Zhuang Zhao was sick for three days. During his illness, the battle between District 7 and the zombies never stopped. Every day, there were hordes of zombies and new mutant species appearing. District 7 was gradually exhausted and its people were worn out. The reserves could not be supplied, and even the most basic bullets and shells were facing depletion.
The research institute operates 24 hours a day, with a constant stream of zombies being sent in, even mutants. Quan Hou hasn't returned since the beginning. When Yan Shi called to ask him what medicine to give Zhuang Zhao, his voice was full of exhaustion and impatience. Probably because he had disturbed Quan Hou's work.
Yan Shi stayed by Zhuang Zhao's side almost the whole time. After his high fever subsided the next day, he thought Yan Shi would team up with Tong Ying or Bu Qing to go out. Unexpectedly, she found several jars and counted the pebbles that fell out after swallowing the zombies. She even sorted them by color. The whole morning was spent counting pebbles and playing with the cat.
"Aren't you going to eat zombies?"
Yan Shi shook his head.
"There are all sorts of aliens outside. With such a large flow of people, who knows if some aliens might sneak in and leave you alone at home? You'd probably get eaten."
Zhuang Zhao's nose tingled, and tears were about to fall. She blinked for a long time while staring at the ceiling before managing to stop the tears from flowing.
On the fourth day, Zhuang Zhao was almost fully recovered. The two of them were about to return to the battlefield, but they weren't in a hurry to rush forward. They just picked up the scraps and waited until they were fully recovered before going all out.
Before she could even leave the house, she received a call from Tong Ying, who said that Zhong Ling had been bitten and asked if she had any way to save Zhong Ling.
The current medical capabilities in District Seven include medications that can slow down viral infection, but these only treat the symptoms, not the root cause. There are also zombie vaccines that are unreliable and their effectiveness is uncertain, but these are administered beforehand and are unlikely to be effective after a bite. While these two options seem useless, they could be considered a lifeline in a desperate situation.
Both the relief medication and the zombie vaccine are in limited supply, but a team like 404 definitely has a share. I don't know why they approached her.
“Those bastards in 301 caused trouble and impersonated someone else to get the relief medication. They need to verify it, but by the time the verification is done, everything will be buried. There’s no hope of getting anything from them. I was thinking you could ask Quan Hou if he could get a copy.”
"Okay, I'll ask."
Yan Shi had no idea that the Marquis of Quan had no remedy at all.
"The relief medication has all been sent out; the next batch will take another 6 hours."
"It's too late now." Yan Shi was anxious, not knowing who else she could ask for help.
"Theoretically speaking, your pebbles are much more effective than any remedy. The pebbles contain immune cells that target zombies and will automatically engulf the zombie virus. Theoretically, they are effective against those who have already been infected with the zombie virus."
"Really? What about the side effects?"
"It's not really a side effect. There are only four possibilities: survive, become a corpse, become a zombie, or become an alien. Whether it's a vaccine, a remedy, or your stone, they all just increase the chances of human survival."
"Whether it's taking medication or undergoing surgery, whether it's avoiding risks or taking a gamble, it's all about increasing the chances of survival, and I think it's worth trying."
Yan Shi rushed over with pebbles in her pocket. On the way, she explained the whole story to Tong Ying over the phone. By the time she arrived, Tong Ying and the others had already made their decision.
"There's no time to think about that. Since Quan Hou said it's reliable, it's definitely better than letting Zhong Ling suffer on her own. She's already had one episode; if she has another, she'll either die or turn into a zombie."
"How do you eat this? Can you even swallow it?"
"The Marquis of Quan said it melts in the mouth."
"That really is amazing."
"Didn't Zhong Ling stay inside? How did she get bitten?"
“An alien species infiltrated. We don’t know the specifics. When we saw her, she was already lying in the stairwell. Her thumb had been eaten, and there was a small pool of blood on the ground.”
"It must have been done intentionally by the alien species to increase the number of zombies and deliberately create panic. That's what happened in District 11."
"The city isn't safe anymore. Zombies are alright, but the wandering alien species are a real headache."
"Yes, try to travel in groups and don't get separated." Yan Shi glanced at Zhuang Zhao, it seemed safer to have him by her side.
Zhong Ling had been eating the pebble for quite a while, and everyone was watching her intently.
Ten minutes later, Zhong Ling woke up.
"How about it?"
Am I not dead?
"What do you think? That was terrifying! Did you feel anything?"
"I feel the blood rushing through my body, a kind of boiling sensation," Zhong Ling answered earnestly.
"It's alright as long as it doesn't hurt. It seems like everything should be fine now. Thanks to Yan Shi."
"Thank you," Zhong Ling said to Yan Shi.
"It's good that you're alright. I was worried too. To be honest, this is the first time I've given it to someone else. If it weren't for the fact that Quan Hou said it was more effective than the relief medicine, I wouldn't have dared to take the risk."
"But what are these pebbles?"
"When the black hole in my palm swallows a zombie's head, one of its heads will fall out. Even the Marquis of Quan doesn't know what it is."
"This is the first time I've ever heard of it."
"That was terrifying! But Zhong Ling, why did you go out?"
"The aunt next door knocked on the door and asked to borrow two chili peppers. I opened the door and handed her the chili peppers. She immediately bit off my thumb. I don't know what happened after that."
"Is the aunt next door a mutant? Or a zombie controlled by a mutant? She seemed normal yesterday."
"They've been controlled by the aliens, haven't they? There can't be aliens everywhere, or it would be terrifying."
"We still haven't figured out the origins of the alien species. Not knowing its roots always feels like something's missing."
Yan Shi chatted with them for a while, and in the middle of that, she received a call from Quan Hou, who asked her about the effects of using it. Yan Shi tried her best to describe it in words, but there really wasn't much to say.
"Stop calling it 'Pebble, Pebble,' it sounds ridiculous. Let's give it a more imposing name," Yuan Xinle suggested.
"Crystal cores, some zombie novels have zombies with beautiful and eye-catching crystal cores in their heads that can absorb and enhance their abilities, right? It feels similar to that."
"It's far from that. The name has to be related to its efficacy, like Heavenly Pill or Spirit Pill."
"How about the crystal? The zombie's head is the most important thing to the zombie. Since it fell out after swallowing the head, it should be the essence of the whole zombie."
"Vote! Raise your hand if you support the crystal nucleus, raise your hand if you support crystallization. If it's four to three, then it's called the crystal nucleus."
"Is it because the Heavenly Elixir is unworthy?"
"Yes." Everyone answered in unison, and the tense and uneasy atmosphere immediately dissipated.
Yan Shi stayed a while longer, and seeing that Zhong Ling had no aftereffects, he left with Zhuang Zhao.
There's something to keep us busy with: the crystal nuclei, the alien species.
She currently possesses thousands of crystal cores, which would be far better than letting them sit idle if they could be used to save lives. The neighbor aunt Zhong Ling mentioned is also a source of concern. Yan Shi, a voracious reader of novels and anime both domestic and international, has many plausible hypotheses in her mind, each pointing in the same direction—the infiltrated alien species is difficult to deal with.
After Yan Shi left, Team 404 remained silent for a while until Qi Yanran spoke up: "301, it's time to get started on this."
"Let's investigate this. Those who stab us in the back should never be allowed to live."
"If it weren't for Yan Shi, I don't know what would have happened."
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