Chapter 167 The Laboratory Situation
November 7, 2025.
Today is the beginning of winter, but the temperature in the enclosed underground city base remains between 10 and 20 degrees Celsius, with slight differences in temperature between different levels depending on the number of people and their roles.
Since entering the Dawn Base two months ago, the base has taken in a large number of refugees. The four-story area, which was originally only open, is now overcrowded. The relevant departments have continued to transport reserve food from the granary, which has solved the food problem, but there is not enough accommodation. The ordinary refugee area has expanded to the point where 16 people live in one room.
However, having more people also has its advantages. Most of them are involved in the construction of the base, and four more floors have already been opened. The base management department has re-planned the eight floors that are currently open.
Since the research institute moved here, it has only retained the virus laboratory, while most other biological research departments have been assigned to the base's agricultural and health departments.
Song Heng's team was not the only virus researcher to move to the Dawn Base; several other research teams joined the base later to study the virus together.
The current virus laboratory, including leading scientists and junior staff like Lin Xi, totaling 82 people, has moved to the -7 floor. To isolate them from ordinary residents, all laboratory personnel live in the dormitory area near the laboratory and are not allowed to freely enter other areas.
In fact, the base was under military management in its early stages. Not only laboratories, but all base residents were not allowed to leave their living areas except to participate in necessary work.
For nearly two months, Lin Xi had not seen Xiang Xin and had been living with her female colleagues in the lab, but she and Xiang Xin could still keep in touch by phone.
Water and electricity resources at the base must be redeemed using points from meal cards. Since Lin Xi lives in the dormitory, he didn't bring his own supplies with him. Scientific research work is considered a high-paying job at the base, and the points earned by a junior staff member like Lin Xi can cover basic living expenses.
Charging a phone is easy, but taking a shower is not.
In the safe base, the self-defense gun that Lu Wei gave him became a hot potato.
The accommodation was communal, and showers were taken in public bathrooms, making it really hard to hide the gun.
Fortunately, Lu Wei was well-informed and explained that the militarized management model, which was designed for the base's current inadequate facilities and large number of personnel, would be changed later, and the corresponding living and commercial areas would be opened.
Once the residential buildings are multiplied, Lin Xi will be able to use her points to redeem a double room to live with Xiang Xin.
Just like in her previous life, Xiang Xin participated in the emergency conscription. Although Lu Wei, as the military superior of the base, could not be promoted out of turn, he could be included in his team after a period of training and passing the assessment. He and Liang Hui participated in activities outside the base together.
That's the advantage of traveling in groups.
The moment Xiang Xin received her service weapon, she excitedly shared the news with Lin Xi, and also gave her some instructions:
"If my parents ask you, don't tell them I'm in the army. I only told them I was at the Dawn Base, not that I was going to participate in military activities."
The elderly will still be worried.
The three of them once again went to the outer city to fight zombies, find resources, and rescue refugees, while Lin Xi left the group to stay in the laboratory.
After entering the base, Song Heng threw himself into virus research. The base had a dedicated management department, unlike the previous research institute's temporary shelter which required people to handle various emergencies. Lin Xi's role was no longer so prominent; he was just one of the many junior staff members in his team.
A small amount of intact peptide chains were extracted from both Zhang Qiongqiong's and the infant zombie's bodies. These peptide chains were different from those extracted from the bodies of talking zombies, but none of them contained complete antibodies.
However, everyone discovered that the baby zombie had not consumed any energy for two months, but it had neither died nor grown. Its mutated brain controlled its nerves, and the baby waved its limbs and occasionally cried.
This shows that without external intervention, zombies will not change at all.
The zombies outside need to be cleared out manually.
The research on antibodies stalled again, and Song Heng's team made almost no progress in the past two months.
Scientific research is not something that can be accomplished overnight. Many experiments are conducted to disprove a hypothesis, let alone such a difficult task as antibody research.
However, Song Heng insisted that the breakthrough in antibody research lay in some mutated zombies. After this news was reported, the base ordered the troops sent out to capture some mutated zombies alive.
Lu Weixiang and the others continued to keep an eye on things from outside.
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On an ordinary noon, Lin Xi and two colleagues went to collect experimental equipment.
The test tubes, gloves, and protective clothing used in the laboratory are all consumables. The factory at the base has not yet been opened, and these resources are all old stock, so they are in short supply and we can't always get them.
Just like today, when Lin Xi arrived at the materials management office, there were already other people queuing up.
Besides Song Heng, there are two other well-known biologists, Zhou Yiheng and Academician Cheng Xiaoyang, each with their own teams.
The staff at the management office recognized them and knew they came from three different teams. They frankly said, "Only five boxes of new test tubes arrived. How do you plan to divide them?"
Besides the supplies allocated per person, the other experimental consumables management office usually divides them into three equal parts and sends them to three different research teams.
But there are only five boxes left.
The management office didn't want to offend anyone, so they waited for Lin Xi and his three groups to arrive so they could dump the problem on them and solve it themselves.
Seeing that neither side was speaking and they seemed to be yielding to each other, Lin Xi took the initiative to say, "Then let's split it into three equal parts."
“This… isn’t it a bit disrespectful to divide the test tubes on the spot?” The speaker was Zhou Yiheng, Guo Yanlin’s prized student, who had already made a name for himself in the domestic biology community before the apocalypse.
“Yes, counting them one by one carries the risk of breaking and contamination.” Wang Yitong, a member of Cheng Xiaoyang’s team, replied.
The two of them were talking in unison, and Lin Xi realized that their silence earlier wasn't out of "humility."
She said coldly, "Then do you have any better way to divide it equally?"
Wang Yitong raised an eyebrow: "Why should it be divided equally? Whichever lab needs it most urgently should get it first."
Lin Xi looked at her.
Wang Yitong continued, "The drug we are researching in our lab is about to yield results, and now is a critical moment, which is exactly when we need these devices."
Zhou Yiheng coughed lightly: "Our lab's projects are also very important."
Cheng Ling frowned: "Which lab's project isn't important?"
"No matter how important it is, I haven't seen you produce any results," Zhou Yiheng retorted directly.
In the two months since moving into the base, the three laboratories have been conducting their own research. Song Heng's research has always focused on extracting antibodies to study antiviral vaccines, which is his specialty.
The other two laboratories are researching drugs to destroy viruses.
Wang Yitong: "Our lab just developed an anesthetic last month that has a mild paralyzing effect on zombies."
Zhou Yiheng: "We have developed a slow-acting poison."
Lin Xi, however, could not recount the research findings of their laboratory.
Because vaccine research only has two outcomes: either it succeeds or it doesn't.
Judging from their posture, they had probably already decided in their minds who would receive the supplies: two boxes each for themselves and one box for Lin Xi.
But Lin Xi still coldly questioned, "So what?"
Wang Yitong rolled her eyes: "So the supplies should be prioritized for our two labs first, our project is more important."
Lin Xi: "Who said your project is important, the two of you?"
Zhou Yiheng chuckled impatiently: "We're researching chemical weapons to control zombies, you're researching vaccines. Isn't fighting zombies the most important thing right now?"
Wang Yitong: "We must eliminate the zombies first in order to protect the remaining survivors."
Lin Xi: "Only by developing a vaccine to prevent people from getting infected can we avoid the emergence of more zombies."
Wang Yitong: "..."
The staff member at the management office stared at them for a while, then scratched his head and said, "Why does this logic sound so familiar?"
Lin Xi: "Yes. It's like the chicken-or-egg dilemma."
It's interesting that a group of top biology students are discussing this kind of issue.
Zhou Yiheng looked aloof and seemed unwilling to say more.
Wang Yitong pressed on, "No matter what, our lab has achieved results, and it's at a crucial moment. The teacher originally told me to take three boxes, but since supplies are scarce now, I'll take two boxes first, and you can distribute the rest."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Yiheng knew that this guy was planning to leave first. He glared at her and then said to Lin Xi, "This... junior sister, right? Let's not talk about the project for now. Professor Guo Yanlin is older than Professor Song Heng. Professor Song Heng respectfully calls him 'senior.' You should at least give way to him."
First, call her "junior sister," then they act senior and rely on their age to act superior.
In a three-person argument, one person is always the one who is unstable.
Lin Xi retorted, "Then why don't you ask her to let you have her? Her professor is the youngest."
Wang Yitong: "Huh? You? I already told you we have experimental results, our anesthetic..."
Lin Xi didn't want to hear this explanation again and interrupted directly: "I know that hitting a zombie will reduce its speed by 30% after 20 minutes, right? You guys probably haven't killed zombies before. If you're chased by a zombie for 20 minutes, you'll either have escaped its range, or you'll fight back or be bitten to death. In real wilderness combat, you can't wait 20 minutes. Plus, there are individual differences, so this 30% speed reduction effect is practically non-existent on some aberrant species."
Seeing her lab's findings rejected, Wang Yitong gritted her teeth: "What do you know? Have you ever fought a zombie? This 30% speed reduction effect..."
Another female colleague brought by Lin Xi chimed in, "Our junior sister Lin has actually fought zombies. When the zombie outbreak occurred at the research institute, Lin Xi killed 18 zombies by herself in 20 minutes."
She then said to Guo Yanlin, "The chemical agent you developed can slowly decompose the zombie virus, but even after using three doses, the zombie will not truly suffer brain death for one day. And as far as I know, the cost of one dose is not low."
Guo Yanlin sneered: "So what? Do you dare to look down on our achievements?"
"I don't look down on the achievements of any team; it's you who look down on us," Lin Xi said neither humbly nor arrogantly. "Since the zombie outbreak, every team has focused on research and done their utmost to achieve the progress we have today. What I want to say is that none of our three teams have complete results yet, and none of us are more noble than the others."
While she was talking to Guo Yanlin, Wang Yitong was exchanging information with her colleagues.
"She really killed 18 zombies?"
"I think I've heard about this before. Song Heng has a subordinate named Chao Xiong, I didn't expect it to be her."
"Should we still try to take it? What if she hits someone? We might not be able to beat her."
"I don't believe she would dare to hit someone..."
Having lived through so many lifetimes, Lin Xi was already used to all kinds of rumors and gossip. In her previous life, she had even experienced cyberbullying and doxxing. The word "Chao Xiong" had no effect on her; instead, it reminded her of this incident.
Lin Xi took her hand out of her pocket and made a rolling-up motion with her sleeve.
Guo Yanlin also calmed down and heard Wang Yitong and the others' conversation. Combined with the action of rolling up his sleeves, everyone started to imagine what it would be like for someone who could fight 18 zombies to fight.
Wang Yitong: "What? Just because you can't argue with someone doesn't mean you have to hit them!"
Lin Xi shrugged: "Who said I was going to hit someone? It was just too hot, so I rolled up my sleeves."
The three fell into a silent stalemate once again.
Lin Xi had already explained the reasons politely and offered her opinion fairly, resulting in a 50/50 split among the three groups. Sometimes, I really think that fists can be quite effective.
She sighed impatiently, "If only we could have spent the time we've wasted here in the lab. I don't need much, just a third of it, and you can figure out the rest yourselves."
Lin Xi waved his hand, glanced at the number on the box, did a quick calculation, and then led his two colleagues to count the test tubes on the spot.
Guo Yanlin and Wang Yitong exchanged a glance. Their sense of superiority stemmed from the new achievements in their own lab, so they tacitly agreed to withhold Lin Xi's supplies. They were in the wrong to begin with, and now that they knew Lin Xi had the upper hand, they didn't dare to force her. Not wanting to disrupt the balance between them, they had no choice but to sit down and share the supplies with Lin Xi.
On the way back, Zhao Jing, another colleague who had spoken up for Lin Xi earlier, said while carrying some things, "Junior sister, actually we invited you here on purpose this time."
Lin Xi: "Does this kind of thing happen often?"
Zhao Jing nodded: "Look at our clothes and their clothes. Last time we came to get lab coats, they picked out all the good ones."
Cheng Ling: "It's the same with receiving supplies. If there are exactly three portions, that's fine, but if there aren't enough, those two groups will take the lion's share. They always bring up their meager achievements, which are practically nothing!"
Zhao Jing: "Exactly, it's not like we haven't made any progress. It's just that a vaccine can't be developed with a 5% success rate. There are only two possibilities: it can protect against the virus or it can't. Are we going to have people who are half-zombies by then?"
Lin Xi vaguely heard from her colleagues that since the base now has three laboratories operating in parallel, comparisons have gradually been made. The other two laboratories have made some progress, but Song Heng's side has not yet achieved any significant results.
The three leading teachers appeared to be on good terms, but the team members below them had a hierarchy of contempt.
They wouldn't show anything to Song Heng, but they would deduct the amount from the staff members who came to collect supplies from Song Heng's side when supplies were unevenly distributed.
Unfortunately, Song Heng was the type of person who, once engrossed in his research, would become oblivious to everything else and didn't care about anything else at all.
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