The flames of the purification tower burned fiercely, like a scene from an apocalyptic apocalypse, turning half the sky blood red.
Lu Zhaoming wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, spat, and cursed inwardly, "What kind of plot is this? They're going all out right from the start!"
He grabbed Su Li and yelled at Qinglian and Liu Yan, "What are you all standing there for? Run! Are you waiting to die?!"
The group dared not delay and followed Lu Zhaoming at breakneck speed.
Behind them, the red wolf's roar was deafening, as if death itself was calling.
Eventually, they found an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the city, which could barely serve as a place to stay.
The warehouse was filled with rusty mechanical parts, and the air was filled with a pungent smell of rust.
As soon as it settled down, the little grass let out a painful groan.
Lu Zhaoming's heart tightened, and he rushed over. He saw that strange black patterns had appeared on Xiao Caoyuan's originally fair arms, twisting and coiling like vines, which made people's scalp tingle.
"What...what's going on?" Su Li exclaimed, her charming face full of worry.
Doctor Li examined Xiaocao's body with a solemn expression. After a long while, he slowly said, "This may be a backlash effect after the antibody gene is activated."
"Backlash?" Lu Zhaoming frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Simply put, while the antibodies kill the virus, they also damage Xiaocao's own bodily functions," Dr. Li explained. "If no inhibitor can be found, she won't last more than three days."
Three days!
Lu Zhaoming felt a chill run from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head.
He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down: "Inhibitors, where can I find them?"
Doctor Li shook his head: "I don't know. But perhaps... there might be clues in the laboratory in the white coat."
Lu Zhaoming immediately began searching through the data records left behind by the white-robed man.
These data are chaotic and disorganized, like a book written in a foreign language, making it difficult to read.
"Damn, this old guy is a real freak, the things he records are so bizarre!" Lu Zhaoming complained as he tried to find useful information.
Finally, in an inconspicuous experimental report, he discovered a rare mineral called "cold crystal". The report mentioned that cold crystal has the special effect of stabilizing gene sequences and may be able to inhibit the backlash of antibody genes.
"Frost Crystal? Sounds like something out of a fantasy novel," Lu Zhaoming muttered.
At this moment, Liu Yan suddenly spoke up: "Han Jing... I think I've heard Lao Hu mention her before."
"Old Hu?" Lu Zhaoming was taken aback.
“Yes, it’s the old miner we met in the safe zone before,” Liu Yan explained. “He said he had found cold crystals in the mines outside the city, but then a cave-in occurred and the mine was buried.”
"A landslide?" Lu Zhaoming frowned. "Going to the mine now would be tantamount to suicide."
"It's better than waiting to die here," Su Li said firmly. "Xiaocao is our hope; we must save her no matter what."
Looking into Su Li's determined eyes, Lu Zhaoming felt a surge of warmth in his heart.
He nodded: "Okay, let's go to the mine! Qinglian, you stay here to take care of Xiaocao. Liu Yan, you come with me."
"Brother Lu, I want to go too!" Su Li said hurriedly.
"No, you stay here. You must save Xiaocao's life no matter what," Lu Zhaoming said firmly.
Su Li wanted to argue, but seeing Lu Zhaoming's resolute expression, she finally nodded.
"Remember, if things go wrong, retreat immediately," Lu Zhaoming instructed.
"Don't worry, I'm not the kind of woman who would hold you back." Su Li smiled charmingly, but her eyes were full of worry.
After bidding farewell to Su Li and Qinglian, Lu Zhaoming led Liu Yan towards the mines outside the city.
The mine is located in a desolate valley, surrounded by ruins and deathly silence.
"Damn, this place is so creepy! It feels like a zombie could jump out at any moment," Lu Zhaoming couldn't help but complain.
"Be careful, Brother Lu, something's not right here," Liu Yan warned.
The two walked cautiously through the ruins when suddenly, a low roar came from within.
"What is it?" Lu Zhaoming asked warily.
Before the words were finished, a group of ferocious-looking infected rushed out of the ruins. Their eyes were bloodshot, and they roared like wild beasts as they frantically pounced on Lu Zhaoming and Liu Yan.
"Damn, what I said came true!" Lu Zhaoming cursed, then quickly drew his pistol and opened fire on the infected.
"Bang bang bang..."
The bullets struck the infected man's head precisely, but the monsters seemed to feel no pain and continued to charge forward madly.
"These guys seem to sense the cold crystals as well, and they're trying to stop us from getting close to the mine," Lu Zhaoming analyzed as he fought.
As the number of infected people increased, Lu Zhaoming and Liu Yan gradually found themselves struggling.
Just then, the system notification sounded: "High concentration energy fluctuations detected. We recommend prioritizing target acquisition."
Lu Zhaoming's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately activated the system's time delay function.
Everything around them slowed down instantly, and the infected person's movements became sluggish and clumsy.
Lu Zhaoming seized the opportunity and, with the system's precise positioning, quickly located the mineral vein.
He used all his strength, wielding the shovel in his hand, and dug with all his might.
"bite!"
The shovel struck a hard object, and Lu Zhaoming was overjoyed, quickly increasing his digging speed.
Finally, a piece of ore emitting a faint, cold light appeared before his eyes.
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