Ice Apocalypse (Season 2)

Chapter 247: Researching the Corpses of the Altered

After receiving information about the Xishan organization from Yang Xinxin, Zhang Yi felt a significant sense of relief. The greatest fear humans face is the unknown. Understanding the opponent's strength at least provides a means to prepare and respond.
Zhang Yi patted Yang Xinxin's head and praised her with a smile, "Xinxin, you're amazing!"Yang Xinxin proudly lifted her chin, "This was a piece of cake for me!""Just wait, brother. I'll hack into the entire Xishan base's network!"Zhang Yi smiled and nodded, "Alright, I'm looking forward to it!"After chatting with Yang Xinxin, Zhang Yi turned to look at Zhou Ke'er, who had been eager to show her findings."Ke'er, what have you discovered?" Zhang Yi asked with a smile.Zhou Ke'er stood up and pulled Zhang Yi by the hand, "Come to my lab. I've made a huge discovery!"Yang Xinxin, uninterested in dissected corpses, stayed behind. Zhang Yi and Zhou Ke'er went to her laboratory. This room, though called a lab, also functioned as an operating room, specifically prepared by Zhang Yi for Zhou Ke'er. He had moved all his medical equipment in, though he kept crucial medications with him. Now, the lab was fully equipped, capable of handling surgeries without issue. If there were any missing tools, Lu Keran could craft them.Walking into the lab, Zhang Yi saw two dissected corpses on the table, many parts already sliced for examination. Zhang Yi, accustomed to seeing dead bodies, was unfazed.Zhou Ke'er, excited, led Zhang Yi to the experiment table and pointed to the slides under the microscope, "By studying these two corpses, I found that their cells have undergone mutations. Their cellular activity is dozens of times that of normal humans!""And the energy produced by glycogen reactions is released in unusual ways."Zhou Ke'er picked up two brain tissue slices. "The most significant reactions are in the brain cells, suggesting that abilities mainly originate from the brain!"Zhang Yi recalled absorbing Xie Huanhuan's abilities through her brain."This is indeed an interesting discovery," Zhang Yi nodded, smiling in approval.However, it was clear this information wasn't his primary concern. He wasn't a researcher; he cared about practical, immediate gains. Zhou Ke'er, sensing his perfunctory praise, pouted, "You don't understand how important this discovery is!""How important is it?" Zhang Yi asked, indulging her.Zhou Ke'er seriously explained, "So far, human mutations have been influenced by gamma radiation, causing natural mutations.""But this group is limited, and the effects of mutations aren't always positive. Even with abilities, they might not be useful.""However, if someone could fully understand the mutation principles of altered humans, or use cell transplantation methods, it might be possible to artificially create altered humans!"Now, Zhang Yi found this idea intriguing."According to your theory, everyone could become altered humans in the future?"Zhou Ke'er playfully stuck out her tongue, "It's possible, but the probability is about zero point zero zero zero zero zero...one."She continued seriously, "With current medical and biological techniques, it's impossible to perfectly replicate natural altered humans. After all, humans can't even flawlessly clone themselves yet!"Zhang Yi shrugged, "There you go!""But," Zhou Ke'er said, "using some radical methods could yield...well, strange results."She glanced at the corpse of Liu Ziyang on the operating table."For example, this person has very unusual cell mutations."Zhang Yi raised an eyebrow, "How so?"Zhou Ke'er picked up his cell slides and explained, "The woman's cell mutations are natural, affecting her whole body.""But this man's cell mutations are localized, with many cells showing malignant changes, leading to necrosis, even harming his body.""And this damage worsens each time he uses his abilities.""So, I suspect he might be an artificially created altered human, a flawed one at that!"Zhou Ke'er's words piqued Zhang Yi's interest."Artificially created altered humans? Is that possible?""This explains some issues," Zhang Yi thought, resolving his lingering doubts.Firstly, he couldn't absorb this male altered human's abilities. If he was artificially created, he wouldn't be as perfect as a natural altered human. Secondly, his abilities were quite unimpressive—enhanced speed and agility, but Zhang Yi had encountered natural altered humans like Uncle You and Liang Yue, who far surpassed him."So, he's an artificial creation, only slightly stronger than ordinary people, with a capped potential."Zhang Yi felt relieved. "This means the so-called ace special forces with many altered humans in the Xishan organization are mostly like him."Gaining power at the cost of bodily harm, producing weaker altered humans than natural ones, seemed inefficient. But the advantage was in mass production, as ordinary lives were cheap in the apocalypse."They're just expendables in the eyes of Xishan base's leadership," Zhang Yi concluded.With a clearer understanding of Xishan base's strength, Zhang Yi felt more confident. They didn't have a formidable, well-armed force. Now, Zhang Yi was ready to defend against their attacks. However, being on the defensive wasn't his style.So, Zhang Yi approached Lu Keran for a list of materials to make explosives, planning to search for them."These materials are easy to find. Even the most basic black powder, in large enough quantities, can cause significant damage," Lu Keran provided a list.Zhang Yi nodded after reviewing it, "Leave this to me."He called Wang Fatty, asking him to join the search. With Wang Fatty's ability, finding supplies would be a breeze.