5: Goodbye, Brother Tianming!

Time passed by second by second, and suddenly a gunshot rang out in the observation area. A person who had mutated in the observation area was shot in the head by an armed officer.

Soon, several people carried the body out.

The automatic blood collection machine, upon completing its task, would release a virus inhibitor. For those who were not infected, or had developed antibodies and immunity, these inhibitors would have no effect.

However, for those who were infected, had insufficient antibodies, but had not yet shown symptoms, the inhibitory effect of the inhibitor would cause a strong rejection reaction within eight hours. The inhibitor would be rapidly depleted, and the zombie virus, after being suppressed, would quickly rebound, thereby accelerating the mutation process.

These eight hours were also known as the 'eight hours of life and death'.

Six hours had already passed, and it was dark. Outside the Shelter, diesel generators hummed, and large searchlights continuously scanned the perimeter.

Within the observation area, scattered individuals mutated and were quickly shot and removed. Among them, some armed officers also mutated.

Once these armed officers discovered they were mutating, they would pull out their sidearm, shoot themselves in the head, and new personnel would quickly replace them.

In these six hours, over thirty people died in the observation area. As time went on, someone mutated every ten minutes or so.

The roar of a helicopter came from the sky, and a large transport helicopter approached. It landed in the center of the square, carrying not only light weapons and ammunition but also many reserve personnel.

The zombie virus was indiscriminate; whether civilian or armed officer, the chance of infection was similar. Seeing armed officers commit suicide after infection, everyone became quiet instead.

In this situation, only by maintaining order and obeying the rules was there a chance of true salvation.

"Tian Ming Ge, I..." Xiaoya looked up, her eyes bloodshot, as if blood was about to drip from the corners.

"I might be infected, I...!" Xiaoya realized something was wrong with her, and her face filled with terror as she started crying. Two lines of blood-red tears streamed down Xiaoya's face.

The scene was terrifying.

"Xiaoya, don't make a sound, give me your hand." Tian Ming looked at Xiaoya's helpless appearance and extended his hand.

He didn't know if his ability to manipulate matter could save Xiaoya, but he wanted to try. Although he had known this girl for less than a day, he really wanted to save her.

Their palms touched, and Tian Ming's consciousness locked on. Tian Ming saw dense blood vessels and the blood flowing within them. As the view magnified, he saw red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. Magnifying further, to the nanoscale, he finally saw the virus.

Its structure was very simple: just a protein shell with a segment of genetic material inside. This bizarre virus must be the zombie virus.

As his thoughts moved, the RNA of the viruses inside Xiaoya's body was directly torn apart by Tian Ming's consciousness. But the number of viruses was enormous, and these viruses were somewhat different.

Tian Ming could simultaneously tear apart the viruses he saw inside Xiaoya's body, but the different shapes allowed some to evade Tian Ming's consciousness lock, which meant the virus clearance was not thorough. Tian Ming had to constantly search for new, different forms of the virus and quickly clear them.

At this moment, Xiaoya's hand was already trembling. Her face was engorged with blood, turning crimson, like a balloon about to burst.

"Thank you, Tian Ming Ge, I can barely control myself. Farewell..."

After Xiaoya finished speaking, she suddenly stood up and let out a roar at the armed officers.

"No, Xiaoya!" Tian Ming wanted to pull her back, but the armed officers had already raised their guns.

Bang!...

A gunshot rang out, and Xiaoya's head exploded before Tian Ming's eyes. Warm liquid splattered on his face, and Tian Ming instantly froze. Xiaoya's body slowly collapsed into the grid.

Xiaoya's mutated state was discovered by the armed officer. He did not hesitate to pull the trigger, killing Xiaoya.

Tian Ming was stunned. A living person had just died before his eyes. Perhaps if he had waited a little longer, Xiaoya could have been saved by him.

Tian Ming's eyes were full of anger as he stood up: "Why did you kill her? She hadn't fully turned into a zombie yet, why?"

The armed officer was expressionless. He raised his gun, and the dark muzzle was pointed directly at Tian Ming.

"Step back, or I'll shoot. The blood collection machine can temporarily induce mutation in people without antibodies. She was already infected, and death is the ultimate destination; no one can save her."

Tian Ming's face turned pale. Facing the gun, he did not take a step forward. He could not expose himself; at least, his current use of his abilities was only preliminary and not proficient.

Several people in protective suits carried Xiaoya's body away, while Tian Ming stared blankly at the distant searchlights, lost in thought.

He admitted that when someone pointed a gun at him, he chickened out. Although he couldn't die, he was afraid of pain.

Once the other party fired, his superpower would automatically repair his body. If he exposed himself now, he would surely be captured for dissection and research. He might even be forcibly injected with the zombie virus to research antibody drugs.

Heaven gave him the ability to manipulate microscopic particles and an invincible body, but forgot to give him combat strength. Tian Ming had the combat strength of an ordinary person, and in this state, he couldn't even protect himself.

With such combat strength, possessing immortality would only make him more miserable if discovered. Tian Ming dared not act rashly, and the remaining time began to feel particularly difficult.

Eight hours arrived!

"9527! Proceed to the disinfection area for sterilization and collect three days' worth of supplies. You have been assigned to Gymnasium No. 1 within the square."

The broadcast sounded, and Tian Ming walked expressionlessly towards the disinfection area, stripping off all his clothes. High-pressure spray nozzles, mixed with the smell of disinfectant, thoroughly washed the bloodstains from Tian Ming's head.

He received clothes, four 500-gram compressed biscuits, and two large five-liter bottles of mineral water.

After getting dressed, he entered the official isolation zone. The isolation zone was brightly lit, and everyone's space was very narrow, divided according to the gymnasium's floor tiles.

There weren't many beds; many people simply laid down cardboard boxes on the floor and slept on them. The control here was a bit more relaxed; free movement was allowed. If someone hadn't mutated within eight hours, it was unlikely they would mutate within the next three days.

However, there were still vigilant guards, each heavily armed and responsible for 20 people. The entire gymnasium was packed with a thousand people.

Everyone looked tense and shaken. Some girls squatted on the ground, sobbing softly.

These survivors had all experienced the most terrifying moments of their lives and had only made it here due to an extraordinary will to survive.

Next to Tian Ming sat a Bald Man, about 30 years old and very sturdy. While others were afraid, he had an indifferent expression on his face.

The Bald Man glanced at Tian Ming and asked, "Little brother, you're so small. Can you spare two compressed biscuits for your big brother?"

Tian Ming was annoyed. He turned his head and said coldly, "Get lost!"

The Bald Man's face instantly darkened. He raised his hand and slapped Tian Ming on the head. The commotion immediately attracted the attention of the guard.

"What are you two doing?"

The Bald Man bowed and scraped, saying, "Officer, this little brother insulted me! He told me to get lost, so I couldn't help but lightly pat him."

"Be careful. If you cause trouble again, I'll ask you to leave."

"No trouble, no trouble!" the Bald Man said with a smile.

Throughout the entire process, Tian Ming didn't utter a sound, watching the Bald Man with icy eyes. This man directly took two of Tian Ming's compressed biscuits, but there were only four in total.

"Don't you dare tell anyone. The person managing this area is my big cousin. If you dare say I took your biscuits, I'll make sure you regret it."

Tian Ming threw the remaining compressed biscuits over and said, "Since you want them, take them all."

Tian Ming's mind stirred. The carbon atoms in the compressed biscuits rearranged, forming several hard, tiny diamonds within the biscuits. Such a bully deserved a lesson!