"But look at those people, they're still stationed at the entrance and don't dare to get close.
This proves that the contagiousness of these viruses is extremely high, possibly to a point of no return."
Zhou Haimei still found it hard to believe. Although District B wasn't a top-tier affluent area, it still had tens of thousands of residents.
Back then, that was almost the population of several villages combined.
But now.
Was the Lighthouse just going to abandon it like that?
"Even if they want to abandon this place, what are they going to do? I see many people have already started a violent breakout."
Xu An's expression turned grim. "Those people won't be able to escape."
Zhou Haimei was about to ask Xu An why, until Xu An looked up at the sky.
Zhou Haimei then noticed what she had been ignoring all along. Besides the outer protective shield of the Lighthouse, there seemed to be another layer faintly appearing in the sky.
It was as if it were waiting for some command.
Just waiting for an order to envelop the entire area.
Everyone in the Lighthouse recognized this thing. It was a special protective shield made of nano-molecular material, developed before the apocalypse.
It could even block particles in sandstorms, only filtering the air in.
At the same time, it could also block air, preventing anything from entering.
This was a measure taken in response to crises or toxic gases.
In other words, the people above knew they couldn't save this area and were planning to abandon it.
Zhou Haimei gritted her teeth in anger.
"Aren't these lackeys afraid we'll leak all this information and cause a huge uproar in the Lighthouse?"
Zhou Haimei's thoughts were simple, but things were rarely that simple.
She thought that everything happening now would cause riots in the Lighthouse.
Xu An shook her head, looking at Zhou Haimei.
"Check your communicator. Can you still connect to the network?"
Prompted by Xu An, Zhou Haimei realized her communicator was now just a piece of scrap metal.
It was completely useless.
Only then did Zhou Haimei feel a sense of dread.
Xu An acutely sensed Zhou Haimei's emotions and firmly clasped her hands.
"Mei Jie, don't be afraid. I promise I'll take you back."
This wasn't Xu An boasting.
She rested her head on Zhou Haimei's shoulder and whispered,
"I contacted 'Rat' earlier. They have a secret passage here, but it's very narrow, only one person can pass at a time. There are three of us, so it will be slow. I'm telling you this so you can be at ease, but there's one thing."
"Only the three of us can get out of that secret passage alive. Only the three of us."
Xu An said this with utmost seriousness. She initially didn't want to tell her, fearing Zhou Haimei might soften and tell others.
But how could it possibly withstand such a massive influx of people?
Let alone tens of thousands.
Even ten people stepping on it at the same time could cause it to collapse at any moment.
And they were destined to save everyone.
Zhou Haimei quieted down after hearing this, and her tension eased considerably.
She understood what Xu An meant, feeling at ease, but also couldn't help but sigh.
However, she wasn't a naive saint who couldn't distinguish right from wrong.
Living in turbulent times, survival was a matter of individual capability.
They couldn't save these people.
And it wasn't their responsibility to save them.
As she was thinking, a bloody, monstrous creature suddenly lunged from behind.
Although their bodies weren't rotting like zombies, their eyes were blood-red.
Blood was still dripping from their bodies.
The blood was turning dark red, and it was unclear if it was their own or from the humans they had devoured. More of these monsters appeared successively behind it.
They could be considered more terrifying than zombies.
Because at least zombies didn't turn on their own kind.
But these things directly attacked their own kind and started to fight each other.
Some had their necks torn open, with blood hanging limply from their necks as if it had all drained out.
However, the scene before them didn't have much of an impact on either of them.
After all, they had both experienced zombie hordes before the great disaster.
Looking at these monsters now, they felt a sense of familiarity.
At least these people weren't rotting and stinking.
Back then, the stench during the zombie attack was truly nauseating even to recall.
Xu An kicked away a few mindless zombies and pulled Zhou Haimei into a 24-hour convenience store.
"The signal is cut off now. How do we contact Auntie? Searching for a needle in a haystack like this won't work."
It was only when Xu An arrived here that she understood why all the calls she made hadn't been answered.
Because all the networks and signals in this area were blocked, and calls couldn't get through.
Xu An was anxious at the moment, but after experiencing the anxiety of the journey, she was surprisingly calm.
She calmly analyzed the current situation. They were effectively isolated and helpless. If she panicked, they would all likely perish today.
Just as Xu An was thinking, a zombie that still seemed to retain some consciousness lunged at them.
Zhou Haimei was about to shoot it, but just as she pulled the trigger, Xu An quickly stopped her.
"Wait!"
The man, upon seeing the gun, also became afraid, trembling with his already unsteady legs. But then, as if remembering something, his gaze became firm again.
"You can kill me, but I still have consciousness."
Xu An's brow furrowed as she looked at the blood-covered man before her.
"Why haven't you mutated?"
The man looked at Xu An with complex emotions, as if trying to organize his thoughts or perhaps not knowing how to explain.
As Xu An saw the man hesitate, she glanced at the work uniform he was wearing and suddenly had an idea, her gaze turning cold.
"You're from the research lab?"
There were too many research labs in the Lighthouse, covering various fields, from scientific research to agriculture.
There was even a research lab for religious metaphysics in the Lighthouse.
Therefore, when Xu An saw the uniform on the man, she didn't immediately suspect anything.
But seeing that half of the man's head was smashed open, yet he still hadn't lost consciousness, she began to suspect if he had some kind of antibody.
After all, this disaster was clearly man-made.
The man's speech became difficult: "I am indeed a trial subject for the lab, but the recessive antibodies in my body can only delay, not block."
"We can make a deal with you. I have a child. I placed her in a small temporary shelter. I was supposed to be looking for food, but now it has become like this. If you can help me, I will..."
Xu An was now somewhat curious about the man's bargaining chip.