Chapter 174: Unlocking Basic Defensive Shield Card

Ye Xuan stood up, carried the dirty plates and bowls to the sink, and began washing them. As he washed the dishes, he replied, "I’ll help you."

Liu Yun stared at him for a few seconds before smiling. "Alright."

Seeing the two of them washing the dishes together, Pei Rui went into the kitchen to get a cloth and then wiped down the dining table. With all three of them working together, they finished everything in less than fifteen minutes.

After drying her hands with a clean towel, Liu Yun turned to Pei Rui. "Pei Rui, let’s talk."

As they had agreed earlier, Pei Rui was supposed to give Liu Yun information about the new Base Commander in exchange for lunch. Now that he had finished eating, it was time for him to fulfill his end of the bargain.

Pei Rui nodded and followed Liu Yun and Ye Xuan to the living room.

Gesturing for Pei Rui to sit down, Liu Yun settled onto the couch and asked, "So, what kind of information do you have about the new Base Commander?"

Sitting across from her, Pei Rui reached into his pocket and took out a piece of paper. He placed it on the coffee table between them and said, "Elder Sister, take a look at this first."

Curious, Liu Yun picked up the paper and began reading. Sitting beside her, Ye Xuan leaned closer to take a look as well.

While they read the paper, Pei Rui waited patiently.

Before long, Liu Yun looked up from the paper and asked in surprise, "Is this true?"

Pei Rui nodded. "Yes."

"Where did you get this?" Ye Xuan asked, a hint of suspicion in his voice.

Pei Rui hesitated for a moment before replying, "Last night, I sneaked into the barracks to steal some food and accidentally took this paper with me."

Liu Yun hadn’t expected him to be so bold as to steal food from the soldiers, let alone sneak into the barracks alone. She gave Pei Rui a thumbs-up and sincerely praised him.

"You are really brave."

As soon as she said that, Ye Xuan shot her a look.

Under his reproachful gaze, Liu Yun coughed lightly and quickly changed the subject. "So, is this the information you wanted to tell me?"

Pei Rui shook his head. "No. This information is my way of showing my gratitude for the delicious lunch. The information I actually wanted to tell you is something else."

"Oh? What is it?" Liu Yun asked curiously.

Pei Rui leaned forward and lowered his voice before speaking. "Elder Sister, you already know that the Base Commander is a zombie, right?"

Liu Yun was surprised that he knew about this. "How do you know about this?"

Pei Rui smiled faintly. "Elder Sister, I know more than you think."

Liu Yun fell silent at his words. After a brief pause, she replied, "I do know about that. Does it have something to do with what you are about to tell me?"

"Yes." Pei Rui nodded. "Elder Sister, I found out that the Base Commander was the only survivor of the incident at the secret laboratory three years ago."

As soon as he finished speaking, a notification suddenly rang in Liu Yun’s mind.

Ding!

[Hidden Mission: Uncover the Secret of the New Base Commander of Lie Huo Military Base — Progress +25%]

Before Liu Yun could react, two more notifications sounded in quick succession.

Ding!

[Congratulations, Player, for completing Hidden Mission: Uncover the Secret of the New Base Commander of Lie Huo Military Base! The reward has been issued!]

Ding!

[Congratulations, Player, for unlocking Basic Defensive Shield Card! The Player can now purchase the Basic Defensive Shield Card from the System Store!]

Startled by the series of notifications, Liu Yun momentarily forgot to react.

Unaware that Liu Yun was distracted, Pei Rui continued, "After learning about this, I asked my elder brother about the secret laboratory."

"My elder brother said that when the incident happened, the military sealed all information about the secret laboratory. However, some people still managed to piece together the clues and discover the laboratory’s location."

After hearing this, Ye Xuan asked, "Does your elder brother know where the secret laboratory is?"

Pei Rui shook his head slightly. "He doesn’t know its exact location. He only knows that it’s somewhere in Ji City."

Hearing this, Liu Yun finally came back to her senses. She frowned deeply and muttered, "It’s Ji City again."

Looking at her, Pei Rui asked, "Elder Sister, do you know something about the secret laboratory?"

Liu Yun shook her head. "No. This is the first time I have heard about the secret laboratory."

Tilting his head slightly, Pei Rui asked again, "Then why did you say ’Ji City again’? Is something else happening in Ji City besides the secret laboratory incident?"

When he asked this, Liu Yun and Ye Xuan exchanged glances. Then she turned back to Pei Rui and said, "Pei Rui, we are from Ji City."

The moment she said this, Pei Rui’s eyes widened in surprise. He sprang to his feet and exclaimed, "What?! You and the elder brothers are from Ji City?!"

Ye Xuan nodded. "Yes."

Staring at them in disbelief, Pei Rui exclaimed, "No way... How could you have escaped from Ji City? Hasn’t that city become a city of zombies?"

Liu Yun scratched her cheek and replied hesitantly, "Well, we were lucky."

Pei Rui didn’t believe her explanation. However, since Liu Yun clearly didn’t want to tell him more, he decided to respect her privacy and stop asking questions.

Sitting back down on the couch, Pei Rui remained silent for a while as he looked at Liu Yun and Ye Xuan. Eventually, he asked, "Since you are from Ji City, you must know things we don’t. Elder Sister, can you tell me what you know?"

"Hmm..." Liu Yun thought for a few seconds before answering, "There is a Mutant Rat King that can control mutant rats and launch sound-based attacks."

Pei Rui nodded. "I know about that. The military has issued a mission to recruit ability users and mercenaries to eliminate the Mutant Rat King. Are there other things that you know besides this?"