Chapter 349 – Speculations About the Virus

“Huff! Huff!”

Yuwen Xuan lay on the ground, panting heavily, looking utterly exhausted.

Ling Mo, although leaning against a utility pole, seemed in much better shape than Yuwen Xuan, despite his pale face and slightly sweaty forehead.

“This doesn’t make sense. You fought all the way here, so why do you look more energetic than me?”

Yuwen Xuan rolled over and lay on his back, looking up at Ling Mo, asking in frustration.

“The answer is simple: I have more stamina than you,” Ling Mo said, wiping the sweat off his face nonchalantly.

“Why do I suddenly feel a wave of malice?” Yuwen Xuan struggled to get up but eventually gave up.

The zombies on the other side of the river showed no intention of leaving and were only increasing in number.

Some Senior Zombies even noticed the power lines overhead, but when they tried to grab them, they discovered that Falcon Camp had already cut the lines.

Even though they didn’t succeed, the intelligence they displayed was enough to send chills down one’s spine.

There’s a saying that war accelerates human progress. This saying can also be applied to zombies as a species.

“With these zombies’ learning abilities, they’ll eventually figure out how to cross the river. The camp…won’t be safe forever,” Ling Mo suddenly sighed.

“A natural barrier is just the first line of defense. In fact, some Senior Zombies occasionally find ways to get across. There are several more lines of defense around the quarantine zone. It’s not that easy to breach,” Yuwen Xuan said with a smile.

Hearing this, Wu Pengfei and Luo Ni visibly relaxed.

The thought of a massive horde of zombies just across the river made it hard to feel secure, let alone sleep.

But knowing there were several more lines of defense immediately gave them a sense of safety.

“I see… The river is used to block large numbers of ordinary zombies, while Senior Zombies are stopped by military defenses… Not a bad plan,” Ling Mo said thoughtfully, nodding.

But several lines of defense mean they’ll still have to find a way through, don’t they?

“But no matter how watertight the front defense line is, why do I always feel that charging through the front gate is safer and more convenient than all this sneaking around?”

Ling Mo suddenly stood up and looked at Yuwen Xuan, who was lying on the ground.

“Hahaha, don’t worry, I won’t screw you over. You’ll understand when you see the front defense line. Anyway, I’d rather risk my life in the Zombie zone than face the front gate’s scrutiny,” Yuwen Xuan said earnestly.

However, after two seconds of silence, Ling Mo suddenly stomped on Yuwen Xuan’s face. “You really are looking to get yourself killed, aren’t you!”

Under normal circumstances, it would be nearly impossible for Ling Mo to kick the highly trained Yuwen Xuan without using his Superpower.

But right now, even a random Zombie could take out Yuwen Xuan…

“Ahhh!!!!”

A high-pitched scream echoed along the riverbank, causing a commotion among the Zombies on the other side.

“Tell me your action plan in detail, without missing a single thing!”

Ling Mo let out a sigh of relief, feeling a bit more comfortable, and leaned back against the utility pole, asking.

Only Ling Mo and Ye Lian could sit calmly by the riverbank. Wu Pengfei and Luo Ni had already retreated to a corner, as if pretending the Zombies on the other side didn’t exist would make them disappear.

“Hey, can we talk about this later? Let’s get out of here first…” Luo Ni suggested softly.

Ling Mo ignored her. Yuwen Xuan was as stiff as a dead dog; was Ling Mo supposed to carry him?

“You said no hitting the face…” Yuwen Xuan covered his nose, slowly sitting up, looking a bit aggrieved. “Weren’t you just enjoying the fight? Come on, didn’t you feel all your pent-up frustration being released?”

“Frustration? I’m not some psycho killer…” Ling Mo rolled his eyes.

But Yuwen Xuan’s smile suddenly took on a sinister twist. “Don’t get mad just yet. Think about it. Didn’t you feel that Frenzy being released?”

“Huh?”

Ling Mo was initially stunned, then he abruptly sat up straight.

Frenzy?

Indeed, ever since he started controlling the Zombie Puppets, he occasionally felt a stifling sensation in his chest.

This feeling made him extremely violent, as if urging him to tear everything in front of him to shreds much like the instinct of a Zombie.

However, Ling Mo had always suppressed it. This sensation was fleeting and hadn’t negatively affected his mindset.

Because of this, Ling Mo never paid much attention to it.

But after the recent bout of frenzied killing and Yuwen Xuan’s reminder, Ling Mo realized that the Frenzy he had been suppressing seemed to have been unleashed.

But… how did Yuwen Xuan know?

Could it be…

Seeing Ling Mo’s reaction, Yuwen Xuan immediately grinned and said, “Understand now? It’s a bit hard to believe, but have you ever wondered why, when a large number of humans mutated into Zombies, Survivors began to emerge as superhumans? Or rather, why did so many people awaken special abilities at this particular time?”

“…These abilities, I’ve seen reports about them before. Some explanations say it’s due to human mutations, some say it’s because of abnormal brain development, and others say it’s purely due to strong willpower. Of course, most people think these are just fake news. By the way, I didn’t believe them at all back then. Maybe that’s why, without psychological suggestion, I find it hard to use my Superpower with ease. Snapping my fingers is to simulate flicking a lighter, not to show off,” Yuwen Xuan added, defending himself.

“I’ve had similar thoughts myself…”

Ling Mo’s expression turned serious.

He had considered these things too, but with no one to discuss them with, he could only ponder them alone.

Moreover, Ling Mo disliked baseless speculation. Ideas that couldn’t be clarified wouldn’t help in survival.

His energy was primarily focused on enhancing his own strength and his girlfriend’s evolution.

“And then there’s the virus… No one knows the source of the virus, not even enough clues to speculate. But I think, from the beginning, the virus was probably lurking in all humans,” Yuwen Xuan suddenly shifted the topic to the Virus.

Wu Pengfei couldn’t help but interject, “No way! All humans? Then why didn’t we get infected?”

“Hold on, I’m getting to that. When the catastrophe began, some humans mutated first, and over the next few days, more people started showing symptoms. This phenomenon seemed like the spread of an epidemic the weaker ones got infected first, while those with slightly better health lasted a day or two longer. Of course, from what we’ve observed, the onset of the Virus doesn’t correlate with physical fitness as we understand it. The Virus might have its own selection criteria.”

Yuwen Xuan, uncharacteristically methodical, explained this theory, giving off an aura of, “It sounds complicated, but it seems impressive.”

“This theory has been circulating widely in the Camp’s Laboratory, though it’s not without opposition. However, neither viewpoint can be verified, so nothing has been officially documented,” Yuwen Xuan continued.

Ling Mo nodded, internally leaning towards this viewpoint as well.

“But what does this have to do with superhumans?”

“Ling Mo, when did you first discover your Superpower? Was it a day? Two days?” Yuwen Xuan suddenly asked, curious.

Ling Mo was about to answer when he realized something. “Did you discover yours in one day?”

“Yeah. Judging by your reaction, it took you longer, right? I’ve asked many people, and the time they awakened their abilities varies, but generally, it’s within ten days after the disaster struck. I…well, something happened to me on the first day, so I awakened my ability then. It was a significant event for me…so I remember every detail clearly.”

Yuwen Xuan suddenly bowed his head, his voice turning strange. “At that time, my blood was boiling, as if I wanted to destroy everything in front of me…and in that state, I unexpectedly discovered my Superpower. I guess you also awakened your ability when you were at your wit’s end, almost in despair, right?”

Ling Mo hesitated for a moment, then nodded.