The government building was full of computers, all connected to the official intranet. However, internet access was limited to certain departments, making it impossible for ordinary people to access the network.
Since all electronic devices were sensitive items, Wang Zishao naturally asked her why she needed to borrow the computer. She had no choice but to truthfully say she wanted to look up information about Lian Ru Ning's family.
Wang Zishao didn't ask her how she planned to search and simply lent her the laptop. Although her laptop could connect to the intranet, she didn’t mind that Hao Jian accessing it. After all, using the computer would inevitably leave traces, and technicians could easily find out what was done.
It wasn’t surprising that Wang Zishao was so cautious—after all, the “Wujiu” organization was everywhere. If they managed to infiltrate the computer and do something, it could cause even more trouble.
Hao Jian didn’t completely trust Wang Zishao either. She was worried that the information provided by Shi Gongdui could fall into the hands of “Wujiu.” What if they obtained information about Lian Ru Ning’s family and used it to threaten them?
However, after thinking about it carefully, she realized she was overthinking. They were just insignificant people. Aside from a brief interaction at the Jiangshi Conference Center with Ding Guonian’s group, who were suspected of having “Wujiu” spies, they hadn’t attracted much attention.
Moreover, during the incident at the Jiangshi Conference Center, Yu Jiyou had hidden their involvement to protect them.
After thinking this through, she inserted the USB drive into the laptop.
As expected, no pop-up window appeared on the screen. Instead, a program launched automatically, read the progress, and then several files and videos appeared.
Lian Ru Ning cautiously glanced around. Although this was their assigned dormitory with no surveillance, she had developed the habit of being cautious and subconsciously made the motion.
Hao Jian noticed her small action and smiled. She opened one of the files and glanced at it. It appeared to be a research project, and the author was none other than Lian Ru Ning's father, Lian Qingmiao. Judging by the PowerPoint presentation, it was likely used for a meeting or class.
It was all about environmental issues, which didn’t interest Hao Jian much. Lian Ru Ning skimmed through it and confirmed, "This is my dad’s current research topic. I’ve seen him working on it before. So these files were copied from his computer?!"
Hao Jian responded, "Did you notice? The last modified date on this file is August 5th. So, although it was copied from your dad’s computer, it shows that someone else accessed it on August 5th."
Lian Ru Ning grew anxious. An answer seemed to be right in front of her, yet she still couldn’t fully grasp it before the veil was lifted.
Hao Jian opened the first video.
The video appeared to be surveillance footage from a lab in a teaching building, with the date shown as July 27th. A middle-aged man in a lab coat, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, was talking to two students near a machine.
“Dad!” Lian Ru Ning whispered.
The man in the video, of course, didn’t respond to her... A moment later, a figure suddenly rushed in from outside the room. The three people in the lab, fully focused on their conversation, didn’t notice the intruder until one of the students was bitten on the neck.
Lian Ru Ning jumped in shock, as if it was her father who had been bitten.
After the first student was attacked, Lian Qingmiao and the other student realized what was happening and rushed to pull the two apart. However, the bitten student broke free, holding his bleeding neck, and started grappling with the attacker.
At that moment, two members of the security team burst into the room and shot both of the fighting individuals. Lian Qingmiao and the remaining student were left stunned and soon taken away by the security team, along with Lian Qingmiao's computer and other belongings.
Lian Ru Ning’s heart, which had been tightly clenched, slightly relaxed. “He never likes checking his phone, and once he gets busy, he’s completely unaware of what’s happening outside…”
Hao Jian thought the same. By July 27th, it had already been the fifth day since the Level 3 zombie outbreak, and the outside world was in chaos. Although it was summer break, there were still plenty of students staying on campus for summer jobs, as well as tourists visiting the university town.
Only people like him, who were always buried in their research and lost track of everything once they started, wouldn’t be as sensitive to outside events.
The second video was still within the Nanhai University campus. It showed an off-road vehicle leaving the campus, with many security forces in the background clearing out zombies. It was clear they were preparing to turn the university town, surrounded by water, into a safe refuge.
The third and final video showed the science center—located just four kilometers from Nanhai University, it was a provincial-level facility.
After Lian Qingmiao entered the lobby, someone immediately greeted him and shook his hand. Judging by the people around, they seemed to be fellow scholars.
Lian Qingmiao looked much calmer than when he had been taken from the lab. They all walked into a conference room together, and the video ended.
From these videos, Hao Jian and Lian Ru Ning could deduce that Lian Qingmiao was likely still at the science center. His presence there, as Wang Zishao had suggested, was probably due to his research on the environmental effects of the zombie virus.
Behind the science center was a wetland park, and on the other side, there was a nursery base. It could be assumed that, as long as the authorities had secured the university town, the researchers could safely conduct experiments, with their personal safety well protected.
Lian Ru Ning was on the verge of tears of joy. After searching for so long, she had finally received some good news.
She eagerly opened the next file. There was no video in this one, just a transaction history from a payment account. It showed that Lian Ruomeng had purchased four train tickets on July 24, 25, and 26, totaling over 1,200 yuan.
Unfortunately, the records didn’t show where the tickets were from or to, but her actions seemed unusual. If she was on a sketching trip, she wouldn’t have stayed in one place for such a short time.
Hao Jian speculated, “If you're so clever, it’s likely your sister isn’t dull either. She probably sensed something was wrong outside and tried to return home. But by that time, several areas had already been locked down. She couldn’t buy tickets, and since there was chaos outside, even getting train tickets would have been hard. She might have had to travel to a place where tickets were easier to get before heading home.”
Lian Ru Ning’s joy at her father’s possible survival instantly cooled. She hadn’t forgotten—besides her father, her mother, sister, and brother were still missing, their fates unknown.
“The news blackout began on July 25, but our internet was cut off on July 27. She didn’t make any moves on the 27th, which might mean she had already made it home, or it could be because the internet was down, and she hadn’t been able to buy a ticket, leaving her stuck somewhere.”
Hao Jian opened the last file. It contained over a dozen call records extracted from Lian Qingmiao’s phone, from July 23 to July 26. There weren’t many numbers listed.
Lian Ru Ning recognized them and said, “He called me, my mom, and Ruomeng. The calls were all just a few minutes long... When he called me, the signal wasn’t great, so I hung up and said I’d call him back when I reached the village. I—”
Lian Ru Ning was filled with regret. If it hadn’t been for the poor signal in the mountains, she wouldn’t have missed the chance to talk to her family and learn about their situation.
After taking a breath, she added, “Ruomeng called more often, but my dad didn’t pick up. When he’s busy, he turns his phone off. As for whether she called my mom or Rujie, I don’t know. When she called me, there was no notification on my end.”
Hao Jian comforted her, saying, “Ruomeng must have noticed something was wrong and was trying to warn you all! Your dad didn’t know because his phone was off, but if she told your mom and brother, maybe they took precautions.”
“But my mom logged into the school system on the 27th, and Rujie was still online in the library. They definitely didn’t pay attention,” Lian Ru Ning said, disappointed.
Hao Jian stayed silent. After all, the government had announced before the 25th that the situation was just terrorist-caused riots. Given the government's credibility, many people didn’t think it was necessary to worry. News was blocked starting on the 25th, and those who didn’t regularly follow the news wouldn’t have noticed. Hao Jian herself hadn’t been online for days, and if it weren’t for her system constantly reminding her, she wouldn’t have known what was happening either.
“But Rujie was online. He couldn’t have been completely unaware like my parents,” Lian Ru Ning continued. “Still, knowing him, even if he’s bored, he wouldn’t just go to the university’s library to use the internet. He was probably worried about Gao Ruosu, so he went there. And if he was online, he was probably checking for information, not just playing games.”
With that realization, Lian Ru Ning felt a glimmer of hope, knowing there was someone mindful by her mother’s side.
Hao Jian took her hand. “At least we know where your dad is now. We can go there and find him. Maybe he knows where your mom, Ruomeng, and Rujie are.”
Lian Ru Ning nodded, and then she noticed something. Hao Jian’s way of referring to her family had changed. Unable to resist thinking about it, she began to imagine how she would introduce Hao Jian when they reunited with her family.
She decided to ask Hao Jian, “If we meet my parents, how do you want me to introduce you?”
“That depends on the place I hold in your heart, junior sister,” Hao Jian playfully returned the question to Lian Ru Ning.
___
As they talked, Hao Jian casually pulled out the USB drive and opened a web browser to search for information about the lockdown in the southern city center. Unsurprisingly, nothing came up. But she hadn’t really expected to find anything. She was just leaving a digital trail, ensuring Wang Zishao wouldn’t suspect anything.
Hao Jian checked in with her system and found that she hadn’t yet completed Side Mission 1, leading her to believe that the standards for completing side and hidden missions were different from the main mission. For the main mission, just entering the southern city with Lian Ru Ning was enough to consider it complete. But to help An Minghui investigate the conference center, his mission had to be fulfilled for it to count. Side Mission 1 likely required specific and concrete information about Lian’s family for completion.
With limited task data to rely on, Hao Jian speculated, “The main mission is broad, while the side and hidden missions require specific objectives. Is it because there are so many variables in these missions that missing part of the information would prevent the next step?”
The system responded, “I thought you were lost in your romance. Didn’t expect you to start showing off again.”
“Speak in plain language,” the system added.
“Well, your logic development isn’t that great! Let me simplify. If I get information from Shi Gongdui about Ruomeng’s train tickets, that counts as part of the information, doesn’t it?”
“However, I can’t pinpoint her exact location or confirm her life or death. I’m just piecing things together and coming to a vague conclusion. Even if I have enough evidence to support my theory, I can’t guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of that evidence.”
“Reasonable deduction,” the system confirmed, not questioning but agreeing with Hao Jian’s reasoning.
“I think reliable and timely information can only come from the authorities. Even if there are insiders from Wuoji, unless the government deliberately withholds information, only official sources will provide valid task completion.”
“So, how do you plan to complete the mission?” the system curiously asked.
Hao Jian smiled, “No need to rush.”
Her junior sister was about to give her an answer, after all. She didn’t have time to get distracted.
System: “Showing off again, then back to romance mode.”