Creating Buildings

The old professors in the laboratory looked at Ye Zhao as if she were some priceless treasure. They practically wanted to examine her from head to toe, even collecting several samples of her hair.

Fortunately, Ye Zhao did not object to examinations that did not endanger her life. She cooperated with the tests and answered several questions about her physical condition. Finally, they drew several tubes of blood, bringing the examination to an end.

Fu Lie took Ye Zhao to the experimental area in the back. There were zombies, mutant rats, mutant crows, and other creatures they had captured outside.

One of the red-eyed rats was said to have been caught in the ruins of City X after the nuclear explosion.

Fu Lie said, "Mutant rats exposed to nuclear radiation are far more terrifying than ordinary mutant rats. Their claws are sharper, and their temperament is far more vicious. If they do not eat in time, they will devour one another. The more flesh and blood they consume, the stronger their energy becomes!"

"All these mutant species share one thing in common: although their bodies have rotted away, their brains remain intact and alive, controlling all their actions."

That was why only by cutting off a zombie's head could one kill it.

Ye Zhao listened to Fu Lie's introductions beside her ear. Whenever she approached a mutant, she tapped her skill, Scan.

[Scan successful: Create Zombie Rat *1. Creation Points required: 100.]

[Scan successful: Create Zombie Crow *1. Creation Points required: 100.]

[Scan successful: Create Zombie Cat *1. Creation Points required: 100.]

[Scan successful: Create Zombie Dog *1. Creation Points required: 100.]

[Note: Mutants created by the Player will no longer be capable of spreading the zombie virus. They will also be mentally connected to the Player and obey the Player's commands completely.]

Fu Lie said, "There are not many mutant animals that can survive. Although the zombie virus can alter their Constitution, most animals cannot withstand the change and die during the mutation process."

"The four zombie animals before you are also the groups that currently pose the greatest threat to humanity. Zombie rats and crows in particular always appear in swarms, posing an enormous threat to our human camp!"

"So, can you tell me now why you came to the laboratory?"

As he spoke, he turned to look at the girl beside him.

The girl wore an Epidemic Prevention Suit, with only her eyes exposed. Her gaze was cool and bright.

Ye Zhao glanced at him. "Aren't you still assessing me? How is C City doing?"

Ye Zhao had warned on Weibo that C City would be attacked by a swarm of mutant rats within three days. It was now the second day.

C City remained peaceful.

For the time being, there had also been no signs of a large-scale zombie rat swarm advancing on C City.

Thus, quite a few people in the safe base doubted Ye Zhao's ability as a Prophet.

Fu Lie said, "Our people are doing everything they can to evacuate, but it is impossible to completely evacuate in such a short time. Besides, are we supposed to run for our lives every time we encounter a swarm of mutant rats? The world is only so big. Where can we run to?"

He sighed, looking dejected.

As Ye Zhao listened to Fu Lie, she knew he was speaking the truth, but she felt there was a strong possibility that he had said it deliberately for her to hear.

But Ye Zhao had no proof.

Fu Lie then took Ye Zhao to several more laboratories. The ones locked inside were all infected and mutated soldiers. Fu Lie said, "They were injured while out on missions and ultimately could not hold on. They volunteered to become test subjects."

The zombies trapped in sealed spaces had gone mad. Intense hunger and their craving for flesh and blood made them uncontrollably attack everything around them. Some zombies even gnawed on their own bodies under the drive of instinct.

The disgusting, bizarre, terrifying, and tragic sight made Ye Zhao's face twist.

Fu Lie said, "Zombies do not fear fire or light. Their strength evolves as they devour more food, while among tens of millions of humans, there may not even be one with supernatural abilities. Is humanity truly heading toward extinction?"

Ye Zhao: ...How would she know? She was just an ordinary Wronged Ghost.

When would Lord Ghost Messenger come save her?

And injuries suffered in the game would not carry over into reality, right?

Ye Zhao began worrying again. This life was fucking hard!

Ye Zhao turned around. "Let's go. We'll talk outside."

Fu Lie frowned slightly and followed Ye Zhao out of the laboratory.

After changing out of the Epidemic Prevention Suit, Ye Zhao put on her oversized hoodie again. She wore a baseball cap beneath her hood, making sure she was wrapped up tight without exposing the slightest bit.

After finishing the disinfection process and coming outside, Ye Zhao found Fu Lie already waiting ahead of her. He was crouched on the ground, smoking irritably. When he saw Ye Zhao, he stood up.

The girl was dressed entirely in black. Beneath the shadow cast by her broad brim was a cool, pale face. She pulled out a piece of candy from her pocket, unwrapped it, and popped it into her mouth. Her cheeks puffed up, and in that instant, her gloomy expression seemed to improve somewhat.

Seeing Fu Lie stare at her with a strange look, as if she were eating alone, Ye Zhao remembered that she had plenty of candy in her space. She was not such a stingy person, so she took out another piece. "Here."

Fu Lie did not care for little girls' things, yet he accepted it as if possessed. "Thank you."

Ye Zhao waved her hand. "I'm hungry. I'm going to the cafeteria first. Bye."

Fu Lie: ...

He watched the girl in black walk away, and the impatience on his face was instantly replaced by cold severity.

The little girl was calmer and more composed than he had expected, and her guard was also higher. He had thought that after opening his heart to her so thoroughly, Ye Zhao would at least show some reaction. Sure enough, pretending to be weak was not a trick that worked on everyone.

There were quite a few people in the cafeteria. Ye Zhao got a serving of cabbage stewed with glass noodles, stir-fried Chinese yam, and two steamed buns. Her after-meal fruit was a carrot she had brought herself.

She could not stomach meat at all, especially after seeing what she had just seen.

She could not help but sigh and opened the Game Panel.

There had been constant dinging notifications in her mind earlier, and she had not had time to check them.

Now, she could study them.

It had to be said that zombie animals provided considerable energy. They gave her more energy than the tens of thousands of items she had scanned before, and they had directly pushed her past the first-level threshold into Level Two!

[Creation: Level Two (survival time can be directly converted into Creation Points, 1 min ≈ 2 points).]

The Level Two Creation Skill allowed her to gain roughly 2,880 Creation Points per day, twice as fast as before.

Ye Zhao used her skill on the unfamiliar dining companion across the communal table.

[Player level insufficient. Unable to Scan higher lifeforms.]

Even the system notification had changed.

Ye Zhao then used her skill on the cafeteria.

[Scan successful: Create Cafeteria *1. Creation Points required: 1.]

A rare look of delight appeared on Ye Zhao's face. Great, she could finally Scan larger objects. Before, whenever she tried to Scan something even slightly bigger, it would say her level was insufficient. Now, she could finally Scan an entire cafeteria!

Although the cafeteria was only three stories tall, it was still a huge surprise to Ye Zhao.

She wolfed down the food in her bowl and left the cafeteria. With ulterior motives, she wandered around nearby, Scanning the surrounding buildings. Before long, she figured out the pattern.

The Level Two Creation Skill could Scan buildings no taller than five stories, with a floor area of roughly no more than five hundred square meters. Once that limit was exceeded, it would display that her level was insufficient and could not Scan it.

She Scanned a villa, a three-story Prefabricated House, an observation post, a vegetable greenhouse, and a cluster of Prefabricated Houses built for survivors.

Of them all, Ye Zhao liked the observation post most. It was similar to an ancient watchtower, very tall and convenient for lying prone on top and sniping.

And creating any of those buildings required only 1 point.

A real bargain.