âI can see thatâ¦â Ling Mo agreed, nodding his head.
Xu Shuhan had turned into a glutton, but that wasnât the main issue. The key problem was that what she ate was useless to her.
This was quite a headache. Even the virus gel had no effect on her-how could she possibly evolve?
Moreover, her physical condition was somewhat different from what Ling Mo had expected. She wasnât very strong, but she was fast. No zombie was like this when they first mutated.
Zombies were always much stronger than humans from the moment they mutated. A common zombie could utilize 100% of a humanâs strength, while humans could reach at most 75%, and that was after long-term training. In fact, for ordinary people, using 60% of their strength was already quite impressive.
Additionally, 75% was only a theoretical limit for non-mutated humans. Once this number was exceeded, muscle atrophy would occur, but zombies didnât have this problem. Only Enhancement ability superhumans, whose bodies had been modified by mutation viruses, could perfectly stimulate their physical functions like zombies, or even explode with strength beyond their own limits in a short time. However, most Enhancement ability superhumans could only apply this strength to a specific limb, as though this potential was locked there.
Ling Mo guessed that this was probably why superhumans, although they also had the virus inside them, were not infected.
In reality, so-called superhumans were simply people who had undergone partial mutation. Enhancement ability superhumans had mutations in certain parts of their bodies, while mental ability superhumans had mutations in their brainsâ¦
Before her mutation, Xu Shuhan had also been an Enhancement ability superhuman, but after mutation, this ability should have been overriddenâ¦
âI remember⦠you werenât known for your speed before, right?â Ling Mo suddenly asked.
Xu Shuhan nodded, puzzled. âYeahâ¦â
âSo now, when you move, how does your body feel?â Ling Mo asked again.
Xu Shuhanâs mutation had another significant meaning for Ling Mo. It was to verify the possibility of zombies recovering their humanity-or at least partially regaining their emotions. So his questions, although seemingly a bit anxious, were quite reasonable.
Xu Shuhan clearly didnât understand Ling Moâs intention. She bit her lip and pondered for a while before slowly replying, âHow should I put it⦠I feel⦠very light, as if I have no weight at all⦠My feet are very flexible, almost like I donât feel myself using them⦠Oh, right!â she suddenly exclaimed, âIf I move for too long, I get very hungry! Extremely hungry!â
âA lighter body and enhanced feetâ¦â Ling Mo nodded thoughtfully. âIt seems different from common zombies. Her condition seems more like a super-enhanced version of an Enhancement ability superhuman. Not only are her legs strengthened, but her body has also adjusted accordingly. As for the intense hunger⦠that must be due to excessive energy consumption. So the virus gel just replenished her consumed energy but wasnât enough for her to reach evolution⦠Huh, she really is a super gluttonâ¦â
He handed her another piece of gel and asked, âSo, what are your thoughts now? Do you feel any different from when you were human?â
âIâ¦â Xu Shuhan seemed hesitant to answer but her gaze fixed on the gel.
âI donât knowâ¦â she licked her lips and said.
Ling Mo nodded, âI see⦠Let me ask you differently. You donât seem to want to eat me and even appear resistant. Why is that?â
âWell⦠Iâm not sure how to explain it⦠I just feel it would be terrifying?â Xu Shuhan replied, âActually, Iâm not too sure. When I see you, I want to eat you, but thereâs a voice in my head shouting ânoâ⦠She shouts so loudly that it annoys me, and I always feel like itâs another version of me.â
âWhat!â
Ling Mo almost burst out. He looked at Xu Shuhan in shock and asked, âAre you developing a split personality too?â
If that were the case, it would indeed be quite amusing!
âAh? Of course notâ¦â Xu Shuhan shook her head and said, âI just feel like my thoughts are a bit inconsistent⦠How to put it, itâs like having two different perspectives on the same thing. But overall, I know that I still retain parts of being humanâ¦â
âSo, in other words, you still have some human judgment on certain matters, understanding how to view them from a human perspective, but you donât have the corresponding emotions yourself⦠In the end, emotions didnât remainâ¦â Ling Mo sighed deeply. Although it was different from Xia Naâs situation, Ling Mo felt even heavier in his heart.
Still a failureâ¦
But at this moment, Xu Shuhan looked at Ling Mo with some surprise and then added, âHowever, I do feel fear. I can experience terror and feel a sense of relief afterward, like a burden has been lifted, at least my heart doesnât beat as fast.â As she said this, she suddenly smiled, and this smile was different from before-less heavy and more pureâ¦
âThis⦠doesnât seem too bad.â Xu Shuhan concluded for herself.
After she finished speaking, she seemed much more relaxed, but Ling Mo was plunged into shock.
She retained⦠fear?!
Fear, as an emotion, is something only humans and creatures possess. Zombies and mutation beasts, due to the virus transformation, only retained the desire for killing and evolution, developing their own set of âemotionsâ based on these instincts. But within this new set of âemotions,â fear remained absentâ¦
Xu Shuhan still felt fear and understood terror, indicating that she had successfully retained a human emotion!
Even if itâs just one, itâs a huge success!
Ling Mo almost instinctively pulled out a cigarette. After several attempts, he couldnât light itâ¦
âYou⦠you seem to be⦠shaking?â Xu Shuhan asked curiously.
âItâs nothing⦠Itâs nothingâ¦â
Ling Mo took a deep breath, burying his head in his hands. A few seconds later, he suddenly lifted his head.
There really is hope!
âIt really is possibleâ¦â Ling Mo muttered to himself againâ¦
Xu Shuhan looked at him and remained silent for a moment. Given her current condition, she didnât quite understand why Ling Mo was acting this way. However, seeing the growing brightness in his eyes and the genuine smile on his face, she vaguely realized that it was best to let him have some quiet time.
After a while, Ling Moâs expression returned to its usual calm. However, his gaze now seemed to reflect a stronger conviction.
âAre you⦠feeling better now?â Xu Shuhan cautiously asked.
âI was never unwell.â Ling Mo replied with a smile.
âReally? I thought⦠I scared you when I said I could feel fear.â Xu Shuhan probed. That seemed to be the only explanation she could come up withâ¦
âThis is a good thing! I should congratulate you.â Ling Mo said sincerely.
âWhy? I donât want to feel fear at all!â Xu Shuhan exclaimed, her eyes wide. As a zombie, having a smaller than average courage hardly seemed like something to celebrate!
Ling Mo was momentarily taken aback and then quickly understood.
Right, humans have many emotions, but she happened to retain fearâ¦
Itâs one thing for a person to be timid; after all, caution can prevent many mishapsâ¦
But for a zombie to be timid⦠Ling Mo couldnât help but find it a bit absurd. If she wasnât careful, she might end up scaring herself.
âUh⦠you donât need to worry about it too much. Consider it part of your personality,â Ling Mo consoled.
He lit his cigarette and asked, âWhen you were escaping, you seemed overly frightened, but you became calm inside the illusion. Your thinking also appears clearer nowâ¦â
Ling Mo vaguely felt that Xu Shuhan had somehow turned misfortune into a blessing, which made him even more curious about the world inside the illusion.
âDo you want to hear about it?â Xu Shuhan asked, somewhat surprised.
âGo ahead, tell me. I need to confirm a few things anyway,â Ling Mo thought for a moment and said.
Yu Shiran and the others had already engaged that man and woman, buying them some time for now.
But why was Wang Lin with Niepanâs people? Ling Mo wanted to understand this indirectly first.
As Wang Lin was Xia Naâs younger female cousin, Ling Mo naturally placed some trust in her. But he had absolutely no idea about the situation with the person with the dark circles.
Listening to just one side of the story, Ling Mo found it hard to ascertain the truth. It was better to start by probing Xu Shuhan.
Considering his current hostile relationship with Niepan, he had to be cautiousâ¦
Xu Shuhan licked her lips and suddenly extended her hand, âGive me another piece.â
ââ¦Your appetite is really something elseâ¦â Ling Mo commented as he took out another piece and handed it to her, âItâs a good thing that thereâs only one zombie like you born in a year, or the zombie hordes wouldnât afford to feed youâ¦â
âIf you keep talking like that, I wonât say anything,â Xu Shuhan warned.
âHeh⦠Youâve mutated, yet you still have a temperâ¦â Ling Mo chuckled.
Xu Shuhan then began to rummage through her clothes. After a moment, she pulled out a recorder.
âWhen I was human⦠I really liked this, didnât I?â she asked Ling Mo uncertainly.
âSeems like itâ¦â Ling Mo responded.
Xu Shuhan smiled casually, âI think even as a zombie, one should have hobbies. But aside from eating, I canât think of anything else I want to do, so I might as well pick up my human hobbies.â
With that, she pressed the start button of the recorder and ceremoniously cleared her throat.
âToday is my first day as a mutated zombie⦠And I got lost⦠While foraging⦠No, while searching for the human Ling Mo, I entered a hospital. Here, I experienced the first significant event since my transformationâ¦â