As the dust gradually dissipated, the Six-Slash Zombie stood unharmed in its original spot, the crimson slash mark on its forehead still emitting an eerie glow.
Mao Wudi gripped his long spear, his hands trembling slightly, his eyes fixed on the Six-Slash Zombie.
Witnessing this scene, everyone's expressions instantly changed drastically. Among the Three Overlord Powers, Mao Wudi's attack was considered the most formidable.
But who would have thought that his full-power strike failed to inflict any damage on the Six-Slash Zombie, merely managing to break through its first layer of defensive barrier?
Mao Wudi retracted his spear and slowly took two steps back, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
He had never anticipated that his strongest, most prideful attack would be so utterly powerless before the Six-Slash Zombie.
The air around them seemed to congeal, and Tie Zhenshan and Rou Moyu had already abandoned any thought of trying.
In terms of attack power alone, they were far inferior to Mao Wudi. Now that even Mao Wudi couldn't breach the Six-Slash Zombie's defenses, any attempt by them would only be a waste of effort.
A hint of unwillingness flashed in Mao Wudi's eyes, but it was overshadowed by a greater sense of gravity.
He said in a low voice:
"This thing is too powerful.
We greatly underestimated the Six-Slash Zombie's strength. We never expected that we couldn't even deal with a restrained Six-Slash Zombie. If we encountered an unrestrained one, a single one would be enough to annihilate a ten-person squad comprised of experts who have lit Six Lotus Seeds.
Moreover, we still don't know how terrifying its attack methods are."
Upon hearing this, everyone's hearts trembled. Mao Wudi's words were like a bucket of cold water, completely extinguishing the last shred of hope in their hearts.
It was laughable that they had previously planned to deal with the New type of symbiotic zombie virus outbreak by defeating them one by one. Now, it seemed such an idea was utterly naive; the horror of the Six-Slash Zombie far exceeded their imagination.
Rou Moyu bit her lip gently, her eyes filled with deep despair. Even Mao Wudi was helpless; her hope of capturing the Six-Slash Zombie alive was completely shattered.
Furthermore, if she couldn't capture the Six-Slash Zombie, how could she develop an antidote? Without an antidote, she would surely die.
The most crucial point was: they were all running out of time. Currently, their respective territories all had pathogens lurking, on the verge of outbreak. It was estimated that the time until a full outbreak was not far off. Time was too short, and an antidote was still a distant dream.
A hint of killing intent flashed in Rou Moyu's eyes. It was all that scoundrel Wan Youyu's fault. If he hadn't accelerated the pathogen's outbreak, she would have had more time, but now everything was over.
Rou Moyu stood rooted to the spot, her mind blank. What should she do? Should she really just slowly and despairingly wait for death? No, she couldn't accept such an outcome.
Her gaze swept over the Six-Slash Zombie standing in the field, and her eyes suddenly narrowed. She had been so awestruck by the Six-Slash Zombie's power that she had overlooked how it had appeared.
And how did Firefly manage to capture two Six-Slash Zombies alive?
Moreover, the research team that developed the pathogen agents was in Firefly's hands. Their research progress was definitely far beyond that of their Three Overlord Powers.
Rou Moyu suddenly realized that perhaps Firefly was her only lifeline.
Her heart pounded, and her thoughts raced. She quickly calmed her emotions, appearing outwardly composed, but her inner decision had already been made.
She would cooperate with Firefly at all costs, even... humbling herself to ask for help. As long as she could survive, she was willing to pay any price.
Tie Zhenshan reined in the astonishment in his eyes and asked in a deep voice:
"Left Leader Zuo, how did you capture these Six-Slash Zombies, given how powerful they are?"
Zuo Feng shook his head slightly and slowly said:
"Capture them? I'm not even sure if I have the strength to capture Six-Slash Zombies. The reason we managed to capture two is because we had them under control before they evolved into Six-Slash Zombies.
Oh, and to add another point, the time required for the pathogen to evolve from outbreak to Six-Slash is less than an hour."
Tie Zhenshan's pupils sharply constricted, and everyone else's faces also showed expressions of horror.
Less than an hour, and the Six-Slash Zombie could complete its evolution?
This news undoubtedly sent shivers down everyone's spines.
This meant that once the pathogen broke out, they wouldn't have time to react, let alone organize forces to combat the already evolved Six-Slash Zombies.
The air seemed to solidify, everyone's faces were pale, and a sense of powerlessness welled up in their hearts.
At this moment, Mao Wudi took over, saying:
"Left Leader Zuo, could you tell us how you accelerated the pathogen's outbreak speed? Even if Wan Youyu discovered a method to accelerate pathogens, at most he would only create pathogens on the verge of outbreak. How did Left Leader Zuo achieve this?
Do you possess some special catalytic method?"
Zuo Feng's expression subtly changed, his gaze shifting between Mao Wudi and Tie Zhenshan. After a moment, he whispered:
"Indeed, we do possess a method to accelerate the pathogen's outbreak, allowing the pathogen to erupt directly..."
Before Zuo Feng could finish, the entire hall erupted in an uproar.
Mao Wudi frowned deeply, about to press for more, but Tie Zhenshan spoke first, his voice low and grave:
"Left Leader Zuo, since you possess this technology, may I ask, to what extent has your research on the pathogen progressed?
Have you already mastered a method to suppress or even completely resolve the New type of symbiotic zombie virus?"
Zuo Feng looked at Tie Zhenshan with a complex expression and slowly uttered a sentence:
"I apologize, but I may disappoint you all. Our research on the New type of symbiotic zombie virus is at a similar stage to yours, with no breakthroughs.
The reason I can make the pathogen erupt directly is because I accidentally discovered a plant. As long as the pathogen approaches the plant within a certain range, it will immediately mutate and enter an outbreak state.
Of course, please rest assured, because I am also unsure whether you all have the New type of symbiotic zombie virus in your bodies, so I have hidden that plant and will not let you come into contact with it."
Zuo Feng had originally intended to conceal the existence of the sapling, but Wan Youyu's madness forced him to reveal its existence prematurely.
As soon as Zuo Feng finished speaking, the scene immediately fell into a dead silence. Everyone's faces showed varied expressions: shock, confusion, vigilance, and even a faint hint of fear.
Tie Zhenshan's eyes flickered. After a moment of silence, he said in a low voice:
"I see. In other words, that plant can make the New type of symbiotic zombie virus instantly enter an outbreak state. In other words, if any of us are already infected, then as long as we approach that plant, we will immediately turn into Slash Zombies, is that right?"
A hint of unease and probing was in his voice.
Zuo Feng nodded slightly, "Precisely. That plant has an extremely strong activating effect on the New type of symbiotic zombie virus, causing the virus to complete the entire outbreak process instantly.
In other words, it is both a catalyst and a fuse."
