As Sheng Shuya attempted to rise, Xi Xiao quickly steadied her.
Yet Sheng Shuya’s gaze remained fixed on Yun Xiaoxiao, her heart aching visibly.
Her reddened eyes brimd with tears.
Though she had been unconscious earlier, it had only lasted a brief mont before her awareness returned.
She had heard every word Ling Jing and Nie Yizhou said.
In that instant, her heart felt as though pierced by needles, the pain so sharp she could barely breathe.
She had never asked Yun Xiaoxiao about her past.
After all, they hadn’t officially reunited as mother and daughter, and probing into such matters would have been inappropriate.
But from Ling Jing and Nie Yizhou’s words, she could vividly picture the little girl—coldly neglected by her adoptive parents, small and helpless.
She imagined her, still so young, facing the terror of zombies, trembling with fear and despair.
And she saw her, stubborn and determined, summoning the courage to fight those monsters with everything she had.
...
These scenes played out fra by fra in her mind.
Though she had never witnessed them firsthand, they now felt unbearably clear, as if she had lived through them herself.
Sheng Shuya wept silently.
Tears fell like unstrung pearls, cascading down her cheeks.
Yun Xiaoxiao was taken aback by her tears.
Truthfully, she didn’t harbor much resentnt toward Sheng Shuya.
She was fully aware of the kindness the woman had shown her during this ti.
She also understood that none of what had happened in the past was Sheng Shuya’s fault.
But the child who had once yearned for a mother’s love had long died in her previous life.
Still, she wasn’t heartless.
Sheng Shuya’s current state clearly couldn’t handle further distress.
This woman had carried her for ten months, endured the agony of childbirth to bring her into this world.
They said giving birth was like walking through the gates of hell.
So, unlucky ones, even lost their lives in the process.
How could she not repay such a debt?
Moreover, Sheng Shuya had made imnse contributions to the developnt of the zombie virus vaccine.
For these two reasons alone, Yun Xiaoxiao couldn’t disregard her well-being.
So, she offered a faint smile. “It’s all in the past now… Mom.”
Sheng Shuya: !!!
“W-What did you just call ?”
Her eyes widened in disbelief.
She stared at Yun Xiaoxiao intently, afraid she had misheard.
Yun Xiaoxiao repeated it.
It was just a word, after all.
Switching from “Auntie Sheng” to “Mom” was rely a change in title.
If this simple shift could stabilize Sheng Shuya’s condition, why not?
Consider it… repaynt for the gift of life.
“Yes! Yes!”
Assured she hadn’t imagined it, Sheng Shuya answered eagerly.
Her face lit up with joy, her excitent impossible to contain.
But deep down, she knew Yun Xiaoxiao’s casual dismissal of the past was more than it seed.
It was an indirect acknowledgnt of what Ling Jing and Nie Yizhou had revealed.
Her child had truly suffered—endured hardships beyond asure.
From now on, she would pour every ounce of love into making up for it.
Sheng Shuya’s resolve was unwavering.
“By the way, where’s the vaccine?”
Seeing that Sheng Shuya had cald, Yun Xiaoxiao turned to the matter at hand.
“Over here.”
Ye Shuyuan responded from the side.
Beside her stood Zhong Mingsheng and Fan Wenying, their hair streaked with gray.
The earlier commotion had drawn the attention of those inside reviewing research reports.
Yun Xiaoxiao followed Ye Shuyuan into the laboratory.
Lu Chen and the others, having changed into protective suits, trailed behind.
Soon, they arrived at the research facility.
Zhong Mingsheng gloved up and retrieved a small vial of green liquid from an apparatus.
“This is the newly developed vaccine.”
“Professor Zhong, how is this different from the previous version?” Nie Yizhou asked.
Zhong Mingsheng explained, “The earlier vaccine, when injected into soone infected with the zombie virus, took too long to take effect.
For the average person, it was practically useless.
They wouldn’t survive long enough for the dicine to work before fully turning into a zombie.
And once that happens, there’s no saving them.
This new vaccine, however, can suppress the virus’s spread imdiately—if administered within ten seconds of infection.”
He kept his explanation as simple as possible.
“So, does that an anyone infected and given this shot won’t turn?” Mu Yang raised an eyebrow.
Zhong Mingsheng nodded. “In theory, yes.”
“What do you an?”
“We’ve only tested it on animals so far.”
He left the rest unsaid, but everyone understood.
The vaccine worked.
And it worked remarkably well.
But without human trials, its full efficacy remained uncertain.
Yun City wasn’t so brutal organization—even in the pursuit of a cure, they wouldn’t conduct experints on living people.
The previous test on Ling Jing had been a necessity; he was already infected, the virus spreading relentlessly.
Without intervention, he would have turned.
Trying the vaccine offered a chance at survival.
Of course, they had taken that chance.
But after weeks of treatnt, most of the virus in his system had been eradicated.
Using him for further tests was out of the question.
Nor would Zhong Mingsheng and his team deliberately infect soone just to test the vaccine.
If it failed, that would be tantamount to murder.
So, their research had relied on lab rats—literally.
Captured by the guards from nearby mountains.
“Professor Zhong, how confident are you in this vaccine?” Xiao Feng suddenly asked.
Zhong Mingsheng chuckled. “I am confident—but you’re mistaken about one thing. This isn’t my achievent alone. Everyone here contributed significantly. If I’m confident, it’s because I trust in their work.”
His gaze swept warmly over the white-coated researchers present.
Then it settled on Sheng Shuya, admiration gleaming in his eyes.
“Especially Shuya. A formula she refined was the breakthrough that made this vaccine possible.”
Sheng Shuya was an expert in pharmacology—not just in title, but in genuine, unparalleled skill.
Her intuition for dicinal compounds was a rarity, a talent seen once in a century.
Before her arrival, Zhong Mingsheng’s team had been stuck on the brink of success.
They were so close, yet sothing crucial was missing.
Like a potent herbal brew lacking that one critical ingredient to amplify its effects exponentially.
Sheng Shuya had been that ingredient.
Her team had also provided invaluable assistance.
For the vaccine’s groundbreaking progress, she deserved the lion’s share of credit.
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