I'm being held captive by a monster

Chapter 236: What will happen if Keke is infected first?
"Yu Kexin..."

The cat's brow furrowed slightly.

The cold wind made her long black hair float.

"What was your original plan?"

"Who are you going to ask to rescue Yu Kexin, and when?"

Lin Xing'an asked while hiding in the shadow of the banyan tree.

"The original plan was to wait for Sixteen to release his abilities, and then take advantage of the chaos within the Taogui to rescue him."

"It's most likely a day or two before Yu Kexin's eighteenth birthday."

“It has not yet been determined who will do it.”

The cat said after a moment of silence.

"I'll consider your proposal."

"If Shiliuyue were to go in person..."

The cat exhaled lightly, a serious look on his face.

"Cat, what is the transmission route set for Sixteen's [Epidemic]?"

After a long silence, Lin Xing'an asked.

"To avoid accidentally harming confused people and her own people, Sister Sixteen spent a long time setting the [Epidemic] to 'same species transmission'."

"Humans infect humans, and gluttons infect gluttons, just like the common cold. The germs will spread into the air through droplets and other means."

"Humans infect Tao ghosts, and Tao ghosts infect humans through blood transmission, which requires contact with blood."

"Of course, except for Sister Sixteen herself. As the 'mother' of the [epidemic], she can infect any gluttonous ghost or human."

Lin Xing'an pursed his lips and nodded at the cat's words.

Compared to the initial indiscriminate spread of the Sixteenth Epidemic, setting up a difference in transmission between species is indeed much safer...

And if that's the case...

"Cat, then there's no need for Sixteen to face the Taogui head-on."

"Yu Kexin's owner takes her to the hospital at two fixed times every morning and afternoon."

"With Sixteen's abilities, he could easily take advantage of this opportunity to quietly infect the owner with the disease."

"As long as she's infected, our goal will be achieved. We can then send other people to rescue Yu Kexin."

Lin Xing'an said after thinking for a moment.

"This will greatly reduce the risk of Sixteen being exposed."

"Because blood is needed for transmission between species, Yu Kexin herself and the comrades who rescued her will not be infected as long as they are careful enough."

"This is over. The Tao Ghosts will most likely believe that humans used the [Epidemic] to rescue Xu Kexin and spread the [Epidemic] through Yu Kexin's owner."

"And I'm just the unlucky guy who got infected accidentally in the beginning."

Lin Xing'an took a deep breath and said.

Compared with the first two methods, this plan gave Lin Xing'an a reason to be infected with the epidemic "legitimately" without being suspected.

Although the first type of attack encircled and killed the troops by causing them to self-destruct, Lin Xing'an also had reasons to take the initiative to contract the [epidemic].

But not only will the person who blew himself up be sacrificed, Xu Zhe will also use this person to test Lin Xing'an.

For example, making Lin Xing'an eat people in public, or even more extreme methods.

If that situation really comes to pass...

Lin Xing'an had no choice but to eat humans.

"An An, the Sixteenth Sister's [Epidemic] is set to last for one month."

"When setting it up, she deliberately sacrificed the onset period, increasing the mortality rate and transmission efficiency."

"The original plan of the Sixteen set the entire period of illness to only one week, but the infection rate was 77% and the mortality rate was only about 65%."

"And now, Sister Sixteen has extended the onset period by a month, the infection rate has become 89%, and the mortality rate has increased to 93%."

The cat looked at Lin Xing'an.

"An An, do you understand what this number means?"

"This means that once you get infected, your life will be in danger, especially if you are among the first group to be infected."

She said in a very serious voice.

Lin Xing'an's real body turned over in bed, feeling Xu Ye's steady breathing beside him and looking at the darkness in front of him.

“What are the symptoms at each point in the disease cycle?”

After a long time, Lin Xing'an controlled his gloomy expression and asked again.

"There are... five nodes in total."

The cat lifted her skirt and sat down very gracefully on the stone bench under the tree, crossing her legs.

"On the first day of contracting the virus, my throat felt itchy, I couldn't control my cough, and I wanted to drink water."

"In the first week, around the seventh day, the throat will go from being itchy to being extremely painful, and you'll cough up blood, along with a fever."

"Around the fourteenth day, the severe pain in the throat will subside, and the fever will increase, accompanied by a headache."

"Around the 21st day, the fever and headache will improve, and turn into pain in the spleen, stomach, and heart. The pain will be so severe that you can't eat, and blood will accumulate in your stomach."

"Finally, around the 30th day, all the internal organs will rot away, the heart will stop beating, and a large amount of blood will accumulate in the brain."

The cat squinted his eyes and looked at the squirrel crawling on a pine tree in the distance, and said slowly.

"Of course, the specific manifestations of this process will vary depending on the abilities of the individual gluttons."

"Any glutton below level D, regardless of their abilities, will undoubtedly die within thirty days."

"Class C will live about five days longer, Class B ten days, and Class A... I don't know."

"As for the gluttonous ghost, conventional medical treatment can only delay death by about a week at best.

As the cat spoke, Lin Xing'an was calculating in his mind.

Suppose, he was the first to be infected.

Then with his strength at the upper level of C, plus Zhao Wuji's treatment, he can live for about forty days at most.

In other words, within forty days at most... he must kill Shiliuyue and cut off the source of the epidemic.

This means that even if he infects Xu Zhe, Zhang Guang and others first, these two people will not die in the end because they are stronger than him.

The only ones who will die are the common gluttons that are plentiful on the committee...

"Have you figured it out?"

Seeing Lin Xing'an frowning and closing his eyes, the cat spoke.

"If you're the first one to be infected, that means Sixteen must die before you do. That way... it won't have much of an impact on the Taogui."

"Also, it wouldn't help to demonstrate Sixteen's value, thereby enhancing your merit in killing Sixteen."

"The best-case scenario is that you contract the [Epidemic] about ten days after the first infected person on the Taogui side."

"Then, after the first group of people have died, when the second group of people, that is, the core forces of the Taogui, have just started to die, kill Sixteen."

The cat looked at Lin Xing'an and said.

Lin Xing'an also nodded silently.

That's indeed the truth...

When the second batch of backbone forces just started to die, that was when the top leaders of Taogui and those ordinary colleagues who survived by chance became the most panicked.

At that time, he was also infected with the epidemic and was already at the end of his strength. If he killed Sixteen, it would be like turning the tide and saving the committee from danger, and his credit would be maximized.

At the same time, killing so many gluttons will also realize the value of Sixteen.

Make her sacrifice more meaningful.

"Let's choose between plan one and plan two."

"You are a human. As long as you don't touch the blood of a glutton, you won't be infected among the many infected gluttons."

"When you think it's appropriate, you can take the initiative to infect others and maximize the benefits."

After a moment of silence under the banyan tree, the cat spoke.

"let me see……"

Lin Xing'an let out a light breath.

"What would happen if... Keke was the first to be infected?"

He squinted his eyes and said thoughtfully.

"...Koko?"

"Yes, Koko."

Lin Xing'an pursed his lips and nodded.

"If anything goes wrong with Yu Kexin, Keke and I will definitely go together."

"After Keke was first infected, it happened to be the time when the files were being reorganized. Keke was able to contact more key members of the committee than I was, but he was just not as flexible as me."

"But with this level of transmission, it's not much different."

"And since Keke is the 'mother', I won't be suspected too much and there won't be any danger." The more Lin Xing'an spoke, the more he felt that this plan was feasible.

The cat next to it also brightened up.

After thinking silently for a few minutes, the two nodded almost at the same time.

"I think it's okay."

“It is indeed possible.”

The cat also said.

"Keke's strength is B-level, and he can last at least forty days. For me, it's more feasible."

"because……"

Lin Xing settled down.

"I don't care whether Keke lives or dies."

"She has helped you so much, you don't have any feelings for her, right?"

The cat asked as if jokingly.

Lin Xing'an smiled.

"I am a human, and she is a glutton. Her life or death has no burden or impact on me."

"All her help and affection for me was based on her belief that I was a glutton."

"Once she finds out I'm human, she'll kill me immediately."

He said calmly, as if reminding himself.

After he finished speaking, there was only coldness and conviction left in Lin Xing'an's eyes.

His belief in being human.

Seeing this, the cat nodded and reached out to pat Lin Xing'an's gloomy body.

"Keke can live for more than forty days. She and I have the same abilities."

"If I get infected with the virus, I'll turn into... something like a tree. This will allow me to live a very, very long time."

The cat reminded.

"Is that so... then..."

Lin Xing'an took a deep breath as he thought about it. "Then I can actively get infected again during the third week of Keke's infection."

"By the time the first group of people are completely dead and half of the second group are dead, I still have about two weeks left."

"It would be best if Xu Zhe could die and get rid of him at the same time..."

Lin Xing'an started planning silently in his mind.

"An An, the exact time depends entirely on your own judgment on the spot."

"Now, I'm going to tell you where Sixteen will hide after releasing his abilities."

The cat interrupted Lin Xing'an's thoughts and his voice became a little more serious.

"follow me."

She lifted her skirt and jumped lightly.

It transformed into a flying bird in the air, flapped its wings, and flew into the air.

Lin Xing'an's gloom also followed.

Under the cover of night, the two of them passed through layers of tall buildings and finally stopped on the rooftop of a building that Lin Xing'an kept a very tight distance from.

"That street in the direction of my finger, do you see it?"

The cat raised its wings and pointed to a dark area in the distance where there was no light.

【I see】

Darkness formed words in the air.

It's like a village in the city.

It is two extremes from the bustling city center in the north.

"That's where the population of North City, or rather the Confused Ghosts, is most densely populated. It's also where the Siege and Killing Tribe has the most spies."

"After releasing his abilities, Sixteen will hide in the converted warehouse on the fourth floor of Building 1035 and enter a 'hibernation' state."

"In this state, Sixteen doesn't need to eat or drink. Even his breathing rate will be reduced to a minimum, just to keep him alive and prevent the epidemic from dissipating."

"To prevent humans from being infected and to prevent any traitors, only Sixteen, Zhang Hang, and I know this location."

"There aren't any guards around Sixteen. She's here alone."

The cat pointed toward the building, and the sound faded into the wind.

【Understood】

The gloom changed again.

Lin Xing'an, who was in the bedroom, memorized the building and address through the darkness.

"it is good."

The cat became a cat again, and breathed a sigh of relief, as if it had finally completed its mission.

"Sixteen's physical condition is already extremely poor, and the plan will not be delayed in any way."

"I'll talk to Sixteen tomorrow and have her infect Yu Kexin's owner. After she's infected, she'll come here alone to 'hibernate.'"

"About three days later, someone will rescue Yu Kexin, and then..."

The cat said no more.

Her shiny black hair swayed like waves of wheat in the wind on the rooftop.

【Then, leave everything else to me】

"Well, I leave it to you, An An."

The cat jumped out of the vent.

"My sister and I will focus on tracking the gluttonous ghost giving birth to humans starting tomorrow."

"The horror of this incident is beyond our imagination. We cannot afford to be distracted in the slightest."

"So... starting tomorrow, you will be in a unilateral loss of contact."

The cat looked at the darkness floating in the air and said.

【clear】

"If my sister and I die, your identity... will no longer be known to the human race."

So you must live.

"……well……"

Looking at Lin Xing'an's words, the cat smiled.

Then he sighed softly.

I entered the Taogui archives, which is a separate space from the chicken coop.

[I currently have no way to see the files of the glutton]

Seeing that the atmosphere was a bit heavy, Lin Xing'an changed the subject.

"As expected."

"Oh, by the way, there's an old question that someone asked again these past two days."

"Do you know how Taogui determines whether we humans have awakened? Are there any specific principles?"

The cat shook its head and asked.

This question made Lin Xing'an in the bedroom open his eyes quietly.

Is it such a coincidence...

As soon as Ke Ke told him, someone asked?
But it doesn't seem intentional...

After all, this problem is a problem that has been left over for several rounds...

There are no specific principles.

[Inside the gluttonous ghost, it is just constantly testing humans]

After a long silence, Lin Xing'an spoke in a gloomy tone.

He did not directly tell anyone the "no more than three times" principle that Ke Ke had told him.

【Cat, who asked this question? 】

"Who specifically? I wasn't paying attention. What's wrong?"

[I suspect there is something wrong with this person]

【But it’s just my inference】

[Please let someone keep an eye on you]

(End of this chapter)