"Is there really electricity?"
Lin Qi set down his Equipment and entered the room Zhao Tuantuan had mentioned. A computer sat on a desk by the window, and two storage batteries were tucked away in the corner.
He immediately tapped the keyboard to wake the computer from sleep mode.
However, once the screen lit up, it displayed strings of code he couldn't understand; it seemed different from what he had imagined.
"Huh? How is there still a network?"
Seeing the screen, Zhao Tuantuan pulled over a chair and sat down. Her fingers flew across the keyboard, and in no time, many webpages appeared on the monitor.
Since the end of the second month, electricity in the city had been cut off. Without a power supply, mobile phones became useless within days. Even with a generator, it was of no use without a network.
Lin Qi stood behind Zhao Tuantuan, watching her operations with curiosity. In just a short while, she connected to a strange radio station.
"Brother Lin, the network this computer is connected to is one I've never seen before. It shouldn't be one of the two mainstream networks on the market; it seems to be a new satellite network."
Zhao Tuantuan looked solemn. The radio station was broadcasting news about the Apocalypse, and she had also located District 32 and opened a website.
The website contained a lot of Special Data, as well as a large number of videos and photos regarding virus research. Some of the compiled data was so dense it made one's head spin.
"Open this and take a look."
When Lin Qi saw the title regarding the Special effects of Mutated Creatures during the Apocalypse, curiosity drove him; he was desperate to understand.
As the information opened, an article appeared, and the two began to read it word for word.
A few minutes later, they finished the article, and most of the doubts in Lin Qi's heart were resolved.
Mutated Creatures were divided into Mutated Insects and Mutant Beasts. Three months ago, the Federation and global High-level personnel had noticed the spread of the virus and began searching for a solution.
However, as research deepened, they gradually discovered the dual nature of this virus.
Through the cultivation of a large number of experimental subjects, the speed of the virus's mutation was increased several times over, leading to two different directions of development.
The first was the birth of the virus body, where the host was defeated by the virus and became a puppet-like existence. The second was the evolver, where self-healers would trigger the awakening of certain genes, thereby evolving hidden power.
Insects and beasts had similar changes, but their virus bodies were controlled more purely, and their mutation speed was far faster than that of humans.
The evolution of these two types of Creatures was known as a mutant. After consuming a large amount of flesh and Energy, an Evolution Crystal would condense within their bodies, leading to a comprehensive mutation of their bloodline.
"Brother Lin, I found it. This network was opened a month ago. After the internet was cut off, the Federation activated a satellite network covering the entire Central Asian region. It's just that later, when the power went out, none of us knew about the news on the network.
The speed of this network is very slow, and there isn't much data. It was rebuilt after abandoning the previous, complex local area networks.
Therefore, the content inside is basically related to events that happened during the Apocalypse. They didn't even hide the fact that the Federation renamed the major cities as urban areas, and one can even check the progress of rescue efforts in each urban area."
"Huh, what is this?"
Lin Qi saw another post and became curious about the title.
"The sequelae of self-healers?"
As infected individuals heal themselves, the virus effectively improves the host's body. That is, the host absorbs the energy of the virus, which leads to changes in certain genes, altering the host's personality and fetish.
The post gave examples: those who evolved in strength would become irritable and prone to wanting to tear things apart; those who evolved in speed would become restless; and those with rare types of Special evolutions might even develop Special fetishes.
Lin Qi couldn't help but glance at Zhao Tuantuan's chest. He wondered what kind of Special fetish she might have from her localized evolution.
Noticing Lin Qi's gaze, Zhao Tuantuan didn't mind at all; instead, she straightened her back.
"Cough, cough, this is all nonsense. How come I don't feel like I have anything strange about me?"
Lin Qi pointed at the post, criticizing it. Any talk of sequelae was just an excuse to cope with the pressure of the Apocalypse.
"Exactly, nonsense!"
Zhao Tuantuan casually closed the post and clicked on another one.
"On the direction and comprehensiveness of Gene Evolution."
Without realizing it, the two had been reading until late at night, not even stopping for dinner. Finally, they squeezed onto one chair together, wanting to finish reading all the content at once.
"Brother Lin, shall we go to sleep? I'm exhausted!"
Zhao Tuantuan sat on one of Lin Qi's thighs, saying weakly. At first, she had been full of curiosity about the content on the network, but eventually, the more she read, the more boring it felt.
"We'll sleep after finishing this one."
Lin Qi scrolled the mouse, quickly browsing the content, and sorted out what he had learned today in his heart.
Except for the few essential posts at the beginning, most of the rest were speculative content, guesses about the future, and major changes that had occurred in various cities.
The mutated rat swarm that appeared in District 32 was also recorded.
"Alright, go to sleep. We'll read the rest tomorrow."
Lin Qi felt his thigh had gone numb. After Zhao Tuantuan stood up, he braced himself against the chair and stood up, walking outside with a limp.
After a simple wash, when he returned to the bedroom, Zhao Tuantuan was already lying on the bed, still covered by the quilt, looking like a corpse.
Having done this once before, Lin Qi consciously lay down on the side, though he moved gently and cautiously.
"Brother Lin, are you hungry?"
Not long after lying down, Zhao Tuantuan asked in a low voice.
The corner of the quilt lifted, revealing her small face.
"I am actually a bit hungry, but since I'm already lying down, I'm too lazy to move. Let's eat tomorrow morning."
Missing a meal wouldn't kill anyone. Anyway, the Supplies in the room were enough for the two of them to eat for half a year; just looking at them made one feel full.
"I have milk, do you want to drink some?"
Zhao Tuantuan kept her voice low, as if whispering to a desk mate in class, carrying a sense of mystery.
"Cough, cough, fresh?"
Lin Qi almost choked and asked subconsciously.
However, after realizing what he said, he felt something was off. How had this girl become so bold?
Could it be that after being touched by him, she had started to let herself go?
"Of course it's fresh! Just tell me if you want to drink it or not!"
Zhao Tuantuan stirred under the quilt, lifting a wave of warm air.
"I'll drink!"
Lin Qi happened to feel a bit hungry, and it was definitely not for the sake of satisfying his appetite.
"Then move down a bit, close your eyes, and don't you dare open them!"
Zhao Tuantuan's tone carried a hint of unquestionability, and she even pushed Lin Qi's shoulder to make him shift his body.
When he retreated to the position of her shoulder, she reached out and covered Lin Qi's eyes.
"Here! Drink!"
Zhao Tuantuan pressed the back of her other hand against Lin Qi's mouth, but through the gaps between her fingers, a warm stream slowly overflowed.
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