Wasteland Rebirth

Chuxiang, perplexed, said, "Since you are an intelligent program, don't tell me you can't access that information."

Bai Xiaowei nodded, replying, "Yes, my access is restricted. Only when your level evolves will my permissions increase. If you wish to learn more, you must evolve quickly. I, too, am eager to uncover what lies within those files."

"Evolve my ass," Chuxiang retorted. "You've seen our team. The injured are injured, the young are young, and the rest are either women or rookies. We're out of weapons, ammunition, and vehicles. Yet, the zombies are becoming increasingly formidable. Last night, we encountered three mutated wild bulls that nearly wiped us out. Furthermore, the zombies seem to have mutated— their movements are no longer sluggish but as nimble as monkeys. They even extend a tongue over a meter long to kill. At this rate, it won't take long before we're finished."

Bai Xiaowei replied, "I can find data on these mutated zombies. According to my master's research, long-tongued zombies are classified as T3. I didn't expect them to evolve so quickly."

"T3?" Chuxiang asked.

Bai Xiaowei confirmed, "Yes, T1 and T2 are more common; I'm sure you've encountered them. T1 appears within hours of infection and soon evolves into T2. T1 zombies, freshly mutated, have a pale complexion, a result of the T-virus causing rapid cell death, which then accumulates on the surface, creating that ghostly pallor. They are slow but strong. If caught, they're a serious threat, as their sole action is mechanically tearing at their prey to spread the infection, much like human reproductive instincts."

Chuxiang had indeed seen many T1 zombies, with their pale skin resembling the zombies from films. "And what about T2?"

Bai Xiaowei explained, "T1 zombies evolve into T2 within 12 to 24 hours. As their metabolism accelerates, they need to consume energy from external sources. At this stage, they no longer just tear at things for the sake of it but become predatory, hunting fresh human victims, tearing them apart. As the virus rapidly spreads, their skin begins to decay and slough off, revealing their bones— a grotesque sight."

Chuxiang had encountered many such zombies, their skin falling off in chunks, their movements slow, and their vision poor, though their sense of smell was sharp. Still, if one wasn't surrounded, escaping was usually easy. "So, T3 must evolve from T2, right? Does this mean that the conditions for evolution are now ripe, and many T2 zombies will soon evolve into T3?"

Bai Xiaowei nodded, "Correct, T3 evolves from T2, but don't worry. Not all T2 zombies will evolve into T3. The evolution rate is only one in a thousand. T3 zombies grow a third eye beneath their neck, granting them superior vision, and their mouths sprout long tongues to aid in hunting. Their bodies become horribly deformed. They possess strength five times that of a normal human and are capable of running at high speed. They are incredibly agile and difficult to deal with."

"One in a thousand?" Chuxiang muttered to himself. Cities with populations in the hundreds of thousands— and some with millions— are common. This evolution rate is staggering. These T3 zombies aren't like T1 or T2, which could serve as targets for surviving humans. Their attack power is immense, on par with mutated four-legged creatures. Who knows how many humans will fall victim to them?

Bai Xiaowei commented, "Isn't it high? These are the results from my master's research. If you have objections, go talk to her."

Chuxiang rolled his eyes. "Where am I supposed to find her? You say she looks like you. Is she fooling me? I've never seen such a beautiful scientist."

Bai Xiaowei smiled with a self-absorbed expression, her eyes glistening as though she was trying to seduce Chuxiang. She added, "Once you evolve to a higher level, you'll meet my master. The probability of T3 evolving into T4 is also one in a thousand. Based on the ratios, around 1,500 T4s will emerge globally, with at least 500 of them in East Asia."

Chuxiang nearly collapsed in shock. Zhang Jingyao, walking ahead, turned back and asked, "Chuxiang, what's wrong? You're just walking behind, mumbling to yourself."

Chuxiang wiped the cold sweat off his forehead. "Nothing. Just playing on my phone."

Su Yulian, with her pretty face turned back, said, "You still have time to play games?"

Chuxiang chuckled, trying to cover up, "Yeah, can't forget to have a little fun while running for our lives."

As they walked, no wandering zombies or T3 long-tongue mutants were in sight. Zhang Jingyao, not paying attention to Chuxiang, continued talking with Su Yulian while they hurried along.

Chuxiang pulled out his PDA again. "Hey, don't scare me. Now there's a T4? And over 500 in East Asia? That means there could be three or four hundred of them in our country alone."

Bai Xiaowei leaned her chin on her hand and responded, "Roughly. Although T4 is considered the human endgame, it's still weaker than the T5 zombies, the real terminators."

Chuxiang nearly cried. "Don't scare me. I don't even know how to deal with T3, and now you're talking about T4 and T5. Are we ever going to survive?"

Bai Xiaowei replied, "Don't worry. T4 and T5 are just theoretical speculations from the lab."

Chuxiang relaxed a little. "That's more like it. Maybe these evolutions won't happen after all."

Bai Xiaowei added, "But so far, all my master's theoretical speculations have proven correct, including the T3 you just mentioned. So, T4 and T5 are likely to appear. If you don't want to be hunted by them, you'd better evolve quickly. Otherwise, I can't help you. Don't ask me for data on T4 and T5; my master cannot provide such detailed predictions. All we know is that their names alone suggest they will be incredibly powerful."

Chuxiang fell silent for a long time, thinking to himself, I'll just stay in the base from now on. As long as I don't provoke T4, T5, or T6, I'll be fine. But recalling Bai Xiaowei's mention of crawlers, he asked, "What are crawlers? Are they monsters that crawl?"

Bai Xiaowei's answer was simple. "Anything that moves on four legs can be classified as a crawler. If we were to grade them, we'd assign them to the T1, T2, or T3 categories. There's no T4 or higher for crawlers because the T4 zombies have already merged with them. Crawlers are far stronger than zombies at any level, as you've already seen. The three mutated bulls you encountered last night weren't even T2."

Chuxiang's face paled further. Bai Xiaowei's words made him even more determined to take Su Yulian to Beijing, then hide deep within the base with his parents, staying as far away as possible from rural areas and zoos, where crawlers were most numerous.

"By the way, let me check if your physical stats have increased," Bai Xiaowei offered.

Chuxiang agreed without hesitation. The stronger he became, the more confident he'd be. Even if he didn't send Su Yulian to Beijing, he still needed to find his parents and sister in S Province. With a quick use of the blood extraction device on the pen, the results came back. Compared to the last test, Chuxiang's physical stats had improved, though he was still far from reaching the level of a D-grade lieutenant.