Chapter 117: Lin Zuan
Ji Henghua hid behind a wall and quietly surveyed the area in front of him.
A vast stretch of abandoned land spread before him, filled with dilapidated buildings. If one didn’t know better, they might have mistaken it for the setting of a horror movie.
Most of the buildings were on the verge of collapse. Some had already begun to deteriorate, their walls cracked and their windows shattered.
What made the place even more eerie were the large numbers painted on each building in glaring red. Every number was enclosed in a red circle.
Ji Henghua had finally found a clue about his younger brother’s whereabouts.
His brother had been imprisoned by the Green Enrichment Project Institute.
Institutes like this one conducted human experimentation, which meant they required a constant supply of people.
Many of their victims were kidnapped or purchased through the black market, particularly those being traded as slaves.
Through his investigation, Ji Henghua had also discovered that the institute’s foothold was somewhere in this abandoned area. He had even obtained a few hints about how to survive after entering.
The only problem was that he couldn’t find the entrance.
That alone had put him on edge.
He had already spent three days lurking around this place. During that time, he had noticed that many people entered the buildings, but only a handful ever came out.
Building Five, in particular, made him suspicious.
Although it was also deteriorating, it was clearly in much better condition than the surrounding buildings.
Ji Henghua had already determined that many of the people wandering around this abandoned area were most likely connected to the institute.
However, not everyone was.
Some were just like him, desperately searching for their missing loved ones.
There was one particular man who had caught Ji Henghua’s attention.
His name was Lin Zuan.
Lin Zuan was bald, tall, and extremely muscular. His tan skin and handsome features made him look rather attractive at first glance.
Under normal circumstances, he probably wouldn’t have had much difficulty finding a female partner.
Unfortunately, the murderous aura surrounding him ruined that impression.
Every now and then, killing intent flashed through his eyes.
Ji Henghua was certain that if he openly investigated the institute, Lin Zuan might go as far as killing him.
Therefore, he was taking things one step at a time.
First, he needed to avoid Lin Zuan.
Second, he needed to find the entrance.
While waiting for an opportunity, Ji Henghua noticed another person.
He was a young man with green hair and pale skin. His body looked fragile, almost as though a strong wind could knock him over.
His eyes were constantly red, giving him a somewhat pitiful appearance, while his delicate features resembled those of a beautiful fox.
He was the kind of man who naturally attracted attention.
Sure enough, shortly after he began visiting the area, several women started approaching him. Most of them were also here searching for information about their missing loved ones.
The green-haired man rejected every one of them.
He seemed completely preoccupied with one thing.
Finding the entrance.
His anxiety was written all over his face as he repeatedly questioned people about it.
Ji Henghua couldn’t help becoming suspicious.
’Just what kind of environment was this guy raised in?’
He was far too naive.
He didn’t even seem to understand that the entrance to an organisation involved in human experimentation would never be left completely unguarded.
He was practically inviting someone to take advantage of him.
And Ji Henghua’s guess was proven correct soon enough.
One day, the green-haired man approached Lin Zuan.
"Do you know where the entrance is?"
Lin Zuan looked at him and suddenly smiled.
"I wouldn’t mind telling you, but you’ll have to pay me first."
He raised five fingers.
"Five thousand zombie crystals?" the green-haired man asked immediately. "I can give them to you right away."
Lin Zuan shook his head.
"No. Five hundred thousand zombie crystals."
The green-haired man’s eyes widened.
"I don’t have that many."
Lin Zuan chuckled.
"If you don’t have them, then leave. I don’t entertain poor customers."
The green-haired man’s expression fell.
After a moment, he gritted his teeth. "I’ll arrange it. Just tell me where the entrance is."
A smirk appeared on Lin Zuan’s face.
"All right. Come here tomorrow afternoon and bring the payment with you. Then I’ll take you inside."
The green-haired man nodded without realizing that he had just walked into a trap.
Ji Henghua clenched his fists.
Part of him wanted to warn the man that Lin Zuan was most likely connected to the institute.
But another part of him desperately wanted to see the entrance.
If he followed Lin Zuan, he might finally get the chance to enter the institute and rescue his younger brother.
In the end, Ji Henghua remained silent.
That evening, while Ji Henghua was hiding behind another ruined wall, he heard a faint meow.
He looked down.
A thin, dirty cat had somehow stumbled into the abandoned area.
Its fur was matted with dust, and one of its legs seemed slightly injured. It cautiously approached him before sitting a short distance away and staring at him with round eyes.
Ji Henghua stared back.
"You again?"
The cat meowed softly.
From the moment he had arrived there, he had stumbled into this little thing. At first he was suspicious and even considered if it was some kind of protective measure by the institute.
But soon he realised that the spot he had chosen to hide belonged to the little guy.
Rather than chasing him again, the little cat just eyed his food ration everyday.
Ji Henghua sighed.
He didn’t have much food himself. Every mouthful mattered when surviving in the apocalypse.
Still, he reached into his pocket and found a tiny piece of dried food left over from earlier.
He broke it into several smaller pieces and placed them on the ground. "Don’t get used to it."
The cat immediately lowered its head and ate.
Ji Henghua watched it quietly.
Whenever his anxiety became unbearable, this cat somehow appeared.
He didn’t know where it came from, and he didn’t even know whether it belonged to someone.