Chapter 7

Due to the heavy fog, there were not many vehicles on the road. Moreover, after Huang Shang killed over a dozen zombies, his vision and reaction abilities had greatly improved. As a result, he eventually returned home in less than half the time it took him to get there.

It's worth noting that, whether it was due to Huang Shang's good luck or because the zombie virus was still in its early stages of spreading and the number of infected people was not yet significant, he did not encounter a single zombie on his way. However, the distant sounds of gunfire, screams, and occasional explosions continuously reminded Huang Shang that City C was experiencing an unprecedented disaster.

After returning home, the first thing Huang Shang did was to take out some medical tools from the house and begin treating the wound on his calf.

After all, the wound was not large, and the zombie virus seemed to be contained within it. Therefore, he might be able to remove the infected flesh by excision, thereby eliminating the time bomb inside his body.

However, Huang Shang soon discovered that the zombie virus was much more tenacious than he had imagined!

As he gently inserted the scalpel into the blackish-purple flesh, a sudden, indescribable pain shot through the wound, which had already become somewhat numb. At the same time, the blackish-purple area around the wound began to expand visibly, and the raised blood vessels, resembling centipedes, became even more grotesque!

It was as if... the zombie virus in his wound had been stimulated!

"Ouch..."

Feeling the intense pain from his calf, Huang Shang couldn't help but draw a sharp breath. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, and his expression grew increasingly grim.

Clearly, it was unrealistic to remove the zombie virus from his body through surgery.

In that case, he had no choice but to use the "Gu Yi Duan Ti Shu" to detoxify.

With this thought, Huang Shang shook his head, then bandaged the wound while casually picking up the remote to turn on the TV.

With the zombie virus spreading rapidly, he wondered what measures the government would take to deal with this unprecedented disaster.

However, perhaps due to the sudden nature of the event or because the higher-ups had imposed a news blackout, none of the TV channels were reporting on the zombie situation, as if nothing had happened.

But Huang Shang knew that, given the current situation, such news could not and should not be suppressed, or the consequences would be even more severe!

And indeed, that was the case!

Before Huang Shang could finish treating his wound, the TV screen suddenly changed, and a familiar national leader appeared.

The leader, who usually wore a smile, now had an extremely serious, even grave, expression.

What he said next was like a bomb, shocking the entire nation!

"Right now, I am about to broadcast an emergency announcement."

"According to the National Special Disease Control Group, a mutated rabies virus has begun to spread globally. This virus is extremely dangerous, can be transmitted through the air, and is highly infectious. Preliminary estimates suggest that over 30% of the world's population has been infected by this mutated virus."

"The mechanism of this virus is very unique. For healthy individuals, it is almost harmless. However, if it acts on severely weakened or near-death individuals, the virus will undergo a secondary mutation, causing the infected to lose their sanity and become highly aggressive, attacking all flesh-and-blood organisms, including humans."

"More importantly, this secondary mutated virus can also spread through saliva and blood. Those bitten will mutate within 3 minutes to 1 hour. Therefore, hospitals and various units will isolate such patients. If you notice any signs of weakness, near-death, or infection, please immediately call the police and isolate the patient to prevent bites and infection."

"Additionally, the bodies of those who have undergone secondary mutation will undergo certain mutations, making them resistant to ordinary physical damage. If isolation fails, attack their heads; only by destroying their heads can you stop their attacks."

"Please remember, as there is currently no vaccine or cure, the fatality rate after secondary infection is 100%. Therefore, if you encounter an infected person, whether they are a family member, friend, or teacher, do not hesitate to isolate and eliminate them!"

"Due to the high infectivity and lethality of this virus, our country will enter a state of first-level readiness. All cities will implement martial law and curfews within the next 24 hours. Please cooperate with the government and stay at home. Otherwise, the state will impose severe penalties according to wartime regulations!"

"Finally, please trust the government. The government will do its utmost to ensure everyone's safety, and the corresponding vaccine is under development. We believe we will soon overcome this disaster!"

The news broadcast ended quickly and began to loop continuously. Not only that, but when Huang Shang tried changing the channel, he found that all TV stations were repeatedly broadcasting this news.

"Indeed, the news had to be made public?"

Watching the news loop on the TV, Huang Shang felt a mix of emotions.

Making the news public, even by calling it a mutated rabies virus instead of a zombie virus, would undoubtedly cause massive panic, unrest, and even riots among the public, leading to severe consequences.

This outcome was not only anticipated by Huang Shang but also clearly understood by the high-ranking officials. However, at this point, apart from making the news public and urging everyone to stay at home to reduce the risk of infection, what other options were there? If the news were not made public, it would only accelerate the spread of the infection and worsen the situation!

The only hope now was for the government to quickly develop a vaccine and rely on the military to stabilize the situation.

After all, if, as the news reported, only the dead and near-dead would naturally transform, then controlling this source might allow the government to contain the situation.

However...

Thinking about this, Huang Shang suddenly remembered the system's last words before expelling him from his mind.

The system would awaken in three days!

Why would it awaken in three days? What would happen in three days?

For some reason, Huang Shang felt a sense of unease, as if a great danger was approaching.

"The system said that zombies were just the beginning. What will come next?"

Huang Shang recalled the system's words and made a decision: "Forget it. No matter what comes next or what happens in three days, the most important thing now is to cultivate the 'Gu Yi Duan Ti Shu' to the minor success stage and expel the zombie virus!"

With this thought, Huang Shang changed into a comfortable set of workout clothes, picked up the blood-stained crowbar, and walked out of the door.

He did not wash off the blood stains on his body because he knew that even if he cleaned himself thoroughly, he would soon be covered in blood again.

After all, he was going out to hunt!

He had to expel the virus from his body before the situation worsened or before the military took full control of City C!

The former was to enhance his strength for self-preservation, while the latter... once the military took control of the city, they would likely conduct a full-scale screening to identify and control or even eliminate those with early signs of infection. If he couldn't expel the zombie virus by then, he would face a dire outcome!

After leaving his home, Huang Shang rode his electric scooter directly to the nearest hospital, the First People's Hospital of City C.

Since the news stated that only the near-dead and the newly deceased would transform into zombies, the hospital naturally became his best hunting ground.

After all, where else would there be more near-dead and newly deceased individuals than in a hospital?

As Huang Shang headed to the First People's Hospital of City C, the impact of the news report began to spread and manifest in the city.

The news about the zombie virus had clearly been communicated to everyone through the internet, TV, and various media channels. Many people had already realized that a true apocalypse and disaster were likely imminent, or had already arrived.

However, after realizing this, not everyone stayed at home as the news suggested. Instead, more people left their homes and took to the streets!

No one was a fool. Since the government had announced that a disaster had arrived, they naturally wanted to seize the last opportunity to stock up on essential supplies. If the apocalypse did come, they would at least have enough food to survive for a while!

Therefore, the streets were now crowded with people. Long lines formed at ATMs, and supermarkets of all sizes were packed with people. Even gas stations were filled with people refueling and buying fuel, clearly trying to stock up on supplies and cash in case of an emergency.

With more people, conflicts naturally increased. The looming threat of the apocalypse made people more anxious and even fearful, leading to numerous small and large-scale conflicts among the crowds.

More importantly, most of City C's police force was now focused on dealing with the zombies, leaving few resources to maintain order. The situation was gradually spiraling out of control!

Finally, the first bloodshed due to the scramble for supplies occurred!

"Murder!"

As Huang Shang passed a gas station, a scream suddenly caught his attention.