Chapter 395 The Ancestral Virus

“The snow is really heavy...”

?Looking at the vast whiteness in front of him, Wang Tao could only slow down helplessly.

?The road is not slippery for the time being, but the wind and snow are too heavy, making it difficult to see the road.

Going out at this time is obviously not a wise decision, but fortunately Wang Tao can control his mental power. Although the detection distance is not far, it can guarantee that he will not drive into a ditch, but the speed is much slower.

It took a long time to grind all the way, and finally arrived at the research institute.

There are several machines at the entrance of the institute that are automatically shoveling snow, but because the snow is so heavy, a thick layer of snow accumulates not long after they finish shoveling. They can only keep shoveling snow.

Of course, shoveling snow still has an effect. For example, Wang Tao can see Qu Shilin in the snow at a glance. She was wearing a military coat, wrapped up tightly, and was waving to Wang Tao.

?Wang Tao drove the car over slowly, and then said with a smile:

“Are you waiting for me? You’re too polite!”

?Qu Shilin quickly opened the car door and got in the car.

"I don''t want to wait for you outside in such a cold weather. It''s just that the signal tower was affected by the heavy snow, so the message couldn''t be sent out. I originally wanted to tell you that you don''t need to be in such a hurry to send the car over. It''s snowing too much outside. The road is difficult... But I couldn''t contact you, but I contacted Yulian. She said that you had already set off, so I just waited to see if you could come over and don''t let anything happen..."

?Wang Tao then discovered that the signal on his information watch was intermittent.

Signal transmission methods within the base are divided into limited and unlimited. Fixed places are wired, such as his villa. After going out, I rely on wireless signals. Under normal circumstances, there is a signal outside. But Qu Shilin said that the heavy snow had affected the signal tower, so there was nothing we could do.

“Thank you for your concern!”

?Wang Tao first thanked him, and then frowned.

“In such a large base city, if the wireless signal is cut off, will it be a problem?”

Hearing this, Qu Shilin rolled her eyes at him.

“Do you think everyone is as tough as you, running out in such a heavy snow? Most people will definitely stay at home at this time. Those who have installed communication lines can receive information, and those who have not installed them can also listen to the loudspeaker broadcast..."

“Well, that seems to be the case, that’s because I’m worrying too much…”

?Wang Tao smiled awkwardly.

But Qu Shilin quickly continued:

"But there are some problems. I can''t go out. I''m afraid I won''t be able to hold today''s party. I still want to go to the party...and if this level of heavy snow lasts for three or five days, then the party won''t be able to be held. It’s no longer a question of whether the event can be held, but a question of whether people can live a normal life…”

Wang Tao estimates that the party will be cancelled. As for what happens next, we can only wait and see about it later.

?Under the command of Qu Shilin, Wang Tao quickly parked the car in a studio, where someone was already waiting.

"We are going to make your car more modular, with specialized accessories that can be quickly replaced, such as adding crawler tracks. Tracks are absolutely useful in snowy weather, but they consume more energy. Of course, crystal energy vehicles don''t have to worry too much about carrying energy. The problem is, just add more crystal nuclei, but this puts new requirements on the stability and lifespan of the car..."

?Qu Shilin briefly explained it to Wang Tao, but Wang Tao didn''t know much about this aspect either. They can just change it casually, and it doesn''t cost them their own money anyway.

During the introduction, Qu Shilin directed people to lift the food compressor off the car. This machine is quite big, but it doesn’t look very technological. However, machines should not be judged by their appearance. This kind of food compression technology is currently beyond the reach of the institute.

“This is the ‘food compressor’…”

?Qu Shilin gently stroked the machine, her eyes shining.

Eating is definitely the top priority of the base. If the technology of food compressors can be researched into Chou Yin Mao, it will definitely bring benefits to everyone. At least in the same space, you can carry more food out.

?Qu Shilin experimented. Just put some food into it, and some nutrient solution would appear in a moment. Even if the food is unclean or even poisonous, as long as it is edible food, the compressor can still produce clean nutrient solution! There will be some consumption in the process, but it’s good if you can eat it, and you don’t have the right to be picky.

“What a good thing!”

? Qu Shilin clicked her tongue in surprise, and then she looked at Wang Tao, but she hesitated to speak.

Wang Tao seemed to know what she wanted to ask and immediately spoke:

“I picked it up, and I don’t know who made it. So don’t ask me about its origin, I don’t know.”

“Okay~”

?Qu Shilin spread her hands helplessly.

?But she was simply curious, and it didn’t matter who made it now. After all, even if she knew, could she still find someone else?

Anyway, the thing is already with her, she just needs to research the technology of this machine.

"By the way, you should still use this food compressor, right? Then if you need it in the future..."

?Qu Shilin was interrupted by Wang Tao before she finished speaking.

“No, I was lucky enough to pick up another one before. Just feel free to study it.”

…”

Looking at Wang Tao who looked indifferent, Qu Shilin suddenly didn’t know what to say.

She really believed that Wang Tao picked up this thing before, but now, Wang Tao actually said that he still has one!

??This kind of magical thing, even if you pick up one, can you pick up two? This is too fake!

?However, seeing that Wang Tao didn''t want to say more, Qu Shilin didn''t ask any more questions.

??There''s no need to worry about the origin of this thing now. It couldn''t have been made by Wang Tao, right?

All she needs to do now is to research the technology of food compressors. If it can be popularized in the base, it will definitely be a major benefit to people who go out.

Just now there is a small problem in front of Qu Shilin - she has too many projects now!

Mechanical prosthetics, power armor, crystal energy engines, crystal energy weapons, Night Demon Hearts, Iron Beetles, food compressors, the weapons and equipment Wang Tao gave her before, as well as the research on organisms and viruses that she loves... Too busy, too busy at all!

? Qu Shilin glanced at Wang Tao secretly, then put her hands behind her back and coughed.

“Ahem, Wang Tao, can I discuss something with you?”

"What''s up?"

?Wang Tao was a little confused. After getting acquainted with Qu Shilin, he found that she still prefers to be straightforward. Why is she suddenly so shy?

"Can you..." Qu Shilin stretched out her right hand and made a gesture with her index finger and thumb, "Sponsor me a little bit of scientific research funds?"

“Huh? Research funding? Doesn’t your institute have funding?”

?Wang Tao was suddenly surprised. He didn''t expect Qu Shilin to ask him for money.

Logically speaking, the research institute should be very rich, right? After all, this is the strongest and only scientific research institution in Changhe Base, and the city hall will definitely not be stingy in investing in this area. And if nothing else, the inhibitor alone should be able to make a lot of money for the institute, so is Cheng Yiyi still short of money?

Cheng Yiyi saw Wang Tao’s doubts, and she explained helplessly:

"The research institute is rich, but we also spend a lot of money. Not to mention anything else, just to study the energy in the crystal nucleus, we directly use the crystal nucleus to consume it. This is ''really burning money''... Of course , the institute is not so poor that it needs to borrow money. After all, it is supported by the city hall, and it can continue to research... But as more and more projects are researched, more and more funds are needed. In the future, it may We will be unable to make ends meet, and the city hall itself is also very short of money. After all, they are responsible for all aspects. We can’t always count on the city hall... so we have to find a way ourselves..."

Hearing this explanation, Wang Tao nodded silently. No matter when, doing research is a costly affair.

Qu Shilin went on to explain:

"If you can become a sponsor of the research institute, if something is researched in the future, the sponsor will definitely use it first and enjoy VIP treatment! If it is a mass-produced product that can be sold, there may be a share reward in the future! Sponsorship If merchants have any special needs, they can also customize products...and there are various other benefits! ”

"But we also have to guard against sponsors using our research results to do bad things, so not everyone can sponsor if they want to... If you sponsor me personally, and something unexpected happens, then it will be blamed I was asked to carry it..."

She had no intention of finding anyone to sponsor her, because if she took other people''s money, she would not be so free.

Although the institute has regulations, sponsors are not allowed to interfere with any research. Theoretically, even if they receive sponsorship, they will not be affected in any way. But in fact, it is impossible not to be affected by others at all. After all, you are short-handed...

?Qu Shilin still likes to be unfettered and free.

But now, as the institute has more and more projects, the follow-up funds will most likely not be able to keep up... Especially since Qu Shilin has so many projects in her hands, the funds allocated to her by the institute are not enough. , even she herself has contributed money, but scientific research is a bottomless pit, and the money is obviously not enough.

So, when she came back this time and the institute asked for sponsors again, she thought of Wang Tao.

Strong, rich, and with few things to do, this is obviously a great partner.

?But then again, she thinks Wang Tao is good, but Wang Tao may not necessarily think she is good. Sponsorship requires both parties to be satisfied...

?Qu Shilin looked at Wang Tao longingly.

“Sure, how much do you want?”

?Wang Tao smiled and nodded.

He has a good relationship with Qu Shilin, and scientific research, in Wang Tao''s opinion, is a relatively sacred matter that benefits the people. If Wang Tao is not capable, forget it. If he is capable, then it is okay to support him.

?Seeing that Wang Tao did not refuse the call, but was actually very interested, Qu Shilin breathed a sigh of relief.

She thinks she has a good relationship with Wang Tao, but money is the thing that is most likely to cause rifts between friends. She herself doesn''t value money very much, but who knows what Wang Tao thinks...

“Ahem, are you sponsoring me, or the entire institute?”

“Of course it’s you.”

“Ahem, I still have 10 projects in hand, so you...sponsor me 10 million crystal coins first?”

? Qu Shilin spoke tentatively.

“Ten million, yes.”

?Wang Tao agreed directly.

He currently has more than 60 million crystal coins in his hand, and some of the things he got this time have not been sold. In addition, he has a lot of valuable things in his hand, so 10 million crystal coins is nothing to him. .

? And Qu Shilin, these are 10 projects. If you can research some results with ten million, it will be very profitable.

“Thank you, thank you! With your ten million, I can pick a project to start…”

Seeing Wang Tao agree without blinking an eye, Qu Shilin was immediately overjoyed.

She knew she had found the right person!

Wang Tao was suddenly stunned after hearing what she said.

"Wait a minute! You just said that you want to pick a project to start? In other words... these ten million can only support one project?"

“…Well, to be precise, this ten million is the start-up capital for a project…”

? Qu Shilin recited the four words "start-up capital" emphatically. After saying that, she looked at Wang Tao with some anxiety, fearing that Wang Tao would withdraw the capital before he gave the money.

…”

?Wang Tao thought that the 10 million yuan could support 10 projects, but it turned out that it could only support one project, and it was just start-up capital. This meant that money would have to be spent in the future!

?Wang Tao’s **** hurt.

According to Qu Shilin''s money-burning method, he can''t even afford tens of millions!

Before the end of the world, he was just a hardworking worker. Now that the end of the world is over, he can’t still work to make money, right?

“Wang Tao, let me first introduce to you my research projects…”

Perhaps because she was afraid that Wang Tao would regret it, Qu Shilin hurriedly explained to Wang Tao, or in other words... painted a bigger picture.

"For example, in terms of power armor, Jiang Wenyou and I studied this together. Both of us have to contribute money and efforts... Jiang Wenyou is the researcher who gave you power armor at the exchange meeting... Our ultimate goal is to create That kind of mecha, which is tens to hundreds of meters tall, is comparable to a giant zombie! It can hunt giant zombies head-on!"

"Not to mention crystal energy engines and crystal energy weapons. We hope that when ordinary people get hold of these weapons, they can also kill powerful zombies! If the army can have crystal energy weapons in hand, what else will these zombies have? scary?"

…”

"There is also my favorite research in biotechnology and viruses. If there can be a breakthrough in this area, the impact will be even greater! For example... we can create a real antidote to the zombie virus, and we will no longer be afraid of being infected... ”?????At the end of the sentence, Qu Shilin’s eyes lit up.

Creating an antidote to the zombie virus is one of the ultimate goals that all researchers strive for, and she is no exception.

?Wang Tao never eats the pie drawn by others, but don’t tell me, what Qu Shilin introduced made him a little excited - this excitement does not refer to the results of research, but to the hope that allows people to see the future.

After all, the last days are so hard, it is difficult to persevere without hope...

Of course, it would be better if research results could be produced.

“It sounds... quite good. Apart from anything else, if you can really develop an antidote to the zombie virus, then you will be the heroes of all mankind!”

?Wang Tao nodded seriously.

Seeing that Wang Tao did not regret it, Qu Shilin finally breathed a sigh of relief. But when she heard Wang Tao talk about the zombie virus, she smiled bitterly and shook her head.

“Hey, it’s too difficult to develop an antidote to the zombie virus! Even…I think there’s a high probability that it won’t be developed…”

"Huh? Weren''t you still confident just now? Why, now you change your mind?"

?Wang Tao was a little speechless.

“Well, I don’t want to deceive you...”

?Qu Shilin was a little embarrassed, and then explained seriously:

"I really don''t think an antidote for zombie viruses can be developed! To put it simply, the current zombie viruses have gone through countless rounds of mutations. They are of different types and are very complex. What we can see alone is tens of thousands. There are so many! Not to mention there are more that we haven’t seen yet, there must be more than dozens or even millions of them! So even if we are lucky enough to develop an antidote to the zombie virus, it will only be an antidote! It’s just medicine, it’s impossible to cure these dozens or millions of zombie viruses…”

?Hearing Qu Shilin’s explanation, Wang Tao frowned and said:

“I don’t know much about this, but based on my superficial understanding, even if these zombie viruses have mutated, they must be related and have something in common, right? If these patterns are found, maybe it’s still possible?”

?Qu Shilin shook her head.

“There is no problem with your idea, but the problem is that zombie viruses have mutated no matter how many times. They are all very different. And the most important thing is that they are still mutating now, mutating all the time!”

“Our research has found that the reason why zombies can become stronger without doing anything is because the zombie virus in their bodies is constantly evolving! Every time they become stronger, it means that the zombie virus has mutated..."

“So the speed of our research is not as fast as their mutation speed. Even if we can really develop an antidote, it may only be usable on the same day, but the effect will be greatly reduced the next day, and it may be ineffective on the third day...”

…”

?Wang Tao knew that studying zombie viruses was difficult, but he didn’t expect it to be so difficult.

“Of course, this does not mean that there is no hope at all. If we can find the most original zombie virus, there may be hope..."

“The original virus is the first round of zombie virus outbreak, and it must be during the first round of outbreak, that is, at the time of April 4th..."

"This most primitive virus is called the ''ancestral virus'' by us. Now there are dozens or millions of zombie viruses that have mutated from the ''ancestral virus''. Zombie viruses are different from other viruses. After the virus mutates, it may become a new virus. But after the zombie virus mutates, there is still a connection between it and the ancestor virus that we cannot explain... Simply put, the ancestor virus is the "root", and the current zombie virus is " Leaves''! As long as we can thoroughly study the ancestor virus, we should be able to find a solution to the zombie virus! But..."

“But this is basically impossible. Because it has been 10 months since the virus broke out, how can there still be an ancestor virus that has not undergone any mutation..."

"Do you know why we were able to develop zombie virus inhibitors very early on? Now that we are safer and have better research conditions, we haven''t made any big breakthroughs in viruses? This is really not that we are lazy. It’s because we were studying early viruses at that time, and drugs that can suppress early viruses are also effective against current viruses. But now, there are no such research conditions..."

?Qu Shilin slumped down, her face a little desperate.

??The more people know about zombie viruses, the more they know how difficult it is to develop an antidote to zombie viruses, and the more desperate they become.

?At their Hope Research Institute, many people are studying the project of antidotes to zombie viruses, but unless there is some big breakthrough, no one will talk about these things at all, because the more they talk about it, the more desperate they become...

“In other words, we will never be able to create an antidote to the zombie virus in our lifetime?”

?Wang Tao asked with a frown.

“Perhaps, unless the progenitor virus can be found…”

?Qu Shilin shook her head.

“Progenitor virus…”

?Wang Tao muttered silently.

?This is obviously an impossible task, unless time stops somewhere when a virus breaks out, then maybe there is an ancestor virus here.

?Or maybe someone can turn back time, directly to the beginning of the apocalyptic outbreak - but if they really have this ability, then why study the ancestor virus? They must be trying to find a way to prevent the apocalyptic outbreak!

?Wang Tao didn''t expect that he would get a desperate message just by saying it casually.

?However, he has a good mentality, and now he has a certain strength. Even if he really cannot develop an antidote, he will definitely survive!

"Alas, I actually regret it a bit. When the virus broke out, I sought protection as soon as possible. This indeed made me safer, but it also lost the opportunity to study the virus on the front line. If I could have studied more For the sub-ancestral virus, even if we look at the research records of our predecessors a few more times, we might be able to make some breakthroughs in the zombie virus..."

?Wang Tao suddenly asked:

“Have any of the researchers on the front line survived?”

"…without."

“That’s okay, staying alive is the greatest victory, we still have a chance!”

?Wang Tao patted Qu Shilin on the shoulder. He patted Qu Shilin with a little force, causing Qu Shilin to stagger.

?Qu Shilin suddenly rolled her eyes at Wang Tao speechlessly.

"Okay, okay, let''s not talk about this matter. Anyway, I still want to thank you for your sponsorship. If there is any benefit then, I will definitely think of you as soon as possible! Of course, if you can sponsor me a little more, then Even better…”

?Qu Shilin stretched out her index finger and thumb and made a gesture.

…”

This gesture is ten million!

Even if Wang Tao is rich, he can’t afford to build it like this!

??Shaked his head, when Wang Tao was about to say something, he was suddenly stunned.

“What did you just say?”

“Sponsorship?”

“No, you just said that if you were asked to study the ancestor virus a few more times, or watch the research records of your predecessors...”

“Uh, I said...”

? Qu Shilin didn’t understand what Wang Tao meant.

“I have something I want to show you. I don’t know if it will be useful to you... would you like to come to my house?”

?Wang Tao opened his mouth and said.

“Ah? Okay.”

? Qu Shilin didn’t ask any more questions.

Wang Tao''s car was being modified, so Qu Shilin borrowed a car from the institute. This car also came with anti-skid chains, making it much easier to drive in the snow.

“Huh? The snow is getting lighter!”

After driving the car out, Qu Shilin was a little surprised.

“It’s good that the snow has lightened up...”

?Wang Tao and Qu Shilin returned to his villa together.

Since the snow has lightened and the car has snow chains, the return speed is much faster than before.

?While Qu Shilin was greeting others, Wang Tao came over with a thick brown paper bag.

“Look at it.”

"This is…"

? Qu Shilin took it curiously. Inside were neat documents. After seeing the contents on the documents, her eyes suddenly widened.

“Research records on the progenitor virus! Why do you have these..."

?Qu Shilin looked through it carefully and spoke in shock.

“Is it really the ancestor virus...”

?Wang Tao nodded secretly, and then slowly explained:

"When the virus broke out, the No. 1 Hospital in Wuyang Province, Huangfeng City, and Shuize County also suffered large-scale infections. At that time, there was a group of medical experts from the capital in the hospital. One of the experts was He came here with his daughter who was tired of studying. His daughter was infected, but he was still alive. In order to save his daughter, he hid in the morgue under the hospital and used simple instruments to study the zombie virus, hoping to find an antidote. Unfortunately, he failed, and he himself became a zombie, a mutated zombie... These documents are all the research results he left behind. He said in the diary that these are useless things and were given to me. . But I think it still has a certain commemorative significance, so I have kept it as a souvenir until now..."

?Wang Tao’s eyes were a little complicated.

The person who left this document was the original green-eyed zombie.

?Wang Tao has experienced many things since he came to the end of the world, among which the green-eyed zombies are the most impressive.

??After all, green-eyed zombies are powerful and can produce many elite zombies in batches, which makes Wang Tao feel good about killing them.

??And most importantly, the green-eyed zombie left a diary. Through the diary, I can feel his despair and his love for his daughter when he was still a human being.

?Of course, one of the reasons why Wang Tao gained his night vision ability is also one of the reasons.

Regarding the green-eyed zombies, except for Han Rui, who had experienced it with Wang Tao, Wei Zhenguo and the others did not know the details, and Yang Changhong and the others had never heard of it.

?Now hearing Wang Tao talk about it, everyone felt a little sad.

? Qu Shilin’s vision is also very complicated. The result of the green-eyed zombies is the same as those of the researchers working on the front line. But the difference is that the green-eyed zombie left some precious wealth and was brought out by Wang Tao! And other researchers…

“This information is the research data of the ancestor virus! It is very important to me and the institute! I dare not say that we can develop a zombie virus, but we will definitely gain something! So this information..."

? Qu Shilin looked at Wang Tao eagerly.

“Of course I’m giving it to you. It’s a complete waste here. Only you can make it play its due role...”

?Wang Tao said without thinking.

“Thank you! Thank you so much!”

? Qu Shilin hugged the research materials tightly with excitement.

(End of this chapter)