Qin Luo had to go to Basement Level -2 to see the doctor, while Xu Duoduo was to follow Professor Ji, along with Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao, down to Basement Level -8.

A research center underground?

Xu Duoduo found it fascinating, as if she had stumbled into a bizarre new world.

She obediently cooperated with their examinations, which were quite similar to those she had undergone before—routine checkups, blood tests, CT scans, and more.

The final results were rather intriguing.

“Good girl, you might just be the only zombie-fied baby in our H City survivor base.”

Despite having no heartbeat, all of Xu Duoduo’s organs functioned just like a normal person’s, and even her brain had not deteriorated.

Before the apocalypse, such a case would have been incredibly strange. But in this new world, it was almost normal.

Xiao Qiao chuckled as she shared, “I’ve even seen a person who was nothing but a brain… and he could still talk!”

Xu Duoduo was left in speechless horror.

A talking brain?!

That made absolutely no sense scientifically!

Then again, she herself—a zombie without a heartbeat who could still walk, jump, and think clearly—wasn’t exactly scientific either.

Fine.

The apocalypse was just weird. This world was falling apart anyway.

Later, Professor Ji investigated the reason why she couldn’t speak but found nothing unusual. In the end, he diagnosed it as a psychological issue.

That was troublesome.

But Professor Ji was gentle and patient, telling her not to worry. “When you feel ready to speak, it might just come naturally.”

They also recorded a full set of her physical data and used a strange device to test her abilities. In the end, under the “Abilities” section, they wrote: None.

Huh??

The current equipment couldn’t detect her spatial ability? Xu Duoduo immediately felt relieved.

She loved hoarding supplies, but she didn’t like people knowing what she had. It made her feel unsafe. Stockpiling was no fun if she had to constantly worry about being discovered.

Thank goodness they couldn’t detect it.

They later tested her agility and found it to be 1.5 times that of an average person.

The final conclusion: she was just a mostly useless little zombie who might be capable of immortality.

Even so, the fact that she could theoretically live forever was quite rare.

Professor Ji and the Qiao siblings only asked that she visit the research center once a month to donate some blood. They were a little disappointed by the results, but they still treated her kindly.

“Duoduo, what did you do for work before the apocalypse? We can arrange something similar for you, or if you’d like, you can work here at the research center, though it might be a bit tiring.”

Xu Duoduo was a little confused. After a moment of thought, she typed on a tablet: I want to stay with Qin Luo and the others.

She showed them her response.

The Qiao siblings sighed in regret.

“Aww, wouldn’t it be better to stay with us at the research center?”

“Yeah, even if you don’t have abilities, you’re the only human who mutated into a zombie. If you go to the frontlines, you’ll just be cannon fodder. Why follow Qin Luo, that battle maniac? Stay with us instead!”

Xu Duoduo shook her head. She was stubborn about staying with Qin Luo.

She felt uneasy at the research center. The sight of people in white lab coats constantly walking around made her uncomfortable.

Professor Ji didn’t force the issue. Instead, he asked Da Qiao to fetch a watch—or rather, a wristband.

“This is the latest communication device. Most electronics stopped working after the apocalypse, but this still functions.”

The device was like a portable Wi-Fi hub combined with various other features. Tablets had to be connected to their owner’s wristband to access the network; otherwise, there was no signal.

Ordinary survivors in the base didn’t even have network access. Currently, only awakened individuals—people with abilities—were allowed to have these devices, as the base relied heavily on their powers.

Rescue missions and resource recovery were impossible without them. Ordinary people couldn’t handle mutated creatures at all—zombie viruses alone could be fatal.

As a result, the best resources were prioritized for those with abilities.

There was also a distinction between Awakened individuals and Mutants.

Awakened were normal humans enhanced with supernatural abilities, with overall strengthened physical attributes.

Mutants, however, had undergone physical transformations beyond human norms. For example, the stone-armored man repairing the perimeter walls—his body had incorporated rock-like material.

Much of this defied scientific explanation, but researchers still had to try and understand it.

Anyone who could calmly sit and chat with a zombie girl like Xu Duoduo at this stage of the apocalypse clearly had exceptional mental resilience. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to function properly in this field.

Xiao Qiao handed Xu Duoduo the keycard for her new room. Since Qin Luo had requested her as a reserve team member, she would be housed in the same complex as him.

“The keycard is also stored in your wristband. You can use it to access the residential area and your room.”

“Qin Luo should be done soon. Just wait here for him, and he’ll show you around.”

With that, Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao left to continue their work.

Professor Ji also had new personnel to attend to, so Xu Duoduo was left alone on a bench on Basement Level -2, waiting for Qin Luo to pick her up.

She wasn’t entirely alone, though.

Due to genetic mutations, both awakened and mutant individuals often experienced physical changes—many became taller and stronger. As a result, even the benches in the research center were made wider than usual.

Next to her, a burly man was asleep, snoring loudly. His massive frame fit the bench perfectly.

Meanwhile, Xu Duoduo sat further inside, her feet dangling as she kicked them absentmindedly. She looked around—people were busy with their own work, and not many paid attention to her. Occasionally, someone would glance at the collar around her neck, making her feel uncomfortable.

She reached up and touched the cold metal of her collar, feeling a little uneasy.

Then, Qin Luo appeared in the hallway.

He emerged from one of the examination rooms, his upper body bare, with bandages wrapped around his waist and arm. He had been injured while fighting the mutant monkey horde.

But afterward, he had acted like nothing was wrong, so Xu Duoduo had completely forgotten about it. Her brain hadn’t deteriorated, but sometimes, her thinking was slow.

Like now.

Qin Luo brushed her hair lightly with his jacket, signaling her to follow.

Only then did Xu Duoduo snap out of her daze, jump off the bench, and trail behind him.

Step by step.

Qin Luo glanced at her feet. When he had pulled her from her room as a newly-turned zombie, she hadn’t been wearing shoes.

Now, her feet were covered in dried blood, splattered from using a chainsaw to fight the monkey horde. Her pink bunny pajamas were also stained and filthy.

Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao hadn’t thought to get her shoes since she was a zombie with thick skin. As a result, she had been walking around barefoot this entire time.

Qin Luo found it unbearable to look at.

Passing by a medical office, he ducked inside, exchanged a few words with someone, and came back with a pair of disposable slippers—thin, but better than nothing.

He knelt down and put them on her feet.

Xu Duoduo felt warmth spread through her cold body. She looked down at the slippers and smiled.

Qin Luo glanced at her but said nothing. He simply turned and continued walking.

Xu Duoduo followed.

Things between them had been awkward since the monkey horde incident—because Qin Luo had nearly decided to kill her.

Logically, it had made sense.

But it was still awkward.

Qin Luo, at least, felt uncomfortable about it.