"Thank you, thank you! Thank the government, I'll follow any orders!" The man practically groveled, eagerly snatching the water and food Su Jin handed him.
Taking advantage of his distraction, Zhang Wan slipped the small mouse from her sleeve and dropped it into the corner of the bathroom.
Snagging the key to Room 201, the group stepped out and firmly locked the heavy outer door behind them.
Su Jin tossed the key to Zhang Wan with a cold, professional smile. "Standard operating procedure. It's not that complicated, right? We'll process the rest the exact same way. Just make sure you don't mess up the key inventory."
"Take Cheng Du and Fu Hu as your security detail and finish the block. I'm heading out to hunt some Zombies and harvest a Fleshy Orb to upgrade your abilities. Think you can handle this, Sister-in-law?"
Zhang Wan ducked her head with a modest smile. "Don't worry, Director. I won't drop the ball."
...
As dusk swallowed the city, Zhang Wan and her team stumbled out of the apartment building, practically dead on their feet.
Lugging the Supplies back and forth was an absolute logistical nightmare. They still had two buildings pending, but after a quick break and a mandatory overtime shift tonight, they'd hit their quota.
Just as the weary group dragged themselves toward the safehouse, Su Jin emerged from the shadows, hauling a massive, bulging tactical backpack.
He looked like he'd been put through a meat grinder. His crisp white tracksuit was a canvas of dried blood, gore, and unidentifiable filth.
Spotting his team, Su Jin peeled off his ruined jacket and snapped off his latex gloves, casually tossing the biohazards into the street.
"Perfect timing. I procured some high-value assets on my field trip today!"
Unzipping the heavy briefcase strapped to his chest, Su Jin fished out several sleek black handguns and distributed them to the stunned crew.
Gripping the cold steel, Cheng Du stared at it like it was an alien artifact. "Director... where the hell did you source these?"
Su Jin flashed a wicked, cynical grin and jerked his thumb over his shoulder. "Audited the local police precinct. Keep these on you for personal defense. I've got plenty more tactical gear in the bag. Our firepower deficit is officially solved. Let's debrief upstairs."
Reassembled on the sixth floor, Su Jin swapped out his gore-soaked clothes for fresh ones and took his seat at the head of the dining table.
Zhang Wan delivered a comprehensive progress report, while Sister Liu chimed in with minor operational details.
The two elders sat back, listening intently.
Fu Hu and Cheng Du, however, were completely zoned out, quietly flexing their muscles and testing the strange new power coursing through their veins.
The two meatheads had fully embraced their roles as company muscle, officially clocking out of any intellectual heavy lifting.
The only person in the room looking visibly depressed and utterly useless was Fu Qingdai.
"At our current burn rate, we should finish processing all residents by tomorrow morning," Zhang Wan concluded. "However, given our limited supply of test mice, we have to extract them from the cleared rooms and recycle them for the next batch of subjects."
Sun Ya nodded, taking over the brief. "The bathroom is a confined, sterile environment. The mouse has zero cover. Based on our preliminary data, a Disguised Infected operates on pure, unfiltered bloodlust. Lock them in a tiny room with a live animal all night, and their instincts will override their camouflage. By tomorrow morning, the screening process will weed out the liabilities."
"We're auditing two hundred and thirty-eight individuals. Everyone who passes the inspection gets relocated to the Community Activity Center—it's got the square footage we need. We'll centralize our resources, institute a communal eating and sleeping schedule, and maintain strict oversight. Once they're pacified and briefed, we deploy scout teams to commandeer vehicles. The goal is to build a motorized fleet and stockpile fuel ASAP."
Su Jin clapped his hands, sealing the deal. "Solid project management, Elder Sun. I'll join you on the ground floor for tomorrow's quality assurance checks. Once the civilian logistics are settled, I'll raid a few more precincts and expand our armory. Only verified, loyal assets get firearms. That concludes the meeting. If there's no new business, you're all dismissed to get some sleep."
No one raised any objections, and the team quickly scattered to their beds.
Only Fu Qingdai remained rooted to her chair, her head hung low in miserable silence.
"What's eating you, Qingdai?" Su Jin asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Brother... what is my job description? Am I just going to sit here on the bench and tail you guys forever?" She looked up, her eyes pleading. "Brother, please, assign me a task."
Su Jin let out a measured sigh. He stood, draped an arm over her shoulder, and adopted a soothing, managerial tone. "Qingdai, not everyone gets a superpower. Don't let the lack of combat stats crush your performance review. A solid head on your shoulders and a sense of responsibility are worth their weight in gold. In fact, I have a highly critical, executive-level project lined up for you. You're the only one who has the right profile."
"What is it?" Fu Qingdai's eyes instantly lit up.
Su Jin looked at her with dead serious professionalism. "You predicted the apocalypse. Word gets around, and these locals already know your track record. Once we consolidate the survivors, you're going to take a bath, put on a pristine outfit, and undergo a total rebranding. From tomorrow onward, you are our Holy Maiden. You are the mascot of salvation, the literal hope holding this entire organization together."
"So I'm just a puppet?!" Fu Qingdai spat, feeling insulted. "That's not a real job!"
"Absolutely incorrect! Any functioning system requires a core brand identity," Su Jin corrected smoothly, slipping into full PR mode. "A country needs a flag. A Fortune 500 company needs a logo. You are the product we are selling to keep these people from losing their minds. How is being the cornerstone of our corporate culture a puppet role? Without you, these people have zero ROI on their will to live. It is the most vital position in the company."
"I still feel like a decorative flower vase..." Fu Qingdai grumbled into her chest.
Just as the words left her mouth, Fu Qingdai's head snapped up, her eyes locking onto a dark corner of the room!
A shadowy half-face instantly darted back behind the wall.
"Wasn't that Cheng Du?" Su Jin frowned, glancing at the empty corner before turning back. "What's the matter?"
Fu Qingdai knit her brow, looking genuinely disturbed.
"Brother... I've been getting this really weird sixth sense. Do you think I actually awakened a superpower, but it's just more subtle than yours?"
"Sixth sense? What kind of power?" Su Jin instantly went on high alert.
"Whenever Cheng Du stares at me, I get this horrible, icy chill down my spine. Like something is deeply, fundamentally wrong with him... but I can't figure out what."
"Oh." Su Jin slumped, thoroughly disappointed. He leaned in and whispered directly into her ear, "Honestly? He gives me the creeps too. The guy is definitely a few screws loose. I've felt like he was a borderline psychopath for days now."
"This morning, he tossed a pair of dirty socks at my bed for absolutely no reason. The guy is sick in the head. Even your dad thinks he needs a padded cell. But strictly speaking, he isn't infected or compromised, otherwise I would have retired him a long time ago."
"Oh..." Fu Qingdai pouted, awkwardly twiddling her thumbs.
So much for awakening a psychic superpower. Turns out Cheng Du was just a certified creep, and it was obvious to everyone.
.....
First thing the next morning, the team rolled out for their QA inspection.
Their first target: Room 201 in Building 1.
Stepping inside the apartment, they found the tape over the bathroom door perfectly intact.
Su Jin swung the door open to find the resident sitting obediently in the corner, looking exhausted.
The moment he saw them, he sprang up, frantic. "You're finally here! There's a rat in this room! Right over in that corner! I didn't close my eyes for a second, I was terrified it would bite me! I'm clean, right?"
"The audit will determine that. Hands out," Su Jin ordered clinically. He clicked on the Portable UV Light, systematically scanning the man's palms, boots, and jawline.
The blacklight revealed nothing. Su Jin clicked it off and waved him through. "Clear. You passed. Pack your bedding and report to the Community Activity Center for your bunk assignment. Here's your ID tag."
He tossed the man a plastic chit stamped with '001'.
The man nearly wept with joy, clutching his meager belongings and bowing repeatedly as he scurried out of the apartment.
With the first unit cleared and the test mouse retrieved, they moved down the list with brutal efficiency.
Unit two, unit three, unit four... all green lights. Until they breached the twenty-fifth apartment.
"Oh, thank god. Thank you for saving me!" A highly agitated man babbled, showering Su Jin's team with praise.
Su Jin clicked on the UV light and swept it over the subject. As the beam hit the man's face, Su Jin paused.
Under the blacklight, the man's lips and chin lit up like a neon crime scene. It was a smeared, glowing mess of biological fluids. The freak had eaten the mouse raw.
The cynical smirk vanished from Su Jin's face. His eyes went dead and cold as he slowly looked the Disguised Infected up and down.