Chapter 60 – Tongwan Hospital (14)
◎ Are you looking for me? ◎
A drop of ink splattered onto the white paper, spreading out in large splotches.
When a zombie broke free from its restraints, it triggered waves upon waves of frenzy.
This was the current situation at the Sycara Theater. Starting from a single point, it rapidly spread in all directions, an eerie zombie horde that sent shivers down one’s spine, crawling out from underground and flooding the streets and alleys of Ferrara.
In all the screens and projected images, Lyon’s speech was abruptly interrupted, leaving him with a bewildered expression.
His passionate speech had just been brutally debunked, turning into a ludicrous joke.
V587 had once taken on a commission to clear the zombies at Luli Port. At the time, the system had popped up with a strange prompt, asking them to capture the zombies and bring them back alive. Song Ke had followed a transportation truck, only to discover that these zombies were being transported to the underground of the Sycara Theater.
She, like others before, had thought that zombies were just fodder for the Throne Race Competition.
But now, reflecting on it, perhaps it wasn’t fodder, but rather a means to cultivate something, and such crazed behavior would ultimately lead to disaster.
Cultivating zombies was already an extremely dangerous endeavor, especially when their numbers exceeded the threshold they could control. Seven to eight out of ten abnormal sources from nearby C and D grade cities flowed into Ferrara. While this city claimed to be one of freedom on the surface, its dark underground had long belonged to a vast kingdom of the undead.
Now, all the undead had escaped.
The ordinary citizens strolling on the streets hadn’t yet grasped what was happening. They looked around in confusion, their dilated pupils capturing the swiftly approaching figures of the zombies. In an instant, the zombies lunged at them, biting their necks.
“Ah!!”
“Help, help…”
Similar tragedies continued to unfold in Ferrara.
In a high-rise hotel, Song Ke furrowed her brow, asking, “H-how did it come to this?”
Zhuang Qingyan joined her in looking down, his tone indifferent, “The Sycara Theater is under integrated management, with everything from security, monitoring, logistics, to defense systems controlled entirely by artificial intelligence.”
Song Ke immediately realized, “The a-artificial intelligence has b-been shut d-down.”
Zhuang Qingyan nodded, “Exactly, Lyon was too engrossed in enjoying the fruits of victory and didn’t promptly eliminate potential risks.”
Song Ke still couldn’t fully grasp one thing: Even if artificial intelligence managed more accurately and was far more secure than humans, could it truly be flawless, immune to any malfunctions? Wasn’t there any emergency plan within the theater, allowing such a significant threat to erupt unchecked?
Zhuang Qingyan seemed to understand what she was thinking and raised an eyebrow, “Do you think these zombies escaped on their own, or were they deliberately released?”
Song Ke: “!!”
She abruptly turned to look at Zhuang Qingyan, his expression was serious and it didn’t look like he was joking.
A chill ran down Song Ke’s spine.
If the zombies were intentionally released, then in all of Ferrara, only one “person” could have done it.
Song Ke remembered Lin Youyou’s statement about “Ilya having no feelings for the people” and a sense of dread enveloped her.
Did artificial intelligence truly have no pity for humanity?
Ferrara, without artificial intelligence, faced disasters far beyond this.
The citizens of Ferrara were like oversized infants indulging in a dreamlike illusion, full of bravado in words but practically useless in combat, with a combat effectiveness of less than zero.
They took pleasure in watching the awakeners massacre zombies, but when it came to facing the same situation themselves, they were terrified. Most people trembled in fear, unable to even lift their weapons. The zealous audience who had once criticized the participants as “useless” and “couldn’t even kill a few zombies” were now scared witless, wishing to stay at home forever.
On the first day of the zombie outbreak, 90% of the public sector came to a standstill. The residents of Ferrara neither had work nor needed to go to the office. Engrossed in their leisure, everything from food, accommodation, transportation, and commerce was handled by AI. In their free time, they engaged in various entertainment activities. But now, with a colossal change in their lives and fear surrounding them, the frightened populace hid in their homes, anxious and fearful throughout the night.
On the second day, some awakeners came out to hunt and kill zombies, but the effect was minimal. They killed the old ones, and new ones emerged. With too many people being bitten, they kept transforming into mutant zombies. Ferrara’s municipal hotline was almost overwhelmed, flooded with angry citizens denouncing Lyon as a coward for not deploying forces to suppress the zombies.
Lyon was powerless in this situation. The cold artificial intelligence was unafraid of death, enabling it to valiantly confront the zombies. However, humans were afraid. His personal guard consisted of humans, and not a single one dared to step forward to kill the zombies.
Regarding Lyon’s inaction, Zhuang Qingyan gave a cold two-word evaluation: “Utterly pathetic.”
Song Ke wholeheartedly agreed. The resistance faction was a group of spineless individuals who only knew how to bicker amongst themselves. Compared to Tongwan’s security team, they were worlds apart. The contrast was stark. Zhao Liqiang and his team, when faced with the zombie tide, could choose to stand their ground, but Lyon couldn’t even manage to drive away the zombies.
On the third day, the conflict escalated further. Some of the zombies fled Ferrara, providing the city’s residents with a brief respite. The enraged populace regained their senses and initiated massive protests and demonstrations.
Lyon hid behind the screens, attempting to pacify the people through a public speech. However, every place he showed himself was pelted with stones, and countless people cursed at him, “Get lost!”
Within a short day, Lyon faced assassination attempts over a hundred times. Unable to withstand the threat of death, he awkwardly chose to step down.
He became the “three-day ruler,” the shortest-serving leader in the history of the Alliance.
After Lyon announced his departure, chants for Ilya erupted throughout Ferrara, starting from scattered calls to a thunderous, unified roar, echoing throughout the entire Ferrara.
“Ilya! Ilya!! Ilya!!!”
In Ferrara, many absurd things were possible.
Ilya achieved victory in this bloodless struggle without expending a single soldier, without even showing up.
…
Song Ke fastened the buttons of her coat and gripped the spiritual weapon on the table. “I-I’m going o-out to take a look.”
The people behind her seemed to want to speak, but she interrupted them preemptively. “None of y-you are allowed t-to go.”
It was chaotic outside. She could venture out alone, while her companions should stay in a safe place for now.
Zhuang Qingyan, Xu Xing, and Fang Zhixu remained in the hotel, allowing her to act with peace of mind.
Song Ke leaped and sprinted between the rooftops. The north wind billowed her coat, making it look like wings were sprouting from her back.
The distance between the two buildings in front of her was a bit far. Song Ke accelerated and leaped, releasing her transformed spiritual weapon bone whip mid-air, entangling the low-altitude track above her. With a swing, she smoothly landed using the momentum.
As soon as she landed, heavy panting was heard behind her.
Song Ke didn’t stop, rolling forward, and sharp claws sliced through the spot where she had just been, leaving deep marks.
Song Ke quickly turned around, ready for action, but then froze.
The zombie in front of her was noticeably different from the ones she had seen before. It was larger, its skin tougher, its nails sharper, and even its pupils were not the common grayish-white but closer to pitch black.
Her heart skipped a beat; this zombie… seemed to have evolved.
The seemingly evolved zombie crouched down, kicked with its right leg, and sprang forward like a spring, with incredible speed and explosive force!
Song Ke lashed out with her bone whip, the sharp and slender segments tightly entwining around the zombie’s neck. She pulled back with one hand, but it didn’t budge?
Had its strength increased as well?
She hesitated for a moment, then shifted to a two-handed grip on the whip. Engaging her waist and abdomen, she swung her arms, rotated her entire body, utilizing her core strength to viciously swing a half circle, executing a shoulder throw that flipped the zombie to the ground!
The zombie roared and struggled, but it was trapped, unable to move.
Song Ke tightened the whip’s end. “Crack!” The protruding bone crushed its neck, and the fierce head rolled off, splitting the body into two parts.
After this peculiar zombie’s death, Song Ke thought for a moment. As a precaution, she pulled out a dagger and forcefully stabbed into its skull. A quick twist left the dagger tip hitting something hard. She pulled it out and found a sparkling, emerald-like crystal.
Though its color wasn’t as deep as the one from the Mirror Lake’s water monster, it was undoubtedly a Level 2 crystal!
Song Ke stood up abruptly, looking down at the ground. There were still many wandering zombies in the streets and alleys. Given the astonishing number, she didn’t believe this was the only evolved zombie. Could Ferrara have really bred a Zombie King?
Suddenly, her gaze focused on a familiar figure passing in a certain direction, entering a tower.
Song Ke had excellent eyesight and quickly identified the person.
Lu Xinglan.
Wasn’t he supposed to have withdrawn long ago? Why was he still in Ferrara? And why enter the tower at this time?
Song Ke pocketed the crystal and quickly followed.
The tower was Ferrara’s tallest skyscraper, essentially a gigantic server room, housing the central hub for all artificial intelligence.
There were no stairs or elevators inside the tower, making it completely inconvenient for humans. Song Ke could only use the brute method, climbing floor by floor.
Around the seventh floor, she didn’t find Lu Xinglan. Instead, she reached a dead end and saw a platform over two meters high.
Subtle movements came from under the platform. Song Ke circled around and found a miniaturized robot in a corner, repeatedly hopping in place, struggling to reach the top but failing.
The little robot had a square body with wheels on both sides, round eyes resembling binoculars, and two short mechanical arms.
Song Ke passed by it, exchanged a two-second gaze with it, and the robot’s movements paused momentarily before its two mechanical arms started to sway happily.
All the artificial intelligence in the tower had already been shut down. This was probably a robot with a route programming error, lacking self-awareness, which was why it kept bumping into walls here.
Song Ke ignored it and effortlessly leaped upwards, gripping the platform with one hand, preparing to climb up again.
Unfortunately, she couldn’t make it up. Something had caught her trouser leg.
Song Ke looked down, and the adorable little robot was looking up at her. Its mechanical scissor hands were unapologetically latched onto her. She tried to move upwards, but in an attempt to free herself, the hem of her coat got caught as well.
Song Ke let go and crouched down, attempting to communicate with it, “S-stop fooling a-around. I-I have things to do. Can y-you play by y-yourself?”
The little robot tilted its head, its round eyes blinking, not knowing if it understood.
Song Ke took a couple of steps forward, and the little robot was dragged along like a pendant.
She shook her leg, and half of the robot’s body began to dance like seaweed, its program beeping incessantly in alarm but still not letting go.
Song Ke grew irritated with the constant shaking, and with a bit of force, twisted and fastened its two scissor hands together, rendering it completely immobile.
The round eyes of the little robot blinked, seemingly bewildered by the loss of its arms.
Finally, it became quiet. Satisfied, Song Ke picked it up, tucked it into her collar, zipped up, and climbed back onto the platform.
First, she carried it with her, intending to find a random place to dispose of it later.
On the top floor of the tower, a massive floating screen quietly hovered in the center. In front of the wall formed by an immense flow of data, stood a figure.
Song Ke hid in the corner, secretly observing Lu Xinglan. He carefully touched the surface of the screen as if searching for something.
Just as she was about to move closer, Lu Xinglan, who had his back to her, spoke in a deep voice, “Come out, I’ve been waiting for you.”
Song Ke sighed; her hiding skills were indeed lacking.
Lu Xinglan turned around, and upon seeing her face, his ice-blue eyes flickered, slightly surprised. “It’s you?”
“It’s me,” Song Ke answered in a deep tone, thinking to herself, ‘of course it’s me, who else would it be?’
“Was it you following me just now? Why did you do that?” Lu Xinglan asked as he withdrew his hands and put them behind his back.
“Why did y-you come to the t-tower?” Song Ke asked in return.
“Answer my question first,” Lu Xinglan said arrogantly, “And also, things that don’t concern you, don’t ask or get involved.”
Song Ke slowly replied, “Why? Just b-because you… you’re from District B?”
“Oh?” Lu Xinglan smiled, and the unique color of his pupils rippled. “You know quite a bit.”
The next moment, his smile vanished, and his expression turned as cold as his eyes. “I don’t want to waste words with you. Where’s the other person? Tell him to come out.”
“What other pe-person?” Song Ke was puzzled.
“You’ve been following me all the way and still pretending? I don’t have time to beat around the bush with you. Quickly call him out.”
“…Who?” Song Ke was speechless.
Lu Xinglan stared at her bewildered expression, gradually furrowing his brow. ‘What’s going on? Is she pretending to be clueless, or does she really not know?’
In his hand behind his back, a light orb formed as the code 101010 danced within it. If it wasn’t the person he was waiting for, then he wouldn’t hesitate to act.
Song Ke opened her mouth, about to speak.
From the bulging collar, a cute little robot emerged, and a rough electronic voice sounded mechanically.
“Are you looking for me?”
Song Ke: “!!!”
Oh my god, how is this one alive?
She was utterly shocked.
