Chapter16: Gamble or not

Jack pulled a piece of black stone out of his backpack, the one he collected from the crash site, and said with a grin, "What do you guys think? If I voluntarily ask for a mutation, do you think I'd get a cool power? Like flying, invisibility, or maybe the ability to shoot water?"

"Damn!" Everyone jumped back in shock, cursing him, "Are you trying to get yourself killed? The chances of getting a superpower are slim, but you might just turn into a mindless zombie! You could become a living battery, exploited by the capitalists!"

"You guys are freaking out for nothing. I didn't even directly touch it; the bottle says 'shielding container,' so relax," Jack said, laughing helplessly.

Bob, following these kids, looked a bit rattled. He stepped up and touched the bottle, saying, "If we're really facing a zombie apocalypse, or even getting infected by some alien creature, maybe direct contact could be our last shot at survival. I mean, if you get bitten by a zombie, you're either converted or dead right away."

"We could keep this as a last resort, touch it when we're about to die, take one final gamble." Jack said it with a shrug, but his eager eyes made it clear he was ready to take the risk now.

"Don't be an idiot," Bob warned, "If you mutate, I don't even know how to deal with you. I don't want to be your snack, and I can't bring myself to kill you."

"Heh," Jack chuckled, looking like he had something else in mind but saying no more.

The group decided to rest for a while, grabbing some food from the house. It seemed like no one was left in the area; every house was empty. They gathered the food together and had been holed up here for about a week. They sat in the biggest room, watching TV. In the apocalypse, having a bit of leisure time felt almost like a miracle.

Suddenly, a message flashed on the TV: "Global search for Tony Sparrow. If found, contact me immediately. Reward: 100 kilograms of gold."

May, munching on snacks, raised an eyebrow. "Why aren't they looking for the immune person instead?"

Just then, footsteps echoed outside. Bob lunged at May, covering her mouth. The rest of the group quickly lay down and crawled under the bed to hide. Jack swiftly turned off the TV.

"I hear someone out there," a voice said.

"Yeah, there's a bunch of weird scientists here, but one of them's gone missing. The higher-ups have been searching for him."

"We've been told off so many times! This time, I'm going to thoroughly search the place!"

The door burst open, and two people entered. The room was in a panic.

"This place's a dump, nothing here. Looks like they got word and left early."

"We'll stay for ten hours. If no one shows up, we'll leave," one of them declared, collapsing onto the bed.

"Turn up the music! Louder!" They started dancing around, carefree.

Bob almost rushed out to take them on, but May stopped him. The group hesitated, not wanting to act recklessly, but ten hours of waiting was no joke. They'd be lucky if they didn't suffocate from the cramped space under the bed. Lily noticed a button behind the bed, her curiosity getting the best of her. She pressed it. Instantly, a huge hole opened up under Tom, and with a scream, he vanished down the tunnel.

Jack heard Tom's shout, his eyes darting toward the two outside. Thankfully, the loud music covered the noise, and no one noticed.

"Should we go?" May asked, looking worried.

"Let's go!" Jack immediately jumped into the hole, unwilling to wait any longer.

One by one, they slid down the tunnel. It seemed safe, but ahead of them, a steel door blocked the way, flanked by several cameras.

"Is this where they're keeping the scientists?" Jack muttered.

A voice came from behind the door. "What are you here for? How many of you are there?"

May stood up, speaking politely. "Hello, we're high school students. The zombie virus is spreading, and we ended up here after escaping. We saw military sweeps outside and got lost. Sorry for the trouble."

"Bind the biggest guy, the one with the muscles," the voice ordered. Cameras swiveled around, scanning them.

Bob wasn't thrilled, but sighed, knowing the kids weren't a threat. They hadn't revealed their guns, so for now, there wasn't much danger.

The person behind the door looked like a bookish scientist. On the lab table lay a motionless zombie, looking either dead or unconscious.

"Cool, are you doing human experiments?" Jack exclaimed, eyes wide in fascination, not fear.

"Next is you," the scientist frowned.

Jack froze, then drew his gun, pointing it directly at the scientist's head. "Release my friend first. Then you can introduce yourself."

The man reached for his pocket, but Jack stopped him, signaling Tom to take the key instead.

"I'm Aton, a zombie researcher," the man said, "That zombie on the table was once human. You can see the cages where we're keeping them."

Tom reached forward and pressed a button. The wall slid open, revealing several zombies locked in cages.

"Holy crap!" Bob gasped. "Are you making these things, or studying them?"

"So, you're the one responsible for creating these monsters?" Jack snapped, pressing his gun harder against Aton's temple.

"No, no!" Aton shook his head frantically. "These zombies were the first people who came into contact with the stone egg from Peach Orchard Town. I'm just researching it. But the people I was working with... they've all been killed by the higher-ups. I'm the closest to finding the answer, but even if I do, there's no solution."

Jack lowered his gun slightly, trying to stay calm. "We really are just high school students. This big guy's Bob. We're all safe. You don't need to worry. We're not part of any organization."

Aton raised an eyebrow. "Where did you get these guns?"

Bob pulled out a 3D-printed gun from his bag and handed it to Aton. "It's just a 3D print. You look familiar, so here, take it for protection."

Tom asked, "So, what have you discovered so far?"

Aton nodded, "We've figured something out. Someone brought a piece of the stone—part of the stone egg. As long as you stay near it for a while, organic matter starts to form out of nowhere."

"Organic matter? Appearing out of thin air?" Lily raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Exactly. It doesn't make any sense. This substance is alien, with no discernible pattern or origin," Aton said, rubbing his temples.

"A white-faced zombie?" Jack suddenly exclaimed. "You have one of those too?"

"Have you guys encountered it outside?" Aton asked, puzzled, since all the zombies here were originally from Peach Orchard Town.

"Yes," Jack replied.

Aton frowned deeply. "Could it have evolved to spread through the air? That's impossible, it should only spread through blood contact."

Jack paused, thinking for a moment. "Maybe the stone egg's been used for experiments, or worse, someone's taking it to cause more trouble."

He walked up to one of the zombies. This one hadn't gone into a dormant state like the others—it looked perfectly normal. "Why does this one seem so... alive?" Jack asked, inspecting it closely.