Global Evolution: I Became A Zombie!

With his hands clasped, the lieutenant waited for Lo Da to deliver the good news.

He had confidence in their victory, considering they were up against one of the weakest races in the galaxy. Yet, his eyes hovered over the button to send the SOS signal.

Should I…?

The loud sound of knocking snapped him out of his thoughts. The lieutenant shot up from his chair, staring at the sealed doors.

"Identify yourself!"

"How about I shove my fist up your ass? Will that be enough identification?" Lo Da yelled from the other side. "Open it. I have a surprise for the higher-ups."

The lieutenant hesitated for a second before hitting the switch. As the doors slid open, Lo Da walked inside, dragging someone behind him.

It was a masked zombie wearing several restraints as the crew walked inside. The zombie looked battered. The crew must have done a number on it to take out their frustration.

"Sir, who is this?"

"He doesn't speak," Lo Da replied, yanking the restraint. "But I think he's the one behind the assault. Mjik and Iola have confirmed he's the one who fooled them before."

"Be as it may, I don't think he's of any use to us," the lieutenant argued. "Our job is to observe, not to establish contact with their kind."

He continued, "We should send him back and, as per the protocol, report him to the cleaning party. They can decide what to do with him."

"Lieutenant!" Lo Da yelled. "Are you questioning my decision? Or are you too blind to notice how valuable the specimen is?"

The lieutenant didn't say a word. Was the zombie valuable? In a way, it was.

After all, he couldn't even remember the last time an observer ship was attacked and breached by a lower species. That feat alone made the zombie special.

Moreover, there was something else.

If they could map the zombie's brain, then they could figure out who had been helping him. No matter how special the zombie was, he didn't think the undead could have planned the attack alone.

"Do you want to interrogate him?" the lieutenant asked.

"Of course!" Lo Da laughed, settling into his seat. "If I can prove that someone betrayed the Collective, then forget about being punished for dropping technology on the planet, perhaps I'd be rewarded for my efforts!"

The little bit of admiration the lieutenant had for Lo Da evaporated as quickly. As usual, the guy didn't capture the zombie for the collective but for his own benefit.

That's the commander I know. Self-interest above everything.

The lieutenant had one more question.

"Very well… but why bring it here? To the command center of all places? You could have imprisoned him in the cells."

Lo Da angrily opened his mouth to rebuke the junior for asking so many questions. Instead, someone else rose to the occasion.

"You ask too many questions," Blaze said, standing up.

The aliens holding the restraints let go.

"What—?"

The lieutenant stared at the crew, shocked to see what was happening. He immediately rushed to the control panel to send the SOS signal, but something tripped him.

He looked back and saw fleshy tendrils coming out of the zombie's body. They wrapped around his ankles, dragging him back to the center.

Meanwhile, Lo Da got up and deleted the message, along with all the unnecessary protocols, before returning to his seat.

With the tendrils clasping his mouth shut, the lieutenant could only watch in horror. Blaze dangled the alien before him until their eyes met.

Just like that, the entire crew was under his control, their minds plagued to obey one of their playthings.

"It's done," Blaze said, kicking Lo Da off the seat.

The former commander scurried away, turning into a footrest for the zombie.

[That's a relief. We can establish an untraceable direct link between that ship and mine. Stay on this wave.]

Blaze snapped his fingers, and the lieutenant went to work.

"Radio waves? Wouldn't they take days, perhaps even longer, to send and receive?" Blaze asked.

[We're not the same species as you. We have what you humans theorize to be FTL communication. How do you think we've been communicating till now?]

"Faster than light? How is this even possible?"

[Quantum entanglement.]

Blaze remembered bits and pieces about it. Essentially, it meant that if two particles became linked, or entangled, any energy or charge imparted on one particle instantly affects the other, without any delay, no matter the distance.

From humanity's point of view, it was impossible. Two particles simply couldn't carry that much energy, let alone tangible information. But that's what separated them from a higher civilization.

The laws of physics that bound one didn't matter to the other.

"Right… grade-2 civilization."

Despite knowing the difference, Blaze often had trouble realizing that the ones he was going against weren't limited by the same knowledge and technology as he was.

Just thinking about such stuff made him tone down his high and mighty stature.

In front of the Collective, he was like an ant. One whose existence didn't matter to them. Much like how he had been viewing humans for a while.

I don't like this feeling.

However, instead of feeling depressed, the thought fueled his hunger.

Hunger to consume more of the collective, their knowledge, their strength, everything.

Suddenly, a feminine gibberish voice erupted inside the command center. The screen flashed, and a strangely beautiful figure appeared before. She had the appearance of an elf. Pointed ears, golden hair, and sharp facial features.

However, the woman had a third eye placed vertically between the normal ones. When she waved her hand, he noticed she only had three fingers and a thumb. Not to mention, the Ember skin looked like she was drenched in lava.

The woman was looking at him, saying something that Blaze couldn't understand the head or the tail of.

He looked around, and the lieutenant handed him a device to wear around his neck. He did so and immediately recognized the woman's familiar tone.

"Can you understand me now?" she asked.

Her voice felt even sweeter now that he could understand her.

[Sentient Rot has been triggered.]

[Subject's emotions have been neutralized.]

"I can… but what happened?" he asked, wondering why the sentient rot was triggered.

"My apologies," the woman replied. "It seemed my true form had some unforeseen effect on your body. Which is strange… Let's leave it at that for now. I'm heading to your planet, and I wish to meet you soon to discuss the next steps."

"Right… I didn't get your name, though."

"It's Anur," she said with a smile, revealing her shark-like teeth. "We'll meet soon, J#117… I mean, Blaze. Farewell."