Grey-white scales, like an unknown great terror, unsettling the heart.
Sam was just an ordinary person, with many guesses suddenly popping into his mind.
Such as viruses, such as contagious radiation mutations.
But his knowledge in this area was lacking, after briefly pondering, he gave up on continuing to guess, and continued to observe!
His current task was to safely squat for ten hours, and in a little over two hours, see what disaster would occur at the shelter.
On the other hand, none of the five people wore radiation suits, although their clothes were thick, outside was the icy snowy ground, they could hardly bear it, hugging their arms and shivering.
Cold!
Too cold!
The frozen earth, all life extinguished, surroundings were dead silent, not a sign of life to be seen.
Xu's face was ashen, looking at those grey-white scales that couldn't be covered on his body, lying in the snow without speaking.
A little boy, terrified, got up and ran to knock on the door, shouting "Daddy" "Mommy", hoping his parents would open the door and take him back.
Unfortunately, that was impossible.
"Give up, it's futile."
A man wearing glasses gave a bitter smile and said, "An undeserved disaster, truly an undeserved disaster!"
"What does undeserved disaster mean! I don't want to die!"
Another strong man roared, his eyes red.
"What's the use of roaring at me? If you're brave, go fight the people in the shelter, it's them who threw you out."
The man with glasses snorted coldly, and then said with self-mockery: "I fancied myself as a smart person, but at such a critical period, I was blind, we agreed to share weal and woe before the catastrophe, I also contributed a lot to building this shelter."
"But in the end, we're just ordinary people, in those people's eyes, we are just burdens that can be abandoned at any time!"
The third person also spoke up, his expression forlorn.
At that moment, the man with glasses gritted his teeth and said, "The only plan for now is to try to go somewhere else, to survive!"
"Where? It's all ice and snow here, can't see anything, the roads are sealed by heavy snow, can't even make out the buildings!"
"And, I feel like I'm going to freeze to death in a bit!"
It was too cold, all three had somewhat poor complexions.
"I'm thinking of checking out the nearby hospital, maybe we can find some anti-radiation medicine!"
The man with glasses pondered for a moment, then said, "Even if there's only a slim chance, I don't want to give up!"
With that, he looked around and walked determinedly in a direction.
The strong man hesitated, touched his arm, and looked at Xu lying on the ground.
"You're mutated, wearing such thick clothes is useless!"
He walked over, wanting to steal Xu's clothes.
But at a glance, seeing the large grey-white scales on Xu's body, the strong man couldn't help but shudder inside, showing a look of fear.
"Mutation! Damn! You're the mutated monster!"
He quickly backed away, also feeling difficulty breathing.
Now, he was exposed to the radiation too!
"I have to go to the hospital too! Must find anti-radiation medication and clothes!"
The strong man and the third person came to their senses at the same time, exchanged glances,
and ran over to steal the clothes of the little boy.
The little boy cried and struggled, but he was just a child, no match for two adults!
His thick coat and sweater were stolen, leaving the little boy with only his thin clothes, shivering all over, his face pale...
"Run!"
The two men ran away, although the clothes were small, they were also thick, and they did not disdain them.
After the two left, the little boy immediately started trembling!
It was too cold!
He felt like he was about to turn into a block of ice, not daring to hesitate, the little boy showed a glimmer of hope, continued to knock on the door, begging the people in the shelter to let him in.
In mid-air!
A drone aimed in this direction, its focus lens transmitting everything clearly to Sam.
He touched his chin and shook his head slightly.
These five people, the probability of survival was almost zero.
After a while, Xu lay on the ground, gasping for breath, his body covered with grey-white scales, making him look like a fish-man, eerily unusual.
The little boy's throat was frozen, he couldn't speak, trembling at the door, full of fear.
Seeing this scene,
Sam felt a bit sad, couldn't help but feel somewhat fortunate.
These people were supposed to be one of the owners of the shelter, everyone built the shelter together, yet they were abandoned!
Coats, radiation suits, these things were not expensive, yet the shelter didn't provide them to them.
...
10 minutes later, Xu's body was swollen, the little boy's eyes were open, because of not moving for a long time, his breath was very weak!
...
20 minutes later, Xu looked like a fat person, his body swollen, his complexion cyanotic, on the verge of death.
...
30 minutes later, Xu had no breath, but his heart was still beating, the white scales on his skin were continuously "breathing"...
It's really breathing!
Rising and falling, Xu looked dead already, his complexion rigid, His body in the snow like withered wood.
But on his skin, those gray-white scales kept wriggling,
As if his skin was crawling with dense tiny bugs,
Rising and falling, The scales opened and closed like eyes.
"What on earth is this thing?"
Sam's face was solemn,
Although he was just watching through a screen and didn't feel the impact of being there,
Just watching for a while made him feel panicked, a chilling sensation creeping over him!
"I can't watch this anymore, it's disgusting."
Sam grimaced and diverted his gaze,
Looking towards the little boy. Compared to Xu, the little boy didn't have many gray-white scales,
But his clothes were stolen, and being exposed to radiation, he was close to death.
He had difficulty breathing, his face turned a shade of ashen blue,
His body rigid, His breath almost nonexistent.
Suddenly!
A huge black shadow appeared in the snow, running out like a robust calf!
Black, incredibly fast!
It flashed across screen!
"What is that!?"
Sam hurriedly focused the camera, Zooming in, Only then did he see clearly, it was actually a black-skinned rat!
Covered in a black keratin layer, It didn't appear filthy or disgusting, but rather full of spirit!
In the white snow, the black-skinned rat was very conspicuous, every move it made was filled with a sense of muscle, As if hidden within its body was an explosive power.
"No way... a mutant rat?"
Sam took a deep breath, Radiation mutation!
This was the first mutant animal he had seen!
"How is it surviving in this snowy weather?"
"Or did it mutate to resist the cold?"
Sam frowned, According to the theory of evolution, in the face of crisis, organisms evolve in directions that adapt to the crisis environment!
For example, during an ice age, continuing on, organisms would either freeze to death or evolve fur that could protect against the cold or some other organ.
Of course, this process is generally very long.
But in a high-radiation environment, everything is filled with uncertainty!
"Squeak—!"
The black-skinned rat came in front of the little boy, making noises as usual, excitedly hopping around him.
It was very fast, agile, and extremely excited.
It seemed, It thought the little boy could still play with it!
"Squeak—!"
"Squeak!"
"Squeak—!"
...
However, No matter how the black-skinned rat called, the little boy had no response at all.
He was already dead...
Eyebrows, lips, his little face frozen to a purple hue, Hair and body turned white by the snow, Curled up in the snow, his eyes still open, as if still waiting for his parents to open the door and take him away.
For a long time, The black-skinned rat squatted in front of the little boy's body, unwilling to leave.
It made a low sound, Seemingly calling out, Perhaps thinking the little boy had fallen asleep?
Moments later, Snowflakes fell, Covering the black-skinned rat until it became a large white rat.
Yet, it did not fear the cold, but nestled next to the boy's body, motionless.
Sam observed this, his heart softly murmuring.
Suddenly, The shelter's small door opened, A person with a shovel came out, seemingly intending to drag the body away.
"Such bad luck, to die right at the doorstep!"
The person grumbled, wearing a thick radiation suit, ready to scoop up the body with the shovel.
But as he approached, The giant black-skinned rat stood up, its bright red eyes staring him down!
A rat as big as a calf, with fierce black keratin layers and red eyes, As the black-skinned rat stood up, The man froze on the spot, His hand went limp, The shovel clanging to the ground.
The next moment, He screamed and dashed into the shelter!
"Help!!"
...
The black-skinned rat did not pay him any heed, after driving away the human, it continued to squat next to the little boy's body.
Watching this scene, Sam shook his head slightly.
"This rat is probably a goner!"
This world is different from the past, Civil sales of bulletproof vests and firearms are prohibited.
But in such a complex system, it's not surprising for the wealthy to get their hands on guns.
Sure enough, Before long, A security team rushed out, Most of them holding crossbows, a few clutching assault rifles of unknown models!
"Kill it!"
The security team leader, without hesitation, fired!
Pop, pop, pop—!
Sparks exploded in the snow, the rest of the security also took action, shooting at the black-skinned rat!
Shooting arrows!
After a barrage, Something terrifying happened, The bullets and crossbow bolts shot at the black-skinned rat were all blocked by its black keratin layer!
Completely unharmed!