Mutant Core

Everything changed far too fast.

Probably enraged by the deaths of its offspring, an old mutated monkey king went berserk.

It grabbed a railing and shook it violently, screeching like mad. Venting its rage wasn't enough; it charged straight at Qin Luo, its mouth stretching into a gaping maw. The sight of those sharp teeth sent chills down everyone's spine.

The other monkeys grew more agitated too, their shrieks merging into a deafening noise that left everyone's ears ringing.

It was agonizing.

Chen Xiaofei couldn't help swearing. "Can't beat us, so you're resorting to sonic attacks?!"

Xu Duoduo was the calmest of them all. After all, she didn't smell of living flesh, nor did she scream, so she hadn't drawn the monkeys' attention.

Wang Weihu noticed something too. He shouted at the survivors to stop screaming. The louder they screamed, the more excited the monkeys became. These creatures had a vicious streak to begin with, and bullying the weak while fearing the strong was in their nature. "Grab whatever you've got and fight back!"

He couldn't protect everyone on his own. As his roar reached the survivors' ears, a few finally remembered to fight back.

The monkeys weren't getting off easy either.

Xu Duoduo couldn't stay safe forever. Soon, a monkey set its sights on her too.

Luckily, she was more agile at night than during the day.

She rolled across the ground, dodging a crazed monkey that lunged at her.

Chen Xiaofei and Bai Shu both glanced her way. Relieved to see that she still knew to dodge, they returned to their own fights. They had to wipe out these monkeys. They just kept coming-how were there so many?

The other survivors couldn't take it either and shouted the same question.

Then someone said that monkeys were the most numerous animals at K City's zoo. No wonder so many had escaped.

The entire factory compound descended into chaos.

Xu Duoduo kept dodging monkeys too. After one roll, blood coated her clothes, seeping through the fabric and sticking wetly to her skin. It was deeply unpleasant.

She also discovered that her body had become much more agile. As she ran, she scooped up scattered cans and hurled them at the monkeys. Her aim was surprisingly good.

Every throw hit its mark.

When one can burst a Mutant Monkey's head open with a can, even Chen Xiaofei had to cheer. "Little Class Monitor, you're awesome! You could give Brother Qin a run for his money!"

Xu Duoduo had no time to bask in the praise. Her resistance had drawn the monkeys' attention, and the number of Mutant Monkeys chasing her grew from one to four or five.

Every Mutant Monkey was sizable, its mouth split all the way to its ears. Drool dripped constantly, mingled with blood and filth. It was revolting.

Xu Duoduo kept frowning as she fled alone into a fire escape, only to discover it was a dead end. She could only press herself against the wall and stare at the few Mutant Monkeys facing her. Their scarlet eyes looked especially terrifying beneath the emergency lights.

She steadied herself, but the Mutant Monkeys gave her little time. They lunged at her immediately.

The next second, she pulled out her chainsaw and yanked it to life. A tremendous buzzing roar filled the air.

Xu Duoduo's legs were trembling, but her grip on the chainsaw was steady. Her face showed no fear. Of course, she couldn't make a frightened expression anymore anyway.

By the time Chen Xiaofei and Bai Shu had finished off the Mutant Monkeys in the factory compound and reached Xu Duoduo, the sight before them left them silent for a long time.

She was covered in blood and filth, a chainsaw in her hands. The ceiling, floor, and walls were covered in severed Mutant Monkey limbs and splattered blood.

What kind of horror scene was this?!

Both Chen Xiaofei and Bai Shu looked grave. Bai Shu even tightened his grip on his gun.

"L-Little Class Monitor?"

Chen Xiaofei truly didn't want to face the possibility that his old classmate had completely lost her mind. The apocalypse had already taken too many friends and loved ones. Finding another familiar face was precious, and besides, the Little Class Monitor really was a good person.

She also had so many cans in her storage space, and a spatial ability was important too.

For both practical and personal reasons, he wanted her to be all right.

Bai Shu's heart was heavy too, afraid that Xu Duoduo no longer recognized them.

Instead, the little zombie facing them gave a reserved nod. She even murmured, "Mm."

Her tone was a little cute.

Both men immediately relaxed. "Man, we almost thought you'd completely lost your awareness."

Xu Duoduo didn't understand herself either. She had clearly become a zombie, yet she still had her wits. She lowered her head and looked at her blood-covered hands.

She felt a little lost.

The sudden monkey attack had reduced the survivors from just over a hundred to ninety-two. Those who remained looked numb.

They had probably suffered considerable psychological trauma.

Wang Weihu was treating the injured nearby. When the survivors asked whether they would become infected and mutate, he couldn't give them a definite answer.

Even the prophets couldn't predict the entire future, and the Survival Handbook wasn't all-powerful either.

Everyone felt a little hopeless.

Wang Weihu could only tell them to stay strong. He couldn't bring himself to say anything else.

Bai Shu and Chen Xiaofei were taking pictures and recording data on a tablet. Later, the data and written report would all be uploaded together. This information gathered on the front lines would play a crucial role in humanity's future survival.

Xu Duoduo found somewhere to stand and silently stared at the [mosaic] covering the ground.

Qin Luo had finished off the monkey king. One of his hands was drenched in blood and looked injured, but he held a crystal that gave off a faint green glow.

Bai Shu and Chen Xiaofei both stood up. "Brother Qin, is your hand okay?" "Is that thing a mutant core?"

Xu Duoduo caught the familiar term. It was something mentioned in the Doomsday Survival Manual too: [Mutant core], something that formed inside mutated creatures.

It was probably quite useful.

Bai Shu and Chen Xiaofei kept snapping pictures of it. Just then, Qin Luo looked over. Xu Duoduo was a little afraid of him now. When she'd first poked her head out to steal a look, his fierce gaze had given her quite a fright.

This guy would kill her.

So would anyone on his squad. But she also understood that if she truly lost her mind and became a man-eating monster, she would die.

If that happened, she would rather die anyway.

Having them end her life would be fine. She didn't have the courage to do it herself.

For a moment, things became rather awkward.

Chen Xiaofei tried to explain that Xu Duoduo still had her wits and was just about to start gesturing.

Then they heard a long stomach growl.

Xu Duoduo was hungry.

For some reason, the scent of the mutant core in Qin Luo's hand made her crave it.

It smelled a little like some lightly sweet fruit.

It made her desperately hungry.

Bai Shu and Chen Xiaofei were shocked too, because they had both realized that Xu Duoduo's stomach could actually growl. A zombie's stomach could rumble with hunger?

"Wait, what are we supposed to do if the Little Class Monitor's hungry?!"

Chen Xiaofei looked at Bai Shu, who shrugged to show that he didn't know either.

Qin Luo noticed that Xu Duoduo was staring at the mutant core in his hand, craving it desperately. Her gaze kept settling on it, yet she still forced herself to turn her face away.

"Holy shit, Brother Qin, you're giving that thing to the Little Class Monitor? What are you giving it to her for?"

Chen Xiaofei was the first to speak, stunned.

Bai Shu also tried to stop him. "Brother Qin."

Headquarters had ordered them to recover the mutant core.

When Xu Duoduo raised her head, she found that Qin Luo had already walked up to her. He held out the mutant core and asked, "Want it?"

She studied his expression. He didn't seem to be joking. She hesitated, torn between nodding and shaking her head. Eating a mutant core felt strange no matter how she thought about it.

That would make her even less human. She still felt a little ashamed.

But she was so hungry.