"Brother Lux, your concept is a bit blurry. Technological progress comes from the accumulation of time and knowledge."
"What I mean by evolution is human evolution itself, not technology. Technology is the accumulation of knowledge and reasoning. Give any thinking species enough information, and it can develop technology, just a matter of time. Humanity's science, developed over thousands or even tens of thousands of years… it's not exactly fast."
Lianne shook her head, countering Lux's point firmly. She was gauging whether Lux could accept others' opinions. If he were inflexible, she'd need another approach; she couldn't speak recklessly.
"Uh… that kind of makes sense? I'm not as smart as you, go on."
Lux considered carefully.
"Even if lifespans increase, that's just learning how to use medicine against diseases. That's not humans themselves evolving. True evolution would mean relying solely on our bodies to withstand things like flu or cancer naturally."
"And those zombies outside, I think they aren't affected by cancer, and may even be immune to toxins. To me, that's a form of evolution."
"Survival of the fittest… wait, so if we assume this virus spreads through the air, the first batch of infected people were eliminated because their immunity wasn't enough. The second batch, attacked and killed to become zombies, were also eliminated by the environment for lacking strength…"
Lux suddenly understood.
Lianne nodded in agreement.
"Then why do they continue evolving after death? You said zombie vitality shows evolution, right?"
HK416, who had been silent, asked.
"Well… losing reason counts as a cost of continuing evolution after death, maybe? We don't know the template for evolution. Perhaps if one of us dies, we could also become a zombie and continue evolving."
"According to Brother Lux, the speed, strength, and weak points of mutated zombies have become increasingly formidable. That's also a sign they're evolving."
Lianne speculated.
"Ha?? So you mean Lux should go outside, get bitten by a zombie, and become a zombie to evolve? How else could humans evolve?"
MDR suddenly shouted, unhappy.
"No, the mutated zombies lost their intelligence. Their evolution is like a failed prototype. We can rely on our intelligence to kill them. Commander, right?"
UMP45 joined the discussion.
The absolutely loyal tactical dolls wouldn't allow Lux to become a zombie, so for a moment, all the dolls turned hostile toward Lianne.
"Calm down. I'm not suggesting Brother Lux get bitten. If evolution happens that way, I'd go first. Becoming a zombie means losing the intelligence humans had gained, which is a failed trade-off. It's not worth it."
Lianne quickly clarified, seeing the glares from HK416 and the others.
"Of course, with zombies' immortality increasing, they might regain thinking someday. But that won't be easy, since zombies can still be killed. Staying human avoids danger, showing the importance of intelligence."
"The trouble is, to survive, if we don't evolve, we might die someday. Humans haven't evolved in tens of thousands of years. Suddenly evolving into superhumans… it's hard. I feel lost."
Lianne looked weary, pessimistic about the future.
"Hehe, being eliminated? Doesn't matter. Only those who survive are winners. That's humanity's evolution. Whether it's zombies or mutated zombies, surviving is evolution itself."
Lux smiled confidently.
"Uh… I hadn't thought of that, but it's a wild theory. Surviving isn't easy, though."
Lianne froze. While human nature hadn't evolved in essence, continuing to survive against environmental threats can be seen as gradual evolution. Like sea creatures surviving on land—that itself is evolution.
"Surviving isn't easy, but before reaching a dead-end, there's always a solution. It depends on whether we can find it."
Lux spoke calmly.
"The problems we encounter are because of our choices. If we keep making the right decisions—or occasionally error of non-lethal ones—we theoretically won't reach a dead-end."
"Causality… It seems illogical, but I'll try to help, and you must protect me."
Lianne smiled. This team might quietly guide her toward evolution.
"What if we truly face a dead-end? We can't ignore that possibility."
Candice asked quietly.
"If we truly face a dead-end… we'll see if we can surpass our limits and unleash abilities we can't normally. Success means real evolution; failure… we rest together. Who knows if there's an afterlife?"
Lux smiled helplessly. He could only try not to make mistakes. He didn't know what the future held.
"I think evolution is related to genes. If possible, I'd like to study zombie genes in the future. Maybe I can collect data from medical research facilities?"
Lianne requested.
"I'll try to meet your request, but not now. Our priority is still gathering supplies."
"Alright, let's strive to survive."
A pair of hands reached toward Lux. He laughed and grasped them firmly.