Another Reminder

"Just as I thought, as long as I expose my equipment to more viruses, it will raise the upper limit of this talent."

Wu Ming nodded in satisfaction. "I wonder what the RR concentration in Suzhou Creek is like. Can it push the limit to the level of a Quasi-Martial Artist?"

With that thought in mind, he placed the pen into the river again and did not fish it out until half an hour later.

Unfortunately, nothing changed this time. It seemed the conditions in Suzhou Creek had already reached this talent's limit. Unless he could find an area with a higher concentration, such as the Huangpu River, or...

The ocean.

"...It's getting late. I'm afraid there isn't enough time."

Wu Ming shook his head. The Huangpu River and the ocean were still some distance away. Running there was not realistic.

Besides, dawn was nearly here. He did not want anyone witnessing his unusual behavior, so he could only return to the inn for now and set out again during the day.

But before that... he had to test this talent's effects first.

"Confirm equipment."

Holding the pen in his hand, Wu Ming activated his thoughts and equipped it in the Equipment Bar, replacing the armor's talent.

The next second, he immediately felt that his surroundings had changed.

It was as if he had been placed in an invisible ocean of microorganisms. Countless particles floated through the air, densely filling every inch of space.

Wu Ming could even sense countless RR Viruses drilling into his body through the pores on the surface of his skin, merging into every cell as they attempted to alter him at the genetic level.

Of course, his genes had already undergone one transformation. This small number of viruses could not shake them.

However, after gaining the "Virus Controller" talent, Wu Ming realized that he seemed to have become a magnet, capable of actively drawing in nearby virus particles and storing them within his body.

As long as he absorbed enough viruses, he would eventually be able to optimize the stabilized genes in his body a second time.

At that thought, Wu Ming stirred his mind slightly. The RR Viruses within a ten-meter radius instantly surged into his body like sharks smelling blood.

In just a few minutes, every virus nearby had been completely swept away.

Yet Wu Ming frowned slightly. The efficiency is a little low.

This was, after all, the riverbank. The density of RR here was nowhere near as high as it was in the water.

Even so, he could feel a scorching heat rising from within his body, as though his cells were burning. It was somewhat similar to the state of his first transformation, but far less intense—more like the smooth transition during its latter half.

His talent's instinct told him that the viruses were slowly modifying his genes.

Unfortunately, the speed was ridiculously slow.

"I've tried the air. Now let's try the water."

Without hesitation, Wu Ming dipped his palm into the river, then activated his ability and began absorbing the nearby viruses.

This time, it took him around ten minutes to absorb every virus from several meters of surrounding water, and the speed of his genetic optimization increased severalfold.

But just as he was about to move to another stretch of water and expand his absorption range, his expression changed slightly and he stopped.

Not only that, he actively suppressed the viruses in his body and paused the genetic optimization.

"...I almost forgot. Transformation consumes energy."

Wu Ming slowly exhaled. The energy he had stored earlier had been mostly consumed during his first transformation, while what remained had been completely drained by the attribute panel.

He no longer had any additional energy reserves. If he underwent a second transformation, he could only consume the energy used to sustain his life functions.

It was only when he felt hunger coming from his body that he remembered this, hurriedly stopping the transformation.

"Looks like I can only continue after replenishing my energy reserves."

"It's getting late. I should head back first."

After quickly returning to the inn, Wu Ming took another short nap to restore his energy. He did not wake until nine thirty in the morning.

Perhaps because of his bodily transformation, he did not feel tired at all. He got out of bed brimming with energy, packed his luggage, and checked out of the room.

Although the inn had a decent environment, it was still too far from the coast. He planned to find somewhere closer to stay today, so he would not have to keep traveling back and forth.

Carrying his considerably flatter backpack, Wu Ming first found a pharmacy and bought some glucose solution, then took a taxi to a hotel near the coast.

In truth, this was not the closest hotel. It was still around ten kilometers from the ocean.

Since the RR Virus had come from the sea, the areas near the coastline had naturally been sealed off.

But they did not know that RR could spread through the air. The entire city had actually long been exposed to danger.

It was simply that the RR density in most areas was low, so symptoms had not yet appeared.

Once an outbreak began, those preventive measures naturally would not be able to hold.

Therefore, Wu Ming was in no hurry to head to the coast in search of a high-concentration environment. The viruses accumulated in his body were enough to support his improvement for some time. It would not be too late to go after the lockdown was lifted.

Besides, compared to that, there was something else he cared about more.

"It's been several days already. Why hasn't any news come out at all?"

Wu Ming frowned lightly. "Didn't I warn them about RR's mechanisms? And the World Epidemic Prevention Department has already confirmed that it is related to genes. Why haven't they announced any protective measures yet?"

The so-called protective measures were actually the three crucial factors his mother had told him about: cell activity, food, and physical fitness.

Announcing those things to the public could effectively improve their chances of surviving RR. That should have been the highest priority.

But it was already January 12, and he had not seen any similar statement.

Just as Wu Ming was puzzled, his phone suddenly rang. After glancing at the caller, he thought it was quite a coincidence.

Without hesitation, he immediately answered.

"Mom, what is it?"

The call was from Shen Xinglan. Her voice sounded somewhat urgent. "A-Ming, where are you? Why aren't you at home?"

"I just called Qingzhu, and she said she hasn't seen you these past few days. Where exactly did you go?"

"Uh..." Wu Ming immediately understood upon hearing that. His mother had probably gone home today, only to find that he was not there.

After thinking it over, he decided to tell the truth. "Mom, I'm in Magic City."

"Where? Magic City?!" Shen Xinglan's tone instantly became agitated. "Why did you go there? Why didn't you just stay home properly?"

"Do you know that place has already..."

"Don't worry, Mom." Wu Ming spoke calmly. "I've already endured the RR infection, and my body has produced antibodies. The environment here won't affect me anymore, so there's no need to worry."

"Really?"

There was silence on the other end of the line for a moment. When she spoke again, her voice had steadied.

"How did you get there? Didn't you know Magic City has restricted entry and exit?"

"Has it?" Wu Ming was somewhat surprised. He truly had not heard any related news. "When did that happen?"

"Yesterday at noon." Shen Xinglan sounded helpless. "You should have seen the news, right? The one from the afternoon before yesterday."

"Mm, I know." Wu Ming replied calmly. He had decided to leave precisely after seeing that news.

Shen Xinglan said, "Later, they discovered more RR-infected people. The authorities took it very seriously and decided to impose control measures, prohibiting people from entering or leaving."

Hearing that, Wu Ming felt somewhat fortunate. Good thing he had acted decisively enough to arrive on the last flight.

If he had been a few hours later, he probably would not even have been able to leave the airport.

After considering the information his mother had given him, he pondered briefly and asked, "Mom, was the first RR-infected person you mentioned living close to the ocean?"

"How did you..."

Shen Xinglan paused, then answered, "That's right. That person lived near the coast."

Wu Ming continued, "If I'm not mistaken, the remaining infected people were also residents from nearby, right?"

Shen Xinglan said, "...You brat, are you nearby?"

"Mom, that isn't important." Wu Ming gave an awkward laugh, then said seriously, "As someone who has personally experienced the RR Virus, I have a few guesses. Please listen."

"Go ahead. I'm listening." This time, Shen Xinglan did not hesitate.

"First, my first discovery." Wu Ming organized his words before continuing. "RR can spread not only through bodies of water, but also through the air. And it can survive in the air for at least two or three hours."

"Airborne transmission?" Shen Xinglan was utterly shocked. Clearly, she did not know this.

Before she could ask, Wu Ming continued, "But that isn't the main point."

"The main point is that RR's method of infection is utterly absurd. It can enter the body directly through human skin. It can spread without passing through the mouth or nose."

"In other words, as long as any part of the body comes into contact with even a trace of the RR Virus, infection is inevitable!"

This piece of information had not been recorded in the original work, but it was Wu Ming's personal experience. Without the special perception granted by the "Virus Controller," he would have found it difficult to discover it as well.

On the other end of the phone, Shen Xinglan fell silent as her son's new discovery echoed through her mind.

As long as there was even the slightest contact, infection was inevitable?

How could anyone guard against that?