Everyone froze.
Lu Chengran's gaze moved to the chain, the blood line, the boy's pale face.
"What did they do to you?"
The boy laughed once.
It was not a sane sound.
"They wanted to know why I did not turn. It bit me. Three times. I still did not turn. The doctor said my blood was fighting. Director Ma said to keep the infected alive until the next sample."
The world narrowed.
Lu Chengran heard Major Lin swear softly under his breath.
He heard Liao Wen gag.
He heard Dr. Xia go silent on the channel.
He heard, in memory, Tang Li Yue saying that people always became dangerous when they decided someone useful belonged to them.
The boy's eyes shifted to Lu Chengran's face.
"You should leave. The doors close soon. If I go with you, they will chase. They already said I am valuable."
Lu Chengran stepped into the room.
The infected lunged again.
This time, Gao Jun fired.
Not at its head.
At the chain anchor in the floor.
