Chapter 18
In this world, it seems there are only cockroach monsters and cockroach viruses. If someone is found to be infected, the government will take immediate measures to isolate them. And if the person is found to have mutated, they will be mercilessly shot in the head without hesitation.
The current situation, although it looks bad, is actually under control.
At least in the major safe zones outside the country, people can still go to work freely, go shopping freely, and date and marry freely.
Although when you're out and about, you might have the misfortune of encountering someone who suddenly turns into a cockroach monster, or a huge, terrifying cockroach carrying a virus might inexplicably fly down from the sky.
However, such incidents are actually quite rare in safe zones. It's because everyone has a mobile phone now, and information is so readily available. When an accident occurs, most people will immediately take photos and upload them, which to some extent exaggerates the danger and exacerbates people's fear.
At least not everyone is particularly unlucky and encounters that kind of danger as soon as they go out.
Furthermore, within the safe zone, there are numerous police officers with various supernatural abilities on the streets outside. Most traffic police, patrol officers, armed police, and special police are almost all supernatural beings. It's almost to the point that if an anomaly occurs in a certain area, supernatural police will arrive to handle it within two or three minutes.
Therefore, as things stand, the entire country, especially its capital, is quite safe.
However, according to the novel, this so-called safety should only be temporary.
Humans are now barely able to control the cockroach monsters and cockroach infections.
But later on, when most animals in this world have been infected and mutated, the world may become as terrifying and uncontrollable as it appears in the novel.
At that time, many previously safe provincial security zones within the national safety shield seemed to have become infected. Infected ordinary people bit those around them, and most of those people turned into mindless zombies. Infected animals biting other animals nearby might also infect them. If they bit ordinary civilians, the situation would resemble the initial scenario of humans being bitten by cockroach monsters. Humans couldn't immediately deal with them; they had to isolate them for at least a month to see if they could develop superpowers or transform into various terrifying monsters.
However, so-called isolation and observation only applies when the country is sufficiently safe. Only then can the country invest countless human and material resources to sustain you normally, patiently waiting for your condition to change. But if entire safe zones fall one by one, who will do these things? Will the country still have the resources to do so?
What if, while you're alone at home waiting for the final results, you're killed by other humans who don't know the truth? Or, while you're waiting for the mutation to happen, you're bitten by other infected humans or animals? And then, the person who might have successfully transformed into a superhuman might suddenly be unable to. Also, if there aren't national forces isolating the infected, will those imprisoned or hiding risk coming out for food?
Once he's out, will he infect other normally healthy people?
Anyway, this world will eventually descend into complete chaos.
Twenty years after the apocalypse, the social order that humanity has rebuilt may once again fall apart.
Domestically, the government has to deal with one completely fallen safe zone after another, and consider whether to save them or give up.
Sunflower Planet, which had only ever released various cockroach monsters at Earth, began its real invasion of Earth at that time.
Her cheap master ultimately died fighting outside the border security shield.
Even more terrifying is that there's a spy sent from Sunflower Star right next to the President, the pillar of the entire empire's spirit. That person has infiltrated the head of state's security detail—how terrifying is that?
When reading the novel, it was just an alternative lighthearted story with elements of post-apocalyptic zombies and aliens.
But only when you're actually in this world do you realize how utterly hopeless it can be.
The apocalypse is always accompanied by the mass deaths of those around us and malicious harassment from people on other planets, which is almost more terrifying than invasion.
Perhaps in novels, the focus is on the scenes of the female protagonist interacting with various male protagonists, as well as simple scenes of jealousy and romance.
Even if there is danger, they still have the protagonist's halo.
But what about ordinary people? Even a minor female supporting character like Chen Nan couldn't escape a casual push from one of the male leads. And what about the others? Are they just numbers, some not even even counted in the novel's death toll?
But all of this isn't fiction; it's the complete reality.
Here, Chen Nan has a stepson who treats her very well, despite having no blood relation to her at all, and is willing to buy her expensive plane tickets.
In this world, there are people like Sister Fang (Wang Linlin), whom we may not like anymore, but who still stick to their posts, working silently and making selfless contributions.
There are ordinary police officers in protective suits under the scorching sun outside, and superpowered police officers who rush to the scene at the first sign of danger. There are also the headquarters superpowered police officers who, under pressure, bring in one infected person after another, only to find themselves sitting on wooden benches in the superpower facility, trying to compose themselves. And then, upon receiving orders, they swiftly shoot their former comrades.
And what about those ordinary people who, after being imprisoned by those with superpowers, cried helplessly and ultimately couldn't bear the pressure and jumped from high-rise buildings? What wrong did they do?
But this is only the beginning.
Just because of a cockroach carrying a virus, humanity hid underground for a full twenty years. After finally emerging from underground, it took humanity almost a hundred years to restore the entire society and country to their current state.
But who could have imagined that this was just the beginning of all the disasters?
This world is clearly a terrifying invasion of Earth by a hostile planet.
But even after learning the undercover male lead's identity, the female lead's reaction was merely shock, disbelief, and a desire to escape. Later, after being subjected to various acts by the unusual alien male lead, she completely forgot about his special identity. She simply allowed him to remain in their country, staying close to their head of state.
By this point, Chen Nan, whether influenced by the original novel or simply because she disliked the female lead, simply couldn't stand the kind-hearted heroine in the story.
In short, the female protagonists and various plots that she could accept in novels would be completely unacceptable in reality.
It's like when girls read novels, they like those forced romance scenes, feeling that the male protagonists are especially manly and handsome.
But in reality, who truly enjoys being forcibly taken from someone? If someone ignores your wishes and refuses to listen to your refusals, and suddenly does *that* to you, isn't that a clear case of assault and crime?
Anyway, at this point, Chen Nan felt that the world was messed up and that the female protagonist of the novel was completely brainless and had no sense of right and wrong.
"Chen Nan, are you ready? If you are, come with me to the cafeteria here for lunch, and then we'll go straight to work this afternoon."
While Chen Nan was hiding in the small house, staring blankly at the original owner's birth certificate and lost in thought, Tang Ke knocked on her door from outside.
"Okay!" Having completely recalled the entire plot of the novel, Chen Nan finally understood why Tang Ke had retired from the front lines at such a young age and then come to the Institute of Supernatural Abilities to work on the front lines. Chen Nan also roughly understood his extreme need and desire for young supernatural beings.
Of course, Tang Ke will definitely not be the focus of the original work.
But Tang Ke and Tang Xin are brothers; their grandfather was the same person, and their fathers were brothers. From birth, they were destined to shoulder the responsibility for the prosperity of the entire family.
Therefore, the things that the female protagonist learns about President Tang Xin's experiences later in the novel could very well happen to Tang Ke as well.
I put down what I was holding, quickly grabbed my coat and phone, and went out the door.
Looking at the person in front of him, according to the Tang family tradition, he was probably someone who, in his teens, was deliberately taken to dangerous areas by his elders, intentionally instilled with negative ideas, and whose infection and transformation were even man-made. He thought about how others' infections were accidental, while theirs were deliberately caused by their elders. He thought about how others who became superhumans were given a year-long adaptation period, initially given simple and safe jobs before things became increasingly dangerous. But the so-called Tang family members were almost always sent directly to the military or border regions as soon as their safe period was over, to quickly earn merit and shoulder family responsibilities.
At this moment, looking at his master, who had become a superhuman in his teens, he thought about how the other person had been on the front line of the border before coming to the Superhuman Institute.
At this moment, Chen Nan looked at the other person and was filled with mixed feelings.
"What are you looking at? Let's hurry up and go! When you arrive in a new place, you should quickly get to know the people around you. And the best way to do that quickly is to eat together."
Chen Nan is only 21 years old this year, both physically and mentally young. Tang Ke waved his hand in front of her eyes, and after Chen Nan, who was often lost in thought, quickly regained her focus, Tang Ke led her downstairs while diligently fulfilling his duties as her master and guardian of her special abilities.
"Um!"
Chen Nan, a homebody from her past life, nodded quickly.
Upon arriving at the staff canteen, Chen Nan, at Tang Ke's prompting, took the initiative to greet everyone around her.
"Hello, Sister Wang!"
"Hello!"
"Good afternoon, Brother Liu!"
"Haha, hello everyone!"
"Director Chen, Sister Jiang!"
"Xiao Tang Nan Nan, you're here! Quickly grab your things and sit down with us. Xiao He, come over here and meet your two new colleagues who joined your department today. From now on, they'll be the ones going on missions most of the time, or you'll be going on missions with them."
As Chen Nan and Tang Ke greeted everyone at the local police station and also the traffic police officers nearby, Chief Chen, excited, immediately called over a young policeman who was having dinner with other friends in the distance.
Based on the man's uniform and epaulets, Chen Nan and Tang Ke understood that he was likely an ordinary police officer from the local police station responsible for field duties. He was the type who, when there were officers with superpowers in the department, would stay at the station and avoid going out, or focus on handling cases involving ordinary people. But the situation here was special; he was the kind of officer who was out on the streets in protective gear, handling cases involving superpowered individuals under the guise of an ordinary police officer.
Feeling admiration, Tang Ke immediately raised her hand to shake hands with the other person: "Hello, Captain He, I hope to have more guidance from you in the future."
"Yes, I'll have to trouble you from now on."
Thinking of their colleague who had recently died unexpectedly, Chen Nan felt both saddened and respectful, and quickly raised her hand as well.
"No, you can just call me Xiao He. What kind of captain am I?"
In this day and age, most people are actually unwilling to join the military or become civil servants. Those who do become military or civil servants often want to stay in their offices forever. Those who choose to be frontline police officers as ordinary citizens are either driven by a strong sense of patriotism or face significant financial difficulties at home.
Now that Chen Nan and Tang Ke are here, He Jun won't have to risk going out to handle any more virus-related cases at the station. Even if he has to go out sometimes, having a superhuman with extremely high combat strength by his side, someone who can usually hold his own against infected people and cockroach monsters, will definitely greatly protect his life.
So at this moment, seeing that their personalities were the same as the other ability users who had come before—very humble, not the arrogant and haughty type that others online had criticized—He Jun was genuinely happy as he shook hands with them.
Everyone sat around the table in the small canteen, eating, talking, and getting to know each other.
That afternoon, after receiving the alarm from the command center.
That afternoon, the three people currently in charge of attendance at the institute made an exception and left together.
"Put your gun away. When you encounter ordinary people, you don't need to draw your pistol or cock it. But if it's a case involving supernatural abilities, you need to pull the safety off your pistol when you head there. Also, if I'm not around in the future, when you go out with Xiao He and the others, you must stand in front of him. You are a supernatural police officer, and he is a regular police officer. No matter what, you must protect them, understand?"
As soon as the three of them got into the car and headed to the crime scene, Tang Ke looked at Chen Nan, who seemed a little nervous, and immediately said something.
"Hmm!" Chen Nan, who had subconsciously cocked her pistol, quickly pulled the safety on.
"And next time, don't let Xiao He sit in the front. If it's the three of us next time, I'll sit in the front row. But if it's just the two of you, you'll be responsible for sitting in the front passenger seat, understand?"
After glancing around, Tang Ke noticed He Jun, who was sitting in the passenger seat as soon as he got in the car, and then spoke in a low voice.
"Yes, I understand, Master!"
This was Chen Nan's first time as a police officer, and also her first real mission. So at this moment, no matter what Tang Ke said, Chen Nan nodded earnestly and said yes, and also carefully remembered everything.
"Captain Tang, you don't need to be so serious. After all, Xiao Chen is a girl."
"Yes, you just arrived today."
Seeing him like this, the trainee policeman who was driving ahead that day and He Jun, who was in charge of guiding him, couldn't help but laugh.
"There are no women in the military. When she encounters danger, criminals won't let her go just because she's a woman, and cockroach monsters won't refrain from attacking her just because she's a woman. Besides, she's now a superpowered police officer. As a superpowered police officer and superpowered soldier, she has to remember these things that must be ingrained in her bones."
Even though Chen Nan is still young, Tang Ke doesn't want to relax her education and discipline.
Hearing his words, especially when encountering cockroach monsters outside, He Jun and the newcomer Yu Guangyuan, who genuinely hoped that the superhumans could protect them, fell silent. This wouldn't prevent Tang Ke from properly instructing Chen Nan at this time.
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