That message contained too much information! The zombie that had just come out in a whirlwind from nowhere was actually an experimental subject. Not only did they succeed in fighting and killing it, but they also had the great luck of triggering a sub-task.
As a secondary mission, it may add to their work, but if it was completed they would receive five thousand points! That was equivalent to achieving completion of five separate missions. Shi Qing could finally exchange some points for a big, powerful body, don’t you think so!?
Shi Qing was unbearably excited. Unfortunately, the internal system calls could only be used to relay instructions related to the mission tasks, and they could not use it to chat. In reality, there were a lot of people around Qin Mo. He was still just a dagger, so it was not good for him to be chatting incessantly.
Hey…this is too painful for a chatterbox .
Shi Qing finally noticed that at the end of this piece of information, it mentioned they had completed one-third of the task. That sentence was indicative of quite a few things. Were there three experimental subjects? They killed one, one escaped, and there was one that did not come out to play.
It sounded like this sub-task was not that difficult.
Leng Lin quickly walked over with the other team members and saw the circumstances at a glance: Qin Mo was intact and had no injuries, while the unidentified body underneath the large shipping container was completely crushed.
There was obviously a fierce battle here, and Qin Mo won.
At this time, a soldier next to Leng Lin exclaimed, “There is a signal on the detector, there is an experimental body here, less than one meter away from us…”
Before he finished speaking, the loud ‘bang’ of a gunshot rang out.
Everyone looked at Qin Mo in astonishment.
Qin Min calmly put away the desert eagle, and said, “This monster didn’t die even after I shot it in the head. I thought I should shoot it a couple more times, just in case.”
As soon as those words left his mouth, there was a loud, explosive sound. The experimental subject that was stuck beneath the shipping container complete burnt up!
Everyone stared foolishly, while Qin Mo only shot a quick glance over and offered his cursory regrets, “I didn’t pay close enough attention. Turns out it was an exploding bullet.”
The soldier who had been operating the detector finally reached his tolerance limit and shouted in anger, “That was the experimental subject! You completely ruined it! How will the doctor get the antibody serum?”
Qin Mo feigned surprise, “So this was an experimental subject?”
The soldier’s anger exploded, and he stepped forward and grabbed Qin Mo’s collar. As soon as he did that, he was pulled back forcefully by those around him.
Qin Mo looked at him coldly, then challenged, “What? Did you kill this experimental subject?”
The soldiers were dumbstruck and unable to reply. The experimental subject was found by Qin Mo, and he killed it. It appeared as if they did not have the right to speak, but they still harboured some unwillingness.
At this time, Leng Lin stepped forward to persuade them, “It’s all right, don’t fight. There is nothing to be done, Mr. Qin did not know in advance that this was the experimental subject, and this precaution was taken for our safety,” he paused and looked at Qin Mo, then asked, “So, do you think that we have a chance, Mr. Qin?”
Qin Mo looked him in the face for half the day, smirked, then began speaking—with great interest, “Of course.”
Knowing the truth, Shi Qing’s jaw almost fell to the ground. He really needed to re-collect the data he had about Qin Mo. Even though his eyes were open, this guy was so suave with his persuasion that he almost believed it!
What ‘did not know this was the experimental body’, what ‘accidentally used an exploding bullet’. Don’t pretend to be good!
That was done entirely for the purpose of destroying the corpse. It prevented Leng Lin from collecting the necessary antibodies so that the team could not leave before the sub-task had been completed. Now Qin Mo could continue to exterminate the experimental subjects in order to fully complete the mission.
Shi Qing mentally supported his head with a hand on his forehead…Qin Mo, you bear.
However, it must be said that although Qin Mo’s excuse was somewhat simple and crude, it was indeed very easy to use. Even if other team members complained, it was a ‘real’ mistake. In any case, Qin Mo occupied the high ground in this conflict and they really could not speak from their position.
That was coupled with the fact that Qin Mo seemed to have easily dealt with an experimental subject, so he could be considered the most experienced in their current endeavour. For those reasons, the group really did not want to provoke him.
Who would not want to successfully complete the task? Who would not want to leave here? Who would not want to save mankind from the horrible zombie plague?
They all desperately sought hope, so they could only tolerate his actions.
Leng Lin was a scientist and was very professional. Although the experimental subject in front of him was turned into a pile of ashes, he still crouched in front of it to seriously study it, hoping to find a patch of tissue intact enough to extract antibodies.
Sadly, Qin Mo was too ruthless. This experimental subject had initially had a hole blown through its head, then it was crushed into the ground, and lastly it was engulfed in flames. Not even the bones remained.
There was really nothing, so he was forced to give up.
Qin Mo watched Leng Lin’s movements with cold eyes, his line of sight never leaving him.
After Leng Lin’s check was completed, and he had confirmed that they really could not obtain any useful samples, he turned to everyone and said, “We need to speed up the search for the next experiment subject…”
His sentence was interrupted by a signal exploding in the sky some distance away.
Immediately after the signal appeared, everyone else remained standing still and merely watched it. However, Qin Mo had already flashed past, rushing straight ahead towards it.
Leng Lin’s physical fitness was relatively poor, making it unrealistic to try keeping up with Qin Mo. He also required two people to be with him for protection. In this case, he motioned for the other two mercenaries to follow behind Qin Mo.
In the blink of an eye, Qin Mo put a significant amount of distance between himself and those following behind him. Shi Qing looked in the direction of the teammates they had separated from, and whispered, “That signal was issued by Li Su, did he also encounter an experimental subject?”
According to the system’s prompts, there should be three experimental subjects. Although they had already clashed with two of them, it was quite possible that the third could have attacked Li Su.
Qin Mo frowned faintly, but did not say anything. It seemed like he was thinking about something.
At this time, the other two mercenaries finally caught up, so Shi Qing no longer said anything.
They were not far from the source of the signal shot. They refrained from immediately rushing onto the scene and their cautious approach was met with an unexpected sight.
Li Su was standing in a fairly large open space, motionless, and it seemed that there was no danger around. There were no zombies or experimental subjects. In the end, why did he release the signal?
Anyone who could survive until now would definitely be cautious. They did not rush forward, but stayed back three steps from the area, and observed carefully.
At this time, Li Su glanced towards them and saw their behaviour. He understood their rationale within his head, and immediately beckoned them over while explaining concisely, “I found the place they’ve been guarding.”
After they saw his demeanor and heard his words, the other team members present were relieved. They stepped forward, followed Li Su’s line of sight, and finally noticed a deep passageway—it was basically a hole in the ground. They could vaguely make out the glow of a blue fluorescent light near the end.
The two mercenaries were hesitant, and only looked down the passage from where they were.
Li Su informed them, “I have already seen what’s inside…” he paused, frowned and then continued, “We should wait for the doctor to come before we explore it.”
Qin Mo acted as if he had not heard those words, dodged around Li Su, and leaped into the hole.
Li Su was not surprised; he could only watch on helplessly. He spoke a few words of encouragement to the other two mercenaries, and then they all jumped down together <sup>1</sup> .
The inside unexpectedly looked like a different world at first glance, but it also gave off an eerie feeling.
This was obviously a hidden experimental base. The completely open room was filled with dozens of huge, transparent glass cylinders. Each cylinder was filled with blue liquid, and that seemed to be the origin of the glow they had seen prior to coming down.
Everyone’s eyes were drawn towards the ‘things’ suspended within those cylinders, and they could not help feeling nauseated at the sight.
It seemed there were zombies inside, but they were not the same as the zombies the group members were familiar with.
Although the usual form of most zombies was very disgusting, it was also fairly uniform. They looked completely dead, grey in colour, and their organs were in varying stages of decomposition. They were truly terrible to look upon, but they did not give off the same horrifying feeling as these creatures.
Those creatures floating behind the glass gave off a completely different feeling. They had dark gray skin and the shocking appearance of something like circulation. The rotten skin that could be seen on any zombie actually appeared to be healing. This half-dead look, in particular, was overwhelmingly frightening…it seemed like these zombies could come alive at any moment.
Li Su had experienced countless battles. It was probable that he had seen more zombies than humans. He had long grown numb to their horrors. Nevertheless, when he gazed at these things floating in front of him, he was overcome with a sense of revulsion.
Li Su spat out his words, “What the fuck is all this!?”
“Evolution.”
Li Su was stunned. He was actually just talking to himself; he did not expect that Qin Mo would actually answer him. He was quite clever, so he instantly understood the implications of Qin Mo’s words. In a flash, he broke out in a cold sweat.
“Evolution? You mean these rotten monsters can be even more ferocious?”
“They’re putting in a lot of effort,” Qin Mo stated calmly, while looking straight at him, “I have already fought some experimental subjects. Their movements are quick and extremely explosive. I would estimate that their physical strength is more than ten times that of ordinary zombies.”
Li Su inhaled sharply.
After Qin Mo finished speaking, he did not give him a second glance. Instead, he fixed his gaze back on the liquid filled cylinders that no one else wanted to look at.
He looked carefully and his face showed only mild disgust. There was no evidence of nausea, no trace of fear—he did not even frown. Starting from the first glass cylinder on the left, one by one, he examined them all very thoroughly. While he was looking, the corners of his mouth raised the slightest amount.
Shi Qing was timid; he was too fearful to look at those demon-like things. Instead, he locked his eyes solely on Qin Mo’s body. Naturally, he perceived Qin Mo’s subtle expression, and felt that Qin Mo found something. However, Li Su was nearby, so he did not dare ask about it. He could only bear with his curiosity.
Qin Mo seemed to glean the emotions the dagger in his hand was experiencing. He gently stroked Shi Qing and said, “Don’t worry, you’ll know right away.”
Li Su looked up at him because he thought that Qin Mo was talking to him. He immediately saw that Qin Mo was focused on his dagger. Li Su grimaced—that behaviour was over his head…it seemed that man was ill.
Qin Mo was still observing the glass cylinders. When he turned his gaze to the last one, the monster inside the container looked back at him, face-to-face.
“We meet again.”
Then he lifted his desert eagle, and aimed at it.
Damn Qin Mo is so cool. Also, I have a random pic to share. After conferring with my advisor (teehee), I have a pic that is sort of a mental picture of what I think Qin Mo looks like. Eyes would just need to be a bit darker and skin a bit fairer. But I feel like the face and the ‘attitude’ are bang on. Thanks for reading!