Chapter 60: This World Is Far Too Dangerous
Watching Cui Zhiyun’s fingers fly across the keyboard, Li Changsheng couldn’t help but ask curiously, “What are you doing? Working?”
Cui Zhiyun nodded. “My assignment isn’t finished yet.”
A hint of surprise flashed in Li Changsheng’s eyes as he looked at her. “Weren’t you dismissed already?”
The recorder yesterday had made it quite clear—a councilman named Han Zairong had declared Cui Zhiyun a traitor. By now, her name was probably plastered across every notice board.
Cui Zhiyun shook her head, unbothered. “That’s just the trick of one councilman in the Masonic Order. For all I know, the others might not agree with him at all. Besides, leaving the Masonic Order aside, I still have my status in the Joint Fleet.”
“Masonic Order? Joint Fleet? What exactly are those?” Li Changsheng asked, puzzled.
Cui Zhiyun gave him a long look. “You really don’t know? Are you actually a civilian?”
Li Changsheng nodded.
Cui Zhiyun studied him from head to toe. “It seems you really aren’t with the authorities.”
A flicker of something unreadable passed through her eyes, and her mood seemed to lighten. Seeing his confusion, she paused her typing and explained, “Generally, even during peacetime, every nation makes preparations for disasters—nuclear war, for example.”
That much Li Changsheng knew. He’d seen enough Western blockbusters from his previous life to know the U.S. president had a special bunker.
Cui Zhiyun continued, “So, even after a viral catastrophe like this, there are still official forces at work.”
Li Changsheng nodded, half-understanding. “So this Masonic Order and Joint Fleet you’re talking about—they’re like the pre-catastrophe authorities? But why haven’t we received any rescue information from them?”
Cui Zhiyun sighed. “Rescue happened at the start of the disaster, but it was targeted. Resources were limited, so only a select few were saved. After all, tickets for the end-times ark aren’t easy to come by.”
At this, Li Changsheng was reminded of the movie he’d seen in his past life—2012—where, as the global flood arrived, those who boarded the arks survived...
A chill passed through his heart. “So, you’re saying the current authorities are just the rich?”
She shook her head. “Not all of them. There are also experts from various fields. On the Joint Fleet, for instance, most survivors are soldiers and specialists.”
Li Changsheng looked at her earnestly. “Could you tell me more about the Masonic Order and the Joint Fleet?”
Cui Zhiyun hesitated, then nodded. “Currently, the legitimate authorities on the American continent are split into two parts. One is the Atlantic Joint Fleet—originally the United Nations Affairs Department—now made up of survivors from several countries, under military control.
“The other is the Masonic Order in Mississippi. They’ve cleared out a city, and all the survivors live there, ruled by twelve councilmen.”
A trace of doubt appeared in Li Changsheng’s eyes. “By your account, there should be quite a few of you. With your strength, wiping out these flesh-and-blood zombies should be easy—just use heavy firepower. So why hasn’t a single city been reclaimed yet?”
Cui Zhiyun shook her head. “It’s not that simple. First, there aren’t enough people. Second, there are too many mutated strains of the virus, and the authorities don’t dare risk it. You have to understand, the virus isn’t just spread by bodily fluids; in some regions, the mutations are airborne. The more people you send, the greater the risk that someone brings the virus back. No one can guarantee they won’t.”
“Mutated strains?”
Cui Zhiyun nodded. “Based on reports from various disease control centers and research institutes, there are five main types: R, L, F, T, and K.” She then explained each in detail to Li Changsheng.
Only then did Li Changsheng begin to understand the situation on the American continent.
The R-type virus, centered in Florida, was characterized by infected behaving like rabid beasts—not only biting but also attacking with their fists; there were also special infected like Tanks. He and the other survivors had already experienced this strain.
The F-type virus in Texas was summed up in one word: speed. Super fast. After being bitten, mutation was inevitable within twelve seconds.
The L-type fungus, found in Mississippi, caused flowers to grow from the infected’s heads, with spores spreading the infection. Some special infected grew plant-like armor.
The T-virus in Raccoon City, Colorado, infected not only humans but also animals—there were zombie crows, zombie dogs, and rumors of other special types.
The K-type virus, in New York and Haran, caused ordinary infected to behave like the walking dead of other regions, but special infected mutated into night demons. Especially in New York, it was said the entire city had turned into a city of night demons.
Not only did every region have its own strain, but some zombies would wander about, moving between regions...
And these were only the officially documented mutations. According to rumors, organizations like the Rex Institute and Umbrella were still researching bioweapons...
The viruses they created alone came in many varieties, with some already used in live “field tests”...
Damn.
Li Changsheng’s mind was racing.
Up till now, the zombies he’d encountered weren’t particularly strong. He’d thought this world had just merged a couple of zombie movies, nothing more. He hadn’t expected it to be a patchwork of every zombie apocalypse imaginable.
He began matching these places with movies and games from his past life.
Florida—Left 4 Dead, R-type.
Mississippi—The Last of Us, L-type.
Texas—World War Z, F-type.
Colorado—Resident Evil, T-type.
New York and Haran— I Am Legend and Dying Light, K-type.
With that in mind, he realized the defenses of Civilization City were woefully inadequate.
No matter how high you built the walls, could you stop zombies that scaled them like those in World War Z?
And that twelve-second mutation... what did that mean? It was the time it took to take a sip of water.
Imagine you and someone else go out together. While you’re drinking, you turn around, and there’s a mutated zombie staring you in the face.
What kind of feeling would that be?
Just thinking about it was terrifying.
Wait!
Something was missing!
Li Changsheng suddenly realized—the slow-moving zombies of Atlanta, Georgia, were unaccounted for.
That was precisely where Civilization City was located.
Of course.
He owed this to Dr. Jenner.
Civilization City’s predecessor was the Center for Disease Control headquarters—the central hub for all Georgia’s disease control research. All data from the region’s labs had been consolidated there.
But in the end, everyone at headquarters died except Dr. Jenner. After his wife’s death, he lost his grip on reality and was unfamiliar with the facilities. None of the research data was ever uploaded.
As a result, the authorities had no idea this variant existed.
If you had to classify Atlanta’s virus, it would be S-type—defining characteristic: slow.
A long incubation period, slow infection rate, slow-moving infected...
In retrospect, choosing Civilization City as his base had truly been a wise decision.
Had he chosen Texas, no matter how strong the base, those zombies would have overrun it in no time.
Still, the fact that these zombies could wander between regions was a problem.
There was no telling when a zombie from Texas might come “visiting relatives,” bringing with it a virus that mutated people in twelve seconds. That would be disastrous.
The thought made Li Changsheng’s expression shift as he pondered the future of Civilization City and strategies for dealing with the undead.
Cui Zhiyun noticed the furrow in his brow and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Li Changsheng didn’t want to reveal the existence of Civilization City just yet. Quietly, he replied, “Nothing. It’s just that this world is too dangerous.”
She sighed. “Exactly. That’s why, until a vaccine is developed to resist the virus, the authorities won’t take risks or rescue survivors easily. Even we, the field agents, can only survive out here with airdropped supplies.” At this, her expression grew somber.