Zhou Haimei heard Xu An's words and her expression was equally determined. She didn't even give Xu An a chance to continue speaking.
She grabbed the communicator, faced Qin Chuan on the other side, and said, "I'm going too. Xu An doesn't get to decide. You arrange it for us. We'll arrive in about half an hour."
With that, she decisively hung up the phone.
Xu An looked extremely nervous.
"Sister Mei, didn't you hear what Qin Chuan said? Once we go in, we won't be able to get out. District B is very dangerous right now, this isn't a joke. I know you're kind-hearted, but I can't drag you into this danger!"
Zhou Haimei didn't say anything, she just grabbed Xu An's arm and pulled her along.
Halfway there, as if out of spite, she finally spoke, "I know what you mean, but you don't have the right to make decisions for me. I know what will happen when I go in with you, but I want to do this. Auntie has always been very good to me. Ever since I moved here, Auntie has never let me go hungry in the morning. Sometimes I feel like Auntie is like my mother. You know my mother passed away early, and my dad is also like that. Besides occasionally asking if I'm alive, he doesn't care about me."
"Anyway, no matter what you guys think, I consider Auntie my mother. Are you afraid I'll steal our mom from you? Hahahaha..."
Zhou Haimei's words made Xu An smile, a rare occurrence.
"Okay, then let's go save our mom together."
This one sentence instantly brought tears to both girls' eyes.
Xu An secretly vowed in her heart that she must protect Zhou Haimei and absolutely not let her get hurt.
It had to be said, Zhou Haimei's somewhat negligent father, although irresponsible, was indeed efficient in his actions.
When Zhou Haimei brought Xu An to the small, cramped pier, the boat was already prepared.
Xu An tightly clutched Zhou Haimei's wrist. "Sister Mei, there's no turning back once we go. Have you really thought it through?"
Zhou Haimei's eyes were firm. She didn't speak, only nodded.
The two walked in silence, heading upstream.
...
"Why wasn't I informed about the riot in District B?" Qin Chuan's anger was evident on his face.
He looked at the group of people filling the room.
Each of them had several stripes on their epaulets, some even had stars.
Just by looking, one could tell these were the key figures in the official military.
But at this moment, all of them had faces ashen.
Everyone looked quite displeased.
Qin Chuan saw that no one was speaking.
"Your explanations might fool the common people, but what's the point of deceiving your own people? What's the actual situation over there?"
This was not a lighthouse on land. If there were any unknown creatures, they could only have originated from some laboratory.
This place was not like the mainland. If something truly went wrong, they could just pack up and leave.
Here, if something really happened, it would mean the destruction of the entire lighthouse.
Even if they could seal off District B now, what good would that do?
The few present exchanged glances, no one speaking.
Qin Chuan was furious. He didn't understand why, at this point, these people were still being evasive and unwilling to speak.
It was only because Xu An had approached him that Qin Chuan learned about the significant incident that had occurred on the lighthouse.
He originally didn't want Xu An to go in.
Having participated in the lighthouse's security design, no one understood the meaning of a lockdown better than him.
The lighthouse, due to its vast area, had led to a proposal in the past: what if a large-scale infectious disease occurred on the lighthouse?
Unlike the mainland, one couldn't simply run away from the lighthouse.
Therefore, to ensure the health of the majority, lockdown lines were designed.
That lockdown line was not just a simple line.
It was formed by special technology that would create an electric fence around the entire area. This was only the first layer. The second layer would form a transparent protective barrier resembling a glass dome. This layer was designed to prevent air circulation, specifically to prevent leaks from laboratories or large-scale airborne viruses.
Since the residential areas within the light barrier were mostly arranged in a grid pattern, with uniform distribution, the operation was quite convenient.
This was also why Qin Chuan had told Xu An that if she went in, she might not be able to come out.
However, the only fortunate thing about the current situation in District B was that it hadn't reached such a critical point. Only the first layer of protection had been erected; the second layer had not yet been deployed.
But.
Qin Chuan looked at the people before him.
It was clear that the people present did not want to handle this matter openly, instead using an unknown biological entity to deceive the public.
He was all too familiar with this tactic. It was a move to sacrifice the entire District B at any moment. If they could lock down the entire district, whether it was a virus or some monster, they would all die inside.
A man with unsteady steps and a pale complexion spoke.
"Don't come yelling at us. This matter was ordered by the old man."
Qin Chuan was struck as if by lightning.
"What do you want to do!"
A sense of regret filled Qin Chuan's heart, and an inexplicable fear gripped his heart.
It clenched so tightly that he trembled. In a daze, Qin Chuan had a premonition that he might have harmed Xu An.
The man looked at Qin Chuan. Although his face was filled with disdain, thinking that a junior like Qin Chuan dared to act so aggressively in front of them.
However, considering Qin Chuan's backing and his own capabilities, he could only swallow his pride.
"We're just waiting for orders from above. Little Chuan, we're all subordinates of the old man, and can be considered your elders. Don't worry about this matter, would we harm you?"
Although the man was somewhat displeased, he was speaking the truth. Qin Chuan had been kept in the dark about this matter from beginning to end.
Moreover, what should have been the work of the enforcement team was secretly manipulated and handed over to other units to suppress.
This was all to prevent Qin Chuan from interfering.
Another person chimed in, "Old Liu is right. We're doing this for your own good. Just don't ask. Anyway, District B is beyond saving."
Qin Chuan's eyes turned crimson. With the words spoken so clearly, even a fool would understand the problem.
"Are you going to gas District B?"
Even though the words were out, Qin Chuan still held onto a sliver of hope, wishing to hear a negative answer.
There were ten people present.
But not a single one dared to answer Qin Chuan's question directly, as the responsibility was too great, and no one wanted to be the one to utter the decision.
Someone couldn't stand it anymore and spoke as if sighing, "Little Chuan, there's no other way. Something escaped from the laboratory. That thing is more terrifying than zombies. Anyone bitten by it will immediately turn into a corpse, and its attack power is several times that of a zombie. We don't dare to take the risk. If District B leaks, the entire lighthouse might be buried with it."