Chapter 106: The End of the World (1)
Tao Xing opened her eyes and saw medical staff in white coats busying around on the single bed in the ward.
His hands and legs were wrapped in gauze, and the original owner must have died from injuries.
Seeing him open his eyes, the people around him came over happily: "Admiral Tao is awake, his heartbeat is stable and his vital signs are normal."
"The Admiral is fine."
"Very good."
Everyone was very excited, recording, checking, reporting...
Tao Xing knew that this was a doomsday world. According to convention, he was a human being and the target of the mission was non-human, so he was probably not here.
While checking, he asked some questions indirectly and read some books, gaining a lot of information.
The end of the world originated from a heavy rain that lasted for seven days. The relevant departments issued an emergency notice, detecting harmful ingredients in the rain and asking people not to go out unless necessary.
Seven days later, the rain stopped and people went to work, school and did their own things just like every other day.
However, this world has quietly become different.
At first, the ground was covered with flowers, and people thought they were knocked down by the rain. The scene of fallen flowers was very beautiful, and many people took photos and checked in.
Later, the ground was covered with the corpses of butterflies, flying insects, birds... and people began to feel something was wrong.
Later, plants became very large, with serrations, able to chase people's footsteps, and animals frequently attacked humans and were omnipresent.
Anyone injured by them will eventually lose their minds, and their bodies will undergo all kinds of strange mutations, such as their blood turning green, their meridians turning into plant veins, sprouts growing on their skin, and they will grow fangs and tails... No matter what they eventually mutate into, they are no longer human without exception, and will turn to attack humans.
People call these things variants, also known as contaminants.
The rate of pollution was too fast, and humans had to defend themselves while urgently building refuge bases. Once the bases were built, the living environment changed significantly and the rules had to be rewritten.
On the day the new law was promulgated, mankind announced that it had entered the end of the world.
Seventy years after the end of the world, only this base remains alive, and the total population is less than five thousand people.
Although he was mentally prepared, Tao Xing was still shocked when he first heard the data.
There are solid defense facilities outside the base and the internal configuration is complete. Humans perform their respective duties, with the military and research center receiving the most attention. One protects human safety, and the other finds a way out for humanity.
Judging from the name, the original owner was affiliated with the military and his rank was not low.
Tao Xing thought about it and called 080 out: "I want props."
080: "But there are no more welfare benefits in this world."
Tao Xing: "...Don't I have money?"
"Oh, yes, you can buy it directly." The system responded, "Host, what do you want to buy? Well, the used ones really can't be used. The buttons are all gray and can't be purchased."
"Buy long-lasting cleaner." Tao Xing said.
The system was shocked: "No, host, what time is it? How can being clean be more important than saving your life?"
"Long-lasting detergents can keep the body clean and free from pollution. So, aren't pollutants also pollution?"
System: “Hmm, hm?”
Can it be used like this?
It seems... that's no problem.
Anyway, I'm used to it. The host's props have never been used normally. I clicked the system to buy it. In a blink of an eye, a tiny light flashed around Tao Xing, and the cleaning agent took effect, forming a barrier from the inside to the outside.
The system verified that the target of the mission was not at the base. Tao Xing had a rough idea in his mind that the target should be a pollutant.
If he wants to get close, he must at least ensure his own safety first. Pollutant is not like the Zombie King who can still maintain his sanity, so he dare not take the risk.
Tao Xing felt a sudden pain in his arm and turned around to see a nurse drawing a tube of blood from him. The nurse looked at him with a subtle look before she left.
The original owner was injured in the fight against pollutants, so it is normal for them to be cautious. The blood should probably be tested. Looking at their records, it should have been tested several times before.
But Tao Xing was not worried because the system had already scanned it and the original owner was not infected.
But his injuries were serious and he was a key subject of observation, so he could not move around freely for the time being. In order not to cause trouble for everyone, Tao Xing stayed in the ward obediently for seven days, during which several tubes of blood were drawn from him.
On the seventh night, a group of people rushed into the ward with hurried footsteps. One of them, an elderly man in a white coat, said excitedly: "Admiral Tao, you... your body has produced very strange antibodies, like a layer of protective film. You know, you can defend against all pollution!" He had a work badge on his chest. His surname was Qi and he was a PhD from the School of Biology at the Research Center.
Tao Xing: “…Oh.”
I know, I just bought the props.
The world has its own rules, and this tool cannot be used on others. But since Tao Xing has come here and is in the military, he will protect humanity with his actions, just like everyone else here.
But the bad news is, the original owner was lucky to be able to stand up despite his injuries. Well, that’s not right. The original owner was already dead. Tao Xing was able to stand and walk with this body, which was already a testament to his strong physical strength.
"This kind of antibody cannot be replicated, and other people's bodies cannot withstand it." Dr. Qi sighed, "But in the end, if humanity eventually falls, Admiral Tao, you will definitely be the last to die."
Tao Xing was startled for a moment, distracted for a moment, then heard a long whistle from the corridor. The medical staff and several soldiers all looked nervous, and Dr. Qi ran away.
Tao Xing stretched his head to look around, and a soldier hurriedly supported him: "General, you are not well yet. You have permission not to attend the meeting. You should have a good rest. This kind of emergency meeting is probably because a new type of pollutant has been discovered. It is not uncommon."
It turned out that the whistle was a notification for an emergency meeting. Tao Xing's heart skipped a beat when he heard about the new type of pollutant. He had traveled through several worlds, and based on his intuition and experience, he felt that the target of the mission had appeared: "I'd better go and take a look."
When he entered the conference room, the meeting had just begun and the participants were not too surprised by his arrival. They just expressed concern about his health and continued with the meeting.
There were military participants present, all of them were at the rank of lieutenant general or above, and there were also research centers. The military wore badges, and the research centers wore work badges. In addition, there was a command center. Tao Xing had read in the information booklet that the command center was the highest level in the base, and both the military and the research center had to obey its arrangements.
The military department has two departments with the same configuration. What surprised Tao Xing was that the research center also had two colleges, one was the College of Biology and the other was the College of Science and Technology.
At the meeting, Dr. Qi from the Institute of Biology was already speaking: "The pollutants discovered this time have been unanimously agreed upon by the Institute of Biology and the Command Center to be classified as Class I pollutants, which means... a natural disaster!"
Everyone present was suddenly shocked and there was an uproar in an instant.
Tao Xing had also seen in the booklet that the base divided the pollutants into ten levels according to the severity of their pollution.
Level 10 contamination is not severe, so it is okay to be bitten, unless the serum is injected into the human body, which will cause infection, but no one would be stupid enough to do that.
The higher you go, the greater the degree of contamination. Level eight means infection if you are bitten and bleed. Level five means infection even without bleeding. Level three means infection if you have contact. Level two means infection if you just smell the scent.
Level 1 has not been determined yet because it has never appeared.
And now, people believe that what appeared this time is level one.
"Within a ten-mile radius of its appearance, all animals and humans will be infected. There is no need for contact, smell or anything else. As long as they are within this range, they cannot escape. It is simply like a ball of air that can penetrate anywhere. Moreover, its contamination range has the potential to expand. Now it is ten miles, and in the future, it is very likely to become twenty miles, thirty miles, or even hundreds of miles..." Dr. Qi said solemnly, "It is a natural disaster!"
The noisy crowd gradually fell silent, revealing the same heavy expressions.
"It was first discovered in the forest, and it looks like this." The commander of the command center pointed to the curtain behind him, and a picture appeared.
It was a black and white picture, with a dark mass in the middle and many branches or vines extending around it, like a bouncy ball tied with chains. In short, it was very abstract.
"It's getting closer and closer to us. If it gets within ten miles of the base, humanity will be extinct." The commander said, "And if its pollution continues to expand and sweeps across the entire surface, humanity will also be extinct."
There was no sound in the conference room.
The commander continued, "The military tried to kill it, but as Dr. Qi said, it was like a ball of air and could disperse at any time. Artillery shells were ineffective against it. We also tried to drive it away, but all the ultrasounds and jammers were useless against it. It was still approaching."
In fact, everyone knows that expulsion is useless and elimination is necessary.
"At present, the only thing that can destroy it is an extremely high pressure chamber. Under extremely strong pressure, no matter whether it is gas or anything else, everything will disappear in the blink of an eye."
The commander clicked on the picture again to show the full picture of the hyperbaric chamber. It was not really just a small cabin. It was the size of a truck, with many connecting pipes around it and a camouflage layer all around. At first glance, it looked like just an ordinary road.
"Our current plan is to bring it into a hyperbaric chamber," the commander said. "Because the natural disaster is extremely dangerous, we cannot let it get close to our central base, so we moved the hyperbaric chamber to the old base."
The hyperbaric chamber requires a lot of equipment to be connected, so it cannot be just moved to the wild. Tao Xing also knew that the old base was a base that had already fallen a long time ago. It was quite a distance away from the central base. It was originally called Chaosheng Base, but people did not want to recall the tragic situation of the fall, so they just called it "Old Days", as if in this way, the tragedy would become a thing of the past.
Although the base had fallen, some of the circuits, pipeline equipment, etc. inside could still be used after some repairs, making it a good place to house a hyperbaric chamber.
"Twenty-five soldiers are needed to be stationed there, waiting for the natural disaster to enter. The hyperbaric chamber is a highly dangerous device, and twenty people must press the button in all directions at the same time for it to take effect. The other five are backups in case of emergency."
The commander paused, his tone becoming more serious: "These twenty-five people must be strong and have excellent resistance. They must at least be able to hold out until the natural disaster comes from ten miles away, enters the hyperbaric chamber, and is eliminated before they mutate."
Tao Xing was shocked. Yes, if the natural disaster was to be introduced into the old base, all the people stationed there would be contaminated, and they would have to be killed after the mission was completed.
In other words, these twenty-five people are death warriors.
Someone immediately raised his hand and said, "I'll sign up, I'll go..."
The commander interrupted him: "It's not enough to just be willing. We need to check our immunity and make sure it meets the standards. All military departments who are willing to go, go to the Institute of Biology for a blood test after the meeting."
The man nodded silently.
Tao Xing thought about it, sat up straight, and before he could speak, the commander looked at him first: "Admiral Tao, you don't have to go. Although you have the ability to resist, your current physical condition is not enough to activate the button."
This was the first time that his physical strength was questioned. In fact, Tao Xing had not thought about what to say. This was a dilemma. He did not want to put humans into despair, nor did he want to watch his lover die in front of him.
He thought for a moment and said, "Then what can I do?"
The commander thought for a moment and suddenly asked, "Can you grow flowers?"
Tao Xing: “…Hmm?”
The commander pointed at the curtain and said, "According to the latest observations and research, natural disasters are extremely polluting to humans and animals, but have no effect on plants. It... likes to look at flowers, but there are very few plants in the world that have not mutated. We finally found a few pots of normal flowers and found that they can attract its attention."
However, flowers left in the wild will wither quickly and can easily be contaminated and mutated by other pollutants. Using flowers can lead it away, but soon the flowers will wither and it will come back.
"This natural disaster is quite friendly." The commander joked, "It seems to like being close to humans."
"What about putting the flower in the old base and leading it into the hyperbaric chamber?" someone suggested.
"The old base was heavily polluted. Ordinary flowers cannot survive. They wither once they enter."
The person who made the suggestion was slightly stunned, nodded, and sighed.
When it comes to apocalyptic pollution, flowers are the most sensitive to it. This apocalypse began with flowers falling all over the ground.
Tao Xing responded to the commander: "I am good at growing flowers." This is not bragging, he is really good at it.
"Okay, Admiral Tao, I'll give you a mission," the commander said. "Take this pot of seedlings and lure out the natural disaster. When the time is right, lead it into the old base."
The commander brought out a flower pot and said, "This is the only uncontaminated flower seedling in the world. Admiral Tao, you must take good care of it. Don't let it die."
Tao Xing looked at the flowerpot and saw a small green seedling, a rose.
He was silent for a moment and nodded: "Yes."
The commander nodded and said, "One more thing. The latest news is that the Scourge has evolved into a human form. Admiral Tao and all of you, please look carefully and recognize its appearance clearly."
The curtain was drawn and a picture appeared.
Tao Xing held the rose seedlings and looked up.
A young man with clear features is looking up at a flower in a wild jungle full of strange and mutated plants. The light shines through the leaves and gently hits his eyelashes. The shadows of the flower and the light are reflected in his red pupils.
Tao Xing's lips curled up inadvertently.
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