Dark Civilization Volume 1 Chapter 13

Book 1 Chapter 13: Before Heading Out!

Upon the gla.s.s table was a bowl of steaming water and a half-filled gla.s.s of strong alcohol. Beside it, was another bowl filled with sliced mutagenic flesh.

Ye Chen was holding a sharp kitchen knife, focusing his gaze upon Bai Long's wound. In a low voice, he said: "Endure it."

Confused, Bai Long could not even manage an answer before a sudden impact rattled his skull causing him to lose consciousness.

Ye Chen had him knocked out before starting the operation with haste. First, he poured the steaming hot water upon the festering wound. The wound had already worsened considerably causing the surrounding muscle and blood to blacken, emitting a rancid odour.

How painful would it be to have scalding hot water poured on top of a gaping wound?

However, Bai Long could not feel a thing. Under the catalysis of the virus, his pain receptors have been gradually dampened. Even stabbing him with a knife would only feel like a mosquito's sting. Additionally, he was unconscious, completely unaware of what was going on.

After cleansing the wound of black blood, Ye Chen began to slice away at the scalded flesh. The cut off pieces of flesh bled with slightly darkened blood.

"Grind out the juices from the mutagenic flesh!" Ye Chen told his sister in a serious tone.

Ye Zhu was taken aback, yet she did not question him. Using a wooden handle as a pestle, she began to mince a dozen pieces of mutagenic flesh in a steel bowl.

At this point, Ye Chen took the gla.s.s of strong alcohol which was heated till it was on the verge of boiling and began pouring it atop Bai Long's wound. Alcohol being an antiseptic substance could be used as a disinfectant.

Ye Chen went into the kitchen to procure some peeled garlic and a bottle of vinegar. After dumping a few cloves of garlic and half a bottle of vinegar into the steel bowl, he left Ye Zhu to grind them together with the minced mutagenic flesh.

In the meantime, Ye Chen continued to clean Bai Long's wound with the alcohol. After the mixture of mutagenic flesh, vinegar and garlic were crushed and drained into two bowls; the resulting concoction was poured into Bai Long's mouth.

"Will this really make him better?" Ye Zhu asked with worry.

Ye Chen shook his head saying: "It'll depend on his luck. Fortunately, we tended to him before the infection could get any worse, or else it'd be impossible to cure."

Upon hearing his reply, Ye Zhu sunk into silence.

Patting her shoulder, Ye Chen pointed at the mutant dog's corpse saying: "The flesh on this creature can be eaten; it actually contains high amounts of energy. Well, dog meat has always been considered quite nutritious. However, if a person were to eat this entire mutated dog, I'd estimate an increase of around five men's worth of strength! As for its hide and fur, we'll use those to make some clothes!"

The nutrients contained in the meat of animals naturally had their differences. The meat of a tiger was obviously more nutritious that that of a pig's!

Furthermore, this mutant dog's flesh is ten times more valuable than that of a tiger's!

Only at this point was Ye Zhu made aware of the mutant dog. Astonished, she asked: "Was this the creature you were hunting?"

Ye Chen nodded.

Ye Zhu furrowed her brows saying: "Next time you do something so dangerous, I won't blame you for not taking me with you, but at least inform me about it!"

With a bitter laugh, Ye Chen nodded again.

Ye Zhu walked towards the mutant dog's corpse and squatted beside it to get a closer look. Intrigued, she asked: "Brother, did you say that this creature was edible? I thought only mutagenic flesh could be eaten, right?"

Ye Chen shook his head saying: "On zombies, only mutagenic flesh could be eaten; every other part is infested with viruses. That's because zombies are considered failed products! This creature however has successfully evolved. Getting bitten or sc.r.a.ped by it will not lead to an infection."

"Mutagenic flesh could be surmised as a kind of high grade meat. If I'm to make a comparison, rat meat and roach meat would be considered rank 1, Human meat rank 2 and tiger meat being rank 3. Mutagenic meat would be rank 10!"

"Meat with a higher rank would contain proportionally more energy and nutrition!"

"If a human composed of rank 2 flesh, were to consume rank 3 tiger meat, it will lead to an increase in const.i.tution and the fortification of the body! Eating rank 10 mutagenic flesh naturally led to an increase in strength as well as refining the basis of one's body, resulting in an effect not too different from evolving…. This mutant dog has undergone a metamorphosis due to the virus, causing its flesh to increase up to rank 7. You can think of it as lower grade mutagenic flesh!"

Ye Chen continued in a steady tone, saying: "The virus is actually not supposed to be harmful; it's more comparable to a nutrient rich form of gas! These creatures could evolve because they were able to absorb the virus into their bodies. The reason humans turn into a zombies was precisely because their bodies could not handle the forced growth resulting from the concentrated nutrition in the virus."

"It's like how an ant can never swallow an elephant whole; it just didn't have the capacity. Forcibly doing so will only tear it to pieces!"

With that, Ye Zhu had a clearer understanding of things, possessing a better picture of their current situation.

Afterwards, Ye Zhu picked up the fireman's axe and dragged the mutant dog's corpse into the kitchen. First, she took the corpse apart, separating its internal organs and parts that were inedible. Next, she boiled some water before skinning and dissecting the corpse.

In the living room, Ye Chen sat on the sofa pondering the things to come.

After a few hours, Ye Zhu managed to separate the lion-sized corpse into many portions. She separately boiled each portion before cutting them into smaller pieces to be fried alongside some seasoning.

As for the mutant dog's skin and fur, Ye Zhu washed it thoroughly getting rid of its b.l.o.o.d.y odour. It would be left for making clothes like her brother suggested.

During dinner time, two large portions of meat were placed upon the table. With the appropriate seasoning, the meat wafted with an appetizing aroma. Practicing her culinary skills over many days has made Ye Zhu proficient in cooking; she has now long surpa.s.sed her days of cutting potato silk into potato slices.

Ye Chen nodded his head in satisfaction, saying: "We should prioritize on consuming this mutant dog meat. Keeping it for too long will cause its nutrients to deteriorate. We can skip with the rice and have meat in its stead."

Hearing this caused Ye Zhu to chuckle.

After finishing his portion, Ye Chen could feel his strength increase by a few dozen pounds. Overall, around half a man's worth of strength. If the entire portion consisted of mutagenic flesh, he would have gained the strength of two men!

Even so, Ye Chen was not disappointed. After all, this entire corpse was quite sizable, enough to cover their meals for four to five days to come. With three meals a day in mind, each meal would boost their strength by half a man's worth. Adding up any mutagenic flesh they would find during their daily hunts, the average gain in strength would amount to two or even three men's worth!

"You should retire to the bedroom, I'll be here looking after this guy." Ye Chen told his sister after their meal.

Ye Zhu hesitated for a moment before nodding her head.

During the night, Ye Chen slept in a state that allowed partial consciousness. Doing so allowed him to recover his strength while remaining on guard in case Bai Long turned into a zombie and suddenly attacked.

However, it was calm throughout the night….

The next day, when Ye Chen woke up, he gave Bai Long a quick glance. It seems as though his skin has regained a healthy pigmentation and the area around his eyes were no longer dark. Only after being sure that there were no irregularities did Ye Chen relax his guard.

"Ugh, so dizzy…." Bai Long eventually began to stir. Feeling sore all over, he unconsciously sat up with a hand rubbing his drowsy head. At this point, a cheerful voice sounded saying: "You're awake!"

Hearing the voice, Bai Long raised his head. What he saw was Ye Zhu standing before him wearing her usual battle attire. Not far away, at the dinner table was a man with black hair unconcernedly eating breakfast. 

With a jolt, Bai Long instantly regained his senses. Looking at his hands, he found that his fingernails were normal. He even retained his consciousness; clearly it was because he avoided turning into a zombie! His right shoulder was throbbing with pain. Upon inspection, it was already bandaged in white cloth.

"How come, I'm not a zombie?" Bai Long inquired in disbelief.

Giggling in laughter, Ye Zhu pointed at her brother at the table, saying: "It was my brother who tended to your wound; he helped cure you of your infection."

Bai Long was shocked; he immediately glanced towards the man sitting at the table. Suddenly, he recalled hearing that man's voice right before he lost consciousness. The sudden realization caused an indescribable sense of grat.i.tude to rise within him. He immediately stood up and walked towards Ye Chen with a smile saying: "I thank you for everything you did for me last night. If it weren't for you, I'd be dead."

Ye Chen indifferently replied: "It's nothing, hurry up and have breakfast. Afterwards, we're going to hunt more zombies."

When Bai Long heard him mention breakfast, he was going to reply with some pleasantries along the lines of "Thank you kindly, although I do feel reluctant on imposing further". However, when he heard mention of zombies, he immediately jumped in shock. Disbelieving his ears, he inquired: "You're saying that the both of you are going zombie hunting, right?"

Ye Chen spoke in a matter-of-fact tone saying: "It's not just us; you're coming along as well!"

Bai Long instantly felt dizziness engulf his consciousness, even the skies outside seem to darken, he could no longer tell day from night. Eventually, he cautiously explained, saying: "I'm an injured person, what could I possibly be of use for? I'll only be a burden for you out there…."

Ye Chen's eyes revealed a hint of understanding, saying: "That's true, you're indeed useless. Alright, get out. You can also forget about breakfast."

Bai Long: "…."

"Still haven't left?"

"That is…. What was I going to say? Right, I suffer from short-term memory loss. What were you saying again?"

"Lil' sis, remind me where I placed my knife?"

"Urk…. That is, I think I suddenly remembered, I think it's better for me to join you on your zombie hunt!"

Translator's Notes:

A cure to zombification made of garlic and vinegar may sound hilarious, but garlic is supposed to be a natural form of antibiotic and vinegar being antiseptic. Feels more like an immunity boost than a cure though.

Transient global amnesia more accurately describes Bai Long "condition", but I used short-term memory loss because it gets the notion across better in my opinion. I figured he didn't have to be technically correct since he's obviously full of it.