Ding Junyi was momentarily speechless before continuing in a deep voice,
"Yes, according to the theory of the Dark Tides, all zombies can be considered a form of human corruption, while some individuals possessing abilities can be seen as evolution. Regardless of whether it's evolution or corruption, unpredictable biological mutations occur. This phenomenon is not uncommon in basic biological evolution and virology. However, what causes these mutations and evolution—namely, the Dark Tides—remains completely unknown to us."
Gunfire erupted as Lin Xian and KIKI led their team swiftly through an open area. Along the way, they passed by the remains of zombies they had previously taken down, confirming that they were retracing the correct route back.
"I understand everything you're saying, but that’s not what we were asking," Lin Xian said, his expression focused as he moved quickly. "What I want to know is—why are there so many of these so-called… 'Human Eeries' down here?"
Outside the underground city, zombies were everywhere. But the moment they entered, these strange zombies started appearing frequently. To Lin Xian, this was a dangerous sign.
"I don’t know," Ding Junyi panted heavily from running but tried to remain calm. "Ever since the construction team encountered unknown subterranean lifeforms, strange incidents have been occurring more frequently within the underground city. If it were just regular zombies, the Federal Underground City's armed forces wouldn’t have fallen so quickly. It was the emergence of these Human Eeries that forced the upper management to abandon the entire underground city and opt for a full-scale evacuation."
"So, whatever’s lurking underground is, in some ways, even more terrifying than the Dark Night Infection, right?"
"You could say that."
Lin Xian thought of Tang Hai—perhaps that guy had already become a Human Eerie, just at the evolutionary level, making him even more troublesome.
But now, KIKI’s ability had evolved, and Lin Xian’s own strength had also improved significantly. If they encountered another one, they shouldn’t be as helpless as last time.
Behind them, Han Qiming was staggering, his legs trembling uncontrollably, barely able to walk. Clutching his briefcase tightly, he suddenly collapsed onto the ground, panting heavily.
"Can we slow down a bit? I can’t keep up!" he gasped desperately.
Lin Xian glanced back while running. It wasn’t just Han Qiming—Zhao Yan and Xu Wen were also pale-faced from exhaustion, their eyes filled with terror. Even Ding Junyi wasn’t doing much better. Although she had been maintaining a composed front, as someone who had spent years in a laboratory, her physical fitness could only be so good.
Besides, they had been starving for a week, surviving only on experimental plants in the lab. If there hadn’t been drinking water, they would have already died of thirst.
"Professor Han, don’t fall behind!" Zhao Yan called out urgently, seeing Han Qiming slowing the team down.
"I’ll help him," Xu Wen said. She was the youngest among them and, despite being exhausted, still had more strength than Han Qiming.
She turned back to assist him—only for a shadow to suddenly grab her from behind.
Before the words fully left her mouth, a sharp, piercing screech echoed through the corridor. A crimson blur streaked past where they had just come from, followed by several black, insect-like creatures scuttling out of the darkness at high speed.
A chill ran down Han Qiming’s spine. Before he could even stand up, a razor-sharp claw tore straight through his throat. At the same time, the black insects swarmed over him, sinking their fangs into his flesh.
Zhao Yan and Xu Wen shrieked in terror and staggered backward.
Da Lou raised his light machine gun and fired, instantly shattering several of the black insects.
Lin Xian hadn’t expected this thing to come back to life. He had clearly blown its head off and watched KIKI crush it into a bloody pulp—so why was it suddenly here again?!
KIKI, who was leading the group, immediately turned around. The female corpse was lightning-fast, nearly upon Da Lou when KIKI’s telekinetic force clamped down on it mid-air. The situation was so perilous that even KIKI was breaking into a cold sweat.
Da Lou took two steps back, his face dark as he looked at the floating corpse trapped by KIKI's power. Without hesitation, he pulled out his Steel-Slaying Greatsword, raised it high, and brought it down in a brutal vertical slash.
The female corpse was instantly cleaved in two.
But Lin Xian wasn’t taking any chances—he stepped forward and unleashed two Wind Cannon Blasts, obliterating both halves of the corpse’s head into a gory mess. Finally, the creature stopped moving.
"Professor Han!!" Xu Wen cried out.
More black insects swarmed toward them. Da Lou raised his machine gun and sprayed bullets, mowing them down.
KIKI swung her hand, sending out a telekinetic shockwave that blasted the insects away. But when the flashlight illuminated the scene, Han Qiming was already in pieces, torn apart into four or five chunks. Blood splattered across the corridor walls, a horrific sight.
"Ahhh!!!" Zhao Yan screamed in horror.
"RUN IF YOU WANT TO LIVE!!" Lin Xian shouted.
Hearts pounding, the group sprinted frantically toward their escape route. Zhao Yan and Xu Wen were shaking with fear, their minds blank. They didn’t even have the energy to cry anymore—they just focused on running, wishing they had more legs to keep up with Lin Xian and KIKI.
Finally, they reached Elevator 3 in Sector K2. As the elevator doors opened, the bright lights inside shone upon them like salvation from the heavens.
"Get in, now!" Lin Xian urged.
Da-da-da! Bang! Bang! Bang!
From the darkness of the corridor, a wave of zombies came rushing toward them. Most of them were wearing research uniforms, clearly former researchers from this facility.
As the elevator doors sealed shut, Lin Xian let out a breath of relief. He pulled out his walkie-talkie, adjusting the signal.
"Oh my god… Professor Han is dead…" Xu Wen was completely broken, grabbing Zhao Yan’s shoulders and trembling in shock, her eyes hollow with fear.
Lin Xian turned back and gave them a sharp look. "Can you still run?"
Hearing his voice, both Zhao Yan and Xu Wen frantically nodded. Their expressions screamed fear—almost as if they were terrified that Lin Xian might abandon them.
Lin Xian sighed slightly. It was clear that these people were utterly exhausted. They were just ordinary researchers, and after a week of starvation, the fact that they could still move at all was impressive.
He remained calm—there was nothing more he could do. Even though he, KIKI, and Da Lou were ability users, they weren’t gods. If KIKI hadn’t been there just now, or if he had reacted a second too slowly, he might’ve been injured by that blood-red female corpse.
Thankfully, he had left Shasha and Chen Sixuan back on the train. Otherwise, the consequences would’ve been unimaginable.
"At least there weren’t many people stationed on the research floors. If this had been the residential zone, who knows how many we’d be dealing with."
Inside the elevator, KIKI took off her gas mask, feeling overheated, and fanned herself with a hand. "Those black bugs are insane—they ate him in seconds."
Ding Junyi, still panting heavily, was trying to steady her emotions. The horrifying scene had shaken her to the core. "The 52nd floor had no more than 2,000 people, including researchers and administrators. It’s one of the least populated floors, aside from the high-level living quarters and the energy sector."
[Elevator has arrived at Level 65: Rail Freight Terminal]
The doors opened. Lin Xian, KIKI, and Da Lou raised their guns, on full alert. But the expected zombie horde wasn’t there.
Lin Xian checked the walkie-talkie—it was glowing green.
Pressing the comm button, he spoke,
"Ms. Chen, we’re off the elevator. Is everything safe on your end?"
After a moment, Chen Sixuan’s voice crackled through,
"Safe, safe! Everything’s fine on the train."