Chapter 73

Chengping Base.

"General, we have received information from the Australian forward base. The situation in Australia has worsened. A 'King' attacked them and breached the base..."

General Soros, in a desperate move, had sent intelligence about Li Mu to major bases around the world, and the Chengping Base in China received the detailed information immediately.

"A Tyrant? A super zombie with physical, mental, and ability evolution? How is that possible? It's not April Fool's Day today!"

As the highest-ranking official at the Chengping Base, General Chen Sheng, though not a scientist, was well-versed in zombie evolution data. He was immediately stunned upon seeing the information from the forward base, his face changing as he sternly said:

"The data doesn't show why this Tyrant has triple evolution, but based on the information from the forward base, it can't be fake."

Someone immediately spoke up. Although the forward base had lost the initial data from their first encounter with Li Mu, the later data was extremely detailed and had been fully shared with major bases worldwide.

In the detailed data, one could even see the trajectory of Li Mu's triple evolution, especially his solo resistance against human forces and his eventual control of a million zombies to breach the forward base. The vivid images and text were chilling.

"How can there be such a terrifying zombie? Tyrant, what a name. Bring Dr. Luoshui here immediately..."

General Chen Sheng fell silent for a moment, confirming that the data couldn't be fake. The first person he thought of was Dr. Luoshui, an expert in zombie evolution.

"General, there is another piece of information related to Dr. Luoshui..."

Someone interrupted General Chen Sheng's order, sighing as they handed him a document.

General Chen Sheng was taken aback, carefully reading the document. His face changed, and after a moment of silence, he sighed, "Luoshui, how could you be so foolish."

"General, how should we handle this?"

General Chen Sheng pondered for a moment, then waved his hand, "Seal this document and don't let Dr. Luoshui see it. Also, have the military police bring Luoshui to my office. We'll deal with it after we resolve the Tyrant issue."

The document contained Dr. Manhattan's hypothesis that the Tyrant was Li Mu, as well as the record of Luoshui's dealings with Dr. Manhattan.

In the past, General Chen Sheng would have unhesitatingly sent Luoshui to a military tribunal to be tried for treason. But now, he knew that the Chengping Base couldn't do without Luoshui, especially in the research on zombie evolution.

He hadn't yet decided how to handle Luoshui and could only put it off for now. The most pressing matter was dealing with the worsening situation in Australia.

"Connect with North America and Europe; they should have received the information about the Tyrant."

General Chen Sheng spoke, and soon the leaders of major bases in North America, Europe, and Russia were connected via satellite communication to discuss the sudden deterioration in Australia.

"Lower the concentration of the Crape Myrtle extract by one point. Also, inform the security team that we need zombies with different levels of evolution..."

In the Chengping laboratory, Luoshui was busy, having participated in Dr. Manhattan's live experiments on Colonel Hoover. Many experimental data points had corrected her previous assumptions, and she was now recalculating and restarting research on the evolution serum.

"Dr. Luoshui."

A cold, harsh voice broke the laboratory's busy atmosphere. The suddenly intruding military police, fully armed, made everyone stop their work.

Luoshui frowned but didn't look up, continuing her calculations until she wrote down the latest formula for the evolution serum. She then said to the others, "This is my latest formula. Start the experiments as soon as possible. I'll be out for a moment."

She turned, smoothed her hair, and put her hands in her pockets, nodding to the surrounding military police, "Let's talk outside. Don't disturb their experiments."

The military police looked at each other, clearly surprised by Luoshui's composure. But they nodded, knowing that in the entire Chengping Base, even the civilians protected by the base might not know Luoshui's status, but as military police, they knew that the base's research on zombie evolution was almost entirely supported by Luoshui.

Even if she had betrayed the base, the final punishment would likely be minimal. In this post-apocalyptic world, science, in a sense, represented privilege, especially for someone like Luoshui, who was at the forefront of scientific research.

The military police escorted Luoshui to General Chen Sheng's office. This indicated that they knew the higher-ups' attitude toward Luoshui. If she were treated as a criminal, she would be in prison, not in the general's office.

Luoshui sat quietly, her gaze somewhat vacant, looking at the cactus on the desk. The cactus, with its strong vitality, was perhaps all that humans knew about it. Li Mu had once said that his life was like a cactus, able to survive no matter how harsh the conditions.

Luoshui's thoughts began to drift, and a small plant brought back memories of the days when Li Mu was still with her.

"Have you been waiting long? I just attended a meeting..."

General Chen Sheng's voice broke Luoshui's drifting thoughts. "Would you like something to drink?"

Luoshui snapped out of her daze, shook her head, and looked at General Chen Sheng, "Australia has collapsed."

General Chen Sheng sighed, looking at Luoshui, "You're still as smart as ever. Yes, we received news from Australia. A powerful zombie named Tyrant has breached Australia."

Luoshui nodded, not responding, just looking at General Chen Sheng.

General Chen Sheng felt a headache coming on, "I know about your situation. Was it worth it? To betray the base for an uncertain message?"

"Nothing is unworthy for him. Since Australia has released the information, it seems they can't complete the deal with me. I hope you can bring back his ashes to me," Luoshui said calmly.

General Chen Sheng was taken aback, then laughed bitterly, "Luoshui, do you know I can have you executed for treason at any time?!"

"You won't, because I'm still useful, right?" Luoshui stood up, hands in her pockets, "That's all. I have an experiment to do. You're busy."

"Luoshui, what are you trying to do? Li Mu is dead. Don't you understand that?"

General Chen Sheng was angry.

Luoshui didn't turn around, "I know, which is why I must get his ashes, no matter the cost."