Everything in this new world had to be readjusted.

After they ate and drank their fill, they left behind a messy table, but everyone helped clean up together.

By the time they were done, it was already 10:30 PM.

So, everyone went their separate ways home.

Xu Duoduo also returned to her little home—she had only spent one night in this new place.

She quickly got busy, taking things out from her space to decorate her small home.

Cute plushies and various small ornaments were placed around. She changed the curtains to a warm color she liked and replaced the rug with a light green one.

The doormat outside the bathroom had to be made of absorbent diatomaceous earth. All her toiletries were neatly arranged in the bathroom cabinet above the sink.

She also replaced the fridge magnets in the kitchen with cute ones and stocked up on some everyday seasonings.

Now, the little home finally felt like a real home.

Xu Duoduo was so busy running around—moving the living room cabinet to a different spot, changing the bedsheets and sofa covers.

Since her fingers weren’t great at delicate tasks, even putting on a duvet cover took her ages.

Finally, after she was done, she sat on the bay window in the living room, staring into space. The public broadcast outside had already shut off. The residential area was now lit by dim, just-bright-enough lights, and the streets below were quiet—there wasn’t a single person outside.

The towering walls stood prominently in the distance, making her feel secure.

The little zombie curled up with a tablet, browsing forums and coming across a bunch of bizarre posts. Unfortunately, many of them were locked, but that didn’t stop her from reading the content.

The latest research report had shot to the top of the trending topics, and everyone was talking about it.

“I heard rumors before that ability upgrades rely on Variant Cores, but I didn’t really believe it. Turns out it’s true??”

“Damn, Variant Cores are so hard to obtain. What are the lower-tier combat squads supposed to do?”

“Another serum? And it has to be injected? Is this really safe?”

“Lol, if you’re scared, just don’t use it. Researchers worked day and night on this without eating or sleeping, and you’re afraid to use it?”

“Whoever wants to use it can use it. I’m going to wait and see. Who knows what’ll happen after injecting it?”

“Why are you even worrying? You think just anyone can get their hands on this? I just got some insider info—the first batch of serums won’t even reach us normal squads. They’re prioritizing the elite squads.”

“Oh, so you don’t even want it now? Soon, this stuff will be impossible to get even if you want to. Just wait, after the apocalypse, the gap between people will only get bigger and bigger.”

Seeing the heated arguments in the thread, Xu Duoduo quickly switched to another post and started following real-time disaster updates.

It wasn’t just their country suffering—other countries across the globe were experiencing terrifying disasters.

A certain country in Region R had been hit by a massive earthquake, causing seawater to flood in. Most of the population was likely wiped out. International rescue teams wanted to help, but everyone was too overwhelmed with their own survival to spare the effort.

The world was in complete chaos.

Xu Duoduo scrolled through videos—zombies abroad were far more vicious. Those were real zombie sieges, with hordes frenziedly chasing people down and devouring them.

The videos were filled with screams and the sounds of flesh being torn apart.

In Country M, giant mutated creatures had appeared—like a “plus” version of regular zombies. These monsters were covered in layers of zombies, forming a giant humanoid furnace.

Anyone swallowed into them vanished without a trace—no blood splatter, nothing.

People ran for their lives, screaming, but most had to rely solely on themselves.

There was no order whatsoever.

Most satellites had gone offline. Planes couldn’t take off. Some parts of the sea were shrouded in dense fog, making it impossible for ships to sail.

Communication between nations was nearly severed.

Everyone was on their own.

It wasn’t just monsters—there were natural disasters too. Tornadoes, blizzards, and bizarre rolling tumbleweeds that spread wildly, almost burying entire countries.

Xu Duoduo watched videos of these mutated tumbleweeds—they looked like spiky balls, rolling crazily through the streets of some country. Many people got impaled on them.

It was terrifying.

The comment sections on these videos were disabled. People could only watch.

No jokes were allowed in the face of such disasters.

After watching the videos, Xu Duoduo felt relieved that her own country still had some order left.

They had rapidly established three massive bases centered around the three most stable cities.

Using these as strongholds, they extended aid to other cities. More than half of the fallen zones had been reclaimed, and the chaotic zones were being stabilized.

The goal was to transform these chaotic zones into smaller bases. Choosing a base location was crucial—it had to withstand natural disasters and be far from the coastline.

The entire coastal population had already relocated inland.

They also tightened the management of Ability Users and Mutants, drafting new laws.

Xu Duoduo tried to absorb all this information. The apocalypse hadn’t even been going on for long, yet her old stable life already felt like something from years ago.

It made even a zombie like her feel dazed.

---

The Next Morning

A typhoon was approaching. Though it hadn’t arrived yet, the air felt stifling and humid.

The sky was bright.

There wasn’t a hint of rain, but it felt like the eerie calm before a storm.

Xu Duoduo was woken up by Qin Luo. They were gathering at Professor Ji’s lab—the diluted Variant Core Serum had arrived, and the professor wanted them to test its effects.

When they arrived at the research center, Professor Ji was still explaining the serum’s usage to other combat squads. Seeing them enter, he waved them over.

“Come here. Let me explain the situation first, and then you can decide whether or not you want to take the serum.”

They entered a meeting room, where Professor Ji started a PowerPoint presentation. Since this serum couldn’t be mass-produced yet, it was only being introduced privately.

“Everyone’s body is different. After injection, various side effects might occur—dizziness, fever, vomiting, and even a possible… heat state.”

Professor Ji explained patiently. “But the effects are significant. Absorption varies from person to person, but if utilized properly, this will greatly enhance your physical abilities.”

He flipped to the next slide, showing an image.

“Each Variant Core extracted from different creatures grants different effects. Injecting it allows you to temporarily gain that core’s ability.”

The image displayed an elephant, with an earthy yellow Variant Core extracted from it.

“For example, this Strength-Type Variant Core. Once injected, it provides a temporary power boost. The test subject—a 17-year-old martial arts student—used it and managed to kick a two-star mutated lizardman’s head clean off. Impressive, right?”

There were plenty of such case studies, all results of relentless research efforts.

Qin Luo and the others were utterly speechless. Xu Duoduo also stared, wide-eyed.

“Wait, hold on… That girl, and the other guys—why do they look so weird? Are they cosplaying? One has an elephant tail, another has leopard ears?”

Qin Luo pointed it out, and Chen Xiaofei and the rest nodded frantically.

Professor Ji coughed awkwardly. “As I said, this serum has some side effects. Partial beast-like mimicry is one of them. Some show it more prominently than others.”

“But these mimicry traits will disappear as the serum is metabolized. You won’t stay like that forever.”

Qin Luo and the others fell silent.

This side effect felt… unsettling.

What if a big tough guy suddenly sprouted cat ears?!

The four men collectively went pale, looking absolutely dead inside.

Meanwhile, the little zombie’s eyes sparkled as she sneakily glanced at the four of them.

Was it bad that she was actually looking forward to this?!