Chapter 94: M Virus Essence

Bai Qi didn't doubt Zhao Kuo's words.

In the mind of this pure college student, Zhao Kuo was his savior, and he had also personally witnessed Zhao Kuo's superhuman strength.

If it had been someone who had been tempered by society, they might not have doubted Zhao Kuo, but they would have instinctively felt something was off.

As for Zhao Kuo's thoughts, they were quite simple.

Mutation could make you stronger, but it would also alter your body's organs. As for whether there were side effects, no one knew.

But Zhao Kuo suspected there probably were. The Metro World wouldn't just hand out such a huge benefit to ordinary players for no reason.

After all, the survival rate of these ordinary players, who hadn't awakened any class, was very low in the face of a zombie horde. Most of them would be wiped out after just one more zombie wave.

The appearance of the [M Virus Essence] could be seen as salvation for these ordinary players.

Although their bodies would mutate, their minds would remain unaffected. For these ordinary players, this was undoubtedly a godsend.

Nothing was more important than survival! Even in the despair-filled Metro World.

But could something this good really exist? From any angle, it seemed like the ordinary players were getting the better end of the deal.

And by a huge margin.

Would the Metro World really be this kind? This was the question Zhao Kuo had been pondering.

Moreover, for him and Tang Yingying to mutate, they would need at least 3 [M Virus Essences], which meant 60 [M Virus Fragments], equivalent to killing at least 120 zombies.

Although Zhao Kuo was confident he could do it—after all, the attributes from his third-tier class were still there—without his class skills and inventory, killing zombies still carried a certain level of risk.

Zhao Kuo wasn't a police officer or soldier by trade, and he didn't have the combat skills of someone like Gu Shan. When surrounded by three zombies, he had almost been overwhelmed. If there were more, he might really be in trouble.

In comparison, having Bai Qi mutate was a much more cost-effective option. It only required 20 [M Virus Fragments], and Zhao Kuo also had the moral high ground of "I saved your life."

Moreover, Bai Qi was truly uncorrupted by society. He didn't have any ulterior motives and was easier to control.

When Bai Qi was at the back door of the hotpot restaurant, it was this line of thinking that led Zhao Kuo to save him.

After getting to know Bai Qi better, this idea gradually solidified.

Bai Qi was a good candidate.

Even though their names clashed, Zhao Kuo still firmly believed Bai Qi was a good candidate.

Tang Yingying also immediately grasped Zhao Kuo's intentions and said with a smile, "It's not exactly a glorious evolution. It's just a necessary measure to survive in this apocalyptic world."

"If you don't evolve, you'll become a zombie. Little Bai, you should understand this."

Tang Yingying was right. In this zombie-infested apocalypse, humanity only had one path forward.

At this moment, Bai Qi was just like those players who had obtained the [M Virus Essence]. They seemed to have a choice, but in reality, they didn't.

Listening to Tang Yingying's words, Bai Qi nodded solemnly.

Zhao Kuo and Tang Yingying exchanged a glance, and then the girl placed the 20 [M Virus Fragments] in her palm and began to fuse them together.

Sure enough, once the fragments reached a certain quantity, they began to merge.

The process was strange but quick. In just a few seconds, a brand-new, glowing green orb, pulsating like a heart, appeared before the three of them.

An orb, not a flesh ball?

Zhao Kuo noticed the difference in the [M Virus Essence] in front of him.

In the Metro World, the [M Virus Essence] was described as a pulsating flesh ball, which looked extremely disgusting.

But the orb in front of him was slowly rotating. It wasn't disgusting at all—in fact, it even had a holy aura to it.

At least, that's how Tang Yingying felt.

"How… how do I use this?" Bai Qi asked, swallowing hard as he looked at the floating orb.

Zhao Kuo and Tang Yingying exchanged a glance. To be honest, this was the first time either of them had seen the physical form of the [M Virus Essence]. They weren't sure how to use it, but Luo Ping'an had mentioned it was ingested directly, right?

So Zhao Kuo simply said, "Just eat it."

Eat it? Wouldn't that choke him?

Bai Qi shrunk his neck a little, but under the gaze of the two, he obediently placed the orb in his mouth.

The moment the orb entered his mouth, it seemed to liquefy and slide down his throat.

Bai Qi's body trembled violently, and then streams of green light burst from his mouth, nose, ears, and every other orifice.

In that instant, Bai Qi felt an unprecedented level of pain.

The pain came from every inch of his body—his skin, his bones, even every single cell.

He felt as if his body was disintegrating, as if it would completely collapse in the next second.

Zhao Kuo quickly held Bai Qi down, while his other hand gripped a sharp boning knife.

If Bai Qi showed any signs of mutation, Zhao Kuo wouldn't hesitate to act.

It might seem somewhat unethical.

But in this damned world, ethics were the most hypocritical thing of all!

Slowly, two legs began to grow from Bai Qi's third rib. The unnatural growth of bones caused Bai Qi even more excruciating pain.

Fortunately, Zhao Kuo's strength was enough to keep Bai Qi pinned to the ground. Otherwise, Bai Qi would have been rolling around in agony.

The shrill screams even penetrated the soundproof steel door. The zombies outside, hearing the noise, slowly gathered and began scratching at the sturdy door.

Zhao Kuo frowned. He hadn't expected the reaction to consuming the [M Virus Essence] to be so intense.

More and more zombies were gathering outside. Although they couldn't break through the sturdy steel door, it would definitely affect Zhao Kuo's future hunting trips.

Fortunately, after a few minutes, Bai Qi's screams gradually subsided.

The two green, deformed legs had fully formed. These legs had thick purple veins and even black hair. They looked much sturdier than normal legs. Zhao Kuo touched them and found the muscles incredibly hard, like touching a concrete slab.

Perhaps due to the overwhelming pain, Bai Qi had passed out and was now breathing evenly.

Tang Yingying looked at Zhao Kuo and sighed, "This kid is too kind. It doesn't feel good to use him like this, but… at least now he has a chance to survive."

The zombie-infested world was even more dangerous than the current Metro World. Although Zhao Kuo had used Bai Qi, he had also given him a chance to survive in a way.

Tang Yingying understood this very well, which was why she had cooperated so readily.

Zhao Kuo didn't sigh. He just looked at Tang Yingying and nodded.

Tang Yingying didn't say anything more. She simply threw herself into his arms.

…