"Rebirth in the Apocalypse" - No Rebirth (Chapter 34)...
After studying the game for a while, I realized I was playing a side quest.
This game isn't about human survival; it's about a zombie apocalypse.
Ye Xiqing was amused by the sudden plot twist, but luckily she was just doing a side quest anyway.
The male protagonist's plot involves becoming a zombie king, so his corpse is somewhat useful. Superhumans can't turn into zombies, but he can, which means his body is special.
The male protagonist's corpse was released from the space, and because of the time-stopping function of the space bracelet, it was still very fresh, and the corpse-turned Song Yiqing immediately reacted.
Feeding the male protagonist to the soon-to-be-born zombie king was indeed a good idea, but such a good thing, Ye Xiqing stretched out the parasitic plant, she wanted to be the first to eat it.
Like a signal, the evolution of zombies began.
Unlike human evolution, zombies evolve by devouring their companions. Lower-level zombies will even actively feed higher-level zombies. What does that sound like?
Like having a collective consciousness.
Ye Xiqing had always been curious about the driving force behind zombies. Now that she thought about it, she wondered if zombies were also a kind of symbiotic relationship. Just as she had a symbiotic relationship with plants, zombies had a symbiotic relationship with viruses.
Human cells invaded by the zombie virus enter a low-power survival state, while normal human cells die and divide to produce new cells every moment.
The zombie's cells are still alive, but their division has almost stopped. Unlike the highly active and energy-consuming cells of superhumans, the zombies seem to be in a low-energy standby state.
However, as long as there is life activity, energy is a process of continuous consumption, and this low-energy survival is certainly not endless.
In the early stages of the apocalypse, with a sufficient number of living organisms, the zombie virus unrestrainedly drove its symbiote to multiply infinitely, infecting almost all living organisms it could infect, becoming the largest group in the apocalypse.
However, the moon wanes after it is full. Anything that develops to its extreme will eventually decline. Having infected all infectable living organisms, the virus has no more living organisms to obtain energy from, and what awaits it is internal consumption.
It's unclear whether this phenomenon is due to the laws of nature or whether viruses, which are organisms without even cellular structure, also possess a collective consciousness.
But if the evolution of zombies is simply about devouring, then why not just let the zombie she chooses become the strongest devourer?
Urgent messages came from all the bases; the zombies' unusual winter activity caught everyone off guard.
The main base has the most complete armed forces, but the branch bases do not, resulting in numerous casualties.
After those surrounding small bases were assigned to Huiyang Base, they were specifically responsible for producing certain living resources, which were then centrally managed by Huiyang Base.
As the main base, Huiyang Base will definitely prioritize its own needs.
However, as the base with the most lenient and democratic style, Huiyang Base does not treat its affiliated bases as victims of injustice and enslavement. It not only provides resources to its affiliated bases in the most fair and equitable way, but also helps them with their development.
The current auxiliary bases are all protected by moats, which not only reduces the pressure of facing zombies, but also provides food resources to sustain life through integrated ecological farming and planting.
The power of the collective is always strong. With the Radiant Sun Base integrating forces and allocating resources to the greatest extent, the productivity of survivors soared. Even those in auxiliary bases were doing better than when they were fighting alone.
Once people experience tangible benefits, even if ambitious individuals want to cause trouble, no one at the bottom of society is willing to follow them.
Everyone tacitly accepted the rule of this unique feminist base. The entire city of Huiyang had been completely incorporated into the Huiyang base's territory, and there were no more dissenting voices.
As the "suzerain state," if its subordinate base faces a crisis, Huiyang Base will definitely have to send troops to defend against the enemy.
Surviving humans have developed many methods to deal with basic zombies, even going so far as to use zombies to raise fish.
However, this was the first time ordinary people had ever seen a mutated zombie. Although not every mutated zombie was as terrifying in combat as Song Yiqing, it was still difficult to deal with a branch base with relatively weak armed forces.
Everyone anxiously requested the alliance leader to come to their aid. When Ye Xiqing arrived, instead of immediately chasing after the mutated zombies, his first decision was to drive them away, but not to kill them.
The crowd was taken aback: Why?
Ye Xiqing looked at everyone and said, "Of course, it's because the advantage humans have over zombies is their brains. People with brains are the real advantage. Don't try to out-strength zombies."
Everyone looked at her in confusion: How can you use your brain to defeat mutated zombies?
Ye Xiqing then took out a jar of medicine and said, "Use this."
The next day, the base was filled with an indescribable stench of decay. Outsiders would have been nauseated by the smell, but those who stayed there for a while got used to it.
This was Ye Xiqing's idea: to spray the putrefactive agent like perfume, so that the mutated zombies couldn't sense the presence of living people in the base.
Although zombies have evolved, they have also begun to attack their own kind.
However, the probability of being attacked by people of the same kind is equal, while the probability of being attacked by living people is highlighted and bolded.
Having someone share the attack is certainly better than being a sitting duck.
If you can't beat them, join them. She will lead the survivors to join the more authoritative group of zombies.
Everyone: ...
I thought that the leader, being such a powerful superhuman, would be more ruthless, but I didn't expect her to be so flexible and adaptable.
Nobody knows how they came up with the idea of spreading putrefactive agents to fake zombies.
But you know what, it actually works.
Faced with a sudden attack by mutated zombies, it was too late to urgently install defensive fortifications; pure brute force defense would inevitably result in casualties in any conflict.
Zombies can be fed to higher-level zombies in large numbers, but surviving humans cannot consume them in that way.
Ye Xiqing then taught the formula for the deodorizing agent to the branch base, instructing the people at the branch base to urgently produce the deodorizing agent and spray it around the base every day.
Once production increased significantly, each person received a bottle and would spray some whenever they felt like it, regardless of whether there was anything wrong. As a result, the mutated zombies really didn't come as often.
Because mutated zombies often have the ability to command lower-level zombies, if they want to eat their companions, they can simply call on their companions to come.
Those "dumb zombies" in the base that don't move at all are probably dumb zombies entangled by strangling vines.
A very welcome evolution: ordinary zombies are unaware that the strangling vines are luring them to their deaths, but mutated zombies are.
Strangler vines are a vicious thing; they secretly plant seeds and grow on zombies, and they can't be effectively removed from either low-level or mutated zombies. Like fungal spots, they are one of the things zombies hate the most.
In order to hunt zombies, the strangling vine will even release a special pheromone to lure them. Low-level zombies will not sense anything is wrong and will walk over in a daze, eventually being strangled to death by the strangling vine. High-level zombies, however, will be able to realize that it is a trap.
As a result, mutated zombies rarely go to places with the scent of their own kind but without "living zombies," because it's too dangerous.
The mutated zombies' current intelligence doesn't allow them to realize there are living people in that huge building, but it does allow them to understand where the danger is and that hunting is a low priority.
In this way, some putrefactive agents are comparable to countless gun-wielding superpowered individuals.
That's why they say you have to choose a leader with brains; the crisis faced by the survivors has been greatly reduced once again.
However, reducing the probability of being attacked does not mean that you will not be attacked at all. You must be vigilant against mutated zombies.
The emergence of mutated zombies signifies a further acceleration of the mutation process, escalating the threat facing humanity.
Faced with this situation, Ye Xiqing proposed the following strategy: avoid it if possible, take preventative measures in advance, and only resort to lethal measures when all other means have failed.
It's no wonder Ye Xiqing was cowardly. Since the evolutionary logic of zombies is collective sacrifice, killing an existing mutated zombie will give birth to a new mutated zombie.
Keeping known mutated zombies alive allows them to devour other zombies and prevent the birth of new mutated zombies. Known mutated zombies are always easier to deal with than constantly evolving ones.
Moreover, not only do mutated zombies rely on lower-level zombies to survive, but humans also rely on lower-level zombies to survive.
As the apocalypse progresses, the old food resources have been completely exhausted, and the remaining people survive entirely by relying on production chains involving zombies.
While zombies are enemies, they are also an important resource and cannot be depleted.
If low-level zombies are wasted indefinitely on producing higher-level ones, what will humans use to raise fish and grow vegetables?
Therefore, Ye Xiqing's strategy for dealing with mutated zombies is to try to mark their location.
Since the post-apocalyptic reconstruction began, efforts have been made to restore communications and equip mutated zombies with radar locators so that humans can keep track of their movements at all times.
With the visionary perspective, humans can react before the zombies get close to the base, intercepting them in advance and leading them away from the base.
The mutated zombies have no intelligence; they have no idea that humans can detect their movements. In this way, wouldn't the problem be solved effortlessly?
Everyone: ...
That makes sense!
Sometimes, the worst thing is when you suddenly realize that Ye Xiqing's idea made everyone realize that there was no need to force it!
With a plan in mind, execution became simple. The speed-type ability users at Huiyang Base mobilized en masse, sprayed the putrefactive agent, and took the opportunity to mark each mutated zombie.
After establishing the markers, the files are categorized and archived. This not only allows for continuous tracking of the mutated zombies' tracks, but also enables individual observation of each mutated zombie's habits, which are then recorded for easy access to information about each mutated zombie during battle.
Humans have never relied on force to establish themselves in the global community of Earth; even when facing zombies, wisdom must come first.
As a result, zombie observation has become a new task.
The women from the original Giant Shark base were the most actively involved in this matter, and their reunion with Song Yiqing gave them hope of finding their companions again.
Could it be that they too have mutated and are still alive and well in this world?
Even without that, by tracking mutated zombies, you can snatch food from their mouths when they gather lower-level zombies to feed.
If zombies can evolve, then why didn't their companions evolve instead?
The base's projects are usually recruited from scratch, but they participate in this project tirelessly. Others who have become important relatives of zombies also volunteer to participate in this project to find familiar zombies.
Perseverance pays off, and in the end, they actually managed to gather all the zombies. When the thirteen scattered companions reunited in their zombie form, everyone clasped their hands together in gratitude for this miracle.
Ye Xiqing, however, was good at pouring cold water on things: "Have you figured out how you're going to raise them?"
Everyone was taken aback by the question: "Of course, we feed them with zombies."
Ye Xiqing continued, "Haven't you noticed that zombies are now a very valuable resource?"
Everyone: ...
As the apocalypse progresses, people realize that living resources are more precious than anything else, including zombies.
Mutant zombies need to evolve from lower-level zombies, and survivors need to cultivate saprophytes and other saprophytic organisms from zombies. Surprisingly, zombies have become an important resource.
Ye Xiqing looked up at the sky, seemingly speaking to someone: "Have you discovered what the greatest crisis in this apocalypse is?"
The people around her were a little down, but they still enjoyed listening to her talk. Her words always had a special magic that could calm everyone down.
He asked softly, "What is it?"
Ye Xiqing kept looking up at the sky, her expression unremarkable: "It's the sun, a sun that was very common before the apocalypse, but has never appeared again since."
The more common something is, the easier it is to overlook; the more familiar something is, the less people think about it. The greatest crisis threatening the survivors is right in front of them, but everyone turns a blind eye.
If an asteroid hitting Earth destroyed human civilization, then the dust storms that blotted out the sun cut off humanity's path to survival.
Junior high school biology taught us that plants are producers in the food chain. As selfless producers who can obtain energy from sunlight and soil, the disappearance of sunlight has led to the large-scale extinction of these most selfless organisms.
The extinction of the plants means that this pyramid is collapsing from its base.
When the most selfless producers disappear, only the predators at the top of the pyramid are left to fight each other.
This is also why Ye Xiqing has been studying scavenging creatures. Modern humans are like being locked in a sealed container with a lid.
With external supplies cut off, survival depends solely on the struggle for survival among the remaining life forms within the organization.
Thanks to the sheer number and low intelligence of the zombies, their low intelligence made them easy to hunt, and their excellent preservation mechanism unexpectedly preserved a lot of energy, turning them into a new round of "producers".
However, unlike plants, they don't have the ability to spring back to life. No matter how large the number of zombies is, there is a limit.
When the zombies are all gone, will humanity be able to wait until the dust settles and the sun shines back on Earth?
Everyone: ...
Who would have thought that zombies would become a decisive resource for the survival of humanity...
Her words reminded Mao Hong of the zombies that had been burned before. She used to think it was only natural, but now she felt it was such a waste that it was heartbreaking.
But human emotions are very complex. They can't bring themselves to abandon their companions for the sake of the future. Isn't there any other way?
Seeing the somber expressions on everyone's faces, Ye Xiqing had had enough fun and lowered her head with a smile: "Yes."
Everyone immediately crowded around and asked, "What?"
Ye Xiqing looked at the thirteen hungry little zombies, turned her head and smiled: "I'll take them on a journey."
Everyone: ...
What?
Seeing their silly expressions makes it really fun to tease honest people.
After laughing, Ye Xiqing stopped laughing and looked at everyone: "I'm leaving the base."
"The evolution of zombies requires a large number of zombie resources. Resources near the base are limited. We can't let them evolve nearby, just like a rabbit doesn't eat the grass near its burrow."
"I will take them on a journey, to graze in wider grasslands, wherever there are more zombies, and we might even go abroad."
"Take care of yourselves while I'm gone, and use the zombies sparingly. If you really run out, then migrate."
"I wonder when this endless darkness will end."
"But when the sun rises, I hope we are all still alive."
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