If the S-1 Virus was a natural disaster that humanity couldn't predict or prepare to resist in advance, then the S-2 Virus was unquestionably a man-made calamity, born of the greed in people's hearts and the desires in their genes.
"Whoa, isn't that the Armored Titan from Attack on Titan?"
When he turned to the first illustration of an Infected, the familiar design left Cheng Ye momentarily dazed.
The giant stood about twenty meters tall, its entire body covered in insect-like armor plates. The weapon in its hands was the very smokestack spewing white smoke from the chemical plant. Together, they made for an absurd sight, like Lu Zhishen uprooting a willow tree.
Facing the giant were eight enormous cannon barrels, each more than a meter in diameter.
Cheng Ye wasn't sure what would happen when the two sides clashed, but he knew the giant would die horribly.
After all, modern technology wasn't like the maneuvering gear in comics, where people had to fly around and slash at the nape of the neck.
The truth lay within the cannons' range!
Further down were several more illustrations: a Speedy Infected whose Achilles tendons had grown all the way up to its neck, a Flying Infected with a pair of wings sprouting from its back, and an Intelligent Infected whose brain took up half its body.
Compared with Zombies, Cheng Ye found these Infected almost endearingly stupid.
Their exaggerated appearances made it obvious they'd taken the wrong path. No matter how foolish humanity might be, no one would believe such forms were sustainable or could support continued development.
So it made sense that they'd been wiped out and suppressed in just over a year.
"Once or twice is one thing, but it's no surprise for it to happen a third time."
Cheng Ye wasn't surprised at all by the author's question at the bottom of the page. If anything, he thought it was perfectly reasonable.
The S-Series Virus was tremendously dangerous, but it also held benefits to match.
He turned to the next chapter, and sure enough, the S-3 Virus was introduced.
'The S-2 Virus was wiped out in the summer of 2043. Over the next five years, human civilization recovered rapidly. Sanctuary Cities were dismantled one after another, and humanity returned to life in the familiar cities. Everything seemed to be back on track.'
'Until the S-3 Virus appeared once more!'
'Although humanity has studied the S-3 Virus for decades, to this day we still don't know where this unusual virus came from. It no longer infects humans, but targets animals and plants instead. It combines the traits of both the S-1 and S-2 Viruses perfectly. Spread through water, it radiated across the globe in just half a year. It can also help animals and plants break through their limits, giving rise to countless astonishing effects.'
'It's hard to imagine this planet could be so insane. Under the virus's influence, ordinary soil and plants could actually produce a Special Plant that lets people grow young again: the [Nine-Turn Ginseng Fruit]. Eat it, and an eighty-year-old can instantly return to the age of twenty and regain their youth.'
'Even more incredible, after the Nine-Turn Ginseng Fruit appeared, more and more bizarre mutant creatures and plants came into being: Mutated Sky Beef that could give humans immense strength, strong enough to lift dozens of tons; Hundred-Joint Grass that could regrow severed limbs and grant extraordinary regenerative abilities; Lava Lotus that could grant the ability to breathe fire; Wind Cluster Leaf, which could fly at low altitudes...'
'Many say this is the Spiritual Energy Revival, the long-awaited age of great struggle for humanity. Many others say it's the Primordial Era Returns, that the Immortal Relics of ancient mythology are all awakening and will soon lead humanity back to the Primordial Era, to the pinnacle of the cosmos. I don't know who's right, but I do know this is a virus far more terrifying than the S-1 and S-2 Viruses!'
'It perfectly understood the human heart and our weaknesses, striking precisely at humanity's ultimate desires for immortality, power, and Transcendent abilities. When people fought desperately over fruit that could make them young again, when fruit that could grant Transcendent abilities appeared on the black market, the S-3 Virus carried out a slaughter more thorough than either of the previous disasters, all with the gentlest touch.'
'It didn't need to destroy human order. Human greed did that on its own, smashing everything to pieces!'
'Humanity went mad. Everyone went mad. They went mad for the sake of transcending, for the sake of becoming stronger!'
'. (Violation), (crossed out)'
'It's laughable. Humanity endured the S-1 and S-2 Viruses, which targeted us directly, without showing the slightest sign of civilization breaking down. Yet after the S-3 Virus, which didn't affect us at all, we suffered catastrophic losses. Vast stretches of cities were abandoned, and all-out war began.'
The page ended.
There were no illustrations.
Yet Cheng Ye was deeply shaken. The words seemed to drag him into that frenzied era and show him how human nature was laid bare in the age of Transcendence, how weapons meant to face outward had ultimately become bayonets driven into civilization.
"In an age of great struggle, everyone can become Transcendent."
"Even ordinary people hiding in Sanctuary Cities grew greedy. Naturally, the foundations of society began to crumble, dragging human civilization into the abyss."
For some reason, Cheng Ye suddenly thought of Earth.
If this virus appeared on Earth, could humanity really survive the successive catalysts of the S-1, S-2, and then S-3 Viruses?
There was another thing he'd always wondered about.
Aside from a few geographical names, this Blue Star Wasteland he was in was completely indistinguishable from the Earth he'd lived on before crossing over.
"Could it be that I didn't cross into another world, but traveled through time?"
Cheng Ye couldn't help wondering.
Changing a few place names wouldn't be difficult. Now that Supernatural Power had appeared, redrawing regional boundaries would be a simple matter.
And the following account of the transition between the New Era and the Old Era seemed to keep confirming his suspicions.
'The chaos caused by the S-3 Virus lasted a full fifteen years. At one point, Blue Star's population fell below two billion. Wars erupted all across the chaotic planet. Whenever a new Transcendent object appeared, it would spark a "grand spectacle" involving tens of millions of people. This farce ended not because humanity realized how dangerous the virus was, but because the S-3 Virus mutated again. The S-4 appeared!'
'In the autumn of 2063 of the Old Era, the S-3 Virus split and produced the unusual S-4 Virus. Ridiculous, isn't it? It all seems like a cycle. The S-4 Virus had returned to the days of S-2: it had lost its ability to spread widely and once again spread through the air only to a specific group. And that group was none other than the Transcendents!'
"What?"
Cheng Ye's heart jolted. He nearly cried out.
Perhaps if he'd lived in the eras described in the book, he wouldn't have been able to fully grasp the terror of the S-Series Virus.
But put simply, wasn't the S-3-to-S-4 sequence just a scam? Lure people in first, then slowly bleed them dry?
'When a Transcendent is infected by the S-4 Virus, the power within him quickly spirals out of control. As his genetic chains break apart, he becomes a walking corpse, able to survive only by relying on biological instincts. We call them Primal Sources of Infection.'
'Although the S-4 Virus doesn't directly affect ordinary people, the mutated power within Transcendents remains a deadly source of contamination. A tiny minority are lucky enough to inherit a trace of Transcendent abilities after coming into contact with that power. But most repeat the same mistake: they gain power while losing their reason, becoming Infected who act only on biological instincts, lingering memories, and habits from their lives. They repeat broken fragments of their past.'
'All the various Infected we encounter today can ultimately be traced back to these Transcendents of the Old Era. Their abilities can be traced to those Transcendents as well.'
'Because Primal Sources of Infection are so elusive and unusual, human weapons have become almost useless against them. To preserve civilization, regions have begun restarting the Sanctuary City program, protecting ordinary people while preventing the Infection Sources from spreading further.'
'The first Xinhuo Refuge City after the program's restart was completed in 2070. To prevent future generations from searching for history and repeating the same mistakes, the surviving humans made a bold decision: they severed ties with the Old Era and redrew the planet's map. Continents contaminated by Primal Sources of Infection and ruined cities were erased from the maps, and part of the history that had dealt civilization such a devastating blow was buried, allowing the New Era to begin.'
'The year 2070 of the Old Era became Year 1 of the New Era. Human civilization returned to the right track. It was a difficult struggle destined to last for centuries. Sadly, my life is nearly over, and I won't live to see how this disaster truly ends!'
'But perhaps there'll be an S-5, then an S-6. What do you think?'
Flip.
Without realizing it, Cheng Ye had turned Origin of Infection to the last page. His eyes settled on the question the author seemed to have written with the last of his strength.
S-5?
S-6?
The S-Series Virus had mutated only four times, yet it had nearly pushed human civilization to the brink of collapse.
If it mutated on a wide scale one or more times, changing its direction again and returning to a widespread transmission model like S-1, Zombies could reappear—Zombies that had broken past the limits of carbon-based life.
Cheng Ye couldn't help shivering. He realized in an instant that this Wasteland might be far more dangerous than he'd thought.
At the same time.
"It's Year 35 of the New Era. If I can find the buried history and prove this place is Earth..."
"Then that would mean I didn't end up in a parallel world, but traveled eighty years into the future?"
It was Monday again, another day of dismal readership and few new followers. Please toss a rookie a few monthly tickets and take pity on me~
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