"This wasn’t a survivor who turned into a zombie?"
Qi Suian had captured a Mutated Zombie alive. It was an incarnation of the Profound God’s vital consciousness.
But that wasn’t the issue. The real issue was that this zombie was only Tier-1, and its predecessor hadn’t been a survivor. *That* was highly problematic.
For one thing, at this stage, any zombie that wasn’t a recently infected survivor should have been at least Tier-2.
Any zombie that was still Tier-1 could only be a newly infected survivor; the original inhabitants were essentially all gone.
And yet, this zombie was not a newly infected survivor, and its evolutionary stage was merely that of an ordinary zombie.
It was as if it had appeared out of thin air. How could Qi Suian not be suspicious?
More importantly, it actually possessed intelligence, and its intellect was on par with a Tier-5.
However, compared to a true Tier-5 zombie, this one’s intelligence had some shortcomings—for instance, it couldn’t speak.
After capturing it alive, Qi Suian immediately began the dissection.
’The brain is highly developed, with the vast majority of the Profound Virus concentrated there.’
’That’s why, at only Tier-1, it possessed an advanced intelligence that should only be possible at Tier-5.’
’Furthermore, its Spirit is highly developed. Even at just Tier-1, its Spirit attribute is comparable to that of a Tier-3 Mutated Zombie.’
’If it manages to awaken a psychic ability, its power will absolutely skyrocket.’
Qi Suian suspected that by forcing those two consciousnesses out, he had weakened them, but he had also allowed them to escape their cage.
Using the bodies of zombies, they had successfully gained freedom and were now further perfecting themselves.
As the dissection progressed, Qi Suian gathered more data.
’This isn’t all bad news. I can control my own Profound Virus to devour the virus in their brains and use their structure as a way to enhance my ability.’
’The brains of these zombies are a treasure. Eating them provides a massive boost to my Spirit attribute, and I can also study their structure to improve my own Pineal Gland, which acts as the vessel for my ability.’
With his left hand, he ripped the profound crystal from the brain and swallowed it in one gulp.
The thing didn’t even have time to reach his stomach. It was instantly broken down by the massive amount of Profound Virus in his mouth and transported directly to his brain.
Normally, it would be absorbed by the brain to enhance his Spirit attribute.
For Qi Suian, however, increasing the percentage boost to his ability was far more important. The lower a Spirit attribute was, the easier it was to raise—especially since he had a tenfold multiplier on his +10 Spirit attribute growth.
His ability, on the other hand, had to be self-modified to improve, just like his virus talent. If he hadn’t encountered this miraculous natural treasure, he would have had to continue experimenting on himself.
Besides, percentage-based buffs never become obsolete. The sooner you upgrade, the sooner you benefit. From a cost-benefit standpoint, it was far more sensible than raising his Spirit attribute.
As the crystal was absorbed by his Pineal Gland, Qi Suian could feel his ability undergoing a slight evolution.
’Enhanced by one-tenth.’
’There will be diminishing returns, but the cost is low.’
Qi Suian could clearly feel that his Spirit Reinforcement ability had gone from its original 10% boost to an 11% boost.
’No wonder this is considered a natural treasure. It’s incredibly versatile, whether I absorb it myself or use it to strengthen my ability.’
’But... why are their numbers decreasing? Is it because they can devour each other to grow, or is someone competing with me for them?’
Qi Suian knew that these special zombies were manifestations of the Profound God’s vital consciousness, but the consciousness of the Source of Profound Virus also existed.
All three parties hailed from the same origin, so it was only natural that they could sense one another.
"I need to speed up, or someone else will get all the good stuff," Qi Suian muttered, preparing to have his AI conduct a wider search.
[Tai Sui God evolution complete. You have acquired a new module slot.]
The AI, however, had given Qi Suian a pleasant surprise.
’Thankfully, the next evolution only requires 13 points of armor. They call it infinite evolution, but this thing is such a Gold-devouring Beast... even with my plot armor, I can barely afford to maintain it.’
His armor value was already at 12 points. With the boost from the artificial crystal-vein alloy, his defense was already quite formidable—at least, it was tougher than his own body.
But soon, he was faced with another problem: what should he choose for the module slot?
He had two options in mind: one was the Immortal Satellite, and the other was the Ancient Dian Kingdom Jade Seal.
One would shore up the gaps in his reconnaissance network; the other would enhance his personal power—though by how much, he couldn’t yet say.
If not for this group of special zombies, Qi Suian would have chosen the Ancient Dian Kingdom Jade Seal without a second thought. After all, his reconnaissance network was still functional.
But now, every moment he delayed, he’d lose out. If he failed to seize this opportune moment and lost the initiative, he was guaranteed to re-learn the painful lesson of what happens when you refuse a gift from the heavens.
’I’ll use the Immortal Satellite first. I’ll figure out the rest later.’
If the Tai Sui God hadn’t evolved again by the time this incident was over, he could just uninstall the Immortal Satellite and replace it with the Ancient Dian Kingdom Jade Seal then.
After all, shoring up the gaps in his reconnaissance network was, in itself, a way for Qi Suian to become stronger.
"AI, go retrieve the Immortal Satellite from orbit and use it as the module."
’I definitely have to seize the initiative, but I can’t just charge in blindly. As the saying goes, sharpening your axe doesn’t delay the woodcutting.’
[Executing command...]
Without a moment’s hesitation, the AI took control of the Tai Sui God and flew skyward.
The Wind Master aviation system was extremely effective; it was derived from a fighter jet, after all.
As they broke through the atmosphere, however, Qi Suian felt a distinct sense of oppression.
This feeling of oppression wasn’t from the external environment. He had activated his "seed-burst mode" for the ascent, and with the expedition-grade ecological recycling system, it should have been impossible for him to feel such a thing.
’That’s...’
Qi Suian’s gaze fell upon the nearby moon. Behind it, a colossal, indistinct black shadow drifted silently in the void of space.
Yet, no technological device could detect the massive shadow.
Even the Tai Sui God hadn’t detected anything amiss.
’That’s... the Profound God!!!’ Qi Suian’s expression changed in an instant.
The Profound Virus and the Black Stone Jade Pillar within his body reacted simultaneously.
This was the true Profound God. The object that had fallen to his planet was likely just a small piece of this Mysterious Divine Corpse.
"We’re so screwed..." Qi Suian muttered.
He wasn’t afraid of a dead Profound God, but he had discovered a much more serious problem: the moon was being corrupted, influenced by the Mysterious Divine Corpse.
If things proceeded as they were, it wouldn’t be long before the moon and the Mysterious Divine Corpse crashed into his planet.
Even if the planet didn’t shatter on impact, being knocked from its original orbit would trigger catastrophic climate and environmental problems.
’There should still be some time. I never encountered this in my previous life, which must mean the doomsday game will provide an exit before this happens,’ Qi Suian tried to reassure himself. This problem was truly beyond him.