Little Corpse didn’t know. Little Corpse wanted to hug the big tail, but now she couldn’t.

Xu Duoduo was craving it.

It felt like the other person smelled even better now~

Professor Ji had just come back to look for Qin Luo, only to find that all four of them had completed their mimicry transformation. He was pleasantly surprised. “You all! Quickly! Come with me for an ability assessment. You don’t feel too uncomfortable, do you?”

Qin Luo and the others obediently shook their heads. They did feel a little uncomfortable and uneasy, but it was bearable.

Professor Ji took them away and had Xiao Qiao stay with Xu Duoduo to keep her entertained.

Didn’t want the little zombie getting bored.

“Don’t worry, our research center’s childcare service is excellent. Your little zombie teammate won’t get lost, and no one will bully her.”

Afraid they might still be worried, Professor Ji reassured them again before pushing them into the ability assessment room, smiling all the while.

Xiao Qiao immediately skipped over as ordered. She wore a white lab coat and had her hands behind her back. Seeing the little zombie, she grinned. “Little cutie, you’re here again? Come on, come on, let’s go play!”

The little zombie didn’t really want to move. She was sitting on a bench in the waiting area, swinging her legs.

Her eyes showed some hesitation.

Seeing her reluctance, Xiao Qiao simply plopped down beside her. “Oh, it’s okay. If you don’t want to walk around, we can just wait here for them!”

So considerate!

The little zombie wiggled happily. Xiao Qiao’s heart nearly melted from the cuteness. “How’s it been? Going on missions with Captain Qin, is it tough?”

…

When Qin Luo and the others came out, they saw Xiao Qiao chatting enthusiastically with the little zombie.

Well, mostly, it was just Xiao Qiao talking.

“Right, right! So that old bald donkey got transferred, and Professor Ji replaced him. Our Professor Ji is super gentle and nice.”

“You haven’t been to the city center yet, have you? It’s quite lively over there. You can visit when you have time, as long as you follow the base rules.”

“I heard they’re planning an award ceremony for your squad. The TV station is supposed to record it, and they’ll play it on the big screen downtown! But the typhoon delayed everything, so it’s postponed for now.”

“Da Qiao’s house is on the first floor of a neighborhood complex. She planted another batch of little man-eating flowers—the same kind as that baby man-eating plant. And guess what? The other day, when she went out, they spat at her! Hahaha, a bunch of mischievous kids.”

Qin Luo and the others were stunned.

Do girls always talk this much?

The little zombie couldn’t speak, but she could use her tablet. Her tiny claws tapped away, holding it up, and Xiao Qiao just kept going on and on with the gossip.

So interesting. So fun.

Who doesn’t love gossip?

Finally, Qin Luo walked over and cleared his throat. “Xu Duoduo, let’s go.”

Then, he turned to Xiao Qiao with a polite nod. “Thanks for watching her. Did we take up too much of your time?”

Xiao Qiao watched as the little zombie hopped off the bench and ran happily to Qin Luo’s side. She sighed helplessly. “She really is closest to you.”

Qin Luo tensed up and instinctively wrapped an arm around the little zombie. “What?! Are you saying you want to steal her away?”

No wonder!

No wonder such a busy researcher had time to keep Xu Duoduo company!

His overprotectiveness was so dumb.

Xiao Qiao gave him a look of utter disdain. “Of course, I’d love to steal her away. Who wouldn’t want such a cute little zombie? But I was just doing my job. My lunch break is coming up, so I just kept her company before clocking out. What’s wrong with that?”

If she really wanted to take her for research, she wouldn’t need to trick her—she could just tie her up and take her away.

Her ability was vines, after all.

“Baby, if you ever get tired of following Captain Qin the fool, come find me, okay? Love you~”

Xiao Qiao made a heart gesture at the little zombie, then glanced at Qin Luo and clicked her tongue.

These guys really had some bizarre ways of thinking.

With that, she strutted off.

Qin Luo: …

He felt like he’d been played!

Chen Xiaofei ran over. “The little squad leader is way too popular. Everyone wants her.”

Wang Weihu was confused. “Baby??”

The squad leader looked small, sure, but she didn’t seem like a little kid at all.

Bai Shu, however, understood. Adjusting his glasses, he explained, “It’s a term of endearment between girls. But calling the squad leader that isn’t wrong. Isn’t her lifespan unlimited?”

Considering her current lifespan, she really was still a growing baby.

Wang Weihu got it!

Qin Luo, meanwhile, poked the little zombie’s cheek. “How are you so well-loved?”

The little zombie didn’t understand. Her eyes were fixed on his twitching gray wolf ears.

She wanted to pinch them!

Qin Luo noticed her staring and suddenly felt a little embarrassed. “I know you like me best, but stop staring. If people see, they’ll laugh at us.”

Chen Xiaofei and the others made exaggerated gagging sounds.

After their check-up, they prepared to head home.

Professor Ji had given them each a small case of diluted mutation core serum, with six doses inside. For now, they were to inject one dose every three days.

Xu Duoduo hadn’t been inside, so she didn’t know.

As they walked, Qin Luo explained, “The ability ranking system is now fully established. It’s tier-based, from Level 1 to Level 10.”

This corresponded with mutant creatures, which were ranked from One-Star to Ten-Star.

Bai Shu added, “Right now, in our squad, Qin Luo is at mid-Level 3, Old Wang and Xiaofei are at late-Level 2, and I just broke into Level 2.”

He was a bit slower because, as a long-range shooter, he hadn’t been seriously injured by the mutant snake-men. That put him a little behind. But after taking the serum today, he broke through.

Which showed just how powerful this mutation serum was—it boosted levels like crazy!

Wang Weihu agreed. “After the injection, I finally understood what Professor Ji meant by an ‘empty shell.’ You’re full of energy but don’t know how to use it.”

Their mimicry transformations weren’t fully adapted yet either.

Professor Ji told them to explore their mimicry advantages and adjust their training accordingly.

For example, Qin Luo’s lightning-type Hidden Wolf core was the most special. It suited him perfectly, with a genetic compatibility of 95%.

Here, “genetics” didn’t refer to his own DNA, but to the fusion compatibility between his genes and the mutation core.

After injecting the serum, not only did it strengthen his lightning attacks, but it also added a speed boost.

His wolf claws could also be weapons.

Professor Ji mentioned that if he could fully mimic without losing control in the future, he’d be nearly invincible. But such special mutation cores were rare.

If Qin Luo needed more serum later, he’d have to find a way to trade other cores for more lightning-type ones.

Chen Xiaofei’s East Sea Blue mutation core also boosted speed, but he got lucky—it came with wind abilities as well. The two complemented each other, allowing for even greater speed and giving him the potential to develop his own signature moves.

Professor Ji had said, “Wind can be gentle, but it can also be fierce—like a tornado, capable of devastating an entire area.”

He even joked, “It’s just like those games you young folks play. What do you call it? Area-of-effect attacks?”

The main point was for them to dig deeper into their abilities and create their own techniques.

For older people, this kind of thing might be hard to understand. But for young folks who’d played plenty of video games before the apocalypse, they’d catch on fast.