The same Private who greeted them at the gates and showed them to the separate housing is waiting for them when the party of four emerges from the temporary lodging. As soon as theye to a stop before him, he hands four cards to Long Zhanye.
"Senior officer, this is M City''s safe zone''s ess card. If you want to leave the safe zone, just directly hand this over to the guards at the gates."
"Un." Taking the cards, he gives one each to the other three.
Having this ess card on hand equals proof of being given the all clear and allowed out of the separated building after observation. Anyone with this card is allowed freedom to roam around the safe zone, save for a few restricted areas. This way of doing things is another issue Long Zhanye raised with his grandfather that day in X City.
As one is able to see from M City''s strict policies, grandfather Long paid special attention to all the potential security risks in the safe zones.
The soldier leads Long Zhanye and the others into the military district''s aircraft hangar. Heading up to the third floor, there are already people awaiting their arrival.
d in perfectly pressed and ironed green military uniform with a solemn expression on his face, the district leader is seated ramrod straight in his chair. He looks to be around thirty or forty years old and has an air of trustworthiness and reliability. As soon as he catches sight of Long Zhanye, he rises and salutes.
Twenty-six cities, twenty-six military districts, from Z City being the lowest and A City being the highest, Long Zhanye''s status as A City''s senior officer means he ranks many times higher than this district''s leader.
"District leader, don''t need to stand on ceremony. I came this time to only spend the night and at the same time be updated on the current circumstances," Long Zhanye says ndly with a light smile, taking a seat under the deferential invitation of the district leader.
Huo Zaiyuan, Qin Jun and Li Qing also sits in that respective order. Very quickly, someone enters to serve them hot tea.
"Four days ago, the weather started to turn rather unusual. Electrical waves also became very unstable. Day before yesterday, starting from nightfall, A District''s general headquarters suddenly lost contact with the other districts. Commander-in-chief Long did say there is a possibility you might pass through M City and will seek to spend the night here. Thus, I''ve been waiting for our eventual meeting." After saying this, he turns to give a few instructions to his second-inmand.
The second-inmand nods and walks into another room to retrieve a file, handing it over to Long Zhanye. "This is the document detailing the "mercenary squad" n that Commander-in-chief Long passed down to the bases. M City''s safe zone has already initiated this n the moment we received these orders. After three days of preparation, we sent out several small squads to search for survivors and necessary supplies. From the multiple reports received from quite a few squads, we discovered that a handful of zombies have gradually be stronger. Within this folder are information and resources that I hope you are able to pass onto A City''s headquarters."
Long Zhanye nods, flipping the file open to look at the documents within. At minimum, there are at least ten pages of detailed records.
Scanning through each page, his eyebrows rise, then he tucks the papers back into the folder and hands it over to Huo Zaiyuan for safekeeping.
"District leader, I have a question."
"Please ask." Hearing Long Zhanye''s words, a trace of nervousness appears on the district leader''s face.
"In this safe zone, are there any survivors who possess special abilities? For instance, their strength suddenly increased many times over, or other such abrupt change?"
This query has already been floating around in Long Zhanye''s mind ever since they separated from Zhou Xingfeng and his group. He wants to uncover the cause of people suddenly possessing mysterious skills and abilities like Zhou Xingfeng''s unexpected rise in physical strength.
"There are people possessing unique abilities in each safe zone. Ever since Judgement Day, there are rare cases of survivors developing such capabilities. However, initially, their powers were weak and limited, hence not many took note of this strange urrence. Around the time we noticed some zombies gradually evolving, the abilities of these rare cases increased as well. Currently, these humans are ssified as "Ability Users". In M City alone, there are twelve such individuals. Five have pyrokinesis, three are areokics, two possesses supernatural speed and reflexes[1]." The district leader doesn''t attempt to conceal anything from Long Zhanye, answering the question to the best of his knowledge.
"Do we know where these abilities originate from and why select individuals possess them?"
"ording to results from various tests, the reason some humans are gifted with these "abilities" may be connected to the apocalypse. Amongst the twelve Ability Users in the safe zone, one of them who possesses supernatural strength acquired his abilities right before our very eyes. He and his five-month pregnant wife fled L City to M City, but was scratched by a zombie on the way here. ording to previous intelligence, anyone who was scratched or bitten by a zombie will transform within eight hours. As soon as he entered the gates, we locked him in the separate house. For three whole days, he ran an extremely high fever while his wife waited for him outside. On the fourth day, the scratch wounds miraculously healed, leaving only scars behind, and he came to possess an ability."
"In other words, not everyone who is bitten or scratched by an undead will turn into one. In the rare case, the victim will have a chance to recover and acquire an ability." Sitting next to Long Zhanye, Huo Zaiyuan finally opens his mouth, recalling Zhou Xingfeng''s case. It could be possible that man''s will to protect his wife and unborn child allowed him to fight through the infection ande out better.
"Exactly," The district leader agrees.
"The zombie''s infection leads to a change in the human''s body. It is quite possible the transformation is linked to a person''s way of thinking and willpower. Humans possess limitless potential. Upon knowing that he was scratched by an undead and will turn into a monster, he still desired to protect his dear family. That dire circumstances enabled him to unlock his hidden potential and fight off the virus, at the same time allowing him to be an Ability User," Qin Jun says, expressing his own opinion.
"That is what the researchers in this safe zone said." The district leader nods, gazing appreciatingly at Qin Jun, not looking down on the apprentice-doctor due to his young age.
Because age doesn''t determine a person''s ability. Like this A City''s senior officer sitting before him, Long Zhanye may be young, but he is undoubtedly a fine example of an elite soldier.
Once again, the district leader instructs his second to bring a map out before drawing a boundary on it. "Senior officer, there is another urgent matter I have to report. Four days ago, the volcano at G City erupted again, spewing forth arge amount of volcanic ash. This led to arge-scale air pollution. A few survivors in I City came into contact with this pollution, which caused their hands and feet to fester. Indications of turning into a zombie appeared on their bodies. The district leader of I City staged an emergency evacuation and are currently en-route to M City. If you are nning to pass through I City, you must not linger there, as it has already be a ghost city. On top of that, based on the signal trail we managed to detect, G City''s volcano emitted poison gases and toxic substance during thetest eruption. These also have the ability to disrupt radio signals, resulting in the loss of connection to other bases."
"I understand."
After discussing a few more matters, Long Zhanye and the others leave the aircraft hangar. Having slept soundly throughout the night, the four men are feeling rather energetic. The rain has passed, and although dark clouds still cover the sky, they decide to continue travelling after a short discussion.
At the gates, the ess cards are handed over to the guards before the group enters the Hummer and departs the safe zone. The vehicle speeds away, and on the road, one can catch an asional glimpse of trucks, vans, off-road vehicles and four-wheel-drives in the distance, all heading for M City''s safe zone. This convoy should be survivors escaping from I City after being evacuated.
"M City''s main highway should be clear. We can get on it after exiting Pan Yuan street to by-pass L City," Long Zhanye states as he drives.
"All right." The others don''t have other opinions, as travelling on the main highway is the fastest.
"That district leader said thistest eruption from G City''s volcano should be the primary phase of the apocalypse. What exactly is beneath that dead volcano?" Li Qing muses aloud from the backseat.
Mere volcanic ash spouted out by a dead volcano, and it can already bring about the end of the world by creating zombies to run rampant. Now it is even polluting the air. How frightening ah.
"Grandfather said that when the apocalypse began, G City was already shrouded by a thickyer of dense fog and the infection took over its two neighbouring cities before anyone could make contact. We''re monitoring it through satellites and have found no indication of living beings. Even the flora have all withered" Long Zhanye says. "B City''s base once sent a team of soldiers and researchers over to investigate, but no one walked out of G City, alive or otherwise. No one has the faintest idea what is going on in G City."
Huo Zaiyuan bites his lower lip, then opens his mouth slowly. "Do you all still remember that poisonous swamp we saw in that Banyan Town?"
Silence settles in the car immediately after these words are spoken. The one who breaks this silence first is Qin Jun. "Little Yuan, are you saying there is a possibility what lies inside G City''s volcano is that horrifying swamp?"
"Yes." Huo Zaiyuan nods.
From his previous life to this day, he has constantly been pondering over this question. Poisonous swamp, devil ants and zombies. Where did they all originate from? When he realised there were devil ants amongst the ashes during the volcano''s initial eruption, and now hearing from M City''s district leader about thetest eruption which polluted the air, he thinks
Perhaps there is an incrediblyrge poisonous swamp inside the dead volcano, hence the ability to spew out poisonous gases that can infect humans with the zombie virus. And as this gases spread, don''t say humans, even nts and animals, and even the very earth itself, can be infected.
Humans will be zombies, nts will either die or transform into demonic beings and the earth will turn into patches of poisonous swamps.
Right this moment, Huo Zaiyuan feels that this world is not only being turned upside down, but it is has been copsing bit by bit ever since Judgment Day arrived. If this continues, by the time the half-year markes around, he will be witnessing the exact same scenes he saw before. Undead and devil ants covering thend, poisonous swamps dotting the earth
Footnotes:
[1] I know that adds up to ten. What happened to the other two? I dont know.