As Zhang Chen stared at the torrential rain.
The prompts also emerged as expected.
[15 hours, 37 minutes, and 43 seconds remaining until the rain stops...]
[The bacteria in the rainwater contain bio-energy, which absorbs and corrodes the energy of anything it comes into contact with!]
[The zombie virus within the zombies automatically devours the energy bacteria in the rainwater, so the rainwater will not cause any harm to the infected...]
Cracks on the car's surface, rust on the metal...
White mist was slowly rising from the surfaces of buildings...
These were all oxidation reactions, and generally exothermic.
Zhang Chen guessed wildly that these bacteria, imbued with bio-energy, likely absorbed energy through such reactions.
He wasn't a scientist and lacked deep theoretical knowledge.
If Xu Ruina were here, she would surely be able to provide a reasonable explanation.
He wondered where Xu Ruina was now.
With the speed of the Wailers, catching up to a car shouldn't be difficult. If she still retained her human consciousness, she would certainly know that Zhang Chen had seen the experimental videos and would be going to the Raven Laboratory beneath the Shannan City Central Hospital.
Xu Ruina might even be waiting for him there.
Just as he thought this, he suddenly heard someone nearby laughing loudly, as if mocking something.
Zhang Chen followed their gaze.
He saw a mother and daughter running from across the street in the rain.
The mother held a piece of a door above her head, barely resisting the downpour...
But her pants and clothes were still stained by the rain in many places.
Her clothes and pants quickly began to corrode and oxidize at a visible rate.
Eventually, they turned into a pile of black powder...
By the time they reached him, they were already somewhat undressed.
Those people laughed and uttered many vulgarities.
Zhang Chen frowned.
He had heard some self-media boasting in the past that Westerners were all highly civilized, polite, compassionate, and respectful of women.
Now it seemed that wasn't entirely true.
At least the ones in front of him were not decent at all.
After laughing for a while, the group returned to a corner in the distance and sat down.
Not far from them, a group of gaunt people were intently inhaling a powder.
At this moment, the prompt reappeared:
[Rare · Dream Shroom Spores]: Inhaling produces intense pleasure and creates satisfying illusions. Habit-forming with repeated use.
Illusions? Habit-forming?
This... wasn't this just drugs in the apocalypse?
Isaac was a shrewd businessman. The selling price of these [Dream Shroom Spores] was not expensive, costing only one crystal core per use!
The person speaking was an East Asian man with yellow skin and black hair.
"Hello, my name is Park Jang-le, from Kimchi Country... but in this world now... countries no longer matter!"
Park Jang-le extended his hand for a handshake.
"Hello, I'm Zhang Chen, from Dragon Country!"
Zhang Chen shook hands with Park Jang-le.
"You seem to know Isaac well, and this place?" Zhang Chen asked.
His primary concern was whether Isaac was reliable.
"Reasonably well. I've been here for nearly a week. Isaac is a man of his word... provided you have crystal cores!"
"As long as you can afford crystal cores, you're the king here and enjoy the most luxurious treatment!"
"If you don't have crystal cores, you have to work for Isaac and complete the tasks he assigns!"
"It's safe and comfortable here, and everything is clearly priced. You don't have to worry about having your throat slit while sleeping at night..."
"See that Bazel over there? This guy is incredibly strong!"
"I personally witnessed him blast a mutated Type II infected with the beam from his hand!"
Park Jang-le explained enthusiastically.
This guy seemed to be a natural chatterbox; as long as you brought up a topic, he could talk endlessly.
"What are those [Dream Shroom Spores] for?" Zhang Chen asked knowingly.
He knew what they were, of course, but he wanted to gauge whether Park Jang-le was telling the truth.
It was best to be cautious in the apocalypse.
"Oh, those things are no good. I suggest you stay away from them!"
"The pleasure they bring can make you temporarily forget the despair of being in the apocalypse, and not only are they addictive... but also..."
"The more you consume this, the more resistant your body becomes, and the effect will be shorter!"
"You'll have to spend more crystal cores to satisfy your cravings!"
"Over time, you'll end up like these people, becoming Isaac's slave!"
"Without crystal cores, you'll go out to kill zombies, complete Isaac's missions, and then use the earned crystal cores to buy more [Dream Shroom Spores]..."
"Even many of the beautiful girls here have fallen to this, becoming part of the companionship..."
"This is completely Isaac's bootstrapping operation, very sophisticated!"
As Park Jang-le spoke, a hint of admiration appeared in his eyes.
At this moment, the elevator door on the third floor opened.
Isaac, flanked by two burly men, escorted the mother and daughter who had sought shelter from the rain.
They both appeared to be of East Asian descent.
The woman was in her twenties, and the little girl was likely twelve or thirteen.
The age difference suggested they might not be mother and daughter.
The woman was only wearing her bra and underwear, her hands awkwardly shielding her front.
She had draped her only jacket over the little girl's shoulders.
"Esteemed guests, excuse me, but is there any kind-hearted person willing to pay 4 crystal cores to help them cover their overnight fee?"
"This kind mother is willing to repay the kindness of any benefactor!"
Isaac emphasized the words "repay the kindness" when he said them.
"4 crystal cores isn't much, but if the child is willing to repay properly, I'll offer 10 crystal cores!" a bald Westerner shouted loudly.
"No, she can't. I can. I'll do anything you want!"
"She's just a child, absolutely not!" the woman said protectively, shielding the girl behind her with a tense expression.
"Tsk, what's wrong with that? In America, girls this age are already old enough to get married!" the bald Westerner said with disappointment.
If they were somewhere else, this bald man might have rushed forward.
But this was Isaac's territory, and under Bazel's deterrent strength, order was maintained.
"I'll pay 4 crystal cores. I'm willing to help this poor pair!" Park Jang-le suddenly raised his hand and said.
"Excellent, this kind mother is yours!" Isaac quickly collected the crystal cores and then pushed the mother and daughter onto the sofa behind Park Jang-le.