Escape Plan
Before others could voice their complaints, another soldier spoke up, "Hey, listen up! This test will go on from tonight until tomorrow, so if you don't want to meet your end, make sure to behave and understand, got it?"
A civilian asked fiercely, "Ah, why do we have to go through this stupid test?! What's your plan?"
The soldier waved his hand, responding, "It's simple, we're just trying to figure out who will be an asset to the country!"
Jiang Zhi and Shen Yize exchanged glances, questions and concerns reflected in Jiang Zhi's eyes. He whispered to Shen Yize, "So, what do they mean?"
Shen Yize shook his head, he didn't know either. However, he had a guess in his mind. "Maybe they want to recruit us and take us to their secret base to use us as weapons or something."
Nodding, Jiang Zhi then realized something. "Hey, Shen Yize, if they find out you have powers, will they take you?"
Shen Yize nodded. That's for sure, especially since healing powers are quite rare and take more time and difficulty to level up. However, Shen Yize wasn't worried at all.
"Don't worry, they won't know." There's no device that can accurately detect someone with powers 100%. That's why he has to keep denying having powers. Don't give them a reason to doubt.
Even though he hadn't heard Shen Yize's analysis, Jiang Zhi felt a bit calmer after being reassured.
After the soldiers finished speaking, they left and locked the door again. The civilians sat in despair. Some argued, while others pondered a way out.
Two nearby civilians talked. Their conversation could be clearly heard by Jiang Zhi and Shen Yize. They discreetly eavesdropped.
"Hey, what's really going on? They won't kill us, right?"
"Relax, they're just testing our 'special abilities,' right? But we have to be realistic, we don't have any special powers, so they'll definitely let us go eventually!"
"Yeah, but I don't want to stay here waiting for zombies to come to this base. What if the soldiers leave us, take our cars and food?"
Hearing something about zombies, Shen Yize couldn't stay silent. He asked, "Hey, what did you mean earlier? Are zombies going to come here?"
The civilian nodded earnestly. "Yup, they're moving and they'll definitely come here. We've scouted the area around this place before, so we know it won't be long until this place is swarmed with zombies."
Another civilian agreed. "Exactly!"
Zombies were getting closer, so they couldn't just sit here. They had to leave and find a safe place. The soldiers might have advanced weapons, but they would retreat eventually. Especially with so many zombies surrounding them.
Someone suddenly interjected, "If we're of no use to those soldiers, they'll abandon us!"
The two spoke openly, and apart from the four of them, others were quietly concerned as well.
Jiang Zhi thought of a way to escape with Shen Yize using their van, but he didn't realize that the old closed door was suddenly forcefully opened.
The fierce and loud voice of a soldier shattered their thoughts.
"Hey, one of you come out and follow me!"
Unfortunately, no one moved, which made the soldier very unsatisfied and increasingly impatient.
"Quick, no one will hurt you, we just need to see if you have superpowers or something!"
"I'm ready!" Finally, Shen Yize volunteered. He stood up and took steps toward the soldier.
But before that, he patted Jiang Zhi's shoulder and followed the soldiers. In the narrow hallway, Shen Yize approached one of the soldiers and asked, "Hey, can you tell me what you'll do with us after you find out whether we have superpowers or not?"
The soldier nodded, feeling that this mission wasn't a secret. "Of course! If you have supernatural abilities, we'll recruit you to help our country. With all the chaos in the world, we need all the help we can get to fight the zombies!"
Shen Yize nodded. After a moment, he asked again, "And what about those of us who don't have powers? Will you just leave us?"
"No, you'll be released, don't worry."
Shen Yize sighed in relief, intentionally showing a happy expression. Seeing that, a soldier clicked his tongue before issuing a warning.
"Don't pretend like you don't have powers, even though the device isn't perfect yet, its accuracy is still around 60%. So, in reality, no one can pretend to be normal!"
"Ah, I see." Shen Yize seemed a little surprised and returned to his relaxed state. He thought to himself that with a device that had 60% accuracy, he could still have some fun.
The soldiers pushed Shen Yize into the room, and a few medical experts helped him. Shen Yize's expression was slightly panicked, a complete contrast to his usually calm and steady demeanor.
The nurse spoke calming words before giving the command for Shen Yize to place his index finger on the device and press it.
"How does it feel? Do you sense anything inside your body?"
Shen Yize shook his head. "No, nothing's happening."
"Really?" The nurse furrowed her brow and observed Shen Yize to determine if he was lying.
Unfortunately, Shen Yize's expression genuinely showed he didn't feel anything. The nurse had no reason to doubt him.
"But the indicator moved slightly. It moves when detecting someone's special abilities in their blood."
Shen Yize looked at the still lit device and said, "Hey, the pointer stopped. Does that mean I also have a special ability?"
The nurse followed Shen Yize's gaze. "Odd. Try burning this paper. How about growing this seed?"
One by one, tests were given to see if Shen Yize would trigger any special ability. However, the results were that he had no abilities.
The nurse sighed heavily. "It seems you're just an ordinary human. You're free to go."
"Okay." Shen Yize walked out of the examination room.
The soldiers escorted Shen Yize, and on the way, he encountered Jiang Zhi, who was also going to be examined.
After a series of examinations, Jiang Zhi also returned to the holding area and approached Shen Yize.
Jiang Zhi whispered to him, "What were the results? They didn't find out, right?"
"No, did you see the layout of the building earlier? It seems we can slip out quietly from the side."
Jiang Zhi nodded. "Yeah, but leaving this room will be tough. Plus, it's already nighttime, very risky."
Shen Yize mumbled indifferently, "That's why we should leave before dawn."
Jiang Zhi observed him before shifting his gaze around the room. "What about the people here?"
Anticipating this question, Shen Yize casually leaned against the cold, damp wall. "Don't worry, they'll be fine."
Supplies will last them until tomorrow morning, and if everything goes smoothly, the people here can escape before the zombies arrive.
Moreover, regardless of how annoying the soldiers are, they won't sacrifice or kill civilians. Yes, except for a few individuals without patriotism.
Jiang Zhi nodded in relief and followed Shen Yize's lead. "Alright, I'll just pretend to sleep."
They closed their eyes, but they weren't actually sleeping. Their thoughts and focus were on the situation here. Not long after, a commotion was heard. Chaos broke out outside, with two team members separated due to one of them having a special ability.
A woman screamed hysterically upon learning that her boyfriend was going to be taken away.
"No, I won't let him go! Hey, just let him go! As soldiers, your job is to make people come willingly, not by force!"
Her boyfriend was also displeased. "I won't go, I won't follow you guys!"
The door didn't have a chance to close as the individual with the special ability used their power to launch an attack.
As humans, regardless of the situation, curiosity can suddenly make anyone care. People who were once silent began to rise and watch the commotion, also offering assistance.
Shen Yize grabbed Jiang Zhi's hand and signaled meaningfully.
Jiang Zhi nodded in understanding. Then he shouted to further stir up the atmosphere, "Hey, this person is right! You can't just separate people based on their differences!"
On the other side, Shen Yize had moved a bit further from Jiang Zhi and joined in, shouting, "Exactly! It's unfair to discriminate against regular people like us. We didn't choose to be normal; if we could, we'd also want superpowers!"
Hearing their words, some people felt moved and joined in.
"Absolutely! No discrimination allowed!"
Their provocation garnered responses from the people there and created an even bigger commotion. The chaos gradually reached its peak. Taking advantage of the situation, Jiang Zhi and Shen Yize slipped away unnoticed.
Their van was on the west side, but there were several guards at the door.
Shen Yize pulled Jiang Zhi to hide for a moment, there were footsteps in front.
After the footsteps faded, Shen Yize looked around and smoothed his hair a bit. He said to Jiang Zhi, "Stay here for a while and come out after a few moments."
Jiang Zhi raised an eyebrow and asked, "Where are you going? What's the plan?"
There were about 3 soldiers by the barred door and several others not far away; even if Shen Yize could fight, he couldn't face them alone!
Shen Yize waved his hand. "Just relax, I can handle it."
Shen Yize ran towards the door on the west side and shouted in a panicked voice that surprised everyone.
"Hey, hey, something crazy's happening over there! There are a few people with superpowers causing a ruckus and attacking! Come on, let's help the soldiers! Hurry, hurry!"
A soldier saw him and heard the words. "Wait, what? Okay, let's see what's going on."
Two soldiers went to check the situation, while one soldier stayed behind to guard the door. That's when Jiang Zhi appeared and broke that soldier's neck.
Jiang Zhi shouted at Shen Yize while running, "Come on, quickly!"
"That's our van! Let's go!"
Before Shen Yize could go any further, Jiang Zhi quickly grabbed him and covered his mouth. "Psst! There's someone over there."