Chapter 17. Desertion (2)
* * * * *
– Bam! Bread!
I rang the klaxon and turned on the high beam. Excited zombies gather one by one. But some guys managed to get out of the way to the side of the road.
“That’s right!”
I tore open the bag of snacks and canned food left on the passenger seat and threw them to the guys standing on the side of the road. Some of them hit their bodies, but most of them flopped and fell to the ground.
“That’s right.”
Then again, they say they like it. The guys gathered in front of the truck also quietly backed off to the side of the road and stretched out their hands, pretending not to notice.
I deliberately drove the truck slowly and shouted at the guys.
“Aren’t cookies better than raw meat?”
One or two guys just growl, but then they pay more attention to the opened can of yellow peach.
Unfortunately, I don’t know what food zombies like. Just throw it to them and they will eat it all. One time, I threw a mix of pebbles at him, but wasn’t that just amazing selection?
However, it seems that the more unique and strong the smell, the more attracted you are to it. I was lucky enough to find salted pork and grilled it in the middle of the parking lot, but the zombies were pounding on the lab fence as if asking for a bite.
I thought that if you were attracted to food and could distinguish between edible and non-edible things, then training would be possible if you had that level of intelligence.
So, that’s what we’re doing. ‘Sound the klaxon and throw food at them if they move to the side of the road.’
For example, it is called ‘positive reinforcement.’ The goal is to impress upon the dog that he or she will receive a reward if he or she performs a behavior that is pleasing to the owner and trainer. Until when? Until you understand.
Of course, zombies are stupid, stubborn, and do not leave alone humans who are angry with them, and have serious anti-social tendencies.
Stupid. Or, they may be aware of it, but they have no intention of listening to me. Like the guy in front of me right now, like the guy who’s been following along well until now and then growls because he doesn’t like something.
Can’t follow class? Then you have to die.
– Bang!
Shoot it. Those who smell blood gather around the corpse.
– Bam! Bread!
The klaxon rang again. A military police zombie sauntered out. He sees the body lying on the street and drags it to the side of the road.
A smart guy. He threw me a piece of chocolate with its wrapping paper torn. Then the other guys follow the military police guy.
Interestingly, not all zombies move aside when the klaxon sounds. I think it might be three out of ten. The rest is just because the guy next to me moves. Or, if they go there, they follow because there is something to eat.
Being smart or having a little bit of insight. Those guys can be trained. Those who don’t will be killed.
* * * * *
While the guys were busy eating, I opened the front door of the lab and parked the truck.
“This is an age where even zombies have to be smart to survive, right?”
Camilla locked the door behind her and crossed her arms. I shrugged and opened the truck bed.
It’s full of things brought from the supermarket. Half of it was groceries, and the other half was moving supplies such as tape, cardboard boxes, and hand carts.
“Well, being smart isn’t everything. You must be sociable enough to interact with other people. “At the very least, you should be able to listen and understand the instructions of the person who feeds you.”
“I get goosebumps hearing that from you, Johan, and not from anyone else.”
“For some reason, I got along well with you, Camilla. “What about Cassandra?”
As soon as I asked the question, Cassandra walked out of her lobby carrying a laptop bag. The area under her eyes was very dark, perhaps because of the continuous overtime work.
“You’re here. “I heard a truck.”
“Is the data transfer going well?”
“Yes. Because I’m in the process of removing all the HDDs from the PC. It was definitely an intuitive and simple method. “It’s primitive, if not uncivilized.”
Once I found out that the western country of Minsk was sending agents and mercenaries to raid Erza’s Cybele Research Institute and steal information, I couldn’t stay silent.
First, we need to find a safe place to settle down. We also had to set up research facilities for virus-related research, to track, manage, and analyze the viruses in my body, Camilla, and Cassandra.
However, finding a place that met both conditions was very difficult and time-consuming. Because many aspects may be different from what I know, I have to go and check it out in person.
Naturally, the key question was how to transfer the existing research data, and Cassandra’s answer was surprisingly intuitive. The idea was to just remove the hard disk.
It wasn’t a bad method. Just in case, if you run into a difficult situation, you could use it as a bargaining chip with Minsk or Elsa or Roemer.
In these days, information, especially information about viruses, is very valuable. How dare they have mobilized a large number of mercenaries from Minsk.
“By the way. There are many people in Erza who have completely become zombies. However, the spread seems to be slow in Römer and Minsk. “Is it because they also have strict control over the media?”
During a short break, Camilla wiped the sweat from her forehead and asked a question. Cassandra gave her quick answer.
“It is true that the transmission speed is slow. Before Cassandra left the Center for Disease Control, the transmission speed of Römer and Minsk was only about 1/3 of that of Erza. “It’s probably because of the concentration of the virus.”
“Concentration?”
“Yes. Our body has an immune system that can defend against viruses coming from outside. However, if too many viruses come in than can be defended, then defense becomes difficult. “Elsa was in an environment conducive to the spread of the Cro virus, and because there were sources of contamination everywhere, infection occurred more quickly.”
“Even if it is Römer or Minsk, it’s not like they have done particularly thorough quarantine.”
“Well, to put it more simply, because of poverty.”
Cassandra did not hesitate at all, and Camilla looked a little displeased.
“What do you mean? “You got sicker because of poverty?”
Cassandra sucked her lips in response to my question.
“To put it simply, Elsa neglected the poor. She doesn’t have a job and the level of social infrastructure is not high. But Minsk is a wealthy country, and individuals pay a lot of attention not only to public hygiene but also to taking care of their own bodies.”
“What about Roemer?”
“Römer is a bit different. Poor people just join the military. And the military, if nothing else, manages infectious diseases very thoroughly. The point is that Minsk and Römer had smaller hygiene blind spots than Elsa.”
Camilla seemed a little hurt by Cassandra’s criticism. Because she answered with a slightly lonely face.
“… That’s true. But no one gets sick because they want to be sick.”
Cassandra also nodded her head at Camilla’s words.
“Of course. She used to say that at the CDC. Because we did not give anything to the poor and marginalized, they harbored resentment.
The poor in the city and the countryside, people who no one takes care of… If I had paid a little more attention to those people, it would have been very different from what it is now. In any case, the contagion and pollution of big cities emerged from such people.”
As I was listening to Cassandra, the strange relationship between the three countries of Elsa, Roemer, and Minsk suddenly came to mind. Elsa is a country that has been hit by Römer and Minsk.
But now, it has become a virus that has spread from Elsa, holding back both countries and slowly pulling them into the swamp.
It is too catastrophic to say that it is self-employed.
The truck has all been unloaded. Camilla moves her body around and turns her head towards me.
“Anyway, so when are you going to the Hamptons?”
“In about two to three days?”
In the past, I would have left immediately to find a safe haven. But now things have changed. It’s because of the virus that took root in the bodies of me, Camilla, and Cassandra.
We had to see what the status of the Cro virus was in the bodies of the three of us, and whether their personalities had suddenly changed or were the same as before.
Also, since the ‘interaction’ between the three of us has become stronger than before, we also had to check for changes in status accordingly.
To do this, you must have research equipment and facilities. Cassandra said she could do it with minimal facilities, but she would rather do it in a place where the research facilities are already well equipped.
More than anything, the most important thing was that the three of us knew the surrounding terrain well. At least we know where the enemy is coming from and where he is going.
I know what traps we dug around us and what kind of fights we fought. However, if you move or change your residence, you will forget all these advantages.
So we set up a temporary solution. You two will defend the base here with the zombies while I go to Hampton and get the reagents as quickly as possible.
“… In the early days, it was common to hear stories of people being bitten after being locked in a room, thinking that zombification was just an optical illusion caused by a cold or high fever. “But this is the first time I’ve ever heard of the idea of using zombies as guard dogs.”
Even Cassandra was quite taken aback, but commented that the idea itself was not bad.
“I don’t think there’s anything bad. The Minsk guys got hit hard here too, so it will take some time until the next team comes. Johan Even if you aren’t here, if me and Cassandra and those zombies are camped out….”
Camilla is also quite positive.
“I think it would be okay to eat it occasionally or throw it over the wall. Not too much, but mainly things that are almost past their expiration date. The Minsk mercenaries… Won’t be coming for a while, right?”
Thanks to the Minsk friends leaving behind some pretty good data in their camping car, such as secret channels and access passwords, we were able to get quite a bit of information about Minsk’s movements.
Of course, it is limited and not all, but it is enough to understand which team is operating where. If the encryption system changes, we will have to pay more attention, but there is nothing to worry about in Minsk for now.
“By the way, John.”
Camilla taps the back of my hand.
“Yes.”
“You can come back as soon as possible, right? Things don’t seem to be going well in the Hamptons either. The news is so scary. “I’m worried that you have to send it alone.”
I have no choice but to go to the Hamptons alone. Not only is Cassandra on a wanted list, but Camilla has also been exposed so much that she has to hold her breath for the time being.
“You don’t have to worry about that. This woman, Letty, seems to be doing a good job. “They said they brought not only reagents but also various experimental equipment.”
If you say something like, ‘The item isn’t ready, just wait two days and it will come,’ they will leave without looking back. Because I don’t want to waste my time on such nonsense.
“By the way, Cassandra. Are you using that reagent simply for virus analysis?”
“Not really. The reagents and equipment available in the laboratory were sufficient for the analysis. What I’m trying to do is synthesize, disassemble and reassemble viruses. Why is that?”
That’s right. Then,
“Strengthening is also possible, right?”