When they finally returned to the base, every last accomplice involved in tampering with the vaccines had been wiped out.
This time, whether adult or child, no one was spared from inspection. The purge was thorough. Based on the numbers Captain Zhang later gave her, the count of hidden traitors wasn't small at all.
But that wasn't the real shock. Just when everyone thought it was over with the execution of the final conspirator, Captain Zhang revealed something else: the vaccine that could alter genes and extend human lifespan was real.
The news stunned everyone.
Lan Jin said, "If that's true, why didn't they just give it to Lao Yan?"
But the moment the words left her mouth, she realized the flaw. No, it wasn't that. It was that human greed never had a limit. Even if the base gave in to his demand, he would've just asked for more later.
Besides, Lao Yan's heart was already twisted. How could something so precious ever be handed to someone like him?
Still, there was a reason Captain Zhang chose to tell them.
Lan Jin asked, "Why tell us? This vaccine must be rare. Even if it's being given out, there's no way it'll reach us first, right?"
Captain Zhang replied, "It's rare, of course. That's why the base is allocating it based on contribution points."
In other words, the more someone had done for the base, the earlier they'd get vaccinated. Those who contributed little would have to wait in line. And the ones who contributed nothing? They'd have to wait until the vaccine became common, and then pay for it. It'd spread eventually, but definitely not now.
Given the amount she and her group had done, they were naturally on the priority list. But even if she had the right, Lan Jin wasn't at ease.
She said, "I'm excited, sure, but can we really trust the first batch?"
Captain Zhang smiled. "I know what you're worried about, but this isn't the first batch. Before the apocalypse even began, trials had already started. Let me put it this way, plenty of the higher-ups have already taken it. This morning, I injected myself too. Look at me, I haven't changed. So relax, this vaccine's safe."
Even so, something that miraculous was hard to take at face value.
Lao Gao asked, "Can we take the vaccine ourselves instead of having it done at the base?"
Captain Zhang hesitated. "I'll have to ask. My authority's limited, so I can't guarantee it. But honestly, whether you take it here or there doesn't make any difference."
"No, we'll feel safer doing it ourselves," Lao Gao pressed.
Captain Zhang eventually nodded. "Fine, I'll ask."
After he left, Lao Gao shared his real thoughts. "Life's good right now. We've got contribution points and powers. If we can live longer, why not? But I'm still worried about side effects. So we'll inject the vaccine inside the space, soak in the spirit spring afterward. If anything weird happens, the water should help."
Lan Jin agreed. "That's a good idea. Let's do it that way."
…
In the end, the vaccine caused no problems at all. They didn't even feel different after it was injected.
Rumors had claimed it could extend lifespan to three hundred years. But according to the professors, it could go as high as five hundred. Whether that was true or not, only time would tell. To Lan Jin, every extra day she got was a blessing. She didn't care how long it lasted.
One rule, though: only adults over eighteen could receive it. The concern was that giving it to children might interfere with their growth and development.
…
Things were moving in a good direction, but the apocalypse wasn't over yet.
The deeper she and her companions tied themselves to the base, the more Lan Jin's old suspicions about reborn people proved true.
And it wasn't just one reborn person in the world. Nor was rebirth a one-time event.
That meant everything she'd experienced in her last life had already been altered by others interfering. Otherwise, no matter how capable the leaders were, there was no way they could've come up with so many survival measures right at the start of doomsday.
But the world was cruel. Even with reborn people meddling, everyone still suffered. And the more reborn people changed things, the more unpredictable the future became.
When word of this spread among the four of them, Ling Jiang looked at her for a long time. Finally, she asked, "Lan Jin, you're a reborn too, aren't you?"
Lan Jin met her gaze and stayed quiet.
But Lao Gao and Huang Jinghe also looked at her and said naturally, "Yeah, we've suspected it for a while. We just didn't bring it up."
There was no hiding it anymore. "That's right. I'm a reborn too."
The three exchanged knowing looks. "Knew it. Called it."
Ling Jiang pressed further. "Then how'd you die last time? With a space like yours, how could you die?"
Lan Jin sighed. "I didn't have a space in my last life." Then she slowly told them everything she'd gone through.
Letting it out really did feel like lifting a weight off her chest. But for the others, hearing it was infuriating. Especially when it came to Qiao Qiao. She'd been so small, yet she'd been tortured beyond imagination. That bastard ex-husband and his mistress were truly vile.
Ling Jiang growled, "That was too light a punishment. If it were me—"
Lan Jin cut in. "They're dead already. I didn't hesitate back then, but the situation wasn't convenient. If it had been later, I'd have made sure they suffered."
But what was the point of dwelling? She couldn't drag them back to kill them again.
"True enough."
Lao Gao thought back to the mother who froze to death in the stairwell of their old neighborhood. If he could go back, he'd have kicked her a few more times before she died. At the same time, he was glad he hadn't been soft-hearted. If he'd saved her, it'd haunt him now.
Lan Jin said, "I originally planned to live alone with my daughter. But I didn't live long enough to see what came next. That's why, when I used my space to save you, I hesitated. I struggled for a long time. But in the end, we all survived, and that's what matters."
By now, the four of them were like family.
With a second chance at life, she'd seen and experienced far more than before.
She never wanted much.
No matter how the future turned out, as long as it wasn't like her past life, that was enough.
(The End)