Chapter 135: The Doctor

First was the woman’s clothes. Although many parts were stained with blood, one could still see that the style and material were not from this era—they had a clear modern feel.

From the dried blood on her body and the degree of decay of the corpse, the woman had definitely died no more than a few days ago. That meant a few days earlier, a woman dressed in modern clothing had been at this dock.

Zuo Zhicheng thought about the NASA ruins he had discovered earlier, which were at least thousands, or even tens of thousands of years old. He felt increasingly that this world was strange.

With his right hand, Zuo Zhicheng carefully brushed away the bloodstains on the back of the woman’s clothes and just barely made out the letters “WHI.”

“WHI? What organization is this?” Zuo Zhicheng could not recall any abbreviation like this in his memory. Clearly, it was not an official group, a mercenary group, or an armed organization.

Thinking about what he had seen at the dock, Zuo Zhicheng guessed, “Could it be some marine research expedition or an institute?”

Unable to make sense of it for the moment, Zuo Zhicheng continued searching the pockets of the woman’s clothes to see if he could find anything else. However, he only found an access card in her upper pocket, with a photo of a middle-aged blonde woman. It read: Dr. Ortheya Jones, Head of the Parasitic Observation Team.

“Parasitic Observation Team?” Zuo Zhicheng frowned. He then searched the pockets of her pants and found a wallet, but it mostly contained credit cards, U.S. dollars, and a photo—apparently of Dr. Jones and her husband.

It seemed like there were some clues, but he was still completely in the dark. Instead, the situation was becoming even more bizarre.

Why was there an American here in this era? Why was there a dock with modern facilities? The access card was useless without knowing the password. Zuo Zhicheng had already checked the facilities—they required both the access card and a password.

“Ortheya Jones?” Zuo Zhicheng stroked his chin. “I think I’ve heard this name before.” But this name was not one he had encountered in the dark world of Earth. Although it felt familiar, he couldn’t recall any specific details.

Nearby, Jiang Qing saw Zuo Zhicheng rummaging through the female corpse’s clothes. Although she felt disgusted, she knew he was gathering clues and couldn’t help but admire his courage.

So she asked, “How is it? This woman’s clothes look strange.” Jiang Qing glanced at the black stockings the woman was wearing and said, “What a shameless outfit. Could she be some kind of evil person too?”

Zuo Zhicheng smiled. “She’s not an evil person. In fact, she was a very educated woman.” Without explaining further to Jiang Qing, Zuo Zhicheng unfastened the belt from Ortheya’s waist, which still had a holster attached.

It was this belt that had gotten stuck at the ventilation duct’s opening, preventing the monster from dragging the woman inside.

Zuo Zhicheng skillfully removed the pistol, expertly checked the firearm, unloaded the bullets, and tested the safety. A slight smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, and a glint of amusement flickered in his eyes.

‘Beretta 92, single/double-action trigger, 15-round detachable magazine, muzzle velocity of 390 meters per second.’ A deeply familiar feeling washed over Zuo Zhicheng. ‘It’s been a long time.’

‘Although it’s just a handgun, it should be enough for now.’

With this pistol, Zuo Zhicheng felt more at ease. Firearms were an invention that had completely changed the course of history and the nature of war. Although this handgun only had fifteen bullets, it was more than enough for Zuo Zhicheng at this moment.

Even though his enemies, the Ghouls, had physical abilities far beyond ordinary humans and possessed Super Rapid Regeneration, with their only weakness being their heads.

An ordinary human would likely still lose even with a gun. But Zuo Zhicheng was different. His physical abilities were also formidable, and his marksmanship had been honed through countless life-and-death experiences, becoming second nature to him.

The difference in combat power with or without a gun was immense for him.

But then it occurred to him—if this really was a modern base, had the pirates also discovered its existence? Did they have firearms? And with only fifteen bullets in the handgun, each one had to be used at a critical moment.

Clearly, before attacking the pirates, he needed to gather more information about the entire island.

Thinking this, Zuo Zhicheng fastened the gun belt around his waist and glanced back at the ventilation duct.

Jiang Qing, standing to the side, watched as Zuo Zhicheng expertly handled and disassembled the pistol, her eyes wide with amazement. She looked curiously at the pistol on Zuo Zhicheng’s waist and asked, “What is that thing? You seem very familiar with it.” The mysteries surrounding Zuo Zhicheng seemed to be multiplying.

Hearing Jiang Qing’s question, Zuo Zhicheng thought for a moment and said, “It’s a type of weapon, similar to a musket but much more powerful.”

Suspicion grew in Jiang Qing’s eyes. “A Zuo, it seems you really are hiding a lot from me. Your attitude toward these situations, your preparations, your experience, and this musket…”

Especially when it came to firearms—in Jiang Qing’s understanding, the Imperial Court strictly prohibited the circulation of firearms among civilians. They were usually only accessible to the military. Yet Zuo Zhicheng seemed very knowledgeable about such things.

“I know, I’ve been hiding some things,” Zuo Zhicheng said, looking sincerely at Jiang Qing. “But I hope you believe me. The things I’ve kept from you are only to avoid causing trouble for you and the martial arts school. The secrets involved are too many, and each one is more troublesome than the last.”

“So you’re still going to keep hiding things?” Jiang Qing’s brow furrowed. “Even in a situation like this, you won’t tell me?”

Zuo Zhicheng paused, then finally sighed. “Some things are hard to explain in just a few words. Let’s deal with the pirates first, and I’ll give you an explanation later.” Naturally, Zuo Zhicheng couldn’t reveal his true origins. He just planned to come up with a plausible explanation later.

With that, he walked toward the bloodstained ventilation duct and glanced into the pitch-black opening, which resembled a beast’s mouth dripping with blood.

“This should lead outside. I’m going out to scout and gather some information,” Zuo Zhicheng said, turning back to Jiang Qing. “This place should be relatively safe for now. Wait here for me.”

“Okay,” Jiang Qing nodded. After everything they had been through, even if she wasn’t the brightest, she could see that Zuo Zhicheng was very experienced in these matters and was trustworthy. If she followed him, she would only be a burden.

So she just nodded softly, gazing steadily at Zuo Zhicheng, and said, “Go ahead. I’ll wait for you to return. Don’t forget, you still owe me an explanation.”