Chapter 229 "Evolve, Humanity!"
After no longer needing to go home regularly to inject Lu Wei with the medication, Lin Xi spent all her waking hours in the laboratory. When experiments reached critical stages, she even stayed in the laboratory.
In addition to the experiments, the antitoxin formula was also adjusted according to Lu Wei's condition.
Without Song Heng's guidance and without other samples to refer to, Lin Xi was exploring the field of antitoxin research on her own.
At this moment, she would think of Zhao Jing, because both drugs and vaccines require multiple sample experiments to draw conclusions.
Zhao Jing and Qu Shuran have both been injected with the virus and the vaccine. They are among the few subjects of observation besides Lu Wei, and could also be test subjects for Lin Xi's other research on antitoxins.
But Lin Xi did not go to her.
Zhao Jinggang had just mocked her for being hypocritical; she hadn't wanted herself and Lu Wei to be research subjects back then, and now she had no right to let others be research subjects.
Besides, this is the Watchtower Base, and the person with the powerful backing has become Zhao Jing.
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Before long, the small home where the four of them lived together began to feel empty.
Seeing that Lu Wei had not mutated into a zombie after more than half a year, the watchtower base became increasingly reassured about him and gradually restored the authority and duties corresponding to his rank of major general, even sending him on missions outside the base.
Xiang Xin had already left, and Liang Hui was about to set off as well.
When Lin Xi first heard the news, she was not quite used to it. She had almost forgotten that she had spent a long time alone.
Having grown accustomed to having company, she suddenly felt inexplicably panicked when faced with an empty house.
They are soldiers, and it is their duty to fight for world peace abroad, while Lin Xi's battlefield is in the laboratory.
She could only provide Lu Wei with enough antitoxin and delaying agents to take with him, told Xiang Xin to be careful, and told Liang Hui to drink more hot water.
Lin Xi was finally all alone at home.
Looking back on those days, Lin Xi recalled that it was probably from this day onwards that the roller coaster in her nightmares, which had been stuck at its peak, suddenly opened its valves and plummeted upwards, refusing to stop no matter how much she screamed and refused.
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As Lin Xi dragged her tired body out of the locker room, she saw Xiang Xin.
Xiang Xin finished her mission early and went straight to the lab to pick up Lin Xi from get off work as soon as she returned to the base.
Lin Xi looked at Xiang Xin, who seemed to have lost some weight and whose skin was darker than those of them who spent most of their time underground.
Xiang Xin didn't smile when she first saw Lin Xi. Instead, she nervously grabbed Lin Xi's hand and said, "Are you busy today? I have something to talk to you about."
Although Xiang Xin is clingy to Lin Xi, she always knows what's important. Since she said that, it must be something quite important.
After making simple arrangements in the laboratory, Lin Xi changed into casual clothes and left with Xiang Xin.
"What's wrong?" Lin Xi asked curiously. Was there a problem with the surface world?
There are daily briefings at the base, mostly about internal news and some news from the ground, but not much information is given to the public. Most people only know that there is a war going on outside, but it is not explained in detail what kind of war it is.
There are many rumors circulating, the most widespread being that a base wants to destroy the world and has modified the genes of zombies to turn them into the most powerful weapons. Now, the relevant departments are concentrating the armed forces of various bases to clear out the zombies, but the situation for humans seems dire, and returning to the surface seems a long way off.
The war on the surface is affecting life underground. Factories related to military supplies are working overtime frequently. Many food processing plants and clothing factories in the base are working overtime to produce supplies for the military.
Only soldiers know the true battlefield information. After those three people left, Lin Xi didn't know much. She had been buried in the laboratory researching vaccines, so when Xiang Xin heard that something had happened, her first thought was of the outside world.
Xiang Xin looked around and whispered mysteriously, "Come with me."
Lin Xi was led by Xiang Xin towards the commercial area, which was relatively unfamiliar to her. She had only been to the commercial area a handful of times since she came to the watchtower, and those were the few times she had been there to buy daily necessities.
When they reached a less crowded area, Xiang Xin couldn't contain herself and quietly asked, "Do you have any news about Brother Lu?"
Lin Xi shook her head, her eyes filled with doubt: "I thought you two would be in contact."
When they go out on missions, they rarely contact the people in the base. Signal is hard to get through, and often only military-specific equipment and signals can enable the most critical communication with the base.
Xiang Xin: "Do you know what his current situation is?"
Lin Xi touched her watch. She had checked Lu Wei's real-time vital signs that morning. The values weren't good; they had dropped a bit from the previous period, but they were still functioning normally, indicating that Lu Wei himself was not in danger.
She could only describe Xiang Xin as: "Still alive."
Xiang Xin's eyes flickered, showing a mixture of hesitation, fear, and anxiety: "I heard about it as soon as I got back. Something big is going to happen at the base."
"?"
"I heard about a new type of super soldier when I was on a mission outside."
As Lin Xi heard the unfamiliar term, the image of the massive iron barrel that pushed Crystal Heights came to mind.
"They said this super soldier has the advantages of both zombies and humans, can think, and has the property of hardened bones, making him very powerful in combat. At the time, I was thinking, could they be talking about Brother Lu?"
Lin Xi's vision went black.
They randomly picked a restaurant for a quick meal. The restaurant was small, with close-knit seating, and you could easily overhear what the people next to them were talking about.
"I heard that a research institute has developed a new vaccine that can make people live forever!"
"That's true. I heard that if you get that vaccine and then get infected with the zombie virus, you can get a body as strong as a zombie while still retaining human consciousness!"
"I thought they had developed a vaccine to fight the zombie virus."
"What's the use of developing a vaccine against the zombie virus? The zombies have evolved to that extent, and we still can't defeat them!"
Lin Xi silently slurped up a large mouthful of rice noodles, trying to cover up the harsh comment.
But just from those few words, Lin Xi already knew what they were talking about.
Zombies can indeed keep a person in a zombie state forever, with all organ functions remaining the same. They will not grow up or age. It seems that as long as the brain is not attacked, they are in a state of immortality.
How long can a zombie live if it isn't attacked? Nobody knows.
At least in the years since the emergence of zombies, they have shown the characteristic of not aging.
After Zhao Jing, Qu Shuran, and others were infected with the zombie virus, their cancer cells stopped spreading, and all their organs retained the form of the infected organs, but would gradually become inactive.
Just like Lu Wei gradually lost his sense of taste and heartbeat.
But how did this news get out?
Currently, only Lu Wei and Zhao Jing are infected with this para-infectant; Lin Xi has never revealed this information.
Knowing about Lu Wei's situation, Wang Jun, Gao Zhixing, and others did not disclose the news of Lu Wei's positive virus test in order to appease Lin Xi. Zhao Jing herself was infected, and she probably would not disclose the news in order to protect herself.
Xiang Xin took Lin Xi to another place.
This is a church-like society. Since the zombie outbreak, many people have been displaced and separated from their families. They come to the base like walking corpses. The base has no temples or churches, but a new sect has gradually emerged here.
Everyone clasped their hands together and looked towards the main seat at the front. A middle-aged man in a blue robe addressed them with a holy gaze:
"The zombie virus is a gift from nature, giving us a direction for evolution!"
"It sifted out evil souls from this world, leaving us behind!"
"Nature is leading us survivors on a new path—evolve! Cowardly humans!"
"The zombie virus has given us a direction for evolution—infect us! Vulnerable humans!"
"We are about to gain the zombies' formidable combat power and immortality!"
"Let us follow the guidance of nature, be infected by the virus, and evolve into a completely new human being!"
The crowd below cheered enthusiastically: "Let us follow the guidance of nature, be infected by the virus, and evolve into a completely new human being!"
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