94 Days of Scavenging
Little robot: "...?"
It was obvious to anyone with eyes that these two zombies were different from the zombies around them; their behavior and facial expressions clearly showed that they were much more energetic.
Not to mention that one of them looked quite different from the other zombies.
Well, actually, these two zombies looked quite different from the other zombies around them. Their limbs were intact, and their bodies showed no signs of being pockmarked. If it weren't for their bloodless skin and extremely unkempt appearance, they would look almost exactly like humans.
However, the little robot wouldn't mistake them, because these two in front of him showed absolutely no signs of heartbeat or blood flow in his scan, just like the zombies standing in neat rows like stone pillars around them... Hmm?
The little robot glanced at the low-level zombies who had stopped wandering around and were now standing properly, and then at the two in front of it that were still trying to "sneak" poke it with their fingers.
The little robot realized that jsg had identified them.
These two must be what humans call zombie kings.
The little robot thought for a moment, then raised its hand: "Hi? Hello?"
He tentatively greeted them.
After all, these two zombies seem to have some sense of reason, so perhaps we can try to communicate with them.
Two zombie kings: "!"
Wow, what an interesting human! Not only did he not run away in terror when he saw them, but he even greeted them!
Hey! A human is greeting me!
The two zombie kings got excited and responded with a series of howls.
Little robot: "...Sorry, I don't think I understand."
The little robot never imagined that one day it would have to learn the language of zombies.
Well, this can't even be called a language, because if it were a systematic language, by inputting different statements and having the language program analyze them a little, one could learn a new language.
However, the zombies' roars and communication actually rely on a kind of information wave, meaning that they don't actually need to roar out loud to communicate.
Studying this thought wave and adjusting one's receiver to understand the zombie king's words takes much longer than analyzing and learning a language.
However, whether it's the little robot or the two zombie kings, the one thing they have in abundance is time.
After the little robot told the two zombie kings to wait a moment, as it needed time to study their communication signals, the two zombie kings obediently waited again.
During the process, I would occasionally shout a few times as requested by the little robot, providing material for its research.
Dock zombie: "Roar~"
This human is really interesting.
Ivy Zombie: "Roar!"
I knew it! He can even understand what we're saying. How amazing is that?
Dock zombie: "Roar, roar roar?"
This human is so interesting, I think we should keep him here. Maybe we shouldn't let him leave?
Ivy Zombie: "Roar."
That probably won't work; we're zombies.
Dock zombie: "Roar roar roar roar."
Why not? I can raise him! I have a lot of territory, plenty of food and supplies. Raising a human is no problem at all!
Ivy Zombie: "Roar, roar roar roar."
But based on my observation, this human can go without eating, and he also has a space with plenty of resources inside, so he doesn't need you at all.
Dock zombie: "Roar... Whoosh~"
Oh dear, how could this happen? It's rare to meet such an interesting human. I really want to keep one!
Ivy Zombie: "Roar roar roar roar, roar?"
Actually, I'd like to raise him too. Maybe we should find a place to lock him up?
"You can't keep me in."
Dock zombie: "Roar!"
With so many men under my command, how could I possibly fail to control a single human!
Ivy Zombie: "Roar... Roar??"
That's right, how will you know if you don't try... huh? ? !
Dock zombie: "!"
Ivy Zombie: "!"
The two zombies were a beat slow to realize that the voice they had just heard wasn't theirs!
Upon closer inspection, it was the human speaking!
This human can understand me now!
How long has it been? Less than an hour. They thought that what humans said would take some time, at least one or two days, was already considered fast. They never expected it to be so fast!
The two zombie kings didn't care about whether or not they could keep humans contained; they just roared and yelled at the little robot.
There wasn't much content; it was just things like, "Did you hear that?", "Try again, try again, can you understand it?", "Wow, how's this tune? Can you understand it?"
The little robot didn't seem to mind; it answered every question the two zombie kings asked.
They are basically all "understandable".
It took a long time before the two zombie kings finally stopped, still not quite satisfied.
After that, the two zombie kings decided without hesitation to follow the little robot and observe his every move.
The dock zombies even offered to show the little robot what supplies were in the boxes on their territory.
As for the high-level zombies coming to complain? Oh, sorry, it has no obligation to help those guys get revenge. If it's powerless and gets bullied by humans, then so be it.
Anyway, the dock zombies are currently at the peak of their interest in this human, so they don't want to fight him.
The little robot had no prejudice against humans or zombies. It wasn't afraid at all even with two zombie kings by its side. In fact, these two zombie kings controlled the lower-level zombies, preventing them from wandering around and stopping them from getting too curious and wanting to sniff it. The little robot moved more and more freely.
He hadn't forgotten that his purpose in upgrading the recycling bin was to carry more supplies back with him.
The upgrade to the recycling bin wasn't particularly significant; the biggest change was the exponential expansion of the internal space.
In addition, perhaps because the energy of the crystal cores absorbed by this world is divided into various different attributes, after his recycling chamber was upgraded this time, these energies gradually began to take on different forms.
The space, which was originally somewhat stuffy, is now filled with a gentle breeze.
There were also some changes in the light.
If the last warehouse upgrade transformed a square warehouse space into a map-like space with different landscapes, then this upgrade is like turning a man-made model sand map into a real natural landscape.
Of course, its area is still pitifully small compared to the real natural world.
If the little robot were a seasoned online novel enthusiast who had read many novels, it would probably think of the term "mustard seed world" at this moment.
And the outline of this little world is becoming increasingly clear.
However, the little robot doesn't have any information on this, and naturally, it hasn't even considered this possibility.
After the space expanded, the original areas within it became more distant, and the laboratory he built himself ended up in the middle of a mountain.
Fortunately, this is his space, so even if the area becomes larger, the little robot can move around effortlessly.
After rearranging the supplies, which had become somewhat disorganized due to the increased space, he began tidying up the containers around him.
Most of the goods in these containers were well packaged and sealed, but after so much time had passed, some items may not have been properly packaged because their owners didn't intend for them to stay on the road. In short, many items were rotten, expired, or unusable.
But none of that matters for the little robot. It's not just about being perfectly functional.
When another container was opened, the original supplies inside, all kinds of fruit, were now completely rotten, moldy, and smelly, filling the container with an unpleasant odor.
The little robot cleaned it bit by bit with its tools.
The two zombie kings standing nearby, craning their necks to observe, were filled with question marks.
"roar?"
What are they doing? Are human stomachs really that powerful now, able to eat this kind of garbage?!
Not only that, they had seen this human pick up everything without being picky, including all kinds of trash, and before picking them up, he would patiently sort them, as if they were treasures instead of trash.
The two zombie kings exchanged a glance, and a thought popped into their minds:
Picking up trash...is it fun?
I have to say, watching this human clean up and sort that pile of garbage bit by bit is quite satisfying.
Neither of them needed the little robot to answer; they simply watched for a while longer, then began to extend their paws—
They tried to imitate this human's actions and started picking up trash too!
The little robot noticed this and gave them a happy smile.
The two zombie kings perked up.
Just like when your own cat rubs its head against you, you let out a happy hiss and become even more serious.
They not only picked them up themselves, but also ordered the low-level zombies around them to do the same.
Even if they can't do anything, they can still pick up the things, carry them, and pile them up in a designated place. That should be fine, right?
It has to be said that these low-level zombies, who have no intelligence and act entirely on instinct, are like mechanical devices under the control of the Zombie King—very useful indeed.
Suddenly, a huge pile of all kinds of trash appeared in front of the little robot.
Even if you just picked up one low-level zombie from the ground and brought it over, it would be enough to form a small mountain.
The little robot also saw the severed hands and feet of other zombies in the pile of garbage.
Hmm... it's best to separate human tissues.
The little robot then discussed things with the two zombie kings for a while and taught them how to sort garbage little by little.
Once the two zombie kings learn it, the lower-level zombies will naturally learn it too.
These low-level zombies are brainless and incapable of doing anything complicated, but they can still manage to pile the same things together.
The little robot then places a container that it has emptied and cleaned out on the ground, binds it to an area of the recycling bin, and grants it access.
As a result, a garbage collection line was created at the dock.
Several high-level zombies sat on top of nearby shipping containers, surrounded by piles of various kinds of garbage.
The low-level zombies, on the other hand, picked up the trash one by one.
Of course, the low-level zombies couldn't distinguish between trash and non-trash; they picked up whatever they could. When they reached the areas where the high-level zombies were, they placed the trash in different piles as instructed by the king.
The task of these high-level zombies is to promptly direct lower-level zombies to place the incorrectly sorted garbage in the designated JSG location when they discover it. If there is no suitable garbage dump, they are also responsible for directing the lower-level zombies to create a new one.
While advanced zombies can't control large groups of zombies at once like the Zombie King, controlling dozens or even hundreds is no problem for them. Coupled with their slightly more agile minds compared to lower-level zombies, this task is perfectly suited for them.
Further on, another group of low-level zombies moved between the garbage dump and the containers bound to the small robots, like ants carrying house, shoving garbage into the containers bit by bit, going back and forth tirelessly.
Well, in short, this scene looks very orderly and full of the flavor of industrial prosperity.
If these aren't zombies.
In short, the two zombie kings were quite satisfied with the scene.
It's much better than these guys just wandering around aimlessly.
What to do? I don't want this human to leave, so I'll just let him stay here and be raised by them.
In the end, the little robot left the dock.
There was no other way; the two zombie kings realized that if they didn't go all out and try to tear this human apart, they really couldn't defeat him.
But they don't want to tear such fun humans apart.
Of course, the two zombie kings didn't know that even if they wanted to demolish it, they couldn't.
Yes, the two zombie kings even tentatively attacked the little robot, but they stopped very quickly.
The little robot didn't mind.
He knew that the two zombies weren't trying to kill him; in fact, they were holding back their claws during the fight, and they never intended to turn him into a zombie.
Even if the two kings wanted to do it, they still wouldn't succeed.
The little robot cleaned up all the containers at the dock, a task that took more than a week, even with the help of zombies.
The little robot didn't take away the container that was part of his recycling bin. Even the access permissions granted to the zombies remained open.
Because he formed a partnership with two zombie kings.
Yes, after being able to communicate with the two zombie kings, the three beings—two zombies and one machine—who were not human, began to cooperate.
The two zombie kings ordered the lower-level zombies to help the little robot pick up trash. This trash-picking area was not just the dock, but all the places where these lower-level zombies roamed.
Controlling low-level zombies doesn't require the zombie king's special attention, unless the king needs these zombies to form some strange formation.
However, if it's just scavenging, as long as the two zombie kings imprint the command "pick up anything rotten on the ground and bring it back to the designated location" in the minds of the low-level zombies, they will keep doing it.
It's not difficult at all.
Meanwhile, the little robots were helping the zombies research antidotes.
Yes, after learning that the little robot was researching antidotes, both zombie kings unanimously supported his research. Knowing that he had let the zombie they had previously studied escape, the two kings even patted their chests, saying they could immediately recapture it.
The little robot refused, saying it didn't need to go through all that trouble and that it could just find another zombie to continue.
Then the two zombie kings pointed to the densely packed zombies in front of them, indicating that he could choose whichever one he wanted and grab it.
The scene resembled a fish market.
The little robot is the customer who buys fish. The Zombie King is the fishmonger, while the low-level zombies, and even the high-level zombies, are the fish that are picked and chosen.
The little robot actually picked one.
He picked a fresher one, one that had wandered off from somewhere, and it was obvious at a glance that it had only recently become a zombie a few months ago.
The research on the antidote wasn't progressing that quickly. The little robot told the two zombie kings that he could first study how to restore their throats to normal so they could speak human language.
The two zombie kings were naturally happy and excited.
He wasn't angry at the little robot wanting to go back to the human base.
The two zombie kings even escorted him all the way. If they weren't afraid of being seen by other humans if they got too close, they would have almost taken him to the entrance of the mountain base.
It's a good thing they didn't go, otherwise they would have scared the survivors at the mountain base to death.
After delivering the little robot, the ivy zombie king didn't plan to leave and stayed at the dock with the dock zombie king.
They weren't idle either. With so many empty containers, they could recruit a few more high-level zombies and assign them the task of scavenging garbage, then use those containers to transport it.
After all, it's impossible to expect low-level zombies from farther away to carry every piece of trash they find to the dock.
Furthermore, since the dock is to become the cooperation base, security issues definitely need to be addressed. They're zombies, so they're not afraid, but that human is human.
The next day, the dock zombies, along with the ivy-covered zombie king, went to provoke the stupid mudfish in the river.
This guy really likes to ambush and eat people. I don't know why he didn't ambush that human a while ago, but what if he ambushes the next human he comes over?
Let's resolve this as soon as possible.
Anyway, I have help now.
.
While the zombie outbreak at the docks was in full swing, the little robot returned to the mountain base and was greeted by a large crowd.
Hang Ying came over excitedly, saying that the team from the capital base had arrived. They had flown in directly on the third day after he left, and she had already heard about the zombie siege. Now that she heard he was back, she wanted to see him.
Of course, if possible, some researchers in their group would also like to see the legendary scroll of supernatural abilities.
The little robot thought for a moment and did not refuse.
He certainly didn't want to give the scroll to humans for research. Rather, he had heard that there were researchers there and wanted to ask them about the zombie virus. He'd also heard that the capital base was researching an antidote, and he hoped they could exchange information.
Upon hearing the little robot's agreement, Hang Ying led the person directly to the office building.
"Please have a seat, the people from the capital base will be here shortly."
The little robot didn't have to wait long before the door to the reception room was pushed open.
The people who came looked no different from those before the apocalypse, both in terms of physical condition and clothing. It was clear that even in the apocalypse, their material conditions were quite good.
However, the little robot naturally didn't feel any envy; it simply greeted them politely.
However, the people in the Capital Base team who entered the gate were somewhat different.
Although they knew from previous information that Najitong was very young, they didn't expect him to be this young. He looked so young that it was hard to tell if he was even an adult.
A few people in the group couldn't help but feel a little contemptuous.
However, after the white-haired boy agreed to their request to see the scroll's effect for themselves and produced a small scroll that supposedly covered only the area of the room, he actually demonstrated the effect to them.
The contempt in their hearts vanished instantly.
I even broke out in a cold sweat without realizing it.
And he was very glad that he hadn't shown any contempt.
Otherwise, if this person were a little petty and held a grudge, they could probably be wiped out without a trace with just one scroll!
The researchers in the capital's team were clearly very interested in the scroll ability and repeatedly expressed their desire to study it.
The little robot refused, and then, while the researchers were still trying to persuade him, they directly shifted the topic to the zombie virus.
These two researchers didn't have much experience with zombie viruses, since they weren't there for any new type of zombie virus, but for weapons.
However, this does not mean they were completely unaware.
The two researchers' expressions changed immediately after the little robot spoke briefly about its research on the zombie virus.
The next moment, they stood up and, without hesitation, shooed away the others around them: "Get out! All of you, get out and wait. Go away!"
"Oh, no, you guys stay outside and nearby. Don't let anyone near without our permission!"
The two researchers' serious attitude immediately enlivened the atmosphere.
Those sent out by the capital base are not fools. They clearly saw something from this scene, and thinking about the topic they had just discussed, their hearts couldn't help but burn with excitement.
Even if they were kicked out to guard, they had no objections at all. Some of the people who weren't assigned to guard even took the initiative to take on the responsibility, patting their chests and promising that they wouldn't let even an ant pass by.
After shooing away the irrelevant people, the two researchers looked intently at the little robot and said, "Please continue!"
The little robot said a few more words and asked them about the progress in the capital.
If anyone else had asked this question, they would have definitely been met with disapproving looks from the two researchers.
But since the person in front of them had already done such in-depth research on the zombie virus, and it seemed that his progress was even further, the two of them didn't need to hide anything and told each other what they knew in a few words.
He added, "The research equipment and materials at this mountain base are incomplete. In the current climate, it's not convenient to set up a qualified research institute here. Why don't you come with us to the capital base this time? The conditions there are much better, and you can conduct research with others."
"Yes, yes, neither of us is in charge of this area, so we don't know much about it. Maybe you can get more inspiration if you go there!"
However, the little robot had already guessed from their words what the research progress at the capital base was.
They are indeed much slower than me.
This is not surprising, given the conditions of this world. The technology and knowledge possessed by the little robot are completely outmatched, so it's normal that it's much faster.
However, exchanging information with humans can indeed help his research progress.
The little robot did not refuse to go to the capital base.
But he declined to join the research institute.
He said he could go with them to the capital base, open a branch there, and then the news about the antidote research could be relayed through the branch.
Although the two researchers did not achieve their goal, they thought that since they had already lured the person to the capital base, they could deal with the rest later.
So he happily agreed.
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