Mutant Core Dilution Injection

They had to adjust to everything in this new world all over again.

After eating and drinking their fill, they left a mess on the table, and everyone helped clean up.

By the time they finished, it was already ten thirty at night.

Everyone headed back to their own homes.

Xu Duoduo returned to her little nest, too. She had only spent one night in this new home.

She bustled around, taking things out of her storage space to decorate it.

She set out adorable plush toys and little ornaments, changed the curtains to the warm colors she liked, and replaced the rug with a light green one.

The bath mat outside the bathroom had to be made of absorbent diatomaceous earth, and she put all her toiletries into the cabinet above the bathroom sink.

She replaced the kitchen's fridge magnets with cute ones and added some everyday seasonings.

Only then did her little nest feel like home.

Xu Duoduo ran herself ragged, moving the living room cabinet to a new spot one moment and replacing the four-piece bedding set and sofa cover the next.

Since her fingers couldn't handle delicate work, even putting on a duvet cover took her ages.

When she finally finished, she went to sit on the living room's bay window seat and stared into space. The outdoor broadcasts had stopped, and only dim lights bright enough to see by remained on throughout the residential complex. It was quiet below, with no one outside.

The enormous perimeter wall stood conspicuously ahead of her, yet its presence felt reassuring.

Little Zombie hugged her tablet and browsed the forum again, finding quite a few bizarre posts. Unfortunately, they were already locked, though that didn't stop her from reading them.

The latest research report had become a trending topic on the forum, and everyone was discussing it.

- I'd heard rumors that mutant cores were the key to upgrading abilities, but I didn't really believe them. Who knew it was actually true??

- Fuck, mutant cores are so hard to get. What are the low-ranking combat squads supposed to do?!

- Another injection, and something you put straight into your body, too. Is this really safe?

- Hilarious. If you're scared, don't use it! So many researchers went without food or drink to develop it, and you're still afraid to use it?

- Whoever wants it can have it. I'm going to wait and see. Who knows what'll happen after you get the shot?

- You're worrying over nothing. Do you think just anyone gets to use this stuff? I just got firsthand information. Ordinary squads like ours won't get a turn with the first batch. The top squads get priority.

- Oh, so you don't want it? In the future, you won't even be able to find a way to buy it. Just wait. After the apocalypse, the gap between people will only get wider.

Seeing everyone arguing in the thread, Xu Duoduo quickly switched to another post, turning her attention to real-time disaster reports.

It wasn't just her own country suffering. Other countries around the world were enduring terrifying disasters, too.

A massive earthquake in Country R had caused seawater to surge inland, and there were probably hardly any survivors left. International rescuers wanted to help but couldn't. Everyone was overwhelmed by their own troubles. Who had time to worry about anyone else? They were all busy fleeing for their lives.

The whole world had descended into chaos.

As Xu Duoduo scrolled through videos, she saw that the zombies overseas were several times more vicious. Those were true zombie sieges, with zombies sprinting madly after people to catch and eat them.

The videos were filled with screams and the sounds of biting and chewing.

An enormous monster had even appeared in Country M, a plus-sized version of an ordinary zombie. Its entire body was covered in zombies, like a gigantic humanoid furnace.

Anyone swallowed into it vanished without so much as a splash of blood.

People screamed and fled in every direction. Most could only rely on themselves to escape.

There was no order at all.

Most countries' satellites had malfunctioned, planes couldn't take off, and some stretches of sea were completely shrouded in fog, making even ships unable to travel.

Contact between countries had all but ceased.

They could only fend for themselves.

It wasn't just monsters of every kind. There were weather disasters, too: tornadoes, blizzards, and tumbleweeds that suddenly ran rampant, so numerous they nearly engulfed an entire country.

Looking at those mutated tumbleweeds, Xu Duoduo thought they resembled spiky balls. They raced wildly through the streets of one country, with quite a few people impaled on them.

It was horrifying.

Comments had been disabled under these videos. Everyone could only watch.

They couldn't comment.

Humanity seemed so insignificant in the face of disaster. This was certainly no time for jokes!

After watching these videos, all she could feel was relief that order in her own country hadn't collapsed yet.

They had swiftly established three major bases in the three largest, most structurally sound and reliable cities.

Using those three strongholds as support, they sent aid to other cities. More than half the fallen zones had already been reclaimed, while every effort was being made to maintain stability in the chaos zones.

The goal was to turn the chaos zones into smaller bases. Choosing their locations was crucial, too. They had to withstand natural disasters and be far from the coastline.

All the coastal regions had already begun relocating inland.

Oversight of ability users and mutated people had also been tightened, and new laws were being drawn up.

Xu Duoduo struggled to absorb it all. The apocalypse hadn't even begun that long ago, yet her once-peaceful life already felt like something from many years past.

It left the little zombie dazed.

Early the next morning.

A typhoon was approaching outside, but since it hadn't arrived yet, the weather was hot and muggy.

The sky was bright.

There wasn't the slightest sign of rain, but now it felt more like the calm before the storm.

Qin Luo woke Xu Duoduo so they could gather and head to Professor Ji's. Apparently, the Mutant Core Dilution Injection had just arrived, and the professor wanted them to come test its effects.

When they reached the research center, Professor Ji was still explaining its use to other combat squads. Upon seeing them, he immediately waved the five of them over.

"Come here. I'll explain the situation first, and then you can decide whether you want the injection."

They entered a conference room, where Professor Ji first showed them a slideshow. For now, the injection couldn't be made widely available, so these informational briefings could only be held privately.

"Everyone's body is different. After the injection, you may experience various side effects, including dizziness, fever, vomiting, and so on. You could even enter a state of heat."

Professor Ji explained each point to them. "But the effects are significant, too. Everyone absorbs it differently. If you can put it to good use, it will bring a major improvement to your physical constitution."

After that, he clicked to the next slide, which displayed illustrations. "Mutant cores extracted from different creatures have different effects. After the injection, you can temporarily gain the abilities of that mutant core."

The image showed an elephant, and the mutant core extracted from it was an earthy yellow.

"For example, this strength-type mutant core can provide a temporary boost in strength after injection. The test subject was a seventeen-year-old girl who had attended a martial arts school. After using it, she could unleash a kick that blew apart a two-star mutant lizardman's head. Astonishing explosive power, wouldn't you say?"

There were plenty of cases like this, all results obtained through the research institute's tireless, round-the-clock experiments.

Qin Luo and the others were already too stunned for words. Xu Duoduo was staring wide-eyed, dumbfounded, too.

"Wait, that girl just now, and the older guy after her, and this young guy-why do their bodies look so weird? Are they cosplaying?! Elephant tails, leopard ears, all that stuff."

Qin Luo pointed it out, and Chen Xiaofei and the others nodded vigorously along with him.

Professor Ji gave a slightly embarrassed cough. "Didn't I say that the injection currently has some side effects? Partial animal-like changes to the human body are one of them. They're more obvious in some people than others."

"But those features will disappear as the body metabolizes the injection. You won't stay that way forever."

Qin Luo and the others fell silent. Why did these side effects feel so bizarre??

What if a grown man ended up sporting kitty ears or something...

What a lovely sight that would be.

All four grown men looked utterly grim, as though they had lost the will to live.

The little zombie's eyes, on the other hand, sparkled as she kept sneaking glances at the four of them.

Why was she actually looking forward to it?!