"An'an".
Yu An was about to go out with Pei Si, and Gu Ainan came over to see her off, saying, "Take care of yourself outside, and don't be too impulsive."
Yu An nodded. After hugging Xie Chiyuan and whispering to him, he went over and hugged Gu Ainan.
Pei Si opened the car door and let Yu An get in.
He smiled and waved to the people who were still standing there, assuring them, "Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on An'an and make sure nothing happens to him."
The car drove away, but Xie Chiyuan was still watching from behind.
It wasn't until Gu Ainan called out to him, "Alright, we can't see the car anymore, let's go back."
Xie Chiyuan hummed in agreement and followed Gu Ainan.
The two of them hadn't really had a proper chat, except when they were treating Yu An's injuries at the beginning, when they talked a bit more about the past.
Back at the base, they went about their own business and never mentioned the past again.
"uncle."
Xie Chiyuan took a few steps and suddenly asked, "An'an is going out...aren't you worried?"
Gu Ainan glanced at him: "He's my child, how could I not worry when he goes out?"
Xie Chiyuan pursed his lips and mustered his courage to ask him for help.
"Uncle, I think there might be something wrong with me psychologically."
Gu Ainan was stunned for a moment after Xie Chiyuan said those words.
What does this mean?
Is Xie Chiyuan a psychopath?
Seeing that Gu Ainan's gaze was becoming increasingly strange, Xie Chiyuan immediately added an explanation to what he had just said: "As soon as An'an goes out, I can't help but overthink things. I'm very afraid that something will happen to him."
“I don’t even want him to go out because of this fear.”
Xie Chiyuan was determined not to let him go out this time, but Yu An patiently communicated with him.
In the end, it wasn't that Yu An's communication was effective, but rather that Xie Chiyuan himself realized that his mindset seemed a bit off.
He agreed to let Yu An go out, hoping to use this opportunity to observe him.
After hearing his description of the symptoms, Gu Ainan almost developed aphasia.
Xie Chiyuan's worry about his son to the point of becoming a psychopath is truly baffling, leaving one unsure whether to be happy or speechless.
"You're just afraid that something will happen to him if he's not under your watchful eye."
To put it bluntly, you're terrified he'll die.
Gu Ainan instantly pinpointed his fear, and after seeing him nod, she sighed.
"Have I not talked to you about An'an's health yet?"
"Don't worry, as long as we don't go back to the town, An'an will never die."
"No one in this world can kill him, including you. You can't kill him unless he is willing to die by your bone blade."
“I will not kill him, never. He is more important than my life.”
Upon hearing the last sentence, Xie Chiyuan instinctively retorted.
Gu Ainan looked at him and asked a question in a calm voice: "If one day you have to sacrifice yourself to save all of humanity, would you sacrifice yourself?"
After a moment of silence, Xie Chiyuan answered softly, "Yes."
He spent many years in the military, and his father was someone like Yin Tan. Sacrificing for humanity was a creed etched into his very being.
Even if he is very reluctant to give up his life, when the time comes, no matter how painful it is, he will make a choice.
Gu Ainan remained expressionless and continued to ask, "If one day, An'an had to be sacrificed to ensure the safety of all humanity, would you kill him?"
This question is much harder to answer than the previous one.
Xie Chiyuan's expression immediately changed.
"Uncle, I don't want to answer such a pointless assumption."
Gu Ainan, who is usually easy to talk to, became unusually firm after hearing his refusal to answer.
"Xie Chiyuan, I want to hear your answer."
Gu Ainan looked directly into Xie Chiyuan's eyes and repeated her question: "Between An'an and all of humanity, what would you choose?"
Xie Chiyuan stopped in his tracks, his face tense, his fingers clenched into fists.
Their eyes met in the air, and after a long while, Xie Chiyuan finally spoke.
"uncle."
"If that day ever comes, rationally I would choose all of humanity."
"But in reality, I don't think it's possible to do that much greatness."
Xie Chiyuan's voice was slow, but it conveyed a resolute determination born from careful consideration.
"I will never lay a hand on An'an."
Whether his answer was satisfactory or not, Gu Ainan simply glanced at him quietly before looking away.
"Let's go."
He said calmly, "I have to go to the lab. I'll be leaving after I'm done. I'll have to trouble you to take care of An'an then."
Xie Chiyuan frowned, clearly not expecting Gu Ainan to leave.
"An'an and I are both at the base. Where are you going?"
Yu An longed for his father to be by his side, and now that Gu Ainan was with him, Xie Chiyuan knew that, and he was very happy.
If Gu Ainan really wants to leave, An'an probably won't be able to accept it.
"I want to go back to the small town; An'an's grandmother is still there."
"The town is full of lunatics, can't you bring Grandma out?"
Xie Chiyuan added, "I can go with you to pick up Grandma, and I'll kill those lunatics inside."
Xie Chiyuan was never a magnanimous person; in fact, he was extremely protective of his own.
Yu An was badly injured by the group of lunatics in the small town, and this grudge has never been resolved with Xie Chiyuan.
If he weren't tied up at the base, Xie Chiyuan would already be on his way to revenge, bone blade in hand.
"You don't need to worry about things in the town."
Since the elders could still handle it, Gu Ainan didn't intend to let the younger generation take the risk of getting involved.
"Just promise me that you'll live a good life with An'an from now on."
Gu Ainan was a qualified elder. After talking with Xie Chiyuan, he also helped him resolve his inner conflicts.
“An’an is also an independent individual. You can’t go against his wishes and force him to depend on you for his life.”
"You are partners, and if you want to go the distance, you should respect each other's decisions."
This was the first time Gu Ainan had shared these life lessons with a younger generation.
The two got along quite well.
Outside the base.
Yu An was chatting with the kids, and the eighth kid was extremely annoyed: "They've surrounded the people too tightly, we can't possibly break in and rescue them."
Moreover, the kid had been looking for an opportunity for two days, but still hadn't found a single one.
Yu An knew that Ba Zai was impatient, so he coaxed him, "We'll be there soon. Once we get there, we can revise our plans."
"Son, are you sure all the zombie kings are inside?"
"Yes! They're all here!"
Ba Zai was quite certain, and he also described several other zombie kings: "There was that old man, and a man and a woman."
"There are three zombie kings in total!"
Zombie kings are extremely rare, so the old man's ability to find two more is quite remarkable.
The control of a single zombie king is terrifying enough; with three zombie kings together, they could probably command all the zombies within a hundred miles.
Yu An wasn't the commander; he just sat in the car and watched Pei Si give instructions.
The entire military has been vaccinated, so they don't need to worry about infection.
Pei Si stationed his troops at a distance that was neither too close nor too far from the small base, and then he began to formulate a more detailed battle plan.
"An'an".
Pei Si included Yu An as well: "You and your kids have the heaviest task. These zombie kings are your responsibility."
Yu An nodded without hesitation: "Okay, my kids and I will kill them."
The zombie king was assigned to Yu An and the mutant baby, the high-level zombies were dealt with by the superhumans, and the ordinary zombies, which made up the majority of the number, were dealt with by the army.
Dividing the entire zombie horde into separate groups and dealing with them individually sounds more efficient.
Yu An was also very confident that he and Pei Si could wipe out the zombies in one fell swoop.
"Once the zombie king is killed, the other scattered zombies or low-level zombies will not pose any threat."
"That's right, once we finish this job, things will be much easier from now on."
Pei Si smiled and couldn't help but reach out and rub Yu An's head.
"An'an, thank you so much Dr. Gu this time. He is the savior of humanity."
Without Dr. Gu, their vaccine wouldn't have been developed so quickly.
After such a long and arduous battle, the fight was finally coming to an end, and Pei Si felt both excited and emotional.
Yu An also enjoys hearing others praise his father. Pei Si's shower of compliments on Gu Ainan offset his previous comments on the children's photos.
"Pei Si, Xie Chiyuan said that if you still can't find a partner after things have calmed down, he will use the entire district's resources to help you find a partner!"
Despite his desperate desire to get married, the widowed Pei Siming has been searching for a partner for so long, but he hasn't found anyone yet.