Deep Within the Living

Chapter 42: Communication

Cloudy skies, overcast, -1°C, 3:00 PM

[Jupiter City Research Bureau]

The bus came to a stop, and a young man with black hair stepped off from the back door, his school bag slung over one shoulder.

As his eyes landed on the Research Bureau’s towering building, he noticed a girl in a pure white down jacket standing on the steps, waving at him. She held a freshly issued single-use entry pass in her hand.

However, she wasn’t alone. Two others stood beside her, and a cheerful voice called out:

“Hehe~ I explained the situation to Anna and Gao Yuxuan, and they came right over.

But I need to head home before dinner—I’ve got tutoring tonight. You three can handle the meal without me.”

The class leader linked arms with Anna and walked ahead, while Gao Yuxuan fell in step with Luo Di at the back, chatting about the events at the Resettlement Neighborhood. Unlike half a year ago, the two were no longer strangers. In fact, they had become reliable workout partners for push-ups and strength training.

Just as Gao Yuxuan was about to ask about the finer details of the anomaly incident, Anna stepped closer and cut in.

“Gao, you and Wu Wen go verify your identities first. I need to talk to him.”Gao Yuxuan didn’t mind and readily agreed to the “switch.”

Standing beside Anna, Luo Di instantly felt a wave of pressure. Wrapped in her thick down jacket, Anna’s imposing build and solid frame made her look like a Siberian wild bear. She was nearly twice Gao Yuxuan’s width, and standing near her was an entirely different experience.

“Luo Di,” Anna began in a serious tone, “Wu Wen told me she got caught in that anomaly because she went looking for you. Before that, she even stayed at your place, right?”

“Yes,” Luo Di answered simply.

“So, has your relationship with her... changed?”

“Relationship? I guess you could say that.”

“...Huh?” Anna was visibly stunned by his reply. A flurry of vivid imaginations flashed through her mind, painting a picture of what might have happened between the two while living under the same roof. Her face turned crimson.

After a long pause, Anna, who seemed to be holding back a flood of words, managed to say just a few:

“Treat Wu Wen well. If you ever do something to hurt her, I swear I’ll send you flying.”

“Anna! What are you two talking about? Hurry up and get in here!”

The Research Bureau’s main entrance had opened, and the class leader was waving at them from inside. Gao Yuxuan, standing beside her, seemed to catch on to something and gave Luo Di an exaggerated thumbs-up in secret.

The four of them entered the same pristine white room they had visited half a year ago to receive their rewards.

Director Wang was already waiting for them, with three documents spread neatly across the table.

“You three, as unrelated participants, need to sign these waivers. During the processing of the Cornerized tool, if any direct or indirect effects occur, the Research Bureau will not be held responsible.”

Having made it this far, they had already prepared themselves mentally. Luo Di and Wu Wen had survived a real anomaly incident; dealing with the brain blood of an Impersonator felt like a much smaller challenge.

After signing, Director Wang signaled the laboratory staff to proceed with the blood extraction.

“Place your knife on the table and unwrap the shroud cloth.”

Luo Di followed the instructions and didn’t have to wait long.

A researcher brought in a rack of test tubes—ten in total, each containing 10ml of fresh blood.

This blood was visibly different from ordinary blood. It occasionally coalesced into soft, amorphous shapes that clung to the inside of the glass.

As Director Wang had promised, this was blood from the cranial cavity that had flowed through the pituitary gland, making it the purest representation of the Impersonator’s essence.

When the rack was set on the table, even though the tubes were more than ten centimeters away, the zombie blade’s neural patterns began to twitch faintly.

Everyone in the room was startled. Even seasoned researchers were visibly uneasy.

Director Wang began to explain:

“This blood has a Corner age of over one year. Wu Huazhen had already formed a pseudo-Cornerized space in her brain, and her pituitary gland had undergone biological fracturing, resulting in a ‘flesh-and-blood corner.’

This makes her blood purer than that of ordinary zombies.

Consequently, this is a case of the weak absorbing the strong. The theoretical maximum absorption is 100ml. However, during the process, there is a risk of the tool being damaged. Luo Di, you need to be aware that the zombie pituitary gland inside your blade might not withstand the high-Corner-age blood and could rupture, rendering the knife useless.

To mitigate this, we’ll use a segmented feeding approach. If instability arises, we’ll immediately halt the process.”

Luo Di wasn’t particularly worried about the risk of failure. He reasoned that if Director Wang was offering this as a reward, it meant success was likely.

Over the six months he’d spent with the zombie blade, Luo Di had come to understand how much it craved blood. Furthermore, the pituitary gland within the blade, with its cancerous and diseased properties, was inherently resilient. Killing off such aggressive abnormalities wasn’t easy.

What interested Luo Di more was what the knife would become.

“What happens if it absorbs all the blood?”

“It will inherit the Corner age. The zombie pituitary gland’s ‘age’ will mature, making your tool more lethal. It might even change its external form.

If you’re lucky, it could inherit some of Wu Huazhen’s fear properties.”

“Let’s start,” Luo Di said, unable to hide his impatience.

Director Wang picked up a test tube and tilted it slightly, positioning the opening above the blade.

The blood inside didn’t pour out but crawled forward, forming a sphere at the lip before dropping onto the blade’s surface.

The moment it made contact, a wave of icy air swept through the room. Structures resembling spider legs emerged from the blood, writhing in an attempt to escape, but the zombie blade absorbed it all. Faint wisps of sinister energy radiated from the blade.

Then came the second tube.

The third.

...

By the seventh tube, the zombie blade began to tremble violently against the table. The neural patterns on its surface turned crimson, sprouting additional branches that pushed the entire blade upwards.

“Looks like it’s reaching its limit…”

Just as Director Wang was about to halt the process, Luo Di reached out and grabbed the handle.

Everyone gasped at his sudden action. Even Director Wang looked at him in surprise but didn’t stop him. Nᴇw novel chapters are publɪshed on nοvelfire.net

As Luo Di tightened his grip, the zombie blade gradually calmed. The blood-red patterns on its surface faded slightly, as though the blade had been pacified.

It felt as if the blade and Luo Di had established some form of internal communication, and Luo Di was soothing its emotions.

“Continue,” Luo Di said firmly.

Director Wang stared into Luo Di’s eyes. “Are you sure about this? If you go through with it, not only is there a risk of the blade breaking, but you could also be caught in the backlash. You might even lose a hand.”

“Yes,” Luo Di replied firmly. His gaze was unwavering.

After the Resettlement Neighborhood incident, he clearly understood the vast gap between himself and a mature Impersonator. Regular training wouldn’t be enough to bridge that divide. This zombie blade was currently his only chance to narrow the gap.

Though the blade looked the same as it always had, Luo Di could feel its thirst for blood through the hilt gripped in his hand. He wanted to witness its transformation—one that would enable him to face similar dangers in the future and attempt to take them down on his own.

The seventh tube,

The eighth tube,

The ninth tube—

Scarlet neural patterns danced wildly across the blade’s surface. Some tendrils burrowed into Luo Di’s palm, spreading the zombification process up his entire arm. His right arm was transforming—turning sinister, decayed, rigid, and even undergoing partial super-hardening in some areas.

“Do we continue?”

“Wait a moment.”

Luo Di closed his eyes and focused, attempting to connect with the essence of the blade, to feel the thoughts born from its zombie nature.

≮Give me blood…≯

Upon receiving this primal response, Luo Di gave a resolute nod. “Continue... the final tube.”

As the last vial of blood poured onto the blade’s surface, it was swiftly absorbed through the flesh-like material.

Luo Di’s right arm was now entirely zombified—ominous, rotten, and stiff, with patches hardened to an almost indestructible degree.

But this time, he heard a new voice from within the blade.

≮Satisfied…≯

Hearing this response, Luo Di unconsciously clicked his tongue in satisfaction and smiled.