She folded her arms before speaking in a calm voice.

"It looks like my place can accommodate all of you. However, there are certain tests that still need to be conducted, and it would be great if all of you could cooperate."

The moment they heard Ivy’s words, hope instantly appeared in their exhausted eyes.

Even before arriving here, they had suffered discrimination everywhere they went.

People called them half-zombies, monsters, or cursed humans.

Some were beaten, while others were denied shelter entirely.

In order to board the last cargo aircraft that escaped the infected zones, many of them had to beg desperately, use connections, or exchange favors just to survive.

Who would have thought that instead of immediately discarding them, Ivy would actually give them a chance?

For the next several days, they cooperated fully with Ivy’s researchers.

As a result, the researchers eventually discovered something truly shocking.

When the final report was presented to Ivy, she became completely stunned.

Those mutated infected individuals had naturally awakened superpowers.

Not only that, but those abilities could actually grow stronger through cultivation.

According to the interviews conducted afterward, many of the infected individuals stated that they could sense a strange energy existing naturally throughout the Earth.

More importantly, they could absorb and utilize that energy to strengthen themselves.

The moment Ivy learned about this, excitement surged through her entire body.

Her fingers tightened slightly around the report in her hands as countless thoughts raced through her mind.

’If ordinary humans could somehow awaken powers similar to these without mutating into beasts... then humanity might finally have a chance to fight back.’

The possibility alone made her heart pound violently.

Because of that, Ivy immediately ordered the researchers to focus their studies in that direction.

However, not long afterward, Alice privately requested a meeting with Ivy.

After remaining silent for several seconds, she finally spoke.

"There is a side effect that hasn’t been mentioned yet. It still hasn’t been fully confirmed... but I believe you should know about it."

Hearing her serious tone, Ivy slowly narrowed her eyes.

"What is it?" she asked quietly.

Alice took a deep breath before answering, "You may not have noticed it before, but almost all of the mutated beast individuals are male."

Ivy frowned slightly.

Alice continued in a low voice, "As for females... very few survive the transformation process. Most of their bodies simply cannot endure the mutation."

The moment those words entered Ivy’s ears, her expression darkened instantly.

A cold silence filled the room.

This limitation would severely interfere with their plans.

Alice lowered her gaze slightly before continuing,

"Rather than placing all our hopes on mutated beast humans, it might be better to focus on researching methods to preserve superpowers without requiring mutation."

Hearing that, Ivy could only nod slowly.

Soon afterward, countless research projects began operating frantically throughout the base.

At the same time, another group was rapidly approaching Ivy’s territory.

It was none other than the remnants of the previous government led by President Carter.

Accompanied by numerous surviving officials and military personnel, they arrived at Ivy’s base requesting an urgent meeting.

The reason behind their sudden visit was extremely simple.

The antidote.

At present, Ivy’s base was the only known place capable of producing a cure for the zombie virus.

Because of that, countless people had already begun viewing Ivy as humanity’s greatest hope.

Not only did she possess military power and resources, but she also held the most valuable asset left in the world.

Hope itself.

Inside the guarded conference hall, President Carter quietly observed the surroundings with narrowed eyes.

The officials accompanying him exchanged subtle glances filled with greed and calculation.

If the antidote could be distributed throughout the remaining nations, then whoever controlled it would inevitably gain unimaginable influence.

Entire governments would fall under their authority.

Resources, alliances, military cooperation, and political dominance would all naturally follow.

As long as they could secure Ivy’s cooperation...

Then the surviving government would once again become the leading authority of the new world.

Along with him, several subordinates and nearly a hundred heavily armed soldiers soon arrived outside Ivy’s base entrance.

When Ivy received the news of their arrival, she remained surprisingly calm.

Even in her previous life, she had known that President Carter had supposedly died after encountering one of the higher-ranked zombie variants. Yet now, seeing him alive meant history itself had already begun changing.

’Interesting... so he survived this time,’ Ivy thought quietly.

At the base entrance, Ivy personally went to receive them alongside several important people from her side.

Silas stood nearby with his usual indifferent expression, while Asher leaned lazily against the wall with his arms crossed.

From Ivy’s family, Helena, Victor, Kael, and Felix were also present, their expressions filled with caution as they observed the approaching convoy.

Meanwhile, inside the mansion, Talia and Ember were carefully overseeing preparations, making sure everything proceeded smoothly without any mistakes.

The moment Carter stepped out of the armored vehicle and saw Ivy standing there, his eyes flickered faintly.

He had clearly not expected the owner of such a massive and well-protected base to be such a young woman.

Several thoughts crossed his mind immediately, but he wisely chose not to voice any of them aloud.

Instead, he smiled warmly and accepted Ivy’s polite greeting.

Soon afterward, the group entered Ivy’s residence.

Once seated, Carter smiled broadly before looking toward Ivy.

"You truly are an outstanding young woman," he said in a seemingly sincere tone.

"To be capable of creating an antidote while the entire world was panicking... this is an incredible contribution to humanity."

He paused briefly before continuing.

"Once humanity restores order and civilization stabilizes again, the country will absolutely recognize your contributions. In fact, considering everything you’ve done for the nation, granting you a noble title wouldn’t even be impossible."

The moment those words were spoken, several people’s expressions subtly changed.

Even Ivy’s eyes flashed slightly.

In their country, titles carried enormous importance.

Nobility was not merely a symbolic status.

Even if someone lost their wealth in the future, their title alone would guarantee influence, respect, and privilege for generations.