Leveling up

Little Zombie had no idea. Little Zombie wanted to hug that big tail, but she couldn't right now.

Xu Duoduo was so tempted.

He seemed to smell even tastier now~

Professor Ji happened to come back to find Qin Luo, only to discover that all four of them had completed their transformations. Delighted, he said, "You! Quick! Come with me, all of you. We'll do some ability monitoring together. You're not feeling too uncomfortable, are you?"

Qin Luo and the other three obediently shook their heads. They did feel a little uncomfortable and awkward, but it was tolerable.

Professor Ji whisked the four of them away and asked Xiao Qiao to keep Xu Duoduo company for a while.

That way, the little zombie wouldn't get bored.

"Don't worry. Our Research Center has excellent babysitting services. Your little zombie teammate won't wander off, and no one will bully her."

Worried they might still be uneasy, Professor Ji made a point of reassuring them before herding all four into the examination room for ability monitoring, smiling all the while.

Sure enough, Xiao Qiao came skipping over as soon as she received the instructions. Wearing a white lab coat with her hands behind her back, she smiled at the little zombie. "You're back, sweetie? Come on, come on. Let your big sister keep you entertained for a bit!"

The little zombie didn't really want to budge. She sat on a bench in the waiting area, swinging her feet.

Her eyes showed her indecision.

Seeing her dilemma, Xiao Qiao simply plopped down beside her. "Aw, that's okay. If you don't feel like looking around, we can wait for them right here!"

She was so considerate!

The little zombie happily swayed from side to side, and Xiao Qiao's heart nearly melted from the cuteness. "So? Going on missions with Captain Qin and the others must be tiring, huh?"

When Qin Luo and the other three came out, they found Xiao Qiao and the little zombie deep in a lively conversation.

Mostly, Xiao Qiao was doing all the talking.

"Exactly, exactly. So that bald old bastard got transferred out, and Professor Ji came to replace him. Our Professor Ji is seriously so gentle and so nice."

"You haven't been downtown yet, have you, sweetie? It's pretty lively over there. You can go have a look when you have time. As long as you follow the base rules, you'll be fine."

"I heard the higher-ups are even planning an awards ceremony for your squad. They're going to have the TV station film it for the news and show it on the big screens downtown. But the typhoon got in the way, so they had to postpone it."

"Da Qiao's apartment is on the ground floor. She planted another batch of little man-eating flowers, using seeds from that darling man-eating flower. Then they spat at her when she went out the other day, hahahaha! A whole bunch of little brats."

Qin Luo and the others were stunned. Did girls really have this much to say to each other?

The little zombie couldn't speak, but she could use her tablet. Her little fingers tapped away before she held it up, and Xiao Qiao would chatter on and on, all of it gossip.

It was entertaining, and she loved listening. Who didn't love gossip?

In the end, Qin Luo walked over and cleared his throat twice. "Xu Duoduo, time to go."

Then he exchanged a few polite words with Xiao Qiao. "Sorry for the trouble, having you look after her. Did we keep you from anything?"

Watching the little zombie hop off the bench and scamper happily over to Qin Luo, Xiao Qiao sighed helplessly. "She really is closer to you, after all."

Qin Luo reacted as though facing a mortal enemy, instinctively wrapping an arm around the little zombie. "What?! Are you saying you want to steal her away?"

No wonder!

No wonder a researcher this busy still had time to keep Xu Duoduo company!

His overprotective behavior looked utterly ridiculous.

Xiao Qiao's face filled with disdain. "Would I like to steal her away? Of course I would. Who wouldn't love such an adorable zombie baby? But I really am just doing my job. My lunch break is coming up. What's wrong with keeping her company before I clock out?"

If she really wanted to take her away for research, would she need to trick the little zombie like this? She could just tie her up and take her.

Her ability was vines, after all.

"Sweetie, if you ever get tired of following that idiot Captain Qin around, come find your big sister! Love you~"

Xiao Qiao made a heart gesture at the little zombie, then glanced at Qin Luo and clicked her tongue a few times. These guys' thought processes really were bizarre sometimes.

With that, she walked away, her footsteps tapping briskly.

Qin Luo: ...

I feel like I've been played!

Chen Xiaofei ran over too. "Our Little Class Monitor is way too popular. Everyone wants her."

Wang Weihu asked in confusion, "Baby??" The Little Class Monitor did look young, but surely she had nothing in common with a child?

Bai Shu understood perfectly. Pushing up his glasses, he said, "It's a term of affection between girls. Though calling the Little Class Monitor that isn't wrong either. Doesn't she have an unlimited lifespan?"

Measured against her current lifespan, she really was a baby still in her growth period.

Wang Weihu got it!

Qin Luo reached out and poked the little zombie's cheek. "Why are you so lovable?"

The little zombie didn't understand. All she could see were the twitching gray wolf ears on his head.

I want to squeeze them!

Seeing her stare at him nonstop, Qin Luo actually felt a little bashful. "I know you like me best. Stop staring. People will laugh if they see."

Chen Xiaofei and the other two let out exaggerated cries of "Ewww~" They could hardly bear to watch.

With their physical examinations finished, they prepared to head home.

Professor Ji had already given them the Mutant Core Dilution Injections, one small case each, with six more doses inside. For now, they were to take one injection every three days.

Xu Duoduo hadn't gone in with them earlier, so she didn't know.

As they walked, Qin Luo explained, "They've finished refining the ability-level assessment system. It uses tiers to classify abilities, from tier one to tier ten."

Those corresponded to mutant monsters' one-star through ten-star ratings.

Bai Shu added, "Right now, Qin Luo is the only one in our squad at mid-tier three. Wang and Xiaofei are both at late-tier two, while I've only just broken into tier two."

He had progressed a little more slowly because he had been shooting from a distance before and hadn't been severely injured by the Mutated Snake Person. That had left him a bit behind, but he had broken through after today's injection.

That showed just how powerful this mutation injection was. It was incredible for raising their levels!

Wang Weihu also said, "After getting the injection, I finally understood what Professor Ji meant by an empty shell. Your body is full of energy, but you don't know how to use it."

They hadn't fully adjusted to their transformations either.

Professor Ji had told them to explore the advantages of their own transformations and adjust their training accordingly.

For example, Qin Luo's thunder-type hidden wolf mutant core yielded the most unusual injection. It suited him extremely well, with a genetic compatibility rate as high as ninety-five percent.

The genetics here didn't refer to their own genes, but to how compatible the two sets of genes were when fused.

The injection had not only increased the power of his thunderstorm but also added a speed buff.

His wolf claws could serve as weapons too.

Professor Ji said that if he could eventually achieve a full transformation without losing control, he would be invincible. The problem was that special mutant cores like this were extremely rare.

If Qin Luo needed more injections later on, he would have to find a way to trade other mutant cores for thunder-type ones.

Chen Xiaofei's East Sea Azure mutant core was also a speed type, but he had been lucky too. It came with a wind-type ability. The two could complement each other to achieve even greater speed, and it also meant he could develop his own lethal moves.

Professor Ji had said that wind could be gentle or fierce. A tornado, for example, could attack a wide area.

He had even joked, "Isn't this like those games you young people play? What do you call it, an area-of-effect attack?"

In short, he wanted them to explore their abilities more and develop techniques of their own. He also said this surely wouldn't be difficult for young people like them.

It might be harder for middle-aged and elderly people to understand, but youngsters had played plenty of games before the apocalypse, so they were bound to learn quickly.