Chapter 40 Coexistence of Antigen and Antibody for Zombie Virus?

**Chapter 40: Coexistence of Zombie Virus Antigens and Antibodies?**

When Ji An was a ghost, he had seen countless times how Tang Tang used Superpowered Crystal Cores to feed the Space Necklace and Magic Spring. The Space Necklace and Magic Spring didn’t absorb Zombie Cores, but for some unknown reason, they loved absorbing Superpowered Crystal Cores.

Earlier, when Gu Jinsheng handed him a Zombie Core, Ji An hadn’t given it much thought and reached out directly to take it—immediately triggering an abnormal reaction in his spatial storage device.

The more Ji An thought about it, the less he could sit still. He got up and went straight to the laboratory.

After finishing his work on the nutrient solution, Ji An had stopped paying attention to this area. Now, Wu Youyang and his students were in charge of developing spatial storage devices.

When Ji An arrived, Wu Youyang and his team were bustling with activity.

“Boss, what brings you here?” Wu Youyang asked. “Aren’t you feeling unwell? What did the hospital say? Take a few more days off. I’ve got things under control here.”

Ji An replied, “I’m not sure about the core we bought at the auction, so I came to check it. It won’t take long. Don’t overwork yourselves either—especially you. You’ve been working hard with me on the nutrient solution. Rest more. Don’t wear yourself out.”

Wu Youyang grinned broadly. “Thanks for your concern, Boss. I’m fine. I used to be too idle before, and after being pampered for years, I just want to stay busy now. The busier I am, the more energized I feel.”

“Boss, you wouldn’t believe how envious my former colleagues are of me. They’re seething with envy seeing me swamped with work.” Thinking about their jealous expressions gave Wu Youyang a smug sense of satisfaction.

“Oh right, Boss. I have a bunch of pretty capable researchers who want to switch over. Want to take a look?”

Wu Youyang pulled out a thick stack of resumes—this was already after careful screening. As Ji An’s trusted aide, he needed to eliminate anyone with poor character or inadequate skills. Bringing in someone unqualified might upset Boss Ji, and then his position as the favored assistant would be at risk. All his efforts to secure this advantageous position would go to waste—like missing a golden opportunity.

“Screen them first, then leave them there. I’ll take a look when I have time,” Ji An instructed, then entered the lab.

About an hour later, Ji An emerged again, his expression stormy.

Wu Youyang asked, “Is there a problem with the core?”

“Yes,” Ji An said coldly. “This isn’t a Zombie Core—it’s a Superpowered Crystal Core!”

“A Superpowered Crystal Core?” Wu Youyang was stunned. “Thank goodness you were cautious, Boss. If you’d absorbed it directly, you’d have been finished!”

“I need to go to headquarters. I’ll leave everything in your hands.”

“Got it, Boss. Don’t worry—I’ll make sure nothing goes wrong while you’re away.”

Ji An now had a car of his own, a gift from Gu Jinsheng. He’d picked up their habit and stored the car in his own spatial storage device—not the Space Necklace, but one he had crafted himself.

He had acquired a purple sandalwood bracelet, supposedly made from wood over a thousand years old. Ji An wasn’t sure if that was true, but there was no denying that the bracelet was imbued with spiritual energy, making it ideal for crafting a spatial storage device. And the space wasn’t small—each bead could hold 400 to 500 cubic meters, and there were nine beads in total.

With the Space Necklace already in his possession, Ji An had plenty of storage space. Adding one more for a car didn’t make much difference.

When he drove to headquarters, things were still hectic—the representatives from other bases hadn’t left yet. After showing his credentials, Ji An was allowed in without issue.

“Ji An, what brings you here?” Wan Xueying, who was about to leave for an errand, spotted him and approached.

“I’m here to see Gu Jinsheng,” Ji An said. “It’s about the cores.”

“Is there a problem with the cores?” she asked.

“Yeah.”

Without elaborating, Wan Xueying led Ji An to another meeting room where Gu Jinsheng usually received guests.

“The commander will probably be a while. The American delegation didn’t get the first-purchase rights for the nutrient solution at the auction, and they’re pestering him about it now,” Wan Xueying explained.

Ji An nodded. “First, notify everyone in the base who bought cores at the auction not to use them yet. Have them bring the cores to me or Han Yaokun for inspection before absorption.”

"Okay, I'll have someone notify them," Wan Xueying replied. Although she had the list of bases that participated in the core auction, she didn't notify them individually but instead sent a mass notification to everyone.

This was to prevent certain bases from discovering issues with their cores and keeping quiet, only to resell them later. She also aired the alert on public television channels to ensure all bases in China could stay vigilant and alert.

It took another hour before Gu Jinsheng emerged. He said, "The Americans wanted to buy nutrient supplements, and I agreed—but not through cooperation with any single base. Instead, we'll supply the entire U.S."

The total supply for America would definitely be limited—nowhere near enough for every American to have access.

The purpose of this move was twofold: first, to stall America for a while, preventing them from becoming so desperate from hunger that they might lash out and start a war.

Second, the Beijing Base would send representatives there. With the nutrient supplements in limited supply and every major base vying for them, unity would crumble. The newly formed alliance would collapse, and America would descend into civil unrest again. While they were busy with infighting, they wouldn’t have the capacity to interfere abroad, ensuring global peace.

Of course, the price of the nutrient supplements would be a far cry from the domestic rate—it would be at least twenty times higher.

Even so, America would be desperate to get them. They had no choice—their soil was too depleted to grow crops, and without the supplements, they’d starve.

In reality, the price of one credit per basic nutrient pack was exclusive to the Beijing Base. Even bases that secured buying privileges wouldn’t get them much cheaper—standard supplements would still cost at least five credits each.

If production increased in the future and other bases without purchasing rights wanted to buy, the price could rise to ten credits per pack.

After explaining this, Gu Jinsheng changed the subject back. "So, that mental-type core isn’t from a zombie but from a superpowered individual?"

"Yes," Ji An confirmed. "Did you give the core that the American base used to trade for their hostages to Han Yaokun? Notify him—hopefully, he hasn’t used it yet or checked it beforehand."

"I’ll inform him, but he probably hasn’t had time to inspect it. If there were an issue, he would’ve notified me," Gu Jinsheng said, then called Han Yaokun, who responded that he was on his way.

About thirty minutes later, Han Yaokun, Zhao Zhen, Na Boyu, Zhou Fanxiu, and Bai Na arrived.

"Xiao An, were you the one who bought that mental-type zombie core?" At the time, the core had been handled under the table, so they didn’t know who had acquired it. They hadn’t considered Ji An, mainly because he was only a Level 3 super—high-tier cores were useless to him.

But ultimately, if someone had the money, who wouldn’t want something valuable?

"Yes," Ji An replied briefly, omitting the fact that Gu Jinsheng had secured it for him.

The group took seats in the meeting room, and Ji An handed the core inspection data to Zhou Fanxiu.

"This is the report on the mental-type core that America released. Take a look."

Everyone present was a senior researcher, used to crunching lab data every day, so no further explanation was needed—they all understood immediately.

The most obvious distinction between a Zombie Core and a Superpowered Crystal Core was the presence of zombie virus antigens and antibodies.

Zombie Cores contained zombie virus antigens, while Superpowered Crystal Cores had no antigens—only antibodies.

In simpler terms, the zombie virus acted as an antigen. Once it invaded the human body, it would attack target cells, which would then trigger a series of reactions to release antibodies. These antibodies would bind specifically to the antigens.

Picture it like a war. If the body won and completely eradicated the antigen "enemy," the person would be fine—evolving and awakening superpowers.

If it lost, the zombie virus antigen would infiltrate human cells, gradually turning the person into a zombie.

In other words, superpowered individuals were those who had defeated the zombie virus antigen. Their bodies might simultaneously contain both antigens and antibodies during the fight, but these would only exist within the body—never reaching the brain.

Once the antigens reached the brain and invaded the core, the superpowered individual was a goner—written off as a zombie outright.

A Zombie Core could never contain zombie virus antibodies—the two absolutely could not coexist!

Ji An just tested for the presence of zombie virus antibodies in the core—and his results confirmed it did.

Na Boyu scanned the results and asked, "How come this core still has zombie virus antigens?"

Normally, a crystal core should either test positive for antigens or antibodies, not both simultaneously.

Ji An said, "Indeed, this is abnormal. Previously, all the crystal cores auctioned were checked by our lab. But precisely because of this characteristic, I suspect that during our initial inspection, we only tested for antigens and not antibodies. Once we found the zombie virus antigen, we classified it as a Zombie Crystal Core."

That was indeed the case. Such a situation had never occurred before, so during inspections, they only checked for the zombie virus antigen or antibody—this was standard practice across all bases.

Country M likely exploited this loophole deliberately to create confusion.

"This time, Country M must have come prepared, probably using some special method to make both the antigen and antibody coexist. They were betting on the fact that this scenario had never happened before, so we wouldn’t check for both simultaneously." If it weren’t for the Space Necklace heating up, Ji An might not have checked for both either.

He continued, "Antibodies would never appear in a Zombie Crystal Core. And even if you artificially added antibodies to one, what purpose would it serve? But a Superpowered Crystal Core is different—disguising it as a Zombie Crystal Core could drive a superpowered individual insane."

Superpowered individuals can evolve their abilities by absorbing Zombie Crystal Cores. Similarly, absorbing Superpowered Crystal Cores can also enhance their powers, even faster than using Zombie Crystal Cores.

However, there’s a downside to evolving through Superpowered Crystal Cores: those who do so become increasingly irritable, prone to anger, and lose control of their emotions, developing cravings for war, bloodshed, and violence.

Eventually, they go insane.

This is especially harmful to psychic superpowered individuals. As mental superpowered beings, their brains are like the world’s most powerful supercomputers.

Not a single error can be tolerated. The slightest mental irregularity is akin to inserting faulty code, causing all calculations to go awry—effectively ruining them.

The process of obtaining a Superpowered Crystal Core is also particularly cruel. These cores disappear upon brain death—once the person dies, the core is gone. To obtain one, the superpowered individual must be alive while their brain is surgically opened and the core extracted. Only then can a Superpowered Crystal Core be acquired.

This is an extremely inhumane and brutal practice, universally opposed by all superpowered individuals.

Zombie Crystal Cores don’t work this way. Whether the zombie is alive or dead, the core remains—it either exists or it doesn’t.

Ji An couldn’t help but marvel at nature’s wisdom. Despite the zombie virus, it still left humanity a glimmer of hope. To prevent humans from exterminating each other, nature even designed this specific safeguard.

"Darling, what news did you receive?" Owen asked. With his flamboyant appearance, tall stature, and fashionable, sensual attire, he stood out in a world where everyone feared infection and bundled up head-to-toe. He wore a sleeveless low-cut top, his every movement exuding charm.

Du Ruanlan didn’t answer but instead cast a measured glance at Owen and Jiang Fuzhong’s phones—right as both phones pinged with incoming messages.

After reading them, their expressions grew increasingly grave.

Jiang Fuzhong cursed, "Damn Country M! Can’t they go a single day without stirring up trouble?"

Owen raised one perfectly arched eyebrow. "Though I’m half from Country M—technically—I have to admit you’re right."

Jiang Fuzhong flushed awkwardly. "Sorry, I didn’t mean you."

Despite being older than Owen, Jiang Fuzhong was treated like a younger brother as Owen traced a red-polished fingernail along his dark cheek, turning his face a deep shade of purple. "No need. I wholeheartedly agree. Country M can’t survive without causing trouble—isn’t that common knowledge?"

"Superpowered Crystal Cores?" Du Ruanlan said quietly. "These cores wouldn’t have entered the auction without inspection, yet now they’re said to be problematic. Country M must have developed a new method to disguise Superpowered Crystal Cores as Zombie Crystal Cores—or make the two incompatible virus antigens and antibodies coexist."

Jiang Fuzhong fumed, his anger possibly compounded by the teasing. "Country M has always loved these underhanded schemes!"

Du Ruanlan’s gaze darkened. "The question is, were these cores detected by someone sharp, or did a superpowered individual absorb them too eagerly and show symptoms?"

Owen tapped his fair finger against his lips. "An excellent question."

Du Ruanlan examined the cores acquired from the auction; her expression wasn’t angry but intrigued.

Jiang Fuzhong eyed the two cores with a sour look. "Let’s hope the two cores our boss bought aren’t tainted."

Owen giggled. "Little brother, why the sour look? It’s not your money. Our boss has plenty of resources—this is just small change to him."

Jiang Fuzhong averted his gaze, unable to meet Owen’s flamboyant appearance. "As the host city, Jing City Base bought the most cores, especially Country M’s psychic cores. They must be hemorrhaging resources—what a financial hit!"

"Jingshi Base made a fortune from this auction, they won't miss these scraps."

Du Ruanlan let out a short laugh. "Not necessarily. As long as M Nation still wants nutrient formulas, it’s unclear who’ll end up regretting it more."

Cong Xun from the Northern Base immediately cursed, "Damn M Nation, they’re so disgusting. Thankfully, Jingshi Base caught it early—less than two hours after the auction. Any later, and some superpowered individuals might’ve already absorbed them."

"Jingshi Base is offering free inspections. Should we get ours checked?"

"Yes! Jingshi Base raked in profits this time, holding both spatial storage devices and nutrient formulas—two major revenue streams. They wouldn’t skimp on something like this. Besides, the issue with these crystal nuclei can’t be simple. Otherwise, Jingshi Base wouldn’t have just discovered it now. If we take them back, we don’t know their inspection methods—what if we misdiagnose?"

Han Zhiwei from the Southern Base's expression darkened. "Let’s head to Jingshi Base’s temporary inspection lab right now."

On the day Tang Tang was sent back to the Third Base by Zhou Qin, he evicted everyone from the base and confiscated all the food they had purchased inside. Of course, Zhou Qin was still honorable enough to compensate them with corresponding crystal nuclei.

At that moment, the group was loitering near Jingshi Base’s city gates, not yet far away, when they received the mass message from Jingshi Base. Ding Yong flew into a rage, cursing M Nation. Tang Tang quickly grasped the situation and said with schadenfreude, "Those who do evil will be repaid with evil. Jingshi Base pushed people too far—even the heavens couldn’t stand it. Serves them right! They bought so many psychic superpowered crystal nuclei. Who knows which unlucky fool used one and ruined their brainpower?"

Thinking of that person, and how everyone always defended him, jealousy twisted Tang Tang’s face. "Ji An—it must be him! He must’ve absorbed that psychic superpowered crystal nucleus and fried his psychic abilities. That’s why Jingshi Base discovered the problem!"

Shen Mo rolled his eyes. As far as he knew, the auction only sold high-level psychic crystal nuclei. Ji An was a low-level psychic superpowered individual—there was no way he could absorb something so far beyond his level.

"Ding Yong, your woman’s got a real problem here," Shen Mo tapped his forehead, then opened the car door and climbed into the driver’s seat. Leaning out the window, he added, "Leave her behind. Idiocy is contagious!"

Ding Yong was reluctant to part with Tang Tang’s looks, but his own future mattered more than women.

"Fine." He agreed, climbing into the backseat and shutting the door without letting Tang Tang in.

Tang Tang stood stunned, then lunged forward, pounding on the car window. "Brother Ding! Open the door! Don’t leave me here! You know I can’t survive alone!"

Shen Mo floored the gas, the car lurching away and spewing exhaust in Tang Tang’s face.

She coughed violently, and when she looked up again, the car was already disappearing into the distance.

Tang Tang’s tears flowed as she screamed hysterically, but her cries echoed in the empty surroundings.

After an unknown stretch of time, an unexpected rustling sound behind her made her jump. She clamped her mouth shut, scrambling to find a hiding spot.

Trembling, she hid behind an abandoned dumpster, peeking through a gap to see a sluggish zombie staggering into view...

The superpowered individuals from H Nation also received the notification, and they were anything but pleased. One of them snapped, "A free inspection is all we get? As the host, doesn’t Jingshi Base bear any responsibility?"

"They should’ve checked all auction items beforehand. Letting faulty crystal nuclei enter the market is their mistake—they should compensate us." The speaker’s eyes gleamed with greed at the thought of Jingshi Base’s substantial profits.

"Right. They should give each of us a year's supply of rations as compensation." Another chimed in, eyes equally covetous.

"Let’s go demand an explanation."

The temporary inspection lab had been overwhelmed from the start, working nonstop until the next day before finally slowing down.

Mostly because Jingshi Base’s inspections were free, and regardless of the results, they wouldn’t confiscate the crystals—returning them to their owners.

Many took the attitude of "might as well, it’s free and costs nothing."

"Sorry, sir. Unfortunately, your psychic crystal nucleus has tested positive as a Superpowered Crystal Nucleus," the staff member said apologetically.

The superpowered individuals’ faces fell as they took back their crystal and the report. Just as they were leaving, a group of furious H Nation operatives stormed in.

One of them lunged to grab the staff member by the collar—but he was too weak. Before his fingers could connect, the staffer flipped him onto the ground.

Then, from the corners, a team of superpowered individuals rushed out, restraining the H Nation group before they could even activate their powers.

The H Nation superpowered individuals felt both humiliated and ashamed, so they recklessly began shouting, "Everyone, come and see! The Capital City Base is pulling a bait-and-switch—this is how they treat us superpowered individuals from other bases!"

People love a good show. Moreover, the temporary testing room was already crowded with superpowered individuals from various bases who had come to test their crystal cores, as well as people from other bases or the Capital City Base itself who hadn’t purchased any cores but were there for the spectacle. In the blink of an eye, a crowd had gathered.

The H Nation superpowered individuals glanced at the pointing and murmuring crowd surrounding them in layers, a scheming grin flickering across their faces.

One of the H Nation superpowered individuals spoke again, "You tell me—who could’ve guessed we’d end up with defective Superpowered Crystal Cores after coming to the auction in good faith? Shouldn't the Capital City Base compensate us?"

The H Nation superpowered individuals could hardly conceal the triumph in their eyes. They turned to the group of superpowered individuals who had just received their test results and were about to leave, saying, "Don’t you want to demand answers from the Capital City Base? That psychic-type crystal core wasn’t cheap. Are you really willing to swallow this loss?"

The ones holding the test results stared at these disheveled figures pinned face-down on the ground like they’d lost a fight with a zombie—as if they’d completely lost their minds, exuding a kind of brainless stupidity.

Still, one staff member kindly pointed to the sign beside him: "As long as the bidders are willing, our base will refund any auctioned Crystal Cores."

The H Nation superpowered individuals had never anticipated this outcome. In their view, those crystal cores represented a king’s ransom in supplies—enough to cripple their entire nation’s resources. How could the Capital City Base willingly spend such a fortune to buy back useless, defective cores?

They completely forgot that the Capital City Base had just made a massive profit. Even buying back all the cores would be a drop in the bucket. Besides, even in the past, the Capital City Base wouldn’t have cared about such trivial resources—it was no backwater like H Nation.

The H Nation superpowered individuals were so mad they nearly choked on the spot.

One of them pointed at the superpowered individual who had received the problematic test result and accused, "They’re lying! You know they won’t actually buy them back, right? Otherwise, why would you angrily take back a defective Superpowered Crystal Core instead of selling it to the Capital City Base?"

The man grinned at the H Nation superpowered individuals, his earlier anger completely gone, and cheerfully replied, "Of course it’s because we don’t want to sell it! A crystal core that can coexist with two viral antibodies and antigens that shouldn’t exist together—this thing’s a research goldmine! Of course, we’ll take it back to our base for study, so we won’t be fooled next time. Even if we hadn’t won this bid, we’d still buy one at a high price for research!"