A Journey of American Comics Starting from the Zombie Universe

Chapter 649

After comforting everyone, Bai Ye walked out of the camp alone. It was late at night and the moonlight was thin, barely illuminating the way forward. His steps were firm and heavy, and each step seemed to carry invisible pressure. The hustle and bustle of the camp gradually faded away, replaced by the silent chirping of insects and the occasional roar of wild beasts in the distance, all of which made Bai Ye's mood even more complicated.

He walked towards the jeep parked nearby and yanked the door open, making a sharp metallic collision sound. Bai Ye got into the driver's seat, started the engine, and the wheels kicked up a cloud of dust. The jeep rushed towards the ruins in the distance like a beast ready to attack.

Inside the car, Bai Ye held the steering wheel tightly, his eyes piercing the darkness ahead. His heart was filled with doubts and uneasiness. Where did the unknown microorganism come from? Why did it suddenly appear here? He had to find the answer, otherwise this fear and uneasiness would spread like a plague in the hearts of the soldiers.

The scenery outside the car window was receding rapidly, and the outline of the ruins looked even more eerie under the moonlight. Broken steel bars, broken bricks and tiles, and the ruins forgotten by time all told of past disasters and vicissitudes. Bai Ye drove the jeep through the ruins, looking for places where clues might be hidden.

Suddenly, a seemingly solid bunker came into view. It stood alone in the ruins, like an isolated island, waiting for brave explorers to uncover its secrets. Bai Ye's heart skipped a beat, and he realized that this place might be the answer he had been looking for.

He stopped the car, turned off the engine, and pushed the door open. The night breeze blew on his face, bringing a hint of coolness, and also blew away some of the irritability in his heart. Bai Ye walked to the front of the bunker and carefully observed the building. The door of the bunker was closed tightly, covered with traces of time, but still looked extremely solid. He tried to push it, but the door did not move at all, obviously locked tightly by some force.

"Looks like I have to use some strength." Bai Ye muttered to himself. He took a deep breath, and all the muscles in his body tensed up instantly, like a beast about to explode. Then, he pulled hard, and a huge force burst out instantly, and the whole bunker trembled. With a loud "bang", the door of the bunker was forcibly pulled open by him, revealing a dark passage inside.

Bai Ye did not hesitate. He turned on the flashlight and stepped into the bunker. The flashlight drew a faint beam of light in the darkness, illuminating his way forward. The inside of the bunker looked even more eerie than the outside. The air was filled with a damp and moldy smell that made people want to frown. But Bai Ye did not back down. He continued to explore deeper.

After walking for a while, he came to a spacious basement. It was full of various sundries and abandoned equipment. It was obvious that no one had been here for a long time. But Bai Ye's eyes were as sharp as a hawk. He quickly found an inconspicuous filing cabinet among the sundries.

He walked quickly to the filing cabinet and opened the drawer. The drawer was filled with yellowed documents and notes, which were densely recorded with various data and experimental results. Bai Ye carefully flipped through the documents, trying to find clues about the unknown microorganism.

"These documents... seem to be records of some kind of biological experiment." Bai Ye muttered to himself. The more he read, the more frightened he became, because these experiments seemed to be related to microorganisms that could affect the human nervous system.

At this moment, a burst of hurried footsteps came from the other end of the bunker. Bai Ye's heart tightened, and he immediately turned off the flashlight and hid in a hidden corner. Not long after, several soldiers in protective clothing appeared in the basement. They were obviously attracted by the clues here and were searching for something.

"There really is a clue here!" a soldier said excitedly, "It looks like we are not far from the truth!"

"But... these experimental records look very dangerous." Another soldier said worriedly, "Should we really continue to investigate?"

"No matter how dangerous it is, we must find the answer!" the first soldier said firmly, "Otherwise, how can we explain to our comrades who were harmed?"

Bai Ye hid in the dark, listening to the soldiers' conversation, feeling mixed emotions. He realized that he was not the only one looking for the truth. These soldiers were also driven by the fear of the unknown, and they were willing to risk their lives to uncover the secret hidden in the darkness.

At this moment, a soldier suddenly discovered the place where Bai Ye was hiding. He raised his flashlight and shone it over, shouting, "Who's there? Come out!"

Bai Ye knew that he could no longer hide, so he had to bite the bullet and walk out of the corner. The soldiers immediately surrounded him and looked at him with vigilant eyes.

"Captain Bai Ye?" a soldier asked in surprise, "Why are you here?"

"I... I'm here to look for clues as well." Bai Ye said awkwardly, "I found some clues about that unknown microorganism."

The soldiers immediately became excited upon hearing this, and they gathered around the filing cabinet to check the experimental records. Bai Ye stood aside and observed them silently, but his heart was filled with mixed emotions. He was moved by the bravery and perseverance of these soldiers, but he was also afraid and uneasy about the secret hidden in the darkness.

Bai Ye's face suddenly darkened, and a storm seemed to be brewing in his deep eyes. He turned around abruptly, staring at the soldiers gathered in front of the filing cabinets with a sharp gaze. His voice was low and powerful, with unquestionable majesty: "Enough! You are just wasting time here, without any substantial progress!"

The soldiers were stunned by Bai Ye's sudden roar, and they stopped what they were doing, looking at each other, their faces full of astonishment and confusion. They didn't expect that Captain Bai Ye, who was usually calm and self-controlled and caring for his subordinates, would be so angry at this moment.

"We...we just want to help..." A soldier mustered up the courage and spoke cautiously, with a hint of grievance in his voice.

"Help?" Bai Ye sneered, his tone full of sarcasm, "What you call help is to aimlessly look through these outdated documents here? Do you know that every second of delay may cost someone their life!"

The soldiers' faces turned even paler. They lowered their heads, not daring to look directly into Bai Ye's eyes. They knew that although Bai Ye's words were harsh, they made sense. They really hadn't found any valuable clues, and were just busy here blindly. "Now, I order you to leave here immediately!" Bai Ye's voice became even colder, like the cold wind in winter, which made people shudder. "I don't want to see you wasting time here anymore. Find something meaningful to do, such as strengthening the defense of the camp and ensuring the safety of everyone."

The soldiers did not dare to disobey the order. They quietly packed up their things, lowered their heads, and left the basement quickly and orderly. The door slammed shut behind them, isolating all the noise and unrest outside.

Bai Ye stood there, watching the soldiers leave, feeling mixed emotions. He knew that his actions might have been a bit extreme, but he couldn't stand the feeling of powerlessness. He had to find the secret hidden in the darkness, no matter what the cost.

He took a deep breath, calmed himself, and then refocused on the documents. He squatted down and carefully read each document, not missing any details. The light of the flashlight flickered in the dim basement, reflecting his determined and focused face.

As time passed, Bai Ye seemed to be in another world, isolated from the outside world. In his mind, there were only the data and experimental results on the documents, and he kept deducing various possibilities in his mind.

Finally, after several hours of hard work, Bai Ye found a key experimental report. This report recorded in detail the discovery process, characteristics and preliminary experimental results of the unknown microorganism. More importantly, it also mentioned a possible inhibition method - a compound called "X-13".

Bai Ye's eyes suddenly lit up, and he felt as if he had grasped a life-saving straw. He immediately put the report away carefully, then stood up and prepared to leave the basement. However, just as he was about to step out of the basement, he suddenly stopped.

He looked back at this place full of secrets and dangers, and a complex emotion surged in his heart. He knew that he might never come back here again, but this experience would be forever engraved in his memory.

He took a deep breath and then resolutely stepped out of the basement door. The door slowly closed behind him with a dull sound. Bai Ye did not look back, but walked forward silently, his heart filled with unprecedented firmness and determination.

He knew that he still had a long way to go, but he also believed that as long as he did not give up, he would one day uncover the secret hidden in the darkness and seek justice for those innocent victims.

The night was still dark, but the flame of hope had already ignited in Bai Ye's heart. He took firm steps towards the unknown future. Behind him, the bunker full of secrets and dangers gradually disappeared into the darkness...

Bai Ye's hands were shaking. The moonlight shone through the narrow window gap onto the pile of scraps of paper in his hands, reflecting his shocked and angry face. He suddenly realized that all his efforts and expectations were based on an absurd misunderstanding - this "experimental report" that he regarded as a life-saving straw was actually just an ordinary dessert seasoning list, recording how to prepare a retro-flavored marshmallow sauce.

"This... How is this possible?!" Bai Ye's voice trembled with anger. He stared at the fragments in disbelief, as if he wanted to stare a hole through them. The silence around him was broken by his anger at this moment, leaving only his heavy breathing and the faint sound of paper shattering.

The mixed emotions of anger and disappointment surged like a tide, almost drowning him. Bai Ye turned around abruptly and rushed back to the bunker at a rapid pace. Every step seemed to be stepping on the fire in his heart, painful and burning. He needed to vent, he needed a way to vent this sudden despair and anger.

Stepping into the bunker again, Bai Ye ignored the darkness and coldness around him. There was only a burning anger in his heart. He reached into his pocket and fumbled out a piece of marshmallow that he had stuffed into his pocket at some point. It was something he had prepared to comfort the children when he was in the camp. At this moment, this small piece of marshmallow became his only comfort and outlet.

Bai Ye searched around and finally found some dry wood and a flint in the corner. He squatted down and skillfully rubbed the flint, sparks flew everywhere, and finally ignited the dry wood. The fire jumped in the darkness, illuminating Bai Ye's gloomy face and warming his cold heart.

He put the marshmallow on a slender branch and brought it close to the flame. The marshmallow gradually expanded under the licking of the flame, and the surface glowed golden, emitting an alluring sweet aroma. Bai Ye did not immediately enjoy this simple delicacy, but watched it quietly, as if he was having a silent conversation with his inner anger and despair through this fire and this candy.

"Oh, how ironic." Bai Ye sneered, his voice echoing in the empty bunker, "What am I running around for? What am I angry about? It turned out to be just a false joy..." His words were full of self-mockery and helplessness, but more of it was anger and unwillingness towards the fickleness of fate.

However, as the marshmallow slowly melted in the flames, emitting an increasingly rich sweet aroma, Bai Ye's mood seemed to have changed subtly. He suddenly realized that even in the face of great despair and frustration, life always has reasons and motivation to continue. Just like this piece of marshmallow, even in the darkest moments, you can find a hint of sweetness and warmth.

He took a bite of the marshmallow, and the soft and sweet taste instantly spread in his mouth, as if a spring of fresh water had flowed into his dry heart. Bai Ye closed his eyes, enjoying this rare tranquility and beauty, as if all the anger and despair had disappeared at this moment.

When he opened his eyes again, the anger in his eyes had disappeared, replaced by clarity and determination. He knew he couldn't just give up. No matter how many difficulties and challenges were waiting for him, he had to persevere. Because only in this way could he find the real answer and seek justice for those innocent victims.

Bai Ye stood up and threw the marshmallow stick in his hand into the fire, letting it turn into a wisp of smoke and dissipate in the night sky. He turned and left the bunker, his steps more firm and powerful than when he came. He knew that he still had a long way to go, but he believed that as long as there was light and hope in his heart, he would be able to illuminate the way forward.

The night wind blew away the last trace of fire and warmth in the bunker. But an inextinguishable flame had been ignited in Bai Ye's heart, which was the love of life, the persistence of justice, and the infinite longing for the future.

(End of this chapter)