My second uncle also fell ill at the same time.
The two survivors in the same car as me let out short, tense screams. Zhou Yi, however, was overjoyed and repeatedly told Han Bo to stop the car.
"It's evolved! It's evolved! Hahaha, I've finally waited for this! Stop the car, I want its head!"
I watched with emotion as Zhou Yi resolutely got out of the car, and said to the man beside me, "You see, only by facing difficulties head-on can we have hope; retreating will only lead to death."
The van stopped in the middle of the road, and Zhou Yi eagerly strode towards the running zombie. Whether in terms of pace or clawing, the zombie's movements were indeed faster than the ones they had encountered before. If before it was the speed of an excavator, now it had reached the level of a machine arm on an assembly line. Its two arms had almost no muscle or fat support, just a layer of skin covering the bones, like two iron claws reaching for Zhou Yi. Its rotten jaw twitched, and its black teeth gleamed with a rusty light under the bright sun.
Zhou Yi gripped the military dagger, but instead of killing it instantly, he dodged and weaved, teasing the zombie as it circled around a few times. Compared to his agility, the zombie's clumsiness was obvious. It howled and pounced on Zhou Yi again and again.
"It's not afraid of light, and it's significantly faster," Han Bo watched intently. "Has it really evolved?"
I stared at the zombie's movements, frowned, and thought for a moment: "Have you ever heard of the hunger mutation theory? It can also be called the hunger evolution theory."
What is it?
"Simply put, organisms will mutate when they survive in a restricted environment for a long time. Whether it is cold, heat, darkness, hunger, or other abnormal conditions, in order to survive, they must mutate and become a form that is more suitable for the current environment."
Han blinked: "Like boiling a frog in lukewarm water?"
"Pretty much. If you keep the water at a constant temperature and boil it for 20 or 30 years, the surviving frogs will mutate and lay tadpoles in it. These tadpoles will then become warm-water frogs. If you raise the temperature a few more times and continue boiling, you might even be able to breed hot-water frogs."
At this moment, a thin young man squeezed by the car window spoke up: "Frogs don't live that long."
I gave him a speechless glare and continued to Han Bo, "I was just guessing. If a zombie doesn't eat people for a long time, the activity of the virus in its body may decrease. In order not to die out, it has no choice but to fight back and mutate, thereby enhancing the hunting and infection effect by increasing the flexibility of the host's limbs."
Han Bo, behind my back, gave me a thumbs up: "Sounds reliable, how did you come up with that idea?"
I smiled smugly: "Zhou Yi always talks about superpowers and such. I can't help but think about it a bit in my spare time."
"Could it really evolve into a crystal core?"
I shook my head: "Don't you think the idea of a crystal core sounds outrageous? I can accept calling it a relic a little better. Besides, even if you encountered a zombie who was a vegetarian in life, would you dare to eat what's ripped out of its brain? Don't get your hopes up, the higher the expectations, the greater the disappointment!"
At this point, Zhou Yi had finally had his fill of teasing the zombie, knocked it down, pulled out his axe and split its head open. He bent over and scratched at it for a long time before walking back with a dejected look on his face.
Han Bo handed him a cigarette: "How's it going?"
Zhou Yi took the cigarette without saying a word, tucked it behind his ear, and turned to look out the car window, looking gloomy.
It was rare to see him so down, so I felt bad about teasing him too much. I patted him on the shoulder and comforted him, saying, "It's okay, it just mutated and hasn't evolved yet. Just wait a little longer."
He turned to look at me: "You think it can evolve?"
"Uh..." I hesitated for a few seconds, but looking at his expectant eyes, I blurted out a lie: "I guess so, look at what you said about running away from the corpse, it's already happened, and the crystal core is almost there too."
Zhou Yi's gloom vanished instantly, and he grinned, slapping his thigh hard: "See? I wasn't lying! Zombies really do evolve! And they'll definitely have crystal cores!"
The thin young man then interjected, "But I heard that only two percent of people who eat the crystal core can gain superpowers, while ninety-eight percent will die."
Zhou Yi immediately perked up, turning around abruptly and saying, "Who told you that? How could it be as low as two percent? It's clearly ten percent!"
The thin young man said, "That's what the 'Apocalypse Strongman Chronicles' says."
Zhou Yi looked at him with disdain: "You actually believed that rubbish book that's made up? Who is the author? He's completely unknown! Do you know how many post-apocalyptic novels I've read? Death Descends, Legend of the Human King, Zombie King's Search for Beauty, Dragon's Ambition in the Apocalypse, Ancient Zombie Chronicles, Apocalypse: The Lonely City's Harem, I've read all the books by all the great authors, and every single one of them claims to be 10% complete?"
Judging from the title, it didn't seem like there was any scientific basis for it... I silently shrank back into the back seat, while Han Bo chuckled and started the car.
Regardless, the appearance of the corpses served as a wake-up call, and upon returning to the military base, I briefed everyone on the matter. Reactions varied widely: panic, fear, excitement, and deep thought. I can understand the fear, but the excitement, besides Zhou Yi, included Li Qiang, which was quite perplexing.
He and the new, skinny young man were discussing topics like zombie evolution, eating crystal cores, and gaining superpowers with ease. They were about the same height, weighed about the same, and even had similar hairstyles—like twins. Suddenly, I understood where their harmony came from: these weak, nerdy guys shared the same daydreams; they conquered the world through their dreams.
Yu Zhongjian walked up to me and asked, "What are your thoughts?"
I chuckled and said, "You've been very respectful to me lately, always asking me before doing anything."
He twitched the corner of his mouth but didn't say anything.
"If it is indeed a viral mutation as I guessed, then there are two possibilities. One is that the virus is going all out to destroy humanity one last time, burning itself to expand the infection as much as possible, and then it will decline and die. In that case, the survivors just need to protect themselves, lie low for a while, and wait for it to die out on its own, and the world will naturally return to peace. The other possibility is more troublesome. The virus may have mutated due to time, temperature, humidity, or some element in the human body. It will not die out, and may even mutate a second or third time, becoming stronger and stronger in its ability to control the host. Unless a specific drug, vaccine, or biological agent that can inhibit it is developed, otherwise... you know, the real apocalypse will come one day."
The reception room on the first floor was about forty or fifty square meters, and there were more than thirty people crammed in at that moment. As I spoke, the surrounding chatter gradually subsided until it disappeared completely.
I glanced at the somber faces of the people around me and said lightly, "Don't take my bragging too seriously. I have a book on epidemiology in my room, and I just flip through a few pages every night before bed. I've memorized a few terms, but it's all just speculation. Don't scare yourself."
The crowd's expressions didn't improve at all. The middle-aged man who had just been rescued was slumped back in his chair, looking as if he thought, "Heaven is going to kill me."
I turned to Yu Zhongjian and said seriously, "My opinion is to wipe them out. Although the number of enemies is far outnumbered, we can kill one if we can, and we can stop one mutation if we can. I believe that scientists must be developing drugs to deal with the virus. Until it is available, all we can do is hold on and not let ourselves die."
Yu Zhong looked at me directly and smiled, "You always tried to play it safe before, but this time you've taken the initiative."
"Steady?" I raised an eyebrow. "After being pretentious, this is the second untrue assessment you've made of me."
A smile crept into his eyes, and his lips moved slightly, as if he were saying, "Still holding a grudge." I didn't hear him very clearly because Liu Meili suddenly jumped out and pulled me away.
She dragged me, making me stumble, and pulled me all the way to the outside of the reception room, looking somewhat nervous.
"What's wrong?"
"Xiao Qi, you'd better go check on him! Your second uncle is having convulsions, his pupils are dilated, and his body temperature has dropped to the limit!"
"What?" I jumped in surprise and instinctively glanced back at my dad, who was talking to Blackie and the others in the living room. That heartless brat Binbin was still sitting there eating a bread roll. Without daring to utter a sound, I rushed up to the third floor.
Since moving to the veterans' quarters, I've visited my second uncle much less often, only asking about Liu Meili verbally. His condition hasn't improved or worsened; like any other person in a vegetative state, he's lost consciousness and lies quietly asleep. I thought he'd stay like this forever. Although it's unpleasant, it's a miracle he hasn't turned into a zombie; he's still able to maintain a normal human form. If a cure were developed, there's hope for his recovery.
But right now... I didn't have time to think, and rushed into my second uncle's room. I saw his blanket lying on the floor, and he was lying on the bed in a bow-like position.
He was wearing thermal underwear, but you could still see that he was thin and bony, with atrophied muscles, and his skin was still grayish-white, making him look quite frightening.
"Second Uncle, Second Uncle!" I called out in a panic. I took a step closer, and he suddenly lay down flat, then quickly stood up again.
"Liu Meili, what should we do? What should we do? Let's hold him down together!" I grabbed Liu Meili and shook her wildly.
“These are symptoms of epilepsy. We can’t restrain him; let him get through this on his own.”
"Epilepsy?" My mind was a mess. "No, no, my second uncle is going to mutate! If he can't overcome the mutation, he'll die."
"Xiao Qi, don't panic." Liu Meili, displaying the composure of a medical professional, calmly said, "I know your second uncle was bitten by a zombie, which is why he's like this. To put it bluntly, he's already dead. Don't panic, let's wait until he stabilizes, then we'll decide on the next steps. If he shows no abnormalities, we'll raise his temperature, give him a cardiac stimulant, and administer electroconvulsive therapy! If he really does turn into a zombie..."
She squeezed my hand: "That's why I called you up here. If he turns into a zombie, I wouldn't dare to kill him."
As we were talking, my second uncle retaliated twice more, and I was on the verge of tears: "I don't dare to kill him either, if I kill him my dad will kill me!"
Just then, there was a knock on the open door. Turning around, I saw Zhang Yanhuang supporting Gao Chen standing at the door.
"Do you need any help?"
Then I remembered that his room was right next to my second uncle's, and I guessed that his excitement just now must have made them hear something.
I waved my hand and said, "Come in, and close the door."
Ten minutes later, the four of us each pulled up a chair and sat down in front of my second uncle's bed, watching him arch his back for the nth time. He didn't wail or scream, nor did he show any signs of distress; he just quietly went about his illness.
"Why isn't it over yet? Can epileptic seizures last this long?"
"Well... generally speaking, it should be over by now."
"Second Uncle, keep going, don't change, don't change, don't change." I clasped my hands together and chanted.
Gao Chen sat down next to me, turned his head to look at me and said, "Miss Xie, don't worry, Xiao Zhang and I will help you if anything happens."
I:……
His voice was gentle, husky, and magnetic. He was trying to comfort me, but I was left speechless.
Zhang Yanhuang whispered a reminder from the side: "Her surname is Qi, Company Commander. I've told you several times already."
Gao Chen quickly apologized to me, "I'm sorry, Miss Qi."
I waved my hand helplessly: "It's okay, your ribs aren't healed yet, why did you get out of bed?"
"It doesn't hurt anymore. Nurse Liu said I can get out of bed and walk around, which will help with the recovery of muscle tissue."
After another rise and fall, my second uncle finally stopped moving. He closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep again, just like always. I quickly jumped up to touch his hand; it was cold and stiff, the skin completely devoid of color, and he seemed to have no trace of life.
Liu Meili first tested his temperature with an ear thermometer, and then measured his axillary temperature with a traditional thermometer. Neither reading exceeded 20 degrees Celsius.
"It's better than before." Faced with this body temperature data that chilled my heart, Liu Meili tugged at his eyelids and said, "His body temperature dropped to sixteen at one point, his pupils dilated, and his heart had stopped beating. Now we can still feel his pulse, and his pupils have constricted. Let's give him an injection first, and then use a warming blanket to raise his temperature as much as possible."
"Quickly!" I called to Zhang Yanhuang, "Go and call his son, tell someone to boil water, boil lots of water, and bring all the blankets!"
I ran out of the room and rushed down the stairs, shouting, "Someone come here! Turn on the generator, and turn on the air conditioner and heater!"
More than ten people worked tirelessly until midnight, and Uncle's temperature finally stabilized at 25 degrees Celsius and stopped dropping. Although this temperature was still extremely abnormal, his heartbeat returned, his breathing returned, and he returned to his previous "vegetative state."
My parents breathed a sigh of relief, Binbin breathed a sigh of relief, and I breathed a sigh of relief too. I believe we all felt the same way: a vegetative state would be best; no one should die, and certainly no one should turn into a zombie.
I stepped out of the unbearably hot room and leaned against the door to get some fresh air. Liu Meili wiped her sweat and followed behind me: "Xiao Qi, there are many large medical instruments in the outpatient clinic that I don't know how to use. Even if I did, I wouldn't know how to interpret the images and data. I don't know what the condition of your second uncle's internal organs and blood is like now. We still need a professional doctor."
"His internal organs must be diseased," I thought to myself. At the same time, I noticed that the door to the next room was ajar, and light was shining from inside. Gao Chen and Zhang Yanhuang were still awake. They immediately brought my second uncle their own blankets. It was getting chilly in the middle of the night, and they would have to huddle together for warmth tonight.
“Meili, we just discovered a mutated zombie today, and then my second uncle suddenly started having convulsions and hypothermia. What do you think this means?”
Liu Meili's eyes sparkled: "Yu Dandan told you once that you were unhappy, but Xiao Qi, your second uncle pulled through again. He hasn't changed. This means he really has antibodies."
“I wouldn’t dare use a vaccine made by someone like my second uncle,” I shook my head. “Putting aside whether he has antibodies or not, I suspect his abnormality is related to a viral mutation. The zombie virus in his body is also mutating!”
"So what? He hasn't changed. We've been observing him for four hours, and the virus hasn't been able to overcome your second uncle's antibodies!"
"Why do you keep talking about antibodies? I mean we need to strengthen our monitoring of Uncle Er. Maybe we can figure out the pattern of virus mutation by observing his illness."
"What good is knowing its patterns if you can't eliminate it?"
"Take precautions. Before the mutation spreads to all zombies, be vigilant, and strengthen your armed counterattacks."
Liu Meili sighed, "Xiao Qi, do you know how many people there are in this world? And how many have turned into zombies? We can't kill them all. Eliminating or suppressing the spread of the virus is the most important thing. Your second uncle's antibody..."
"Sure, if you can get past my dad, we'll dissect Uncle! Without the government, the army, doctors, or researchers, what else can we roughnecks do besides go out and kill zombies? You're just a little nurse, what are you worrying about!" I said in a harsh tone. Liu Meili glared at me and stormed into the house.
Another person is eyeing my second uncle. I feel a deep sense of crisis, and I always feel that one day my second uncle will lose his reputation in his later years.
Just as I took out a cigarette, the door to the next room suddenly opened, and Gao Chen walked out of the room with one arm around his armpit. I hurriedly stuffed the cigarette into my pocket.
"Still not asleep?"
"Hmm." He looked at me and smiled slightly. "I heard what you were saying just now. Although I don't remember anything from the past, Xiao Zhang said that I'm a soldier, and it's not right for me to always rely on civilians for protection. I'd like to volunteer to go out and fight those...zombies with you. Is that alright, Miss Wu? You're in charge here, right?"
Me: ...And who is this Miss Wu?
At 8 a.m., I was still struggling in a nightmare, desperately shouting at a blurry-faced man: Is the computer lagging? Is the computer lagging?
Suddenly I felt a sharp pain in my cheek. I forced my eyes open a crack and saw Liu Meili, who had been arguing with me all night, lying in front of my face, slapping my mouth repeatedly.
I was half asleep, half awake. I brushed her hand away and hummed, "Is it lagging? Is it lagging?"
Liu Meili pried open my eyelids and said loudly, "The machine isn't stuck, but the faucet is!"
Standing in front of the faucet that hadn't produced a single drop of water even after being turned on for ages, I yawned incessantly, feeling utterly listless. Chen Ruonan said thankfully, "Luckily, I cooked the porridge this morning, otherwise it would have been quite unpleasant for everyone to eat nothing but steamed buns."
Dozens of people were sitting in the canteen when they heard the bad news, and they couldn't even finish their bowls of porridge.
"Why is the water out? This is so sudden."
"I thought the water plant was still running after such a long period of continuous water supply."
"Yes, I hadn't even thought about this until you mentioned it. How could there be any living people at a water plant? Where did the water we drank before come from?"
Everyone was talking at once, and my ears were ringing. I subconsciously realized that something terrible had happened. My lifeline had been cut off, but the physical discomfort caused my brain to shut down, making it impossible to think.
Yu Zhongjian appeared beside me again without me noticing: "What are you thinking?"
I forced open my heavy eyelids: "What kind of program did you set up so that you can't even say something like that? Can't you just come up with your own ideas? Why do you have to ask me?"
"You're the team leader, who else should we ask if not you?"
I suddenly snapped to my senses: "Who brainwashed you?"
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With zero new confirmed cases for several consecutive days, I have a feeling that a tiger is about to be unleashed to take revenge on society—no, I mean, to take revenge on consumption.
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