Chapter 107 Warning Signs of Virus Leakage
The sound of gunfire continued to be heard intermittently from inside the base. Although the conflict between Zhang Jun and Wang Hua had entered a white-hot stage, the order in other areas became more chaotic.
Su Wanqing stood in the temporary command center, feeling heavy-hearted as she watched the red alarm flashing on the table.
"Li Ming reports that an unknown gas leak has occurred in the laboratory in Area B and has been sealed off."
The voice from the communicator broke the silence.
Su Wanqing frowned: "Unknown gas? Report the details immediately."
"Preliminary judgment is that it is a virus. There are researchers in the blocked area who have been infected, but the exact number is unknown." Li Ming's voice was filled with panic.
"Virus?" Xiao Ran's voice was low. "How could a virus leak suddenly happen?"
"Prioritize blockade and isolation of the infected. Lu Zhao, find a way to check the base's surveillance and see what happened." Su Wanqing gave the order calmly, suppressing her inner uneasiness.
Lu Zhao acted quickly. A few minutes later, he had cracked the base's wireless system and obtained some surveillance footage.
"Surveillance shows that the guards outside the B-area laboratory tried to cover up the scope of the leak at the first opportunity, but several laboratory personnel escaped and are spreading the news."
"Trying to cover it up?" Xiao Ran frowned. "This shows that the problem is not simple."
“Be careful, Che.” Su Wanqing looked at Lin Che who was standing in the corner. He looked pale, as if he had been affected by something.
Lin Che just nodded slightly without saying a word. Ye's control was getting worse and worse, and he could feel that he was gradually losing himself.
"Professor Yang, you know the most about viruses. What's the situation now?"
Su Wanqing turned to Professor Yang who was standing beside her. This elderly researcher with gray hair was the head of the base's virus research department and was also the top virologist in the country before the end of the world.
Professor Yang was currently concentrating on analyzing the sample data brought back from the leak area, his face full of solemnity.
“Preliminary analysis shows that the leaked virus is a variant that spreads very quickly, mainly through the air.
I obtained a distribution data of the evolved virus from the scene, and the spreading rate presented is shocking, far exceeding our previous predictions. Su Wanqing, I suggest you treat it with caution, this is much more dangerous than we expected. "
"So, this means that the virus is evolving at an accelerated pace?" Su Wanqing asked.
"Yes. Moreover, judging from the data, the toxicity of this variant has increased, and the symptoms after infection are more severe," Professor Yang replied.
"This... this is not a good sign." Xiao Ran's voice was full of worry.
At this moment, Lin Che suddenly spoke, with a hint of coldness in his voice: "We must immediately enter the core area of the laboratory to obtain more detailed internal information. Only by understanding the source of the virus can we find a solution."
Su Wanqing was stunned for a moment. She knew that the person who said this was not Lin Che, but Ye who controlled his body.
"No. The situation is unclear right now. It's too dangerous to rashly enter the core area of the laboratory."
Su Wanqing decisively refused. "What we need to do now is to control the situation and prevent the virus from spreading further."
"Are you scared?" Ye's voice was full of sarcasm. "You only care about your own safety, but not the fate of the entire base."
"I just don't want to take unnecessary risks." Su Wanqing said coldly.
"Risk? Risk is the norm of our existence! If you want to survive, you must dare to take risks!" Ye's voice became more and more crazy.
"Calm down, Che." Su Wanqing tried to comfort Lin Che, but she knew that her efforts might be in vain.
"Don't try to influence me anymore." Ye's voice was filled with anger.
"I am the key to controlling the overall situation. Now, immediately order Lu Zhao to open the laboratory's defense system and let me enter the core area!"
Su Wanqing gritted her teeth. She knew that if Lu Zhao followed Ye's order and turned on the laboratory's defense system, the consequences would be disastrous.
"Lu Zhao, stick to your post and never allow anyone to enter the core area of the laboratory unless you get my clear instructions!" Su Wanqing said sternly.
Lu Zhao nodded, his fingers tapping rapidly on the keyboard, strengthening the laboratory's defense system.
Ye seemed to sense Su Wanqing's determination, and his voice became more gloomy: "You angered me. I will make you regret it."
Su Wanqing ignored Ye's threats. She knew that this was a battle of wills.
She has to stay calm to lead the team out of trouble.
"Professor Yang, hand over the data on the spread of the virus to the top leaders of the base and let them solve the problem themselves. We cannot intervene directly, as this will only bring us unnecessary trouble." Su Wanqing said to Professor Yang.
Professor Yang hesitated: "But if we don't intervene, the virus may get out of control..."
"I believe they will take measures." Su Wanqing said.
"Our current mission is to collect supplies and prepare for evacuation. Xiao Ran, Lu Zhao, the two of you focus on the subsequent evacuation preparations and ignore the virus incident."
"Yes." Xiao Ran and Lu Zhao responded and started to get busy.
Su Wanqing looked at their busy figures, her heart filled with worry.
She knew that the crisis had just begun.
The communicator rang again, and it was Li Ming again. "Su Wanqing, the situation has gotten worse! A full-scale conflict has broken out between Zhang Jun and Wang Hua's men, and the entire base is in chaos! The laboratory area has also been affected, and the scope of the virus leak is expanding!"
Su Wanqing took a deep breath and told herself that she must stay calm.
"Everyone, pay attention, enter level one combat readiness!" she said in a deep voice.
"Be prepared to evacuate at any time!"
Xiao Ran and Lu Zhao moved even faster after hearing the order. They knew that the crisis was imminent.
Lin Che still stood in the corner, his face pale and his body trembling slightly.
The night's control grew stronger and stronger, and he could barely control his thoughts and actions.
Amid the noisy gunfire and sirens, Su Wanqing looked at everything in front of her, her heart filled with uncertainty about the future.
"The first-level combat readiness status has been activated. The base is currently in chaos. The exchange of fire between Zhang Jun and Wang Hua's troops is becoming more and more intense, and the virus leakage in the laboratory is also worsening." Li Ming's anxious voice came from the communicator, like a drumbeat constantly beating on Su Wanqing's nerves.
Su Wanqing stood in front of the tactical table in the center of the temporary command center, running her finger across the base map.
"The situation is worse than expected. Xiao Ran, Lu Zhao, come here."
Xiao Ran's tall figure walked over first, followed by Lu Zhao. Both of them had solemn expressions, and it was obvious that they had a full understanding of the situation in the base.
"Now is not the time to assign blame. What matters is how to evacuate safely."
Su Wanqing got straight to the point and said, "According to the information provided by Li Ming, patrols inside the base have become sparse, but the blockade of the security area has become increasingly tight. We need a covert route that avoids the main conflict area."
Xiao Ran thought for a moment and said, "There is an abandoned underground passage outside the base. It was originally the drainage system of the chemical plant, but was later abandoned. The terrain is complex and there are many forks. If we can use this passage, we can reduce direct conflicts with the enemy."
Lu Zhao added: "The entrance to this passage is near the wall on the west side of the base, but it is also one of the most intensively monitored areas."
"We can use jammers." Lu Zhao turned to Su Wanqing with a calm look on his face. "I designed a set of wireless jammers that can block most of the tracking signals in the base and interfere with the monitoring system. As long as it is operated properly, we can stay hidden during the evacuation."
Su Wanqing nodded, "Lu Zhao, what's the specific plan?"
"The core components of the jammer need to be borrowed from the laboratory, and they also need to be debugged for at least half an hour. But now the laboratory has been blocked and the situation is unclear." Lu Zhao frowned, "I need to know the internal situation to determine whether I can successfully obtain the equipment."
At this moment, Lin Che, who was standing in the corner, suddenly spoke up, his voice cold and emotionless: "I can open a path to the core area of the laboratory."
Su Wanqing looked at the pale-faced Lin Che, her heart filled with vigilance.
She knew that the one who spoke now was not Lin Che, but Ye who controlled his body.
"Ye, what do you want to do?" Su Wanqing asked coldly.
"What? Of course, to help you get out of this hellhole as soon as possible."
Ye's voice was full of sarcasm. "Instead of going around in circles, it's better to evacuate directly from the area with the richest resources. In addition to virus samples, there are also a large number of medical supplies and weapons in the laboratory. If we can take these things away, the chances of survival will be greatly improved."
Xiao Ran frowned, "Ye, what you said is too risky. The laboratory is now full of dangers. Entering rashly will only increase the risk."
"Risk? Risk is inevitable. You are too cautious and will only miss good opportunities." Ye's voice was full of impatience.
"Absolutely not!" Su Wanqing said firmly, "Our top priority now is to ensure everyone's safety, not to covet unnecessary supplies. The laboratory is too risky, I will not allow anyone to enter."
Ye was silent for a while, as if he was suppressing his anger. "Whatever you want. I just don't want to see you struggling in vain in the apocalypse."
"Professor Yang, we need your opinion now." Su Wanqing turned to Professor Yang standing beside her and tried to change the subject. "Before we evacuate, we need to add some technical equipment to ensure that the follow-up research can continue. Which equipment do you think is indispensable?"
Professor Yang pushed up his glasses and said, "In addition to the virus samples, we need a high-precision analyzer, as well as some key reagents and culture dishes. These devices are crucial for our subsequent research."
"Lu Zhao, arrange people to find these devices as much as possible." Su Wanqing gave the order.
"Yes." Lu Zhao started to act immediately.
"Xiao Ran, what do you think?" Su Wanqing looked at Xiao Ran, seeking his opinion.
Xiao Ran said in a deep voice: "The terrain of this abandoned passage is complex and there may be unknown dangers. We must be fully prepared to deal with any emergencies."
Su Wanqing nodded. "I agree with you. We need to carry enough weapons and ammunition in case of emergency. However, we must try to stay hidden to avoid attracting the enemy's attention."
Xiao Ran said worriedly: "Violent conflict is inevitable during the evacuation process. If the enemy launches a fierce attack, I am afraid we cannot guarantee that everyone can escape safely."
"I know your concerns." Su Wanqing walked to Xiao Ran and said softly, "I will do my best to ensure everyone's safety. However, we can't give up the evacuation plan because of the risks. Now, we must seize every minute and every second to leave this place as soon as possible."
"I understand." Xiao Ran's tone softened a little.
"Che, how do you feel now?" Su Wanqing turned to look at Lin Che. His face was still pale and his body was trembling slightly. It was obvious that Ye's control was gradually strengthening.
Lin Che did not answer, but clenched his teeth tightly, as if trying his best to suppress something.
"Ye, stop torturing him." Su Wanqing said sternly.
"I'm just helping him." Ye's voice was cold and ruthless, "He should thank me, not be afraid of me."
"Do you think I don't know your purpose? You want to use us, right?" Su Wanqing's voice was full of anger.
Ye didn't answer, but just gave a meaningful smile.
"Lu Zhao, speed up the debugging of the jammer." Su Wanqing interrupted the silence of the night and turned to Lu Zhao, "We need to complete the preparations as soon as possible so that we can take the initiative during the evacuation."
Lu Zhao nodded and continued to work.
The room was silent, with only the sound of typing on the keyboard and Li Ming's report coming from the communicator.
Su Wanqing was in a heavy mood, she knew that a difficult evacuation operation was about to begin.
Su Wanqing's eyes swept across the expressions on everyone's faces in the room. They were all tense, like a fully drawn bowstring.
Li Ming continued to report the latest situation of the base. The information was like pebbles, hitting her nerves again and again.
"...According to reports from our informants in various areas, at least three special operations teams no longer obey the orders of the base's top brass. They have begun searching for supplies on their own, and even small-scale conflicts have broken out among themselves."
Li Ming's voice was filled with obvious anxiety. "The situation is getting worse and worse. There are already signs of division within the army."
Su Wanqing frowned slightly. This was faster than she expected. She originally thought that the struggle between the top leaders of the base would take more time to spread to the army, but she didn't expect it to progress so quickly.
"Is the information about the defecting soldiers reliable?" she asked.
"At present, it is reliable. Our people are also continuing to confirm, but there is already a lot of evidence showing that these teams have indeed escaped the control of the base." Li Ming replied.
"Lu Zhao, how is the progress of the jammer?" Su Wanqing turned to Lu Zhao who was fiddling with the equipment.
Lu Zhao raised his head and said in a steady tone: "It will take at least twenty minutes. The debugging of the core components is more complicated, and the power supply of the base is unstable now. It may be cut off at any time."
"As soon as possible!" Su Wanqing ordered briefly.
Suddenly, the atmosphere in the room became more tense. Lin Che, or rather Lin Che who was controlled by Ye, was shaken violently, and a trace of pain appeared on his pale face.
He clutched his head tightly with both hands, as if he was trying hard to resist something.
"Che, what's wrong with you?" Su Wanqing asked immediately.
Lin Che did not answer, but just groaned. However, Ye's voice sounded coldly: "Don't worry about him, he is just struggling meaninglessly."
Xiao Ran's face became even uglier. He clenched his fists, ready to rush forward to stop Ye's actions at any time.
"Stop!" Su Wanqing shouted, "Now is not the time to be impulsive. We must remain calm to find a solution to the problem."
Xiao Ran’s fist slowly loosened, but he still stared at Lin Che vigilantly.
At this moment, Lu Zhao suddenly raised his head and said, "Not good! The command center has sent an emergency dispatch message. The message shows that the virus leak is much more serious than we expected. It has caused a large number of casualties and even... even infected some senior members!"
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