Chapter 188 – Warning

To be honest, Ling Mo hadn’t expected that this Researcher would lead them to the elevator.

They had passed by this place before, but at that time, the elevator seemed completely non-functional. Now, however, the button was illuminated…

“There’s power here… Solar energy?”

Ling Mo immediately turned his gaze towards the surveillance camera not far away. It seemed plausible that the Researcher had discovered them because the surveillance system was still operational.

The elevator had buttons for different floors. Aside from their current floor labeled A1, there were also buttons for B1 through B3.

It appeared that there was a basement here, and this elevator was specifically meant for accessing those underground levels.

“By the way, how many Survivors are left here?” Ling Mo knew that the Researcher should have no problem hearing him, so he asked tentatively.

Sure enough, the Researcher glanced back at Ling Mo while pressing the button for B2.

“Five.” He held up five fingers.

“Only five people left…”

Ling Mo frowned. There must have been many staff members here in the past, but now only five remained. The catastrophe was indeed unimaginably brutal.

The elevator doors slid open soundlessly, revealing a well-lit corridor.

The basement was not as dark and damp as one might expect. Instead, it was quite dry and even appeared to be well-maintained.

Cold air circulated through the hallway, indicating that the ventilation system was still functioning.

After walking a bit further, Ling Mo noticed that the basement was actually quite extensive.

Several corridors crisscrossed each other, suggesting that one might even be able to reach Building 3 from here.

There seemed to be various Laboratories on both sides, and occasional bloodstains could be seen on the walls and floor.

Old Wang also spotted some bullet marks and pointed them out to Ling Mo.

The Researcher led the group in a loop before arriving at a door. As he turned the door handle, a voice immediately came from inside.

“They’re here.”

Following the voice, a man with graying hair appeared at the doorway.

Despite his hair color, his face looked relatively young, probably around 30 years old.

Like the Researcher who led them, he also wore a white lab coat, exuding a sense of gentleness and elegance.

“Hello, I’m Zhao Zhi, and this is my colleague, Mo Da Hai. Please, come in and have a seat.”

Upon entering, they found themselves in a massive Laboratory, brightly lit and divided into multiple sections.

One of the rooms, with its door wide open, was unmistakably the Monitoring Room.

A military-looking man sat not far away, toying with a Dagger in his hand.

When Ling Mo and his group entered, he merely glanced up, his eyes cold and unwelcoming.

Additionally, there was a petite young woman with beautiful curly chestnut hair, deep-set features, fair skin, and a sprinkling of freckles. Overall, she looked quite attractive.

And she was a Foreign Girl…

Although Ling Mo had heard that the Academy of Sciences also had foreign academicians, seeing a foreigner in such an institution still felt rather unusual.

Judging by her age, she might be a student or something similar; she was too young to be an actual expert.

Her gaze first swept over Old Wang, particularly noting the gun in his hand, before she managed a slight smile.

“Hello…” The Foreign Girl’s accent was surprisingly impeccable, though her tone was somewhat off, hinting at a slight excitement.

Standing behind her was an older man, probably in his late forties or early fifties.

This man seemed more like a staff member than a Researcher.

He had the most exaggerated reaction, almost trembling as he looked at Ling Mo’s group. It was unclear whether he was overly excited to see other Survivors or frightened by their weapons…

However, his odd behavior immediately drew everyone’s attention.

“Old Luo, stop that, you’re scaring them,” Zhao Zhi said, turning gently towards Old Luo.

It was unclear whether Zhao Zhi held a significant amount of authority among them, but as soon as he spoke, Old Luo immediately averted his gaze. He took a couple of deep breaths, struggling to control his emotions.

“Don’t mind him, Old Luo is just really excited. We haven’t seen strangers in a long time.”

Zhao Zhi’s gaze swept across the group, finally resting on Ling Mo: “It looks like you’re injured. We have some basic medicine here. Have a seat, and I’ll fetch them for you.”

Basic medicine… Ling Mo immediately felt a twinge of disappointment. He already had those kinds of supplies.

But never mind, his main goal wasn’t treating the wound. After all, he could endure the pain for now.

The key thing was meeting a live Researcher, which indeed stirred some excitement in Ling Mo’s heart.

He wondered if they could provide any explanations about the Zombie Virus…

However, as Ling Mo walked past Mo Da Hai, he felt a sudden jolt on his shoulder.

A sharp pain followed, causing Ling Mo to turn his head angrily towards Mo Da Hai.

But what he saw in Mo Da Hai’s eyes wasn’t an apology; instead, there was a hint of… warning!

This peculiar emotion quickly vanished from Mo Da Hai’s eyes. He smiled at Ling Mo and then walked away.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Ling Mo felt a strange sensation immediately.

Initially, upon meeting Zhao Zhi and the others, Ling Mo had mostly relaxed.

A few unarmed Researchers, possibly Mo Da Hai might be a superhuman. And there was one military man who didn’t seem like a significant threat.

They seemed like regular Survivors with no ulterior motives against Ling Mo and his group.

But now, Mo Da Hai, the strongest person among them, had given him such a look?

Moreover, it appeared that Mo Da Hai was wary of someone in the room, choosing a moment when others obscured their view to convey his message in this way.

What exactly was he trying to tell him?

Though he didn’t show it, Ling Mo took note of this.

Zhao Zhi soon returned with a medical kit, but he only handed Ling Mo a bottle of antibiotics and painkillers.

Ling Mo, cautious about taking anything from strangers, thanked him and discreetly pocketed the items without intending to use them. Zhao Zhi didn’t focus on this further.

“I suppose X City has completely become a ghost town by now. Did you escape from there?” Zhao Zhi asked excitedly.

Zhang Haoyu nodded, “Yes, but there should still be many Survivors inside…”

“Really? We’ve been living relatively safely here, but if we could get into X City…” Zhao Zhi trailed off with a smile.

After sitting down, Ling Mo felt more comfortable. He frowned and asked, “Why would you want to go to X City?”

The others also looked puzzled. Why leave a perfectly safe place to go to X City?

Ling Mo had another concern. Earlier, seeing no Zombies around, he thought this group must have some strong defenses.

But now, it seemed they didn’t possess that kind of strength…

Mo Da Hai seemed dangerous, but not like someone who could single-handedly take on dozens of Zombies.

And they only had riot guns—using those against Zombies was practically suicide. Even if you hit a Zombie in the head, if it’s not an instant kill, it’s useless.

Close combat? What a joke. This group looked like they had worse physical condition than the youngest member of their team, 2…

The group chatted for a while longer, and Ling Mo found an opportunity to turn the conversation towards the Virus.

This was what everyone was most concerned about.

At this point, the Foreign Girl chimed in, “There’s no vaccine… We don’t have the capability to research and develop one.”

As soon as she said this, Meng Jiayu and the other two showed clear disappointment.

Even though they had mentally prepared for this, hearing it out loud was still disheartening.

Even Ling Mo felt a slight discomfort in his heart.

“So that means curing the Zombies is out of the question,” Ling Mo said.

Zhao Zhi looked at Ling Mo with a hint of surprise, then a knowing expression crossed his face, “You’re wondering if there’s any way to cure your friends and relatives who’ve been infected by the Virus, right?”

“Let me put it this way, once infected, the Virus rapidly invades human cells… That might sound a bit technical. In short, this Virus fundamentally alters the human body and continues to make deeper changes,” Zhao Zhi explained.

Ling Mo pondered for a moment and asked, “So, can we say that Zombies are just human shells and have essentially become something entirely different?”

“You could put it that way. And considering how much time has passed, curing them would be…” Zhao Zhi didn’t finish his sentence and instead continued, “But this Virus also grants humans greater strength and a more perfect body! If used correctly, it might even…”

At this point, his expression grew somewhat excited, but he quickly realized his slip and fell silent.

Ling Mo thought to himself how different the researchers’ mindset was. Most people viewed the Zombie Virus like a plague, fearing any contact with it. But these researchers first thought of how to use it inversely… If the Virus were that manageable, the world wouldn’t be in such a state.

Then it dawned on him that he frequently came into contact with the Virus himself, albeit in diluted forms!

For example, through saliva or Juices…

Viruses diluted by the female Zombies’ bodies should be in minimal amounts in the nectar.

And this amount was just right for restoring Ling Mo’s strength and uplifting his spirits…

In this aspect, Zhao Zhi wasn’t entirely wrong. If used correctly, the Virus could indeed be beneficial.

Moreover, it seemed the Virus hadn’t altered his cells, likely due to the very minuscule exposure.

But this method was probably one-of-a-kind.

“What about the evolution of Zombies?” Ling Mo asked further.

The Foreign Girl cut in again, “This is hard to pinpoint. Post-infection cells might self-replicate and proliferate. The more Virus they absorb, the faster the cells divide… Rapid cell division could lead to a high mutation rate, resulting in various abnormal cells. Their appearance might even gradually change. But currently, it seems the more evolved they get, the faster the cell proliferation. Higher-level Zombies might even become large Virus sources.”

“What?!” This time, Ling Mo was genuinely startled.