The Apocalypse Solution Provider

Chapter 57: Determining the Future Path

The air on the sixth floor of the Talent Residential Community was thick with suffocating tension.

Fu Hu and Cheng Du had already returned, successfully securing the required Supplies.

But their backbone was still missing.

Fu Qingdai shot anxious, rapid-fire glances at the front door.

It was already past midnight, yet Su Jin was nowhere to be seen.

Logically speaking, this shouldn’t be happening…

Fu Hu glanced at his daughter, slapped his thigh, and shot to his feet. “Should I head out and look for the Director?”

“Are you insane?” Sun Ya snapped, glaring daggers at the big man. “Use your brain! Can’t you function without Xiao Li?”

“It’s pitch black out there. The only thing you’d accomplish is serving yourself up as midnight takeout for the Zombies. Sit down!”

“Do you guys think… the Director is dead?” Cheng Du muttered, burying his face in his hands.

Complete silence answered him.

If Su Jin hadn’t made it back by now, the grim reality was hard to ignore.

Yet, none of them wanted to admit it out loud.

Finally, Sun Ya broke the silence. “Even if he is dead, we have to stick to the itinerary. The Supplies are secured, so don’t let his efforts go to waste. Get some sleep. Conserving energy is our top priority.”

“Old Sun is right. We still need to prep the lab equipment. If there’s nothing else, turn in early,” Wei De added. “And don’t write Xiao Li off just yet. He isn’t wired like a normal person. He definitely has a few contingencies up his sleeve; he wouldn’t die out there so easily.”

“Hell, you might just open your eyes tomorrow morning and see him standing there.”

Right on cue, a sharp knock echoed from the heavy front door.

Everyone’s eyes widened. Fu Qingdai sprang up like a coiled spring and bolted for the entryway.

She ripped the door open. Seeing the figure standing in the hall, tears flooded her eyes as she threw herself at him.

“Brother!”

Su Jin offered a faint, clinical smile, mechanically patting Fu Qingdai’s hair before sweeping his gaze over the room.

“Still awake? Sorry for the delay. Encountered a slight operational hiccup, but the issue was resolved.”

With that, Su Jin casually hoisted a plastic bag in his right hand.

“Spotted a high-end bakery on my exfil route. They had vacuum-sealed cakes in stock, so I picked up some morale boosters.”

Every jaw in the room dropped, staring at the plastic bag. Sun Ya’s mouth twitched into a relieved grin. “You little bastard! Stopping for cake during an apocalypse? Get your ass in here!”

“Director… you even found the time to change your wardrobe?” Cheng Du stared at Su Jin in sheer, unadulterated disbelief.

The man was decked out in a pristine, pure white tracksuit, complete with fresh white socks. He clearly looted a sporting goods store on his way back. He looked immaculate!

“Alright, let’s process these calories and decompress.”

….

The sixth floor flickered with warm candlelight as the eight of them gathered around the table.

Each survivor had a plate of cake. They shoved the decadent, creamy pastries into their mouths, the artificial sweetness acting like a temporary sedative for their shattered nerves.

No one spoke. They only exchanged silent, exhausted glances.

Eating luxury desserts by candlelight, a bizarre, fleeting sense of peace washed over the claustrophobic room.

Sun Ya practically inhaled his slice, glancing over at Su Jin, who was merely observing the group with a detached, analytical smile.

Fu Qingdai polished off her portion. Without missing a beat, Su Jin slid his untouched slice across the table toward her.

“Brother, aren’t you going to eat?” Fu Qingdai asked, a smear of vanilla frosting on her cheek.

“I don’t consume hydrogenated vegetable oil,” Su Jin deadpanned.

“Ahem… I’m still operating on a calorie deficit over here,” Cheng Du coughed, rubbing his nose awkwardly.

Sun Ya shot the guard a nasty glare. “You expect to get full on pastries? There’s dried noodles in the kitchen. Boil them yourself.”

Cheng Du pouted and wisely shut his mouth.

“If everyone’s done, clear the table,” Su Jin ordered crisply. “I acquired another Fleshy Orb. Qingdai is up next for the integration process.”

At his command, the team immediately scrambled to bus the plates.

Moments later, the grotesque, pulsating Fleshy Orb was placed dead center on the table.

Su Jin evaluated Fu Qingdai, masking a sliver of tension.

She was his company’s designated VIP client—the “Savior” figurehead for their entire survival branding strategy!

So far, the girl hadn’t displayed a single viable combat asset or special trait.

But once she assimilated this Fleshy Orb, her ROI was bound to skyrocket!

Fu Qingdai pressed her lips into a thin line, her breathing hitching nervously.

She reached out with trembling hands to cup the mass of flesh. Su Jin brutally punctured it without a second’s hesitation.

Standing directly behind her, Fu Hu was ready. Like clockwork, he caught his unconscious daughter as she collapsed and carried her straight into the bedroom.

The rest of the crew exhaled in collective relief.

“We’ll review her vitals tomorrow. The rest of you, clock out,” Su Jin ordered, waving them off. “Old Sun, Old Wei, stay behind. We have a board meeting.”

Soon, the living room was completely cleared, leaving only the three men.

“Xiao Li, I assume you have actionable intel?” Sun Ya asked, leaning forward.

“Affirmative. Is the lab equipment fully operational?” Su Jin replied, deflecting. “And did Fu Hu brief you on the incident before we got separated?”

“The equipment is fine, we begin testing tomorrow. Stop stalling and give us your report.”

“Understood,” Su Jin nodded firmly. “Post-separation, I made two major anomalous observations. First, while on the road, I spotted four silhouettes standing on a rooftop. Given the chaos, I initially flagged it as an optical illusion. But upon reviewing my mental state, my sensory data was reliable.”

“Survivors?” Wei De guessed.

“If they were standard survivors, it wouldn’t be worth a debrief,” Su Jin countered. “Those four were standing right on the edge of the roof, completely exposed, with a massive Zombie Horde directly below them. They vanished in the blink of an eye, and they didn’t jump. No normal human operates like that. My working theory? Disguised Infected. They might even possess specific Abilities.”

“Zombies are hostile to Disguised Infected. To swagger around that openly means they have serious leverage and absolute confidence in their security.”

“I suspect the Disguised Infected have started networking and forming coordinated teams. It shows a structural hierarchy… but the extent of their synergy remains a key blind spot for us.”

“Hmm…” Sun Ya rubbed his temples, his brow deeply furrowed. “What’s the second anomaly?”

“I engaged a Zombie that actively shielded its own heart. Its tactical intelligence has scaled exponentially; the evolutionary curve is way too steep,” Su Jin sighed, his tone turning utterly pragmatic. “We need to aggressively accelerate our timeline. Restructure the personnel, form a vehicular convoy, and establish a fortified forward operating base at the military district immediately.”

“Once we secure the district, we launch an aggressive acquisition phase. We mobilize a heavy firepower unit, use acoustic lures to farm a Zombie Horde, and mass-harvest them. If we succeed, we can manufacture a super-powered army to monopolize the region. We can scale our operations from there… The floor is open to your proposals.”

“Just one string of bad news after another with this field test…” Sun Ya groaned, quickly reigning in his frustration. “I disagree with the aggressive push. We need to secure the base, triage, and retrofit a radio tower for broadcasting. The electromagnetic interference is gone; signals will be crystal clear. Submarine fleets and deep-bunker units are likely intact. We shouldn’t escalate until we establish comms with official military branches.”

“Vetoed,” Wei De shook his head firmly. “Old Sun, that strategy is dead on arrival. The suburban military district lacks the infrastructure. To achieve a viable broadcast radius, we’d need to erect new transmission towers. We don’t have the engineering staff. Furthermore, if the contagion jumped to marine biology, their mutation rate would be catastrophic. The sub fleets are already underwater coffins. The acoustic signature of a massive propeller would draw endless swarms of Zombies, and the pump-jets would instantly jam with chum.”

“Scattered ground infantry are a write-off. They have no supply chains and lack the R&D to safely utilize Fleshy Orbs. Factor in the probability of encountering infected wildlife… they’re finished. Ironically, urban centers are currently the most strategically sound environments. I’m fully backing Xiao Li’s business model. It’s the only viable path forward.”

“Let the early adopters drive the evolution of the masses, trigger a systemic upgrade, and then we reboot the entire industrial sector!”