The beautiful woman in the quick transmigration novel has been targeted by the male lead again.

"Missing?"

Chang Ning couldn't believe it; how could he have disappeared?

They didn't disappear even after traveling such a long distance, but they disappeared when they were just one step away from the safe zone?

Are you sure you're not joking?

She asked, "Did Cheng Zhenkai deliberately make you say that? How could he be so petty!"

"It really is a disappearance. I'm not joking, and I'm not lying to you."

Zhao Chenyang's expression was very solemn, with a hint of indescribable bitterness, and Chang Ning's heart gradually sank.

"what happened?"

Zhao Chenyang said that after they got off the highway, they were supposed to follow the roadside signs to the safe zone, but Cheng Zhenkai suddenly turned in another direction and got out of the car, saying that he had something to do.

They initially thought he was just in the urge to use the restroom, so they didn't think much of it. After waiting for twenty minutes without seeing him return, they even joked that he might be constipated. Ten more minutes passed, and still no sign of him, so the two of them became alert.

They had too much confidence in Cheng Zhenkai's skills, and they thought that they were almost in the safe zone, so what could possibly happen?

Even if he was constipated, he should have been back in half an hour. The two of them got out of the car to look for him. There were no tall trees nearby, only half-person-high withered yellow shrubs. Anything would be clearly visible at a glance, but they just couldn't find Cheng Zhenkai, a living person!

Further on were barren mountains, typical of the Northwest climate, with little vegetation and exposed rocks. They continued walking in the direction Cheng Zhenkai had gone when he got off the bus, but after crossing a mountain, they found nothing.

Both of them felt a little panicked, but it didn't seem like they were in danger. They hadn't heard any sounds, and Cheng Zhenkai wasn't a taciturn person; if there was a real problem, he would have alerted them.

They searched in other directions, calling his name as they went, but there was no echo except for the sound of the wind whistling through the air.

As autumn and winter approached, darkness fell quickly. The two men were worried that something might have happened to him, but considering that the area was relatively safe, they didn't leave and waited by the roadside overnight.

By noon the next day, there was still no sign of them.

They then left, intending to find someone to help them in the safe zone. Zhao Chenyang drove the car back.

"He most likely left on his own."

Zhao Chenyang said.

"why?"

Chang Ning asked subconsciously, her mind still immersed in the words "Cheng Zhenkai is missing" and she hadn't had time to think about anything else.

"We've been exposed to radiation the whole way here, and Cheng Zhenkai has spent the most time outdoors, theoretically,"

Li Tianxu said, "He also suffered the most harm."

Chang Ning suddenly looked up: "You mean, he realized he was going to turn into a zombie, so he left on his own?"

Li Tianxu kept her head down, and Zhao Chenyang avoided her eyes: "That's very likely."

Chang Ning's mind was in chaos, her thoughts running wild. On one hand, she wondered if Cheng Zhenkai was really that unlucky, on the other hand, she wondered what would happen if he really turned into a zombie, and on the other hand, she wondered where she would go to find him.

Yes, find him!

Like a ray of light shining into the dim darkness, Chang Ning's mind cleared instantly. She asked, "You just said that this is the most likely possibility. What other possibilities are there?"

"Do you remember that time we were on the mountain, and Cheng Zhenkai almost got scratched?"

Chang Ning nodded. Of course she remembered; she was terrified that time.

Zhao Chenyang said, "None of us could see clearly what scratched him that time, but one thing is certain: it must have mutated."

"What do you mean?"

"So far, we have discovered that plants and animals have mutated. After the mutation, they have their own thoughts, unlike zombies which rely entirely on instinct. The snake we carry with us also proves this point."

Zhao Chenyang said, "Strictly speaking, humans are also a type of animal, so my conclusion is that Cheng Zhenkai may not have turned into a zombie, but rather his body has undergone some kind of mutation that we are unaware of."

After all, the process of zombification is very fast, and living people are incredibly attractive to zombies, so there's no reason not to get close to them and instead stay away.

Chang Ning's heart slowly rose again, like an inflated balloon. She said, "Then let's continue searching around here. I'll go find my dad and see if we can get a few more people!"

Then, remembering something, he asked, "By the way, did you bring that snake with you? My dad said we could send it to him for research!"

The two said they had brought him, and Chang Ning went to submit an application. That's right, even though they were in the same base, she couldn't just see her father whenever she wanted.

After waiting for about an hour, Chang Jianian rushed over. After hearing their account of what had happened, he didn't say much, only asking, "Where's the snake?"

The snake was covered with several black plastic bags, but Chang Jianian did not open them. He had his assistant deliver it to his laboratory, inquired about Zhao Chenyang and Li Tianxu's situation, and then asked them to wait while he went out to call someone to discuss something.

After a while, he came in and said that the military would arrange for someone to go out and look for people, so Zhao Chenyang and Li Tianxu didn't need to go.

Chang Ning asked, "Why?"

They had been through thick and thin together, so why couldn't they go? Zhao Chenyang and Li Tianxu both looked anxious.

Chang Jianian said, "At this time, the value they can bring by staying in the laboratory is greater than the value of going out to find people."

"..."

Chang Ning was speechless.

Chang Jianian said, "Ningning, we have no choice..."

"Dad, I know."

Chang Ning interrupted him, saying that everyone should give way to the collective and long-term interests, and that personal feelings are worthless at such a moment.

"I hope you can understand."

Chang Jianian said, "The military is also facing heavy tasks and a shortage of manpower. They can only allocate one day. If they can't find anyone, they will have to give up. Ningning, you need to be mentally prepared."

Chang Ning paused for a moment, then nodded, "I understand, Dad, I'll go with them!"

Chang Jianian came over and patted her head: "You won't listen to your father even if he doesn't want you to go. You've always been stubborn, little girl. Don't run around on your own, stay close to someone, okay?"

Chang Ning turned around and said, "Dad, you should go ahead and get busy."

Chang Jianian didn't expose her for secretly shedding tears, and left with Zhao Chenyang and Li Tianxu.

Early the next morning, someone led her out of the base through another exit. The outside looked much more formal, with at least some ground-level buildings.

A military vehicle was parked at the entrance, and the people inside looked somewhat familiar. They were the same people who had helped deal with the highway robbery at the toll station that day. They greeted Chang Ning and said, "Get in!"

After getting on the bus, they explained that they had met Cheng Zhenkai that day and remembered him, which made it easier to find people, so this task was assigned to them.

"We might find it, we might not. You need to be prepared. Follow orders in all actions, understand?"