Forecasting Natural Disasters for Novel Natives - Chapter 20 Part 1

9:55 AM, August 7th.

At a training base outside a certain city.

A military unit was poised for action. Rows of military vehicles were lined up, loaded with weapons, waiting only for the soldiers to board before driving into the city.

They had received their mission: upon orders from higher command, they were to immediately charge into the city and bring the situation under control.

But before that, they themselves had to face a life-or-death trial.

At that moment, the troops were drawn up in formation on an open field. By each person’s feet was an iron ring fixed to the ground, and in each person’s hand was a pair of silver handcuffs.

Following the instructor’s command: “Sit down! Cuff yourselves!”

The soldiers sat down with a rustle and, without hesitation, fastened the smaller end of the silver handcuffs onto their own wrists. After threading the cuffs through the iron rings on the ground, they fastened the larger end around one of their own ankles.

Click, click..

Each person deftly cuffed themselves.

Instructor: “Unlock!”

Each person, holding a key in their right hand, deftly unlocked the handcuffs on their wrist.

“Final check. Ensure the key in your hand can unlock your cuffs. Raise your hand and report if it cannot.”

No one raised their hand.

“Good. Cuff up again. Confirm whether you can touch the person in front, behind, or to either side of you.”

Everyone tested it. They couldn’t reach each other.

“Check your firearms.”

Everyone checked their sidearms. All was correct.

Instructor: “After everyone wakes up, first assess your own condition. Confirm you are conscious and still normal. Then, use the key in your hand to unlock the cuffs and assemble over here.

“After assembly is complete, the Instructor—that’s me—will lead everyone in assessing the status of those who haven’t unlocked their cuffs. Once confirmed as zombies, the order to eliminate will be given. First Platoon, First Company is responsible for elimination. Second Platoon, First Company is responsible for firearm recovery. The entire process will be recorded. Understood?”

“Understood!”

“If I become a zombie, command of the unit transfers to Regimental Commander Zhang He. If Zhang He also becomes a zombie, command transfers down the chain of succession. Every squad, every platoon, every unit has at least five designated successors. Command transfers according to this order. No single death should affect the entire unit. Understood?”

“Understood!”

The Instructor checked the time, cuffed himself, and sat facing everyone on the ground.

The 10 o’clock sun still hung in the eastern sky, but its rays were already scorching. There wasn’t a breath of wind. Sweat dripped from people’s hair.

The entire camp was solemn and quiet. Time seemed to pass exceptionally slowly.

The Regimental Commander suggested: “Let’s sing.”

And so, a loud, majestic military song rose over the camp.

*

In a city sports stadium, on the stands, people sat spaced several seats apart. Each person’s hands were bound with sturdy nylon rope, and their feet were tied beneath the seats.

On the field below, people were also bound hand and foot, with several layers of tape wrapped around their mouths. They were tied along the edges of the field to the railing of the stands with rope, and all wore helmets.

Several public security officers, government workers, and volunteers managed the entire stadium.

They were also bound like the others, but within reach—either beside them or on their person—they had scissors. Once they woke up, they could use the scissors to free themselves and then release the others.

It wasn’t that they didn’t want to give scissors to everyone; it was primarily because these were ordinary citizens, and there were concerns about their awareness not being high enough. If someone secretly cut their ropes and later turned into a zombie, it would spell disaster for the others.

Music played in the stadium—a powerful symphony that made people feel strong and eased some of their fear and anxiety.

*

In a certain factory, many workers hadn’t gone home. After the second Sky Screen, time was too tight. Even if they wanted to go home, they couldn’t buy tickets.

So, what could they do? The boss, seeing the large number of workers, made a decision: quarantine everyone in the factory.

The boss, after seeing methods online, went to a familiar factory and procured a batch of muzzles. He had the workers wear the muzzles and thick gloves. A row of steel railings was welded along the wall, and people were tied to them one by one with sturdy rope.

It might not look pretty, but it was practical. Everyone had a razor blade to cut their ropes later, so it wouldn’t cause delays.

Moreover, with muzzles and gloves on, it was relatively safe even if people were a bit close together. Maybe being near each other would help, and a few ability users might emerge.

The boss brought his own family too, hoping one or two family members might awaken abilities.

The local public security bureau came to inspect, found the method commendable, offered encouragement, left two armed officers, and borrowed the remaining stock of muzzles from the factory.

*

At a school, the entire student body was stranded. The principal was at his wit’s end.

Putting two people in each dorm room: one in the room, one in the bathroom… that still left four people per dorm without a place.

So, they stuffed one person into each office in the administration building.

They also placed several in each classroom, tied to desks, with many other desks separating them for safety.

The cafeteria tables were large and heavy; tying people to them worked too.

The library could also accommodate some.

They even cleared out the animal cages from the experimental building, stuffing one student into each cage.

If not for safety concerns about the outdoors, they would have tied people to every pillar and tree.

Every corner of the campus was utilized to arrange all the students. Density issues? Sorry, safety first now. The priority was ensuring no student got bitten by a zombie. As for ability seeds? They really couldn’t manage that.

*

At a hospital, most patients had been discharged and sent home. Only those who absolutely couldn’t leave remained, one per room.

Doctors and nurses on duty were also stationed one per room in offices, pharmacy prep rooms, linen rooms, etc.

Everyone waited anxiously, constantly checking their phones for news in group chats and watching the live broadcast from the local news channel.

The broadcast showed aerial footage of the entire city. People were orderly, staying in safe places. At public security bureaus, armed police bases, and fire stations, people were ready for action. Even in cars and houses along the streets, soldiers were armed and prepared.

Broadcasts repeatedly played encouraging messages.

Watching these scenes made people feel less alone.

*

In an underground garage, a man carrying a bag of food approached his car while on the phone. “I’m here, don’t worry. Stay in your room. If I’m okay here, I’ll come home right away.”

Hanging up, he looked around. Quite a few people had come to the garage—men, women, old, young. Some were dressed very thickly, well-protected, and some wore helmets.

“Brother, also not enough rooms at home?”

“Yeah, had to come to the car.”

“Got food prepared?”

“Just a bottle of water, a bite to eat. Did get an axe ready, though.”

The man nodded. Right, if you don’t die, you gotta go home. The family’s waiting. Can’t hide in the car forever.

After greeting each other, everyone got into their own cars, locked the doors, and waited in the confined space, taking deep breaths, rubbing their fingers.

*

Time ticked by.

10:05, 10:10, 10:15.

Just as tension was stretching taut like a bowstring, suddenly, in an instant, the world seemed to go silent.

The military song over the camp stopped. The murmurs in the stadium ceased. The factory fell completely quiet. You could hear a pin drop in the school. The hospital was left with only the beeping of instruments. In the garage, every car was terrifyingly quiet.

At that moment, everywhere around the globe, everyone’s vision went black as they abruptly and unexpectedly fell into a deep sleep.

The sun still shone brightly on the earth. Birds still flapped their wings in flight. Cats and dogs on the streets wondered where the humans had gone. Animals in the zoo lounged or lay down leisurely, feeling the world had never been so quiet.

Only humans seemed to have been utterly erased from the planet.

One minute, two minutes…

Something seemed to be changing. The bodies of some sleeping people convulsed and twisted. Muscles withered. Skin tones turned ashen. Hair became brittle. Unconscious rasping breaths began to issue from their throats.

All of this was faithfully recorded by human surveillance.

But what the cameras couldn’t capture were the invisible magnetic fields emanating from these people, spreading out in waves, affecting those nearby.

Three minutes arrived!

The people lying on the ground snapped their eyes open.

Their pupils were shrunken to pinpoints. The whites of their eyes were murky. Their lips were gray-purple.

They smelled fresh flesh and blood—a craving etched into their genes.

They “looked” towards the nearby food, bared their fangs, and tried to pounce and bite.

However, they couldn’t reach. They found their hands and feet bound to something.

“Roar! Roar.. roar!”

Roars sounded in various places. These zombies, awakening a step earlier, desperately lunged at the nearest prey, but were held back by their restraints.

Crack, crack.

This was the sound of bones, having hardened and become brittle, beginning to fracture under the violent strain.

Scrape—scrape—

This was the sound of heavy tables being dragged across the floor by zombies.

Bang! Bang ..bang!

This was the sound of zombies frantically battering doors. On the other side was delicious food; they could smell it!

Crash—

This was a zombie smashing through a window, falling from a high floor, and hitting the ground with a thud, but soon getting up and limping away.

Time passed second by second.

Three and a half minutes.

In the stadium, a man felt as if a vicious dog was panting in his ear. He opened his eyes and saw a ghost-like face close to his, mouth gaping open.

“Ahhhhhh—!”

With that scream, the zombies in the stadium became agitated. Others woke up one after another, immediately checking themselves. Nothing was wrong! I’m safe! I didn’t become a zombie!

Looking around, there were zombies in front, behind, left, and right. Some far, some near.

“Ahhh! Help! Come untie us quickly!”

The public security officers and volunteers also woke up. They quickly used tools to free themselves. Then the volunteers untied those who hadn’t turned into zombies, while the officers, in pairs, held guns and raised recording devices towards the zombies.

“Pupils constricted, whites murky, cheeks sunken, skin bluish-gray, teeth turned into fangs, nails elongated, loss of reason, highly aggressive, unresponsive to calls.”

“Confirmed zombie.”

“Confirmed zombie.”

“Permission to eliminate confirmed.”

“Permission to eliminate confirmed.”

Then, bang—a gunshot sent the zombie off.

Gunshots rang out continuously as zombies were eliminated one by one and normal people were freed one by one. As soon as they reached safety, they began vomiting uncontrollably.

*

In the school, a student tied by a rope around her waist to a heavy cafeteria table opened her eyes.

Whew— I’m awake! I’m okay!

She looked around. Dozens of students in the cafeteria were tied to tables, not too far apart.

“Zhou Qingqing, you’re okay too!”

“Big Head, you’re okay too! That’s great!”

Everyone excitedly confirmed each other was alive. But in the cafeteria, several classmates had turned into zombies.

They struggled desperately towards the living, even dragging the heavy tables along.

“Sh*t, such strength! Quick, quick, untie the ropes and run!”

Everyone frantically worked to untie the ropes on themselves.

Snap!

One zombie actually broke the rope around its waist, fell heavily to the ground, got up immediately, and tried to pounce, but was fortunately blocked by other tables.

Still, it scared everyone badly.

“Quick! Quick quick!”

“Didn’t you prepare scissors or knives? Hurry up!”

A boy pulled out a kitchen knife from somewhere, rushed over to cut his classmates’ ropes. Once free, everyone hurried towards the stairs.

“Go! Go go! Quick, follow!”

There were also students and zombies downstairs. They found themselves in a new cycle of rescuing people and escaping.

*

In a residential home, a girl woke up in her room. After a dazed moment, she quickly felt herself. “I guess I’m not a zombie, right?”

She quickly called her parents.

Her dad didn’t answer. Her heart sank. Luckily, her mom answered.

“Mom, you’re okay?”

“I’m fine, sweetie. I’m fine.”

“Dad’s not answering.”

“I’ll open the door to find you first.”

The girl cautiously opened her bedroom door. Across the hall, her mom also opened her door.

Mother and daughter looked at each other, rushed over, and hugged tightly. Then they looked towards the third bedroom, its door tightly shut, their hearts filled with apprehension and dread.

No, please, don’t let anything be wrong!

They exchanged a glance, then step by step approached that bedroom.

Before they reached it, a loud bang sound erupted from inside. Something slammed hard against the door, shaking the entire apartment. Then came beast-like roars.

The two instantly understood. Their faces turned pale. They stumbled back, legs giving way, collapsing to the floor.

“Dad… how could this happen! Dad… wuuu!”

The girl broke down crying. Her mom was also in tears, but relatively calmer.

The couple had agreed that if either became a zombie, the other must take good care of their daughter.

She picked up the phone, dialed the community grid manager. The line was busy. She tried another number. Still busy. Finally, she filled out a form in the group chat, entering their address and the number of zombies.

“Don’t cry. Don’t make your dad worry. Go, hang the yellow flag on the window.”

*

A young mother woke up, immediately stood, stretched her arms, felt her face, checked herself in the mirror. Confirming she was still normal, she hurried out of the bathroom.

In the bedroom was her two-year-old daughter.

She gently knocked: “Baby? Mommy’s coming in.”

No response.

Not awake yet? Or…

Screech, screech…

A grating sound came from inside. Like nails scratching the door. But the baby’s nails were always neatly trimmed, and they had no pets.

The young mother suddenly understood. Her mind went blank. She swayed, slowly crouched down, pressed her face against the door. The scratching sound grew louder.

And this spot was exactly where the baby could reach.

She covered her mouth. Tears instantly streamed down. She leaned against the door, weeping bitterly.

Her phone vibrated. Messages came in.

[Xiao Chen, how are you?]

[Are you okay? Is the baby okay?]

This was from a neighbor auntie who was very kind. Knowing she was raising a child alone, they had agreed that if she couldn’t be contacted, it would mean she’d become a zombie, and the lady would come in to take care of the baby.

She sniffled, picked up the phone, sent a voice message: “Auntie, the baby… isn’t okay. Please don’t come in. And… call the police for me. Say… say there are two zombies in my home.”

Then, she took out the key, hands trembling, and unlocked the door.

A little zombie in a pink dress roared and lunged at her.

She gently embraced her daughter.

*

In a large household, seven or eight people sat on sofas, embracing each other, all looking dazed with red-rimmed eyes. A tightly closed bedroom door banged loudly from within, with a sofa pushed against it from outside.

One person was on the phone: “We have one zombie in our family. Adult male, 30 years old. It’s very strong. The door is about to break. Address is… Yes, yes. Please come quickly.”

*

In a civilian house, a family of six hugged each other, immensely relieved and excited. No one in their family had turned! Thank goodness!

But cries came from next door. Clearly, the neighbors had a zombie.

In the distance, there seemed to be screams, shouts. Maybe some zombies had escaped. Hard to tell the exact situation.

They looked at each other and whispered: “From now on, we keep quiet. Block the front and back doors. Then we wait.”

“Maybe we should cook more food.”

“Okay. And store more water. I’m afraid the water might get contaminated later.”

“Probably can’t turn on lights at night either. Charge phones, flashlights. Prepare for a long haul.”

“You two, come with me upstairs. We need to seal the balcony.”

*

At the camp, most soldiers had woken up. They immediately noticed some around them had turned into zombies. They quickly unlocked their cuffs and ran out, avoiding their frenzied former comrades, now zombies.

“That’s Binzi? He turned!”

“Squad Leader!”

“Instructor!”

Even for these trained soldiers, seeing comrades who were just singing together moments ago turn into rotten-faced, sharp-toothed monsters, it was hard to stay calm immediately. Blood rushed to their heads, ears buzzed, they felt numb.

Regimental Commander Zhang He looked at the zombies still cuffed. He wiped his eyes, shouted loudly: “Assemble!”

Everyone quickly formed up. The ranks were visibly thinner by a tenth.

“Sound off!”

“Confirm each other’s status!”

“Confirm zombie status!”

“First Platoon, First Company, raise weapons! Fire!”

No one fired. The harsh sunlight stung everyone’s eyes.

“Roar—” A zombie actually broke its wrist and lunged forward.

Zhang He drew his pistol and shot it in the head.

The zombie fell.

Zhang He roared even louder: “Fire! That’s an order!”

Bang! Bang bang!

After several gunshots, all zombie roars ceased. The scene was terrifyingly quiet, broken only by a few suppressed sobs.

“Recover firearms.”

Second Platoon, First Company retrieved the guns from the zombie corpses, their hands shaking.

Zhang He looked at the Instructor’s head-shot, withered corpse. He breathed heavily twice, raised his hand, and saluted solemnly. Then he retrieved the Instructor’s firearm and equipment.

Orders from higher command came through then.

“Yes! Yes! Roger!”

Zhang He turned to everyone. “Comrades! The situation in the city is worse than expected. There’s chaos in some areas. A fierce battle awaits us. The time for the nation and people to test us has come! We enter the city immediately! Recon team, drones lead the way!”

“Roger!”

All soldiers attached recorders to their chests, boarded the vehicles. Row upon row of military vehicles started up and sped towards the city not far away.

The zombie corpses left behind were mercilessly engulfed by flames.