There were only two possibilities for someone to disappear from Liu Fangzhou’s induction, one was that the other party had left Liu Fangzhou’s induction range, and the other was that they were dead. This matter could be large or small. Shen Shian did not delay, and immediately took Liu Fangzhou to the administrative building to find Captain Luo.

Luo Wei immediately ordered the garrison to do a headcount after hearing him. The good news was that the number of soldiers was complete, no matter whether they were resting in the administrative building or on duty.

This meant that the three people who disappeared were all survivors.

The loud and harsh emergency call made it through the deep night and quickly rang through the base. The searchlight adjusted its direction, and the square next to the administrative building was as bright as daylight.

The survivors who were awakened from their deep sleep were successively gathered on the square, and their sleepy eyes were obvious. Probably because of the incident in the canteen during the day, even if they were dissatisfied, no one dared to make trouble. Divided into 50 columns as the garrison ordered, they were whispering and talking about what was going on.

Shen Shian deliberately set his sights on doctor Zhou Jianghai. Like other survivors, his face was full of sleepiness and confusion. He took off his glasses and yawned while rubbing his brows, and noticed Shen Shian’s gaze. He smiled and waved to say hello.

Luo Wei lowered his voice and asked Liu Fangzhou, “Is everyone here?”

Liu Fangzhou nodded, “All the base is clear, the total number is still 3723, there are three less people.”

Luo Wei’s eyebrows were tightly furrowed, and he stood in front of the survivors and shouted, “All attention! I’m sorry to disturb everyone’s rest so late, but there is a special situation at the base.” He turned around and looked at Tao Yuan holding the registration book. “Go ahead.”

Tao Yuan divided the paper sheets in the registration book and distributed them to another 49 soldiers, each responsible for a column, asking the participants to find their names and sign to confirm.

After half an hour, the count was over. There were indeed three fewer people, all three were men, and one of them happened to be the young man who stuck the note in the isolation area. The three of them lived in different dormitories, and none of the people in the same dorm knew when they were gone or where they went. After many cross-examinations by the soldiers, they could only remember that the last time they saw them was probably when they lined up for dinner.

The possibility that the three of them left the base together was too small, not to mention the soldiers were guarding all the time, where could they go even if they left the base? All three people were not strong. Only one of them had participated in the material search operation, and had combat experience. Even so it wouldn’t be enough. Staying in the base could at least ensure a safe and sufficient meal to survive. Wouldn’t it be death to go to the crisis-ridden outside world?

Luo Wei looked dignified, and his brows furrowed tighter. After thinking for a while, he left half of the soldiers in place, and then selected 200 volunteers from the survivors. He started a search from the base gate: “I want to see the three people, whether alive or dead. I don’t believe that three living people can disappear from the base out of thin air!”

However, the three people really disappeared.

More than one hundred soldiers and two hundred volunteers searched the base three times from beginning to end. The corners, toilets, utility room, and even the bed under each dormitory were carefully inspected. Even the shadows of the missing people were not found.

When searching the production workshop, Shen Xun, who was held with Shen Shian’s hand, suddenly sniffed the air. “An An, there is blood.”

But that’s not all. The blood smelled by the child was very weak, and it was also mixed with some pungent detergent smell, and it was not certain who it belonged to. Luo Wei led the people to search the whole production workshop, especially the area where Shen Xun said that there was blood. Even the machinery was disassembled, and there was still nothing found.

When the search was over and Shen Shian and others returned to the dormitory, it was already more than five in the morning.

Liu Fangzhou said, “The timing was too coincidental. Brother Xun found the person who jammed the paper in the morning, and the person disappeared at night? Someone was absolutely secretly fooling around, and the murderers behind it are those evolvers who want to seize power. In order to prevent the man from revealing their identities, they killed them!”

Shen Shian asked, “What about the other two?”

“Used to confuse you! So that no one can guess their real goal!”

Shen Shian didn’t speak. He agreed with part of Liu Fangzhou’s view that the disappearance of the young man was related to Shen Xun’s discovery that he was the person who jammed the note. But since the matter of the man jamming papers had already been exposed, as long as he was in the base, the first thing they would do was to silence him, but the other two people had nothing to do with him. The disappearance of three people at the same time would inevitably attract attention. I am afraid that such a big move was not just about killing people and covering their mouths.

Chen Nan said, “Even if all three of them died, where did the corpses go?” Every corner of the base was searched several times, and the soil was inspected inch by inch. There was no trace of dirt being dug, how can they just evaporate?

“If it’s really done by the evolvers,” Shen Shian placed the child back on the bed and covered him with the quilt. “There are many ways to make the bodies disappear.” For example, a person like the library’s Mrs. Dong could burn the body into ash and let it fly away, another example, the space ability could directly put the body into their space.

There were various methods, but unfortunately they could not be verified. Shen Shian took off his coat and laid down next to the child. “Don’t think too much about it, time will show.”

Liu Fangzhou climbed on the bed and thought for a while. Sitting on the bed for a long time, he suddenly looked at everyone quietly and said, “There is another possibility. Maybe it was eaten.”

Chen Nan had a nightmare because of his words. He still felt faint until ten o’clock, with two huge dark circles.

The search team left the base long ago. In addition to the soldiers, there were more than a hundred survivors on the road——it seemed that the conversation between Zhou Jianghai and Luo Wei was fruitful, and there were obviously more people joining the search operation.

Shen Shian didn’t go. He didn’t lack supplies. The first two joinings were mainly to understand the zombies’ mutations in the urban area and to have a good relationship with the garrisons, so as to borrow the communicator. At present, the first two goals have been achieved, but the third goal might not be achieved.

After discussing with Chen Nan, Shen Shian decided to stay at the base for another three days: plus the twenty-four hours in the quarantine area, they have been in the base for four days, just enough to make up a week. If the communicator could be fixed within three days, they will be happy, and if it could not, they should hurry to leave as soon as possible.

Regarding the three unexplained survivors, Luo Wei set up a five-person investigation team to repeatedly investigate the roommates of the missing persons, the witnesses who last saw them before the disappearance, and the people who had conflicts with them. They also expanded the search range beyond the base wall, but still found nothing.

In the last days, whether it was missing or death, it was common. Less than three days, the missing people would gradually disappear from the survivors’ talks after tea and dinner, just like the water vapor on the glass mirror. No trace completely left behind.

On the other hand, the atmosphere between the survivors and the garrison in the base was becoming more and more harmonious, something similar to the canteen farce has never happened. With the cooperation of the two parties, the road leading to the urban area was cleared out, although many buildings collapsed. The uncollected materials in that shopping mall were also buried underground, but the city of Qujiang was vast. The area unaffected by the subsidence still accounted for most of the area. The number of people was large and the search team’s daily harvest was not much worse than before.

If they could continue to do so, the days would always get better and better.

On the last night when Shen Shian and others decided to leave, Luo Wei set up a banquet in the administrative building to see the four off.

“Brother Shen, Brother Chen, Brother Liu, and this little friend Shen,” Luo Wei raised his glass, “Everyone said that meeting is destiny, and meeting after the end of the world should be a more rare fate. I am very happy to meet the four of you. I am a rough man and won’t say anything beautiful, so I wish you a safe journey and arrive at the capital as soon as possible to reunite with your family.”

Shen Shian also raised his glass, “Thank you Captain Luo, vice-captain Tao Yuan{n1}.”

Note1: In the raws it’s 吉言, Ji Yan. It should be 陶源, Tao Yuan. I think it’s a typo.

Tao Yuan said, “Mr. Shen, although the communicator has not been repaired, but if you want, you can leave your family’s name and phone number and the information you want to tell. We will definitely find a way to communicate with them after the communication is restored.”

This is also a solution. Shen Shian nodded and gave Tao Yuan a drink again, “Sorry for troubling you, I really appreciate it.”

Restricted by the conditions, the dishes at the banquet were not rich, but the guests and the host enjoyed a meal. Most of the soldiers admire Shen Shian’s superior combat skills. At the same time, Liu Fangzhou’s scolding battle with the survivors in the cafeteria made a good impression on the four people. If they didn’t have other plans, they really wanted them to stay.

In the same way, several people in Shen Shian’s group admired this group of soldiers. If there could be more of such people, even the apocalypse should not be so terrible.

Liu Fangzhou was young and full of emotions. He was angry, and sad because of parting emotions. He had a cup with a couple of soldiers, and he was drunk and confused. He finally held their thighs and cried, unwilling to let go. “You are all good people! Captain Luo, brother Tao Yuan, I can’t bear——hiccup…you guys!”

Shen Shian’s eyebrows twitched fiercely, his expression indifferent, his lips tightened, and he signalled to the dog.

Shen Xun walked to Liu Fangzhou and whispered something in his ear. The teenager jumped up from the ground with a trembling motion. “I’m not drunk, I’m not drunk! Brother Xun, look, I’m sober!”

After saying goodbye to everyone, Chen Nan helped Liu Fangzhou to go out first, Shen Shian took the child, and walked to the bottom of the steps with Luo Wei who insisted on sending them outside the gate. “Captain Luo, how much do you know about Zhou Jianghai?”

“Not too much,” Luo Wei thought and replied, “He was one of the first survivors who was rescued after we established the base. He used to be a history teacher in high school, and he has a healing power. Relying on this power, he helped us a lot, because the people collecting materials are often injured. Almost all of us have been treated by him. His ability and popularity are very good. Among the survivors, his prestige is very high. For the survivors to cooperate so well, it’s because of him.”

Shen Shian looked at Luo Wei’s eyes and said softly, “Be careful when dealing with him in the future.”

Luo Wei seemed a little surprised, and a moment of contemplation appeared in his eyes. He nodded solemnly, “I see.”

Liu Fangzhou was so drunk this time that he didn’t wake up until midnight. His throat was terribly dry, as if there was a fire burning, he got off from the bed and looked for some water to drink. He took out a bottle of mineral water from the backpack, unscrewed the cap and just took a sip, when suddenly he coughed up in a fright, and tears were flowing down, but he couldn’t care about it. He shouted in the direction of Shen Shian’s bed:

“Brother Shen! Zombies, a lot of zombies coming!!!”