When the movie started, I saw a regular patient's room, just like the one I was in, only with six beds. The room's design suggested it was made for three, but they doubled the beds for some reason. Four of the six beds were full, with three men and one woman occupying them, all handsome or beautiful between the ages of 20 to 40. They all looked sick to varying degrees, coughing or sleeping.

One man looked big and muscular, like a man who trains in the gym, and had a crew cut. The second and third guys had regular builds, having little visible muscle on them. The woman had a lean and athletic build, not having too much fat on her smooth body.

What surprised me was that they all had 70s clothes and hairstyles, with the second guy dressing like a rocker with spiky hair, the third guy having long sleek hair, a thick mustache, and hippie clothes, and the woman having disco-style clothes and an afro.

"Hey, Rosa, was 70s fashion a thing in the year 2150?" - I ask strangely.

[Yes, very popular, at least in many parts of the US. Oh, look! Lola is entering.] - Rosa suddenly exclaimed.

Just as she finished her words, I saw a drop-dead gorgeous Latina with long silky black hair and a nice rack wearing a tight sweater and baggy pants. I recognized her as Lola, Rosa's deceased ex-owner. Although she wasn't as inhumanely beautiful as Rosa, she was, without a doubt, at the level of a natural knockout. 9 out of 10 minimum. However, she was currently slightly pale and looked sickly.

"Damn, she's hot. She's even hotter than in the picture." - I say, mesmerized.

[She is, but isn't everyone else? Genetic enhancements can improve the skin and remove abnormalities, making everyone more handsome and beautiful. Some can even make themselves look more voluptuous or thinner, and some can make themselves look chiseled and muscular, while others lean and feminine. They could even change your skin color from black to white and brown to yellow. Some dudes even use it to shape their dicks how they want. In short, appearance holds little value in the future, and some even intentionally add flaws to make themselves look more unique.] - Rosa said in disinterest.

"Makes sense." - I say and continue to watch.

Lola entered the room with a 60-year-old woman wearing a medical mask and an AR assistant. Somehow, she looked familiar.

"Hey, Lola? Do you know the name of that doctor?" - I ask curiously.

[Hm? Her? She's Molly Abigail Watson. She's a general practitioner in this hospital, an old bat around 85. Now that I think about it, she is probably that asshole's spouse.] - Rosa said after some thought.

"Oh, shit! No wonder she looked so familiar. Dan wasn't kidding about the rejuvenation part." - I said after realizing the situation.

After chatting briefly with the doctor, Lola lay on the fifth bed next to the other woman in the room. After settling down and taking medication, Lola quietly lay on the bed, put on glasses, and started reading from her smartwatch.

"Seriously? People still use touch-based smartwatches in the year 2150?" - I asked weirdly.

[Some things never get too old. Although AR assistants are mainstream, everyone still has a smartwatch or smartphone. Besides, they also have holographic options, it's just that it's in the hospital, and it is considered rude to use in public.] - Rosa explained.

"Hah, that makes sense. That reminds me, though. Why didn't Lola take you with her?" - I ask.

[Cybersickness. After getting sick, she got dizzy after using me, so she decided it would be best to leave me at home. She anticipated staying in the hospital for no more than a day or two, but she didn't expect the hospital to be her grave...] - Rosa sighed.

"Well, we can't change the past. Oh, hey! There's Dan." - I exclaim as I see Dan entering the room.

Dan looked similar to his post-infected look, just that he was a pretty white boy with brown hair and blue eyes and was shorter. His clothing style and hairstyle were alike, but it was apparent that instead of looking like a poorly-dressed punk rocker, he looked like a handsome tattooist with proper 70s clothes and some piercings. Also, his tattoos were different, being a whole-body painting rather than black tribal-like tattoos.

Just like before, Molly showed him his bed, bed number six. He then said something I couldn't hear to Molly, which made Molly seem upset, and she left the room angrily.

"What did he say? The audio here is too scattered and weak." - I ask curiously.

[Oh, hang on a minute. I'll do some audio separation... There we go.] - Rosa said and replayed the scene.

"Here is your bed, Mr. Woods. Cough* Cough*." - Molly said with a wet cough. "Please have plenty of rest and avoid leaving the isolation perimeter." - Molly said in a professional tone.

"I know, I know. Thanks for the reminder, old hag." - Dan answered rudely as he walked to the bed.

Of course, after being called an old hag, Molly stared daggers at him and chose to ignore him as she walked out of the room, fuming.

"...That's just disrespectful." - I say with a cringe.

[Meh, I would've called her Dirty Old Hag.] - Rosa said indifferently.

"Bruh..." - My cringe grew larger.

[I'm kidding! Sheesh.]

"...Anyways, isolation? Looks pretty lax to me." - I say and look at the room.

Compared to Covid isolation, this was not even adequate. It was essentially putting all the sick people in cramped rooms.

[That's because after genetic enhancements became a thing, people started to forget they could get sick and even ridiculed the idea. For around 15 years, almost all of humanity became virtually immune to sickness, so hospitals prioritized other aspects over epidemiology due to funding issues. General practitioners like Molly could be said to be the only experts left treating illnesses in most hospitals. Because of that, they were poorly equipped to deal with a large-scale epidemic, and because of censorship, the hospitals didn't understand the severity of the situation. They only issued simple isolation to slow the spread the day Lola arrived at the hospital.] - Rosa explained.

"Yeah, makes sense. Apex Technologies and the government probably wanted to be all hush-hush about the infection to reduce mass panic while bunkering up. Warning the hospitals would be like shooting themselves in the foot." - I say with a shrug.

[Pretty much.] - Rosa agreed.

I then continued watching the video. Dan lay on his bed, took out a foldable thin tablet, put on headphones, and started drawing with an electronic pen, not caring about the world around him.

And... Nothing else happened.

"Well, this is kind of boring..." - I say, feeling bored.

[Eh, agreed. I'll fast-forward things from here.] - Rosa said.

The next moment, the video started fast-forwarding one minute per second with a high frame rate. After around 30 seconds, I saw Lola occasionally glancing at Dan's tablet. After about 30 more seconds, Dan seemed bothered by it and took off his headphone. And Rosa stopped the fast-forward.

"What is it?" - Dan asked directly.

"Oh, I-I didn't want to Cough* Cough* disturb you. I was just interested in your painting... It's my hobby." - Lola said in a fidgety voice.

"Want to see it?" - Dan asked with a playful smile.

"I... Yes, I am curious." - Lola said curiously.

"Sure." - Dan smiled like a Cheshire cat and handed her the tablet.

"Wow..." - Lola looked at the picture, a blush on her face.

"Hah? What did he paint? Let me see!" - I said to Rosa.

[Sure, let me zoom in... there.] - Rosa said and zoomed in on the tablet.

When she finished zooming in, I also exclaimed.

"Holy shit! He drew that in 60 minutes?!" - I blinked my eyes.

The picture Dan drew was a high-quality illustration of Lola. She was resting on the bed with her glasses on, busy with her smartwatch... while wearing nothing. Yes, that's right, he drew a naked illustration of her, with her tits and privates cleverly hidden by her crossed legs and hands. He even started adding color, shades, and all.

"Rosa, the guy has skills!" - I exclaim in awe.

[I'll admit it, the asshole has some skills, but most people can reach his level with VR training.] - Rosa said.

"Who gives a shit? He probably trained for years to reach that level, VR training or not. Go, continue the video. I wanna see what happens next." - I say.

Rosa unzoomed the video and unpaused it.

"Do you like it?" - Dan asked with the same wide smile.

"I...Yes*" - Lola replied in a barely audible and squeaky voice, her flush deepening.

"Haha, sure. I usually charge 250 NUSD for it, but for you? A kiss is all I need." - Dan smirked and said in an enticing voice.

"I..." - Lola seemed to hesitate.

"Take your time. No rush. I still haven't finished it yet."

Dan took back his tablet from Lola and continued his work.

"..." - Lola stared at him absently before lowering her head and reading again, her face crimson.

"I'm surprised she didn't outright slap him in the face." - I commented.¹The TRUE ending of what would have happened if you did this.

[Why would she do that?] - Rosa asked.

"Why? All I see is sugar-coated sexual harassment." - I reply to her.²The correct answer

No matter how I looked at it, showing a stranger a naked illustration of them and asking for a kiss as payment is sexual harassment.³Logic 100%. Follow this advice and don't stray from the path!

[Then you're too inexperienced.] - Rosa stated.⁴BULLSHIT

"Inexperienced? I had a girlfriend, you know." - I say rightfully.

[One that cucked you, if I may add. That's even worse than not having a girlfriend.] - Rosa cruelly replied.

"...Ok, fine, you win. So, explain it to me, oh Ms. romance." - I say, annoyed.

[Sure. Hitting on a girl is a fine line between sexual harassment and flirting, and you need to transmit your intentions from the get-go, or you will be friend-zoned. By showing her a naked illustration of her and suggesting a kiss, he perfectly broke the ice while conveying his intentions of hitting on her while flattering her just enough so that she would let the sexual harassment part slide. Even if she isn't interested in him, there is a high chance she will buy the illustration, earning him some money. Even if she doesn't or is offended, he can delete it or even send it as a gift. No harm done.] - Rosa professionally explained.⁵This is a very risky move that even pros would hesitate to use in real life, so use it at your own goddamn risk if you want to be a dick.

"Wow... when you put it that way, Dan is pretty smooth." - I say, impressed.⁶Iver can sometimes be gullible, like the rest of us. He will most likely not attempt this, though, ever. I expect you, the readers, not to attempt this.

[He is, so if you want to bang a chick from your world and not some cannibalistic impregnation slut that only cares about your seed and not you, you should think about learning from the asshole.] - Rosa said.

"... I'll think about it." - I reply uncomfortably, shrugging off the issue.

I then continued watching the video. For 37 video minutes, everything was as usual, but then...

"Ahhh!!! Murder!!!" - A scream echoed into the room.

Rosa conveniently added another video perspective outside the hall, where a crazed female patient was tearing the throat of a male nurse, blood and gore splattering everyone. Several staff members and patients stared at the scene in horror, some running away to call for help.

At this time, the muscular guy, the spiky-haired guy, and Dan opened their room to peek outside, just half a room away from the insane woman. Meanwhile, the 2nd guy and the two women looked over in fear and curiosity.

Other rooms also opened their doors to see the bloodthirsty woman feasting on the poor chap.

"Holy shit! Is she possessed or something?!" - The muscular guy exclaimed.

"That looks like a zombie to me." - Dan said in disgust and horror.

"Should we stop her?" - The spiky-haired guy asked.

"Do you want to get killed? We don't have any weapons to protect ourselves. We wait for the security guard to arrive." - The muscular guy reprimanded.

"Garreth, didn't you say you're a gym trainer?! What is the use of all that muscle if you don't use it?!" - The spiky-haired guy asked with a frown.

"Yeah, I'm a gym trainer, not a soldier! No way I'm confronting a fucking zombie!" - The muscular guy, Garreth, roared back anxiously.

"Guys... She is looking at us." - Dan said with a frightened look.

The two other guys looked over and saw the woman staring at them with yellowish eyes.

"Growl*..." - The woman made a guttural voice with her bloodied mouth, bits of flesh hanging from her teeth.

"Close the fucking door!" - The spiky-haired guy reacted first and slammed the door shut and locked the door just as the woman pounced.

BANG*

I saw the woman pouncing on the door with inhuman speed, crashing straight at it like a bullet.

Luckily, the door was tough enough to withstand the impact, not even getting a dent. Meanwhile, the woman seemed injured but ignored the pain as she started hammering and scratching the door like a rabid dog.

Everyone in the room could see the woman through the blood-smeared glass view panel of the door. Her face was bloodied and wild, not a hint of rationality in her yellowish eyes as she banged the door as if her life depended on it.

Bang* Bang* Bang* Crack*

As she frenziedly attacked the door, a crack appeared in the glass. The glass panel was large enough to fit an adult, and everyone in the room understood this point.

"Holy shit! Cough* Cough* Quick! Find something to block Cough* the door!" - The afro woman coughed and screamed.

The three men at the entrance looked at each other and immediately went to the first bed, removed the mattress, dismantled the bedframe, and used it as a makeshift barricade.

Bang* Crack* Bang* Shatter*

"Graaaa!!!!" - The crazed woman waved her hand through the broken window, trying to get inside, causing everyone in the room to jump back in shock.

However, she didn't manage to do so because of the massive bedframe blocking her.

"Hah... I think we're safe. Let's wait for security to handle this now." - The spiky-haired guy sighed in relief.

"I hope so..." - Lola voiced in a concerned voice.

"Oh, come on! Chin up, girly! Do you think we are in the middle of a zombie apocalypse or something?" - The spiky-haired guy asked sarcastically.

"Dammit, Kyllen! Don't jinx us—"

Garreth snapped at the spiky-haired guy when—

Bang* Bang* Bang*

"Ahhh!"

"Nooo!!!"

"Run!!!"

Sounds of gunshots and screams rang out from outside. Dan immediately ran to the window as his face visibly changed.

Rosa conveniently added another perspective to multiple video feeds outside the hospital, showing a scene of carnage and mayhem as almost demonic humans charged at frightening speeds at people outside the hospital. Two security guards were shooting their security pistols at the madmen, aiming at their limbs and torsos to attempt to neutralize them, but to little effect. Although the two of them had incredible accuracy with their guns, the madmen seemed to be immune to pain, only collapsing due to the failure of their bodies to function, IE, getting crippled or receiving a fatal headshot.

Soon, a madman pounced on the back of one of them from a blind spot, the guard's neck twisting from the kinetic force and impact on the concrete floor. The other guard visibly started to panic and fired two more shots, taking down two more madmen before getting ambushed by another madman, getting pinned to the ground, and getting his neck bitten, blood spraying all over.

I, as an idle observer, got visibly disturbed by the scene. Naturally, Dan and the others got even more disturbed and panicked.

"Shit! This is insanity! Toots! Call 911!" - Dan yelled at Lola.

"R-Right!" - Lola snapped out of it and dialed 911 on her smartwatch.

A few seconds later...

{9-1-1, what is your emergency?} - A female and somewhat robotic voice answered.

"There are crazy people attacking people in our hospital! We need help!" - Lola said with some fear and panic in her voice.

{Understood. Sending your distress call to the nearest authorities. Please stay calm and remain safe while the closest available dispatch arrives to assist you. Estimated time... I'm sorry, but there is no available dispatch at this time. Placing in the top priority emergency queue. Placing: 63,983rd.}

After hearing this, the room turned silent, and Lola's hands drooped as a blank look of disbelief filled her face. The others also reacted.

"What...? No available dispatch? And did the fucking chatbot say 64 thousand?! Is this a malfunction?!" - Garreth's expression turned ugly as if thinking of something horrible.

"Haha... No way. It's a prank. Right? Right?!!" - Kyllen said with some denial, but the worried look on his face betrayed his true thoughts.

"Oh, shit... Don't tell me its cough* happening all over the city..." - The woman with the afro said with a shiver.

"There is only one way to find out." - Dan said and went to his bed to switch on the inbuilt personal tv connected to the wall.

I saw the small tv switched on as Rosa zoomed in on the screen. The screen showed a dashing young male and middle-aged yet beautiful female broadcasters.

{—A wave of homicidal incidents recently exploded here in California and worldwide! Every country and nation is experiencing an explosive rise in these crazed people! It has been observed that they first got sick from the recent strange flu that has been spreading recently. If you know someone with the disease, keep your distance and lock them in a sturdy room! They can Cough* Cough*, collapse, and become crazed at any Cough* Cough* moment!} - The male broadcaster said and coughed.

When the people in the room heard this, their already pale faces paled even more. They stared warily at each other.

{That's right, so please stay home and avoid contact with Cough* Cough* anyone sick. If you see a crazed individual, avoid contact with him and find the nearest—BAM* Ahhh!!!} - The female report spoke and was about to continue when she suddenly screamed.

Then, the background sound of things breaking and people screaming sounded. Then, I saw a person pouncing on the two broadcasters, a spray of blood splashing into the air accompanied by a sickening crunch.

{Beep*...}

The channel soon stopped working. A maintenance sign showed on the screen.

"..."

Everyone in the room went silent as they started eyeing each other warily. They slowly backed away, fear and survival instincts driving them. The only noise in the room came from the crazed woman at the door and the chaos outside.

After half a minute, the woman with the afro hesitantly spoke.

"Look, I don't know what in the name of the fucking golden emperor is going on, but let's first keep calm and stay away from each other." - The woman suggested.

"Dlaney, I agree with you, but where can we go? This room can barely fit the six of us." - Garreth said warily, eyeing the blocked door and then the window.

"Wait..." - Lola suddenly said.

"What?" - Dan, who was nearest to her, asked.

"There are six of us in the room... but only five are awake and talking." - Lola said with growing fear while looking in a specific direction.

"...Oh, shit. Guys, we have a problem!" - Dan suddenly exclaimed in fear as he pointed at the third bed.

The rest of the room suddenly realized something as they turned to look at the third bed, where the guy with straight hair and a beard was sleeping.

The third man, who remained as silent as a corpse until now, visibly twitched, and his veins started to glow yellowish!