In the apocalypse, I hoarded goods and handed over my storage space to the government.

Ten minutes later, at the Kunlun Base, in the core research area, at biological laboratory A-3.

With a soft "beep".

As soon as Su Ran passed the iris verification, the isolation door slid open to both sides, and a figure came forward to greet her.

"Advisor Su!"

The person who arrived had a loud and clear voice, full of energy.

Su Ran looked up and was taken aback.

The man in front of me was nearly 1.9 meters tall, with a muscular build like a bear. Even wearing a white coat couldn't hide the bulging muscle lines beneath.

With his buzz cut and ramrod-straight posture, he looked every bit the soldier who had just returned from training.

This is quite different from the image of a scientific genius with thick glasses and thinning hair that Su Ran had imagined.

"Are you Zhou Jian?" Su Ran asked tentatively.

"Reporting to Advisor Su! Zhou Jian, former Level 1 Researcher at the National Laboratory for Biotechnology, is reporting for duty!"

The other party stood up and reported loudly.

"..."

Su Ran's lips twitched, and she nodded in acknowledgment, "Old Chen's disciple is indeed extraordinary."

With that physique, it would be a waste not to use him to carry artillery shells.

"Our teacher often says that good health is the foundation of scientific research, and we must dedicate ourselves to the health and scientific research of Daxia for fifty years."

Zhou Jian grinned, and his military bearing instantly vanished.

"Advisor Su, everything is ready and awaits your inspection."

He led Su Ran into a huge observation room.

One entire wall of the observation room is made of glass, and opposite the glass is a huge enclosed test field with an area of ​​over 500 square meters.

The interior is a complete simulation of an urban environment, complete with vehicles, trees, and everything else.

A circular trench about one meter wide was dug around the model.

The trench was covered with a white, cotton-like fungal carpet that was slowly wriggling.

"Consultant Su, we have conducted a simulated deployment based on your concept of a 'biological moat'."

Zhou Jian walked to the control panel and quickly typed commands on the touchscreen.

"Our team successfully extracted and synthesized two key agents from the gene sequence of the fungal carpet."

He picked up two prepared test tubes, one dark green and the other deep blue.

"The green ones are 'inducers' that can put the fungal carpet into a highly active predatory state; the blue ones are 'inhibitors' that can make them return to an inactive state."

Su Ran immediately grasped the key point: "So, this fungal carpet is controllable?"

"Completely under control."

Zhou Jian nodded confidently, "Next, please watch the practical demonstration."

He gave the order into the communicator, "Deploy the experimental subjects."

With a command given, the alloy gate at the other end of the test site slowly rose.

"roar!"

With a hoarse roar, more than a dozen first-tier zombies of various shapes were driven out.

They staggered along, their eyes vacant, but upon smelling the attractant, they seemed to be injected with stimulants, rushing towards the grayish-white fungal carpet without prior arrangement!

Su Ran's eyes narrowed.

coming!

The zombie at the very front had just stepped one foot into the area of ​​the fungal carpet.

A sudden change has occurred!

Swish!

The grayish-white fungal carpet that had been quietly spread on the ground seemed to come alive!

The slender mycelium suddenly burst up from the ground and instantly wrapped around the zombie's ankle!

"Hmm..."

The zombie let out a meaningless roar and was pulled down by the immense force.

Immediately afterwards, more mycelia swarmed up, densely packed, like a white tide, instantly engulfing it.

The zombies behind them were completely unaware of this and continued to charge forward madly.

One, two, three...

Without exception, all the zombies that rushed in were tightly entangled, dragged, and wrapped up by the net formed by mycelium.

"Sizzle sizzle..."

Through the observation window, it can be clearly seen that the bodies of the wrapped zombies are being corroded and dissolved at a visible rate.

The entire process took less than three minutes, and more than a dozen zombies vanished without a trace.

The original two-meter-wide fungal carpet had visibly thickened and widened by at least one-third.

The surface of the fungal carpet even swells with tiny spore sacs, which then break open and grow into colorful little mushrooms.

"It can grow mushrooms?" Su Ran raised an eyebrow.

"We have also conducted research on this type of mushroom. It contains a small amount of hallucinogenic toxins. As long as you don't eat it, it's just like any other mushroom."

Zhou Jian added, "The real ability to release spores, digest, and prey is the mycelium underneath."

Looking at the data, he reported to his supervisor, "Advisor Su, the experiment proves that your idea is entirely feasible."

"First, the creep will multiply itself after it engulfs a target, and the defensive zone will become thicker and stronger."

"Secondly, through our observation and brainwave monitoring, it did not show any tendency to become intelligent or actively hunt."

All its actions are based on the instincts of 'passive defense' and 'self-replication'.

Although it has digestive capabilities, it is still a plant, not an animal.

"Third, and most importantly,"

Zhou Jian pointed to a screen that a researcher was operating.

"We have found its 'natural enemy,' a complex acid solvent that can completely eliminate it with controllable safety."

The researcher pressed a button, and the sprinkler system on the top of the isolation chamber started, spraying out a blue mist.

A miraculous scene unfolded.

The mycelium, which had been stretching out and trying to climb up the wall, quickly retracted and withered the moment it came into contact with the mist.

Finally, it obediently lay on the ground, turning into a layer of dead skin that stuck to the wall.

"It has no intelligence, no sense of pain, only the most primitive instinct to eat."

Zhou Jian pointed to his head, "As long as we spray inhibitors in specific areas or bury boundary markers containing inhibitory ingredients, it will absolutely not be able to get through."

Su Ran let out a long breath, her eyes filled with barely concealed excitement.

"Good! Very good!"

He never expected that the real-world recreation of "Plants vs. Zombies" would go so smoothly.

With this biological moat, the cities that humans reclaim and the industrial zones they establish in the future will be like wearing a layer of biological armor!

The frontline troops do not need to spare a large number of troops to guard the rear.

"Well done! Dr. Zhou, you and your team have made a great contribution to Da Xia!"

Su Ran patted Zhou Jian's rock-solid shoulder hard.

"I dare not accept such praise!"

Zhou Jian was a little embarrassed by the praise. He said frankly, "We just did what we could in the direction you suggested."

"No need to be modest. Without the help of you researchers, these ideas would remain just ideas."

Su Ran waved her hand and continued speaking.

"The next research direction will still focus on improving the efficiency of inducers and the stability of inhibitors, in order to achieve precise regional control."

The strategic value of this thing is immeasurable!

"Understood! It's already being done!"

Zhou Jian paused, seemingly organizing his thoughts, before continuing.

"Consultant Su, regarding your second proposal..."