73: Poison Queen

"The building in front is where Xiao Yue rented a place for work," Chen Pingliang said, raising his hand to point at a ten-story building inside the residential complex.

"The seventh floor is where Xiao Yue's room is located."

"Let's go take a look first." Tang Ping entered through the main gate; as for the iron gate of the residential complex, it had long since disappeared.

A black shadow leaped down from a window. Roar! The Infected landed on all fours and lunged at Tang Ping, its body so agile it was more outrageous than a tabby cat.

Not to mention ordinary people, even many Level 1 Talent Users would be decapitated if they weren't careful.

A flash of a blade passed, and the Infected split into two, landing on either side of Tang Ping.

However, the Infected, now in two halves, was actually still able to move, using one hand and one foot to crawl!

"Damn it, you're telling me this thing is a zombie?" Wu Zhenhai's feet enlarged, and he crushed the heads of the Infected with one stomp each.

"Right now, they are just gradually becoming more familiar with controlling their own bodies. Once these Infected evolve and mutate again, that will be truly terrifying." Tang Ping thought of those perverted Infected inside the Doomsday Perilous City dungeon.

"This thing can still evolve? This doesn't count as evolution?" Wu Zhenhai's expression changed.

"Of course it doesn't count. This is just the stage where they are gradually adapting to their own bodies. Once they are completely familiar and adapted, they will already be considered another kind of creature, and they can even reproduce." Tang Ping slowly revealed this information about the Infected, which was commonplace in the future.

"What! They can even reproduce!" Wu Zhenhai gasped, and even Chen Pingliang's pupils constricted.

"That's right, these Infected can reproduce." Tang Ping nodded and continued, "Not only can male and female reproduce, but male-male and female-female can as well. Even in the worst-case scenario, if they can't find other Infected, they can even reproduce with themselves. A litter can have as few as two or three, or as many as seven or eight. And this thing, as soon as it's born, can run, jump, and climb within a day."

"Furthermore, they can survive in many extremely harsh environments. Even in barren mountains or deserts where not a blade of grass grows, they can survive by eating sand and gnawing on rocks. From high-altitude permafrost to deep-sea trenches, they can survive. Wouldn't you say that's perverted?"

"Actually, if you don't count the loss of intelligence, it might be better to say that these Infected are the evolution of humanity, because this thing is somewhat outrageous."

"Hiss!" Wu Zhenhai gasped, "If it's really like what you said, Uncle Xiao Tang, this is simply the strongest carbon-based lifeform!"

Tang Ping shook his head, "It doesn't count as the strongest, but in terms of the ability to adapt to the environment, there really aren't many species that can compare to it."

He secretly thought to himself, if one really looked, the Earth Worm would definitely count as one, because in the future, the Earth Worm could even survive in space.

"If this thing is really allowed to continue growing, how will humans survive?" Wu Zhenhai sighed.

Tang Ping immediately laughed, "You don't need to worry about that. After all, by comparison, the Infected might be the chosen ones, but humans... are cheaters."

Wu Zhenhai was speechless, "What you said actually makes sense. After all, every player has a system, and there's also this thing called a Shelter."

As the three of them were talking, they had already arrived under Building 7.

"Help! Help! Save me!" A stumbling figure fell out from the stairwell.

Roar! A foul wind chased after her, lunging toward the pregnant woman. It looked like the pregnant woman with the large belly was about to lose her life on the spot.

Wu Zhenhai slammed into it directly, and the Infected was sent flying instantly. Then, Old Wu's palm enlarged and gripped the head of the Infected pinned to the wall, applying force.

Bang! Brain matter splattered, and the body of the Infected slowly went limp.

"Th-thank you." The woman sat on the ground, still shaken, her hands shielding her belly.

"It's nothing." Wu Zhenhai shook his head and got up to leave.

But the pregnant woman followed them.

He frowned, "You'd better find a place to hide by yourself now, instead of following me."

"I, I..." The pregnant woman clutched her belly, tears rolling down like rain. She suddenly knelt on the ground, "I beg you, I beg you, please take me in. I can do anything—laundry, cooking, any dirty or tiring work, I'm willing to do it. I just ask that you let me follow you and give my unborn child a chance to live!"

Wu Zhenhai's brows were locked tight, and finally, he shook his head, "Sorry, I still have important things to do and cannot take care of you. Following us will only be more dangerous."

Chen Pingliang's gaze fell on the pregnant woman's belly. After pondering for a moment, he said, "How about this, you wait here first. After we finish our business, we will come back to pick you up and take you to a nearby Survivor Base."

The pregnant woman's eyes were instantly filled with panic, "No, don't, I don't want to go to the Survivor Base, don't go."

"Why?"

"They, they eat people!"

Chen Pingliang frowned, his expression turning indifferent. It was impossible for him to actually bring a pregnant woman along, "I'll give you some food; you should find a place to hide on your own."

"No, don't, I beg you, let me follow you. You are good people; I can do any dirty or tiring work." The pregnant woman knelt on the ground, dragging her blood-soaked legs as she moved forward, her face full of pleading.

Wu Zhenhai and Chen Pingliang both felt a pang of pity.

But at this moment, Tang Ping's cold voice rang out.

"Leave now, and don't follow us again. For the sake of the child in your belly, I won't kill you."

The other three were shocked. Wu Zhenhai was shocked that Tang Ping would say such a thing.

Chen Pingliang's shock was that it caused his heart, which had been rising with pity, to fall back down, and he stopped speaking to the pregnant woman.

As for the pregnant woman's trembling, it was surprise. A flash of obscurity crossed her eyes—was she truly discovered, or was the other party just too cold-blooded?

"Kind brother, I beg you, take us mother and child in." The pregnant woman pleaded.

"Do you think you've hidden yourself very well?" Tang Ping drew his Tang sword and pressed it against the pregnant woman's neck.

"If you don't leave, I don't mind letting the child in your belly die along with you. Of course, perhaps it's also this child's fortune, after all, it's the apocalypse now, isn't it."

Tang Ping's meaning was already very clear.

Wu Zhenhai opened his mouth, "Uncle Xiao Tang."

"Do you think she is very weak?" Tang Ping turned his head to look at Wu Zhenhai, "Believe it or not, she can crush you to death with one hand."

Wu Zhenhai's pupils constricted suddenly, and he instantly understood what Tang Ping was talking about. His expression turned ugly, and he looked at the blood-covered, frail-looking pregnant woman on the ground in disbelief. Could the other party really crush him to death with one hand?

"Heh, hehe." The pregnant woman stopped pretending, knowing she had truly been discovered. She casually brushed back the messy hair on her forehead, "How did you find out?"

"Why do you care how I found out?"

The blade pressed against the pregnant woman's chin.

The pregnant woman suddenly smiled, her two small dimples blooming, "So what if you found out? You, cannot escape."

After her voice fell.

Wu Zhenhai and Chen Pingliang suddenly collapsed to the ground, their eyes wide, "You, you, you what..."

"When did I poison you, right? Sorry, I won't tell you." The pregnant woman raised her eyes and looked at Tang Ping in surprise, "Why didn't you fall?"

Tang Ping's gaze was deep. He suddenly knew who the woman in front of him was!

In future history records, in the 36th year of the Doomsday Calendar, Pingcheng City produced a Poison Empress, known as the Demon Child Empress. She had a poison-type talent that was unfathomable, and she had a poisonous child, nurtured in the womb with ten thousand poisons for seven years. When it was born, the poison gas was monstrous, and within ten miles, not a blade of grass would grow for decades.

Later, this mother and child duo disappeared from the public eye, and when they reappeared, it was already the 36th year of the Doomsday Calendar, when they almost overturned the Safe Zone established by the Taohai Heavenly King!

Even the Taohai Heavenly King originally had a brother with an S-rank Talent, who was just a step away from advancing to Level 7 and becoming a Heavenly King, but unfortunately, he died at the hands of the Poison Empress.

Rumor had it that the Poison Empress was delicate and lovely, but she had a heart like a scorpion. To achieve her goals, she would stop at nothing. In the apocalypse, she was a true ruthless Poison Empress.

Now it seems the rumors were not false.

"Poison? You thought I didn't notice you poisoning us? You are too confident."

A rose appeared in Tang Ping's hand. The rose was bright yellow, like a simple light bulb, but as its light fell, it allowed Wu Zhenhai and Chen Pingliang behind him to slowly recover their ability to move.

Mo Baizhi's expression immediately darkened, and there was a hint of venom in her eyes, "What is this thing you have!"

"None of your business."

"You are quite good, very suitable for the apocalypse. Perhaps without me, you would be a presence destined to be looked up to in the future. Unfortunately, now, you are destined to die." After confirming the other party's identity, Tang Ping did not worry at all about her status as a pregnant woman. After all, this was truly a killing star.

Back then, she almost slaughtered half the city of the Taohai Safe Zone alone.

"Just because of you, you want to kill me!" Mo Baizhi suddenly revealed a smile that carried a bit of madness.

"No one can kill me, not even myself!"

"Is that so?" A black-red, eerie flame lotus appeared in Tang Ping's eyes.

The flame lotus swayed and appeared in Mo Baizhi's eyes.

"Then what about now?"