Apocalypse Escape: Day One of Survival

”Report. A civilian in the quarantine room developed a fever and mutated.”

Gu Chen and Lu Wei rushed toward the quarantine room upstairs. ”Is he under control? Don’t let him bite anyone else.”

They took the stairs two at a time and reached the quarantine room door, where they saw several teammates using one-meter-long poles with forked ends to pin down a manically roaring man.

Gu Chen glanced over. It was one of the three burly men his sister had him round up yesterday.

They had been kept tied up outside the villa. After the rain started, they were all dragged inside, but it seemed they still got caught in a few drops.

”The people from the Bio-Medical Research Institute are here.”

”Wasn’t everyone told not to go out?” Gu Chen asked, annoyed, as he strode toward the other end of the hallway.

Wei Zhengtong came up with Yu Tianfeng, Fang Jiawen, and a few others, all in full protective gear. Each of them carried a square metal equipment case.

”Captain Gu, the rain contains an unknown virus,” Wei Zhengtong said to Gu Chen, his voice muffled by his protective face shield and his expression grim. ”We’ve collected samples via a three-step process, but we lack the sophisticated equipment needed for analysis, so its properties are currently unknown. You need to send out a notice immediately, telling everyone in the Song Family Pavilion to stay indoors until the rain stops.”

Gu Chen nodded. ”I’ve already sent someone to the broadcast station to make an announcement right away.”

”We’re in urgent need of human samples for in-depth research,” Wei Zhengtong said, his expression heavy. ”I know this may sound inhumane, but the dead are gone, and the living must go on. I heard you’ve secured several samples. We hope you can give us one for our research.”

”Boss, the one inside has been taken care of!” The burly, middle-aged Xue Feng strode out, then faltered as his eyes met the gazes of Wei Zhengtong’s group. They were staring at him like he was an idiot.

”What’s wrong?” the man’s voice rumbled.

Yu Tianfeng took two steps forward. ”How could you waste a sample? That was a prime live specimen! You could have given it to us for research, you know.”

”What sample?” the one-point-nine-meter-tall giant said, getting irritated. ”Those are people, okay? He’s dead now, so let him go with some dignity.”

Wei Zhengtong quickly stepped in front of Yu Tianfeng, afraid the giant would beat him up again!

”What you say is true, but scientific progress requires sacrifices,” Wei Zhengtong said with grave seriousness. ”Since these living dead will be executed sooner or later anyway, wouldn’t handing them over to us for research beforehand be making the best use of the situation?”

”I know that phrase—’making the best use of the situation’—might sound harsh,” Wei Zhengtong sighed. ”But what if the institute can develop a corresponding control agent from this research? Wouldn’t that be a contribution to the survival of humankind?”

Xue Feng scratched his head. He was just a rough soldier; he couldn’t win a debate against a well-spoken doctor.

’Still, he couldn’t help but feel that all this high-minded reasoning wasn’t exactly fair to the test subject himself.’

’Maybe after turning into one of the living dead, all a person wants is a single bullet to let them go in peace. They probably don’t want to be taken apart, stitched up, taken apart, and stitched up again for all sorts of research.’

Lu Wei pushed up his glasses and replied in a calm, scholarly tone, ”Doctor, you make a valid point. However, given that the ’test subjects’ you’re asking for are extremely dangerous, we’ll need to give it more consideration.”

”If it compromises the safety of our men, then the answer is no for now.”

Gu Chen was silent for a long time before asking, ”All in all, how many have a high fever?”

”Ten of our men have started running high fevers. They were all on shift last night.”

”As for the civilians, the other two burly men are also running fevers now and showing signs of mutation.”

Gu Chen took a deep breath. ”Go ask them.”

”Captain...”

”Go.”

Silence fell over the hallway. Wei Zhengtong’s expression was grim, and even Yu Tianfeng said no more.

Not five minutes later, Takayuki, the one sent to ask, hurried back. He clenched his fists, his voice choked with emotion. ”The two civilians have fully mutated. All the others... they agreed.”

”Doctor, you and your team wait here,” Gu Chen said, then turned and walked away.

Lu Wei knew his captain was in agony. He followed for a few steps before turning back to Wei Zhengtong. ”You can’t have the civilians. And whichever one of our brothers you take... when your research is finished, we want his ashes back.”

After rushing through his last sentence, Lu Wei turned and walked away, the eyes behind his glasses already turning red.

Wei Zhengtong, Yu Tianfeng, and the others stood in the hallway and bowed deeply in the direction the men had gone.

Even the usually boisterous Fang Jiawen simply bowed with the others, not saying a single word.

Xie Ning carefully brought the small bowl, clamped by Metal Wire, back in from outside the windowsill.

”Scan material composition.”

”Scanning one household ceramic bowl. Composition: clay, feldspar...”

”Scan the raindrops inside!” Xie Ning interrupted irritably. ’Idiot!’

”Scanning raindrops in household ceramic bowl. Main components: sulfur dioxide, unknown elemental compound PP0201. Components are dangerous. Will release toxins into the human body upon contact.”

”KSHHH... KSHHH...”

A noisy burst of static crackled from overhead.

Xie Ning leaned against the window and looked up. The village’s large public-address horn, which hadn’t been used once in three years, had been hooked up to emergency power by Xiao Gu and his men. It was starting to broadcast.

”We now broadcast an important announcement. Good morning to all fellow survivors in the Song Family Pavilion. Due to an unknown acid rain affecting the inland region, the situation outside is now extremely dangerous. We ask all survivors to remain in your homes and avoid going out unless absolutely necessary.”

”Furthermore, any residents who have been exposed to the acid rain and have subsequently developed a high fever, please report immediately to the temporary military post at Number 73, Song Family Pavilion.”

”If you have family or friends at home who are developing a high fever, you must report it in a timely manner. Do not hide them. I repeat, do not hide them!”

”Trust us. We will not take any harmful action against those with a fever before they have mutated.”

”All survivors, please refrain from non-essential travel. If you absolutely must go out to report, please wear a raincoat and carry rain gear. If you have a motorcycle helmet at home, wear that as well. Protect yourself! Do not expose your bare skin to the rain. This is crucial! This is crucial!”

”Sis, the mutual aid chat group is blowing up! Come take a look,” Song Kexin called from downstairs.

Xie Ning ran her fingers through her slightly tangled hair and sighed.

She picked up a bottle of hair texturizing spray from the table, gave her head a few generous spritzes, and felt her hair, which she hadn’t washed in six days, become slightly more bearable.

Only then did she head downstairs to the living room.

Everyone was sitting ramrod straight in a circle around the sofa.

When they saw her come down, they all stared at her with expectant eyes.

”Until the rain stops, no one leaves this house,” Xie Ning said, looking at everyone sternly. ”That includes the front and back yards. Remind each other so no one forgets. And don’t be an idiot and rush out just to grab something.”

Everyone nodded quickly. Song Kexin handed over her phone. ”Sis, look, the group chat is going crazy.”

Xie Ning took it and saw that the chat was, indeed, in an uproar.

Li (Unit 84): Ms. Zhu, you can’t come cook for us today?? Just throw on a raincoat and come over! You’ll be fine.