Sixteen Years

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When Xiao Ming returned to the base with the blood samples, the base had already gathered all the local experts and scholars they could find.

They worked with astonishing efficiency, and within just two days, they had converted a small building in the military district into a dedicated biological research laboratory.

The city outside was in complete chaos, and the military district wasn’t faring much better. Most of the manpower had been deployed for rescue missions, leaving the base heavily guarded. When Xiao Ming returned from outside, he had to pass through three checkpoints at the gate, almost undergoing a thorough inspection.

“There’s no other way,” one of the guards on duty at the gate sighed and said, “This disease is just too bizarre. The slightest contact can lead to infection, and once it spreads, it covers a large area. It’s really dangerous if you’re not careful.”

“I saw it on my way back,” Xiao Ming’s expression was equally grim, and he added, “Front Street is almost like a battlefield.”

The guard at the gate, upon hearing Xiao Ming’s words, let out a bitter sigh, returned Xiao Ming’s identification and belongings, and whispered, “…who knows when this will end.”

The iron gate of the military district base slowly opened up to let the car through. Xiao Ming saluted the guard at the gate and then got into the military district.

Security was strict outside, and the situation inside the military district wasn’t any better. Zhao Jincheng was overseeing the position of the head of the rescue command, busy answering multiple phone calls every minute. Xiao Ming waited at his door for a full twenty minutes before receiving a message allowing him to enter.

Zhao Jincheng’s office was crowded with people, and Xiao Ming scanned the room, seeing a mix of various professions, including some leaders from other departments.

Zhao Jincheng looked pale, with dark circles evident under his eyes. He was seated, pinching the bridge of his nose.

With tired eyes, he half-closed them, waved to the people in the room, and said, “Everyone, leave first. I need some time to think.”

Xiao Ming stood at the back of the crowd, shifted to the side against the wall, lowered his head to make way, and watched as people filed out one by one.

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It wasn’t until the last secretary had left that Xiao Ming cautiously took two steps closer to Zhao Jincheng and carefully observed his complexion.

“How’s Fu Yan doing?” Zhao Jincheng asked.

“He’s safe and has already met with Fang Sining,” Xiao Ming replied. “But I haven’t been in contact with them during my return, so I don’t know the specific progress of their mission.”

“At least he’s safe,” Zhao Jincheng said. “Don’t let anything happen to you precious few.”

“No matter how precious we are, we don’t have planes,” Xiao Ming cracked a joke to lighten the mood. Then he looked at Zhao Jincheng with concern and asked, “Number One, why do you look so terrible?”

“I’ve been in meetings day and night,” Zhao Jincheng pressed his temples. He sat in a large armchair, exuding an air of despair.

“You saw it too; the top leaders have come over,” Zhao Jincheng said. “Things are getting increasingly chaotic outside, and while more people are going out for rescue missions, fewer are coming back. It looks like we’re losing control. The suggestion from the adjacent office is to implement evacuation and containment, encouraging self-help.”

“What does that mean?” Xiao Ming furrowed his brow. “Are they just giving up?”

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“They’re not giving up. How could they?” Zhao Jincheng raised an eyebrow, his tone unkind. “And encouraging self-help is easier said than done. How many ordinary people have the ability to help themselves?”

Xiao Ming said, “So…”

“The problem is that rescue missions are extremely difficult,” Zhao Jincheng sighed wearily. “We can’t possibly escort each civilian individually during evacuation. But if we gather them, infected individuals are bound to be mixed in. In this situation, when you gather civilians together, it’s like creating a large-scale secondary outbreak. Several instances of this have already occurred across the country, with fewer than one percent of evacuees making it out, while infections grow exponentially. The higher-ups keep holding meetings, what can I do?”

“Moreover, we’re critically short of manpower. The whole country is in chaos, and even logistical personnel like those who raise pigs and grow vegetables for the military districts have been dispatched,” Zhao Jincheng said. “But this disease is highly contagious and fast-acting. Infected individuals are running rampant. The rate of infection is much higher than our rate of clearing. The research institute is powerless, with no cure or prevention methods. No matter how many people we send out, it’s impossible to control.”

Xiao Ming listened quietly as Zhao Jincheng vented his frustrations, not daring to speak. He knew that Zhao Jincheng was under much more pressure than they were. While handling frontline rescue dispatches, he also had to bear pressure from higher-ups. It was a thankless position with many constraints.

Xiao Ming didn’t dare to ask about Zhao Jincheng’s future plans. He pursed his lips and placed the refrigerated box that he had been holding in his hand on the table.

“Number One, I brought back the blood samples,” Xiao Ming said. “They are intact. I hope they can be of help.”

“At least we have one piece of good news,” Zhao Jincheng muttered and waved his hand dismissively. “Take it to Building C. It has just been converted into a research facility. Professor Yang Yuqing should be there. Give it to her.”

Yang Yuqing came from the Medical College and held a position similar to Shao Xuefan’s. However, Shao Xuefan focused on bioengineering, while Yang Yuqing was more dedicated to medical research.

Medical virus research mainly focused on the virus’s characteristics and research mechanisms. So, in terms of tracing the virus’s origins, Yang Yuqing’s team needed some time to provide results. However, when it came to characteristics and transmission patterns, they could arrive at conclusions relatively quickly.

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“Professor Yang Yuqing has conducted preliminary tests on the two blood samples,” Xiao Ming said over the phone.”

Yao Tu made a sound of acknowledgement and put the call on speakerphone so that everyone present could hear the news from the other end.

“According to Professor Yang Yuqing, the virus in these two blood samples had already mutated after binding with the human body. It is highly similar to the virus extracted from other zombies, but it is not the original virus strain. The specific information is still under examination, so we are not entirely sure,” Xiao Ming explained. “However, what can be confirmed is that, unlike the virus they extracted, these two samples have lost their activity and are no longer infectious.”

“What does that mean?” He Tang asked. “Does this mean it’s no longer contagious?”

“Not exactly,” Xiao Ming replied. “This brings me to the second thing I wanted to tell you.”

Liu Ruosong put down what he was holding, took a few steps forward, and leaned against the car door, listening carefully to Xiao Ming’s words.

“Based on the information we currently have, the blood and bodily fluids of ‘zombies’ are infectious. If there is an exchange of bodily fluids, even without a bite, there can be a mutation after a certain period,” Xiao Ming continued. “However, the blood sample I brought back has already lost its activity and is no longer infectious. We compared the refrigerated box I brought with the one used by Professor Yang Yuqing’s team, and the only difference we found was that the initial blood sample had been stored at room temperature for a while.”

Xiao Ming paused for a moment and then continued, speaking as if he knew everyone was listening, “Liu ge, how long was the blood sample kept in your possession?”

“Over a day,” Liu Ruosong replied.

“Professor Yang suspects that this virus loses its activity after a certain period of exposure to the air after leaving the host. This time frame might be the time when Liu ge took the blood sample,” Xiao Ming said. “We will try to find more samples to determine this time frame more precisely.”

“That’s somewhat good news,” Liu Ruosong sighed with relief. “At least we won’t have to wash our hands six times a day while on the road, fearing everything.”

“Moreover, based on the information reported from various regions, Professor Yang and her team have observed a typical phenomenon,” Xiao Ming said. “This ‘infection’ appears to be a one-time event. After ‘zombies’ bite someone, they rarely go on to bite other victims again. As a result, most infected individuals remain relatively intact.”

“That’s normal,” Liu Ruosong said, leaning against the car door, arms crossed. Suddenly, he said, “This ‘virus’ can be seen as an alternative form of living organism. Their ‘life goal’ is survival and reproduction. So, they probably see humans as carriers for infection rather than food. Otherwise, they would consume all the carriers, and the virus would have nowhere to spread.”

Xiao Ming fell silent for two seconds on the phone, mumbling, “That seems reasonable.”

“So, does this mean that the initial blood sample was not useful?” He Tang asked.

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“Not exactly,” Xiao Ming replied. “Although highly similar, there are some differences between the initial blood sample and the virus they collected. It’s just that the time is too short right now, and the research team hasn’t fully formed, so it will take time.”

“What about the current useful information?” Shao Qiu asked. “What are the next steps?”

“The focus now is on finding the latest mutation period,” Xiao Ming said. “Professor Yang suggests that the mutation period may be related to the loss of activity. Taking the initial blood sample that I brought back as an example, if the virus becomes inactive 24 hours after leaving the host, can we speculate that if a person is infected with the virus and doesn’t mutate within 24 hours, they are not at risk of mutation?”

“That’s a possibility, but this speculation needs further confirmation,” Liu Ruosong said calmly. “It should be based on the premise that ‘the human body cannot serve as a viable host.’ Currently, we know that the virus causes a person to mutate into something similar to a zombie from the moment of infection. Whether this mutation begins at the time of infection or after a period of survival is something that needs to be double-checked.”

Liu Ruosong’s complexion was calm, his tone steady, and he spoke almost without much thought. He Tang stood beside him, listening attentively, admiring his knowledge.

“Liu Ge,” He Tang poked his arm, impressed, “you’re quite knowledgeable.”

“Oh…” Liu Ruosong realized what she meant and smiled, saying, “After running around for so long, you pick up a bit of everything.”

“Liu Ge is right,” Xiao Ming continued on the phone, “This is also a concern Professor Yang has noticed. With the current chaos outside, many pieces of information are not returning, and we cannot completely confirm whether the virus has an incubation period. So, in the next phase, the base here may focus on researching the transmission and mutation cycles of the virus… Of course, if there’s any more developments, I’ll inform you all immediately.”