50: isolation

"How could this happen?"

A super smooth artifact for chasing Taiwanese novels.

Luo Feng felt as if he had been struck by lightning. He had just become a martial artist, and everything was starting to develop in a good direction, yet he was now facing the possibility of being parasitized by an unknown virus and self-destructing.

"Sigh—"

Chen Gu and Zhang Ke also couldn't suppress the heavy sense of powerlessness in their hearts and let out a long sigh.

After becoming martial artists, they never considered dying from illness or viral infection, because the martial artist gene had evolved through genetic primal energy, so they generally wouldn't get sick, and ordinary viruses weren't enough for their immune system to kill.

They just didn't expect that the diseases that were originally feared by ordinary people would find their way back to them.

"This is your first actual combat, and I've led you into a place of trouble. I've harmed you, harmed everyone. Luo Feng, Qiao Yu, you've just come of age, still so young..."

Gao Feng's voice was choked with emotion. Seeing his glass empty, he decided not to drink cup by cup anymore and picked up the whiskey bottle, drinking directly from it.

"Captain, how can you blame yourself? If it weren't for us to adapt, the Fire Hammer Squad wouldn't have gone to County-level City No. 0201. We were the ones who dragged everyone down..."

Luo Feng felt guilty seeing Gao Feng take all the responsibility upon himself and gently comforted him.

"There's no need to worry too much. Maybe none of us are infected with this virus? We still need to be quarantined, which means it's just a guess."

Qiao Yu said cheerfully. How could he not know where this so-called unknown virus came from? The mother body was right in front of them; if anything truly happened, he would be the first to die.

"Qiao Yu is right, everyone be more optimistic. Haven't things reached the final step yet? Anyway, let's have a drink first!"

Chen Gu feigned composure, forcing a smile, and raised his wine glass to everyone.

Everyone raised their glasses and clinked them together, without a trace of passion or excitement, only melancholy and powerlessness.

"I can't believe we have to be buried with those bastards from the Tiger Tooth Squad. It's really not worth it. I'd rather die fighting monsters."

Zhang Ke spat, angrily.

"Alright, alright, everyone remember to bring your families over later. Although the contact time wasn't long, for safety's sake, quarantine is still necessary. This concerns all of humanity, so it's best not to play any tricks and do it gracefully."

Gao Feng reminded them. Martial artists enjoyed privileges, so they had to bear corresponding responsibilities. Unless absolutely necessary, the authorities would also try to maintain decorum and not resort to violent means.

Luo Feng looked at Qiao Yu and sighed. Luo Hua had just regenerated his limb last night, and today he had to face the predicament of being quarantined. It was truly sad to think about.

---

When the members of the Fire Hammer Squad met again at the Dojo of Limits, they had brought their entire families.

Besides the Fire Hammer Squad, Qiao Yu also saw several martial artists from other squads bringing their families to gather here, but everyone's face carried an indelible look of worry.

Uncle Wu led everyone present into the basement of the Limit Clubhouse for quarantine. Although it was quarantine, the treatment was actually quite good.

The basement of the Limit Clubhouse was fully equipped with various facilities: independent rooms, training rooms, entertainment rooms, and even several swimming pools and saunas.

Living supplies were also very abundant. Qiao Yu even saw boxes of rubber balloons on the shelves in each room.

After all, they were martial artists and their families, not criminals, so it was impossible to treat them like imprisoned offenders.

As the specially made glass door of the quarantine area closed, Uncle Wu could only pick up the microphone and shout inside.

"Everyone, just treat this month as a vacation here. You can spend more time with your families, exercise as you should, and don't feel too much psychological pressure. If you have any problems, you can report them to the staff present, and everything that can be satisfied will be satisfied."

With that, Uncle Wu didn't linger. He still needed to coordinate meetings with the higher-ups.

To prevent further spread of the infection, the Wei Brothers and martial artists living in other areas were arranged to be quarantined in local martial arts dojos.

Inside the quarantine area of the Limit Clubhouse, the martial artists and their families could only try to adapt to the current environment; sitting idly was not a solution.

Several hours passed, and everyone gradually accepted life here. Aside from living together, which meant less privacy, there wasn't much difference from their usual daily lives.

Outside the glass door, experimental personnel in white hazmat suits and armed with live ammunition made them realize they were indeed in quarantine.

Qiao Yu, Luo Feng, Luo Hua, and the other members of the Fire Hammer Squad were playing basketball in the indoor basketball court.

Basketball was Luo Hua's favorite sport before his accident. Now there were enough people, so they could play together. Of course, everyone was trying to control their strength to play with Luo Hua.

"Luo Hua, we're all happy to see you back on your feet again."

Gao Feng smiled at Luo Hua, passing the ball to him.

"Haha, thank you, Captain Gao. This is also thanks to Brother Yu. If it weren't for him, I probably wouldn't have been able to stand up again."

Luo Hua adapted quickly to his new lower limbs. Now, singing, dancing, and playing basketball were no problem at all.

Qiao Yu vaguely remembered the system saying that there should be some defects after limb regeneration, but Luo Hua and Zhang Ke seemed no different from ordinary people.

"Brother Zhang, did you feel any effects on your arm after limb regeneration?"

Qiao Yu squeezed next to Zhang Ke and asked.

"Hmm... there are some effects. The muscle memory of my arm seems to have been refreshed. Previously subconscious moves now require my arm to re-adapt, but since it's not the first time I've trained, I can adapt quickly. Other than that, there's nothing else."

Zhang Ke shook his right hand, tried a few punches in the air, and slowly said.

Seeing that Zhang Ke was indeed no different from before, Qiao Yu nodded and asked the system in his mind.

'System, didn't you say before that limb regeneration was just like installing a flesh and blood prosthesis? Now it seems they are no different from their original bodies.'

[Replying to the host, with the host's previous level of system development, limb regeneration was indeed just a flesh and blood prosthesis. As the host's strength increases, the fungi are also continuously evolving, and the system will automatically compensate for previous shortcomings.]

'Goodness, so it's a system that strives for progress.'

[Fungi are a miraculous species. As long as the host is strong enough, they can not only achieve eternal life but even help others with genetic optimization. With only a small price, eternal life can be achieved.]

Qiao Yu was shocked to hear this.

He knew that as his own realm continuously improved, his lifespan would become increasingly long, but that only applied to himself.

However, the Fungi System could even evolve the genes of others. This was the first time the system had mentioned a function beyond his own evolution.

'But... what is this 'small price' referring to?'