Chapter 148: The Origin of the Apocalypse

Hearing Mei's question, countless thoughts flashed through Ling Feng's mind in a split second.

Back at the snow-mountain experimental base, Bai Qing had mentioned more than once that the new energy source could cause mutations in flora and fauna. He had even assumed that the emergence of zombies was due to people coming into contact with that new energy and suffering from radiation.

However, his attention had been focused on the missing personnel at the time, and he had not paid much heed to that matter.

Now, prompted by Mei's words, he couldn't help but wonder: was the generation of the zombie virus truly related to the new energy source?

If it truly was related, then why was she collecting this new energy?

Could it be that she was also interested in ruling the world?

If not, what else could it be for? He could not fathom what else such a powerful energy source could possibly be used for.

With these thoughts swirling in his mind, Ling Feng's gaze toward Mei inevitably carried a hint of suspicion.

Sensing the sudden scrutiny and wariness in Ling Feng's eyes, and unsure of what he might be imagining, Mei said with a helpless sigh, "Colonel Ling, what is on your mind? Spit it out! After all, you have struck a bargain with Xirier; if I am at liberty to tell you, I will!"

"What do you want the new energy for?" Ling Feng asked very directly upon hearing this.

Hearing his words, Mei immediately understood the source of his guardedness!

Based on her understanding of him, he was probably worried that she would do something detrimental to his country's interests, which was why he was wearing such an expression.

Thinking this, Mei couldn't help but shake her head and say, "What I want the new energy for is none of your business! But I can tell you this: I don't care the slightest bit about your country, nor even about this planet. To be honest with you, I will be leaving before long. Your worries are entirely unnecessary!"

"Leaving? Where to?" Ling Feng asked, stunned.

"I don't know where, but certainly not on this planet! Those researchers couldn't possibly have missed it when I was undergoing treatment at Longsheng—my genes are different from those of the people on this planet!" Mei stopped at that, leaving the rest unsaid.

Ling Feng already knew a thing or two about her genetic makeup. Originally, the researchers at Longsheng had been baffled as to what kind of method could alter a person's genes so thoroughly. Now it seemed she was simply born that way.

Different from the people of this planet?

Could it be that she came from outer space?

Then how had she arrived on this planet? And how did she plan to leave?

Question after question flashed through Ling Feng's mind. This news was simply too startling, leaving him somewhat at a loss!

Seeing him remain silent and lost in thought, Mei soon grew impatient.

"Hey, I asked you a question. Is it really that difficult, requiring you to ponder endlessly? I truly don't understand what good all your overthinking does. Right now, even your life is not your own. Whether you live or die is entirely up to us. What use is all your pondering? Hmph, suit yourself if you don't want to talk. Did you really think I had no other way of finding out?"

Hearing her words, Ling Feng subconsciously pressed his lips together and lowered his gaze slightly to conceal the emotions in his eyes.

Indeed, he had already sold his soul in order to secure the chance to keep living. Yet his life would only last until the end of this mission; after that, his existence would belong entirely to someone else, and whether he lived or died would be at the complete mercy of the other party.

A person whose very life was out of his hands truly could do nothing!

And was she really indifferent to this planet?

After all, if she genuinely wanted to accomplish something, even without the new energy, she and the people around her would be more than enough!

With these thoughts, Ling Feng raised his head once more and said with his customary calmness, "I was not personally involved in the new energy mission. However, based on my understanding, the new energy was discovered in a meteorite that fell from outer space. As for the location of the discovery, I recall it was on a small island in international waters. The latitude and longitude coordinates are... That is all I know; I am not clear on the rest."

Upon hearing this, Mei immediately brought up her computer to check the coordinates of that small island. After careful calculation, she realized that if the fragmentation of the Source of Darkness had led to the destruction of a planet, and the remnants carrying the shattered pieces of the Source of Darkness had fallen toward Earth and scattered while still in mid-air, then Country A happened to be right within the drop zone.

With this realization, she felt even more confident!

"All right, let's get back to the zombie virus! Didn't Colonel Ling just ask what caused the drug to mutate? No doubt you already have your guesses by now. That's right, what triggered the drug's mutation into the zombie virus is precisely what you call new energy—though the people of Country A refer to it simply as energy!" Having received confirmation, Mei continued with her previous train of thought.

"Energy? Can we be certain of that?" Mo Chen repeated the newly introduced term. The documents he had access to had never mentioned such a type of energy, and he couldn't help but ask for confirmation.

Making a mistake was one thing, but if it messed up her plans, that wouldn't do at all!

"Mm, I wasn't entirely certain before, but now I have at least a ninety percent certainty of it!" Mei nodded affirmatively.

"Actually, I discovered a long time ago that zombies contain trace amounts of dark-attribute energy. At first, I thought it was just a coincidence; after all, while dark-attribute energy can cause biological mutations, it certainly shouldn't turn humans into zombies! Later, as mutated animals and plants appeared, and I sensed even more dark-attribute energy within flora and fauna, I gradually began to harbor suspicions.

"That suspicion reached its peak when the new energy was discovered at the snow-mountain base, and it has now been most firmly confirmed here.

"Although the Source of Darkness emits radiation, its range is quite limited. Just like that small valley back then, the maximum area a single fragment could cover was only so large. Because of that, I never associated the emergence of zombies with the Source of Darkness. However, while at the snow-mountain base, I realized that although human technology cannot fully control the Source of Darkness, they are capable of utilizing its energy to accomplish certain things.

"For instance, triggering earthquakes, or further spreading its radiation.

"You probably can't tell the difference, but the dark-attribute energy contained within the mutated animals of Country A is far greater than the content in the mutated animals of Country B. Such a concentration only occurs in close proximity to a radiation source! Therefore, I am certain that the energy is none other than dark energy!" Mei explained.

"In that case, our next task is very clear: locate the energy! Since Meier already startled the prey previously, if the people of Country A want to prevent others from disrupting their plans, they will inevitably have to hide the energy in a secret location. Since the people of Country A wish to use scientists from other countries to help them break through their research bottlenecks, the hiding place of the energy cannot be too far from the base. If it were too far, it would neither be convenient for feedback on research results nor allow for timely rescue in the event of a crisis. Therefore, I believe that once we reach the Goddess of Hope Base, we should have no trouble finding the energy!" Ye Jingxuan spoke in a low voice after Mei finished.

"If we do that, won't we be acting too passively? Furthermore, according to that William Cade, we still have to spend a month tossing about on the road. It's simply too time-consuming!" Mo Chen said disapprovingly.

"If we don't want to waste time, we could act independently! But what about the scientific research team? Don't forget, they are our current mission objectives; we cannot simply abandon them to their fate!" Ye Jingxuan knew that this approach would take time, but there was no other way.

"That question is up to Colonel Ling. After all, the mission was assigned by him. Unless he is willing to modify the objectives, we have no choice but to keep dragging things out with them!" Hearing the two of them, Mei shrugged helplessly and shifted her gaze to Ling Feng.

Ling Feng remained silent.

Country A's plan had to be disrupted, and to disrupt it, the energy at the core of the plan had to be taken away. On this point, his objective coincided with theirs.

Yet he had not forgotten that he still shouldered another mission: to ensure the successful development of the zombie virus antidote and safely transport it back to his country. To accomplish this mission, those scientists were of paramount importance, and the energy might even be needed during the process. Therefore, he could not let Mei and the others leave right now to take the energy away.

Seeing that he remained silent, Mei was not in a hurry. After all, the target had already been locked down, and getting her hands on it was only a matter of time. As long as Ling Feng didn't try to snatch the Source of Darkness from her, everything else was negotiable.

If his mission changed and he wanted to secure the Source of Darkness for his country, she figured Xirier certainly wouldn't mind missing out on this soul!

Just at that moment, however, Xirier suddenly spoke up: "I can give you the antidote to the zombie virus, on the condition that you modify your mission!"

This sudden declaration left Ling Feng stunned for a good long while before he managed to ask, "You have the antidote to the zombie virus?"

"Hmph! Don't believe me? You can try it yourself!" Xirier said with a gloomy expression, tossing a vial toward Ling Feng.

Ling Feng caught the vial, inspected it, and then left without a word. There was no need to guess; he was undoubtedly going to find a way to test its efficacy.

"It looks like we'll be able to leave soon! How should we make our departure without attracting too much attention?" Watching Ling Feng's retreating figure, Mei began brainstorming an excuse for their exit.

She harbored no doubt that Ling Feng would prevent them from leaving. The efficacy of the medicine crafted by Xirier was unquestionable. Once he tested it, he would surely agree to Xirier's terms!

As for the others, none of them doubted the effectiveness of the antidote Xirier had produced. After all, he was the one who had pulled Mei back from the brink of death; researching an antidote for the zombie virus certainly couldn't be any harder than that!

Consequently, Mo Chen picked up where Mei left off: "Wanting to leave without attracting attention is simple enough. Why don't we just stage an accident and let them assume we're dead?"

"That's a brilliant idea; let's do that! Once Ling Feng confirms the results on his end, we'll fake our deaths and slip away," Mei agreed with a nod.

The others also deemed the method feasible, and the plan was thus finalized.