NOVEL NEXT Chapter 2: Virus, Serum
At the entrance of the residential complex, Lin An opened his phone and carefully scrolled through the map.
Ding! "You have a new text message."
The familiar number—his comrade, An Jingtian.
"Lin Ge, I heard you need money. I still have plenty of my demobilization pay left. Send me your account number."
"Come by when you have time. My sister's always asking to hang out with you."
Lin An stared at the message, warmth spreading through him.
Not just comrades, he and An Jingtian had been childhood friends and brothers long before they enlisted. They had grown up together, and it was An Jingtian's parents who helped pay for his schooling.
Before Lin An could respond, another message came through.
"Weather's been changing a lot lately, take care of yourself. Don't end up like me—sick with a fever."
"My eyesight's getting worse too. I have to wear glasses now. Don't laugh when we meet."
Just as he was about to reply, Lin An froze.
Thud.
The phone slipped from his hand and clattered to the floor.
He stood there, frozen in place, a cold chill creeping up his spine.
An Jingtian had been a scout in the army, with excellent physical condition and vision.
The sudden onset of poor eyesight and fever—these were clear early symptoms of the zombie virus!
In his memory, the first batch of the zombie virus had already been dormant in parts of the population.
The symptoms—fever, poor eyesight, and cold limbs—were the telltale signs.
The pieces of the puzzle fell into place.
Lin An's eyes turned red.
In his previous life, during the outbreak, he had made plans to meet An Jingtian outside the city.
But that day, there was no sign of him. No contact at all.
He had thought An Jingtian was delayed by something.
What he didn't know was that An Jingtian had died from the virus outbreak and that was why he lost contact.
The best of brothers, dead at the hands of the virus, transformed into a zombie, suffering for eternity.
Like a heart burned with flames!
Lin An's eyes turned bloodshot.
Now that he knew the cause of An Jingtian's death, he would never allow such a tragedy to happen again.
He quickly racked his brain.
There must be a way!
After a long pause, Lin An slowly raised his head, his eyes crimson.
Inject the blood of an awakened one.
That was the only method he could think of to delay the zombification process.
The virus initially collects in the heart, forming a core.
Only by injecting the blood of an awakened one before the full transformation could the process be delayed.
An Jingtian had better physical attributes than an ordinary person.
The stronger the physical condition, the longer it took for zombification to set in.
Two hours!
Lin An recalled the details of previous infection cases from his past life.
An Jingtian could last two hours at most after the outbreak!
So...
Three days to gather supplies, grab equipment, and then rush to An Jingtian's side!
After making up his mind, Lin An quickly drafted a plan in his head.
He thought in silence, like a statue.
Five minutes later, Lin An stood up with determination and walked swiftly into the distance.
Three days would be enough!