In a frigid apocalypse, she fed her boyfriend until he became a zombie king.

A thin mist rose from the mountains, blurring the distant lights.

The back gate of the research institute is next to a large dense forest, where Wenren Lei and Fu Yanyin quietly crouched behind a tree trunk.

The long wait was enough for Wenrenlei to calm her surging restlessness.

Fu Yan activated his wood elemental ability to weave a rattan chair, and Wenren Lei lay down on it, covered herself with a down comforter, and felt sleepy.

When he woke up, two researchers finally appeared at the back door, carrying body bags and walking into the fog.

Fu Yan flicked the puppy's bottom with his finger and whispered, "Go."

"Awoo!" Wearing puppy goggles and a mini black cape, Maruko dashed off on her four short legs.

Wenren Lei turned her head and glanced at Fu Yan: "Why didn't you let me deal with them?"

Fu Yan said without changing his expression, "I'm afraid of the dark, you'll stay with me." He was worried that Wenren Lei would lose control of her emotions if she went crazy.

"You...you're so pretentious," Wenren Lei commented.

Before long, the sound of Maruko howling like a wolf came from deep in the dense forest.

"It's done." Wenren Lei, holding Fu Yan's hand who was afraid of the dark, quickly rushed to the crime scene.

Maruko sat on the ground, wagging its tail majestically, with the corpses of two researchers lying beside it.

Wenren Lei bent down and handed Wanzi a chew toy: "Good little dog."

Fu Yan squatted down, found the researcher's ID card and put it away, then reached out to borrow the white protective suit.

Wenren Lei unzipped the body bag, revealing a boy of about seven or eight years old inside. The boy's face was ashen, and there were two dried bloodstains under his nose. He was a purification ability user.

He sighed softly, "Brother Yan, how about a high-end cartoon urn?"

After giving the little boy a simple burial, the two changed into protective suits, put on hats and masks, and walked towards the back door of the research institute.

The researcher had only been gone for twenty minutes when the man in black saw the two disguised individuals approaching. He didn't suspect anything and jokingly asked Wenren Lei, "What's bulging in your pockets?"

"Awoo~"

Maruko popped out of the large pocket of the protective suit, tilting her little head and swaying from side to side.

Wenren Lei said in a low voice, "I picked up a puppy outside and brought it back to the dormitory to keep as a pet."

Two men in black leaned forward and examined Wanzi closely: "Such a small dog, how come it didn't freeze to death in this freezing weather?"

Wenren Lei chuckled lightly: "Of course zombie dogs can survive."

"What?!"

As soon as the two finished speaking, Fu Yan moved, grabbed their necks, and gently twisted them. He placed the two corpses against the wall, still appearing to be diligently standing guard.

"Curiosity killed the man." Wenren Lei pushed open the door and swaggered into the research institute.

According to the routes and intelligence provided by Lu Shen, the captured purification ability users and experimental subjects who consumed crystal cores were all imprisoned on the third and fourth underground floors.

Lu Shen had been trapped on the third underground floor for a long time and had never heard of Wenren Yu's name.

So after swiping her ID card and boarding the elevator, Wenren Lei pressed the button for the fourth basement level.

As the elevator slowly descended, Wenren Lei buried her face in Fu Yan's arms, anxiously shaking her legs, her unease seemingly about to burst from her chest.

The elevator opened with a "ding," revealing rows of shower-sized cubicles with warning signs about high voltage hanging on the doors.

Wenren Lei strode out of the elevator and hurried through the corridor, scrutinizing each person in the cubicle.

The number of experimental subjects on the fourth underground floor was small, and many of the cubicles were empty. Wenren Lei quickly checked all the occupied cubicles, but there was no sign of Wenren Yu.

He gritted his teeth, making a grinding sound: "Where's my brother...where's my brother!"

Fu Yan covered Wenren Lei's mouth and whispered, "Don't make a sound."

As soon as they finished speaking, two researchers walked past them, talking in hushed tones.

Wenren Lei's eyes were bloodshot, and her whole body was trembling. She suddenly broke free from Fu Yan's grasp, strode forward, grabbed a researcher by the neck, and roared, "Where is Wenren Yu?!"

The researcher was stunned by the sudden feeling of suffocation and stared wide-eyed, struggling to breathe.

Upon seeing this, another researcher immediately ran towards the alarm button on the wall, but Fu Yan chased after him and stabbed him through the heart.

"Where is Wenren Yu?!" Wenren Lei continued to press the researcher.

Fu Yan quickly walked to his side and placed his palm on Wenren Lei's hand: "Lei Lei, if you pinch her any longer, she'll die. We won't be able to get any clues from her then."

Upon hearing this, Wenren Lei loosened her grip slightly and said, word by word, "Speak quickly."

The researcher gasped for breath, managing to squeeze out a few words: "There... there is no one named Wenren Yu here."

Fu Yan's heart tightened suddenly. His worst guess had been confirmed: the captain who had self-destructed was indeed lying.

"What did you say?" Wenren Lei squinted at the researcher. "You'd better not lie to me."

The researcher trembled and hurriedly handed over his tablet: "I'm not lying to you, there's a list here, you can check it yourself."

"Impossible!" Wenren Lei tightened her grip on his neck again, her eyes surging with malice. "He must be here."

The researcher's face quickly turned purplish-red, his head lolled to the side, and he lost consciousness.

Wenren Lei was stunned for a long time, then abandoned the researcher's corpse and squatted down to quickly browse the tablet computer.

He went through the list of purification ability users, experimental subjects, and research institute staff, both alive and dead, and even saw Qiao Lang, but he didn't see Wenren Yu's name.

He frantically clutched his head with both hands, tearing at his hair and repeatedly chanting, "Why isn't he here...?"

Fu Yan knelt on the ground and held his hand: "Don't panic, let's go find Qiao Lang, he must know where your brother is."

Wenren Lei looked up at him, confused, and asked, "Brother Yan, are you lying to me too?"

Fu Yan's Adam's apple bobbed heavily. Just as he was about to speak to comfort her, the satellite phone vibrated. He took it out and looked at it: "Lei Lei, it's Bai Yao."

Wenren Lei leaned weakly against him, saying expressionlessly, "Mm."

Fu Yan answered the phone and held it to Wenren Lei's ear, praying that Bai Yao's words would distract Wenren Lei.

Wenren Lei's lips moved slightly: "Hey, have you found Lan Ting?"

"No." Bai Yao was a little agitated. "It's not news about Lan Ting, it's about your brother."

Wenren Lei's eyes lit up, and she straightened up slightly, saying, "Speak quickly."

Bai Yao said, "Before that, I need to confirm something with you: did you use a 2S-level water elemental ability in Yunfan City?"

"Yes," Wenren Lei replied immediately.

"That's it, that's right." Bai Yao spoke quickly. "My people saw your brother in Yunfan City. He was probably attracted by the power fluctuations you unleashed, but before my people could get close, he set off westward."

Wenren Lei, slightly out of breath, pressed on, "Can you confirm it's my brother?"

Bai Yao said, "There aren't many men with long white hair. Based on the descriptions of his appearance by my subordinates, he's most likely Wenren Zong."

"Okay." Wenren Lei breathed heavily and hung up the phone.

He closed his eyes and calmed himself for a long time. The intense emotional ups and downs kept hitting him, and his heart was pounding in his chest. He had some difficulty breathing: "Brother Yan, my chest hurts."

Fu Yan immediately activated his healing power and placed it on his chest, gently guiding him: "Don't get too excited, breathe slowly."

Wenren Lei collapsed to the ground, leaning against Fu Yan's chest to slowly calm her breathing: "Do I have some kind of illness?"

Seeing Wenren's tears being eroded by the residual side effects of the experiment, Fu Yan could only gently comfort her: "You're not sick. People are like this when they get excited. You just need to learn to control your emotions a little."