's not my intention. But to be safe, I hope you'll stop where you are. Once I've called Professor Jiang, I'll clear your name. If you're innocent, I'll personally apologize to you..."

Before he could finish, Agu moved.

In a motion completely unsuited to a frail researcher, he closed in on Zhou Zongming, one hand pinning his right arm to prevent him from drawing his gun.

At almost the same time, his other hand locked around Zhou Zongming's throat, a knee drove into his abdomen, then the locking arm bent and drove an elbow hard into Zhou Zongming's temple.

Even on guard, Zhou Zongming never expected a researcher to have such skill.

Caught off guard by the combo, Zhou Zongming's world spun, his breathing became labored, and even standing became a struggle.

But he was a trained soldier. Under the threat of death, he let his body go limp, dropped to the ground, and instinctively rolled like a mud-caked ox, trying to create distance and draw his weapon.

Agu, however, seemed to foresee this. Just as Zhou Zongming pulled his sidearm from his pocket, a powerful whip kick followed.

The automatic pistol flew to the wall, bounced off, and landed on the floor.

The gun landed less than five meters from Zhou Zongming, but in this situation, those five meters might as well have been a chasm.

Just then.

Click~

The lab door opened again.

"Looks like I came at a bad time."

Lu Bai walked in, swept his gaze over the lab's interior, then turned around and casually closed and locked the door.

After doing all that, he slowly turned back and added: "Walk in and see Chang Wei beating up Lai Fu."

Agu: "?"

Zhou Zongming: "?"

The laboratory instantly fell so silent that a pin drop could be heard.

Seconds later, Zhou Zongming couldn't hold back a sharp hiss of pain, finally breaking the quiet atmosphere inside the lab.

Agu walked over and picked up the pistol, asking in confusion, "How did you get up here?"

Lu Bai was about to explain when a series of footsteps sounded from outside the door.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The lab door was kicked with a thunderous racket.

"Open up!"

"Open up! I know you're in there!"

"You're surrounded. Open the door and surrender immediately."

Lu Bai sensed the commotion outside and spread his hands helplessly. "That's how I got up here."

"I thought you'd already been shot dead on the spot."

Agu sighed with a hint of regret.

He raised the automatic pistol in his hand, aiming at Lu Bai. "Tell me, theoretically speaking, which kills faster—a bullet through the heart or a bullet to the head?"

The accurate shooting range of a handgun was actually shorter than most people imagined, but it was more than enough to cover this lab.

Yet Lu Bai showed no awareness of being in the crosshairs, replying with a chuckle, "That question—two national-level authorities have run controlled experiments on it. As I recall, the one shot in the heart was even dragged off for emergency treatment, so you'd better aim right here."

He raised a finger and pointed at his own forehead.