Chapter Forty-Nine: A Real-Life Biohazard Crisis

"Boss!"
Zhu Lan frowned, turning to look at Kong Yan. "What is it?"
"Major Xiao needs you urgently!"
Zhu Lan sighed helplessly, turned back to glance at the model, and waved his hand.
The lights in the room dimmed instantly.
Zhu Lan turned and left the room.
"Is something wrong?" As soon as Zhu Lan stepped out, he saw Xiao He entering his office with two others. He asked in confusion. Since Xiao He had become the liaison, he had never brought anyone along before. Was this visit connected to those foreigners?
"Mr. Zhu, please ask your secretary to leave. This matter is highly confidential."
Zhu Lan frowned. "That won’t be necessary. Kong Yan is my secretary and also my bodyguard. Whatever you need to say, say it."
"Mr. Zhu, I think it would still be best to have your secretary step out. The fewer who know, the better."
At Xiao He's insistence, Zhu Lan frowned and motioned for Kong Yan to leave.
Kong Yan complied without protest, respectfully bowed, and exited the room.
"Alright, you may speak now. My office is specially designed; you know outsiders can’t eavesdrop here."
Xiao He nodded and signaled to the man beside him.
The man, dressed in dark green military uniform, carried a box in his hand.
He placed the box beside Zhu Lan’s desk but didn’t open it, keeping his hands on the lid.
"Mr. Zhu, we need your assistance with something."
Zhu Lan didn’t respond, his gaze shifting between Xiao He and the box. He already guessed that whatever favor was being asked involved the contents of this box.
"Open it. Show Mr. Zhu."
The box opened, revealing not contents, but that the box itself was actually a computer.
The man operated it, and a very short video appeared before Zhu Lan.
The video lasted less than thirteen seconds, but its contents made Zhu Lan’s expression turn grave.
"What is this?" he turned to Xiao He.
"Mr. Zhu, do you remember the first batch of gene serum that went missing from your company?"
Zhu Lan nodded.
"Although that serum was smuggled out of the country to Japan, since the development of your gene enhancement solution, the authorities have not only maintained their investigation, but intensified the search for its whereabouts, even deploying several top-level spies."
Zhu Lan stayed silent. The gene serum was the original version, only about a third as effective as the later gene enhancement solution, but it still had its effects. However, that serum had a fatal flaw that hadn’t been resolved even when Zhu Lan handed over the data to the state.
Zhu Lan understood. The Chinese leadership wanted full control over the gene enhancement solution. Apart from controlling him, they had to recover the stolen batch. Even if it was in a secret base in the US, China would have to retrieve it. The advantage from gene enhancement was something a land power like China would never ignore.
"After several months of investigation, with the loss of many high-level agents, we finally tracked down the whereabouts of the gene serum."
"Where is it?"
Xiao He gave a wry smile. "The Japanese are thorough. The safest place is often the most dangerous. By the time we found out, the serum had already been secretly sent back into our country."
"What?" Zhu Lan was stunned. Sent back into China? The Japanese would return something so vital to Chinese territory? He was left speechless.
Xiao He nodded helplessly. "Exactly. Using the serum as a lead, we discovered a secret Japanese base within our borders, built beneath a city in a mountainous region. We have no idea when they constructed it."
A base? With gene serum?
Zhu Lan gave a bitter smile. Coupling this with the video he’d just seen, he could guess roughly what had happened.
China must have sent people in, and the outcome was surely disastrous.
"The military dispatched its most elite units, but the area is too complex. The base’s entrance is hidden in an abandoned cement factory, located in a gourd-shaped valley. We have no details about the base itself, because all eight teams we sent in disappeared. Only this video made it out."
"You probably noticed the fleeting image in the video. We have reason to believe the Japanese base is a bioweapons facility. Data from unmanned micro-robots indicate that the bodies of these creatures contain traces of the gene serum."
Zhu Lan frowned. "This is top secret, isn’t it? Why are you telling me?"
"That’s precisely why we came to you. As the developer of the gene serum, the authorities want you to personally go and resolve the issue."
"Me? You must be joking." Zhu Lan rolled his eyes.
Xiao He shook his head, looking serious.
Zhu Lan quickly waved his hands. "Don’t kid me. There are so many national treasure-level professors—"
Suddenly, Zhu Lan fell silent.
Then he shook his head with a bitter smile.
He finally understood why they had come for him.
Were there no better experts in China? Of course there were—he’d handed over all the gene enhancement data. The country had been researching this for some time. Frankly, anyone from the national biological institute was a hundred or a thousand times more capable than him.
Yet, they didn’t choose them—they came for him.
There was only one reason: The value of sacrificing those other experts was too high, but losing him posed no great loss. In other words, even in the worst-case scenario, if something happened to him, the country would lose little.
"Using a borrowed knife to kill," Zhu Lan thought with resignation. This was clearly a response to his actions in recent times.
"What do you want me to do?" Zhu Lan knew the answer, but now that they’d come to him, refusing would be difficult.
Xiao He’s lips almost curled into a smile. "The location is under full military lockdown, but it’s too close to a city, and other parties are interested, so the military can’t act too openly."
"Other parties?"
"The Americans." Xiao He didn’t elaborate.
Zhu Lan didn’t want to know more.
"Just tell me."
"After several probes, we’ve determined everyone in the base is dead—only these creatures remain. Based on the continuous flow of intelligence, the base has existed for over forty years, undergoing massive modifications. Fragmentary data shows that over the decades, enormous amounts of soil were removed. We analyzed the soil and found samples from as deep as one hundred and ninety meters underground."
"You mean the base is a real-life version of Resident Evil?" Zhu Lan was speechless. Resident Evil was a Japanese video game, later adapted into a blockbuster American film series. Now he was being told that a real-life version was playing out.
Zhu Lan couldn’t help but think of the virus he’d hidden in the Azure Depths.
He never expected that what he’d worried about hadn’t happened—or rather, had happened in a different form.
Xiao He nodded gravely. "That’s right, although not as frightening as in the movies. These monsters are just mutated animals, without infectious properties, but extremely aggressive."
Zhu Lan narrowed his eyes at Xiao He. It was clear the authorities had more than just this one video—there must be further evidence.
"This time, we’re asking you to come with us. We need a thorough exploration of the base and to locate the source of the gene. You’re the expert in this field, so we need your help."
"Oh? When?"
"If you’re available, we can leave now. The plane is ready at any time."
Zhu Lan smiled and nodded. "No problem. It’s my honor to serve the country. I’ll make some arrangements at the company and set off immediately."
"Good, Mr. Zhu, I’ll wait for you."
"By the way, Mr. Zhu, I suggest you don’t tell anyone else about this. You know the consequences."
Zhu Lan smiled and nodded.
Once Xiao He and his people left, Zhu Lan’s smile vanished.
He pressed a button on the desk.
Soon, Kong Yan entered.
"Have Lan Tianxin and Yu Dongming come to see me."
"Understood."
A few minutes later, the two stood before Zhu Lan.
"I have something to handle. I’ll leave the company in your hands for now."
"Boss, at a time like this?"
Lan Tianxin frowned at Zhu Lan.
Zhu Lan nodded. "This is an order from above—non-negotiable! You’ll be in charge. The press conference will proceed as scheduled. I’ll be back in time for it."
Hearing this, Lan Tianxin fell silent. As a high-level executive, she knew a lot about the company, including its cooperation with the military. Rumor had it the gene optimization solution was just a weaker version, and the real product had already been taken by the state. Zhu Lan had never confirmed this, nor had the military, but the armed military presence in and around the company was undeniable proof—this company had something very important.
Now, with Zhu Lan’s statement, Lan Tianxin understood: in matters like this, knowing too much could only bring harm, not benefit.
"All projects proceed as usual."
"Captain Yu, when the raw materials arrive, personally lead your team to collect them and seal them in Warehouse Four. Without my orders, no one is to touch that batch. I repeat, without my orders, absolutely no one is allowed to handle those materials."
Yu Dongming seemed to understand, frowning in thought. "Boss, I’ll need higher clearance."
Zhu Lan nodded with satisfaction. He took out a device resembling a Bluetooth earpiece and placed it on the table. "This is your clearance. Don’t let me down—no one, you understand?"
Yu Dongming nodded solemnly, picked up the earpiece, and put it on immediately.
"Alright. If there’s any emergency, Yu Dongming can reach me. Manager Lan, after I leave, everything continues as usual."
P.S.: The new year has passed—time to look for a job and earn money for medicine!