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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 16: Behind the Scenes
On the fifth floor of the Inpatient Department, a middle-aged man with a buzz cut extinguished his cigarette and drew the curtains.
"Director Hu, Professor Niu is looking for you," a young woman in a white coat knocked on the door of the ward.
"Okay, I understand. You can go back to your work," Director Hu replied, pressing his temples wearily as he put on his gold-rimmed glasses and stepped outside.
Across the corridor, a spacious operating room had been converted into a laboratory. Inside, five computers were neatly arranged, and a large glass vessel stood against the wall, containing a pale yellow solution that submerged a male body. The man lay with his eyes closed, his skin pale from being soaked in the solution. His shoulders, chest, and thighs bore extensive and obvious lacerations. The wounds no longer bled but displayed an eerie reddish hue in the liquid. Plastic tubes were inserted into the man's vital organs, and a dark blue liquid flowed slowly through them, connecting to nearby testing instruments. Below these instruments were rows of measuring cups and flasks, each containing liquids that shimmered in different colors.
The dark blue liquid was injected into a round-bottom flask by a technician in protective gear, who then used a dropper to collect a small amount of the blue liquid before hastily leaving the lab for a room across the corridor.
Director Hu, clad in an oversized sterile suit, observed the busy staff with growing irritation. From behind the glass vessel, an elderly bald man emerged. He removed his mask and gestured to Director Hu before both men exited the room.
"What have you discovered?" Director Hu asked.
"The equipment is limited; there’s nothing of value. The experimental sample has been used for too long, and it no longer secretes that unknown hormone in its blood. So... it’s basically been for nothing," the bald professor replied, his bloodshot eyes revealing he hadn’t rested in quite some time.
"Then let’s suspend the experiment for now. The core data has already been handed over to An Zheng. As long as she can connect with headquarters, there should be answers forthcoming," Director Hu said as he pushed open an iron door marked with warning symbols, from which faint growls could be heard.
Inside the iron door was a narrow corridor leading to another security door, which had a small glass window above it. Through this window, one could see three zombies in white coats chained up in a dimly lit concrete room. Upon hearing noises from outside, they struggled to move; however, their chains were tightly secured, limiting their range of motion. Unlike the more vigorous zombies wandering outside, these three seemed weaker and emitted intermittent growls as if they were running out of energy.
"They haven’t eaten for twenty days; their bodily functions are clearly deteriorating. However, when we fed them raw meat before, we didn’t observe any energy production from their food intake. Their jaw muscles are well-developed with signs of calcification on their teeth edges, but that doesn’t hinder their ability to tear flesh. They don’t chew their food; most raw meat is swallowed whole into their stomachs. Yet their stomachs no longer secrete hydrochloric acid, so they can’t digest anything. Still, as long as there’s food available, they will swallow it without hesitation—that’s quite interesting," Director Hu pointed at one zombie slumped on the ground and said: "Xiao Liu's muscle tissue has mostly decayed but he hasn’t completely died yet. Originally, Area Two wanted to perform a cranial examination but our power system can’t support the equipment anymore."
Professor Niu sighed and rubbed his bald head. "We should consider evacuating."
"Where do we evacuate to?" Director Hu replied with a bitter smile and shrugged his shoulders. "There are thirty-seven people in the laboratory; An Zheng has left us with thirty-six now. Our supplies won’t last much longer—not to mention hitting the road."
"What? No news from headquarters?" Professor Niu's eyes widened in disbelief.
"The phone lines are down; I sent someone to check—it’s not an issue on our end," Director Hu said helplessly shaking his head.
"What happened?" Professor Niu asked.
"It’s been almost a week, which is why we decided to send An Zheng."
"But she still has the child. Why can't we send someone else?"
"Is there anyone besides you, me, and An Zheng who can access this information?"
"…"
The dimly lit corridor fell silent as the two of them stopped talking and quietly left.
Director Hu and Professor Niu returned to the hospital room, which contained two beds, a computer on the desk, and an old-fashioned landline phone.
"How much longer can we hold out?" Professor Niu asked.
"At most a week. There are too many people here, and those young men and women still don’t know that the logistics have broken down." Director Hu opened a folder on the computer and pulled out a map filled with dense symbols. "This is the distribution of the epidemic zone from ten days ago... The situation in Guangdong has worsened. To seal off information, they’ve sent in troops. Reports say that a large number of people are trying to enter through Shekou, and many have died."
Professor Niu closed his eyes in despair, lying back on the bed and murmuring, "At this point, they’re still sealing things off... How much longer can they keep it up?"
Director Hu cracked open a window slightly and lit a cigarette. "Do you remember the person in charge of RCA Corporation?"
"Huh? I remember. Did that bastard die?" Professor Niu opened his eyes at the mention of the name.
"Heh heh, he was released." Director Hu looked at the balding old professor with a smirk, and sure enough, upon hearing this, Professor Niu sprang to his feet.
"Released?! That bastard caused such a terrifying situation, and he was released?!?" Old Professor Niu instantly transformed into an enraged version of himself, fuming with rage.
Director Hu chuckled as he helped Professor Niu sit back down on the bed, handing him a cigarette with a sigh. "If you knew RCA's background, you wouldn't be so agitated."
"Background? What kind of background could they possibly have? Are they just royal relatives? Does that give them the right to be inhumane?" Professor Niu's anger was so intense that if it could be converted into currency, he would likely make it onto the Hurun Rich List.
"Not just that, this is what Old Zheng told me before he died. Otherwise, do you think I would have stayed? After I learned these things, I understood that we... can't go anywhere. If we want to live a little longer, it's best to stay as far away from the center as possible. If the situation can be controlled, then the higher-ups will definitely take some action afterward; but if it spirals out of control, once their power wanes, no one will be able to manage everything anymore." Director Hu extinguished his cigarette butt, took off his lab coat, and lay down on another bed. "So, Old Professor, don't think about things you shouldn't. Just wait a bit longer. If there’s still no news before the supplies run out, then we can consider leaving."
"Without troops to protect us, where can we go?" Professor Niu asked with a sideways glance.
"Without troops... where can we not go?" Director Hu moved his lips slightly, making a 'you know what I mean' expression.
"Oh?" Old Professor instantly understood and exclaimed in surprise, "Are you ready?"
Director Hu did not answer but simply nodded lightly.
"Does Xiao An know?" Professor Niu asked again.
"She knows; she'll act accordingly."
Outside the door, a delicate white hand left the doorknob and slipped back into the pocket of her lab coat. The young girl who had knocked to inform Director Hu to meet Professor Niu stood at the door for a moment before turning to leave. Half of her face was hidden beneath a mask, with a beautiful mole on her brow and a pair of bright eyes that flashed with complex emotions.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
On the sunlit street, three vehicles drove in a line.
An ambulance led the way, followed closely by
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