Chapter 364: Lost Person, Zhao Feixuan
Meng Chao sank into deep thought.
He was not just pondering over what Xiao Fanghua told him.
He also thought about whether Zhao Feixuan’s wife, Xiao Fanghua, was connected to the fact that he turned into one of the ten great hunted lost people in Dragon City in the future.
Xiao Fanghua was not actually hoping that Meng Chao could give her an answer. She just smiled and continued moving forward.
A commotion was ahead of them.
A tent had collapsed and something was moving under it.
Many people surged forward in a disordered mess to look at it.
A lot of people pushed the curious away from the tent while shouting, “Zombie!”
Meng Chao and Xiao Fanghua looked at each other. They could see the urgency in the other’s eyes.
The Dragon Citizens had a lot of bacteria in their bodies. Usually, they achieved a subtle balance with their bodies’ immune system. Those bacteria could even stimulate a power hidden deep in their genes, which would allow normal people to turn into superhumans.
But once a person was gravely wounded, their immune systems would collapse. If they were bitten by pests with venom, the bacteria would also be activated. Then, it would turn a living person into a terrifying zombie who was completely wild.
Granny w.a.n.g had been Meng Chao’s neighbor, but after she was stabbed by the fangs of a Demonic Halberd Pig, the bacteria was activated in her, and she turned into a zombie.
After each fog attack, the Survival Committee would perform a zombie virus check on all the citizens who came into contact with monsters.
The examination of the citizens who had to enter a temporary shelter was especially strict.
However, as the large number of viruses and bacteria humans brought from Earth wreaked havoc in the Other World, the zombie virus continued evolving. Up to then, there were already dozens of subtypes.
Some of the mutated zombie viruses had especially long incubation periods, so it was especially difficult to find them. Other mutated variations were drug resistant. Even if the carrier were to be given all sorts of vaccines or gene medicine to combat the virus, it would be useless.
There were also some mutated zombie viruses that reacted intensely. Once a person was bitten by a pest that carried the virus, it would react within a short few minutes. It could burn the mitochondria hidden deep in a person’s cell, which would make a normal person instantly release the power of a superhuman, and after around ten minutes or so minutes, they would end up combusting.
Hence, zombies occasionally appeared in temporary shelters, which led to ma.s.sive casualties, and people growing fearful.
As superhumans, Meng Chao and Xiao Fanghua had the duty to handle the situation.
Both of them worked hard to squeeze through the crowd.
Then, they heard a hiss ahead of them. The st.u.r.dy tarpaulin above the tent was torn open by a pair of pus-covered claws with red nails.
A zombie with messy hair and deformed limbs crawled out.
Based on its features, they could tell that it had been a rather pretty woman.
But now, her eyes were red, and thick blood vessels as well as nerves spread out from her eyes in a radial fashion.
Her human features were also replaced by animalistic ones. She was obviously hungry.
Drool that looked like blood dribbled out from the corners of her mouth as she stared at the citizens around her. She growled from the back of her throat, and it sounded like cackling.
“This is bad. Her eyes are red. The blood vessels around her eyes have protruded on her skin in a radial fashion. This is the most domineering mutated zombie virus.”
Meng Chao frowned a little.
Even though he could not identify the precise type of the mutated zombie virus, based on the woman’s monstrous appearance and her burning vitality magnetic field, he could tell that her cells were going off like explosive cartridges. She had turned into another life form that was incredibly dazzling and terrifying, but would only remain alive for a short while.
The citizens around her cried out in surprise.
Everyone knew their stuff.
If she were a normal zombie, they would not need to be too afraid. As long as they were careful about not being bitten, they could all surge forward and kill the zombie.
But if a mutated zombie had such a terrifying appearance, their fighting strength would be of secondary importance. The most crucial thing was that the virus in them would be especially infectious. Forget about being infected through scratches or bites, if its drool or blood splashed on someone’s skin, there would be a certain chance for them to become the next monster.
Hence, the citizens who originally wanted to help started screaming while retreating. They crashed into a few tents and made them collapse. The situation was incredibly chaotic.
Once the mutated zombie was stimulated by the noise, the blood vessels around its eyes protruded even further. It looked as if its bloodshot eyes had grown five times their original size, and they now occupied its entire face.
The zombie bared its teeth and took two steps toward the crowd.
Suddenly, crying sounds could be heard behind the zombie.
Something moved under the collapsed tent. Soon, a girl of about four crawled out through the gap that the mutated zombie had torn in the tent.
She had to be the mutated zombie’s child.
The activation period of the mutated zombie virus was very short. Perhaps a few minutes ago, the mother had been pleasantly telling a story to the girl or playing a game with her. She might even have been cooking a simple but warm meal for her.
But due to a small wound on her body, in just a few minutes, the mother turned into another person.
The girl had yet to wrap her head around it.
She opened her mouth and with a dazed expression stood in front of the zombie.
It might have been because she was scared stiff, but it also might have been because she could tell that the zombie was her beloved mother based on the clothes she was wearing and she thought that she would never hurt her.
A conflicted look appeared in the mutated zombie’s eyes, which were like red vortices by then.
But as the virus swiftly reached the brain and her final human consciousness was devoured by the rampaging instinct to feed, the zombie brought its sharp claws high up into the air.
Meng Chao swiftly brought out the mini-submachine gun he had hidden at his waist and aimed at the zombie’s temple.
The exquisite gun was no larger than half the size of his palm, but it had unique bullets with crystals embedded in them and runic symbols carved into them. Besides, Meng Chao’s Basic Gun Technique was already at Perfect Level, so he could definitely split the mutated zombie’s head open.
“Don’t!”
Meng Chao was about to pull the trigger when he heard someone shout at him.
Then, a nimble figure shot between the zombie and the girl like an arrow. He hugged the girl and revealed his spine to the mutated zombie.
Whoosh!
The mutated zombie virus could allow a normal person’s cells to enter an “awakened” state for a short period of time. They would then possess strength that was equivalent to that of a superhuman.
When the mutated zombie swiped at him, the person’s back was clawed open, and white bone could be seen.
The person grunted, but he did not bother about his own well-being. Instead, he tossed the girl in Meng Chao’s direction. “Catch her!”
When he saw that Meng Chao had caught the girl, he did a back kick like a scorpion thrusting its tail backward. He hit the mutated zombie legs, and it fell to the ground. The man then brought out a pouch that released a nice fragrance.
The mutated zombie fell down swiftly, but jumped up just as swiftly.
That person grabbed something that looked like powder or paint. Then, he turned around and smeared it all over the mutated zombie’s face.
His fingers twisted in five different directions. They moved like snakes and drew five profound and complicated runic symbols at the same time on the mutated zombie’s face.
The mutated zombie became stiff, as if a petrification spell had been cast on it. Even its growls were frozen in its throat.
The man couldn’t care less about the blood flowing down his back. He had a focused expression as he continued mumbling under his breath. He moved his hand freely and used his blood as well as the runic ink in his pouch to draw more than one hundred runic symbols on the mutated zombie’s face, chest, stomach, and limbs. His movements were dazzling.
When he drew a runic symbol that was as small as a fly on the mutated zombie’s last toe, he sighed in relief and pressed his palms together. His spirit energy then spread out swiftly.
Something unbelievable happened.
Within a short half a minute, the more than one hundred runic symbols drawn on the mutated zombie’s body began to shine brilliantly, as if they were lightbulbs connected to electricity.
The mutated zombie twitched violently, as if it was dancing some strange dance, but based on its expression, it was not in great pain.
On the contrary, as the runic symbols burned, drops of dark red blood flowed out of the mutated zombie’s pores. The smell was foul, but it was instantly dispelled by the flames of the runic symbol.
In a short moment, the protruding blood vessels on the mutated zombie’s face became flat. The red eyes that resembled red vortices and occupied half of its face slowly returned to normal.
A sound came from the zombie’s throat, which resembled a ball of air rising up. A faint red, poisonous fog gushed out, and the zombie fell face first. As the sharp nails fell off, it seemed to have returned to being an asleep woman.
When the person saw that the mutated zombie was no longer moving, he exhaled and put on a charming smile. He gestured at Meng Chao to help him.
Meng Chao hesitated for a moment.
It was not that he was unwilling to help. It was just that he had managed to recognize the person.
Zhao Feixuan, one of the ten great lost people of the Dragon City in his previous life, a criminal who had killed countless people and might have been even more terrifying than the Supernatural Ent.i.ties.
“Old Zhao!”
Before Meng Chao could adjust his emotions, Xiao Fanghua rushed forward.
When Zhao Feixuan saw his wife suddenly appear and glare at him, he looked like a student who had done something wrong and was caught red-handed by his teacher.
But he then remembered that his wife was pregnant, and his expression changed drastically. He waved his head and said, “Don’t come! It’s dangerous here!”
“You have the guts to tell me that it’s dangerous?!” Xiao Fanghua was angry and anxious. As she looked at the terrifying wound on his back, her heart ached for him. She stomped on the ground and said, “Then why did you rush over?! This is a problem that could have been solved by a gun!”
“If we used a gun, she would have definitely died.” Zhao Feixuan smiled. “I can use runic symbols to control her vitality magnetic field, so her cells would enter a state of suspended animation, as if they’ve entered hibernation. I can get rid of the virus for her, which will give her a chance to survive.”
The acute mutated zombie virus might have astonishing damage, but since it activated too quickly, it could not fully invade all of the organs and most of the brain in a human body.
However, destroying the virus and helping an infected person return to normal was just a theoretical possibility.
Meng Chao went forward and found that while the mutated zombie was enveloped by Zhao Feixuan’s runic symbols, it was still breathing lightly and its heart was beating. But the frequency was very low. The woman only breathed once or twice per minute. The same went for her heartbeat.
Perhaps she could be considered to be sleeping in a state between life and death.
Meng Chao cast a glance at Zhao Feixuan’s back. The wound was rotting away, and red was swiftly spreading all over the place. He frowned and said, “The zombie virus has already activated. Even if you want to save her, the chances are very low. You didn’t have to take that risk. Even superhumans can’t fight all the viruses.”
“Even if the hope is small, it’s not zero.” Zhao Feixuan was in such pain that he was twitching. Even so, his eyes remained bright. “Besides, the girl is right in front of us. She might have a psychological trauma she will never be able to get rid of if she sees her mother’s head blasted open before her eyes. Even if we can’t do anything to treat her, at the very least, we should let the girl remember her mother at her most beautiful, don’t you think so?”