Mobile Shelter

Chapter 152 Choices and Evasion

As the torrential rain arrived, the tiny alien life forms hidden in the rain also fell to the earth along with the rain.

Those tiny alien life forms entered human bodies through skin that came into contact with rainwater. Originally, when they were hiding in the ocean, they would subtly cause those marine creatures to mutate.

Perhaps because they hadn't felt threatened before, the mutation process of those marine creatures was relatively slow.

But now, perhaps because they sensed a threat, they immediately caused the rain-soaked creatures to mutate after entering the human body through the skin.

Humans, who are originally slender, become like sponges absorbing seawater after coming into contact with rainwater. As they continue to absorb rainwater, their bodies gradually swell and grow larger.

Those people's bodies gradually expanded from their originally average size to those huge, blocky muscles that looked like they had been injected with drugs.

His height suddenly increased from 1.78 meters to nearly 3 meters.

More importantly, perhaps because of the sudden increase in weight, the legs alone could no longer support the body, so as the body continued to expand, the arms also became thicker and longer.

As their body shapes gradually stabilized, those people absorbed rainwater and mutated, their appearance becoming somewhat similar to gorillas in a zoo.

Although he can still move slowly on his legs, most of the time he is hunched over with his hands on the ground. When moving at high speed, he uses all four limbs like a wild beast.

Perhaps it was because the mutants absorbed some kind of energy when they were rained on, that they remained motionless during the continuous downpour.

Nearly two hours passed like this. Just a second ago, it was pouring rain outside, but a second later, the downpour suddenly disappeared.

What struck everyone as odd was that, even after the rain stopped, the ground would still become muddy due to the rainfall.

But after the rainstorm ended, the land that should have been soaked by the rain was surprisingly dry, not at all like it had just rained.

Seeing this very strange scene outside, everyone stayed in the car and did not get out immediately.

However, the convoy members sitting in the cars did not get out, but those guys whose bodies had mutated after being soaked in the rain remained motionless while being rained on.

But as soon as the rain stopped, his stunned expression vanished instantly, and he suddenly sprang into action, charging towards the nearby vehicles.

Judging from their swollen bodies, it's clear that, not to mention the target he chose, any other vehicle around them, except for Dong Qi's own car, would likely suffer a terrible fate if hit by it.

And don't forget, it wasn't just one person who didn't get back to the car in time when it rained; there were four or five mutants who appeared after being soaked in the rain. If we can't stop their current crazy behavior...

The convoy has not yet embarked on its journey as originally planned, and it will suffer serious losses as soon as it sets off.

This situation is absolutely unacceptable to the people of Great Xia, who are used to wanting a great start in everything they do.

In addition, there were quite a few awakened individuals in the convoy at this time, so before the mutants could even get close to the nearby vehicles, the awakened individuals in the convoy acted in unison to stop them.

A hole suddenly appeared in the ground beneath the feet of a mutant. Before the mutant could react, it lost its footing and fell straight to the bottom of the hole.

Before the guy could react, the soil around the cave quickly contracted, leaving only a head sticking out of the ground.

Although the other mutants suffered different forms of attack, their final fate was not much different from that of the mutant just now.

The main reason is that these mutants were all members of the convoy in other vehicles before they mutated, so when everyone took action, they subconsciously only tried to control them and did not intend to eliminate them.

Of course, most importantly, although those people looked terrifying in appearance after their mutation, they were still weaklings to the awakened individuals with superpowers in the convoy.

After all, those mutants could only be considered as having their bodies strengthened by absorbing rainwater after being rained on.

In addition, having just completed the mutation, his own strength is not only lacking in training but also in familiarity.

That's why they showed such a lack of resistance when faced with those unpredictable superpowers.

Only after seeing that the mutants were completely under control did other members of the convoy get out of their vehicles and approach.

Of course, these people are basically all awakened individuals who are very confident in their own strength.

Dong Qi was also very curious about this situation, so after seeing the others get off the bus, he did not stay in the bus.

Seeing the mutants scattered all around, one of the awakened beings, for the sake of easier supervision, directly took action to bind and drag the mutants together.

Vines burst forth from the ground, and then, layer upon layer, the soft vines completely enveloped the mutants who were lying on the ground, unable to move.

Then, along with the mutant who had been trapped underground, they were all pulled to the same area, and then one by one they were turned into cocoons, leaving only their heads lying side by side.

Even though their bodies were bound, the mutants still had ferocious expressions and kept struggling to break free of the vines. At the same time, they also maintained a strong desire to attack others around them.

One of the team members picked up a stick from somewhere and, like teasing a puppy, shoved it right into the mouth of a mutant.

Seeing the wooden stick near its mouth, the mutant opened its mouth without hesitation and bit it.

With a crisp snap, the wooden stick, which was only about two fingers thick, was bitten off in one bite.

With just a few light chews, the bitten-off end of the stick was swallowed directly into the mutant's stomach as food.

Looking at the eyes that had lost their black pupils and were now bloodshot, everyone felt that the other person was no longer human.

Even the relatives of those mutants did not have the idea of ​​disregarding everything and trying to break free of the vines binding them.

"Captain Lu, what's your opinion on this matter?"

Just then, he suddenly heard a teammate ask him a question. Lu Ziye did not answer the question immediately, but instead murmured, "Do you think mutations can occur after being rained on?"

Is it an isolated incident that only happened to a few people, or is it something that happens to everyone who gets wet in the rain?

.

Upon hearing Lu Ziye's question, everyone present inexplicably shivered.

Everyone recalled the mutation process of those mutants and their behavior after the rain stopped.

For some inexplicable reason, everyone's mind was filled with similar scenes.

生化危机、

Biological mutation,

Zombies

Before everyone could react, they heard Lu Ziye's murmur: "On our side, because there are quite a few Awakened in the convoy, although we don't know why, all the Awakened were on guard just now."

However, this situation has occurred before, so people will take timely action to remind others once they have a sense of crisis.

The reason those people are in this situation is entirely because they ignored advice and brought it upon themselves, which led to this result.

While the number of Awakened Ones in Kyoto is small, how many places would have multiple Awakened Ones who could provide timely warnings of danger like we have now?

Even if an awakened being gives timely reminders, how many people will believe them, and how many fools will ignore them like they do?

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Most importantly, after the rainstorm stops, can we control the mutants that have appeared in Kyoto city as quickly as our convoy has done so?

When Lu Ziye asked them one question after another, no one knew how to answer.

However, after listening to Lu Ziye's repeated questions, everyone, including Dong Qi, felt a sense of relief for some reason.

Although those mutants had only just shown their aggressive tendencies and had not yet caused any damage to the convoy, they were directly controlled by the awakened members of the convoy.

The mutants on the convoy's side appeared to be incredibly weak and easily defeated.

But in reality, everyone present was not stupid. Those mutants who had mutated after being exposed to rainwater were actually quite strong in individual combat.

Three, five, or even seventeen or eighteen, would not pose a significant threat to an awakened individual.

But if you think about it, whether it's Resident Evil or other zombie movies and TV shows, apart from Corpse Brother, the main reason why those individually weak zombies in other movies and TV shows can exhibit such strong destructive power is because of the large number of infected people.

Although many bloggers would say that all carbon-based life forms are no match for sufficient firepower.

However, the appearance of zombies means that not only ordinary civilians are infected, but professional soldiers in military camps are not.

Once someone in the barracks becomes infected, and the number of infected people is less than half, only about one-third is needed.

That's why it was almost impossible to organize an effective clearing team during the chaos of the early stages of the infection.

To put it simply, during the initial chaotic infection period, rebuilding the ranks outside the military camp by relying on deserters was much simpler than directly resisting within the camp.

Once those soldiers fled the barracks in the early stages of the chaos, they could manage to take some light weapons like rifles with them, but it was practically impossible for them to take the heavy weapons stored in specific warehouses.

Conversely, without sufficient heavy weapons, relying solely on rifles with insufficient ammunition, it is almost impossible to wipe out the endless hordes of zombies.

If this mutation only occurs in one city, the imperial court can rely on mobilizing troops from other cities, carrying sufficient weapons and supplies, to carry out the suppression.

However, if the same situation were to occur simultaneously across the entire planet, the casualty rate in the early stages of the chaos would be far higher than anyone could imagine, especially in areas with large populations.

Mutant infections don't mean you won't get infected just because you're of a high status.

You won't be immune to infection just because you're a soldier and have strong physical fitness.

On the contrary, because you were originally a top soldier, when you get wet in the rain, you can absorb more rainwater than others due to your physical condition. Therefore, your combat power after mutation will be stronger than others.

Because it happened so suddenly, everyone was a bit flustered and didn't think much about it.

But at this moment, all the mutants were bound and trapped together, and the surrounding area was relatively safe. After everyone calmed down, they all knew what was going on, even though Lu Ziye didn't say it.

That is why, if chaos were to break out in Kyoto at this time, compared to those who hastily fled the city, it would be a significant advantage.

Those who had left Kyoto earlier were actually very well prepared when they left.

Just as everyone calmed down and began to make their own plans, Lu Ziye glanced at the mutants still struggling on the ground, pondered for a moment, and then continued, "Let's leave here immediately and find a secluded place to stay. We're not in a hurry to travel. We'll discuss whether to stick to the original plan and head to our destination inland or return to Kyoto after the initial chaos has subsided."

Upon hearing Lu Ziye's words, someone immediately asked, "Captain, why are we leaving here and running to a remote place to hide?"

Seeing someone contradict him, Lu Ziye looked at the person as if they were an idiot before explaining, "Now that the mutants have just appeared, Kyoto should be in a lot of chaos right now, if nothing unexpected happens."

Faced with this situation, ordinary people who were not mutated by the rain, as well as those who have awakened, will generally not carry much in the way of supplies if they manage to escape Kyoto City at this time.

We're not far from Kyoto. If we don't find a secluded place to stay, and we run into people who didn't take many supplies with them when they fled, and they come looking for us, shouldn't we share some of our supplies with them?

If you're willing to donate supplies, it's a bottomless pit. Even if you take out all the supplies you're carrying, it probably won't last very long.

But if you're unwilling to share your supplies, do you think those people might turn on you when they're starving?

Perhaps you are an Awakened One, and ordinary people can't do anything to you. But if other Awakened Ones come to you asking for supplies, will you give them to them or not?

If you still refuse to share your supplies, I don't need to elaborate on the consequences.

So, to avoid such a dilemma, let's find a relatively remote place to hide for a while and get through this initial chaotic period.

Once things stabilize, those people will spontaneously seek new sources of food due to hunger.

Putting everything else aside, as long as those awakened individuals with similar superpowers don't make a move, those ordinary people don't pose much of a threat to us.

After listening to Lu Ziye's analysis, everyone thought about it for a while and agreed with his idea.

Before everyone could leave, the Awakened One who had used vines to trap the mutants suddenly spoke up: "What are we going to do with these guys on the ground? We can't expect to take them with us when we leave."

Upon hearing the man's words, Lu Ziye decisively said, "That's easy. Whoever's family member it is, they should deal with them. If no one is willing to take action, just abandon them here when you leave."

Upon hearing Lu Ziye's words, the man turned and left without a second thought, just like the others.

The relatives of the mutants, upon hearing Lu Ziye's solution and seeing the person controlling the vines leave without hesitation, were deeply moved.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but seeing the mutants on the ground, who, even bound by vines, still maintained a strong instinct to attack, he ultimately refrained from making any further noise. He simply sighed helplessly and, like the others, quickly returned to his car.

After returning to his car, Lu Ziye first honked the horn three times as a reminder before starting the car.

After seeing Lu Ziye's lead car leave, the others followed in an orderly fashion behind it.

The original plan was that the journey from Kyoto to the final destination would take at most about a week.

If we don't take too many breaks along the way, this time can actually be shortened further, so most of the vehicles in the convoy are basically medium to large-sized RVs.

Even if some of these vehicles are not motorhomes, they are medium to large passenger and cargo vehicles like Dong Qi's personal car.

The convoy didn't include any sedans, or even the off-road vehicles that are usually seen on the road. The main vehicle, a light commercial vehicle, was basically the smallest model in the convoy.

Perhaps because everyone had just formed the team and wasn't very familiar with each other, even after seeing Dong Qi's favorite car, no one reminded or mocked him. At this time, everyone's attitude towards the other members' behavior was still relatively indifferent.

Lu Ziye, the team leader, was noticeably more friendly towards Dong Qi.

The main reason, besides Dong Qi being a member of the team, was that Lu Ziye knew through that trader that Dong Qi had exchanged a lot of supplies with the other party.

Although Lu Ziye verbally stated that he was merely acting as an introducer, introducing the caravan members to a merchant with a full range of goods, and would not receive any benefit from it.

But everyone is smart enough; they just kept it to themselves for the sake of convenience.

What the others didn't know was that, in addition to taking a cut, Lu Ziye also learned from the traders about the specific types and quantities of materials each person purchased there.

To put it simply, Lu Ziye had a pretty good grasp of the supplies in most of the vehicles in the convoy.

After all, even some team members don't have all the supplies in their vehicles; they purchase them from the trader Lu Ziye introduced.

However, Lu Ziye was still able to roughly estimate the amount of supplies carried in those vehicles based on their models.

However, Dong Qi's vehicle was different. The amount of supplies Dong Qi purchased significantly exceeded the vehicle's internal volume, and not just by a little, but by several times.