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墨書 Inktalez
At the train station, Carriage Two.
Dr. Zhong, clad in protective gear, stepped into the small modified laboratory compartment. He carefully retrieved the only medical refrigeration box, unlocked it, and took out the three test tubes inside, each containing a different colored reagent that was clear and dazzling.
Chu Guangxu entered the carriage and locked the door. Through the sealed protective membrane, he waved at Dr. Zhong, who wore a large mask that concealed his face but could not hide the tension in his furrowed brow. Dr. Zhong nodded slightly, signaling him to wait a moment. He used a pipette to take a drop from each of the three reagents and placed them on a glass slide, cautiously covering them with a cover slip before pushing it under the microscope.
Chu Guangxu watched intently, unable to contain his curiosity any longer. He donned a protective suit and squeezed inside.
"What are you doing in here?" Dr. Zhong exclaimed in surprise.
"Just wanted to see what you're up to," Chu Guangxu replied with a grin, pointing at the three differently colored test tubes. "What are these?"
"Raw liquid samples," Dr. Zhong said carefully as he returned the reagents to the refrigeration box. "You need to be careful."
"What are they for?" Chu Guangxu asked, not quite understanding as he pointed at one of the light red test tubes.
"A single drop can turn a living person into a zombie," Dr. Zhong said with a smirk, quickly introducing the other two before Chu Guangxu could ask further questions. "This one is a blood sample from the train conductor, and that one is something I created based on the data; its effects are still uncertain."
"Oh, I see." Chu Guangxu nodded in realization and wrapped his arms around Dr. Zhong's waist from behind. "What would happen if you mixed these together?"
Dr. Zhong could only smile wryly and sighed, "This isn't just any experiment; even a slight miscalculation could lead to disastrous results. How would I know?"
"Then what exactly is the conductor asking you to do?"
"Creating a vaccine," Dr. Zhong sighed again, looking troubled. "It's a heavy responsibility, and I feel overwhelmed."
"It sounds impressive," Chu Guangxu said with a chuckle as his hands slid down Dr. Zhong's waist. "Relaxing might help you think better."
"Don't mess around, just wait until I'm done with this," Dr. Zhong said with a chuckle, pulling out a blood collection tube from the side. "Do you want to see something amazing?"
"What’s so amazing about it?" Chu Guangxu asked, fiddling with his thick protective suit as he leaned in for a closer look, puzzled. "Is that Huihui's blood?"
"Yeah, just something I grabbed casually," Dr. Zhong replied, twisting his body a bit. "Can you guess what happens when the Infected Virus enters the bloodstream of an ordinary person?"
Chu Guangxu pouted and muttered, "My great scientist, how would I know anything about that?"
"You don't need to understand; just watch," Dr. Zhong said with a gentle smile. He used a pipette to drop some blood onto a slide, then added a drop of the Infected Virus solution on top, placing a cover slip over it before bringing it to the microscope. He stepped aside and gestured for Chu Guangxu to take a look.
Reluctantly, Chu Guangxu leaned in closer and laughed, "We did this in biology class before; the teacher had us look at cell walls or something."
"Can you see the cells moving?" Dr. Zhong asked as he adjusted the aperture beside him. "Did you notice how fast the virus is consuming the cells?"
"Which one is the virus with the hairy bits?"
"..."
"And what's that big clump? What's that round thing?"
"..."
"Wait, which one is the virus? It looks like they're all ganging up on each other!"
"..."
Dr. Zhong's face was filled with disbelief as he coughed twice and explained, "The one with long hair is the virus, the round one is a blood cell, and that big lump should be a macrophage."
"Is that so?" Chu Guangxu perked up, examining the samples closely. He remarked curiously, "The virus doesn't seem to be doing well; it's getting overwhelmed."
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Dr. Zhong couldn't help but chuckle as he clarified, "The virus attaches to the cells and gradually consumes them. It's really that simple. The Infected Virus acts quickly and brutally; the human immune cells can't keep up at all."
"Not really." Chu Guangxu raised his head and blinked, wearing a puzzled expression. "It looks like that big lump of cells is being more brutal."
"Huh?"
"Look for yourself; the long-haired one has already been taken out." Chu Guangxu, unfamiliar with the war between cells, was merely intrigued and said, "It's interesting; cells can eat other cells. Where do they go?"
"Let me see." Dr. Zhong's expression stiffened for a moment as he hurriedly pushed past Chu Guangxu to take a closer look. After just one glance, he suddenly jumped back as if shocked.
"What happened?" Chu Guangxu was startled and asked in confusion, "Did the microscope short-circuit?"
"Damn." Dr. Zhong's gaze became dazed as he stared blankly for a while before muttering to himself, "No, no, I must have made a mistake." He then opened the refrigerator again, preparing to retrieve another Infected Virus sample for testing.
Chu Guangxu was left bewildered; he called out to Dr. Zhong several times but received no response. So he began to explore the lab on his own without disturbing him. Just then, while wearing his protective suit, Chu Guangxu suddenly heard some commotion outside. He called out to Dr. Zhong again, but the latter was completely focused on the microscope and didn't pay him any mind. Feeling helpless, Chu Guangxu crawled out of the protective barrier and took off his hazmat suit before rushing outside. As he reached the connection between the train cars, there was a loud crash—the mirror above the sink shattered with a sharp sound, leaving a circular hole in its center.
Chu Guangxu froze for a moment before his expression changed drastically. He hurried back into the lab and shouted, "Get out! Someone is attacking the train!" Inside, Dr. Zhong remained oblivious, furrowing his brow as he busied himself at the Workbench, ignoring Chu Guangxu's frantic calls. Frustrated and anxious, Chu Guangxu considered dragging him out but was interrupted by sudden gunfire outside. Without thinking much further, he closed the door and dashed toward the rear carriage, pulling down the alarm bell along the way while shouting loudly, "Enemy attack! Don't go outside!"
The Frowning Nurse poked her head out from the Sleeper Cabin, her face filled with astonishment. "Is this for real?"
"You can't hear the gunfire? Everyone hide!" Chu Guangxu returned to his Sleeper Cabin and retrieved his handgun from under his pillow. Fumbling to load a magazine in haste, he rushed toward Carriage Two. There were guards outside; his shooting skills were average at best—he would only cause more chaos if he went out there. The priority had to be on Dr. Zhong's safety.
Chu Guangxu burst into the room once again, finally startling Dr. Zhong. The latter stared blankly at Chu Guangxu, who was holding a gun and looked anxious, casting a questioning glance.
Chu Guangxu was about to explode with anger, pointing outside the carriage while shouting, "Someone's attacking! Come with me!"
Hearing his words, Dr. Zhong frowned and quickly replied, "You go protect Huihui."
"What?" Chu Guangxu thought he had misheard.
"Huihui, the girl who got on the train a couple of days ago. Make sure to protect her!" Dr. Zhong was also flustered, hurriedly putting away the clutter on the Workbench. "I'll be there shortly. Hurry, you need to go!"
Seeing the usually calm Dr. Zhong looking so anxious, Chu Guangxu vaguely sensed something was off. After hesitating for a moment, he turned and ran toward the medical carriage. The gunfire outside the train continued unabated, sounding intense. Chu Guangxu peeked out to see that two guards had already chased after the attackers, while the guard by the door looked tense and was scanning the surroundings. Upon seeing Chu Guangxu emerge, he said, "Go contact the train conductor."
"Where the hell am I supposed to go to contact him?" Chu Guangxu thought about slapping this Foreigner. Was he really expecting him to do that?
The two Foreigners exchanged puzzled looks as if they understood something. One of them called out to the other and turned to run into the carriage toward the Cabin.
"You should go chase them too! Can those two handle it alone?" Chu Guangxu, lacking experience in firefights, still thought in terms of street brawls.
"I need to stay here to protect the train. You go tell everyone in the back car to hide under their bunks; they have guns." The guard spoke fluent Chinese, his eyes catching a glimpse of movement behind a broken wall. He quickly turned and fired a burst of bullets, sending debris flying.
"I got it! Should I close the door?" Chu Guangxu asked urgently.
"Close it," the guard replied briefly before running toward the broken wall.
Feeling somewhat panicked, Chu Guangxu thought that since the omnipotent conductor had taken people to sweep through, surely they hadn't found these attackers. After considering it for a moment, he decided that protecting the overall situation was more important and hurried toward the medical carriage while reminding Frowning Nurse, "Go close the door!"
The Frowning Nurse managed to muster a faint smile as she called out to his retreating figure, gathering her courage to dash toward the door. Just as her hand reached for the pressure lever, she noticed a hand gripping one side of the compartment door. The Nurse froze for a moment, looking up to see a stranger suddenly leap into the vehicle, followed immediately by a glinting, slender blade thrusting directly at her.
"Ah!" The Nurse's scream was abruptly cut off as the man pressed his hand over her mouth, the blade now resting against her neck.
"You’re a doctor," Song Jiu observed, glancing at her white coat and noting her youth with some concern.
The Nurse, muffled and stunned, couldn’t help but compare this man to Chu Guangxu. He was just as handsome but lacked Chu Guangxu's sunny disposition; instead, his features were filled with menace. Even in this life-threatening situation, her thoughts drifted back to Chu Guangxu, whom she truly adored. Song Jiu frowned, hearing footsteps approaching from both sides of the compartment. He quickly tightened his grip on the Nurse’s neck and pushed open the restroom door, shoving them both inside. The Nurse was bewildered—what was he planning? What did he want from her? It was terrifying.
"Are you a doctor?" Song Jiu asked again patiently as the gunfire outside faded into the distance. He figured Liu Yan had retreated to safety.
The Nurse made muffled sounds and shook her head vigorously just as footsteps drew near outside the restroom. Peeking through the crack of the door, she pointed urgently outward. Song Jiu leaned aside to look; a man in glasses and a white coat hurried past with a small box.
"Thanks." Song Jiu shoved her aside, causing the back of her head to collide with the car window with a thud. Her eyes rolled back as she slumped down onto the toilet.
Dr. Zhong stepped into the connecting door of the compartment when suddenly he felt someone tugging at his collar. Turning around just in time, he saw a fist rushing toward him, followed by darkness as everything spun away.
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