XG 87- The blame for killing their heroes

Kang Xunsu waved at a guard. "We got back as many blankets and clothes as we can. Brother guards, take what you need before passing it to those people inside. If there's spare, pass it to those people outside."

Those that stayed inside the laboratory were mostly families of the scientist members that had packed some necessities with them before coming over. As for whether there will be any left after they go through the entire laboratory or not, he does not care.

They should also be aware the winter was getting harsher and the survivors would die if proper care to keep warm failed. Nature had no sympathy for human plight even if they were in danger of extinction.

The door to the lab sprang open, with Chen Yi Wen and Suzie Yap emerging wearing lab coats.

"Protocol is needed before you can enter the lab, so the two researchers will do the checking," one of the guards explained. As for why the guards did not do the checking, they were not knowledgeable about the virus. What if they accidentally shoot an ability user thinking it was a zombie, just like how they nearly did it to Vihaan when they first saw him?

Oh, they do not want to carry the blame for killing their heroes!

Kang Xunsu pretended to be blind when Suzie Yap's face turned into a dark cloud when she examined her daughter's injuries.

"Mother, it's just small injuries. They will heal soon," Wong Xue Guo reassured her angry mother, looking helpless on her face but happy inside. She even felt that getting these injuries was worth it if she could see her mother getting angry on her behalf.

Was she going to develop some masochist tendency? Even knowing it, Wong Xue Guo could not bring herself to detach from that self-harming happiness.

Chen Yi Wen patted his younger brother's head, who was about to chase after his height. The touch on his brother's head was to thank him for surviving, which Chen Yibo understood, before turning his attention to Do Eunhyuk that was missing an arm.

The white hair and shrunken flesh were the obvious sign of an awakened person, so naturally, Chen Yi Wen became more interested in him. His fervent eyes caused Do Wheein's guard to rise and use her body to hide her father from view.

Although Suzie Yap only volunteers to do body checks because of her daughter, she still had to check others and discuss with Kang Xunsu about the newcomers.

Freed from her mother's attention, Wong Xue Guo overheard Ash telling a guard that one of the car boots could not be opened. She had merely glanced at the said car casually, only to have the opportunity to witness the car boot suddenly open by itself.

Wong Xue Guo's heart barely started drumming hard when Ash had already reacted quickly after seeing the white hair and skinny body inside the boot. With a high pitch scream, he immediately ran to hide behind a guard.

Kim Sung-Ho was also panicking as he completely did not expect there would be a zombie inside the boot. His speed in grabbing for his gun was fast, but he was abruptly delayed when he struggled to unlock the safety pin.

The guard raised his gun and shot, but his bullet missed, hitting the car instead.

"Stop! Stop! Don't shoot! I know him! He's not a zombie!" Lee Su-Hwa suddenly ran to the car boot, raising her hands up to stop them.

"I also know him!" Park Donghae also called out in support and hurriedly stepped forward to help Lee Su-Hwa.

"Ah! Su-Hwa and Donghae!" The white-haired and skinny person called out rather loudly as if afraid people could not hear him. He waved happily, ignorant that he could have been shot just earlier.

"Ahjussi! You really frighten us! Why are you inside there?" Lee Su-Hwa was relieved when no one continued to shoot and went to Song Jeong-Hyeok, helping him to get out of the boot.

Ahjussi - In Korean, it means 'Mister'

"Ah? What did you say?"

Lee Su-Hwa repeated her question in a louder voice, indirectly telling others that the old man has a hearing problem.

"This is how he usually looks, but he looks a little thinner than the last time I saw him," Park Donghae explained to the others. "He's the owner of the car repair shop, Song Jeong-Hyeok."

There were packets of food inside the boot, likely hidden by Song Jeong-Hyeok as his food supplies while he remained hidden inside the boot.

"Oh, that?" Song Jeong-Hyeok scratched his head. "I got scared seeing people biting each other so I hid inside the boot with my food and waited until help arrived. But the sounds did not stop and I got tired of waiting. I must have fallen asleep. When I woke up just now, I heard people talking so I opened the boot. Turns out I've been rescued!"

Wong Xue Guo wondered how he could sleep so deeply as to not realize the car he was in was moving. But his mental strength was praiseworthy, to be able to sleep peacefully throughout the beginning of the breakout and lucky to be brought to the lab safely without being discovered.

Standing beside Lee Su-Hwa, Song Jeong-Hyeok was very much shorter because of his hunched back. His appearance was truly similar to the zombies and what differentiate him from those monsters were his bright, lively eyes.

Lee Su-Hwa sighed gratefully. "Perhaps it's Uncle Song's luck that saved him and had him choose to hide in the boot without encountering danger."

From the first time she met the kind elderly man, he does not have any family. As a happy-go-lucky and simple-minded person, he was satisfied living as a car repairman with enough money to go by.

The experienced Suzie Yap immediately spotted something as she scrutinized Song Jeong-Hyeok. "Are there any special things or accidents that have happened to you?"

"Special...? No." Song Jeong-Hyeok shook his head.

"If there's anything special about Jeong-Hyeok hyung, it would be his strange good luck," Park Donghae voiced out. Among the trio elderlies, it was Song Jeong-Hyeok that was the oldest among them and Park Donghae had always called him 'Hyung' with other man's amiable personality.

"I have some suspicions, which could be clarified with some tests. Will you allow us to test something? It won't hurt and we only need something from you, such as your hair and fingernails."

Do Eunhyuk frowned and asked in a higher voice for Uncle Song's hearing convenience. "Uncle Song, are you bitten by the monster?"

"Bitten? No!" Song Jeong-Hyeok shook his head fiercely. "I dare not approach them. Their bites look painful ah. Not even the strong kid from that BBQ shop could stop them, why would I go and risk my old meat!"

"There is another method in awakening the gene," Chen Yi Wen informed. "But of course, it's just our suspicion that this elder's gene was awakened naturally, possibly from a life-threatening accident."

"Uncle Song, have you had a bad accident before?" Lee Su-Hwa yelled at Song Jeong-Hyeok's ears.

"Accident? Accident... yes, yes, aigoooh, I did not listen to my uncle and ride his bike. Broke my legs and had to stay in bed for months! I still remember it hurts so badly and it hurts even more when my dad beat me up later..."

"What will you do to him after checking whether he had that gene awakened or not?" Do Eunhyuk asked Chen Yi Wen, who then looked at Suzie Yap.

"Nothing much. We do not do elderly labor, but that's a different case if he's willing to help. It will also depend on what ability he has and we can decide from there," Suzie Yap said.

The newcomers were doubtful of Suzie Yap's words, which had Wong Xue Guo frown in displeasure in having her mother being doubted. As the checkup does not hurt, Song Jeong-Hyeok agreed after hearing he might have a cool ability to protect himself.

The gene testing result usually takes a few weeks, but as Musihada laboratory has high technology equipment, they could get the result after forty-eight hours.

Kang Xunsu patted the guard that missed his target and joked. "You need to warm up your hands often oh~"

The guard's mouth twitched. "I had already warmed up my hands when you guys returned. Who would have thought my finger would suddenly twitch and the shot went astray?"

"It must be God's blessing to prevent us from accidentally killing a potential ability user!" The other guard clasped his hands together, prompting the first guard to nod in relief. 

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