Chapter 331: The Disappeared Girl
The two men nodded. Although leaving the main group was risky, for hired mercenaries like them, there was no place in the apocalypse that wasn’t dangerous.
One held a torch, leading the way, while the other pulled out an old-fashioned shotgun, vigilantly scanning their surroundings. They retraced their steps along the path they had taken earlier, and the muffled footsteps gradually faded away, leaving the remaining group in silence.
Under the dim light of the torch, the surroundings seemed eerie and hollow. The twisting vines on the corridor appeared to come alive, transforming into bloodthirsty beasts ready to devour the group in one gulp.
"Wen, did you hear anything unusual?" The woman turned her gaze towards a slender and pale-faced young man in the middle of the group.
Others also looked at the young man. If there was anyone in the group who could perceive the movements of the missing girl, it was Wen.
This was because he possessed a unique pair of ears. Similar to what he had demonstrated at the entrance of the botanical garden, his mutated hearing allowed him to pick up subtle sounds that ordinary people couldn’t hear, even including infrasound.
This was the reason why the woman was willing to pay a price to hire Wen. Due to the widespread outbreak of the zombie virus, almost all survivors had to rely on bases to evade the zombie tide and barely survive.
Under this pressure, many people took desperate measures, attempting to evolve, much like the mutated zombies. According to a theory in Wen’s base, some humans could also evolve more perfectly, similar to those mutated zombies, by ingesting the crystals found inside the bodies of mutated zombies.
Of course, the cost associated with this process is extremely high. Setting aside the price of killing a mutated zombie, the act of ingesting the crystallized essence of a mutated zombie has a 95% chance of infecting individuals with the zombie virus, turning them into mindless monsters.
For the remaining 5% of people, they might, by chance, withstand the viral infection due to some unknown power within the zombie crystal, evolving into beings with various unimaginable abilities. Depending on each person’s unique constitution, the evolved abilities can vary significantly. Some individuals experience a significant improvement in physical attributes, becoming quasi-superhumans, while others might develop tails or acquire peculiar abilities.
Enhanced vision comparable to that of a falcon or the ability to breathe underwater are just a few examples of the diverse abilities that may emerge. Wen is one such individual who underwent this process.