NOVEL WEB Chapter 785: The Rift Suddenly Appears (Part 2)
Moreover, now that the serum has been created, some things have become much simpler to do.
For example, rescuing survivors used to require extreme caution, avoiding making too much noise for fear that if someone was infected, it would severely affect the entire team.
But now with the serum, there's no need to be so timid like before. In certain necessary moments, they can even grit their teeth and rush towards the zombie herd blocking the road! So what if you get bitten by a zombie! It won't be fatal; the serum can save you! There aren't even any side effects, at most just a tooth mark on your body!
As long as you're not completely devoured by zombies, even if only half your body is left, you can still be saved! Even if only half your body remains, the Hope Research Institute is studying prosthetics, potentially making you stronger than before with a mechanical body!
With the serum, the combat personnel won't be as afraid of zombies as before, indirectly enhancing their combat power...
Also, there's another point: people who used to have too many internal impurities weren't allowed into Changhe Base because they were considered ticking time bombs. But with the serum, it's different now; there's no need to worry about them turning into zombies.
In fact, for safety's sake, they can be turned into zombies first and then brought back with the serum!
The number of these poor souls is quite large, including many people with abilities. In this life, without the Dusk Church to sow discord, Changhe Base often aids them, and their gratitude towards Changhe Base outweighs their hatred. If given the opportunity to enter the city, no one would be foolish enough to refuse. If these people are brought in, Changhe Base could increase its numbers by tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands, significantly boosting its strength!
So, the appearance of the serum can have a very positive impact on Changhe Base, even making some previously unrealistic ideas worth a try. For example... bringing in survivors from all over the country!
This plan is bold; before, they only dared to think about it, knowing it was impossible. But now with the serum, this plan might actually be feasible!
If they could really bring in survivors from all over the country, the strength of Changhe Base would be unprecedentedly powerful! If everyone can unite, the apocalypse might not be so frightening!
...
When the serum testing was completed and production officially began, City Hall announced the news about the serum to all survivors at the base.
The zombies outside were getting stronger, and the survivors needed a booster shot.
When this news was announced, the whole base was like celebrating the New Year. Everyone wore bright, radiant smiles.
The number of people signing up to go out and hunt zombies for resources increased several times over.
After all, City Hall promised that once the serum was created, it would be given priority to those venturing out. Moreover, the cost of manufacturing the serum wasn't high, and City Hall would initially subsidize a portion of the cost. No later than a month, everyone going out would be equipped with a bottle of serum!
Seeing such a vibrant scene, many survivors felt that the apocalypse might be ending, and they might finally be safe!
But just at that moment, a piece of news suddenly appeared, throwing cold water on the excited survivors.
"What? A huge rift has appeared outside?"
"That rift is like an abyss, spanning the plain, with no end in sight and bottomless!"
"To me, it looks more like hell! Just one glance inside, and I feel like my soul is going to escape!"
"Although there doesn't seem to be any danger from the rift for now, if too many rifts appear, it might even prevent us from going out..."
"And I've heard that there are monsters inside the rift stronger than zombies..."
"These rifts appeared silently; my biggest fear is waking up to find a rift in the base..."
"..."
...
Wang Tao also didn't expect the rift to appear at this time.
In the previous life, the rift appeared a year after the apocalypse descended, but now only three months have passed... The timing of the rift's appearance has been advanced too much!
But thinking about it carefully, both humans and zombies have evolved faster in this life than in the previous one.
Although Wang Tao didn't specifically aim to speed up human evolution, back when the network was still intact, he had published detailed information about the Crystal Core. So, more people survived, more ability users appeared, and overall strength was greater than the previous life.
Of course, this doesn't matter much to Wang Tao, as long as he ensures his level and power remain in the top tier.
But with the rift appearing sooner, Wang Tao doesn't know if it's good or bad. The only thing he can do is take one step at a time.
Fortunately, the weather hasn't changed much, with no sudden drops or rises in temperature. This suggests those destruction-level monsters haven't awakened yet. As long as those monsters haven't appeared on a large scale, the issue isn't significant.
Wang Tao looked at the massive rift before him, opting not to venture into it immediately. Instead, he plans to first take the survivors on the Golden Eagle to Changhe Base.
Half a month has passed since the serum was made.
Due to the absence of a sixth-rank zombie for the time being, Wang Tao cannot enhance his strength for now, so he began helping Qu Shilin solve issues on her list, like finding some materials, rescuing some people, and so on.
Over the past half-month, Wang Tao had traversed more than half the country. Although still far from completing Qu Shilin's list, the things he managed to acquire made Qu Shilin express her gratefulness to Wang Tao multiple times with excitement. Wang Tao's current actions could at least boost her success rate by more than thirty percent!
Besides assisting Qu Shilin with her research, Wang Tao also explored the locations of most survivor bases in the country and met with their leaders.
He has already begun executing the previous "bring all the survivors from across the country" plan!
Upon hearing about Changhe Base's vast area, abundant resources, strong combat power, and even the zombie virus serum, everyone felt a longing. Especially when Wang Tao mentioned they could be brought there, the vast majority of people agreed.
A few might have different reasons or not trust Wang Tao enough to want to go, and Wang Tao didn't push them. After all, it's not immediately possible to bring all survivors over, and Changhe Base needs expansion. As the number of survivors at their bases dwindles, Wang Tao doesn't believe they would stick to their initial thoughts unwaveringly.
At this moment, Wang Tao is busy transporting a batch of survivors to Changhe Base using the Golden Eagle.
Among these people was Zhao Yaru, a familiar face from Wang Tao's previous life. She was the former leader of Zizhu Base and a Dusk Church member, yet she trusted Wang Tao over the Bishop, even helping him develop believers. Ultimately, during the Bishop's sacrifice and the time travel incident, she greatly assisted Wang Tao.
Wang Tao had looked for her before but didn't find her. Given that he didn't know her very well, he wasn't sure of her location in the early stages of the apocalypse. Unexpectedly, when the rift appeared suddenly, it exposed their hiding place in the underground area. Wang Tao discovered them by chance while passing by and decided to take them back to Changhe Base. Naturally, Zhao Yaru and the others were delighted at the opportunity.
"Brother Wang, do you know what's inside this rift?"
Zhao Yaru asked curiously.
Even though Wang Tao's strength was intimidating, she felt his care towards her, so she grew bolder, daring to ask him questions directly.
"Maybe it's a crisis, or maybe it's an opportunity..."
Wang Tao squinted his eyes.
To others, the rift represented danger at every corner. But for him, it meant a chance to further enhance his power!
Thus, the early appearance of the rift might not be a bad thing...