Chapter 871: Weird Evolution, Entering Higher-Dimensional Spacetime

The idea that signal towers and base stations could become infected with a virus, causing illness and death, seemed like the biggest joke of the century.

However, people soon realized they were terribly mistaken.

In less than an hour, newly established signal towers, acting as nodes, seemed to receive mysterious radio waves. Anyone who answered a call quickly became infected. They would clutch their heads with their deer antlers, squat down in immense pain, and then let out horrifying, hoarse roars.

Many personnel in radiation suits, who had just emerged from the “subspace zone,” transformed into roaring zombies.

Tat-tat-tat!

The terrifying sound of gunfire once again reverberated through the ruins, echoing to the heavens.

“My God!”

“Base stations can really spread the virus?”

“This is terrifying.”

The situation had completely spiraled out of control.

Large consortiums and local magnates quickly mobilized their advisory teams for rapid analysis and integration.

“This virus has likely evolved its own consciousness...”

“Are you saying the virus is changing its method of transmission again? That new variant forms have emerged?”

Many executives from these consortiums and business groups were utterly distraught, their faces etched with horror.

“What on earth happened? It’s only been less than a day!” They slumped to the ground, collapsing in despair, staring blankly at the sky as if all their strength had drained away.

That afternoon, they had besieged the offspring of a terrifying cosmic cultivator.Then, the virus outbreak occurred.In less than two hours, the entire continent had almost fallen, filled with wails of agony.

By nightfall, the entire continent was sealed off and subjected to direct bombardment to prevent the virus from spreading further.The speed and decisiveness of these actions were terrifying. In just a few hours, each passing moment felt like a desperate race against death, as if centuries had passed.

“Advisory team, present your report,” someone said, their voice hoarse.

A man in sleek black attire stepped forward. Two golden, circular, carved rings adorned his large deer antlers, making him appear remarkably handsome and elegant as he slowly approached. A large screen appeared before them.

“There is no doubt,” he began, “this is an apocalyptic catastrophe. A forbidden cosmic-level virus has descended upon our planet. These viruses have been constantly evolving. Initially, they spread through biting...”

Images flashed across the screen, showing beast-like individuals with blood-red eyes, tearing into the necks of passersby.

“When people picked up firearms and began long-range resistance, the virus quickly evolved to transmit through projectile toxic phlegm. This was similar to the mythical spitting toad monsters, crawling and licking on the ground, spitting out sickening saliva. Ladies and gentlemen, what does this signify? It’s as if, from the age of cold weapons, they followed us into the age of firearms, using guns to shoot at each other. When people, to defend against the projectile phlegm, tightened their defensive lines and donned advanced mechanical personal armor, the virus, in order to penetrate the armor and infect the operators inside, began to spread through radiation...”

“Yes. Radiation transmission.”

How utterly terrifying this was. Only a few hours had passed, yet what they witnessed was not merely a virus, but an entire civilization! This civilization was frantically evolving its methods of combat: cold weapons, firearms, high-energy weaponry... It was as if it were adapting to the very environment of their civilization.

“And then, star-destroying cannons were deployed.” The chief of the advisory team’s fingertips trembled, and the delicate bracelets on his deer antlers jingled.

“Yes, we are in despair,” he continued. “The empire outside is equally desperate, resorting to self-destructive measures to contain the enemy, but even that is proving insufficient. We are hiding in blast-proof shelters, and the virus has survived alongside us, developing even newer modes of transmission. I strongly recommend that we immediately halt the construction of any base stations! We must cease all electronic communication and revert to the era of primitive, barbaric city-states.”

“Are you suggesting we return to the primitive age?” someone murmured bitterly, agonizingly. “This is practically forcing us to abandon our firearms, pick up ancient tribal stone axes, and revert to slash-and-burn farming.”

The hallmark of the information age is the rapid dissemination of information. Without an interconnected network, they would regress into the most primitive form of human tribal civilization. This realization silenced everyone. A chilling thought even crossed their minds: the virus possessed exceptionally high intelligence. It was using this method to prevent survivors from uniting, intending to then defeat them one by one.

“Is this the horror of an extraordinary, higher cosmic civilization? It’s incomparable to those indigenous deities next door! Our civilization collapsed in an instant, without any resistance.”

“Don’t dwell on it too much,” another voice cut in. “We still have to survive. This situation prevents us from establishing contact, gathering information on other survivors, or creating effective communication channels. We will all be isolated islands in this apocalypse. We can only fight our own battles. We can no longer make external contact. We must each explore independently, expanding our search radius, hoping to encounter one another in the ruins. At the same time, we should once again modify and upgrade our protective suits! They must not only protect against radiation but also against signal waves... Of course, given the soft, delicate nature of these materials, we won’t be able to maintain high defense. They will not prevent the enemy’s toxic phlegm spray; if hit, it will still penetrate the suit and cause infection.”

A white-haired, high-ranking elder, seated in a prominent position, asked, “Our consortium’s reserves are sufficient for a hundred years of war. We must maximize our financial output, frantically producing all kinds of equipment, and arm everyone to their absolute limit. We must find a way to contact other survivors.”

In this situation, frugality would be a death sentence. Only by pouring all resources into strengthening their combat capabilities could they hope to survive. They even planned to annex nearby survivor communities and villa complexes. Any living person, regardless of their talents, would be absorbed into their ranks.

In a typical technological apocalypse, resources would surely be scarce. But they were different. As a highly advanced civilization, their tech companies existed in subspace, possessing extremely abundant strategic reserves. They had no concerns about food, clothing, or firearm supplies, and thus naturally sought to gather more living forces. Soon, the entire subspace region sprang into action. Their industrial factories were largely undamaged. Modifying protective suits, producing strategic equipment, and maintaining supply lines for the war effort remained effortlessly manageable.

“The fall was inevitable,” Xu Zhi thought, his expression serene, yet also slightly dazed. “I wonder what the virus, after absorbing their deer antlers, cat tails, and various extraordinary and ordinary genes, civilizations, structures, and memories from this land, will ultimately evolve into...”

His gaze drifted, looking towards a distant corner, a slight smile playing on his lips. “It seems new Pillar Gods are about to emerge, and various virus variants have appeared, now beginning to clash with each other. Are they also three distinct viral branches? Like different computer viruses, invading one another, similar to the Three Pillar Gods who once waged civil war... Unimaginable mutated forms have emerged.”

In a certain subspace region, this place had already become a ruin, with zombies wandering everywhere. Among the refugees who had fled here, a few were infected, leading to rapid diffusion of the virus. Despite fierce resistance from the local populace, the area ultimately succumbed completely.

Saimaren had brought Donna here, where they were hiding.

“The outside world has fallen, and so has Mother...” His expression grave, he gazed at the zombie lying on the bed. “The virus is mutating, and no one knows what it will become...”

“After all, the virus adapts to its environment,” he mused. “In the lava lands, it evolved into the Three Pillar Gods... But here, on this planet, given its environment, genes, structures, and oppressive forces, what has it evolved into? No one knows!”

There was no other way; the environment had been too perilous. He had desperately unleashed the virus to escape, but Donna was the first to become infected. At that moment, the zombie still lay on the bed, devoid of reason. It emanated a terrifying aura, seemingly the zombie king, the very source of the virus.

“Mother has been completely lost...”

Suddenly, Donna’s entire body began to tremble. A strange aura began to emanate from her, and her body rapidly stretched and expanded. She was undergoing a terrifying evolution; her body began to exhibit traits from all the nearby planetary races—deer antlers, cat tails, bestial features, and more—as if synthesizing their genetic makeup. She became strikingly handsome, slender, and statuesque, like an indescribably perfect and elegant creature.

Slowly, Donna opened her eyes, which glowed a vivid crimson.

“What just happened?!”

Witnessing this, Saimaren’s expression subtly shifted. He sensed a qualitative leap in his mother’s life, as if a slow, low-grade stone, previously as motionless as a statue, had suddenly entered a higher-dimensional spacetime, its movements gradually becoming as swift as his own.

With a swift motion of his hand, a cold glint flashed. Donna’s skull instantly flipped open.

Saimaren looked down at the slowly shifting, viscous white brain matter, at the center of which floated a prismatic, black, mysterious crystal. It was like opening the most exquisite diamond ring box, revealing a precious gem nestled in white velvet, creating a profound and unsettling sight.

“What are you doing?!” Donna gasped in alarm. As an ordinary girl who could never have imagined such a terrifying event, she quickly sprang up. Her two deer antlers grasped her skull, and with an elegant, hat-like motion, she slowly put it back in place.