591: 9.61 Zombie Mutation

9.61 Zombie Mutation

In the military basecamp.2

Li Zhu lifted his head from the microscope when he heard a faint commotion from outside, frowning. The laboratory was already equipped with thick glass doors to begin with in order to create a conducive environment for his research. And for sounds to travel to where he was, it meant that there was a huge uproar outside!

The basecamp always had soldiers patrolling back and forth, and Li Zhu had already gotten used to them rushing around to deliver reports to the higher-ups, no matter how trifling it was. He had just wanted to immerse himself back into the research when he recalled something important.

—Wait a minute. Today… wasn't it Commander Yang's big operation?!

All of a sudden, an inexplicable panic seized him and he was unable to concentrate on his experiment anymore. He fumbled to put his computer on standby, took off his goggles and rushed out. As soon as he slid the door open, a shrill cry entered his ears,

"...doomed! We are all doomed!"

For a split second, Li Zhu's mind went blank and colors drained from his face. His feet mechanically brought him to the source of the commotion, yet every single step he took was so heavy it was dragging on his heart as well. It couldn't be… Commander Yang was so capable, he was the most powerful man in the world. How could such a person be defeated?

Along the way, paramedics in bright orange uniforms ran past him, yelling, "Make way, please make way!" They were carrying a few folded stretchers, their faces grave and solemn. Unknowingly, Li Zhu's steps quickened and he hastily trailed along them. 

No, no… How could it be? It must be some other problem, he tried to convince himself and suppress the churning restlessness. That's right, whether it was Yang Tengfei's team or not, nothing was certain yet!

Following the paramedics, he exited the corridor and arrived at the front of the basecamp. There was already a big crowd forming there, the majority of them were soldiers and the higher-ups. All of their expressions did not look too good. As Li Zhu drifted closer, their conversation gradually entered his ears.

"Fifty of our most elite soldiers departed, and only seven returned?! How is this possible?!"

"I–It's the Zombie King! The zombie King led his army to wipe us out! Sir, you have no idea how terrifying he is!!"

"If not for Commander Yang forcibly opening a path for us, we would have… we would have…"

Those words 'Commander Yang' seemed to snap Li Zhu out of his stupor. Pale faced, he slipped into the crowd whilst muttering, "Excuse me, excuse me… please let me pass!" Seeing that it was their researcher, the soldiers immediately gave way and a clear path opened up in front of Li Zhu, unfurling a sight that would haunt his nightmare for life.

Seven bloodied soldiers were laying on the stretchers, covered in injuries from head to toe. Only three remained conscious, even then it was like they had experienced a great mental damage. Their eyes were bloodshot and manic, and they insisted on having their guns close to them even after they had been rescued. It was apparent how deep the psychological trauma they received from this one accident.

However, Li Zhu's attention was not on them, but on a certain unconscious figure who was currently being surrounded by two medics. One of them was putting an oxygen mask on Yang Tengfei's face while the other… was bandaging his stumped right arm which was still dripping blood…

Yang Tengfei's right arm… His dominant, powerful arm which was used to hold guns and eliminate countless enemies was gone…

Li Zhu's vision abruptly darkened and he swayed on his feet. A soldier agilely caught him and asked in concern, "Are you okay?!"

Li Zhu opened his mouth to answer, yet for some reason, no words came out. His mind was buzzing and cold sweat ran down his entire body. It was cold… so cold as if winter had suddenly descended around him alone. Tears threatened to spill over his eyes but he firmly held them back. He heard himself asking in a strange, hoarse voice, "H–How is he?"

The paramedic made an uncertain noise as he examined the arm. "This doesn't look like it was done by a zombie. The incision is too neat. Even if it's cut by a knife, it needs a lot of power to be able to create such a wound."

Hearing that, the wounded soldier on the next stretcher wept bitterly. He was a Special Forces soldier, yet at the moment, he could not hold back his tears, letting them wash down his cheeks and mixing with the half-dried blood. He struggled to speak between sobs. "I–It's Commander Yang who did it himself! He… He was scratched by a zombie and… to prevent the virus from spreading all over his body, he could only cut his own arm off!"

There was a second of utter silence before another uproar descended.

The higher-ups, who were interrogating the returnee, immediately took a few steps back with a dreadful look. "H–He's scratched by a zombie?! Then what are you waiting for? Hurry and isolate him!" Their order was firm and resolute. It was as if they had forgotten who was the one who risked his life to protect them, and once Yang Tengfei was deemed useless, they would not hesitate to discard him without any burden whatsoever.

Li Zhu sprung up as if he was being electrocuted. His eyes were red in agitation. "N–Nothing is certain yet!" He stood between Commander Yang and the higher-ups as though he could hide him this way. "Commander Yang has quick reaction time. Even if the virus' multiplying rate is fast, it's highly possible that Commander Yang has cut his arm off before the virus can spread to his body! See… he doesn't show any signs of being infected!"

Li Zhu sounded so certain of himself that the higher-ups could not help but be swayed. They scrutinized Yang Tengfei closely and indeed, he did not show any visible signs of infection. However, it did not mean they could let their guard down. "Li Zhu, isn't it?" They smiled, but there was a hint of doubt and wariness in their gaze. "You're young so you might not understand. There is a protocol we have to follow; no matter if it's the President or the Commander himself, once they are suspected of being a virus carrier, they have to be isolated. We are not doing this to incriminate Commander Yang, but for everyone's safety, including you. Understand?"

Li Zhu clenched his fists tightly, his shoulders shaking to suppress his anger.

He understood. Of course, he did. It was because the higher-ups could not trust his capability. He had no notable achievement to his name nor had he succeeded in creating the vaccine. In this place, he was only 'Zhao Bolin's replacement', the last possible choice they reluctantly took because Zhao Bolin was no longer here. Li Zhu could not help but laugh bitterly at himself. If it was Zhao Bolin who was standing in his place right now, telling them that Yang Tengfei was not infected, would the higher-ups still make the same decision? Would they be willing to trust him?

Helpless, Li Zhu could only watch Yang Tengfei be carried away into the isolation area. Through the time he had stayed here, he knew that… ninety percent of the people who entered that area had never come out anymore…

It was all because he was not strong enough!

Faster…! He had to be faster and create the vaccine as soon as possible! Only then could he be allowed to see Yang Tengfei again, only then would he be able to save him!

Li Zhu's teary eyes gleamed in burning determination. He had just intended to return to the laboratory when a soldier came hurrying with a flustered look. Now that Yang Tengfei was severely injured, the one in charge of the military basecamp became Vice Commander Ru. Li Zhu was not too familiar with that man because Vice Commander Ru was almost never at the basecamp. It was only today that he was summoned back to hold the fort while Yang Tengfei was away.

Vice Commander Ru's reputation did not lose out to Yang Tengfei at all, however, the man's gaze held a vicious glint that made Li Zhu uncomfortable for some reason. With him, Li Zhu felt no sense of security like how he did when Yang Tengfei was in charge.

"Reporting to the Vice Commander!" The soldier exclaimed in haste and saluted.

Vice Commander Ru frowned. "What's wrong?"

"It…It's the zombie! They have surrounded us! The preliminary count… it's estimated that the number has reached five thousand!"

"What?!" Everyone present was shocked into bewilderment. Li Zhu stared at the soldier who brought the news, bewildered and flustered. How could… How could bad things happen one after another just as Yang Tengfei was gone?! 

Vice Commander Ru rebuked angrily. "How can such a thing happen out of nowhere?!"

"No, no! It's not out of nowhere!" The soldier was so anxious he was going to cry. "The zombies have started to move since a few hours ago but… they are detected within our radar! That's why we didn't realize anything until it's too late!" 

Vice Commander Ru was stunned. "Not detected?!"

The technology to supervise the rate of virus spread, which was indicated by blue and red dots, had been one of their most reliable innovations. It had always been running 24/7 ever since the beginning of the virus outbreak. Previously, they had managed to evade numerous crises because the control room had notified them head-on of the zombies' invasion. Without that, they would have been wiped out! But now… the zombies were no longer detected in the radar?! How could this be possible?! It was not like they could turn invisible!

Amidst the depressing silence, someone suddenly said, "No…"

It was not until everyone's gazes turned to him did Li Zhu realize it was him who had spoken. However, he was currently in daze as he stared at the tall metal fence in the distance as if he could see through the perilous situation outside. He felt like half of his soul had flown away to where Yang Tengfei was and only the remaining half remained to barely maintain his sanity. He said in a calm voice that sounded familiar even to his own ears. "The detector is built with specific heat and movement sensors, and now that the zombies are no longer within our radar, it can only mean one thing…"

He swept his gaze over everyone and finished his sentence with a numb expression, "...they have mutated."

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