XG 42 - Everything is a gamble
Wong Xue Guo stared at the row of cars with brake lights on without focusing on anything in particular. They were on their way to the nearby military base, where they had borrowed a plane, to fly to Penang Island.
It sounds easy and fast, but traffic jams delayed them.
It was a little past six a.m. when parents normally would send their kids to school. But after the news aired the video of the infection spreading in the hospital, many were afraid and planned to move away. Hence, the road became even more packed than usual.
Seeing the backseat was packed to the brim with luggage in the car beside hers, she concluded they should be heading back to their hometown to hide. Eyes trailing to other cars, she discovered they were not the only ones having that same idea.
"Now that we have time, I will explain more about the virus and the weakness of those zombies." Suzie Yap had been busy messaging someone with a grim face and was only now raising her head to talk to them.
Wong Xue Guo had told her that her father had called earlier, but she did not stay around to see if she had returned the call. Was father the one she was messaging?
The mother and daughter, along with Chen Yibo, occupied the middle car with Kang Xunsu as the driver. The other bodyguards occupied the front and back car, protecting the middle one. In short, Suzie Yap could trust every occupant in the second car.
Shifting her posture in order to let her look at the people in the back seat, Suzie Yap started her information dump.
"The virus actually originated from an ancient gene we discovered in Antarctica years back. The gene reacted differently to two types of people. One is people with the dormant gene and another as people without the gene. We had yet to discover why it would be so and how they got the gene in their DNA. Those with dormant genes normally need additional doses from external help to activate them, but there are some rare cases of natural awakening by accidents. The people with the gene activated will have abilities that normal humans do not have."
“Just like those mutants from X-Men?” Kang Xunsu asked jokingly.
“There are actually three ways the dormant gene would activate. The first is being born with an activated gene, extremely rare, or getting into a life-threatening accident that accidentally triggers it. The second is to inject with an extra dosage. The third, and also the most gruesome way, is to get bitten by the zombies. With enough exposure, the dormant gene will be activated. This third method is like trial and error. Too little dosage from the bite or too much will turn them straight into zombies.”
Wong Xue Guo now understands why her mother would call those zombies ‘failures’. They were the humans that failed to activate their genes.
An understandable term, but also quite a sore-spot poker.
“How do we know who has that gene and who doesn’t?” Chen Yibo questioned.
“The most accurate will be using the machine. The lab had yet to figure out the similarities of people with the gene, other than that their ancestors were survivors of a deadly plague. The half-baked method is to judge according to one’s health. Those with the gene do not have any defects or illnesses since birth. They also do not get sick often. It’s hard to judge until they get bitten, but the healthy ones usually have that gene.”
Actually, the death rate of activating the gene using the third method would not be ninety percent if not for the situation they were in. At that moment, they would be facing numerous zombies that had their jaws locked on their flesh, refusing to let go. Which teammates would think that person that was bitten by a large number of zombies would have the chance to survive? Even if they know they have a chance to live, would they risk their life saving them?
“If their transformation took longer than usual, they usually have that gene?” Wong Xue Guo asked. “Just like Hani?”
“Yes, or they are just resilient. Everything is a gamble until the machine checks for the gene’s existence. Now then, on the zombie's weakness. It's not the head or neck, but their heart. Just one small injury on their heart could stop them but I advise you to hit them hard to permanently finish them. The gene has something to do with the heart being the most important organ. They could still survive without their brain."
Suzie Yap was not a scientist or interested in scientific explanation, so she only listened and remembered what was important. While it could be said she knew a lot after living in the apocalypse for ten years, that does not mean she would remember what needs to be shared at the drop of the hat. She could only mention the basics and what they needed to know when facing ‘failures’.
"The genes are the most active in hot weather but the zombies could still be killed by fire if they got to the heart. The cold will make the gene semi-dormant, but still active, just slower."
Of all the years, Suzie Yap had never seen any activated person with an ability related to ice or snow. Even if one has water ability, it will be lukewarm in temperature.
The gene was truly self-preservative.
"In case any of you got bitten, you can use the third method in activating the gene. The infection spread from saliva and direct contact with bones. It's instinctive for zombies to bite down hard until their teeth touch your bone, so be careful. I have not personally experienced this method so I could not describe it accurately. Not enough will make you feel hungry. Too much… you don't even have time to say you are hungry. Continue being bitten until you start feeling something else other than hungry. For example, if we use your friend's case, her ability is likely related to fire. She felt something other than hunger after a certain amount of exposure, which means her gene is activated. To make the process of awakening faster, eating plenty of food will help."
Most of her mother's words were something she had guessed, so it was not hard for her to digest the information. Right now, she was rather curious about what her mother's ability was.
"For example, my gene needs 60% of the dose. I can still make it when I get 70%, but let's not surpass that level until it becomes an intentional murder hiding behind it. You should also know that those with their genes activated have risks too. They became the favourite prey of the zombies among other inactive and normal humans."
Most people with activated genes do not mind it, as they have the ability to protect themselves. But that was a different story for those with weak abilities that hinder them in battles.
"Those zombies are craving energy or life force?" Chen Yibo asked. "The gene sounds similar to a parasite that sucks out the host's life force."
Suzie Yap slowly smiled, but it was a rather bitter smile. In the first life, it was also Chen Yibo that guessed it first in their group. But the way he figured it out was not pleasant. The horror in his eyes in knowing what he had become was still etched vividly in her mind.
"Bingo. But we also could make use of the gene to our benefit, but with some loss."
Just like a business deal.
That was why the weak would always be rolled over by the virus first. Those with the dormant gene were subconsciously considered the better ones among ordinary humans. Even when it was dormant, the gene kept the body healthy most of the time. It also contributes to one's intelligence and talent, allowing them to easily learn things without needing to put in most of the effort that normal humans need.
