Qin Luo had to go to the second basement level to see a doctor, while Xu Duoduo was going with Professor Ji, Da Qiao, and Xiao Qiao to the eighth basement level. The research center was actually underground?
Xu Duoduo found it fascinating all over again. It felt as though she had stumbled into a strange new world.
She obediently cooperated with the three of them for a simple examination. It was much like the ones she had undergone before: routine tests, blood draws, CT scans, and so on.
In the end, they reached a curious conclusion. "Sweetie, you might well be the only zombified little one in our H City survivor base."
The tests showed that although Xu Duoduo had no heartbeat, her other organs were actually no different from those of an ordinary person. Even her brain had shown no signs of atrophy.
Before the apocalypse, this would have been extremely strange, but during the apocalypse, it seemed perfectly normal.
Xiao Qiao told Xu Duoduo with a smile, "I've even seen someone who was nothing but a brain, and he could still talk~"
Xu Duoduo's silence was deafening!
How terrifying!!
A talking brain!
That wasn't scientific at all!!
But when Xu Duoduo thought about it, she was a zombie with no heartbeat who could still walk and jump, and her mind was perfectly clear. That wasn't very scientific either!
Fine, then.
The apocalypse was full of strange things. It was as though the entire world had broken down.
Later, Professor Ji also helped investigate why she couldn't speak. No abnormalities turned up, and the final diagnosis was that it was probably psychological.
That made things a little tricky.
But Professor Ji was very gentle and told her there was no rush. "When you feel like speaking, it might just resolve itself naturally."
Finally, they recorded a series of measurements of her body and used a strange device to check her ability. In the end, they filled in the ability field with: none.
Huh??
The current equipment couldn't detect spatial abilities? Xu Duoduo immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
She loved stockpiling, stockpiling, and stockpiling some more, but she didn't like other people knowing what she had hidden away. That left her feeling far too insecure and took all the joy out of hoarding supplies.
Thankfully, they couldn't detect it.
Afterward, they tested her agility and found it was 1.5 times that of an ordinary person.
Their final conclusion was that she was just a useless little zombie who could probably live forever without aging, though that potential immortality was quite remarkable in itself.
Professor Ji, Da Qiao, and Xiao Qiao only asked Xu Duoduo to come to the research institute once a month from then on to donate blood. All three of them were somewhat disappointed by the findings.
But they were still gentle with Xu Duoduo. "Duoduo, what kind of work did you do before the apocalypse? We could arrange something similar for you, or you could help out around our research institute. It might be a little tiring, though."
Xu Duoduo was a little lost. Then she typed a line on the tablet-[I want to stay with Qin Luo and the others.]-and showed it to the three of them.
Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao immediately expressed their disappointment. "Aw, wouldn't it be nice to stay here at the research institute with us?" "Exactly! You may not have an ability, but you're the only human whose mutation took the form of a zombie. You'd only be cannon fodder on the front lines. Why follow a battle maniac like Qin Luo? Stay with us instead?"
Xu Duoduo still shook her head, stubbornly insisting on following Qin Luo. She felt uncomfortable at the research institute. All those people walking around in white coats still frightened her.
Professor Ji didn't push her, merely asking Da Qiao to bring over a watch-or perhaps it was better called a wristband. "This is the latest communication device. Most of the old electronics no longer work, but this does."
It was essentially portable Wi-Fi combined with all sorts of other functions. A tablet had to connect to its owner's wristband to work; otherwise, it had no signal.
The wristbands worn by ordinary people at the base couldn't even access the network. For now, only ability users had that privilege, because the base relied heavily on their abilities.
Rescuing survivors and retrieving supplies both depended on ability users. Ordinary people simply couldn't stand up to all the mutated creatures. Even the most common zombie virus could kill them.
For that reason, the base currently gave ability users priority when distributing its best resources.
Ability users and mutated people were two different things. Ability users were normal people with an added ability buff and enhanced overall physical capabilities.
Mutated people, on the other hand, usually no longer had normal human bodies. For example, the Rock Mutated Person who had been repairing the perimeter wall earlier could manifest rocky material in his muscles.
Science couldn't explain many things anymore, but researchers still had to do their best to understand them.
Anyone who could stand here calmly talking to a little zombie like Xu Duoduo in the early days of the apocalypse had to have exceptional mental resilience. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to keep doing their jobs.
Xiao Qiao gave Xu Duoduo a proximity key for her new room. Since Qin Luo wanted her as a prospective team member, naturally, she would live in the same building as him.
"We've loaded your room key onto your wristband too! Just scan it to enter the residential complex or your room!"
"Qin Luo should be nearly done. Sit here and wait for him so he can show you around."
Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao each left her with a few words, then went back to work without any worries.
Professor Ji also had new arrivals to attend to, so Xu Duoduo sat alone on a bench on the second basement level, waiting for Qin Luo to take her away.
It wasn't as though there was no one around her.
Genetic mutations caused some degree of physical change in both ability users and mutated people. Ability users, for instance, could also grow taller and more muscular.
As a result, even the benches at the research institute had been made wider and larger.
A burly man beside her was sleeping sitting up, snoring quite loudly. He fit the seat just right.
But when Xu Duoduo sat a little farther back, she could actually swing her legs. She looked around. People came and went without paying her much attention, all busy with their own affairs. Only occasionally did someone give her collar a second glance.
Feeling a little uncomfortable, she touched the cold collar. It did nothing to make her feel secure.
Then Qin Luo appeared in the corridor, emerging from an examination room with his shirt off. Bandages wrapped around his waist and abdomen and extended up his other arm. He had been injured while fighting the Mutant Monkey Group.
But afterward, he had acted as though nothing had happened, and Xu Duoduo had forgotten about it too. Although her brain hadn't atrophied, her thoughts did sometimes slow down.
Like right now.
Only when Qin Luo brushed the clothes in his hand over the top of her head, signaling for her to follow, did Xu Duoduo come back to herself. She hopped off the bench and followed him.
She stayed right on his heels.
Qin Luo glanced at Xu Duoduo's feet. When she had turned into a zombie, he had scooped her straight out of her room and carried her away without putting shoes on her.
Now her feet were covered in blood, all splattered on her while she used the chainsaw to kill the monkeys. Her pink bunny pajamas were filthy too.
Since Xu Duoduo was a zombie with tough skin, neither Da Qiao nor Xiao Qiao had thought to get her a pair of shoes, so she had remained barefoot all this time.
Qin Luo couldn't stand the sight. As they passed an examination room, he ducked inside, greeted someone, and snagged a pair of disposable slippers. They were thin, but better than nothing.
He looked down and told her to put them on.
Xu Duoduo felt as though even her dead body had grown a little warmer. She looked down at the slippers and pressed her lips together in a smile.
Qin Luo glanced at her without saying anything else, then turned and kept walking.
Xu Duoduo followed him.
Things had been a little awkward between them ever since the encounter with the Mutant Monkey Group, because Qin Luo had nearly shown murderous intent toward her.
Even though his reasoning had been perfectly sound.
It was still awkward.
Qin Luo was the only one feeling out of sorts.
Before you continue