Snow fell heavily from the sky, covering the world in a blanket of white. In various large and small settlements, a dark and hidden violence began to unfold once again, just like it did after the first winter of the apocalypse.
During that first winter of the apocalypse, nobody had foreseen the catastrophe, so it was the year with the highest number of survivors, the least resources in the hands of ordinary people, and a scarcity of food, with no potatoes or anything else to replace them.
In that winter, the number of unexplained deaths within the settlements was the highest in recent years. Even though people continued to turn into zombies throughout the third year of the apocalypse, the first year’s winter had a higher toll in terms of both proportion and quantity.
Then, during the third year of the apocalypse, incidents of unexplained deaths began to occur once more in various settlements.
Initially, people didn’t pay too much attention because some of the deceased would immediately turn into zombies and be killed by those around them. Even when some bodies were found with missing flesh and limbs, people didn’t pay too much attention. After all, when people were starving, it wasn’t unthinkable that they might resort to cannibalism.
However, when it became apparent that someone was capturing living people and gruesomely cutting flesh from them to eat, the situation escalated dramatically.
Zombies eating humans was something unavoidable. People eating other people, though abhorrent and unacceptable among humans, could still be understood to some extent when driven to extreme hunger.
But now, with an abundance of food, clothing, and a semblance of normal life within the settlements, the idea of someone resorting to cannibalism, especially in such a cruel manner, was more terrifying than the zombies themselves.
Chaos erupted within the settlements. People either looked at their neighbors with fear, suspecting that there might be corpses hidden in their homes, or worried that they might become victims themselves.
It didn’t take long before some individuals took it upon themselves to conduct house-to-house searches to find if there were any cannibals hiding within the settlement.
Once these searches began, it was not uncommon for the homes being searched to be looted or robbed by opportunistic individuals. If the occupants of the searched homes found someone stealing from them, they might accuse them of murder, leading to violence and deaths.
What shocked people even more within the settlements was the discovery that some individuals displayed extraordinary physical abilities that were beyond human. They managed to break through the security measures and walls, escaping the settlements.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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“…So, as the virus toxin levels increase in their bodies, once the zombie virus reaches a certain threshold, two situations occur. One is similar to the initial zombies of the apocalypse, where they instantly turn into zombies within a short period, losing their sanity and becoming monsters that only crave human flesh.”
“The other situation involves a slow decrease in body temperature, and when it reaches the critical point of 29.3 degrees Celsius, their bodies start to mutate, gradually transforming them into zombies.”
“In these two scenarios, there are further subtypes. Those who directly become zombies turn into what we commonly refer to as regular zombies, devoid of any human intelligence, emotions, memories, and only focused on consuming human flesh.”
“The other subtype, although they also transform into zombies instantly, retain some human memories or instincts. They might not necessarily harm humans after zombification. Due to a lack of sufficient data to support this theory, we currently call this subtype ‘half-zombies.’ There’s a possibility that these half-zombies could eventually fully recover their human memories, but it’s not something we can guarantee at this time…”
“While those with gradually decreasing body temperatures, down to the critical point of 29.3 degrees, fall into two categories as well. One group continues to see their body temperature decrease slowly and does not exhibit any desire to consume human flesh. They can continue living among humans without issue. However, the other group poses a significant problem.”
The person giving the explanation paused and then continued in a solemn tone.
“For this group, once their body temperature drops below the critical point, it rapidly decreases further to 22 degrees. This is not the most frightening part. What’s even more terrifying is that these individuals have the impulse to eat human flesh! They appear normal in their appearance and behavior, but they cannot suppress their instincts when living among humans. All those who have secretly abducted people to eat within the settlement fall into this category!”
Even though they had already known some of the contents of this report, the assembled individuals couldn’t help but feel a sense of unease upon hearing the complete conclusion.
While they had been aware that humanity was slowly transforming into zombies, they didn’t know the exact threshold for body temperature that would result in the creation of these brainless, horrifying creatures. Now, they finally understood this dividing line and the consequences it would bring. But the question remained: What should they do now?
“What should we do?” It took a while, but finally, someone broke the silence in the room.
The room remained silent, and people exchanged glances, but eventually, someone spoke up with a suggestion, “We should expel those whose body temperature drops directly to 22 degrees.”
“But how can we guarantee that those whose body temperature drops to 29 degrees and is still gradually decreasing won’t suddenly change later?”
“Humph, if we kick out everyone who crosses this critical point, how many people will be left in this settlement? Don’t forget, how many people are turning into zombies directly now? Can you ensure that all of us will still have our minds intact and can continue this meeting after our body temperature crosses that threshold?” Another person sarcastically remarked.
“Yeah, it’s a tough situation.”
“Right, we can only expel them temporarily. If, in the future, everyone within the settlement reaches that body temperature, then it won’t matter.”
“That’s right. Then everyone will be in the same boat, won’t they?”
“But… there are still those mutated creatures outside…”
Before one person could finish their sentence, others hurriedly interrupted, “They’ve become somewhat similar to zombies themselves. Even if they go outside, those mutated creatures might not necessarily attack them!”
“Yes, exactly! We can’t take the risk, especially when there are so many people within the settlement whose body temperature hasn’t reached the critical point yet.”
“That’s correct. Besides, in their current state, their combat abilities are probably on par with high-level zombies. They might even stand a chance against the mutated creatures outside.”
…
The meeting concluded, and the order for expulsion was quietly implemented across various settlements.
However, how significant was the difference between 29 degrees and 22 degrees?
Outside the window, white snow was falling gently, accumulating thicker and thicker on the ground. Inside the room, wisps of white steam rose as the vapor slowly drifted upward.
Wei Xuan sat at the edge of the bed, and in front of him, a large round table held a bubbling hotpot filled with bright red broth. Alongside the hotpot were stacks of thinly sliced lamb, chicken, rehydrated wood ear mushrooms, bean curd skin, dried tofu shreds, yuba, dried potatoes, dried carrots, dried mushrooms, glass noodles, and thick glass noodles—everything one needed for a hotpot, using the available ingredients.
The bright red broth in the pot was Wei Xuan’s creation, prepared after he had sorted through the various odds and ends in his home. He had painstakingly concocted it by mixing various types of dried chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, and sichuanese prickly ash, along with various chili sauces and bean pastes he had collected earlier but hadn’t touched in a while.
At that time, if he couldn’t hold his breath for an extended period and if his resistance to spicy food hadn’t increased significantly, he couldn’t have made something as potent as this pot of “biological weapon.”
Before the apocalypse, Wei Xuan could handle some spiciness, but he wasn’t a fan of extremely spicy foods. However, now that he had become a zombie with a tongue and oral cavity that could withstand anything, he decided to abandon his game controller and boldly create this pot of “biological weapon” to enjoy.
As it turned out, Wei Xuan’s confidence in his current constitution wasn’t unfounded. He could eat the contents of this pot, which could potentially set people’s mouths on fire, without much trouble. It was undeniably spicy, but he could endure it. Even scalding hot soups wouldn’t have any impact on his peculiar physique.
“Ah, spicy hotpot is really satisfying. It’s a shame I’ve been having clear soup all this time.” Wei Xuan patted his stomach, which felt like it had been carrying a six to seven-month pregnancy. The table in front of him was a mess of empty plates and bowls. Wei Xuan happily turned off the induction cooker.
The only regret he felt was that while Du Hang could also eat these foods, he didn’t seem particularly interested in them. Du Hang would eat if Wei Xuan fed him, but he wouldn’t ask for more. Otherwise, if they ate together, Wei Xuan’s stomach wouldn’t be so exaggeratedly full.
Wei Xuan is preferring scattering dog food than eating all by himself oooow
Calamity outside, hottest hotpot inside…yum! Thanks for the update 🤣❤️🤣❤️🔥🤣
Maybe he’ll be more interested if you used the special snowflake water to cook?