The students of the Martial School curiously examined the potions before them.
The bright colors were always so dazzling.
"Senior brother, can we become as strong as you just by injecting this?" a student asked curiously.
Thoi Tieu Phi said, "Not necessarily. Everyone's situation is different, so the results will be different. You are my junior brothers and sisters, so I have found the optimal potions for you. Your ultimate destiny will depend on yourselves."
This was the crystallization of the organization's efforts. Ordinary zombies wouldn't do; even if ordinary zombie genes were extracted, they wouldn't have any effect.
Only high-grade zombies would be useful.
At the same time, it was necessary to extract the zombie immunity gene from the Awakened and fuse them together. Otherwise, if injected rashly, they would probably turn into zombies in an instant.
"I'll go first."
A burly student stepped forward, picked up a potion, extended his arm, and directly injected it, pushing the liquid from the potion into his arm.
Then he waited quietly.
"Don't be anxious. Fusion requires a process and takes some time. It's normal for various symptoms to appear."
As soon as he finished speaking, the burly student's whole body trembled, and his skin became red and swollen, puffing up like a balloon.
"Ah..."
As if in great pain, he screamed miserably.
The surrounding students watched nervously, not knowing what the final outcome would be.
"Endure it, stay conscious, you must persevere. Willpower can overcome anything," Thoi Tieu Phi said.
Once the potion was injected, they would no longer be ordinary humans.
They were about to become mutators, possessing power that surpassed ordinary people.
A moment later, the puffed-up flesh hardened, like a rock full of explosive power.
"Hah..."
He panted, slowly getting up from the ground. He excitedly clenched his fists, feeling an unprecedented power filling his body.
He grabbed the iron table in front of him, and one corner of it deformed in his palm.
"So strong, so, so strong." This student was very excited. His body was at least twice as large as before, with a broad back and muscular shoulders, giving off a very threatening aura.
The surrounding students showed envious expressions.
That was an iron table, yet it was so easily crushed and deformed. What kind of strength was needed to do that? It made them feel an indescribable envy, and at the same time, they were very much looking forward to what they would become.
Thoi Tieu Phi frowned slightly. He had almost completely lost control and turned into a real zombie.
The potions he gave them were definitely the best, with genes extracted from high-stage zombies. Theoretically, there was a very high probability that they would become stronger.
But the situation of this junior brother before him had not reached his goal.
He had actually taken the path of a strength-type zombie.
He was even on the verge of complete mutation.
Sigh.
He felt that the potential of these junior brothers was really too low. In the organization's words, these were just defective products, not even as good as a complete work.
He hated how the organization referred to them.
Works?
Mutators like them were just regarded as works.
"Senior Brother Thoi, what do you think of my situation?" the student whose physique had changed asked expectantly.
Thoi Tieu Phi smiled and said, "It's alright, it's good. You have the strength to protect yourself and can avoid many dangers. Later, I will explain the situation of genetic unlocking in detail to you, and then you will know what to do."
He could have told the other party that his evolutionary form was not good, probably because his own potential was not up to par.
But for an ordinary person to gain such strength in an instant was already an incredible thing.
"I'll go."
"Me too."
"This power is really something to look forward to."
They showed great excitement, each of them picking up a potion and injecting it into their arms. As the liquid entered their bodies, they quietly felt the changes in themselves.
In a moment, everyone at the scene let out painful screams. It was a pain as if their bodies were being torn apart, like every cell was splitting.
Thoi Tieu Phi looked at the situation before him.
Finally, his gaze fell on a junior brother who was an Awakened.
He was the one who was most anticipated.
When an Awakened fused with zombie genes, they would experience a huge improvement, and the effect would definitely be top-notch.
It was as if this path was specially prepared for the Awakened.
Not long after, the fusion of a group of junior brothers and sisters was completed.
"Haha, so strong, I feel like my whole body is full of strength."
"Me too, I feel like I can kill a cow with one punch."
"Ah... this is the feeling of having power, it's really comfortable, power..."
Thoi Tieu Phi looked at this group of very excited students, knowing that the humanity in some of them would quietly change. This was unavoidable, like the tyrannical nature of zombies, some of which would remain.
Then he looked at the junior brother he valued the most.
There was no change at all.
His physique was the same as before, his appearance was the same as before, maintaining a normal appearance.
That junior brother looked at his hands, occasionally clenching his fists, clearly feeling the changes in himself. When he looked up at Thoi Tieu Phi, he also showed a grateful expression. If it weren't for Senior Brother Thoi, it would have been difficult to obtain such power.
Thoi Tieu Phi nodded. The appearances of the other junior brothers and sisters had all changed somewhat. Some had slight mutations, some had their arms or legs enlarged, with green veins wrapped around them.
They all belonged to...
Suddenly.
A cry of alarm came.
"Ah, Senior Brother, look at him, what's wrong?"
Thoi Tieu Phi looked towards the corner, where a junior brother was curled up. His whole body's muscles seemed to have come alive, constantly squirming, like a fleshy worm.
The other students were so frightened by the situation that they retreated.
They were clearly stunned by the situation before them.
"Not good, his evolution has failed. Gene mutation, developing towards mutation." Thoi Tieu Phi knew at a glance what was happening.
"Is there still a cure?" someone asked.
Thoi Tieu Phi shook his head and said, "This is already irreversible. Once it develops in this direction, it will inevitably become a zombie monster, without any reason."
Everyone remained silent, clearly not expecting such a situation to occur.
Of course, they knew that fusing with zombie genes was risky, but the pursuit of power had made them overlook this danger. Now that someone had really had a problem, they recalled their previous unwavering determination and began to feel a lingering fear.
"Groan..."
A low roar came from the failed fusion of flesh.
Thoi Tieu Phi acted directly, eliminating the student who had failed to fuse. No matter what the final situation was, they would all be eliminated.
. . .
He City.
"Has anything happened recently?"
Lam Pham looked at the Zombie Emperor Wang Zixuan before him. The zombies in this city had not been touched and were all under Wang Zixuan's control. To be able to grow in the apocalypse, Wang Zixuan was capable.
"No, everything is very stable. The Creators from all over seem to have hidden themselves. I've been searching until now but haven't found any." Wang Zixuan was very helpless. He had to make it clear, otherwise, it would be easy for people to think he was slacking off.
Lam Pham said, "The intelligence of the Creators is not low. They know I'm looking for them, so it's wise for them to hide."
What could he do?
He could only search slowly.
It was a good thing that the Creators had intelligence, so they knew when to advance and when to retreat. Within the range centered on Hoang City, the Creators had already moved out, fleeing decisively, not daring to stay, knowing that it would be very dangerous to continue to stay.
Trieu Van stood on the side, watching.
During this time, she felt that life was exceptionally easy. Wang Zixuan's gentleness enveloped her heart, and she naturally knew what he meant.
But all this time, she couldn't bring herself to accept it. After all, he was a zombie, and she was a human.
Maintaining the current situation was very good.
Everything was developing in a beautiful direction.
Wang Zixuan glanced at Trieu Van, then continued, "Recently, I've arranged for zombies to go further afield. I think there will definitely be some gains."
"It's alright, take it slow. There's no use in rushing things," Lam Pham said.
Wang Zixuan nodded, simply wiping the viscous liquid from the corner of his mouth. Fortunately, he had met someone who was relatively easy to talk to. If he had met someone with a hot temper, he would probably have been beaten to death.
Just then.
Lam Pham's satellite phone rang.
It was an unknown number.
He answered.
"Hello, this is Lam Pham," Lam Pham said.
There was a brief silence on the other end of the phone, with only faint breathing sounds. After a while, a somewhat uncertain question came.
"Can you come and save me?"
From this simple inquiry, one could hear the other party's uncertainty, as well as a kind of expectation.
"Yes, I can save you. Tell me your location, and I will be by your side soon," Lam Pham said firmly.
Even without knowing if the other party met the requirements, he would still answer with great determination, letting the other party feel a sense of power in his words, giving them firm belief.
Not long after, he hung up the phone, having learned the location.
It was a bit far from He City.
"There are still people alive, right?" Wang Zixuan asked.
Lam Pham said, "Yes, as long as there is faith, one can definitely survive. No more talking, I have to hurry over. If I'm late, there might be complications."
With that, Lam Pham leaped up, turning into an afterimage and disappearing in an instant. When he was far away, he began to increase his speed, and a rumbling sound came, which was the situation formed when the speed was increased to a very high level.
. . .
In a wilderness.
Two figures appeared.
One was an adult, and the other was a child, who looked to be about eleven or twelve years old.
Both of them looked very disheveled, especially the man, who was very haggard, with dry lips, a rough face, and very bewildered eyes.
They had been wandering outside, far from the hustle and bustle of the city, surviving in the vast wilderness. They might encounter zombies, but definitely not many.
If they really encountered them, they would fall to the ground and wait for the zombies to leave.
When they were hungry, they would find something to eat.
There was food in some small shops along the road. Although they had been looted, there would still be some things left, enough to barely fill their stomachs. During their escape, they had encountered danger, but fortunately, they had all been safely resolved.
"Dad, will someone really come to save us?" the child asked, bewildered.
For someone his age to have survived in the apocalypse was truly not easy.
"They will." The man didn't know if they would, but as a father, he had to give his son a sense of security. He had to bear everything.
They were in the wilderness, and as they walked, they saw a box with things inside: a satellite phone, a book, a bottle of water, and a bag of bread.
When he saw these things, his eyes lit up with excitement.
He clearly hadn't expected to find food.
After sharing the food with his child, he glanced at the book and saw a lot of content that shocked him. The most crucial thing was the number on the satellite phone.
He tried to dial the number.
He hadn't expected someone to actually answer. And when he tentatively asked if they could come and save him, he hadn't expected the other party to say without hesitation that there was no problem, and even told him to wait well and pay attention to his safety. This made him feel a little expectant.
Just then.
"Groan..."
"Groan..."
A low roar came. This kind of sound was too sensitive for them. In a panic, he quickly pressed his son to the ground. The two of them lay there, not daring to move.
Their whole bodies trembled, very nervous. The horror of zombies was self-evident.
"Dad... the ground seems to be shaking." The child said nervously.
The man was pressed against the ground and naturally felt this vibration.
For this to happen, there must be a lot of zombies.
He raised his head slightly and looked into the distance.
When he saw the situation before him, he was completely stunned, his eyes wide as if he had seen a ghost.
A large number of zombies were moving.
The leading zombie was huge, reminding him of the mother bug from a bug-themed movie he had once seen. The shape was very similar. The zombie's abdomen in the distance had many arms, and those arms were moving very flexibly.
And the zombies following behind it were also very terrifying.
If it were before, how would he know how terrifying these zombies were?
But now, having read the "Zombie Illustrated Handbook", he really recognized these zombies.
There were fused-type zombies.
There were hybrid-type zombies.
The tall Tyrant Zombies in this group of zombies were all on the outermost edge, with no status to speak of.
Looking closely, there wasn't even a single ordinary zombie. They were all evolved-type zombies. What on earth was going on? It completely dumbfounded him.
At this moment, this mother-bug-like zombie was probably a Creator, and it was leading the zombie horde to move.
This Creator was very angry. Its territory had been occupied, and it had been driven out viciously. If it weren't for a group of zombies who followed it and protected it with their lives, it might have become food for another Creator.
Thinking of that other creator's arrogant and domineering appearance, it was extremely angry.
Fortunately, it still had some zombie army following it, all of whom were evolved-type zombies. No matter where it went, it could make a comeback and rise again.
It had many eyes, and eyes all over its body were turning, allowing it to observe the movements in all directions.
"Dad, I'm scared." The boy trembled nervously. Although he was young, his mind was gradually maturing, and he knew how dangerous it was outside.
He had personally witnessed the scene of zombies devouring humans.
It had a great impact on his heart.
He couldn't react for several days, until he gradually walked out of the darkness under his father's comfort.
After that incident, he understood that the world was no longer the world he once knew. Everything had undergone earth-shattering changes, and it was difficult to go back.
"Don't be afraid, as long as we're not discovered, we'll be fine," the man comforted him. How could he say to his child, "Son, don't say you're scared, even your father is scared to death."
"Mmm." The boy nodded, biting his hand so as not to make a sound.
The scene before him was even more terrifying than what he usually saw.
Those threatening zombies were terrifying to look at.
Just then.
Rumble!
Rumble!
A violent rumbling sound came from the distance between heaven and earth. The sound was very loud, as if some terrible explosion had occurred.
The man and the boy both looked up into the distance, not knowing what was happening.
Unfortunately, their eyes were just those of ordinary people, and they couldn't see anything. The only thing they could understand was... the space over there seemed to be twisting.
This movement naturally also attracted the attention of the Creator.
"Hmm?"
The mother-bug-like Creator also looked into the distance. The other evolved-type zombies did the same, raising their heads and letting out low roars towards the distance.
Now.
Lam Pham was constantly accelerating towards his destination, searching for the location of the survivors. It was difficult to find people on this desolate stretch of road.
Suddenly, he saw a black mass of zombies mixed together in the distance.
His expression instantly changed.
Although they were far apart, he could still clearly see that this group of zombies were all evolved-type zombies, especially the leading one, which had a very strange appearance. To be able to grow like this, it must be a Creator.
Now that this group of zombies had appeared here, didn't that mean that the survivor who had called him earlier might be in danger, and it was even a question of whether they were still alive?
Thinking of this, his heart couldn't help but become nervous.
He prayed in his heart.
They must survive.
He landed.
Boom!
The ground shook violently, directly blocking the path of the zombies.
Seeing a human appear, the evolved-type zombies roared, letting out a very angry sound.
Lam Pham sized up the leading zombie, "You can talk, right?"
The Creator was briefly stunned, then slowly said, "Strange human, you see me and you are not afraid."