Chapter 3 Evolution
Three minutes later.
The zombie was moved to Yan Chuanbai's house.
The door closed and Qi He glanced around casually.
This room was no different from his, except that the bed was too neat. During the day, Yan Chuanbai gave people the impression of being lazy and relaxed, even a kind of nonchalant attitude that was not in line with the military style.
But at this moment, the bed sheet with almost no wrinkles made Qi He sure that he was indeed from the army.
His gaze was retracted in just a moment.
Yan Chuanbai had already put on gloves and squatted down to fiddle with the corpse that had arrived at his door in the middle of the night. He sneered, "You can't sleep, so you bring it to me?"
Qi He explained, "It seems like you're very good at keeping things fresh and refrigerated."
Yan Chuanbai, "..."
"Besides, I have tried to fall asleep." Qi He sighed, "But I really can't tolerate someone staring at me and drooling with their eyes closed."
He shook his head, "Shameless, you don't even know how to restrain your greed."
Yan Chuanbai moved his lips and then closed them again.
He wisely chose not to respond. He examined the zombie's anatomy and glanced at it. There were no bullet holes. "How did you catch it?"
Qi He remained calm, "In all martial arts, the only thing that cannot be defeated is speed."
“…”
Yan Chuanbai looked at him deeply.
The system issued an alert: [If you want to be perfunctory, be a little more sincere.]
Qi He squatted down and added, "Maybe I've evolved too. My body is incredibly flexible."
Yan Chuanbai snorted twice, retracted his gaze, and continued fiddling with the zombie in front of him. While he was studying over there, Qi He's mind rang with the system's question:
[Host, you should just be a game reviewer. ]
"Yeah." Qi He casually propped up his chin and answered while watching, "Survival games are also games. I've participated in many of them before and did pretty well."
If it weren't for his tricky operation that always caused bugs, forcing the official to change the rules overnight, the settlement score would have been higher.
There was a crackling sound of electric current.
The system vaguely felt: ...Did it kidnap the wrong person?
"Except for the growth of wing membranes, this zombie is no different in other aspects." Yan Chuanbai finished the inspection and withdrew his hand.
Qi He looked over and said, "The nails should be longer too."
He is a person who cannot get angry.
Otherwise, if you clench your fists, your hands will be torn.
"Most zombies 'evolve' from nails and teeth." Yan Chuanbai lowered his eyes and said in a low voice, "In order to better hunt."
Qi He was silent for a moment.
His face was lowered, his features were soft, and I didn't know what he was thinking. It was rare for him to be quiet.
Yan Chuanbai looked away: "Yes, this statement is too cruel for people who are used to peace..."
"In that case, let's test its maneuverability tomorrow." Qi He raised his head from his thoughts.
"?" Yan Chuanbai.
"Giving it a chance to fly will give us a better idea of the zombies' evolutionary speed. As long as humans evolve faster, existing humans won't be the 'hunted' party."
Yan Chuanbai stared at him motionlessly.
"Okay, it's getting late."
Qi He yawned at the perfect moment, stood up and patted his shoulder, "I'm going back to sleep first. We'll talk about it tomorrow, and you should get some rest too."
After saying this, he left decisively, looking very sleepy.
Click! The door closed again.
Yan Chuanbai stared at the door for two seconds and sneered: So, he can sleep well with a drooling zombie next to him?
After a moment, his fingertips moved.
The zombies were frozen and thrown into a corner of the room.
-
The next day, it was just dawn.
Zhou Ziqian and Meng Yan got up early on time, took their backpacks and walked downstairs one after the other.
Meng Yan walked in front:
"Did you hear anything last night?"
"I seemed to hear it, but only for a moment. Don't worry, my sister said she didn't die..."
Meng Yan pushed the door open and suddenly stopped: "Hiccup!"
Zhou Ziqian was startled by her, "What's wrong with you?"
Meng Yan didn't say anything, staring blankly outside. Zhou Ziqian didn't understand what was going on, so he followed her gaze into the courtyard...
"belch!"
In the yard, a mutant zombie was tied up with two torn sheets, one end held by Qi He and the other by Yan Chuanbai. The zombie flew out, then was pulled back, flew out, then was pulled back again...
Like flying a kite.
Qi He was still counting seriously: "Fifth time, 20 meters in 3-4 seconds; sixth time, 20 meters in 3 seconds... The wind is picking up, do you think you can launch it higher?"
“…”
"It's getting faster. Of course, it's possible that it hasn't been thawed yet and you kept it frozen too long last night."
Yan Chuanbai chuckled, "So, I should give it a massage?"
…
At the door, Zhou Ziqian and Meng Yan felt like they were in a dream.
After a while, the two came back to their senses, "No... Brother Yan, what are you doing?"
The zombies were just exhausted.
Qi He took it back little by little. Meng Yan looked dazed: "Everyone only cares about how high you fly, no one cares whether you are tired or not..."
Qi He turned to look at her and asked with concern, "You didn't seem to sleep well?"
“…”
Yan Chuanbai froze the zombies again and got back to the point. "You've arrived just in time. Flying zombies have already appeared, and there's no guarantee that other areas won't have more drastic mutations."
The two men's expressions immediately became serious and they walked over to take a look.
Qi He stepped aside and made room for them.
Zhou Ziqian looked at it for a long time and sighed, "Brother Yan, where did you catch it from?"
He naturally thought that it was Yan Chuanbai who caught him.
Yan Chuanbai raised his eyelids and looked.
Qi He was looking sideways at the melting ice wall outside the yard with a focused expression, as if he didn't care about taking any "credit".
"Qi He caught it."
"?"
Zhou Ziqian and Meng Yan were stunned and turned their heads around!
"This... you caught it?"
"Wait, isn't this a mutant zombie? How did you catch it alive?!"
Qi He regretfully withdrew his gaze from the ice wall and turned to the two shocked people. "I grabbed it with my hands." He had the illusion that it was delicious. After a pause, he added, "I wore gloves, so I didn't get infected."
"Uh, that's not what I meant..."
Yan Chuanbai interrupted, "Okay, get ready to go."
The two people in front of me floated to the car in a trance.
They always thought that Qi He was the weakest, but it turns out... he can even catch flying zombies with his bare hands!
After studying the zombie, Qi He gave it a quick death.
He didn't waste it, taking out his knife and removing the crystal core. It was a small white nugget, faintly covered with a layer of green sheen, probably a characteristic of evolution.
The irregular edges hurt my fingertips.
Qi He pondered carefully: According to the setting, the crystal core will be used as a new energy source in the future, and it will also be the source of the evolution of the superpowers...
He suddenly thought of something and glanced at his wrist.
It was retracted in an instant, as if nothing had happened.
At the other end, at the gate of the courtyard.
Pop, a spark ignited.
Yan Chuanbai lowered his head and lit a cigarette, his outline shrouded in the hazy sky, handsome and cold. He didn't have a smoking habit, but he just needed a way to relieve stress.
Otherwise, before being infected by zombies, the first thing to collapse is probably the psychological defense line.
Zhou Ziqian also stood aside. He looked at the calm figure in the yard and said for a moment, "Brother Yan, I understand...!"
Yan Chuanbai glanced sideways, ready to listen to what he had to say.
"I was saying, the person you went out of your way to pick up must have some special qualities! What did Qi He do before? How did you get to know such a friend?"
Yan Chuanbai only replied the first half, "You're overthinking it. Return the favor."
Zhou Ziqian was superficial, "At first I thought it was your love..."
Qi He just happened to walk over after collecting the crystal cores.
Zhou Ziqian's eyes shone brightly at him like searchlights, and he stopped in his tracks.
"Are you talking about me?"
Yan Chuanbai put out his cigarette, the sneer on his lips was particularly mean, "You are so self-indulgent."
After saying that, he turned back to the car and said, "Let's go."
…
The group set off again.
Yan Chuanbai sat in the passenger seat today, while Meng Yan moved to the back seat and sat with Qi He.
After getting in the car, Yan Chuanbai pointed in a direction.
Equipment communication was limited, so Zhou Ziqian could only drive to Base I by feel. Qi He looked at the dilapidated streets outside the car window and said to the system in his mind:
"It seems that my 'Lang' has penetrated into Yan Chuanbai's heart."
The system was furious yesterday, and now its tone was cold: [How did you know that?]
"He just said I was sentimental."
The familiar punctuation brought back unpleasant memories, and the system beeped: [Stop taking things out of context.]
The flashing dial quickly caught Meng Yan's attention. She looked over curiously, "Is this a digital watch? It still has power. Can I tell the time?"
Qi He paused. Then he thought of something, smiled slightly, and raised his hand to show her, "Of course."
System disguised as a digital watch: [……]
It struggled for a second, humiliatingly emerging from time.
Qi He seemed to be thinking about something, and continued to demonstrate, "It even has a built-in compass."
system:【………】
Under Meng Yan's astonished gaze, it humiliatingly emerged as a compass.
Qi He, "It can also navigate..."
The system finally exploded: [Is it ever going to end?! ]
Alas. Qi He pressed his watch with regret and stopped, "Without internet, it seems I can't direct it anymore."
Meng Yan, "No, it's okay. It already has a lot of functions."
-
Their region is the West.
After driving for most of the day, the car drove to a forested area. In the distance, the mountains could be seen, and the dense forest canopy looked lush and green.
The sky gradually became darker.
Yan Chuanbai suddenly said from the passenger seat: "Don't leave. Find a place to stay nearby today."
Zhou Ziqian was driving the car. "Brother Yan?"
Yan Chuanbai looked at the sky outside and said, "It's going to rain."
At the foot of the mountain is the former ranger's residence.
The sturdy two-story wooden house is surrounded by a fence and is some distance away from the mountains and forests, with a wide view.
The car stopped outside the house and they got out.
Zhou Ziqian was packing the supplies for the evening in the trunk. Qi He parked outside the courtyard gate and looked at the gloomy sky. He had just arrived and didn't know much about the situation here.
"What's wrong with the rain?"
Meng Yan tilted her head and said, "In the end times, 'rain' is a signal."
Qi He looked at her, "Signal?"
Meng Yan nodded. "Yes. Whenever it rains, the vegetation will grow wildly and there's a chance it will mutate. So it's best not to go into the forest on rainy days."
Do plants mutate on rainy days?
Qi He's thoughts raced, "Is it the same with zombies?"
Meng Yan seemed stunned for a moment. "...I'm not sure about that. At least as far as I know, no one has observed the changes in zombies after rainy days. But it's undeniable that they are constantly evolving, just like the mutant zombie you caught today..."
Her expression was serious. "That's also considered a form of evolution, right?"
"Okay." A voice came from the side.
Yan Chuanbai lit a cigarette, his profile reflecting the daunting forest and mountains behind him. His eyes blurred for a moment, and his voice was neither hurried nor slow.
"Any change that is beneficial to one's survival is called 'evolution'."
"Humans are also inspired to develop superpowers."
There was a moment of silence around.
Qi He had a realization from deep thought, "Just like my skin, it has already reached the pinnacle of 'evolution'."
in front of:"………"
Yan Chuanbai rarely refuted, "Well, that's right."
"Brother Yan!" A voice came from the back of the car. Zhou Ziqian stuck his head out and interrupted, "Supplies are running out."
"Oh." Yan Chuanbai glanced at the sky. "There's a small town on the way here, not far from here. You guys stay here and I'll go find some supplies."
Zhou Ziqian wanted to catch up, "Then I will too..."
Qi He said, "I'll go."
He got the equipment, so he couldn't just do nothing.
Yan Chuanbai glanced at him and said nothing.
Zhou Ziqian hesitated. He had been driving for most of the day and was indeed a little tired. Thinking of Qi He's skills, he finally agreed, "Okay, then you guys should be careful."
Qi He took the gun and got into the car with Yan Chuanbai.
-
It's a twenty minute drive back to town.
This is a small county town with dusty streets and desolate and dilapidated shops and residential buildings on both sides.
After half a day, I finally found a medium-sized supermarket.
Yan Chuanbai stopped the car and asked, "Are you going or should I go?"
Qi He, "I'll go."
Someone beside him said "hmm" casually.
He unbuckled his seatbelt and was about to open the car door when he heard someone behind him say, "As agreed, I'll take you to the base. But since you asked for help, don't expect me to protect you at all times."
He turned his head and met Yan Chuanbai's lowered eyes.
The light was cut into a long piece by the car window, and fell right on Yan Chuanbai's profile. He twitched the corner of his mouth, and his eyes were filled with indifference:
"If you get infected, I won't send you to the base again."
Qi He turned his head and looked at him for two seconds, "How about taking me away as a souvenir?"
“…”
"Don't worry." He pushed open the car door. "We are all adults. I will be responsible for myself."
Yan Chuanbai laughed and said, "You'd better be."
The car door slammed shut!
Outside, raindrops were already falling.
Qi He looked up. The dark clouds seemed to be bringing a storm, or washing the city clean.
He walked into the supermarket through the drizzle.
The main door had long been broken. Qi He stepped on the broken glass with a "clatter". He saw a mess inside, as if it had been swept away.
I don't know if there is anything left.
He rummaged around, picked out some usable supplies, and barely filled half of his backpack.
One last look around:
Very good, not a drop left.
Qi He was about to leave when he heard a noise.
I saw three figures walking in from the back door of the supermarket.
The two sides met, and the three men on the opposite side were all wearing equipment and holding guns. There were two men and one woman. The man in the lead had a touch of red in his hair, and his eyes were fixed on Qi He's backpack.
The backpack is not full.
In the end times, people will take as many supplies as possible. If it's not full, it means there are only so many.
A big guy next to him changed his expression and said, "Boss."
Three people against one person.
What's more, that "one" looked frail. The red-haired man smiled playfully:
"It's not good to leave nothing behind, right?"
Meanwhile, the big guy was covered in rocks, ready to strike.
Is this a plan for a blatant robbery?
"Not a single bit left." Qi He replied seriously, "Wouldn't that leave you with regrets?"
opposite:"……"
The system couldn't help but: [...Do you really have to be so rude? ]
Qi He: "I don't want to be left wondering in the middle of the night why I didn't respond properly."
The other side was indeed enraged.
The red-haired man sneered, "Do it."
A cluster of fire instantly attacked Qi He!
Qi He reacted extremely quickly, dodging sideways. However, another long whip followed closely, with a series of alienated barbs protruding, blocking his escape route almost at the same time he dodged sideways.
Bang! Qi He fired a shot at the whip.
The whip was deflected, and he turned to the other side and stopped next to the shelf.
Excellent skills and adaptability.
The other side was obviously stunned.
Qi He was about to move again when his knees suddenly gave way. He staggered and grabbed the shelf next to him.
Bang! His knuckles turned white from the force.
The person on the other side sneered: "Tsk, your legs are so weak from fear, you thought you were so powerful!"
Qi He didn't say anything, his body felt very strange.
A heat surged out from inside, a thin layer of sweat appeared on the forehead, and the breathing became hot.
He calmed himself down: "System, I'm so hot... What did you give me to drink?"
System: [You're crazy! What did I give you to drink?]
It seems that the problem is not with the system.
A few meters away, flames erupted again. "One last time, leave the supplies behind."
Suddenly, footsteps were heard from the door.
A careless voice sounded: "Leaving what?"
Qi He turned around and saw Yan Chuanbai coming in. The latter put one hand in his pocket and glanced lazily in the other direction.
The red-haired man frowned, "There's another person?"
But it’s okay, we solved it together.
Qi He's body was burning with heat. He glanced at the three people who were ready to attack, and then at Yan Chuanbai who was standing a distance away. After two seconds of thinking, his eyes were full of smiles:
"Brother Yan, you're finally here. These guys, who you could easily defeat with just a few moves, have been bullying me."
Yan Chuanbai, "?"
The three people on the opposite side asked, "?"
All the vigilant eyes were directed at Yan Chuanbai——
Yan Chuanbai, "..."
He gave the man a deep look.
As the opposing powers rushed towards him, ice spikes pierced the opponent with a "bang bang". Even the red-haired man's flames were broken. He was stunned for a moment and increased his power.
boom--
The ice cone collides with the flames!
Qi He used the shelves as a shield and said to the system in a weak voice, "Look. Firewall, firewall."
The system didn't understand why he was telling jokes even though he looked like he was about to die.
After a fierce confrontation, both sides stopped fighting.
The teammate next to the red-haired man was about to rush forward again, but a hand stopped her: "Forget it."
Qi He glanced at him and moved to Yan Chuanbai's side.
A light and cold laugh fell: "Be responsible for yourself?"
Looking up, Yan Chuanbai's eyes were filled with sarcasm. Qi He looked sincere and said softly, "Thank you. You are my delaying tactic."
"No thanks, you are my unexpected disaster."
“…”
He felt a burning sensation all over his body, and he swayed and leaned against Yan Chuanbai. Yan Chuanbai frowned and was about to push him away when he saw sweat on Qi He's forehead, and his eyelashes were soaked, covering a trace of crimson.
Yan Chuanbai paused for a second, but still supported him:
"Let's go."
The red-haired man watched with his arms folded, then called to his teammates, "Let's go too." His eyes fell on Qi He, and he suddenly became interested again, and shouted:
"By the way, what's your name?"
Qi He turned his head and looked at him for two seconds, "Qi Delongdong is strong."
The people opposite: "..."
Yan Chuanbai: “…”
The red-haired man smiled and said, "Huh, I believe it."
Qi He ignored him and walked out of the supermarket with Yan Chuanbai and returned to the car.
Once the car door is closed, the outside noise is blocked out.
Qi He leaned back against the chair, feeling hot and weak. Sweat trickled down his neck and into his collar. He tilted his head back and breathed in discomfort. A voice called out from beside him, "What's wrong with you?"
"have no idea."
Yan Chuanbai stared at him with a frown for a while, "You have never been caught by a zombie, have you?"
Qi He was very sure, "No."
The carriage was silent for a moment, with only the sound of rain hitting the window.
He opened his moist eyes and looked.
Yan Chuanbai looked at him silently without saying anything, and the previous sentence suddenly appeared in his mind:
"If you get infected, I won't send you to the base again."
Qi He suddenly smiled.
He leaned his head against the car window, streaks of rain trickling down the glass. He quickly unbuckled his seatbelt and lifted the hem of his T-shirt.
"If you don't believe me, come and check it out."
The author has something to say:
Qi He (dazed): It’s so hot… What did you give me to drink…
System: Boiling water.
Yan Chuanbai: Boiling water.
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