Chapter 67 The Ultimate Boss: Tear Them Apart

The ventilation ducts were interconnected, but the space inside was cramped, requiring one to crawl. Fang Zhiyi lay down, using his elbows to push himself forward little by little.

The dimly lit passageway echoed with faint sounds.

"Damn! You kicked me!"

"Who told you to climb so fast?"

"Wasn't it because you were climbing too slowly?"

"..."

Fang Zhiyi was not very skilled at climbing at first, but after climbing for a while, he gradually mastered the technique of exerting force and his movements became faster and faster.

Every few meters in the pipe, there was a ventilation opening that allowed him to look out through the partition and observe the situation below. He climbed toward the nearest light.

Pry open the gap and look down.

Below was a conference room with tables and chairs neatly arranged, and an electronic screen on the wall was playing a PowerPoint presentation from Sun Umbrella Biotechnology Company on a loop.

A flash of white light, and images flashed by.

[...Emerging biotechnology...]

[Attracting talent, developing new technologies, stock price surges to the daily limit...]

[...Due to decision-making issues, it was unanimously decided internally that Mark will temporarily step down from his management position...]

The "Sun Umbrella" organization appears to have split into two factions: one led by the missing CEO Mark, and the other by the bespectacled researcher.

Fang Zhiyi secretly memorized this information.

However, their top priority now is to find the antidote serum.

Taking a deep breath, the coldness in my body became even more pronounced.

This cold is not like the harsh winter we experienced in the last world; this cold seeps into your bones, and no amount of clothing can help.

Chu Zhao's voice came from behind: "What's down there?"

Fang Zhiyi withdrew his gaze: "It's a conference room. Let's go check it out. The antidote serum should be in the lab."

Further on, below, appeared a tea room, an office, and a storage room. I also saw a giant infected person swaying and patrolling the corridor, but I couldn't find the laboratory.

Fang Zhiyi stopped. In the narrow space, his breathing became heavier and heavier, his hands and feet began to feel cold and tremble, and his bones ached.

[First stage of infection]

【00:59:59】

The countdown has begun. If the antidote serum is not found within one hour, the second phase will begin.

Brother Cha: "I feel awful, my body is both cold and hot..."

The second stage is... a high fever.

Once you get sick and have a fever, your mobility will be greatly restricted, and the danger will increase significantly.

The negative effects are also very obvious now: the maximum stamina is reduced by 20, and the rate at which stamina decreases is also increasing. Before you know it, you'll be at rock bottom.

Fortunately, Fang Zhiyi had previously invested all her survival points into stamina, giving her a total of 164 stamina, which is now slightly more than others.

"Let's take a break first." He had a premonition that a tough battle was about to begin.

"Damn, how come I'm hungry so fast?" Brother Cai muttered.

The greedy girl pulled out some jerky: "Eat it sparingly."

Brother Cai took a big bite; the jerky was so hard it made his teeth ache. He chewed it with difficulty: "Boss, do you guys want some? It's a bit hard to eat, but at least it's meat."

Fang Zhiyi glanced at him and also started taking things out.

Cola, lollipops, cookies, chocolate... some were looted from gas stations, and some were taken from supermarkets.

Brother Cai's eyes widened in amazement: "So many good things?"

These are all hard currency.

Cola and chocolate are high in calories and energy, and can also relieve stress. If they were sold on the channel, they would fetch several hundred parts.

Just thinking about the taste of carbonated drinks and junk food made Brother Cai swallow hard, making the already unpalatable jerky even harder to swallow.

Fang Zhiyi handed over a bar of chocolates.

Brother Cha's eyes widened even more, incredulous: "Give it to me?"

Fang Zhiyi: "Eat this and then shut up and say less."

Brother Ca: "..."

Brother Ca: "Okay."

For a moment, the ventilation ducts were filled with the sounds of eating.

Clatter, sizzle.

This is someone drinking cola.

Boom.

This is someone biting into cookies and chocolate.

Fang Zhiyi silently munched on her biscuit.

This is a cheese and peanut filling. The peanut butter is rich, finely ground, and oily, with a sweet and salty flavor that provides a satisfying feeling of fullness.

Several people huddled inside the ventilation duct, sharing the food on the ground.

Brother Ca picked up the lollipop from the ground, not daring to speak, indicating that there were still some who had slipped through the net.

The gluttonous girl burped and waved her hand, saying, "I'm full."

Brother Ca: "Mmm-hmm—"

Chu Zhao: "I don't like sweets."

If Brother Cai could speak, he would definitely say, "Damn, you've really gone too far."

But the taste of chocolate was still lingering in his mouth, so he could only frantically signal with his eyes.

Chu Zhao: "...Is there something wrong with your eyes?"

Brother Ca: "..."

In the end, Fang Zhiyi took the lollipop.

Upon handling it, I realized it was actually just a prop.

Lucky Lollipop

Lick it once, and your luck will double!

I tore open the packaging and took a lick; it was sweet. I looked at the status bar but didn't see the word "lucky."

He smacked it, but the lollipop wouldn't dissolve, so he simply put it in his mouth and continued crawling forward.

I don't know if it was the lucky lollipop that worked, but after wandering around in circles for ages, I can now spot it right away. The lab is right below the ventilation shaft.

The laboratory was cold, with various machines running and lights flashing, accompanied by a regular "tick-tock" sound.

Fang Zhiyi approached the vent, unscrewed the screws, carefully moved the board to the side, and then cautiously jumped down.

With a "thud".

He landed steadily on the ground, looked around, and waved upwards: "There's no one down there."

The people behind them jumped down one by one, like dumplings being dropped into a pot.

Fang Zhiyi walked through the laboratory.

These machines are intricate and complex. A transparent liquid flows through the pipes, and unidentified chunks of meat float in the nutrient solution. Organs are connected to tubes that pulsate gently with each breath.

He searched for the antidote serum, but to no avail.

"No."

"...I don't have any here either."

Fang Zhiyi walked around for a while, then returned to the starting point and looked at the main body of the instrument.

The piece of meat inside twitched.

As if possessed, he tapped the instrument's screen.

Beep beep beep.

A loud noise erupted, and all the lights on the instruments turned on, illuminating the laboratory.

A layout appeared in front of me.

【Crafting List】

[Evolution Potion]

[Antidote]

[Awakening Agent]

[...]

After scanning through the messy content, Fang Zhiyi directly clicked on the antidote.

[Antidote]

[Clears infection and generates antibodies. Note: This is only effective before entering the third stage of infection.]

[Requires 2 virus core fragments and 1 syringe]

Fang Zhiyi only had one virus core fragment, and the button for creating it was grayed out and had no effect when pressed.

Brother Ca gestured.

It means asking – Has it been found? Can it be done? Is it useful?

Fang Zhiyi: "Found it, but we're missing the materials."

He took out the core fragments of the virus.

A molecular structure model about the size of a thumb, the molecule is composed of dark red crystals.

"Making the antidote requires two virus core fragments and one syringe."

All four people present were infected, meaning that eight virus cores and four syringes were needed.

Chu Zhao said, "The core of the virus... fell from an infected person."

Fang Zhiyi nodded.

This means they have to face the infected people outside head-on, with no possibility of backing down.

...

A quiet corridor.

The mimic infected person was hanging upside down from the ceiling, crawling back and forth.

He became one with the ceiling, his tongue sticking out and out, then suddenly shooting out, catching a swarming mosquito and stuffing it into his mouth.

Mimic Infected: "Chewing...hmm?"

At the other end of the corridor, a figure flashed by. The movement was fast, but his dynamic vision allowed him to see it clearly.

Someone's there!

There are some fresh faces!

Finally, I don't have to catch mosquitoes to eat anymore!

The mimic infected became excited, glanced at its other companions, and then suddenly pretended to be bored and lay down.

He understands the difference between one person eating more and a group of people eating more.

The mimic infected person pretended to be nonchalant and, before his companions could react, stretched out his long arm and quickly disappeared to the other end of the corridor.

Before I could even see where the person was hiding after turning the corner, a burst of bullets flew over.

You have killed the mimic infected.

[Obtained 16 parts, 1 virus core fragment, and 1 syringe]

Fang Zhiyi picked up the fallen item: "Another one."

At the same time, the tasks assigned to me were updated.

[Mission - Highway Cleanup Association]

[5/5 of the experimental samples have been cleaned]

[Exchangeable for a dashcam]

Fang Zhiyi almost forgot about the highway cleaning association's mission.

This was a mission I received before entering the bear market; it was to clean up the infected and experimental subjects inside the Sun Umbrella Biotechnology Company.

After collecting the fallen virus core fragments, Fang Zhiyi said, "We still need two more virus core fragments."

However, the last two virus core fragments were extremely difficult to obtain; after killing three more mimic infected, only parts dropped.

Fang Zhiyi took a bite of the lollipop, but the candy had melted, leaving only a bare stick. He bit into nothing and spat the stick onto the ground with a "pui" sound.

Without the luck bonus, the probability of obtaining items decreases, and the difficulty of acquiring them increases.

Not to mention that the number of mimic infected in the corridor is decreasing, and the remaining ones seem to have sensed the danger and are banding together, so they can no longer be lured out one by one to kill.

Fang Zhiyi picked up the AWM and said decisively, "Charge in and kill them all."

Brother Ca couldn't help but break down: "Crap, really?"

Fang Zhiyi wasn't joking: "I'm serious. Time is running out, let's not dawdle."

[First stage of infection]

【00:23:59】

They have less than half an hour left, and if they enter the second stage of infection, things will become even more complicated.

While we still have the strength, let's quickly gather the last of the materials to make the antidote.

Fang Zhiyi asked, "Do you still have bullets in your gun?"

Brother Ca: "Yes, yes."

Fang Zhiyi reached out and took it.

The AWM, while boasting high damage, is ultimately a sniper rifle and proves ineffective against close-range enemies. He grabbed a submachine gun and charged into the corridor ahead. Of course, he wasn't alone; he was accompanied by two electronic toys.

The toy, flashing lights and playing music, spun into the corridor, immediately attracting the attention of the infected.

The mimic infected, who had blended into the snow-white wall, suddenly appeared one after another in front of them after this movement.

Fang Zhiyi didn't hesitate either, directly raising the dark muzzle of his gun and firing.

The sudden barrage of fire caught the mimic infected off guard, and the two closest infected let out a scream before turning into white light.

The other mimics reacted quickly, either dodging or using their tongues to catch the bullets.

Fang Zhiyi stepped over the scattered bullet casings and didn't continue firing. The mimic infected's dynamic vision could even detect bullets; once they reacted, it was impossible to hit them, so firing was a waste of time. He simply abandoned the submachine gun and took out his baton instead.

The mimic's tongue darted out with a "whoosh," and as the baton swung, the tongue stuck to it, tightly binding itself, struggling against Fang's intentions.

The standoff didn't last long before Fang Zhiyi released his grip.

The baton landed under the mimic infected's tongue, and he laughed triumphantly.

They're out of weapons, aren't they?

What else can you do?

With a flick of his tongue, he treated the baton like a toy, stuffing it into his mouth and chewing it.

Just as he touched the other end of the baton, the eerie smile on his face froze, followed by a flash of electricity and puffs of black smoke.

The mimic infected person lost its strength and fell to the ground with a "thud," its limbs twitching uncontrollably.

You have killed the mimic infected.

You have killed...

The others followed.

With a roar, the man's skin was covered in a layer of lime-like armor, and the attacks that landed on him only produced a dull thud.

The gluttonous girl grew larger, grabbed the tongue, a look of disgust flashed across her face, and then pulled hard, slamming the mimic infected person into the ground.

Chu Zhao, holding a crowbar, aimed precisely at the head of the mimic infected. With each swing, an infected fell to the ground.

In less than 5 minutes, the infected people in the corridor were completely cleared out.

[Virus Core Fragment x8, Syringe x4]

All the materials are ready.

Fang Zhiyi glanced at the time; there were still 18 minutes left.

"Back to the lab."

He rushed back to the laboratory without stopping. Fang Zhiyi stood in front of the equipment and chose to create the [antidote].

[Production]

Quantity: 4

[Antidote x4]

【00:19:59】

It takes 5 minutes to make one antidote.

After pressing the production button, the instrument began to vibrate and hum, and the liquid inside bubbled and gurgled.

Fang Zhiyi found a place to sit down and waited for the antidote to be successfully made.

The waiting process felt exceptionally long.

One minute, two minutes... Fang Zhiyi stared at the countdown on the screen, her eyelids drooping uncontrollably, unable to open them.

...So sleepy.

Why am I so sleepy?

Fang Zhiyi pinched himself hard, which made him a little more awake. He looked at the others, who were also drowsy.

These are likely negative effects of the first stage of infection, such as fatigue and drowsiness.

Fang Zhiyi called out to each person one by one.

Brother Cai was already snoring, and when he was woken up he was still groggy and didn't know what had happened.

"Ah...ah?"

Fang Zhiyi patted Chu Zhao's face: "Wake up."

Chu Zhao struggled to open his eyes: "Give me some water."

Fang Zhiyi took out a bottle of mineral water from his backpack and handed it over.

Chu Zhao unscrewed the bottle cap, poured some water to wash his face, and barely managed to stay awake.

After waking everyone up, the first antidote was almost ready.

Fang Zhiyi stared intently at the instrument. The bubbles in the container became increasingly dense, bubbling and gurgling as if boiling. Just as it was about to reach its peak, the wall behind him suddenly lit up.

"...Well done."

A gentle male voice echoed in the laboratory.

The ceiling camera rotated, keeping a close watch on the four people below. A bespectacled man in a white lab coat appeared on the wall, holding a coffee in one hand and smiling as he watched them.

"You acted faster than I expected."

Fang Zhiyi felt a chill run down her spine as she looked at the flashing red light in the camera.

Their every move was being watched by the bespectacled man.

The bespectacled man had been secretly observing them without stopping them. What was he planning to do?

The bespectacled man smiled and said, "You're probably wondering what I'm going to do, aren't you?"

"It's very simple, I want to conduct an experiment."

"By using a control group, we can minimize the interference of variables with the experimental results, for example..."

哢哒.

All power in the laboratory was turned off, the instruments stopped running, and the lights were turned off, except for the electronic screen on the wall, which remained running, making the light even more glaring.

"For example, if there's only one antidote available, who would you give it to?"

Exactly 5 minutes.

The antidote was produced just one second before the instrument lost power.

The medicine was in a syringe, and the liquid emitted a faint green glow, like flowing emeralds in the darkness.

The four people present all looked at the antidote simultaneously.

The bespectacled man rested his chin on his hand, watching the scene with great interest.

The atmosphere in the laboratory was somewhat heavy, with an invisible sense of defensiveness permeating the crowd.

Fang Zhiyi broke the silence first: "There must be other power sources in the lab. Let's see if we can connect them to the instruments."

"Right, right, the screen is still lit up, so it must still have power," said Brother Cai.

Everyone split up to look for a power source, and no one touched the antidote.

The bespectacled man chuckled.

At a command, a violent banging on the door was heard from outside.

Bang.

Bang bang.

With a deafening roar, the laboratory door was smashed open, and armed infected individuals filed in, their riot shields raised in front of them as they approached step by step.

"Damn it! How are we supposed to play this?" Brother Cai cursed.

Chu Zhao: "I've found the power switch, give me some time."

The instrument is sophisticated, and the power cords are tangled and complicated, making it difficult to find the correct circuit.

Brother Cha turned his head and glanced at her: "Girl, can you block it?"

The gluttonous girl took a deep breath: "My hunger level isn't too high anymore. If there's enough food, I might be able to hold out..."

Fang Zhiyi interrupted, "I have food." He paused and glanced at the time.

It's almost midnight now.

If you don't use up all your supermarket pickup slots for today, they will refresh 8 times after 12 o'clock.

"...I can have as much as you want." Fang Zhiyi said ruthlessly, rummaging through the supermarket shelves for items that were plentiful and filling.

One bag of bread, 24 pieces.

A pack of compressed biscuits, eight biscuits per pack... He specifically looked for those large packages of food, and with a "whoosh," the food piled up into a small mountain.

He asked, "Is that enough?"

The gluttonous girl: "..."

Fang Zhiyi thought it wasn't enough: "Just hold on for a bit, make do with this, I can get more in a few minutes..."

The gluttonous girl hurriedly said, "Enough, enough!" She grabbed a piece of bread in one hand and a compressed biscuit in the other, devouring it with gusto. The power of the compressed biscuit was not to be underestimated; once it entered her stomach, her hunger level instantly reached its maximum. Under the influence of her "Big Eater" title, her hunger level surpassed the 100-point limit and continued to rise. At the same time, her body suddenly grew taller, her shoulders touching the ceiling, and with one step forward, the ground trembled.

The greedy girl stood in front of him, her back resolute and very reliable.

Fang Zhiyi and Cai Ge assisted from the sidelines, attacking any fish that slipped through the net.

Chu Zhao didn't even look up, searching for the right one among a pile of power cords.

Finally, the power supply flashed with a hiss, the instrument's lights came on, and it continued its rumbling startup.

【00:14:59】

Even so, it will still take 15 minutes to make the remaining antidote.

The situation unfolded completely differently than the bespectacled man had imagined. Instead of a scene of mutual slaughter and struggle, they worked together to overcome the difficulties.

He gave a displeased snort and continued issuing orders.

The armed infected charged forward like madmen, disregarding their own injuries, determined to get past the greedy girl.

The pressure on the gluttonous girl suddenly increased, and she shouted, "They're going to attack the equipment!"

Chu Zhao said, "There are still more than ten minutes left. Can you stop them?"

The gluttonous girl: "I'll try..." Her voice suddenly changed, "No, the infection has entered the second stage!"

The moment I entered the second stage, my body was no longer cold, but instead felt intensely hot. My body temperature continued to rise, and I felt dizzy and lightheaded, with waves of weakness washing over me.

The gluttonous girl's figure had shrunk considerably, and her steps had become slower.

Weakness, high fever, and lack of energy.

Several negative effects appeared simultaneously, making him seem inadequate in the face of the infected's attacks.

Fang Zhiyi also felt weak. He quietly stepped back, went to the instrument, and picked up the antidote.

Upon seeing this, the bespectacled man's eyes lit up.

The real show is about to begin!

They secretly drank this potion, which sparked an argument, and then they killed each other.

Fang Zhiyi picked up the medicine, revealed the needle, and without hesitation, inserted it into... the gluttonous girl's body.

Liquid is pushed in.

Once the shackles on Big Gluttonous Girl were removed and the negative effects vanished, she ate a few bites of compressed biscuits and returned to her peak condition, directly punching each infected person to prevent them from getting close to the equipment.

Didi.

The countdown has ended.

Three antidotes were dispensed from the device, and Chu Zhao immediately gave one to each person. After the injections, antibodies were produced in their bodies, and the infection subsided.

The gluttonous girl grabbed the armed infected and slammed it around like the Hulk. She released it, and the infected flew away. Her transformation ended, and she returned to her normal size. The side effect of the transformation was temporary weakness. She gasped for breath and asked, "Are you done?"

"Alright, let's go!"

Taking advantage of the formation of the armed infected being broken up, the group rushed out of the laboratory and ran towards the exit.

The bespectacled man watched their retreating figures, his gaze gradually darkening: "...In that case, we have no choice but to use the final weapon."

Press the button.

At the deepest part of the -1 floor, the chain gears turned, a hidden door opened, and a figure stepped out with heavy steps.

The newcomer was burly, with bulging muscles on his back that turned an unnatural green. Several thick needles, as thick as an arm, were inserted into his shoulders, continuously injecting a dark purple drug.

The Ultimate Infected

【boss】

[Rage] [Mutation] [Aggression+] [Invincibility]

The bespectacled man, his emotions a jumbled mess, stepped out from the surveillance footage: "Go, tear them apart, prove we're right... Mark."