The Source of the Infection

The world was in the middle of an extended bloodbath.

It was destined to be a restless night.

The next morning, dawn was just breaking.

The gunfire had died down a while ago.

All the survivors had been reassigned to patient rooms, one person per room.

Word from this side had already reached the Administrative Building.

The Federal Research Institute urgently dispatched researchers to investigate the sudden mutations of the aliens in the four buildings of the Inpatient Building.

Xie Xu was among the investigation team.

Tu Ran was leaning back in a rest chair, asleep.

She was exhausted.

Last night at midnight, she'd switched shifts with Ding Naiqing, then scrolled through Federation news for a bit before falling asleep at nearly two in the morning.

At four in the morning, she got up to deal with the aliens. She'd only slept two hours.

When Xie Xu arrived on this floor, the first thing he saw was her bizarre sleeping posture.

Her helmet was cradled in her arms, her hair a mess like a bird's nest. Because her head was tilted back, her mouth hung slightly open. She was also one of those people who slept with their eyes open—a bit of white showed through her half-lidded eyes.

Completely unladylike.

Xie Xu averted his gaze.

Ding Naiqing spotted the investigation team and hurried over to greet them.

They nodded at each other by way of acknowledgment.

Nobody was in the mood for small talk now, so they got straight to business.

"What were the casualties this morning?" A researcher holding a communicator for data recording asked.

Xie Xu and the other two researchers proceeded to observe each patient room.

"There were originally twenty-six survivors on this floor. Eleven mutated early this morning, and they infected seven more in succession. Eighteen in total got infected, all of them shot dead. Eight survivors remain. Six guards, three of them died in the line of duty," Ding Naiqing said in a heavy voice.

These numbers were nothing short of tragic.

However, what the recorder said next was even more tragic.

"Your floor's situation, as it stands, is the best. Many floors lost everyone except the Pioneers, and some even had Pioneers get infected. Even where survivors came through, none numbered more than five."

Tu Ran, asleep, furrowed her brows and opened her eyes.

She'd heard these people come in, but she'd been too tired to get up.

Yet these numbers startled her so much that her drowsiness instantly dissipated.

She stood up, steadying herself with her gun, and casually ran her fingers through her hair. Only then did she notice Xie Xu had come too.

Their eyes met. Tu Ran looked away expressionlessly.

Walking over to Ding Naiqing's side, she faced the recorder. "Have you found out why so many people mutated at four in the morning?"

The researcher said, "Based on current research, the first onset peak of the infection virus is within one hour of infection. The second onset peak is around thirty hours. Four in the morning today coincided with their second onset cycle."

"So the second peak is over. Do these people still need to be held?"

That was what she cared most about.

However long they were held, that was how long she'd have to guard them.

The researcher shook his head. "That hasn't been determined yet."

Tu Ran frowned. The Research Institute moved way too slowly. With technology this advanced, they couldn't even figure out one virus?

Xie Xu's voice came from behind her.

"At eight o'clock tonight, if no one mutates, we can release them."

"Are you sure?" Tu Ran turned around to face him.

Xie Xu nodded. "The Research Institute has reassessed the longest incubation period of the virus. Forty-eight hours. If someone hasn't mutated after forty-eight hours, it's enough to show there's no mutated virus in their body."

Tu Ran instantly calculated the time in her head.

Twelve hours. She only needed to hold out twelve more hours to be free.

No more having to smell that nauseating stench of blood.

Her mood improved immediately.

After asking a few more questions, the investigation team left.

Tu Ran watched the group leave, then sat back down in the rest chair.

"Ran Jie, why don't you go back to the break room and sleep? They shouldn't have any more problems now. I can handle it," Ding Naiqing said, looking at her.

Her difficult sleeping posture made Ding Naiqing feel quite guilty.

Tu Ran thought it over. The situation in this building had stabilized for now, and she really wasn't needed anymore.

"Then I'll go back and sleep," Tu Ran said, standing up. She picked up her helmet, slung the machine gun over her shoulder, and headed for the break room at the end of the hallway.

In the break room, Zhao Yan was also lying down, along with another guard.

Tu Ran stepped past them and headed for her own little corner.

Letting herself relax as much as possible, Tu Ran quickly fell asleep.

This sleep was sound and peaceful. No gunshots rang out outside, not even from the entire building.

Clearly, all the humans infected with the virus had fully mutated during the early morning hours.

The whole world had miraculously quieted down.

Tu Ran slept for six hours.

Then she got up to relieve Ding Naiqing.

And grabbed a meal while she was at it.

The food brought up was still nutrient fluid, with a protein-compressed biscuit for each person on the side.

Bland and tasteless.

But nutritious.

Every time Pioneers went to the Threshold, they carried large quantities of these protein-compressed biscuits.

With the blessing of the chicken monster's ability, Tu Ran could actually savor some wonderful flavors from these biscuits now.

Ding Naiqing, who was struggling to swallow his, was particularly astonished. It was the first time he'd ever seen anyone eat a protein-compressed biscuit with such relish.

Until eight o'clock in the evening, all four buildings remained peaceful.

Then the Federation sent down its notice.

All survivors were cleared of possible infection and could leave the Inpatient Building freely.

The less seriously injured survivors were picked up by their families and taken home, while the more severely injured were transferred to the Medical Department for nutrient pod treatment.

Meng Fanchen and his two colleagues also returned to their posts.

Before leaving, he stopped Tu Ran in her tracks to thank her properly. Her life-saving grace, he said, he would always remember.

Tu Ran didn't take it to heart. She'd just acted on a whim.

If he'd died, she'd have been punished too.

Just like Ding Naiqing.

The doctor he'd been assigned to guard had been bitten to death by an alien, and Li Wenchuan had reamed him out and docked his pay.

Tu Ran didn't really care whether Li Wenchuan chewed her out, but deducting her wages was absolutely out of the question.

All in all, she'd saved Meng Fanchen's life, and Meng Fanchen now held her in even higher esteem. He told everyone she was his goddess—the one who'd saved his life.

Naturally, Tu Ran knew nothing of this.

She only knew she could go home now.

She could take a bath.

As soon as the notice came down, Tu Ran slung her gun over her shoulder and left.

Breathing in the long-missed fresh air outside, she felt refreshed.

First, she went back to the Administrative Building to return her gear and change into her everyday clothes. Then she took the maglev tram, got off at Liming Station, and returned to her neighborhood.

Once inside her door, Tu Ran stripped off her clothes and headed into the bathroom for a nice, long soak.

The warm water seeped into her body. It wasn't as comfortable as soaking in a nutrient pod, but it was enough to relieve the tension that had gripped her body for two days.

In the tub, she idly scrolled through today's news.

Exactly as she'd expected.

The Federal Government was proclaiming that the spread of the virus had been contained, that all infected humans had been eliminated, and that the virus could no longer spread. Citizens were assured they could go out with peace of mind.

It also said an antigen had been isolated and a vaccine developed, so even if someone got infected, they could be vaccinated in time and wouldn't mutate.

"Developed a vaccine?" Tu Ran scrolled through the screen and laughed out loud.

She didn't believe it.

If a vaccine really existed, when the Federal Government allowed those survivors to leave today, they would have given each of them an injection.

After all, those survivors were the highest-risk group. If the virus in their bodies hadn't been completely cleared, they'd be the biggest source of transmission.

Since there was a vaccine, why not first make sure the source of infection was eliminated?

Tu Ran looked at these cookie-cutter news reports and shook her head.

This was the Federal Government's usual tactic.

Using the media to blind the public.

Whether an effective vaccine had actually been produced—who could know?

Anyway, this batch of infectious aliens had already been wiped out.

This batch of vaccine wouldn't be used.

Nobody knew whether it was real or fake.

The darkness of this world, Tu Ran had felt it deeply in the original body's memories.

She'd been in this world for a while now, gone through a lot, and gradually seen the Federation's true face.

The lives of small fries didn't matter.

Her life didn't matter.

The lives of all Pioneers didn't matter.

The lives of ordinary citizens mattered even less.

Even the lives of everyone in the Executive Department, the Medical Department, and the Research Institute didn't matter.

In the eyes of the Federal Government, there was only profit.

As long as there was profit to be had, the Federal Government would achieve it at any cost.

Just like creating the Pioneer Team to explore inside the Threshold.

How many Pioneers died? The Federal Government didn't care.

What they cared about was how much valuable information the Pioneers who came back alive had brought back.

The only true humans in the entire Federation were the wealthy families behind the Federal Government.

The people of that upper class were people Tu Ran could never reach, no matter what she did now.

She didn't even have a chance to catch a single glimpse of them.

She was just one tiny ant among countless others scrambling to survive in this world.

A perfectly ordinary ant.

Tu Ran tilted her head back against the edge of the bathtub, staring at the pure white ceiling. In a daze, she saw a wisp of mist.

Behind the mist hid a vision of the future.

What was in that vision?

She strained her eyes wide, trying to see clearly.

But it remained a blurry mass.

The vision lasted less than ten seconds before dissipating.

Tu Ran looked away.

Whatever. Even if she saw it, what good would it do? Except mess with her state of mind, it wouldn't change anything.

Tu Ran stood up from the tub, wrapped herself in a towel, and left the bathroom.

She flopped onto the bed spread-eagled.

Still tired.

Even though she'd slept six hours that morning, she was still drowsy.

She wanted to sleep.

But the communicator by her pillow "ding-dinged."

That communicator was used to contact Xie Xu.

Tu Ran opened the screen and saw the latest message Xie Xu had sent her.

"The main body of the alien has been captured. Your guess was correct."

That infectious alien had indeed been hiding inside the little girl's body.

"I'm curious how you knew," Xie Xu sent another message.

Tu Ran thought for a moment, then typed a few characters.

"I'm sure you'll find out soon enough."

The capture trap in Regaken State was nearly finished.

The number of aliens that would be captured would be too many to count.

There were bound to be a few with inner cores inside their bodies.

When they were sent to the Research Institute, they'd inevitably be dissected piece by piece and studied inch by inch.

It was only a matter of time before the inner cores were discovered.

Xie Xu was a senior member of the Research Institute. The moment an inner core was found, he'd be among the first to know.

And if they interrogated the aliens harshly enough, they could definitely get them to confess the purpose of the inner cores.

Tu Ran already anticipated that day wouldn't be far off.

Xie Xu didn't respond to her reply.

Probably thinking she was just brushing him off.

Tu Ran didn't care. She just wanted to sleep.

But fate had other ideas.

Just as she was about to drift off, the doorbell rang.

Tu Ran checked the time. Eleven at night.

At this hour, who could be coming to her place?

She threw on a simple outfit, took out her handgun from under her pillow, crept to the door, and cautiously peered through the peephole.

This was an old neighborhood, and Tu Ran and Xi Chunzhi had only moved in less than a year ago. Neither had time to install surveillance cameras, so Tu Ran could only observe through the peephole.

The visitor was a woman, and her uniform looked very familiar.

On the first night she'd arrived in this world, the staff member who'd delivered her work communicator had been wearing the same black uniform, with hair neatly combed and flawless.

Tu Ran also noticed she seemed to be carrying something.

Probably delivering something to her.

Tu Ran tucked the gun into her waistband at her back and opened the door.

"Greetings, Pioneer Tu Ran. This is the Federal Government's reward for your outstanding performance on the Q4245 maglev train."

Tu Ran looked down. Two fruit baskets.

Inside were many different kinds of fruit, piled high.

Tu Ran could already faintly smell the fragrance of the fruit.

These fruits were definitely not artificial!

"Didn't I already get rewarded with a free nutrient pod session?" Tu Ran asked uncertainly.

Could they have delivered to the wrong person?

If they had, she'd be really upset.

Because she really wanted these two fruit baskets.

"No mistake. The free nutrient pod session was a reward from your Pioneer Team commander, Xie Zhao. These fruits are from the Federal Government, and I've been sent to deliver them to you."

Then they really were for her.

Tu Ran immediately reached out and took them.

The heavy weight of the fruit settled in her hands, and only then did Tu Ran truly realize all this was hers.

Although fruit had been trivial to her in her past life, since coming to this world, Tu Ran had come to deeply understand that a single fruit was hard to come by.

These two overflowing baskets of fruit were, to say the least, a very generous reward.

Carrying the two baskets of fruit back inside, Tu Ran took all the fruit out and laid them out one by one on the table.

Apples were the most abundant. Pears and peaches only had two per basket. The remaining dragon fruit, melons, and such had just one each. There were also three small boxes of assorted berries.

All in all, quite a feast.

Tu Ran grabbed an apple and bit into it while sorting the rest of the fruit.

From the original body's memories, Xi Chunzhi liked melons.

Tu Ran found a bag, put the two melons in, and then picked out half of each type of fruit and stuffed them into the bag too.

She carried the bag to Xi Chunzhi's door.

She knew the door password from the original body's memories.

After entering the password, Tu Ran pushed the door open and went in.

Straight to the fridge.

Opening the refrigerator's cold storage, the first thing she saw was two full rows of beer.

Xi Chunzhi loved to drink. Drinking allowed her mind to stay sharper.

Tu Ran cleared out a spot and shoved all the fruit from the bag inside.

Then she shut the fridge door and turned to leave.

In that round trip, she'd already finished most of the apple.

Tu Ran tossed the core into the trash.

She put the remaining fruit in the fridge, then flopped onto the bed and fell fast asleep.