Apocalypse Villainess? Nah, I'm Nice

Chapter 354: Chapter 246: Activation

Although she had asked Sean Raines to take Ben to Levi Young, Paige Summers, frankly, didn’t have high hopes that he could be cured quickly. After all, Levi Young had examined Ben before and was completely baffled by how different he looked from other Zombies.

Because of this, she was stunned to see that although Ben was still in a coma, his complexion had improved significantly. His face even had just a faint greenish tint.

Sean Raines rubbed his chin. "If he keeps his eyes closed, he doesn’t look much different from a normal person at first glance."

But then he saw the boy’s hands and wanted to take it all back. ’No human has hands that look like claws, with fingertips so tough and sharp. They’re clearly lethal weapons, capable of killing with a single strike. Even with a normal complexion, this is just too bizarre!’

Facing the look of admiration in Paige Summers’s eyes that followed her initial surprise, Levi Young felt a little sheepish.

"I actually didn’t do much," he said. "He’s just been gradually getting better on his own."

Paige Summers smiled, her expression a mixture of pride and relief—like watching a talented younger brother modestly downplay his achievements.

Her reaction left Levi Young exasperated, so he just shared his findings. "It’s actually quite strange. I didn’t find anything unusual during the last examination, but this time, I discovered he’s vastly different from a typical Zombie. His body isn’t in a completely dead state like other Zombies. In fact, you could say that this coma is his body’s way of ’coming alive,’ bit by bit!"

Paige Summers’s eyes widened in surprise.

Sean Raines blurted out, "Holy shit! For real?!" ’I’ve only ever heard of people turning into Zombies, not the other way around!’

Levi Young ignored his outburst, his expression becoming confident and professional. "His current condition is extremely rare. You can’t say he’s fully human, but he isn’t a pure Zombie either. A Zombie’s body is a corpse; its tissues show no signs of activity. But his do. It’s incredibly slow—a normal human couldn’t survive in this state—but the activity is definitely there. And according to my examination, he isn’t in any actual danger. In other words, his slumber is a form of self-preservation for his evolution. To address this, I’ve formulated a medicine that stimulates his cellular activity. I started him on the smallest possible dose, gradually increasing it as his body was able to absorb it. He’s stabilized now, and gets one injection every three days. This should help him evolve more effectively."

’Evolution... So that’s what this is!’

Paige Summers let out a long sigh of relief.

She placed a hand on her forehead and let out a soft laugh. "Yes, it must be evolution. How could I have been so clueless!"

’That time, the first time I met him, he evolved after inhaling Rainbow Water and fell into a coma then, too. I should have considered this possibility sooner. But when I tried using Rainbow Water on him again, it didn’t work, so I dismissed the idea. So stupid... Still, I’m glad nothing went horribly wrong.’

Seeing her reaction, Sean Raines felt a headache coming on. "Hey, that’s not the point, okay? Aren’t you getting it? He’s now a non-Zombie... no, a non-human... that’s not right either! Anyway, isn’t this whole situation just bizarre?!"

Paige Summers looked up. "But it’s a good thing! He’s clearly evolving toward becoming human! Who knows? Maybe one more time and he’ll be completely human again!"

Levi Young cleared his throat. Adhering to the facts, he said regretfully, "Um, I’m afraid that’s highly unlikely. I still haven’t figured out how he was infected or why he’s in this state, but given the extent of the viral damage to his body... becoming fully human again... frankly, the best-case scenario might just be maintaining his current condition."

Paige Summers stared, her mouth slightly agape. It was a long moment before she came back to her senses.

Her gaze shifted to Ben on the bed, her turbulent emotions gradually settling. "It’s alright. This is good enough for now. At least he’s moving in the right direction. No one can predict the future, and a small chance doesn’t mean no chance at all. We never would have imagined things turning out this way, right?"

Levi Young nodded cautiously in agreement.

"Right. I won’t give up. I’m determined to find a way to defeat this virus!"

Paige Summers fell silent for a moment, then suddenly remembered something.

"Have you heard about Nora Lowell?"

Levi Young looked confused. "Didn’t she go missing? I thought she was dead!"

Looking a little awkward, Sean Raines quickly filled him in on what had happened with Norgate and Nora Lowell.

Levi Young had actually asked him about Norgate before, but Sean had dodged the question and even misled him a little. After all, the news that Nora Lowell had become a Zombie was being kept under tight wraps. Not a whisper had gotten out—only a small handful of higher-ups knew, and Sean didn’t want to risk a leak by telling the wrong person.

Paige Summers instantly understood the situation, but she didn’t mind.

She was focused on another question.

"There’s something very strange about Nora Lowell turning into a Zombie." She told Levi Young what she had discovered in the cave, finishing with, "...Actually, I can’t stop thinking that Nora Lowell’s transformation might be connected to those masked people. For example, what if they found a specific Zombie to deliberately infect her? Or what if they injected her with the virus directly? Her condition is somewhat similar to Ben’s, only she’s much closer to being human."

Levi Young grew more and more excited as he listened. By the end, his eyes were shining, and he slammed one fist into his other palm.

"Yes! That’s it! Your line of thinking is absolutely right! Let me think, let me think..."

He began to pace back and forth uncontrollably, muttering to himself.

Paige Summers and Sean Raines exchanged a look and fell silent, afraid of making even the slightest sound that might disturb him.

A few minutes later, Levi Young stopped abruptly. "This won’t do! I have to get back to the lab right now!"

With that, he rushed out like a gust of wind, not even saying goodbye. It was as if he’d already forgotten they were there.

The corner of Sean Raines’s mouth twitched. ’Being friends with a science geek is a real pain,’ he thought. ’You have to be prepared for the awkwardness of being forgotten at a moment’s notice!’

Paige Summers, on the other hand, was quite pleased.

’Levi Young’s reaction meant he was onto something. Maybe he could figure out why Ben had ended up like this.’

’If he could find the source, perhaps he could unravel this whole mystery.’

Sean Raines chatted with her for a while longer. When she mentioned she wasn’t leaving and would be staying there to look after Ben, he finally couldn’t resist asking about Marcus Monroe.

’He found it strange. Considering the way that guy had practically abducted her before, how could he possibly have let her come back alone? And she hadn’t gone to his place since her return. Had they broken up?’

Paige Summers could guess what he was thinking and lowered her voice. "You’re such a gossip! We... haven’t gotten to that point. I think..."

Sean Raines frowned. ’He’d never seen her look so helpless before, and it felt completely wrong.’

He tsked. "You’re supposed to be the tough one. What’s with all this sappy, heartbroken drama? The thing between men and women is simple: if it works, you’re together; if it doesn’t, you split. Why get so twisted up about it? Don’t you have more important things to do?"

Hearing his words, Paige Summers felt a unique kind of despair.

’He was the very definition of a frenemy, wasn’t he?’

’No matter how conflicted or heartbroken she felt, his meddling just made her feel like she was being incredibly melodramatic.’