Chapter 80: The Research Center

The phrase “XR Virus Research Center” from Yang Xingjun had indeed captured Xie Han’s entire attention. What was the greatest issue facing civilization in the apocalypse? It wasn’t the lack of food, nor the scheming among humans, nor even the deadly struggle between humans and zombies—it was the XR virus itself. Since the beginning, every base, no matter how dire its conditions, had poured its greatest resources into XR virus research. Even the most ruthless of people hoped humanity could reclaim their living space and regain control over these lands.

Wangtian Base, the largest known stronghold in Wangtian Province, had established an XR Virus Research Center immediately after securing Yanglin Town, gathering specialists to unlock the secrets of the XR virus.

In the early days, some had proposed using chemical weapons against the zombies. The reasoning was simple: zombies originated from infected humans; though their nervous systems were mutated, they had not entirely departed from human biology. Chemical weapons, being devastating to human genes, might just destroy the neural systems that kept zombies mobile.

In the apocalypse, biochemical weapons targeted not only human cells but even skeletal structures. Research had shown that the rotting flesh on zombies was like a layer of clothing on a human—not to shield modesty, but to protect their nervous systems. With this understanding, many believed that biochemical weapons aimed at nerves and bones could annihilate the zombies.

When the XR virus first broke out, humanity still possessed a considerable air force. Before the virus’s properties were fully understood, many in power accepted this theory and deployed biochemical weapons in cities overrun by zombies, even at the risk of harming possible survivors.

But the outcome of the biochemical strikes was wholly unexpected. Not only did the weapons fail to destroy the zombies, but they also seemed to enhance their abilities, causing them to become more active and to spread even farther afield. Bases and temporary shelters on the outskirts of cities were swiftly overrun and destroyed by these newly empowered zombie hordes.

Moreover, launching fighter jets into the sky attracted an even more terrifying type of zombie—the mutated avian kind. These airborne zombies deprived humanity of control of the skies, turning aircraft into little more than scrap metal cluttering the bases. In aerial combat, these small, nimble bird-zombies could easily crash into fighter jets, resulting in inevitable destruction and loss of life.

The emergence of avian zombies made the XR virus even more terrifying. However, subsequent research showed that not all living cells could be infected. In animals, for instance, some lacked the genetic resilience to survive the virus and would die outright, rather than mutate. Take sparrows, for example: their genes couldn’t withstand the XR virus’s DNA recombination, resulting in the near extinction of sparrows rather than their evolution into zombies.

The XR virus primarily targeted human genes; its outbreak killed most animals, rather than transforming them. Only a small fraction were successfully infected and became zombies.

Curiously, animals did not face the binary fate of humans—death or zombification. Instead, three outcomes emerged: some became zombies, others perished, and a third group survived unscathed, just as with humans. This phenomenon offered humanity a glimmer of hope: animals still roamed the natural world, defying the apocalyptic vision of mass extinction.

Whether these surviving animals could evade slaughter from all sides was out of human hands—especially as humans themselves were struggling to survive amid rampant zombies.

With so many discoveries, XR virus research became the absolute priority at all bases and survivor outposts. Yet the virus remained a mystery; researchers struggled to find a direction, let alone make progress. The scarcity of scientists and resources in the apocalypse further hampered experimentation, making advances painfully slow.

The XR Virus Research Center at Wangtian Base was located behind the former town government building, in a large, heavily guarded compound. Only those with authorization could enter or exit. The compound, equipped with residential facilities, formed a self-contained community for research staff and support personnel, with all necessities supplied from outside.

Entry required multiple rounds of disinfection and the donning of protective suits, followed by a ten-minute decontamination in the virus processing room.

Inside, the compound was quiet. Apart from the soldiers on guard, few people moved about. When Yang Xingjun and Xie Han arrived, they underwent the same cold, clinical procedures as everyone else. Yang Xingjun was accustomed to the atmosphere—he visited every three days and knew the place well.

After disinfection, Yang Xingjun led Xie Han to a basement in the middle of the compound. Judging by its construction, the basement was hastily dug after the occupation of Yanglin Town—crude and cramped, likely due to lack of time and machinery. Its layout matched the building above: a central corridor with rooms on either side.

They stopped before one of the doors. Yang Xingjun knocked lightly, waited a moment, then entered without waiting for a response. Xie Han followed him in. The room was a laboratory, its tables crowded with glass apparatus. Several researchers in protective suits worked intently at the benches, barely acknowledging the newcomers before returning to their tasks.

Yang Xingjun approached one of the researchers with a hint of respect. “Dr. Wang, any progress?”

Wang Yezhi shook his head with a sigh. “I’ve run repeated experiments on the matter you mentioned yesterday, using the XR virus, but I can find no evidence for that theory of evolution.” Judging by his voice, Dr. Wang was a man well past sixty, though the protective suit concealed his features from Xie Han.

“What theory of evolution?” Xie Han asked, curiosity piqued. He stood quietly by Yang Xingjun’s side, wary of touching anything in the lab—for who knew if an unremarkable glass vial might contain the deadly XR virus? In such a place, who would dare risk carelessness?