In the chaos, Ling Yao woke up uneasily.
Fortunately, he didn't turn into a zombie like he complained.
But it’s really just a little bit off.
In the past few days after waking up, Ling Yao was isolated in a separate room. Although he did not receive the memory of "Si Rui", he heard a lot of news during his sleep and pieced together his own situation.
It's the early days of the end of the world when zombies are coming. Everyone still doesn't understand the reasons for the emergence of zombies. However, the production order and social order have basically collapsed, and new forces have not yet been established.
In fact, for most people, they have not even accepted the existence of living things like zombies.
Everyone only knows the most basic facts: being injured by zombies may lead to infection.
As for their group, they were a group of college students with family connections, as well as some classmates who escaped with them.
Although most of them were confused, they were lucky enough to escape the first zombie outbreak, which had the highest mortality rate, and successfully formed a team.
While many people were still busy running for their lives, they collected a lot of supplies, achieved short-term food and clothing, and even occupied a small building as a temporary stronghold.
Although this stronghold is not particularly safe and will still face zombie attacks from time to time, being able to occupy the stronghold shows that the team has the initial ability to resist zombies.
However, things may not always be smooth sailing. Not long ago, they were attacked by zombies again, and the owner of the body he was in, Si Rui, was scratched by the zombies during the defense.
Although the wound was not serious, Si Rui had already fallen into a high fever by the time his companions found out.
Including Si Rui, there were a total of four wounded in this attack.
The young people still have justice and passion, not to mention that they are all familiar with each other, so they are not willing to abandon their companions even if they take the risk that the injured may turn into zombies.
Of course, they were not stupid, but tied up Si Rui and others and isolated them, hoping that the wounded could survive this on their own.
But the situation is not good. Previously, a man and a woman failed to escape their bad luck and were killed after turning into zombies.
Although the remaining person did not become a zombie, he did not survive the high fever and stopped breathing on his own.
The companions are anxiously waiting for Si Rui's situation to change - but in their hearts, hope is getting slimmer.
And now Ling Yao has taken over Si Rui's body. Obviously, Si Rui himself is dead.
But fortunately, Si Rui did not die from mutation, so his body did not turn into a zombie.
Otherwise, Ling Yao will really join the zombie army at the beginning.
The high fever in his body gradually subsided. His companions did not release him from isolation immediately, but they loosened his bonds.
Someone began to bring him meals, and more carefully observed whether he had really returned to his normal state.
Although he has never left the room, Ling Yao has already noticed that if he can arrange all kinds of work in an orderly manner at the beginning of the end of the world, there must be a very experienced and prestigious leader in the team who is in charge of the overall situation.
He thought of the information on the login box at the beginning: his current identity is that of a "good brother who shares weal and woe" with the protagonist.
Could it be that the leader of this team is the protagonist?
That makes sense. After all, the protagonist is "reborn", so of course he has experience in dealing with the apocalypse.
"Actually, Brother Hang is also worried about you. But no one has ever been able to survive after being injured by a zombie before. Most people are skeptical of Brother Hang's words. They always feel that he said this because you are his friend. If he comes again Looking at you, it’s even more shocking.”
The young man who came to deliver the food was named Song Runqiu. And the Brother Hang he talks about is the current leader of the team, Gao Zihang.
"I understand. Ahem...I can only survive thanks to him."
Ling Yao actually doesn't know what the relationship between "Si Rui" and Gao Zihang is, so this topic is not suitable to go into depth.
"What's the situation outside...how is it now?"
Song Runqiu didn't look defeated, but he shook his head:
"It's not good. Several waves of zombies have come. Although no one was injured these times, everyone doesn't dare to go out again. Seeing the supplies being depleted little by little, everyone is inevitably anxious."
"Brother Hang wants to go out to find food by himself. But the others are unwilling, fearing that without Brother Hang guarding the stronghold, the stronghold will soon be overrun by zombies."
There are many people and supplies in the university town, but correspondingly, there are also many zombies now. This situation was unexpected by Ling Yao.
He also heard something unusual:
"Then he is...ahem...alone...ahem! Can he be stopped?"
Ling Yao didn't know what Si Rui usually called Gao Zihang, so he could only cough to cover it up. Fortunately, Song Runqiu didn't notice the clue:
"Yes, Brother Hang is the only one in the team who has awakened his powers, and we can't help him much. We're just afraid that he won't be able to withstand it one day if he tries too hard.
"But Brother Hang said that if you survive it, you should be able to awaken your powers. This way, there will be people to go out and guard!"
Ling Yaoxiang, this is probably the fundamental reason why others are willing to tolerate them occupying rooms for isolation, and even continue to deliver food to them even as supplies continue to be consumed.
It seemed that Gao Zihang really wanted "Si Rui" to survive and become his companion, so he planned this in such detail and persuaded everyone to give Si Rui such "preferential treatment."
If Gao Zihang is really the protagonist, then Ling Yao will shed tears of lasagna - it is the first time he has experienced the preferential treatment given to him by the protagonist!
Who wants to be a villain? Whoever wants to be someone else should do it!
"That's right, Brother Rui. Do you feel like your powers are awakened? If you really awaken your powers, those people will definitely not say anything more!"
Ling Yao was silent for a while and shook his head slightly:
"I'm not sure, ahem, it seems a little different, but it's too vague. I also hope... ahem, cough!"
"Oh, don't be anxious! It's my fault for bringing this up. There's no need to rush this matter, and what if it doesn't happen!"
Song Runqiu wanted to reach out and pat him on the back, but thinking of other people's instructions, he finally retracted his hanging hand, but his tone was rather angry.
"Those people are too much! It seems that giving you a ration is a huge luxury. Except for Brother Hang, everyone's contribution to the team is almost the same! Brother Hang hasn't said anything yet! Since you have survived it, What’s the difference between you and them! If you can’t eat, why should they? What’s the difference between them doing this and expecting others to die?!”
Ling Yao didn't answer.
In fact, based on his understanding of the so-called "apocalypse" and the direction of his deduction, in today's world, even if he openly "hopes for others to die", it is nothing more than the most superficial malice.
In the future, it will probably not be uncommon to see actual actions taken to "promote the death of others."
However, Song Runqiu in front of him, and even most people in this world, are just members of a smoothly operating legal society so far.
Under the sudden disaster, while still able to maintain basic food and clothing, they still temporarily maintained their past moral concepts and were unable to accept the ugly human nature that had been suppressed.
And Ling Yao actually wanted to curse.
If the world in Star Source was the second world he traveled through, he might still be able to accept it well.
Because the great world of Mang Sheng is also a place where the weak prey on the strong. Even though Ling Yao has Changling Sword Gate at his back, he is luckier than most people in the world. Both he and the people around him can be the "stronger" side. But I have already become familiar with and accepted the laws of how this world works.
But he happened to experience the small world of Yuandu in the middle, and experienced the broad, stable, and gentle environment of a society ruled by law. He even contributed a lot to the operation of such a society——
Let him witness the collapse of the rule of law society in another world and the rapid decline of human morality into hell. Without even thinking about it, his sense of contrast will definitely explode.
But then again, he should probably be more grateful that he has experienced the small world of Yuandu, had the opportunity to come into contact with the concept of "apocalypse" and even various literary works, and had the opportunity to learn many modern related technical skills to prepare himself in this world. The foundation is laid for life in the apocalypse.
Yes, before he came to this world, he had already been told by the trolls that "the next world will be the end of the world".
In fact, after the "end" of the last world, the Tucao servants were silent for a long time.
And just when Ling Yao even gradually forgot that there was a "complaint bug" on his mobile phone, they started to complain about this new book.
Although the progress of the story in the new world had just begun, Ling Yao "burped".
But from the few words of the complainers, he still got the basic settings of the new world and the protagonist.
Whether it is "the end of the world" or "rebirth", they are all "fresh" themes for Ling Yao. Therefore, he began to collect various types of apocalyptic novels to enrich his "knowledge".
When his old colleagues saw his new "interests and hobbies", they praised him for being quite fashionable.
Who can understand his sadness? If he is not fashionable, his eyes will be black in the next world!
However, the basic settings of the apocalyptic novels are similar, but the specific details are varied. Therefore, instead of memorizing setting details that may not match at all, Ling Yao later chose to invest more time in learning skills such as "wilderness survival" and "machine manufacturing".
He believes that he is better able to adapt to life in the apocalypse than most people here.
However...the ideal is very plump, but the reality is a bit skinny.
After Ling Yao thoroughly proved his "safety" and was released from isolation with Gao Zihang's approval, everyone was once again attacked by a small wave of zombies - this was also the first time Ling Yao, as Si Rui, saw the "true face" of zombies ".
Then.
He vomited.
It wasn't because of how bloody the battle was, but because he was disgusted by the zombies.
Ling Yao felt that this incident could be written into one of the top ten black historical events in his life.
But actually his reaction is understandable. In fact, the vast majority of people here had a much greater reaction than Ling Yao after seeing zombies and regaining consciousness.
The green and oozing skin, the twisted and slender limbs, the raised tumors, the dislocated torso...these ugly and disgusting appearances are just the first wave of mental attacks.
What really attacked Ling Yao was that these "monsters" were once living people, no different from him.
Moreover, what shocked him even more than the broken limbs in the Mangsheng World and the Rukawa Underground Base at that time was that these "monsters" were even "alive".
He had been "comfortable" in the previous world for too long, and his mental endurance suddenly dropped a lot. You know, the last time Ling Yao vomited like this was the first time he took a human life with his own hands as a child.
Of course, compared to that time, Ling Yao recovered very quickly.
After a brief physiological reaction, Ling Yao's first reaction was whether this behavior that was not in line with "Si Rui" would expose him.
Fortunately, there are still many people who are disgusted by zombies.
And his suddenly serious reaction was quickly attributed to the psychological shadow of his narrow escape from zombies last time.
Ling Yao calmed down and secretly warned himself to "pay attention to his personality" next time.
However, despite the vomiting, he helped Kao fight off several zombies.
He even released electric sparks when he was so stimulated.
When he finally calmed down, he realized that everyone was looking at him with different expressions.
He suddenly realized that he seemed to have accidentally used the so-called "superpower" in this world just now, and he used it very naturally.
It was at this time. Only then did Ling Yao realize that the reason why he couldn't feel the existence of superpowers before was probably not because of the scarcity of superpowers, but because he was too "accustomed" to superpowers.
He could only vaguely feel the difference, but instead regarded most of the energy from the supernatural power as part of his own body.
Everyone may have different thoughts, but overall, Ling Yao's "awakening" is definitely a good thing.
This means that this small team has a second superpower, and Gao Zihang finally has the opportunity to leave the team and find new food.
Ling Yao watched everyone's performance and figured out what the relationship between Si Rui and others was.
But what makes him most unpredictable is Gao Zihang——
He didn't seem surprised, nor was he happy or unhappy, but showed a kind of indifference and calmness that "should be the case".
He quickly explained his plan to Ling Yao, explained the current personnel situation of the stronghold and matters that needed attention, and arranged for Ling Yao to guard the stronghold while he took one person out to collect supplies.
Gao Zihang arranged everything in an orderly manner, which could even be said to be a nanny-style arrangement.
But there is only a little bit of kindness and care missing - even a hint of caution that is difficult to see in ordinary people in the early days of the apocalypse.
If Ling Yao didn't know that Gao Zihang might be "reborn", he might have thought that although Gao Zihang and Si Rui were good brothers on the surface, they had some objections to Si Rui secretly.
But since he knew that Gao Zihang might be the protagonist, Ling Yao felt that this reaction was reasonable:
It shows that in the previous life, Gao Zihang and Si Rui did have a relationship, and he knew that Si Rui would awaken the lightning-type ability, and knew that Si Rui had the ability to be a temporary leader of a small team!
But similarly, in the last life, the relationship between Gao Zihang and Si Rui in the later period was not as good as he imagined, at least it was definitely not a "good brother" relationship.
Otherwise, Gao Zihang would have doubts about his personality change, or he would be happy about his "recovery of strength."
In fact, Ling Yao's sixth sense told him that perhaps Gao Zihang's subconscious was afraid that Si Rui would "seize power"!
So he would rather work hard to take care of everything for Si Rui. While making Si Rui trust him, he also makes everyone else realize that even if there is a superpower like Si Rui, there is someone who can really care about them, save them, and lead them. It's still him, Gao Zihang.
However, this is just Ling Yao's guess. Moreover, Gao Zihang's attitude is actually a good thing for the current Ling Yao.
After all, in a post-apocalyptic environment, people's personalities are inherently susceptible to impact and change. However, Gao Zihang, the only one who might understand "what kind of person Si Rui will be in the future", is not familiar with Si Rui's personality, and even helps Ling Yao manage it. With everything in the team in place, it can be said that Ling Yao basically has no risk of losing his vest.
Although it seems that losing one's vest without scientific basis is not a big deal, in the sensitive early days of the apocalypse, the slightest abnormality may be identified as related to the zombie virus, and thus be ostracized and expelled by the human group. Maybe one day he will become a zombie. A member of the zombie army.
As the "good brother of the protagonist", the fastest way Ling Yao can think of to become hostile to the protagonist is to become a zombie! He must not set such a flag for himself, okay!
Gao Zihang's agreed time to go out is seven days. Although there are always some dissatisfied voices in the team, as if they are afraid that Gao Zihang will abandon them and leave alone, most people still have self-awareness and choose to "trust" Gao Zihang's arrangement.
Because of this, Ling Yao, who temporarily took over the team, did not encounter any major obstacles and took this opportunity to get deeper into the team.
Of course, he also knew that the people in this team were divided and would one day face contradictions and conflicts, so he had to make plans for himself in advance.
He spent a day sorting out Si Rui's packages, re-categorizing the food and weapons, and sorting out as many personal items as possible that he could carry with him.
He also found a broken hand-crank radio. Although it was broken, perhaps it was an important gift from someone, so Si Rui still carefully wrapped all the parts that he could not put back together.
Ling Yao studied it and repaired the radio. This is thanks to the fact that the technological development of the Star Source World before the end of the world is almost the same as that of the Yuandu World, so that the simple skills that Ling Yao temporarily learned can be put to use.
Although radios almost no longer appear in homes in modern society, in an environment where water, electricity and connections are cut off, a hand-cranked radio may become the only source of external information in the short term, and one of the few spiritual sources for people. Way of sustenance.
Facts have proved that since the radio was repaired and shared by Ling Yao, it has indeed become the new favorite of the team: every meal time, everyone will consciously gather around the radio and tirelessly search for the frequency band that can still produce sound; they They will also compete for Ling Yao's simple physical work, just to gain control of the joystick and frequency modulation.
Unfortunately, Ling Yao didn't find the device to receive the text messages from Si Rui in Si Rui's package. There was no voice complaining about the servant in his mind.
Therefore, on the day when the radio was put into use, Ling Yao proposed that for the safety of the stronghold, he needed to patrol the entire building regularly.
Although this sounds like it is for everyone's safety, in fact, before they arrived here, Gao Zihang had already led everyone to search the entire office building to ensure the safety of the building and also took away All useful supplies.
Therefore, no one is willing to go with Ling Yao.
And Ling Yao wanted exactly this effect. He needs time alone to learn as much as possible about the world's pre-apocalyptic level of development, and to try to find other objects that might be able to receive the "Tucao Yong" message. .
The office building used as the base is an early building of the old campus, with only five floors in total. After an extremely detailed search, Ling Yao spent two days exploring the structure of the entire building and the recyclable technological artifacts. He found several reference books and dug into a hidden drawer in an office. Some spirit stones and a box of toolboxes came out.
Ling Yao was not generous enough to share the food, but he used his toolbox to repair or even modify several pieces of equipment that everyone could use.
He repaired an old small generator in the power room, used several new batteries he found to transform a few simple flashlights, and used old bicycles, iron pipes and wooden boards to modify a tricycle that could hold supplies.
Although priority was given to the use of these things, Si Rui's ability to turn waste into treasure obviously greatly inspired the spirits of others. Some mechanical students began to discuss how the generator could be used, and many others thought about how their majors could transform damaged items in the house into something useful.
While everyone's attention began to be distracted, on the fourth day, Ling Yao took advantage of patrol time to start exploring outside the building.
The back-end functions of talismans and formations are only reduced in this world, which facilitates his going out: he can leave warning and protective formations at the stronghold to avoid zombie attacks and expose his outing behavior. Safety of others.
As for why he insists on going out alone without telling everyone... Not to mention that it is impossible for him to completely trust Gao Zihang. In the end of the world where accidents occur frequently, relying on others is tantamount to slow suicide. He must gradually master the map of the apocalypse and become familiar with the fighting methods here.
The stronghold is located in a university town. The most indispensable thing in the past was people, but now the most indispensable thing is zombies. Ling Yao initially set the exploration area within two kilometers, and could easily "encounter" more than a dozen zombies every day.
This was after Gao Zihang had cleared several waves.
Like the office building where the stronghold is located, the materials within the exploration range have obviously been taken away. Ling Yao had already expected this and was not discouraged.
He found some empty bottles and cans, collected as much of the remaining tap water in the building pipes as possible, and placed them in an unnoticed place, waiting to bring them back later when he had the opportunity.
At this time, he began to envy the golden fingers of many protagonists in apocalyptic novels: huge storage compartments, alien spaces that can be planted, spiritual springs that can be upgraded by drinking... If he had these props, it would still take a lot of hard work. After all your hard work, you still can’t find much supplies. Once you find them, you still don’t know where to hide them?
On the night of the sixth day, Ling Yao decided to expand the scope of exploration and tried to find traces of Gao Zihang.
Just staying in the stronghold is too passive. Without the support of a complainer, he needs to rely on himself to obtain more information about the "protagonist" candidates!
