Calista's blood, or rather, some property the Wildfire trial vaccine had given her blood, was an irresistible, instinctive, ultimate temptation to walkers.
It was not as direct as food. It was more like a... "pheromone" or "command signal" coming from their own kind, or more precisely, from the source of their evolution or the core that controlled them.
Dr. Jenner took a deep breath and requested a meeting with Calista through the internal comms.
A moment later, Calista arrived at the laboratory.
The laboratory was comfortably warm, so she took off her heavy cold-weather coat and wore only a neat dark combat suit. For convenience, her long light-gold hair was often tied into a sleek high ponytail.
Dr. Jenner was carefully organizing the data from the extreme-cold attractant experiment that had just ended.
Calista looked at the data charts spread across the table and the small reagent vials marked with different codes. "Jenner, what did you find?"
Dr. Jenner tried to keep his tone calm and objective, but his slightly trembling fingers still betrayed his excitement.
"We have a breakthrough. Regarding your blood... its attraction to walkers has now been quantified."
He pointed to the curves and key data marked on the chart. "In the current extreme-cold environment, the optimized C-4 attractant can create a stable, effective attraction zone with a radius of 500 to 750 meters."
"750 meters?" Calista raised an eyebrow.
That number was enough to cover a small plaza or an entire street.
"Yes, 750 meters," Jenner emphasized. "And this probably still isn't the limit. The strength of the 'signal' contained in your blood is beyond imagination.
It seems to act directly on the most basic neural instincts of walkers, stronger and purer than any known attraction to living humans.
My guess is that this may be connected to the immune mechanism Wildfire is trying to construct, or to some kind of undiscovered 'information marker' within it."
He picked up a C-4 reagent vial filled with pale amber liquid and carefully handed it to Calista.
"This means that under specific conditions, we can 'guide' walkers to a limited extent. We can lure them away from a certain area, or gather them at a specific location."
Calista took the small vial, the cold touch of glass spreading through her fingertips.
Used well, this thing would be a powerful tool for clearing areas, setting traps, and even killing by proxy.
Used poorly, or if it leaked by accident, it would be inviting disaster straight to their doorstep.
"How controllable is it? How long does it last? Is mass production possible?" She added jokingly, "And by mass production, I don't mean drawing my blood like crazy."
Jenner answered her questions one by one, while also pointing out the uncertainties. "So far, it has only been successfully tested in extreme cold with a light breeze. Higher temperatures and changes in wind should greatly affect both its range and effectiveness.
As for large-scale synthesis... it requires specific raw materials. Our current conditions are limited, and I still haven't found a substitute for your blood.
However, your previous blood samples can also be used to make the reagent. There's no issue with expiration. And each time, I only need to extract a trace amount of blood."
He seemed to think of something difficult to say and began stumbling over his words. "Also, Calista, you...
Uh, actually, aside from the regular blood draws for testing, you have other blood, um... don't waste it. The effect is the same."
Calista tilted her head. ???
Dr. Jenner was clearly embarrassed, but he really could not bear to waste such excellent reagent material, so he forced himself to add one more sentence.
"You know, what women have every month. If it's convenient for you, you could collect it and give it to me, and then I could make more reagent."
Calista nearly lost her composure.
She handed the reagent vial back to Jenner expressionlessly, though inwardly she was so embarrassed she wanted to curl her toes into the floor.
It was not exactly difficult. After all, she used a menstrual cup and menstrual disc now, and once they were full, she had to empty them anyway.
But collecting it specifically felt inexplicably humiliating.
She coughed twice to hide her embarrassment.
Dr. Jenner also immediately changed the subject, his eyes darting away. "But Calista, I'm more concerned about your own condition.
Since returning from Sentinel Station, the blood samples you've provided show that Wildfire's immune activity seems to have entered a relatively stable plateau. Have you had any low-grade fevers or other discomfort recently?"
Calista raised a hand and rubbed her temple. "No. The last low-grade fever was on the third day after we returned from Sentinel Station. Since then, it hasn't happened again."
A glint flashed through Dr. Jenner's eyes at that answer.
He set down the reagent in his hand, took two steps forward, and carefully studied Calista from across the lab table.
"As expected... this matches the trend I've been monitoring in the data," Jenner murmured to himself. Then his tone became more certain. "This is very likely related to what you experienced at Sentinel Station."
Calista gestured for him to continue.
"I believe that was a deep activation of your latent potential, forcibly triggered by crisis." Dr. Jenner began explaining, his speech growing faster.
"Based on my current research, the Wildfire trial vaccine is definitely not as simple as providing immunity.
It is a catalyst, or a kind of high-energy-density 'fuel.' While it transforms your immune system, it is also subtly raising your basal metabolic rate and physical potential."
He picked up a pen and drew a wavy line on a blank sheet of paper.
"The occasional low-grade fevers and unusually abundant energy you experienced before can be viewed as this 'fuel' accumulating inside your body.
But your body was unable to 'burn' it promptly and efficiently, which led to energy surplus. It even attacked your own regulatory system and triggered an inflammatory response, which appeared as low-grade fever."
Then Jenner drew several steep peaks on the wavy line.
"At Sentinel Station, under extreme pressure, your body was forced to run beyond its normal limits, greatly activating your potential.
That process was equivalent to opening a floodgate all at once, intensely consuming the accumulated Wildfire energy in your body that had not been effectively used."
He set down the pen and looked at Calista with burning eyes. "That violent consumption was like a system reset and a powerful redirection.
It made your body realize that this excess energy could be released and used in this way.
Since then, your basal metabolic rate seems to have permanently risen by a level, and your body has found a more efficient channel for using energy.
That energy is now used to support your greater physical strength, faster reactions, and sharper senses, instead of building up chaotically inside your body and attacking itself."
...
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