Dimensional Codex System: I'm really not a cultist!

Chapter 794: Chapter 793 Seeking the Truth from History...

”Huh?!”

Upon hearing Fang Zheng’s reply, everyone was simultaneously shocked. Junko’s eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at Fang Zheng.

”You, how could you know...”

”Because I just casually checked you all.”

As he spoke, Fang Zheng took out his personal terminal and opened the interface. The sight of this piece of high technology again astonished the three, but having seen Fang Zheng transform into a dragon before, they were somewhat more capable of accepting these otherworldly devices.

”From a structural standpoint, the virus inside you is very similar to the one that Walnut and Rea are infected with, but it’s not exactly the same.”

Pointing at the projection screen’s image, Fang Zheng began to make comparisons.

”Pay attention here... Well, I guess even if you do, you might not understand, so let me just explain it to you directly. Look at this... these comparative sections. After infection, the basic structure is almost the same, but in some specific parts, they are entirely different. For instance, Sakura, Ai, Junko, the virus inside you is not contagious, which is a very interesting characteristic. Next is... Rea, do you remember what I told you about the transmission ports?”

”Of course!”

Rea hesitated upon hearing Fang Zheng’s question, then quickly nodded.

”I remember Mr. Fang Zheng said that mutant zombies are able to control and suppress common zombies because their body tissue structure releases a signal through the transmission ports. Once common zombies’ receptors receive it, they’re controlled...”

”That’s right, Sakura and the others have the same type of ports in their tissue, but their function is completely different...”

At this point, Fang Zheng revealed a strangely eerie smile, his gaze fixed on them with a mix of humor and seriousness.

”Do you know what the function of this port is in their bodies?”

”This...”

Facing Fang Zheng’s question, Rea and Walnut looked at each other and shook their heads. Then Fang Zheng reached out and grabbed Junko’s arm in front of him, and with a strong pull, he said,

”Just like this!”

”Snap!!”

Accompanied by Fang Zheng’s words, the next moment saw Junko’s right arm being yanked off from her shoulder by Fang Zheng. Walnut and Rea couldn’t help but scream at the sight. Conversely, Junko herself was stunned for a second before reacting and quickly reached out her hand.

”Please, please give it back to me...”

”Of course.”

Fang Zheng casually returned Junko’s arm to her, and then Junko hurriedly took her arm, fitting it back onto her shoulder, where it ”stuck” back into place.

”This, this is...”

Seeing the scene unfold before them, Walnut and the others were so amazed that their eyes widened, at a loss for words. They had encountered many zombies before, but never had they seen one that could still move around after being dismembered like this! Not only that... but it could also be reattached?!

This was the curious phenomenon that Fang Zheng had discovered after he had investigated out of curiosity when he saw Junko being ”dismembered” by the two. After examination, Fang Zheng was surprised to find that, though the virus cells of Minamoto Sakura, Mizuno Ai, and Junko Konno were quite similar to those of Rea and Walnut, they were even more complete.

If one considered the virus infecting Walnut and Rea a ”parasite” that needed to live off normal cells to operate, then the other group was a very complete entity. In fact, Sakura and the group were more like a conglomeration of viruses—similar to the swarm of creatures Fang Zheng had encountered in the Spirit Crystal Cavern under the sea in the Main World, which appeared to be a massive entity but in reality, were countless individual organisms forming a collective.

And Sakura and her group belonged to this category.

That’s why their heads, bodies, and limbs could be detached or attached at will. Unlike the ”ports” of ordinary zombie viruses, the ports inside the bodies of Sakura and her group release a unique biological pulse signal, which causes a reaction in the corresponding ports. Then, the two sides would attract each other like the north and south poles of a magnet and connect together.

However, by contrast, Sakura and their group did not have the capacity to release signals to suppress or command common zombies like DJ zombies or other mutant zombies did, and similarly, they did not possess the ability to receive such signals.

”...It is for this reason that they are able to disassemble and reassemble at will. And unlike the virus infecting you, Walnut, their virus simply preserves some of the cells from the time of death, entering a state akin to hibernation. In this state, their bodies won’t decay, but will maintain the post-mortem condition, just like this...”

While speaking, Fang Zheng pointed to the faces of Minamoto Sakura and her companions, and the three idols hurriedly lowered their heads——after all, they were girls, and to be truthful, even if they had been beautiful in life, in death, their current state...

Well, they wouldn’t need makeup for a ghost movie.

”So, Brother Zheng, what does this tell us?”

Hearing this, Little Hei curiously raised his hand to ask. Fang Zheng nodded and then pointed again at the screen.

”It tells us a lot, at least... it allows us to confirm one thing, and that is that this virus may have been present on Earth for thousands of years!”

”What?!!”

Everyone was greatly surprised by Fang Zheng’s response.

”Really?”

”Yes, think about it carefully.”

As he spoke, Fang Zheng lifted his chin and nodded in the direction of Minamoto Sakura and her companions.

”Whether in the Americas, Europe, or Asia, there are similar legends, aren’t there? Undead bodies that move around and attack living beings. And they have consistent characteristics: superhuman strength, no fear of pain, and even when their bodies are cut, their limbs will still move, and they can even reattach themselves... Back then, there was no internet. Do you think all these stories that came from everywhere were made up? Perhaps, like these idols here, they were all infected with this virus and became zombies, then stars of various horror stories...”

At this point, Fang Zheng casually turned off the screen.

”And then there’s your companion called Xiwu. If she really was from the Meiji Reform Period, she certainly could not have waited until now to emerge as a zombie. It’s likely she transformed into a zombie soon after death and has only now regained consciousness.”

”This......”

Mizuno Ai was incredibly astonished by Fang Zheng’s speculation.

”How can that be possible?”

Confronted with Mizuno Ai’s objection, Fang Zheng glanced at her.

”Why not? Haven’t you also been dead for ten years? If no one told you, would you feel you’d been dead that long? Do you have any recollection of those ten years?”

”This......”

At this, Mizuno Ai was at a loss for words. Just as Fang Zheng said, there was no evidence to suggest that they had only become zombies five months ago. Rather, it was more accurate to say that they regained self-awareness one day five months ago. Before that, according to Minamoto Sakura, they had always been confused zombies... However, Mizuno Ai herself could not remember at all.

”But... Brother Zheng...”

At that moment, Natsuse furrowed her brows, pondered for a moment, and then asked in a low voice.

”Back then, this virus must not have been contagious.”

”Correct.”

Fang Zheng nodded and snapped his fingers.

”If Minamoto Sakura and her companions were infected with the ’Primitive Virus,’ looking at the structure of this virus, it would not be contagious.”

”So, the virus that has spread all over the world now...”

”There’s only one answer.”

At this, Fang Zheng raised a finger.

”Someone has modified the virus.”