In the infirmary these days, doctors and nurses are busy taking care of the wounded. Here, whether they are soldiers from Qingshan or scavengers from Wanxiang City, they are all honestly lying on the hospital bed; Due to the large number of wounded, the doctors simply cleared a large area and spread mattresses on the floor, leaving the unlucky ones to lie on the ground. There are two infirmaries in Wanxiang City, one is a small infirmary for ordinary Wanxiang residents, and the other is a medical ward dedicated to the treatment of scavengers with knife wounds or serious illnesses, the latter is located in the basement maintenance area, which is located in a large location and has an operating room. So most of the wounded were sent here.

Due to my special reasons, I was isolated on the second basement floor within a few days and was placed in the observation ward that had been set up for me. I was imprisoned back in my old place, and this time, instead of giving up on myself, I laughed at myself because of this ironic end. In fact, I am not simply detained like in the past, Lu Huaxiong and the others have already explained my situation to the others. However, Liao Daiping still thinks that I will be observed for a while before considering letting me out. It's a bit of a criminal.

But this time there is a little difference, there is also an isolation ward next to my ward, which is Huang Weizheng's ward. That's right, the two of us are locked up in these two "boxes" like two guinea pigs. Although Lu Huaxiong didn't say that, I know that the reason they did it was to compare the differences in behavior between one of us as a modified original virus carrier and one as a vaccine carrier. Putting that aside, having multiple "inmates" or "patients" is still a joy for me.

In the past few days, there were only two guards who came and went around the ward, and the rest were scholars with glasses, who followed him like Lu Huaxiong's students, looked at Huang Weizheng at once, asked about the situation, and suddenly ran to my side to say a few words. Fortunately, Huang Weizheng's situation is good. I heard that he has successfully developed antibodies to the virus in his body, and so far he has not found any side effects.

It feels like it's been two or three days, and Huang Weizheng and I have been chatting through the transparent chemical protection film when we have nothing to do in the past few days. Compared with the previous isolation ward, the isolation ward built for us this time is purely to isolate germs from the outside world, and Lu Huaxiong and they believe that neither of us will suddenly go crazy and rush out to kill people, so relevant preventive measures are omitted. According to Huang Weizheng, he was in a coma for a few days, and his consciousness wandered in reality and dreams, until he woke up like a hangover that day. Not long after he came back to his senses, he saw the scene of me and Zhang Xing confronting him......

I thought that opening my eyes today was just the beginning of boredom, but I didn't expect that as soon as I got up, Lu Huaxiong and his assistants appeared outside the ward early. There were a few more familiar faces around them, and Chen Mo and they all looked at us who were isolated in two transparent wards with tears and laughter.

"Oh my God, you two really look like guinea pigs being experimented!" Liang Minxuan told the truth in one mouthful, and everyone couldn't help laughing.

"Why are you here?" I dropped the face towel in my hand, scratched my hair, walked over to them and asked.

"I'll pick you and Huang Weizheng out of prison." Xie Tao, who hadn't seen him for a few days, joked.

"Out of ...... Well, I should really be happy. I sat on the edge of the bed laughing at myself, and several uneasy and kind fellows in front of me teased me one after another; On the other side, the other room was much quieter.

Huang Weizheng laid out his quilt in an orderly manner, stepped forward and asked Zhang Xiaoying in front of his ward gently, "Are you all okay?" ”

Zhang Xiaoying smiled and nodded. "Liao Daiping has taken over the management of Wanxiang, and now the two security zones are ready to merge."

"Merged?" I interrupted Huang Weizheng and Zhang Xiaoying loudly and loudly, seemingly talking about serious things, but in fact they were affectionate.

"Yes, merged." Ban Zhiyu deliberately blocked my view and said, "Liao Daiping told all the people in Wanxiang City the news of getting in touch with Hainan, and let them decide for themselves whether to cooperate or not." Later, they decided to merge with Aoyama. After finishing speaking, Ban Zhiyu whispered to me again, "Oh, Du Yuheng, can you give people some time in the world of two?" ”

A world for two? I peeked at Huang Weizheng and Zhang Xiaoying, and sure enough, there were only the two of them over there. Now I realized why these bastards came here to make fun of me as soon as they came in.

"Alright, alright, let me say a few words." Lu Huaxiong smiled kindly, "That, Du Yuheng and Huang Weizheng, the two of you can come out later." First of all, congratulations to Huang Weizheng, your recovery will be recorded in human history forever. You became the first person to successfully recover from the HTS89 virus. ”

As soon as Lu Huaxiong finished speaking, the friends present applauded one by two; It's strange, why didn't I see them like this when I didn't die?

"Do I need regular check-ups in the future?" Huang Weizheng is still the same, not as excited as these uncalm friends around me.

"If only you come to me every two weeks to have a look, I'll tell you about it later." As soon as Lu Huaxiong said that, he waved his hand, and the two guards opened the door of the isolation ward for us, "To be honest, this isolation is actually not much necessary. It's hard for both of you. ”

"Then we can come out now?" My suspicion of the letter drew ridicule from my friends.

Lu Huaxiong smiled: "That's right, congratulations." ”

His congratulations made me feel like I could receive the award through some challenges.

As soon as I came out, Chen Mo stepped forward and hugged me and said, "Great." ”

"Again, it's not out of prison...... What's too good? I was a little overwhelmed by the sudden hug, and I looked awkwardly at my friends around me, and the temperature of my cheeks rose sharply when I saw them coaxing.

"Brother Heng, we're going to go out for an event later, hurry up." Long Hao smacked and snorted.

Chen Mo and I were a little embarrassed and let go of each other's hands. In order to get everyone's attention as soon as possible, I quickly changed the subject and asked, "Event?" What activities? ”

"We are going to collectively cremate the people who died a few days ago, and Liao Daiping will also give a speech announcing the merger of the two security zones." Liang Minxuan said, "Oh, by the way, Wei Hong and Wu Fei went back to Qingshan a few days ago, and it is estimated that they will come over today." ”

Lu Huaxiong beckoned us to get out of the basement as soon as possible, but called me out alone just as I was about to leave with my friends. Although the friends didn't know the reason, they didn't want to ask much, so they all turned a blind eye, said where they met, and left with a smile.

"So, now do you think you're going to tell me something about the real situation?" I felt the change in Lu Huaxiong's face and asked.

"Don't worry, it's not a particularly serious matter." Lu Huaxiong patted me on the shoulder and motioned for me to move forward, "Du Yuheng, I also heard a lot of people say about what happened a few days ago. Liao Zhuojun also told me, you asked her for a little plant vaccine, didn't you? ”

I thought to myself that there was nothing to hide, so I simply replied, "Yes." ”

Lu Huaxiong sighed, put his hands on my shoulders, stared at me intently, and said solemnly: "Listen to the child, that medicine is a drug to you, you must not be contaminated with it again, doing so is likely to make you really become a zombie." ”

"I ...... I don't want to, but you see, if I hadn't done it that day, what would it be like here? I retorted.

"Yes, I know you use this as a secret weapon. But you have to be clear to yourself that what you have in your body is not a vaccine, it is a virus, a primitive virus. The reason why it didn't kill you was because Qin Rong had already improved its structure at that time. But its harmlessness is entirely based on this structure, and if you stimulate this structure one after another, its zombie virus properties will be activated again. At that point, you really can't control yourself. Lu Huaxiong continued to say to me bitterly, "I checked your blood sample after this manic, and it can be said that the activity of the virus is much higher than before. Although you are in good physical condition at the moment, remember to let me know if you feel unwell! ”

"Okay, don't worry. I won't touch that plant vaccine next time. "I said it lightly, but in my heart I still had a slight concern.

Lu Huaxiong let go of me and continued to motioned for me to move forward. "You just have to have a number in mind. The original virus in your body does guarantee that you are immune to the HTS family of viruses, but there is also so much that is not known. Qin Rong may be a madman in your eyes, but from a scientific point of view, he is really a genius. What I told you just now is just my speculation, and I'm afraid the only answer can only Qin Rong tell you. ”

I sneered, "It's a pity he's dead." ”

Looking back, the words Qin Rong said to me before he died were not exactly pretentious and false words before his death, but I really don't feel sorry for his death.

Lu Huaxiong took me to the botanical research area, which is where Liao Zhuojun works. I didn't have a chance to wander around this level before, so I naturally didn't have a chance to take a good look at this area. Unlike the zombie virus research area managed by Lu Huaxiong, the furnishings here are not so cold and dangerous, but they are reminiscent of the greenhouses in horticultural plantations. Rows of wooden shelves are lined with several plants that I can't name. Each plant is equipped with a small yellow light that is not only for illumination, but also to provide the right temperature and light for the plants. Most of the plants here should be shade-loving, and there are also small water hoses installed along the wooden frame to spray water mist regularly to moisturize. As soon as I approached the rows of wooden racks, the spray device was just in time to spray water, and the noise startled me. The dampness and gloom made me vaguely feel uneasy coldness in my heart, but Lu Huaxiong beside me strode forward and was not worried.

"You're here?" After taking a few steps in the middle of several rows of wooden shelves, a woman's voice came from the other end of a large square table full of plants in front of her, most likely because I was scared by the sound of water just now and reminded her of my arrival, "Is it only Du Yuheng?" ”

"It's not necessary for the other children to know too much, just go back and let Du Yuheng tell them." Lu Huaxiong patted me on the shoulder and smiled.

"Okay." Liao Zhuojun said as he got out of the bushes. She holds gardener's scissors in one hand and twists a small branch of leaf in the other. Walk carefully between the two square tables, each step as if to avoid some branch and leaf. "Come here, everything is here."

Lu Huaxiong and I did as she said, and walked to the other end of the square table, which turned out to be a desk hidden here, on which in addition to a computer, there were microscopes, slicing tables and other experimental tools, and some experimental records were written on the whiteboard on the side of the table. Liao Zhuojun is the only one in the plant research area, and the planned area is not as large as other experimental areas. It feels like all the experimental equipment is deliberately crowded together, and I don't know if it's because Zhang Xing didn't pay much attention to Liao Zhuojun's research in the past, so he didn't give much research to it.

"Du Yuheng, how do you feel now?" Liao Zhuojun asked me to sit on a high stool next to the square table, while he was busy sorting out the documents on the table, and by the way, he said, "I've been busy sorting out the messed up materials these days, and I haven't had time to see you, I'm really sorry." ”

I'm not good at being polite to people, so I have to respond dryly, and then change the subject. "What's the matter...... So, are you the only one here who is responsible for studying plant lesions? ”

"Yes, I don't have as many men as Lubo." Liao Zhuojun glanced up at Lu Huaxiong and said with a smile, "Of course, there are also two assistants, but today they are preparing for the ceremony." By the way, we don't have much time left. ”

Liao Zhuojun arranged the papers on the side of the table, and she stood in front of the microscope and motioned for me to come closer. "Let's take a look at this first. Today, you can't use an electron microscope for the time being, but you can see it with this. ”

I hadn't figured out the situation yet, and I didn't intend to ask more because of my curiosity, so I stepped forward to take a look. Through the microscope, I saw a dense group of small round beads, which were jumping and jumping, constantly gathering around several large bubbles, and then being entwined by the hairs produced on the outer wall of the large bubbles, and finally merging with it. Although in the past, when I was in high school, the teacher taught me some knowledge in biology class, but I don't know why because of my unlearned brain. Fortunately, Liao Zhuojun didn't wait for me to ask questions and began to explain.

"Do you see a few big bubbles and the smaller ones around it?"

"Hmmm......"

"That big bubble is the cells of the mutated plant, and the ones around are the zombies; Or the blood cells of the mutants in your mouth. ”

"The cells of the plant are merging with the cells of the blood?" I said what I thought without thinking.

Liao Zhuojun seemed to be pleased with my seriousness in tone. "You're half right. These plant cells are using zombie cells as nutrients. In other words, the Dead City Forest was formed entirely because human zombies provided them with nutrients. ”

"But how is this done? You can't say that a whole bunch of mutants are all together......" I looked up and wanted to ask, but as I spoke, I suddenly remembered the room full of corpses that I saw in the dining room in the Dead City Forest that day, "Oh my God...... Maybe that's really the case......"

"For the time being, loss and change are interdependent. Plants infected with viruses emit toxic spores, and some of the inhaled spores become zombies after death and zombies that have mutated at the beginning of the epidemic together to provide nutrients for mutated plants, in fact, this is the survival method of a virus. But I can't give you a complete answer for the exact reason, but it can be said that the virus that infects plants and humans originates from the same HTS pathogen, which is the original virus in your body. Liao Zhuojun took a deep breath and said, "Put this question aside, I have more important things to tell you." I know why zombies won't attack you, and they won't be able to move when they see you. ”

When I heard this, my heart suddenly tightened, and I simply said what I thought was the most likely answer: "Don't tell me, I'm their kind......"

"Don't worry, Lubo and I both believe that in terms of your physical signs at the moment, you are still human." Liao Zhuojun's smile was fleeting, "But the zombies do think you're their kind." ”

"Huh?"

"Let me tell you." Lu Huaxiong, who had been observing the surrounding plants, suddenly spoke, "That's right, I took your blood and saliva samples a few days ago. Due to an assistant error, we accidentally mixed your sample into the zombie sample being observed. It was found that when the two fused, the zombie's virus cells temporarily came out of a dormant state. So we deduce from this that it is precisely because of this that those zombies will have those conditions when they meet you. ”

"But I didn't have physical contact with them......"

"But the smell you're giving off is enough." Lu Huaxiong said, "I'm sure you've seen it, some of the zombies in the zombie group are severely decomposed, covered with sarcoma......"

"Oh, we call him the sarcoma monster, and we call him the fat man."

"Yes, that's it. It will act as a central brain in the zombie group, and the zombies around it will be temporarily controlled. ”

"yes, if that's the case, as long as you kill that sarcoma monster, the mutants around you will be finished." I interjected again, but neither Liao Zhuojun nor Lu Huaxiong minded.

"The reason for this is because you said that the sarcoma monster controls the zombies around it. This unique zombie emits a scent that works just like the scent you emit, allowing the virus inside the zombie to come out of its dormant state. But unlike you, it also emits another gas that takes over control of the nerve centers of the surrounding zombies. But when the gas that controls the nerve centers of the zombies disappears, and the virus can't immediately recover from its dormant state......"

"They're finished......"

"Yes." Lu Huaxiong may really be a good teacher, "but if the brains are not destroyed immediately, then it is possible that they will 'wake up' after a while." ”

"Are these your assumptions or established facts?"

In the face of my questioning gaze, Liao Zhuojun replied for Lu Huaxiong while observing the microscope: "Most of them have been confirmed. At least your presence can allow zombie cells to sleep at a certain distance. ”

As he spoke, Liao Zhuojun stepped aside and motioned for me to look at the microscope. I leaned over to take a closer look, and what I saw through the microscope was a swarm of small particles, but they didn't move at all, like sesame seeds on a sesame cake.

"This is a sliced sample of a zombie. Before you came, I used to check, its cells are swimming, but now you see......"

"This ......" I looked at Liao Zhuojun in surprise and then at Lu Huaxiong, my body couldn't help but get goosebumps with excitement, I didn't know what expression to use to express my feelings at the moment, because this is the first time I know the current condition of my body, but these signs do indicate that I am no longer an ordinary person.

"You don't have to be too surprised, after all, you are destined to be a little different from the outside right now." Lu Huaxiong patted me with a smile, "Now you go back and meet your friends first, and then take a break and find a time to explain it to them." The ceremony presided over by Liao Daiping is about to start, what to do next, we will discuss it after the meeting. ”

In early spring, there will inevitably be some rain and fog, and the same is true today, there is no bright sunshine or refreshing wind, and the hazy sky invisibly forces everyone to keep quiet, and more or less still maintains that parting before there is melancholy. Earlier, Liao Daiping had a large clearing cleared in front of the gate of the universal wall, and a barricade was used around it to prevent mutants wandering outside because of the gloomy weather. In the center of the clearing was a pile of corpses wrapped in cloth or plastic bags, neatly stacked together, lying quietly on the ground.

Before the rally began, I finally found my partner in the crowd; Wei Hong and Wu Fei were also among them. Before they could say a few words of greeting after the reunion, the crowd gradually quieted down and the rally officially began. The gate of the wall was open, and we and many of the residents of Wanxiang City were on this side of the wall; A few of us were just in good hands to see the bodies in the clearing outside the wall. There was also a line of guards standing on the wall, among them the scavengers of the past and the scouts of the green mountains, who were once inseparable, but now they stood together in silence. The square where the crowd gathered was crowded but not loud, except for the hungry howls of mutants wandering outside the walls. The air was filled with dampness and a faint rancid smell, and I couldn't get used to it, and it was ridiculous that I couldn't get used to it after everyone had eaten it......