This matter, coupled with the long nap taken on the day the biological crisis broke out, made Lin Yuan feel strange.
Initially, Lin Yuan thought it was due to the air conditioning. Now, upon reflection, he realized there were still some issues. Everything could be explained, but one question remained.
Why was he chosen?
Could it be because he had won the "Good Student of the City" honor for four consecutive years, a title shared with his roommate?
Or was it because he was the champion of the dormitory's King Solo Cup for two consecutive terms?
Regardless of how bizarre the reason might be, Lin Yuan was determined to get the truth.
However, this was not something to be rushed. He had to wait until Wu Tian and the others had safely evacuated to the safe zone before he would act.
Then, he would have no lingering worries.
Perhaps, at that time, he might even chicken out.
With his thoughts straightened out, many of Lin Yuan's doubts disappeared, and he felt more at ease.
What is to be gained, should be accepted with equanimity.
However, if that were the case, then this strange special mutant must have been the work of that organization.
No, perhaps not. Jiang Ziqi had just said that there was something on him that her tendrils found unpleasant.
Perhaps those three zombies were indeed Tier 4 mutants, or even Tier 3.5? Were they combined to become Tier 4?
He didn't know, and it didn't matter.
What was important was that the mysterious organization had probably transmitted something to his body through this Tier 4 mutant.
A pathogen, perhaps, for experimentation or other purposes.
Thinking of this, Lin Yuan's killing intent intensified. To casually toy with other people's lives was something that should never happen in this world.
His thoughts returned, and he could once again hear the chirping of birds and cicadas. Lin Yuan looked at Jiang Ziqi, feeling a pang of apology. This girl had likely been targeted as well.
Naturally mutated half-mutated humans were probably the best experimental subjects.
"Ziqi, can you clear that harmful substance from me?"
Jiang Ziqi hadn't expected Lin Yuan to change the topic so drastically and was momentarily stunned. After a long pause, she nodded blankly, "Yes, Brother Lin Yuan, my tendrils can clear it, but it will take two more days for the procedure."
"That's good. We'll take a detour from the other side and meet the convoy at the last intersection of the provincial highway. Can we do that?"
"We can do that," Jiang Ziqi said, lowering her voice and leaning closer, "What about the person following us?"
"We'll ignore him for now. We don't have a chance during the day. We'll deal with him at night.
By the way, do your tendrils have any defensive postures, like turning into a shield?"
???
Jiang Ziqi was confused.
Jiang Ziqi's face was full of question marks.
She suddenly felt that she couldn't keep up with Lin Yuan's train of thought.
"I think... maybe. I've never tried it, maybe I can develop it?"
Lin Yuan's eyes were shining, "Exactly! You can think of it like game skills. Then, Ziqi, you'll be responsible for area-of-effect attacks and defense, while I'll handle single-target attacks and sneak attacks. We can even develop some combo skills. What do you think?"
As Jiang Ziqi listened, she became somewhat interested. Wasn't this like teaming up to fight monsters in a game, researching attack patterns and then defeating the big boss together?
(In the real apocalypse, ordinary people can also develop such combo skills. Think of it like coordinating in a game. If they cooperate well, just two people can deal with one or two zombies before they can even react.)
"Yes! Let's experiment as we go!" Jiang Ziqi was almost jumping with excitement.
This was too much fun.
As for the tail following them, they already had a plan in mind, and it was a matter of who could last longer that night.
Lin Yuan, following his memory, used the method of using five sticks to determine direction twice along the way before reaching the road.
"If we go forward, we should see a road sign. With a road sign, we won't get lost."
Although his mind remembered most of the map, some parts were still vague. Only by seeing directional signs could he recall them more clearly.
This was also why Lin Yuan wanted to find a paper map or a place with a generator to charge his phone.
Having a map was much faster than recalling it himself.
After walking for a long time, they finally found a road sign. After recalling for a moment, Lin Yuan confirmed they were on the right track and continued. This road was longer than the one the convoy had taken, but it was closer to these two counties.
Therefore, it had been excluded from the original plan.
As long as they passed these twin county towns, they would be far from the urban sprawl of Fancheng and enter the village and town areas, where the population density would be significantly lower.
Lin Yuan and the others walked for another 4 hours before stopping to rest, but they still hadn't reached the edge of the county town.
It was nearly 100 kilometers, and it would take 30 hours to walk without stopping.
"Let's rest here. This place is in the middle of nowhere, and there aren't many zombies, so it's safe," Lin Yuan found a small clearing surrounded by several camphor trees by the roadside and decided to make it their resting place to recover their strength.
There was a reason for choosing this spot. Camphor trees rarely had insects around them, and almost all parts of the camphor tree contained camphor and camphor oil.
Camphor was a substance we commonly put in wardrobes to prevent moths. Both substances had insecticidal properties.
Therefore, the environment under the camphor trees was not conducive to the survival of insects.
"Ziqi, go and see if there are any animals around here. We'll catch some to eat later. Don't go too far, and make sure I can see you, understand?"
"Understood."
This forest was of a decent size, and there should be prey.
Jiang Ziqi wasn't going hunting but rather observing animal activity, so she wouldn't go too far.
Meanwhile, Lin Yuan took out his axe and chopped down a tree on the other side to flatten it and make a wooden shovel.
He couldn't chop down the camphor trees. If the oil leaked out, it would smell like camphor balls.
They still had to eat later.
The wooden shovel was made quickly. He just needed to split the wood into planks of suitable thickness and sharpen the front end at an angle.
With the shovel, Lin Yuan prepared to build a Dakota fire pit.
This type of wilderness stove was simple to make. Dig two holes in the ground, spaced 15 to 20 cm apart, and connect them. One of the holes should have a small slope dug into it to accelerate airflow.
Then, place branches at the opening of the other hole, put a pot or stone slab on top, and you could start cooking.
This method of creating a wilderness stove had a high thermal efficiency and burned vigorously due to the fast and large airflow, making it very suitable for wilderness survival.
"Brother Lin Yuan! I saw a wild chicken!! Do you want to catch it!!" Jiang Ziqi was waving frantically not far away.
Lin Yuan's forehead was covered in black lines. Why were you shouting so loudly? The wild chicken had already flown away!
But he still grabbed his axe and followed her.
These two non-humans, could they not handle a few wild chickens?
"Coming, coming! Good luck, we're having chicken tonight!!!"