Chapter 410: Waste Land Machinery Era

April, Year 391 of the Human Empire.

The "Adam II Incident" erupted. A mysterious teenage killer, having bypassed the Tainted Death Mechanism, infiltrated the core research institute, assassinated President Melivina, and perished alongside the Guardian Michael Qi, ultimately destroying the mechanical city of Velia.

A virus outbreak ensued. Velia, once the pride of the Ishdar people, became a dead city, infecting millions within its walls. This event was historically known as humanity's greatest and most desperate catastrophe. The virus exclusively affected C language, targeting and corrupting the Ishdar people's defense mechanisms. Other sea races and magical beasts remained unaffected. Adult Ishdar found it nearly impossible to change their C language; even with authorization, it was deeply ingrained in their brains, requiring complex brain surgery that was unfeasible amidst the zombie hordes.

May, Year 391 of the Empire. Thirteen cities on Velia's periphery quickly fell. Caroline, unable to stem the tide, gathered a small group of elite Ishdar scientists and relocated them to the outer regions, initiating the "Human Ark Project." "We will still return," they vowed. Just as they had once fled the ancient land of lava, they now fled their homeland once more.

However, most Ishdar were forced to remain in the cities, unable to evacuate. They harbored no complaints, trusting Lady Caroline to lead humanity's elite in research, find a way to break the virus, and return to save them. They believed in their god, just as they had once believed in Levi.

Surviving Ishdar began to shut down their psionic communication to prevent consciousness linkage from spreading the virus, reverting to ancient forms of language communication. They also disabled information network satellites to prevent the virus from spreading through online channels. Without networks and communicating solely through language, humanity reverted to a primitive societal era!

On the streets, countless walking dead roamed. Survivors in the cities clung to life in basements, shops, and residential areas, risking their lives to drive mechanical battle suits and motorcycles out in search of food. The era of the wasteland machines had arrived.

In a dilapidated mechanical city in the south, a young wizard clad in a black wizard's robe, accompanied by a robust man with a perfectly sculpted physique, wearing white pearl earrings and an Ocean's Heart necklace, strode forward. The streets were dilapidated and decaying, strewn with garbage and blood. Brain-dead Ishdar swayed aimlessly; these living corpses had blank, pale eyes, yet they remained handsome, though their clothes were tattered, revealing their well-proportioned bodies. Suddenly, they turned, their eyes flaring crimson with a bestial frenzy.

"Poor souls, in just one month, they've transformed into mindless beasts," Hailan Dong remarked with a flicker of pity. With a wave of his hand, an isolating protective barrier instantly appeared. The zombies roaming the street, having suddenly lost their target and scent, began to wander aimlessly.

Xu Zhi watched the scene with curiosity. It seemed no different from zombie movies, and while it was indeed a virus, it was a computer virus in the truest sense. He suddenly felt that the sandbox world before him resembled post-apocalyptic sci-fi, much like famous works such as *Borderlands* and *Fallout*.

Xu Zhi entered a store, set up an alchemy table, and with a sweep of his hand over the surface, vials and jars appeared before him. He took a drop of dried black zombie blood from the ground and agitated a reagent. Hailan Dong's expression turned serious as he stared at Xu Zhi's ring, a hint of incredulity in his eyes. "This is spatial storage... super ancient civilization..." In this world, the Ishdar's technology had not yet advanced to the point of "space creation." Perhaps scientific spatial technology was delayed, or perhaps they simply hadn't focused on developing it in that direction.

Before long, Xu Zhi showed a hint of surprise as he observed the reagent's test results. "They're brain dead, like some fourth or fifth-tier magical beasts without self-awareness," he mused. "Of course, there are more advanced ones whose brains aren't completely destroyed. Though still without intelligence, the spells recorded in their memory, like running and jumping, have become ingrained instincts, still lingering."

Xu Zhi looked at some of the special zombies. One particularly strong fourth-tier male zombie was a unique variant, moving incredibly fast and possessing wind-elemental magic – a truly peculiar existence. He extended his hand, clenching it in the air. The zombie's head exploded, and a brain core, covered in white mucus, flew out and landed in his palm.

He continued his research for half a day, during which zombies constantly moved through the streets outside, like a fast-forwarded projector. Hailan Dong stood guard silently beside him, his gaze filled with intense curiosity about the unknown.

Xu Zhi ignored him, suddenly exhaling as he realized the severity of the situation. "The virus is already terrifying; third-generation variants have appeared and are spreading rapidly."

"Third-generation? Virus?" Hailan Dong questioned, puzzled.

Xu Zhi explained, "It's mutating wildly through human brain computation, transforming into a variant Trojan virus. This is the primary reason for the widespread human infection, with countless cities falling and becoming zombie-infested regions of walking dead."

"You are truly remarkable," Hailan Dong sighed, "to have analyzed it so quickly."

Xu Zhi's expression remained calm. In terms of combat power, he was far inferior to this supreme Heavenly Emperor capable of slaying Finba. He was, at most, a sixth-tier being, and even this great extinction might only elevate him to a quasi-emperor. Yet, he was still a traditional wizard by origin, having diligently studied for decades in the wizard world's library and conversed with Medusa for so long that he had long adopted the principles of a wizard. Possessing a wizard's mindset and scholarly wisdom, combined with the intelligence of the current civilization and a supercomputer-like brain, it was a perfect synergy. To put it simply, he was like a wizard equipped with a smart chip.

"The virus is evolving," Xu Zhi continued. "Caroline cannot control this destructive trend; it's like a variant Trojan virus, unstoppable." Xu Zhi continued to move around. He collected genetic templates from some special zombies for research, curious about their underlying mechanisms. Even with data-ized brains, their structures remained highly complex, with some aspects still beyond comprehension. Hailan Dong followed behind, growing increasingly curious.

Xu Zhi continuously compiled his findings. "Over these past few days, I've discovered something truly frightening." Hailan Dong's eyes widened completely.

Xu Zhi stated, "As I mentioned before, the forbidden zones of life are terrifying things. Unlocking the genetic lock—this is precisely what's happening. The virus is evolving, essentially a program that's continuously developing. Will it one day develop its own intelligence?"

"This virus program, like the evolution of life, moving towards the unknown?" Hailan Dong reacted quickly, his face full of shock. "Yes, we previously suppressed this aspect, preventing 'programs' from evolving independently. Now, it's heading into uncharted territory."

"The Ishdar bodies are now empty, providing an opportunity. Could they be occupied and replaced by a new, intelligent species? Do you think that's possible?"

"I don't know," Xu Zhi replied calmly. He and Hailan Dong continued their journey. Whether it was a new era, or if the Ishdar were extinct, remained uncertain. Even if it was a new era, the survivors led by Caroline could still ensure the continuation of their race, though their dominant position might be usurped. Who knew what the future held? The future held infinite possibilities.

"Perhaps, a different kind of Genesis?"

He walked through one ruined sci-fi city after another—shattered shops, streets, public facilities, fences—all filled with walking dead. Occasionally, he would stop, set up a makeshift laboratory, and conduct various experiments, testing the potential of certain zombies.

"The birth of new life?" Hailan Dong considered the possibility of the scene before him. His mind suddenly went blank. He recalled the scene he had witnessed through the eyes of the magical beast Finba. If Caroline had seen the origin of humanity, then he, without a doubt, had seen the origin of his own magical beasts. A sudden, incredible thought struck him as he looked at the young man in the wizard's robe. Could it be that the magical beasts and humans of ancient times were also observed, guided, and had data collected by this mysterious ancient deity, just as he was doing today with some unknown technology...? In truth, he had, to some extent, come close to the truth.

They continued their journey, passing through the ruins of once-thriving Ishdar cities. Suddenly, from a distant window, a cry for help echoed: "Help me!"

Xu Zhi looked up to see a survivor girl, curled up in a third-story bathroom window of a tall building, waving her arms and shouting. She was emaciated, clearly having been starving for a long time. Xu Zhi reached out, breaking through the window wall, and brought her before him. The surrounding zombies snarled a few times, but were silenced as Hailan Dong's psionic protective barrier cut them off.

Xu Zhi offered her water and bread. "Thank you, thank you, sirs!" she exclaimed, overjoyed.

"What happened?" Hailan Dong asked.

The girl said, "The apocalypse came. In our Tulip District apartment building, many neighbors were infected because they used psionic communication. Now everyone shields themselves and can only communicate through language. A week ago, my parents went to the supermarket outside, and then..." Her face was on the verge of tears.

Xu Zhi was speechless. She blurted everything out, without any guard, seeming somewhat naive, but this was the normal state of things. The biggest difference between this apocalyptic world and others was the absence of infighting or malicious human nature; they were still constrained by the Tainted Death Mechanism, allowing them to help each other and endure hardships together. This aspect made their survival much easier, preventing their rapid extinction.

"We believe rescue teams will come, and the country will quell this chaos and restore our Ishdar glory," the girl stated with unwavering conviction. Every Ishdar seemed to believe this.

Xu Zhi felt as if he was seeing a small ripple in the vast ocean of humanity of this era. He pondered, then asked, "Has anything else unusual happened?"

The girl immediately shared information: "A survivor convoy passed by earlier and told me that several cities south of the mechanical city of Velia have reportedly become death zones. Terrifying monsters have emerged there, and apparently, anyone who couldn't evacuate in time has died."

"Died?" Hailan Dong was startled, glancing towards the depths of the city.

The girl replied, "They say special mutated viral infected creatures have appeared, exhibiting atavistic traits. Like the rumored killer from before, they are covered in mud, secrete cellular fluid, have long, narrow tongues, tails, and partially ape-like bodies. They are incredibly powerful and are called 'Lickers' by the survivors."