Chapter 88

The moment Nan Yuan landed, all the zombies stretched their necks in unison, drooling as they stared at him.
The zombie leader roared to maintain order, forcing some of the “malnourished” zombies to continue building ladders.
Meanwhile, the zombie boss, relying on its large size and speed, charged at Nan Yuan first.
Nan Yuan’s night vision was excellent. He observed and confirmed that, as expected, the dozen or so zombies with high energy levels were the fastest.
He activated his ability, and light pierced through the ink-like darkness, making all energy fluctuations impossible to hide.
The zombie horde couldn’t stand the intense light, howling and scrambling to evade.
The leading zombies were relatively less affected. Though they squinted from the stimulation, they continued charging toward Nan Yuan.
Nan Yuan released the Bloodsucking Vine.
The Bloodsucking Vine began to split and grow.
The zombie leader’s attention was drawn to the Bloodsucking Vine. Not just him, all the other zombies, like dogs catching the scent of meat, moved toward the vine.
Nan Yuan smirked mockingly and dialed back his light ability.
The zombies at the forefront had already stepped into the Bloodsucking Grass's encirclement.
In an instant, the Bloodsucking Grass surged wildly, shooting up several meters high, its stems and leaves thickening as corrosive liquid sprayed out.
Yet the zombies felt no pain at all, grabbing handfuls of the grass's leaves and stuffing them into their mouths.
Nan Yuan occasionally tossed an energy ball to the Bloodsucking Grass.
He controlled the light, using his photokinetic ability to suppress the zombies' advance, calmly observing the fight between the zombies and the Bloodsucking Grass.
The Bloodsucking Grass split into a wave of green, its dense stems and leaves wrapping layer upon layer around the zombies.
Having dealt with the Bloodsucking Grass many times, Nan Yuan knew well that it adhered to the principle of "uprooting the grass and eliminating the roots." Whether it was a large lion or a human, anyone caught in the Bloodsucking Grass would be reduced to a skeleton in under a minute.
Nan Yuan pressed the stopwatch. The Bloodsucking Grass seemed to have trouble digesting the zombies.
By the time the Bloodsucking Grass had swallowed the fifth zombie, Nan Yuan had a clear idea. He released a powerful burst of photokinetic energy, illuminating the entire night sky.
Amid the zombies' wails, Nan Yuan picked up the Bloodsucking Grass and returned to the spacecraft.
Cheng Feimao clapped his hands. "The zombies are returning to their nest."
Through the porthole, swarms of zombies no longer fixated on the spacecraft but turned and headed back toward the underground base.
Nan Yuan released a group of robots, set their programs, and sent them to follow and observe.
"Set course for the base," Nan Yuan ordered.

Tao Shushu, concerned about Nan Yuan's situation, habitually opened her phone as soon as she woke up.
"Good morning, Nan Yuan," Tao Shushu said, pulling Nan Yuan closer for a careful look.
But Nan Yuan abruptly turned his head away. "Shushu, you're awake?"
The tips of his ears suddenly flushed red, and his voice sounded muffled.
Only then did Tao Shushu realize that Nan Yuan could see her too now, and she had just woken up without washing up yet.
Tao Shushu quickly flipped her phone face down and rushed to the bathroom to freshen up.
Nan Yuan closed his eyes.
Shushu seemed too flustered to remember that as long as the game was open, he could see her.
With his vision blocked, his enhanced hearing seemed even more sensitive.
He heard her pacing around the room, knocking something over, then opening the wardrobe door.
Nan Yuan coughed lightly twice.
Tao Shushu snapped out of her initial embarrassment and remembered she hadn't closed the game process.
Her face grew warm too.
Picking up her phone, Tao Shushu saw Nan Yuan on the screen.
His eyes were tightly shut, slightly uncomfortable, and he even covered his ears with both hands.
But Tao Shushu still caught a glimpse of the red tint on his earlobes.
He sat very upright, hands still covering his ears, a posture that should have looked a bit silly, but Tao Shushu couldn't help thinking, somewhat inappropriately, that Nan Yuan had a pretty good figure.
She closed the game.
After dawdling to tidy up, wash her face, and eat breakfast, waiting for the heat in her cheeks to fade, Tao Shushu opened the game again.
Tao Shushu didn't mention what had just happened.
Nan Yuan tacitly didn't ask either.
Tao Shushu cleared her throat and asked, "Nan Yuan, did you find something in the lab?"
Nan Yuan picked up a report. "I discovered that the extract from the Bloodsucking Grass is effective against the zombie virus."
Nan Yuan quickly explained the report's contents: he had analyzed the zombies' blood, the virus-infected bones Tao Shushu had retrieved from zombie bites, and environmental extracts.
Combined with his observations from the night, the energies of the zombies and the Bloodsucking Grass were incompatible.
"Zombies are formed through the dual effects of a virus and energy. Ordinary people without special abilities cannot absorb energy, and the proportion of ordinary people in the population will never be zero. However, the virus can turn everyone on the planet into zombies."
"I suspect that the virus attacks the human body, altering human characteristics, and continuously accumulates energy within the body. That's why, aside from their usual behavior, zombies also exhibit a sensitivity to energy."
"They will constantly chase after energy."
There was no need to say more, Tao Shushu was already convinced by Nan Yuan's speculation. The idea of chasing energy aligned perfectly with their understanding of the world's essence.
"What about the extract from the Bloodsucking Grass?" Tao Shushu asked.
Nan Yuan pointed to the Bloodsucking Grass inside the transparent container. Its roots were still secreting a dark, sticky fluid. Tao Shushu examined it and realized it wasn't the corrosive mucus the plant used as a weapon.
"Last night, the Bloodsucking Grass consumed several zombies. It didn’t digest them well, and after returning, it started secreting this fluid."
The evolution and reproduction of the Bloodsucking Grass also fundamentally rely on energy.
This was the first time Nan Yuan had seen the plant "vomit." After testing, she discovered that what the Bloodsucking Grass expelled was the inactivated zombie virus.
"Both the zombie virus and the Bloodsucking Grass’s mother cells react with energy. Energy is limited, and in the past, the plant’s cells would compete for energy while eliminating their opponents."
Tao Shushu’s eyes lit up.
Nan Yuan often kept her gaze fixed on the laboratory, but this time, she quickly glanced up and noticed Tao Shushu’s thoughtful expression.
She averted her eyes and said, "Shushu, do you remember? We once obtained a serum formula on that barren planet."
Tao Shushu had initially thought the formula was useless. After realizing they couldn’t gather all the required materials, she had set it aside.
"Indeed, Nan Yuan is the best protagonist. This formula is truly a protagonist’s privilege," Tao Shushu remarked. Who would have thought that the most overlooked barren planet in the galaxy would hold a serum formula?
"Yes, I really did obtain something only a protagonist would have." Nan Yuan’s gaze briefly swept over Tao Shushu before she quickly looked away, so fast it was almost imperceptible.
Nan Yuan took out the serum formula. She had studied it frequently while on the barren planet, and the edges of the paper were already worn.
Using the limited materials available, she created a semi-finished serum.
Tao Shushu examined it and said, "Nan Yuan, so zombies can be restored. We have a lot of hope."
Initially, someone had attempted to use zombies to gather energy and destroy the world.
However, zombies can also be reversed into humans. Chu's plan could never succeed in the first place.
Tao Shushu rubbed her hands excitedly. "As long as we find the remaining materials, we can create the complete serum."
Her voice was light and cheerful, clearly brimming with joy.
Nan Yuan smiled along with Tao Shushu for a while before saying, "Right now, time is the most critical factor. Chu won’t give us many opportunities."
"Yesterday, I discovered that ten of the zombie leaders possess self-awareness. The Bloodsucking Grass dealt with five of them. But it triggered the base’s energy detection system. I tracked it to the base and found that a one-way communication device had been activated. Chu must already know what’s happening here," Nan Yuan explained.
Tao Shushu frowned, displeased that Nan Yuan had once again taken on dangerous tasks alone. She knew he was strong enough to protect himself and the human survivors, but she couldn’t help worrying about him.
"I sent robots to handle it. I was only monitoring the energy fluctuations from the periphery," Nan Yuan said casually.
"Shushu, I value my life more than you think."
For the first time that morning, Nan Yuan looked directly at Tao Shushu, his expression utterly serious.
Tao Shushu immediately understood what he meant.
He wanted to spend more time with her, so he didn’t want to die.
"Mm."
Tao Shushu gifted Nan Yuan a large number of energy orbs.
Only then did Nan Yuan continue, "From the very beginning of the apocalypse, Chu locked down the knowledge database system. None of us are botanists, so we don’t know the distribution of all the materials."
Collecting materials, creating the serum, and restoring the zombies, all of it required time.
Yet now, every minute had to be fought for against Chu.
Tao Shushu searched through some shops for a long time but couldn’t find a single plant directory. "Then we’ll just have to do our best to find them. If it really doesn’t work, we’ll have to continue focusing on Dr. Xie."
"Mm." Nan Yuan opened a map. "Zhou Yan interrogated the psychic ability user. His memories also indicate that Chu selects certain individuals to receive mental suggestions. Even after turning into zombies, they retain these suggestions."
On the map, Nan Yuan marked several planets. "These planets haven’t been infected by the virus yet, but Dr. Xie has already sent psychic ability users there. The zombie virus might be hidden on these planets."
"Right now, we need to secure the weapons on Deepwater Planet first. We’ll find a way to restore communication on Deepwater Planet, then head to the next planet."
Their true destination was Red Ore Planet, but the AI’s analytical capabilities were formidable. Any action that revealed their intentions would raise alarms.
Humanity had to proceed with extreme caution.
Tao Shushu happened to have two more days to accompany Nan Yuan. She took out her homework, solving problems while watching Nan Yuan work busily.
On the screen, Nan Yuan instructed Zhou Yan to retrieve the stored weapons.
He also dispatched fast-moving ability users and robots to explore the zombie distribution on Deepwater Planet and search for botany books along the way.
After arranging everything, Nan Yuan began researching how to set up a communication system.
Tao Shushu worked on her problems, occasionally taking breaks when she grew tired. Seeing Nan Yuan so focused, she felt reinvigorated and continued writing diligently.
Nan Yuan also glanced at Tao Shushu from time to time.
She was indeed an excellent student, she read questions quickly, kept her papers neat, and finished problems in no time.
Every time she checked her answers, she marked them with big red checkmarks.
Sunlight streamed through the glass window, falling beside Tao Shushu’s hand.
Nan Yuan also reached out his hand, as if touching the same shimmering light.
One day, he would truly see the light in Shushu's eyes.