Chapter 034 Chu Mufan

　　Panic erupted among the team. Several men quickly grabbed ropes with steel hooks, latched them onto the closing door, wrapped the ropes around their waists, and pulled with all their strength to slow it down.

　　The others, stirred by the sight, did the same—tying ropes to their bodies, knotting them to the hooks, splitting into two groups to yank in opposite directions, trying to stop the door with sheer human force...

　　But against the powerful machinery, human strength was pitiful. The door closed only slightly slower, still grinding shut without pause.

　　The men pulled harder! Everyone’s face turned red, veins bulged from their necks, their bodies nearly touching the ground. Every member of the First Search Team was fighting with everything they had to save their captains.

　　Snap! Snap! The two highstrength steel hooks, unable to bear the collective pull, snapped cleanly...

　　What broke was not just metal—it was their last shred of hope...

　　The team, suddenly released from the tension, collapsed to the ground! Zhang Ruicai fell facefirst. Ignoring the pain in his right cheek, he pressed his forehead to the dirt, tears mixing with sweat and grime...

　　He pounded the ground furiously, despair swallowing his mind. The others felt the same. Some howled and cried; others sat numb, staring blankly at the closing door. Grief and hopelessness filled the air as they watched the gate shut, with no sign of Star or Qin Yong...

　　Then! A Harley engine roared, growing louder from deep inside the lab! The survivors scrambled to their feet; eyes locked on the door without blinking. The engine roared closer. The gap narrowed further...

　　Time seemed to stand still, with only the sound of hope!

　　Gradually, the door remained barely a person’s width…

　　Whoosh!

　　A dark figure burst through the narrowing gap at the last second, soaring into the air! The camp erupted. Cheers, shouts, and cries shook the sky! The Harley flew several meters through the air, landed steadily, skidded dozens of meters forward, then stopped.

　　The riders brushed dust off their clothes.

　　Star, Qin Yong, and the skeletal man were all unharmed, still seated on the bike. Captain Star had done it again—he’d broken out right at the last second, just as everyone knew he would.

　　Qin Yong lifted the unconscious man and called out:

　　“Xiao Li, get over here! Check his condition!”

　　A young man with a medical bag sprinted over, wiping tears and snot from his face in joy.

　　“What! What’s wrong with all of you? Why’re you sitting on the ground like a bunch of losers? You planning on camping here?!” Qin Yong looked at those dejected team and shouted at them, who sat, lay or kneed on the ground. They immediately burst into relieved laughter.

　　“Thanks!” Star looked at Qin Yong, who was holding the skeletal man, and spoke with a faint smile.

　　Qin Yong glanced back, smiled wordlessly, then turned to examine the man with Xiao Li. The others crowded around curiously, chattering.

　　“Damn, how’s he this skinny? Just skin and bones!” “Is he a zombie?”

　　“No way. When have you ever seen a zombie sleep?”

　　“Then what is he?”

　　“No clue. This lab’s weird as hell. Who knows what they made in here?” Everybody was talking.

　　“Alright, quiet! Let’s hear what Xiao Li says!” Qin Yong cut off their wild guesses and turned to the medic.

　　“Without proper equipment, I can’t tell his exact condition or if there’s anything abnormal. But from a quick check, he’s definitely human—he has vital signs, just weak breathing. I’ll put an oxygen mask on him, give him a nutrition shot, and see how he responds. Looks like severe malnutrition!” Xiao Li reported after a brief examination.

　　“Alright. The lab’s sealed now. Gather your gear—we’re heading back to camp!”

　　Star glanced at the fully closed lab door and gave the order to return.

　　……

　　Hearing from Youyou how he had been found and rescued, Chu Mufan could almost picture the entire heart-stopping operation carried out by the First Search Team. Gratitude toward Star, Qin Yong, and the others welled up inside him. If not for them, he would probably never have woken up at all. And “never” was being optimistic. Looking at how emaciated he was, if he’d stayed trapped in that wall any longer, he would’ve starved to death within weeks.

　　Yet the lab was bizarre. Unattended, unconscious for three years, he still hadn’t died. What kind of advanced technology had kept him alive? Had science really advanced that far?

　　He’d survived by sheer luck and been brought here by Star— but whether that was a blessing or a curse, he couldn’t tell.

　　The apocalyptic era was completely foreign to him. Weak and skeletal as he was, he could barely lift a finger. How was he supposed to live from now on? How would he protect himself when danger came?

　　The prosperous world three years ago was nothing but a distant memory. This wasteland was beyond anything he’d seen or imagined, even after the brutal war. He could barely believe human civilization had fallen to such misery...

　　Three years ago, he hadn’t been handsome, but he’d at least looked human. Now he was a walking skeleton—scared even of his own reflection! If not for the camp, he would’ve long since become food for the stinking zombies.

　　But a fog of confusion still hung over him. Hadn’t his rocket exploded? Why had he woken up in a lab? What had happened to him in there? How had he ended up like this?

　　His mind felt clearer than before the war. Many things that once confused him now made sense instantly. His reactions seemed faster, too. But his muscle strength, stamina, and lung capacity were terrifyingly weak. He got winded just walking a few steps, and could barely hold chopsticks at mealtimes. Youyou had fed him for the first few days; only recently could he manage a spoon on his own.

　　This apocalypse was a world where the strong preyed on the weak, where power ruled. It wasn’t like the old days—back then, even if you were disabled, a sharp mind could still earn a living. In this chaos, only hard fists and real strength counted!

　　After a moment, Chu Mufan realized he was worrying for nothing. He was too weak to change anything right now. All he could do was recover slowly.

　　What those women had said during the day had stung, but that was just how the world worked. No point torturing himself over it...