Chapter 15. Dead Man Blues (2)
* * * * *
I ate lunch on the rooftop with Camilla. The blue sky was filled with flocks of clouds, so the sunlight was not strong.
It was a little hot, but the rooftop is the only place in the world where we can relax in the sun.
All the windows from the 1st to the 4th floor are blocked so there is no sunlight, and the parking lot is not completely safe.
“The sunlight is so nice.”
Camilla, wearing short clothes, is drinking orange juice while lying on her sunbed. Her brimmed hat, sunglasses covering half of her face, and even the oil she had previously applied to her skin.
He seemed to be in such a good mood and was smiling so happily that I couldn’t ask him what happened with Cassandra yesterday.
Anyway, I lay down on the sunbed and drank grape juice.
“Do you want to go on a trip?”
At my suggestion, Camilla covers her mouth and laughs.
“Good, trip. “Where do you know?”
“Well, I’ve been to so many mountains and fields… I think a lake or the sea would be good. It would be nice to go to a resort or something like that. “Not a golf resort.”
“It sounds fun. Rest in the sun like this during the day, and eat delicious food in the evening. Beer and barbecue. “I want to eat beef, lamb, onions, and green peppers on skewers and rotate them around.”
“Sprinkle salt and pepper.”
“Put beer cans in an icebox and keep them cold. “The meat has to be really fresh.”
It was a fantasy that made no sense, but it was more enjoyable because of it. There will be no need to eat anything like ‘fresh meat’ anymore.
All living and moving animals would have become zombies. And no matter how much I want to eat fresh meat, I don’t want to eat zombie meat.
“… “John, maybe it could be real?”
But Camilla seems to have a slightly different opinion than I do.
“How? “Medicine?”
“Treatment medicine is the best. It would be nice if it purifies the land and listens well to both people and animals, but even if it doesn’t. Beer can be made homemade, and meat… Cultured meat?”
It’s called cultured meat.
This was also the main research field of the Cybele Institute, where we are located. A technology to artificially grow lean meat by placing stem cells in a nutrient solution.
They said that they not only succeeded in commercializing the product but also built a production plant, but were unable to make money for Cybele.
First of all, there were too many areas that needed improvement. Not only was it a complicated process and the cost of production was high, but more than anything, it had a lower taste and texture than regular meat.
Moreover, Elza’s main industry is agriculture and livestock farming. You can eat fresh meat anywhere in the country. Nevertheless, the reason Cybele pushed for the cultured meat business was to tame the citizens.
The Cybele Group is a state-owned enterprise of the Elsa government, and the Elsa government is Römer’s puppet. Moreover, those who created the Cybele Group were from Römer’s nobility.
Römer knew that he could not suppress Elsa with a gun or sword.
So this time we took a different approach. By inserting a hunger-inducing virus into food and distributing it, making citizens spend a lot of money on food, thereby economically subordinating citizens to the state.
Actively promoting the cultured meat business was also part of this grand plan.
Increasing production to a level that can feed a country’s citizens and realizing economies of scale, ultimately pushing even the largest farms to the point where they cannot survive.
Of course, the road was too far to go for that, and now it has become impossible to go. Because the zombie outbreak broke out.
This is something that I, Camilla, and Cassandra all know.
“… “It’s kind of funny now that I say it.”
Camilla shook her head bitterly.
“Why?”
“The reason Cybele developed the cultured meat industry was to destroy the traditional cattle farming industry and subjugate the Erza people. It was a technology created with bad intentions.
But now it has become the only safe way to consume meat. At one time, I really hated you. Now… “If my past self looked at me now, I’d hate him for being a traitor, right?”
Camilla’s laughter was self-mocking. “I guess not,” I guessed, and she confirmed.
“I would say I’m jealous because I met such a great boyfriend.”
“… “Honestly, you’re a little embarrassed even after saying that, aren’t you?”
“A little too much.”
“Then come and apply some more oil.”
Camilla patted her stomach. She released an appropriate amount and gently rubbed it. Looking at her well-toned abs, glistening in the sun, feels different than when she touches them at night.
“I have to go out in the afternoon… “
Camilla lightly bites her lower lip, feeling both happy and sad.
She actually said she was going to go out with her in the afternoon. She decided that since she was going to stay here for a long time anyway, it would be a good idea to make her surroundings a little ‘safer’.
When it comes to safety, there is nothing special about it. She organizes the surrounding houses, cleverly arranges furniture so that it makes a loud noise if touched incorrectly, and takes pictures.
And a few days later, we compare and contrast the photos we took to see if anyone has visited. That’s it.
However, to do that, you had to move carefully so as not to be noticed by the zombies. Even if they were caught, they had to move quietly, not by shooting, but by stabbing with a spear or throwing an ax or knife to kill them.
In other words, it takes a long time.
“Should I just rest today and go out tomorrow? It’s not a very urgent matter. Or I can go alone.”
“That’s not possible. The two of you should work together to arrange the furniture. “What if you do it alone and get attacked by a zombie?”
When I think about it, Camilla is right. But Camilla also seemed to think differently.
“… Okay. Well, today is not the only day. So, Yohan, take off your top and lie down. “I’ll apply oil this time.”
I spread out the sunbed and lay down on it.
Camila applied oil to her back, pressing it with her fingers. He skillfully loosened her knots, making her drowsy.
The sunlight hitting my back felt stinging, as if it were a look of jealousy, but it felt good.
“… Strange.”
“What is it, Camilla?”
“I feel like I’ve changed so much from what I used to be. In the past, even if I rolled in rough mud or ate a can of food for two days, it was just fine. At that time, I was intoxicated with the idea of liberating Erza.
But now I’m tanning on the roof of a research center in a rural area surrounded by zombies, and I’m happier now.”
“Let’s not think too deeply. “It’s good to be happy, right?”
“… “How much more will I compromise in the future?”
It was a difficult question. She stayed quiet because it was difficult to answer. Camilla laughed and lightly slapped his back. It meant turning her body around.
I squeezed the oil onto my chest and upper stomach. I thought it was a bit too much, but seeing him spread his hands out wide, I think he showed some selfishness.
Camilla mainly rubbed my chest and shoulders. She spread it wide with her palm and gently tapped it with the back of her hand.
Knowing that I was sensitive, he intentionally applied pressure gently, as if giving me medicine. If things continue like this, I feel like I’m going to be in trouble.
“The world has changed. “We can’t live the same way as before.”
“That’s true, but sometimes I miss the old days. I thought there would be no more floor than this, but underneath the floor… “There was a bigger floor.”
I thought I knew what you meant. In the past, Camilla fought with someone. Now, in addition to that, I am also fighting things that used to be people.
And both of us, no, everyone in the world. That kind of existence is changing day by day. The few who know the truth remain silent to prevent further confusion.
“Then, before we fall any deeper, let’s get a camping car and go to the lakeside.”
Camilla dropped her head and giggled. The eyes inside the sunglasses seemed to sparkle a little.
“… “Really.”
He sprayed oil on my body, then slowly raised his body and knelt down on top of me.
While I was worrying about whether the sunbed could support the weight of two people, he slowly rubbed his entire body against mine.
“I’m glad.”
“What?”
“I can live with such a shameless man.”
The small, pointed tongue slightly stuck out. With a squeak, the rooftop door opened. It was Cassandra.
“I was here…” Ah.”
Cassandra turned her body back, probably because she was embarrassed. Camilla started to flinch and seemed to be trying to pull away from her body, but then she suddenly realized what she was thinking and lay down further on top of me. Her breasts were almost pressed together.
“Are you awake, Cassandra? “Get some more rest.”
“Ah. No. Insect… I got enough rest. Rather… “
Cassandra stuttered in excitement. She still turned around.
“… I found something. “It’s not urgent, so take a break and come down.”
Then he hurried down the stairs.
* * * * *
We gathered in the restaurant on the 3rd floor. Cassandra opened her laptop and showed us what she had found.
“You found it much faster than expected? “I said it would take a few days.”
It was a truly amazing achievement, but Cassandra seemed a bit embarrassed. That means that’s what it looked like when reflected in the light of the laptop.
“So what exactly did you find?”
Camilla leaned towards her laptop curiously. A 3D virus model was floating on the screen, and next to it was a sheet with complicated data written on it.
“Huh, the first input of the hunger virus. Many parts were omitted from Cybele’s database, but this lab had the initial input data. “I found it.”
I had a lot of questions, but I decided to listen first. Cassandra downed her bottle of water in one gulp and began to explain more calmly.
“The name of the hunger virus is ‘Limos.’ After that, it was called various names such as F, special ingredient, and food additive, but I think it was a name intended to obscure its exact identity.
The Limos virus is similar to anthrax in many ways. It is not easily transmitted and cannot survive without a host.
In normal times, they make a hard outer shell with a calcium shell and hide in the shape of a spore. Thanks to this, I can survive for a very, very long time. So tough. Very… “It’s vicious.”
“How can you say it’s vicious?”
In response to my question, Cassandra hugged her body and trembled.
From Noble mtl dot com
“Li, Limos attacks the brain and nervous system and releases toxins. It paralyzes and disrupts the part of the brain that controls satiety, forcing you to constantly search for food even when you are clearly full.
The host wanders around in all directions looking for food, and either dies from shock, or dies from eating too much and literally having its stomach ripped open, or is exposed to danger and dies from being bitten by a predator.
And the same thing happens to predators. Even if it is not eaten, it remains dormant, spreading throughout the land through the corpse and saliva and secretions.
It is said that while sleeping in the soil, it is transferred to the body of a passing animal, or attached to a plant leaf, etc., And then absorbed into the body of a herbivore… “
“Why on earth would you do that?”
Camilla covered her mouth as if she was shocked. Cassandra swallowed her dry saliva again and again.
“Now, let’s spread ourselves far and wide! “Just as humans travel from place to place by horses, cars, and trains, limos use animals as their cars and homes.”
Cybele then put it in cans and distributed it across the country.