C9 Experiment Mission!

They were traversing the outskirts. Though reaching the other side of the city would be a significant time-saver and far safer, the suburbs were where most scavengers had set up camp. It was only by navigating the suburban routes that they could fully realize their objective.

In the blistering heat, Shen Chen and Gouza easily drew the attention of the zombies, many of which were fresh ones. These fresh zombies had become an enigma in recent years. Predominantly, they were mindless, unaware of danger, and fearless—their main distinction from other zombies being the desiccation of their limbs.

It had been noted that since the previous year, the daily decrease in human survivors didn't match the rise in new zombies. Oddly enough, sometimes hundreds of zombies would mysteriously appear around the city without any reports of scavenger camps being attacked.

"Shua!" In one swift motion, a head hit the ground, and black blood splattered all over Gouza.

"Damn it, my clothes!" Gouza lamented, too preoccupied with his stained garment to finish off the zombie before him. He hastily scooped up some sand and scrubbed most of the black blood from his clothing. "I've said it before; I hate killing these fresh zombies. Their cores are impure, and they always end up splashing all over me."

"Shen Chen, why don't these zombies ever bother you? Why do they all come after me?"

"Because you're ugly, that's why, haha," Shen Chen chuckled.

"Get lost! Why don't you all go after Shen Chen? Why stick to me?" Gouza complained, on the verge of tears.

"Gouza, do me a favor, I need to capture a zombie alive. The fresher, the better," Shen Chen interjected.

"You should've said something sooner. I just killed a really fresh one... Wait, hang on. Why do you want to capture a zombie alive? Bro, you're not into some weird stuff, are you?" Gouza asked, his mind racing to unsettling thoughts, sending a shiver down his spine.

"It's you who's into weird stuff, your whole family is into weird stuff. I have a reason for capturing zombies!" Shen Chen shot him a fierce look.

"Hehe, just kidding. Here, catch!" Gouza spun around and shoved a zombie toward Shen Chen.

Shen Chen was quick to react. As the zombie lunged with its teeth bared, Shen Chen swiftly disabled its joints and brought it to the ground. He then rapidly bound the fresh zombie's limbs with a rope from his bag, rendering it immobile.

Gouza dispatched the final zombie before him, retrieved the Crystal Core, and gathered his loot before approaching Shen Chen.

"Bro, what's with all the mumbling? What are you up to?" Gouza inquired with a hint of curiosity.

"Shh, keep it down."

Shen Chen gestured for silence and tuned in to the System's message.

[Experimental Task 1: Complete. Reward: Level-1 Crystal Core Purifier, now in your backpack.]

[Experimental Task 2: Now initiating. Insert a Zombie Crystal Core into the Purifier and then feed the purified core to a low-level zombie. Reward: Photographic Memory.]

Without hesitation, Shen Chen reached into his backpack and pulled out an odd cylindrical metal device.

Gouza watched with curiosity, clueless about the gadget's purpose.

He observed Shen Chen insert a fresh Crystal Core into the machine's central slot. Atop the device was a button. When Shen Chen pressed it, a burst of blue energy pulsed from the machine, startling both him and Gouza.

"Dude, what's going on? The Zombie Crystal Core turned blue?" Gouza's curiosity intensified.

"I'm not sure," Shen Chen replied, holding the now-blue crystal.

The machine's purification process not only altered the core's color from white to blue but also shrank its size by a significant two-thirds.

The blue crystal immediately caught the zombie's gaze.

"Hey man, this zombie seems really into that thing you've got. Mind if I give it a whirl?" Gouza snatched the crystal and playfully taunted the zombie with it, capturing its undivided attention.

Gouza couldn't help but shout, "This is fun!"

"Will you quit acting like a kid? Enough with the games!" An exasperated Shen Chen reclaimed the crystal and tossed it into the zombie's gaping maw. To his surprise, the creature caught it neatly and swallowed.

Shen Chen's anxiety spiked; he had no idea what to expect next.

After a brief moment of calm, the zombie began to thrash wildly, nearly snapping the sturdy nylon rope designed to hold 100 kg of force.

The zombie's growl, a grating, metallic sound, grated on the ears, leaving an unsettling feeling.

Suddenly, a scene no one anticipated unfolded.

With a dull thud, the zombie's stomach burst open, showering black blood and chunks of flesh onto the two unsuspecting survivors. Despite Shen Chen's heightened alertness, he was just as covered in gore as Gouza.

"Are you kidding me? It's a bomb! This dumb zombie was actually messing with this thing? My clothes... my shoes!" Gouza hopped around frantically, trying to shake off the vile mess.

"What's going on here?"

Shen Chen was still in shock, his mind racing for an explanation that eluded him.

"Ding dong."

"Experimental Mission 2, complete. Reward: Eidetic Memory, pending receipt."

[Experimental Mission 3 initiated. Locate a zombie that has not self-destructed post-cleansing. No time constraints. Reward: Unlock a new category and select three items from any unlocked category to make available for sale.]

Shen Chen acquired the Eidetic Memory ability.

A slight sting in his brain, and upon opening his eyes again, a mere glance was enough for him to recall every detail with precision. The best part? He could toggle this ability on and off at will!

With this power, no one could pull a fast one on Shen Chen, especially not with rice exchanges.

These three experimental missions led Shen Chen to a tentative conclusion.

It seemed the system was still testing the waters, uncertain of the exact cause-and-effect between the purified Crystal Core and the zombies.

This unexpected mission likely stemmed from a hypothesis by the system's architects—otherwise, it wouldn't be open-ended.

Regardless, the system's offer was incredibly alluring.

A new category, three new items—Shen Chen was set on claiming them.

"Come on, Gouza, to the next scavenger camp!"

"Wait, wait, wait, bro, you've got to fill me in on what just happened."

"I'm clueless too."