Chief of Star Labs

Born took a deep breath.

No wonder Star Labs was so feared by the higher-ups—they could still manage a video call despite signal jamming.

A statement from the commander echoed in Born's mind, a memory still vivid:

"Technology has regressed by at least fifty years, but the only entity unaffected is Star Labs."

Born composed himself, a playful smile appearing on his lips.

"Hey there, big scientist."

"Born, I have some information that might interest you."

The screen image of Aileen disappeared.

It was replaced by a weathered middle-aged man, covered in blood and smeared with large patches of decaying flesh.

He moved carefully through a horde of zombies, making no sound.

"This man is your father, Dudley. Twenty-four years ago, Dudley and Dawn underwent a prenatal checkup. Ten months later, Dawn gave birth in a hospital and then disappeared."

"The hospital couldn't find them, so they sent the child to Happy Orphanage. Does that name sound familiar?"

Born suddenly stood up, electric currents crackling around his fingers, and he instantly pierced the tablet.

He trembled all over, leaning on the table, gasping for breath.

Star Labs, how terrifying!

Whether the story was fabricated or not, Born clearly remembered the orphanage he was in was called Happy Orphanage.

Why, why?

Born lost his usual composure.

For 23 years, he had searched for his biological parents but found no trace.

His adoptive parents abandoned him in an unfamiliar city a few years after adopting him.

He struggled and endured for so many years.

And now, Star Labs had placed his father right in front of him?

How could he calm down?

Emerson also heard the voice from the tablet and rushed forward.

"Born, don't get agitated. This might all be fake, right?"

"No, it must be fake. Star Labs is deliberately messing with your mind."

But at that moment, someone from the base walked in, holding a silver-white drone.

"Born, this drone suddenly landed on the city wall, and it brought a phone. What's the meaning of this?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the phone rang. The caller ID showed it was Aileen.

Born finally understood the meaning of "haunted."

He picked up the phone, thought for a moment, and ultimately answered Aileen's video call.

"Don't get agitated. I think you'll find the next piece of information even harder to accept."

"Dudley, formerly the chief of a Star Labs division, disappeared ten months ago, leaving Star Labs."

"Familiar? In the video we showed you, the early appearance of the zombie virus coincides with your father's disappearance. And he took a sample of the zombie virus with him. Interesting, right?"

Aileen's voice, like the whisper of a demon, taunted and teased, echoing repeatedly in Born's ears.

Who knows how much time passed.

Born, clutching the phone, yelled with all his strength, "I don't give a damn!"

On the other end, Aileen was momentarily stunned, her eyes filled with disbelief.

"This is your biological father, and he has such a significant role..."

"I said, I don't give a damn! I'm just an orphan. Are you playing some fantasy game with me?" Born shouted.

"Are you trying to say that my biological father, Dudley, is important? Blood is thicker than water? But he never raised me. What kind of moral blackmail is this?"

"Let me tell you, I, Born, have no morals!"

"It's the apocalypse, and you're playing family tricks with me? Aileen, is your Star Labs some kind of salt mine? Bored out of your mind?"

Born's verbal barrage left Aileen stunned and speechless.

Without another word, Born crushed the phone in his hand and destroyed the drone with an electric current.

"Next time you see one of these things, shoot it down immediately."

"What a load of crap!"

With that, Born turned and left.

"Born..." someone started to speak, but Emerson silenced them with a hand on their shoulder, shaking his head.

He couldn't comprehend what Born was thinking. The sheer amount of information in those few sentences was staggering.

An orphan, suddenly seeing his father appear before him.

That alone would be shocking.

And that father was a chief scientist at a Star Labs division?

He disappeared without a trace, stealing a sample of the zombie virus, and then the zombie outbreak occurred?

Even Emerson was left bewildered, suspecting that this was a fabricated story by Star Labs.

Emerson took several deep breaths.

He felt the need to contact the commander again and have an open and honest discussion.

...

Meanwhile, Born jumped onto the city wall.

"You, you, and you, come with me."

"Go where? To kill zombies. There are so many zombies; if we don't kill them, the exhibition hall will be surrounded."

"Besides, how are you going to awaken your abilities if you don't fight zombies?"

Grumbling, Born led the way out.

Electric currents crackled around him, his powerful abilities keeping the zombies at bay.

Mia, Lane, and Pearl exchanged glances and then followed with their teams.

Born's mind was in turmoil.

Hearing all that information suddenly, his first reaction was that Aileen was spouting nonsense.

After all, how could Star Labs know about something from over twenty years ago?

Sky Eye system?

Or maybe Star Labs' famous human genome database?

Born scratched his head.

Damn it, he originally wanted to refute Aileen, but no matter how he thought about it, he felt that Aileen was telling the truth.

He just had that intuition.

He couldn't stop himself from overthinking. His thoughts were racing nonstop.

Could it be that he really had a scientist's genes, curious about everything, instinctively speculating and wanting to verify those speculations?

Go away!

Born was extremely agitated.

"System, activate detection function."

In an instant, the nearby female zombies were highlighted.

Doctors, not needed for now.

Dancers, add flexibility and unlock more new positions?

That might be worth considering.

Suddenly, a new synergy appeared in Born's view.

[Esports: 3 members increase host's finger dexterity, 5 members increase host's hand speed, 10 members make the host's hands fly, experiencing a godlike feeling.]

[Talented Girls: 3 members are great at bragging, 5 members excel in singing, dancing, and playing instruments, 10 members possess old craftsman's skills.]

What the hell!

Born cursed silently.

The system was becoming more and more improper.

Were they really good at bragging?

What's with singing, dancing, and playing instruments? And since when did esports girls have such high entry standards?

Yet, the dozen or so female zombies in front of him all had big headphones hanging around their necks, giving off a strong esports girl vibe.

Some even had keyboards strapped to their backs and mice dangling from their hands.

With 10 members, the synergy was complete!