The doctor's words had barely fallen before everyone grew tense.
"What kind of wound? Was it a zombie scratch?"
Only Xu An stood calmly in place.
The doctor glanced at Xu An, but Xu An showed no reaction.
The doctor's gaze deepened. "It doesn't look like a scratch at the moment, but it still needs observation. This child has had a fever for a while now, and we haven't found the cause yet."
Only then did everyone feel relieved. After all, it was one thing not to know before, but now that they knew the child was the doctor's offspring.
If they were truly infected, it would indeed be a problem for everyone.
"Captain! We found a special crystal among the live zombies we captured!"
Qin Chuan turned to look and saw his subordinate holding a blue, fingernail-sized luminous stone.
Xu An looked at what the man was holding and was utterly confused.
"Where did this thing come from?"
The young soldier looked at the crowd around him, feeling a lifetime of panic.
"When we subdued the zombies, someone found this blue crystal falling out of a zombie's head. I didn't dare to delay and brought it here quickly."
The moment Xu An saw the blue crystal core, various zombie apocalypse novels flashed through her mind.
Things like zombie crystal cores and the awakening of special abilities.
This realization made Xu An feel a mix of panic and pleasant surprise.
If humans could truly awaken special abilities, their dependence on the lighthouse would lessen, and their survival capabilities would greatly increase.
However, human society had already formed a complete social system. Awakening special abilities at this time would undoubtedly be a challenge to the current system.
Xu An thought of the desolate cities on the ground, the collapsed skyscrapers, and the long-mutated plants.
She wondered if her home was still there if they could truly return to living on the surface.
Soon, their group returned to their designated area.
Qin Chuan looked at Xu An with an awkward expression.
"Xu An, there's something I need to tell you."
Xu An looked up at him. "Tell me, what is it?"
"Dr. Ling said that you might not be able to go home yet. You need to come to the laboratory with us. You can leave after the experiment results are out."
Xu An looked confused. "An experiment? What kind of experiment? What do you need us to do there?"
Qin Chuan scratched his head awkwardly. "The doctor isn't entirely confident about that vaccine and needs you present."
With that said, Xu An understood the true meaning behind Qin Chuan's words.
"You want to check the authenticity of the antibody?"
Qin Chuan nodded, and Xu An also nodded in understanding.
"Alright, I'll go with you then. Can my mother and Yueyue leave?"
Qin Chuan shook his head. "Not yet. You all come with me. I'll escort you back together after it's finished."
Xu An didn't know what the so-called doctor was up to.
She took Yueyue from her mother's arms. Yueyue was now awake.
Her complexion had returned to normal. Seeing Xu An about to pick her up, Yueyue actively climbed down. "It's okay, Sister Xu An, I can walk by myself."
Xu An looked at Yueyue, who was incredibly well-behaved.
"Then remember to tell me if you get tired. Are you hungry?"
Yueyue shook her head, clutching Xu An's hand tightly. "Yueyue isn't hungry."
And so, their group was invited into Dr. Ling's laboratory.
"Please, sit anywhere. The antibody has been taken for examination. Once the results are out and everything is fine, you can leave."
Xu An nodded, her expression not particularly warm.
Dr. Ling also felt Xu An's coolness and said nothing further, sitting quietly on the sofa.
...
When she heard the knock on the door, Xu An suddenly had a bad feeling.
As expected, a researcher who had just left two hours earlier came in with a hurried expression.
He whispered something into Dr. Ling's ear.
"Doctor, there seems to be a problem with that antibody."
Even though their voices were very low, Xu An still heard every word of their conversation.
There were too many terms that Xu An didn't understand, and she didn't expect anyone to explain them to her.
In short, the vaccine Xu An had given to Qin Chuan turned out to be fake.
Dr. Ling's eyes instantly became serious, as if he could become angry at any moment. His initial politeness gradually turned cold.
Although Xu An could completely understand why the man had suddenly adopted this dramatic demeanor.
He was truly a master of facial expressions.
"Miss Xu An, have you done anything to this antibody?"
Xu An naturally knew the other party was suspecting her. However, she had essentially given this antibody to the authorities for free. Even if there was a problem, they shouldn't be questioning her, right?
Despite being suspected, Xu An was furious. However, considering that this was a matter of great importance to all of humanity, she patiently explained to Dr. Ling.
"No, ever since Yueyue's father gave this to me, I have kept it preserved. I haven't even opened the box. You can check for fingerprints inside."
Dr. Ling narrowed his eyes.
He knew that fingerprints would need to be checked. As soon as they discovered the antibody was incorrect, they had conducted fingerprint tests on the entire box and its contents, fearing that someone might have swapped the antibody.
But there were none.
Aside from the complex fingerprints on the outside, the inside of the box was very clean.
There were no signs of it having been opened.
"Miss Xu An, that's not what we meant. It's just that there's a problem with the vaccine now. We don't want to act rashly at this critical juncture for humanity. If this antibody wasn't tampered with while in your possession, can you think if there's anyone who might have swapped the entire packaging box?"
Xu An thought it was absolutely impossible, but she couldn't say that because she couldn't explain it.
If Dr. Ling asked her why, Xu An couldn't brazenly say that she had kept it in her space since she received it and never taken it out.
Xu An wondered if perhaps Ze Yuan, who was in slumber, had intentionally stolen the antibody and destroyed it.
"No, ever since I received it, this box has been with me. Unless, this thing was problematic from the moment it was given to me."
Xu An shook her head, voicing her guess.
Zhou Haimei, who had been sitting, also chimed in, "Yes, Uncle Ling. An'an has been with me all the time, and I did see her keep the antibody stored. We never opened it on our journey."