Tang Houde and Tang Zhilan returned to the seventh high-walled city through the teleportation gate. This was the laboratory for the maintenance and development of the teleportation gate.
After returning, Tang Houde remained silent, but Tang Zhilan seemed much happier.
"Brother, when do you think that person will appear?"
"Should we inform Old Mo and tell him this good news?"
Tang Zhilan said with excitement.
Nothing made her happier than knowing that the apocalypse would definitely end.
Before entering the high-walled city, everyone had been in despair.
99.9% of the world's cities were occupied, and 99.5% of the population was wiped out. Everyone believed that humanity could not turn the tide this time.
Never in their wildest dreams did they expect humanity to survive in such desperate circumstances.
It was a testament to the powerful will of human survival.
"No, don't tell him yet. It's enough for us to know!"
Tang Houde quickly stopped her.
"Why? If everyone knows such an inspiring piece of news, won't it boost their fighting spirit?"
Tang Zhilan asked, confused.
"I think Old Mo is trying hard to compete with me. Under such circumstances, he might be able to find the ultimate solution to the apocalypse."
"If you tell him now that he has won, and he stops trying, wouldn't the future be changed?"
Tang Houde reasoned eloquently.
In reality, his true thoughts were not so simple.
Ever since he saw Zhang Chen single-handedly eliminate an entire company of soldiers, a subtle worry had taken root in his heart.
What if the modified humans were as powerful as Zhang Chen? Would they prioritize ending the apocalypse, or would they choose to rule humanity?
At that point, who would have the power to oppose him?
"I have some things to think about. You should go back first!"
Tang Houde said to Tang Zhilan and turned towards another laboratory.
Three days later, a project called the "Humanity Experiment" was approved, with Tang Houde as the applicant.
In the Humanity Laboratory, Tang Zhilan asked with a strange expression,
"Brother, why are we conducting such a peculiar test?"
Tang Houde smiled slightly and said,
"I've reviewed the resident records of various countries these past few days and haven't found anyone named Zhang Chen."
"To be precise, there are people with the same name, but none with his appearance."
"Coincidentally, during an independent teleportation, the personnel from the teleportation gate arrived in a world and happened to see this person named Zhang Chen. He seems to be an economist and was featured in the newspaper."
"However, that world is different from ours. It's called Earth."
"So, this person who can absorb meteorite energy comes from a parallel universe world called Earth!"
Tang Zhilan nodded. This explanation was not difficult to understand, but she couldn't grasp the connection to the humanity experiment.
Tang Houde seemed to read Tang Zhilan's thoughts and continued,
"After all, they are humans from another world. Although they are all humans, the civilizations, cultures, and customs between different worlds are vastly different."
"Therefore, we need to conduct humanity experiments to understand whether these outsiders can integrate into our world."
"Only when we confirm they pose no danger can we confidently guide them here to help us solve the apocalyptic problem."
Tang Zhilan finally nodded and said,
"So that's how it is, but... I feel that since they are all humans, they should be more or less the same!"
Tang Houde shook his head and said,
"This is why you are an assistant and not a researcher. Science requires rigor. Although I have the same conjecture as you, it still needs to be experimentally verified!"
"I've found a safe zone with only low-level zombies fifty kilometers outside the city, which is perfect for our experimental base!"
"We will teleport some Earthlings over first and observe their choices when faced with disaster."
Tang Zhilan pondered for a moment and then asked,
"But Earth's gravity is less than ours. How will we overcome this problem?"
Tang Houde gave Tang Zhilan an appreciative look. It seemed this young one was gradually becoming more comprehensive and mature in her thinking, no longer as careless as before. He then explained,
"That's not an issue. Old Mo has developed an energy absorption ring. As long as they wear it, they can absorb energy from monster bodies to enhance themselves. The ring itself also possesses some energy, allowing them to quickly adapt to the gravity environment here."
"The first batch consists of five hundred Earthlings. I hope they won't disappoint me."
Three days later...
Experiment City.
Tang Houde and Tang Zhilan stood at the top of the city's tallest observation tower.
From here, they could get a panoramic view of the entire city.
All surveillance within the city had also been transferred here. Through the screens, they could freely observe any street, mall, or the interior and exterior of any shop.
To prevent survivors from escaping, all transportation facilities within the city had been destroyed, and all escape routes were sealed off.
This place was essentially a realistic and sealed apocalyptic environment.
While testing humanity, Tang Houde was also testing Mo Pai's rings, to see if they would bring forth evil along with power.
Soon, the experiment began.
Five hundred Earth survivors were randomly teleported to various corners of this small city.
Fifty recorders were assigned, each responsible for tracking and documenting the survival status of ten individuals.
To ensure that these survivors wouldn't die immediately upon arrival, Tang Houde had also pre-arranged for weapon caches to be scattered throughout the city.
Of course, considering the threat level, only cold weapons were distributed.
"Experiment subjects have awoken and are beginning to explore their surroundings."
"Subject Five encountered a zombie attack and died. Subject Five offline!"
"Subject Seventeen encountered a zombie attack and died. Subject Seventeen offline!"
"Subject 133 was scratched by a zombie and fled into Subject 45's room. After 25 seconds, Subject 133 mutated, bit and killed Subject 45. Subjects 133 and 45 offline!"
"Subject 366 was chased by zombies and accidentally fell from a rooftop. Subject 366 offline!"
"Subjects 3, 66, 185, 77, 324, and 456 successfully gathered in a shop, evaded zombie attacks, and are temporarily safe!"
"Subject 499 picked up Supply Crate Seven, obtained an alloy combat knife, killed three zombies, but was scratched. Subject 499 offline, Supply Crate Seven offline."
...
Within moments of their arrival, nearly half of the survivors had died.
The remaining survivors were holed up in their respective safe houses, temporarily evading the threat of death.
However, the test of humanity had only just begun.