Chapter 191 Speech

Lin Xi led everyone back to the research institute, where boxed lunches had already been distributed at the conference room seats.

After spending half a day in fear and anxiety, and then being led around the base by Lin Xi for half a day, everyone was exhausted and cherished their mealtime.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, whispers began to circulate again.

"It's almost time to leave work, why aren't you letting people go yet?"

"I wonder what other plans Third Sister has."

"I'm really impressed. If I had to choose, I would only participate in the team building activities on the first day."

"Yeah, yeah, I'd rather work overtime in the lab until I die than participate in today's schedule."

"Rumor has it that there was supposed to be a segment today where real zombies were chasing us."

"What's going on here? Is the base filming a variety show called 'Run, Staff Member'?"

"I don't know. I later heard that my third sister rejected this part because she was worried about safety accidents."

Someone breathed a sigh of relief: "Thank goodness."

Seeing that everyone had almost finished adjusting, Lin Xi brought over a stack of certificates and stood on the podium with a very serious expression, as if she had important news to announce.

Lin Xi watched as photos from the two-day team-building activity scrolled across the electronic screen behind her.

None of the photos featured individual close-ups; only group photos were displayed, and everyone found themselves in the group photos.

The contrast between his cheerful demeanor on the first day and his completely broken expression and loss of composure on the second day was stark.

These two days were truly two completely different days.

One day carefree, the next in a panic.

Lin Xi asked, "Is everyone satisfied with the team building activities on the first day?"

Everyone nodded in agreement, secretly hoping that any future team-building activities would be on the same scale as the first day. They said, "Thank you, thank you. We only need one day of team-building; we can work overtime on the second day."

Lin Xi then showed some pictures of happy life in peacetime.

Pleasant natural scenery, lively concerts, vibrant amusement parks, and a wide variety of buffet options...

Yesterday's team-building activities covered all the known entertainment options at the base, but they paled in comparison to the pictures.

Lin Xi said calmly, "The picture shows our life before May 20, 2025, which everyone has experienced. Buffets, movies, karaoke, and even travel are our most common forms of entertainment. With your education and jobs, you can enjoy an even more enriching program than yesterday's team building activities every day."

Without comparison, there is no harm. Everyone originally felt that yesterday was very happy, but after Lin Xi said that, everyone thought of the past. They were all staff members or even mentors in the research institute, and were considered highly educated and well-paid people. Things like buffets and movies were within their reach.

It was only after two years of numb living at the base and getting used to this kind of life that I suddenly felt amazed.

Lin Xi then said, "Let me show you another live video."

She gave Liang Hui a look, and Liang Hui came up with the tools, operated them for a while, and entered the password. Then the image on the screen gradually became clear.

The shaky camera panned across an abandoned factory area, where several men in military uniforms, armed with weapons, were advancing one after another.

Lin Xi saw Lu Wei in the picture.

Xiang Xin's voice came from the screen: "Hardened skin zombies at both ends of the corridor in Area C, and 5 hardened skeleton zombies in Workshop 2."

Due to poor signal, the sound transmission was intermittent, making the atmosphere increasingly tense: "Major General, a special zombie has appeared ahead, which retains its fighting skills."

This is real-time footage of Lu Wei and Xiang Xin on a mission.

Lin Xi has extracted antibodies from herself, Lin Jie, and various other special zombies to varying degrees, but none of them can provide complete immunity to the zombie virus.

Laboratory 5 is working on a project to synthesize these antibodies into a single multispecific antibody.

However, some of the facilities were damaged during transportation, and the required high-precision parts were hard to find. Lu Wei personally led a team to protect the engineers and technicians as they returned to the high-risk electronics factory to search for them. If they couldn't find them, they would have to manufacture the parts on-site.

In the video, Lu Wei and his team are clearing out zombies in the factory area. Long-range bombardment and burning could easily damage the factory area, making it even harder to find spare parts, so they entered the factory area armed with guns and weapons.

Both types of hardened zombies have hardened internal skeletons that firmly protect their brains. Their only weakness is the two holes in their eye sockets. Since the skin of these zombies is also hardened, their eyelids cannot be pierced. Only by hitting their eyes can you effectively kill them.

However, zombies are mobile, making them difficult to aim at in close combat.

Therefore, hand-to-hand combat was unavoidable.

Lin Xi switched between two screens: one showing Xiang Xin's overall reconnaissance perspective, and the other showing Lu Wei's close-quarters combat perspective synchronized with the instruments on his body.

The zombies, with their ferocious faces and powerful limbs, attack people. Due to the close proximity, the zombies appear very large in the scene, and every move they make gives people a real sense of oppression.

The scene looked as if zombies were actually attacking me.

Those in the audience who were easily frightened covered their eyes in fear.

"Bang!" A gunshot rang out from the speakers.

Everyone watched intently. A soldier looked at his cut hand and, gritting his teeth, charged forward to face the zombies again. He was already infected and had no fear of the zombies, directly attacking their weak points at close range.

However, these zombies have extremely hard bones and skin. If you are punched without any precautions, you can hear a "crack" sound from the bones of the person who was punched, and the zombie will twist and throw you aside.

Lu Wei took over.

Xiang Xin warned, "Be careful, this zombie has fighting skills."

While fighting, Lu Wei whispered to everyone in his earpiece: "Special zombies, try to capture them alive. The lab needs them."

It's difficult enough to kill them outright, let alone capture them alive.

Even Major General Lu, who had the highest combat strength in the entire team, had a hard time fighting this zombie. In addition to retaining the original fighting skills, it also had the added benefit of hardened bones and skin.

Lu Wei's punches were so powerful that just hearing the sound of them made one feel the pain.

The video froze several times, stopping at the thrilling moment when the zombie was about to grab Lu Wei.

"Was he arrested?"

"There's no way to dodge it at such a short distance."

Some people are talking about it.

Lin Xi's heart also jumped.

Lu Wei's video froze, while in Xiang Xin's video, the wounded man who had been thrown aside by the zombies raised a pistol and pointed it at his temple.

He had too much viral load and needed to end his life before the hardened zombie virus could fully infect him, in order to avoid becoming a troublesome enemy.

Gunshots echoed throughout the conference room, startling everyone.

Lin Xi had witnessed this scene and still felt saddened.

The crowd watching from the sidelines also looked solemn.

Lin Xi exited the video feed: "The footage just now was real-time footage of the military helping us find experimental equipment."

"Everyone witnessed firsthand how difficult hardened zombies are to deal with this morning."

"Since the appearance of hardened zombies, the base's military personnel have decreased by about 35%."

"Most of them choose to commit suicide after being infected with the virus in order to avoid increasing the number of hardened zombies."

"Everyone who goes out is prepared for a one-way trip. Even those who are well-trained and experienced in combat cannot completely avoid zombie attacks."

Anyone could accidentally get infected during a fight.

Lu Wei, Xiang Xin, and Liang Hui were no exception.

Those fighting abroad are Lin Xi's close friends, with whom she shares life and death.

Lin Xi took a deep breath and tried to keep his voice calm: "Hardened zombies are very difficult to defeat. Only by developing a way to break through the virus and an effective vaccine to stop the infection can humanity possibly eradicate zombies."

"I know that the zombie virus is very difficult to overcome. Over the past two years, many people have lost hope or left our team for other reasons. Those who have persevered are the best and the hope for the future."

"Don't settle for the status quo and adapt to life at the base; don't engage in pointless arguments here."

Do not go gentle into that good night.

"We need to go back to the ground."

"That's all I have to say. I won't shout any more motivational slogans. I hope everyone understands the significance of our work."