Qin Chuan was silent for a long time on the other end, so long that Xu An thought he wouldn't discuss the topic anymore, but then Qin Chuan slowly spoke.
"Is the antibody to the virus within you?"
Xu An did not evade and nodded directly, "Yes."
Even Qin Chuan hadn't expected Xu An to be so candid. Although he had his own selfish reasons for seeking Xu An this time, his initial intention was for Xu An's safety. However, seeing Xu An's candid expression made him feel as though he was overthinking things.
"The military already knows about the antibody's existence. I came here to find the antibody, and I hope you can hand it over to me."
"You don't need me to say it; you know how important the antibody is. However, I won't take it for free. If you have any requests, I will fulfill them."
Xu An listened without any change in expression and nodded, "There are definitely requests, but I can't give you the antibody yet. You'll have to ensure that all of us can get out safely before I hand over the antibody."
This was the plan Xu An and Zhou Haimei had discussed from the beginning. If the authorities came looking, they would exchange the antibody for a chance for everyone to escape.
Although Qin Chuan hadn't fully explained everything, Xu An could still discern the implied meaning in his words. She didn't know how Qin Chuan had found out, but the secret passage was no longer safe. However, Xu An still understood. The moment she heard the secret passage was unsafe, she thought of Qin Chuan. Now, Qin Chuan was the only one who could safely lead all of them out.
Qin Chuan paused for a moment on the other end of the line, then agreed to Xu An's request.
"Alright, let's find a place to meet first."
Xu An initially wanted to say it wasn't necessary, as they already knew Qin Chuan's location. However, considering their group included children and the elderly, it was better for Qin Chuan to come to them than for them to go to Qin Chuan. As she spoke, Xu An shared her location with Qin Chuan.
When Qin Chuan received the shared location from Xu An, he was silent for a moment. "You're on the floor above me?"
Xu An replied frankly, "Yes, come to the building opposite yours. I'm on the rooftop of this building."
"Then you saw me long ago?"
Xu An frowned, wondering why Qin Chuan was asking this at such a time. "We just happened to see you. Is there a problem?"
Qin Chuan asked, "Do you know you're being tracked?"
Although Qin Chuan didn't say who was tracking Xu An and her group, or even provide any descriptive features, Xu An still understood that Qin Chuan was referring to the man with the scar. Xu An didn't intend to hide anything; at this time, the more honest, the better.
"Yes, when I went to pick up my mother, there was a slight conflict with someone inside, and I didn't expect them to keep chasing me."
Qin Chuan rubbed his forehead, appearing somewhat helpless. He scanned the surrounding zombies that were continuously howling. "Do you know who that is?"
Xu An was confused but still answered honestly, "No, why?"
"The person you've provoked, I only know his codename: Sun Er. He's a renowned mercenary and assassin from the Lighthouse. I don't know why you provoked him, but he's not easy to deal with."
Qin Chuan didn't tell Xu An his other speculations, fearing he might scare her. But clearly, Qin Chuan was overthinking. Xu An began to regret it as soon as she heard that the scarred man was a top assassin. Such people were the most dangerous to offend; either kill them completely or don't provoke them in the first place. But now, Xu An had violated all of those rules. She regretted it now, wishing she had shot the man dead earlier. Leaving such a huge problem behind would inevitably lead to trouble.
At this moment, Qin Chuan still didn't know that Xu An had already decided to take action against Sun Er and would definitely kill him before leaving Area B.
After they hung up, Zhou Haimei asked Xu An, "What's the situation? I heard you two talking about the scarred man."
Xu An's expression became serious. "The situation is a bit tricky. Qin Chuan seems to know that man. That person is likely a professional assassin. We were careless back then and didn't kill him with one shot. I'm afraid there will be trouble later."
Zhou Haimei also felt speechless upon hearing this. No one would have thought that while going out to save their own family, they would encounter a professional assassin halfway.
"No wonder that man was so calm and composed back then."
"Not only that, Qin Chuan said that person might be looking for something. I think we should prepare early. What could he be looking for at this time? I don't even need to guess. It's just that there's likely a larger force behind this man."
Zhou Haimei initially wanted to say, "Don't worry, I've got your back," but then she thought, what if they encountered a problem they couldn't solve themselves? She decided not to make such grand promises. However, Zhou Haimei also dropped her playful expression and became serious.
"You're right, we definitely need to find a way to deal with that man. But Qin Chuan is nearby. Are we really going to kill that man in front of Qin Chuan? This is still at the Lighthouse, after all."
In the end, Zhou Haimei still had some hesitation. If they had a choice, no one would want to kill. But sometimes, some choices were forced.
Xu An, however, slightly curled her lips. "Who says we have to do the killing ourselves? If the zombies go berserk and accidentally tear someone apart, what does that have to do with us?"
Zhou Haimei immediately understood what Xu An intended to do. "But Qin Chuan is also down there. Will we accidentally injure him by doing this?"
Xu An didn't say anything, but her indifferent expression said it all. Compared to their lives, Xu An didn't care about Qin Chuan. It was at this moment that Zhou Haimei truly understood that perhaps Xu An's statement about having no feelings for Qin Chuan was true. Xu An truly disliked Qin Chuan, and perhaps Qin Chuan had never entered Xu An's heart. From then on, Zhou Haimei would never joke about Qin Chuan in front of Xu An.
No sooner said than done, Zhou Haimei was not one to procrastinate. Compared to considering Qin Chuan's identity, the assassin named Sun Er was the more formidable figure they needed to be wary of.