Chapter 87

Tao Shushu squeezed Nan Yuan's hand and said, "Nan Yuan, I'm going out to take a look. Be careful."
"Shushu, let's go together," Nan Yuan replied.
Aboard the spacecraft, the surviving humans stared intently at the display screen.
Hundreds of reconnaissance robots had long taken their positions, lying in wait and faithfully transmitting images from Deepwater Planet.
In the pitch-dark underground base, the zombies, sensing the rhythm of the light, began to stir.
They sat up in unison.
Their movements were stiff, yet eerily synchronized.
The horde of zombies stretched their necks, sniffing the air, and began to move outward.
Tao Shushu noticed the concern in Nan Yuan's eyes and smiled. "Nan Yuan, I'm not afraid."
Nan Yuan paused, then nodded hesitantly.
Tao Shushu ruffled Nan Yuan's hair. "I want to protect you, Nan Yuan."
"Alright," Nan Yuan finally said.
Tao Shushu switched the view to the vicinity of the spacecraft. The Bloodsucking Grass had already taken root in the soil, forming a large protective ring around the exterior of the ship.
Tao Shushu tossed an energy ball to the Bloodsucking Grass as encouragement.
Nan Yuan had parked the spacecraft on a high ground amidst the ruins, offering a broad field of vision and favorable concealment.
Tao Shushu inspected the area around the ruins. Across the entire Deepwater Planet, no other animals could be found, not even insects.
After rummaging through the debris, Tao Shushu finally discovered a pile of animal bones in a corner. She clicked to investigate.
The system deducted 2 gold coins and displayed a description: "Skeleton of a wild ox. Bite marks and neurotoxins remain on the bones."
The bones had been gnawed clean, with no trace of rotting flesh left.
Tao Shushu picked up two pieces, noting the deep, bone-splitting tooth marks. She carefully wrapped the bones, intending to bring them back for Nan Yuan to analyze.
After exploring for a while, Tao Shushu grew increasingly puzzled, there were almost no animals left on Deepwater Planet, and even plants had become scarce. What did the zombies usually eat?
Carrying the toxin-laden bones, Tao Shushu returned to the spacecraft.
Aboard the ship, the survivors were observing the zombies' every move through the screen.
The ferocious zombie horde stared feverishly at the tiny robots, chasing after them as they advanced.
The robots Nan Yuan had dispatched were minuscule, no larger than a fingernail. Yet, whether the robots hid among the zombies or clung to the tops of buildings, the horde always pinpointed their locations with precision.
On the screen, a small robot was snatched into a zombie's gaping maw.
The last image it transmitted froze inside the zombie's bloody mouth.
On another screen, zombies climbed the unfinished communication equipment, snapping the radio frequency instruments.
A few seconds later, the screen turned to static as the communication was cut off.
Tao Shushu shared her earlier discovery. "There's no food on Deepwater Planet."
Nan Yuan voiced Tao Shushu's suspicion. "The zombies don't need to eat, they need energy."
Zhou Yan's expression turned grave. "When the apocalypse first began, we never encountered a planet entirely overrun by zombies. We always assumed their attacks on living creatures were for predation."
Tao Shushu grasped Nan Yuan's hand.
In the matter of harvesting the world's energy, it was clear that Chu had been scheming from the very start.
"Let's focus on defense first," Nan Yuan said. "Both the spacecraft and the warships generate energy fluctuations."
As if echoing Nan Yuan's judgment, outside the porthole, the Bloodsucking Grass sprinted away, kicking up a cloud of dust in its wake.
Behind the dust, the zombie horde staggered forward, their movements unsteady yet strangely coordinated.
Tao Shushu frowned. "This is the first time I've seen the Bloodsucking Grass retreat on its own."
This particular Bloodsucking Grass had been fed numerous energy balls by Tao Shushu, and its offensive power was comparable to that of a warship.
But now, the Bloodsucking Grass seemed utterly terrified of the zombie horde and chose to retreat without hesitation.
Nan Yuan controlled a group of small robots to assist the Bloodsucking Grass.
The Bloodsucking Grass immediately retracted all its split parts, re-forming into a small cluster.
"Let's see what happens," Nan Yuan commanded the Bloodsucking Grass to separate a small portion of its body to block the zombies.
For the sake of the energy sphere, the Bloodsucking Grass agreed.
When the zombies saw the motionless Bloodsucking Grass, they immediately fixated on it and began moving straight toward it.
The portion the Bloodsucking Grass had separated was very young, only about the size of a palm.
The zombies didn't mind at all, crouching down one after another to chew on the Bloodsucking Grass leaves.
They didn't even spare the Bloodsucking Grass's slimy, corrosive roots. Their skin and teeth burned with small holes, yet they swallowed it all with relish.
They didn't even pay attention to the small robots still in operation, piling on top of each other to fight over the Bloodsucking Grass.
One zombie collapsed after being burned by the corrosive fluid, only to be replaced by more zombies, who even treated the fallen one as a source of energy.
The scene was both bloody and eerie.
A few surviving humans couldn't hold back and began retching.
Tao Shushu also found it unsettling.
These zombies were once humans, but now they had been completely reduced to machines for plundering energy.
No wonder the AI had targeted the center of the C1 star system, paying so little attention to the defenses of the outer regions.
From the very beginning, it had created enough zombie squads and could, at any time, use the virus to turn all humans into zombies.
This was perfectly in line with the AI's principle of efficiency, yet it disgusted all emotional carbon-based life forms.
Tao Shushu tossed an energy sphere into the zombie horde.
The high-purity energy immediately captured the attention of all the zombies.
Seizing the opportunity, Tao Shushu lifted the zombie that had already become food for its companions. She didn't know what to do, but she couldn't bear to watch the scene of cannibalism.
Nan Yuan seemed to know what she was thinking, quickly organizing the small robots to block the pursuing zombies and swiftly digging a pit.
It was a small funeral for the unfortunate zombie.
After the chaotic struggle, a tall zombie swallowed the energy sphere.
As the energy sphere entered its stomach, the chaotic scene quieted down, and the zombies resumed their orderly swaying motions.
Tao Shushu frowned. "These zombies are so unhygienic."
During the struggle, some zombies had been injured and bled, and the others, their eyes gleaming, licked the blood clean.
"Shushu, don't watch anymore," Nan Yuan said. "Let me show you the behavioral analysis report on the zombies."
Shushu was just as he had imagined, clean, spotless, living in a tidy room and attending a spacious, bright school.
Yet he always made sure she witnessed scenes that unsettled her.
Tao Shushu patted Nan Yuan’s head. “It’s alright, Nan Yuan. Just zombies, I can handle it.”
As she spoke, Tao Shushu took a sip of water. “I’m really not afraid. Thank you for worrying about me, Nan Yuan.”
The smile on her face was completely genuine.
Nan Yuan smiled back.
More and more zombies were gathering, densely crowding beneath the spaceship and battleship.
There were still a few hours until dawn.
The spaceship and battleship had sufficient energy and enough firepower, so they weren’t afraid of the zombies.
But even without immediate danger, the mood among the surviving humans remained heavy.
Tao Shushu and Nan Yuan observed the zombies’ every move together.
It seemed there was a protective mechanism among the zombies, as long as one zombie was alive, it would never be attacked by others.
But once a zombie died, it would be devoured by the others as an energy source. Any energy separated from a body would also be fought over.
Tao Shushu wondered aloud, “Chu intends to use the zombies as tools to collect energy, but through what mechanism does it control them?”
Chu didn’t seem like an AI that would leave potential threats unchecked, it must have a method in place.
Nan Yuan didn’t have an answer for now.
The zombies were highly aggressive, attacking humans and mutated animals indiscriminately.
Nan Yuan maneuvered the spaceship to ascend, hovering above the zombies.
Just then, the zombie that had seized the energy sphere let out a roar.
The spaceship’s altitude kept it just out of the zombies’ reach.
However, as the zombie roared, the gathered zombies began stacking their hands, forming a base.
Then, some climbed onto their shoulders.
Without a word, the horde swiftly built a tower.
“Have the zombies developed a collective consciousness?” Tao Shushu asked. If so, these zombies could no longer be considered “humans infected with a virus.”
Nan Yuan stared at the roaring zombie. “Based on daytime observations, there’s no leader among the zombies, they’re all similar. But just now, that zombie obtained the energy sphere. Now, it has become the energy sphere.”
Much like the law of the jungle in the animal kingdom, among zombies, the one with the most energy becomes the leader.
Nan Yuan used his light-based ability to illuminate several physically strong zombies, including the one that had seized the energy sphere. “These are the strongest in the entire horde, and they were leading the way earlier.”
At that moment, the newly promoted zombie leader let out another eerie cry.
The zombie horde, inherently afraid of light, crouched down to avoid the brightness.
Only after the zombie leader roared for a while did the horde resume its activities.
Nan Yuan withdrew the light. “I suspect it’s a psychic ability.”
In a space entirely overrun by zombies, the AI could control the entire horde by supplying energy to a specific zombie and manipulating it as the leader.
A powerful AI like Chu could easily implant psychic suggestions in the chosen zombie leader while it was still human.
Tao Shushu frowned. “Chu is too cunning.”
If Nan Yuan hadn’t considered the possibility of a psychic ability, even if they found a way to save the zombies, they would only end up with a horde of powerful enemies.
Nan Yuan did some calculations and maneuvered the spacecraft and battleship to climb higher, ensuring that even if the zombies built ladders all night, they wouldn’t be able to touch even a corner of the ship.
“Rushing won’t help. Let’s think it over. Shushu, it’s too late on your side, you should rest,” Nan Yuan said.
Tao Shushu secretly yawned again.
Nan Yuan decided to stay on Deepwater Planet for three days. It worked out perfectly, as she could help Nan Yuan resolve this matter before heading off to the competition training camp.
“Alright.” Tao Shushu spent a lot of energy orbs. “Nan Yuan, you should raise the spacecraft a bit higher too and get some rest.”
“Okay.”
Tao Shushu was exhausted. She logged out of the game and fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.
Nan Yuan no longer saw the scenes from Shushu’s side.
He waited until Tao Shushu was sound asleep before saying to Zhou Yan, “Go interrogate the psychic ability user. I’m afraid I’ll have to trouble you to work through the night.”
His world was filled with too much darkness and filth, he didn’t want Shushu to see it.
Then, Nan Yuan took out the Bloodsucking Vine. “Let’s go, we’ll face the zombie horde again.”
The Bloodsucking Vine whimpered.
Nan Yuan expertly pulled out a few energy orbs.
The Bloodsucking Vine immediately complied obediently.
Bob, watching Nan Yuan fully geared up, said worriedly, “Nan Yuan, send the robots instead. The environment outside is still toxic. Even the bones bitten by zombies retain toxins, it’s too dangerous.”
Nan Yuan shook his head. “I have a hypothesis, and I need to verify it as soon as possible.”
Using zombies for verification was too gruesome, not something suitable for Shushu to witness.