A Journey of American Comics Starting from the Zombie Universe

Chapter 648

Just as the soldier regained some sanity and the atmosphere in the camp eased slightly, a sense of uneasiness suddenly filled the air. Another soldier, with a distorted face and a crazy light in his eyes, suddenly shouted, "Do the children miss me?" This voice penetrated the silence around them and shook people's hearts like thunder.

He suddenly broke away from his companions who were trying to comfort him, and ran towards the helicopter with staggering but extremely determined steps. The exclamations and persuasions of the crowd intertwined, but failed to stop him. He waved his arms, as if to push away all obstacles, and finally used all his strength to hit the helicopter door with a fierce elbow.

"No! Stop!" Bai Ye's voice sounded again, but this time it was filled with anxiety that was difficult to conceal. He knew very well that if the soldier was allowed to fly the helicopter away alone, the consequences would be disastrous. However, the soldier had already sat in the cockpit and started the engine. The helicopter roared, and the fuselage trembled slightly, ready to take off again.

At this critical moment, Bai Ye made an unexpected move. He quickly took out a basketball from his backpack. The basketball was still covered with dust, and it was obviously found by chance during the journey. He held the basketball high and shouted to the helicopter that was about to take off: "Hey, soldier! How about coming down to play a game of basketball? We need you!"

This sudden invitation stunned everyone, including the soldier who was about to fly away in a helicopter. He stopped what he was doing, turned his head and looked at Bai Ye, with a hint of doubt in his eyes. Seeing this, Bai Ye continued to shout: "Do you remember how we used to play basketball in the open space? We were so happy back then! Now, let's find that happiness together!"

The soldier's body was trembling slightly, and his eyes were wavering between madness and reason. The soldiers around him also joined in persuading him, recalling the good times they had spent together in the past. Those simple but warm memories were like a warm current that gradually melted the frost in the soldier's heart.

"Yeah, we had so much fun playing basketball before!"

"Come on, come down, we need you!"

The soldier's lips moved, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he was overwhelmed by his inner struggle. However, at this moment, Bai Ye made a bolder decision. He threw the basketball into the air with force, and the basketball drew a beautiful arc and landed steadily on the open space not far away, making a light "bang" sound.

"Look, the basketball is waiting for you!" Bai Ye shouted loudly, while extending his hand to the soldier, his eyes full of sincerity and expectation.

At this moment, it was as if time had stopped. The soldier's eyes followed the landing point of the basketball and finally fixed on Bai Ye's outstretched hand. A glimmer of clarity flashed in his eyes, followed by deep hesitation. Finally, he made a decision, slowly loosened his hand holding the joystick, stood up, and walked out of the cockpit.

The helicopter lost control and slowly landed on the ground with a heavy roar. The soldier walked towards Bai Ye with heavy steps, and each step seemed to carry a heavy pressure. When he finally stood in front of Bai Ye, the two looked at each other for a moment, without words, everything was said without words.

"I... I don't know what happened to me." The soldier's voice was hoarse and low, "But I seemed to hear your call."

"We are all here." Bai Ye replied with a smile, "No matter what happens, we will face it together. Come on, let's play a game of basketball and find the happiness that belongs to us."

Soldiers gathered around, some handed over towels, some handed over water bottles, and some stood aside silently, giving support with their eyes. In this land devastated by war, this moment of warmth and solidarity is particularly precious.

The soldier took the basketball, and the feel was still familiar, as if he had returned to the carefree past. He took a deep breath, and then threw the basketball into the air with force. The basketball drew a perfect arc in the air and landed on the open ground again. The soldier followed and started this belated basketball game with Bai Ye and other soldiers.

Although their movements are not as agile as before, and their faces are full of fatigue and vicissitudes, their love for basketball, cherishment of friendship, and desire for life have never changed. In this barren land, they use basketball to convey hope and strength, and write their own legends with sweat.

As the basketball bounced and landed on the open ground, the tense atmosphere seemed to be relieved a little, but this calm did not last long. Suddenly, a more oppressive atmosphere filled the air, as if an invisible force was quietly spreading, eroding the sanity of every soldier.

The soldiers who were sweating on the basketball court began to behave abnormally. Some stopped and looked into the distance with empty eyes, as if attracted by some sound or picture; some began to mutter to themselves in a low and rapid voice, as if they were talking to the devil deep in their hearts; some even knelt on the ground, holding their heads with their hands, twisting their bodies in pain, and wailing.

"This...what's going on?" Bai Ye's voice revealed unprecedented panic. He looked around, trying to find an answer, but everything around him told him that the situation was rapidly deteriorating.

"Bai Ye, we...we seem to be affected by something." A soldier struggled to stand up, but his body was still shaking. "I feel like my head is full of noise, making me unable to think."

"Yes, me too." Another soldier echoed, "I feel like I'm split into two, one wants to escape, and the other wants to destroy."

Bai Ye took a deep breath and tried to keep himself calm. He knew that in this situation, any panic and confusion would only accelerate the deterioration of the situation. He had to find the root cause of the problem and find a solution as soon as possible.

"Don't panic, everyone!" Bai Ye shouted, "We are a team, we must unite and face this challenge together!"

However, his voice seemed to be drowned out by the chaos around him, the soldiers were becoming more and more agitated, and their rational defenses were gradually collapsing. Some began to push each other, some tried to flee from this cursed land, and more fell into a deep struggle with themselves.

At this moment, an even more shocking scene appeared. Several soldiers suddenly stood up, their eyes became extremely fierce, as if they had turned into wild beasts. They began to attack their companions around them, punching and kicking them mercilessly. For a moment, the open space was in chaos, with wailing and cries for help coming one after another, forming a tragic picture. "Stop! What are you doing!" Bai Ye roared and rushed forward, trying to stop this endless atrocity. But his power was limited after all. Facing the soldiers who had lost their minds, he seemed so small and helpless.

At this moment, a thought flashed through Bai Ye's mind. He suddenly remembered that during the previous voyage, they had encountered a strange marine creature whose body fluids could affect the human nervous system and cause abnormal behavior. Could it be that... these soldiers were also affected in a similar way?

Bai Ye quickly looked around, looking for possible clues. Finally, his eyes fell on a body of water not far away. There were some strange seaweed and shells floating there, exactly the same as they had seen during their previous voyage.

"It must be these seaweeds!" Bai Ye concluded in his heart, "They must contain some substance that can affect the human brain!"

Thinking of this, Bai Ye immediately took action. He quickly organized the remaining awake soldiers and asked them to collect water and clean food as quickly as possible to avoid further pollution. At the same time, he personally led a team to the waters to try to find a way to eliminate the impact.

However, things were much more complicated than Bai Ye had imagined. When they approached the water, a pungent smell hit them, making it almost impossible to breathe. The strange light emitted from the seaweed and shells made people feel even colder.

"Everyone be careful!" Bai Ye warned in a low voice, "These seaweeds may be highly poisonous!"

The soldiers approached the water's edge carefully, using long poles and ropes to pick up seaweed and shells one by one. However, just as they were about to succeed, a sudden strong wind swept in and destroyed their efforts.

"No!" Bai Ye roared, but it was too late. The strong wind blew the seaweed and shells everywhere, and some even fell directly into the soldiers' mouths or wounds.

Suddenly, more soldiers fell into madness. They began to attack and kill each other, and the entire camp fell into unprecedented chaos. Bai Ye tried his best to stop the spread of this disaster, but he found that he was no longer able to do so.

"Are we going to be destroyed like this?" Bai Ye's heart was filled with despair and unwillingness. He looked at his comrades who had fought side by side with him but now became like enemies, and his heart was as painful as a knife.

However, just when Bai Ye was about to give up, a miraculous turn of events occurred. A soldier suddenly stopped attacking, and a trace of clarity returned to his eyes. He looked at the chaotic scene around him, then looked at Bai Ye's face full of despair, and then slowly shook his head.

"No...we can't do this..." he muttered to himself, "We are a team...we can't give up on each other..."

As the soldier regained consciousness, more soldiers gradually regained their sanity. They stopped their atrocities and began to support and comfort each other. Bai Ye was overjoyed and immediately seized the opportunity to organize the soldiers to save themselves and each other.

After a lot of hard work, they finally succeeded in isolating most of the affected soldiers and found a method that could temporarily relieve their symptoms. Although this method could not cure the problem, it at least bought them precious time and space to find a better solution.

Bai Ye looked at the camp that was gradually calming down, feeling mixed emotions. He knew that although this sudden incident did not cause any casualties, it was like a sharp knife that deeply engraved everyone's heart, leaving indelible scars. The soldiers' eyes were no longer filled with determination and courage, but with confusion and anxiety.

He slowly exhaled a long breath and decided to temporarily suppress this heavy burden in his heart so as not to let it affect the morale of the team. Bai Ye knew that as a leader, he must show great strength and calmness in order to lead the soldiers out of the predicament and continue to move forward.

"Everyone, listen to me." Bai Ye's voice was steady and powerful, penetrating every inch of space in the camp, allowing every soldier to feel his determination and courage. "I know that everything that happened just now shocked and frightened us all. But please believe that we are a united collective, and nothing can defeat us."

The soldiers looked at each other, but they all saw the same emotion in each other's eyes - a feeling of relief at surviving the disaster, but also uncertainty and worry about the future. However, encouraged by Bai Ye, they gradually cheered up and regrouped into a force that could not be underestimated.

"From now on, we must treat this as a test, a test that will make us more united and stronger." Bai Ye continued, "We must forget the unpleasantness and focus on the next task. We must use practical actions to prove that no matter what difficulties we encounter, we can work together and be invincible!"

The soldiers nodded in agreement. They began to organize their equipment and clean up the battlefield. Everything was proceeding in an orderly manner. Although there was still a hint of tension and uneasiness in the air, the oppressive atmosphere had obviously weakened a lot.

In the following days, Bai Ye and the soldiers worked hard to find out the real cause of the incident. They analyzed all possible factors, including environmental factors, psychological factors, and physiological factors. After a series of experiments and observations, they finally discovered an unknown microorganism that can affect the human nervous system and cause abnormal behavior.

In order to prevent similar incidents from happening again, Bai Ye and the soldiers took a series of measures. They strengthened the sanitation management of the camp and disinfected it regularly. At the same time, they also strengthened the psychological counseling of the soldiers to help them relieve stress and adjust their mentality. In addition, they also developed a vaccine that can resist this microorganism and vaccinated all soldiers.

As time went by, the camp gradually returned to its former peace and order. The soldiers' faces were filled with smiles and confidence again. They knew that no matter how many unknowns and challenges were waiting for them in the future, as long as they united as one and moved forward courageously, nothing could stop them from moving forward.

(End of this chapter)