Chapter Thirty-One: One Step Ahead

Neither the Undercurrent organization nor the Giant Tree Planet could conceal their immense fascination with the Bloodborne virus cultivated by Qiao. This was a circumstance Ye Hai had never anticipated.

In his worldview, the T-virus maintained an overwhelming advantage over all zombie viruses. Even the Bloodborne virus, which drew astonished exclamations from both Undercurrent and Giant Tree Planet, seemed vastly inferior to the T-virus in Ye Hai’s mind.

Thus, in his subconscious, the value of the Bloodborne virus paled in comparison to that of the T-virus. Perhaps, if one judged solely by the viruses’ ability to devour and suppress each other, it was indeed as Ye Hai imagined. Yet, having been trapped for so long in a corner of the Zombie Star, Ye Hai lacked any sense of political strategy.

First, the environment on Zombie Star was closed off; Ye Hai could only glean major news that had already happened from the mouths of alien merchants who frequented the black market. This chronic lack of information made it nearly impossible for him to discern the political currents of the star system.

Second, even before crossing over, Ye Hai had been a minor office worker, possessing no particular political intuition. He simply evaluated the worth of a virus based on its intrinsic strength, overlooking the enormous “change” the Bloodborne virus could bring to Zombie Star.

Ye Hai was well aware of the cultivation process for the Bloodborne virus. It was lengthy and arduous, requiring a secondary cultivation based on the Solar Ladder virus—a derivative virus. In the mutated regions of Zombie Star, it could unleash tremendous power. Yet, if the distance between two mutants exceeded one hundred meters, the Bloodborne virus would fail to invade the second mutant and would simply dissolve into a pile of jelly.

Rare environments like the irradiated zone were scarce across the vast lands of Zombie Star; the main theme was the scattered, wandering mutants in the wilderness. Against them, the Bloodborne virus seemed inadequate.

Moreover, the number of original Solar Ladder viruses was limited and could not withstand such repeated use.

So, what others saw as a virus capable of altering the fate of Zombie Star, even reshaping the political landscape of the entire star system, appeared utterly useless to Ye Hai.

Yet the aliens… they had no idea.

This vast disparity in perception led to a profound cognitive divide.

Thus, Ye Hai and his corpse hunter organization walked openly into the focus of two alien factions.

If Ye Hai knew things had escalated to this extent, he would surely be furious enough to chop off his own head…

…

Zela and his group, rushing anxiously to Qiao’s side, found the ground strewn with shattered mutants and sticky red blood so viscous it clung to their shoes.

A chill ran down their backs.

It was impossible to imagine the brutality of the battle that had taken place here.

---

They were filled with admiration for the audacious feat of Ye Hai and Qiao, who had faced a torrent of nearly ten thousand mutants and a seventh-stage aberration. A faint sense of fear toward the powerful and mysterious corpse hunter organization also took root in their hearts.

All eyes fell on Qiao lying motionless on the ground, and despair gripped them.

News of Ye Hai’s "sacrifice" had already arrived via the Undercurrent Queen. If Qiao died as well, their journey in the irradiated zone would end here.

Now, Zela had fully recognized his own naivety. The idea that he could rely on the firepower of two flagships and a handful of subordinates to breeze through the irradiated zone had evaporated.

They had barely reached the outer ring of the sixth-stage territory, only to encounter such terrifying mutants.

Without Ye Hai and Qiao, who fought to the death and slew a seventh-stage mutant whose main body couldn’t even be destroyed by orbital strikes, Zela would have met his end here.

The time it would take for the warship to locate and kill the main body would have been more than enough for Zela to die a hundred times.

The hardest hit by the news of Ye Hai’s death was Liana.

That powerful man who had dumped hope and despair on her without caring whether she could bear it—had he really died?

Where should she go now?

What should she do with the ant queen virus inside her?

If Qiao died too, she would be completely cut off from the corpse hunter organization.

What would become of her future?

Would Zela, who had made a deal with Ye Hai, still return her family?

For a moment, Liana was engulfed in confusion, tinged with a subtle heartache she herself barely noticed.

As everyone was lost in their own thoughts, Qiao suddenly rolled over steadily.

Snoring began to rumble…

They stared blankly at Qiao. How thick-skinned was this fellow, to fall asleep and snore in such a situation?

Zela exhaled heavily.

Although one corpse hunter had died, the survivor was even more valuable.

Orders had already arrived, instructing him to withdraw with Qiao.

Clearly, Qiao had displayed a strength that made even the Undercurrent organization marvel—or perhaps a secret that fascinated them.

For a moment, Zela was torn.

Should he wait for Qiao to wake and continue toward their goal, or withdraw as ordered?

How vexing!

Liana, too, breathed a deep sigh of relief.

---

Yet as her tension eased, a wave of grief surged through her.

A tear slid unconsciously from the corner of her eye.

Liana touched the moisture and wondered, “Am I crying for him?”

In the end, Zela decided to wait for Qiao to awaken and ask his opinion before deciding whether to stay or leave.

…

By the faint moonlight, Ye Hai sped across the endless desert.

Nine zombie crows circled above him, calling out occasionally to guide his path.

Having slipped from everyone’s sight, Ye Hai rushed toward his destination.

He needed to obtain the access card for Kalan Biogene Company before anyone else arrived.

Though he still didn’t know the exact location of the secret laboratory, since the First Defense Army of Giant Tree Planet was after the card and Zela wanted it too, perhaps they knew where the base was.

As long as he possessed the key, he would eventually claim and open the treasure chest.

Ye Hai was interested in the research data and original samples of the zombie virus, but not overly so.

He was far more intrigued by the secret laboratory of Kalan Biogene Company.

One could imagine: a facility capable of bringing Zombie Star to ruin in such a brief time must be equipped with everything.

For ten years, Ye Hai had struggled without adequate research environments or cultivation equipment.

His work on virus development and bioweapon production had always been severely limited.

Once he seized the secret laboratory, and with the corpse hunter organization—the most insane virus experts in the Leviathan star system—at his side, Ye Hai’s army of organic bioweapons would soon become reality.

Weapons and energy trade could also be channeled through Undercurrent.

If Liana could break through her limits and become the "Veronica Complex," infecting and controlling vast territories, Ye Hai could even gain an absolutely secure spaceport.

It would be Zombie Star’s sole true safe harbor, with incalculable economic, political, and military value!

At that point, Ye Hai and his corpse hunter organization would truly rise from Zombie Star.