When the Defense Force soldier stepped forward and politely but firmly asked the man in the corner to follow him to another room to "complete some additional questioning," the man sprang up like a startled wild animal.
He clutched his backpack tightly, backed against the wall, and let out a hoarse growl from his throat.
"No. You can't lock me up! You don't understand! They're coming! You're gathering all these people here to feed them! You're building a feedlot!"
His voice was sharp and filled with absolute terror, instantly shattering the calm in the reception area.
Several newcomers shrank back in fear, and the children began to cry.
The soldier was well trained and tried to keep the situation under control. "Hey, calm down. It's just questioning..."
"Questioning? You want to shut me up! Just like them!" The man's frantic eyes swept across the room. "You're with those people from Oak Ridge. You want to 'smelt' them too! I know. I saw it!"
The words "Oak Ridge" were overheard by Carver, who happened to be nearby.
He had only been passing through, but when he noticed a madman causing a disturbance, his gaze instantly sharpened.
"Take him away."
Two soldiers stepped forward and swiftly restrained the struggling man. They covered his mouth before he could keep shouting and quickly removed him from the reception area.
Carver nodded to Gwendolyn and Oak.
"You handled it right. Calm things down here."
With that, he strode after them.
The disturbance quickly settled. Gwendolyn took a deep breath, put her professional smile back on, and raised her voice.
"Just a small misunderstanding, everyone. It's been handled. Let's continue. You'll all have hot food and hot showers soon."
The promise of a hot shower worked better than any reassurance, and the crowd gradually quieted down again.
Oak, however, watched the direction the man had been taken, unease stirring in his chest.
That man did not seem completely insane.
The interrogation room was well soundproofed, but the lighting was dim, giving it an unsettling, oppressive feel.
To prevent self-harm or an attack, the man had been secured to a specially designed chair. Carver stood across from him.
A simple search had already been completed. Inside the old travel bag, besides a few ragged clothes, an empty canteen, and several crushed biscuits, there was only a leather-covered notebook with curled edges, carefully wrapped in a waterproof bag, and a USB drive.
Carver did not rush to open the notebook. He stared at the man and spoke in a tone so calm it made the room feel colder.
"Name. Identity."
The man seemed to have burned through all the frenzy from earlier. Now he only lowered his head, shoulders sagging, and muttered, "It's useless. You won't believe me. Everyone's going to die..."
"Name."
Carver narrowed his eyes. A dangerous cold glint flashed through them, and with just that look, the air in the room seemed to freeze.
"Honeywell," the man finally forced out with difficulty.
"Identity."
"Knoxville Industrial Park. Singularity Polymers chemical plant. Former... security consultant."
Carver's eyes shifted slightly.
Singularity Polymers was the largest chemical plant in Block D, and the strangest one.
"You said they were 'smelting' them."
Carver stepped closer. Half his face was hidden in the darkness, and the pressure from his tall, powerful body completely swallowed Honeywell.
"What are 'they'? Who was doing the smelting? And what is Oak Ridge?"
Honeywell raised his head. Beneath his dirty, tangled hair, his eyes were bloodshot.
"Walkers," he said hoarsely. "They didn't call them walkers. They called them 'basic biomass.'
"Those lunatics in white coats from Oak Ridge, and those military bastards. They started long before everything really fell apart..."
Carver's pupils narrowed slightly.
"Explain."
"I saw it. I signed the accident report. No, they forced me to sign it! They said it was an accident during stability testing for a special pesticide synergist, that the workers developed aggressive hallucinations and mental instability after exposure... Bullshit!"
Honeywell suddenly grew agitated. He struggled hard, and the legs of the chair locked around him scraped against the floor with an ear-piercing screech.
"It was a nerve agent! Third generation! The target wasn't insects or plants at all. It was the central nervous system of mammals!
"They wanted something that could suppress higher brain functions while preserving brainstem and spinal reflexes, maybe even enhancing muscular response!
"Those 'test subjects' they brought in... they were the earliest walkers! Hauled in from some morgue God knows where!"
His words were disjointed, but the meaning gradually became clear.
Carver listened without expression, though turmoil was already rising in his mind.
"And then? What happened in Block D?" Carver pressed.
"The virus fully broke out. The power went out... and that day, they happened to be running a high-concentration synthesis experiment..."
Honeywell's eyes went hollow, as if he had fallen back into some nightmare.
"The reactor went out of control. The safety valve didn't fully close. What leaked wasn't the original toxin. It was something polymerized, something mutated.
"An aerosol. Yellow smoke...
"They were exposed directly at the leak point, along with the 'basic biomass' locked inside the 'special specimen room'..."
His body began trembling violently, as though he were seeing something terrifying all over again.
"I watched through the observation window. They were changing.
"Their skin, their bones, and their voices... It wasn't roaring. It was hissing.
"They attacked each other, tore into each other, and then... then they looked at me..."
Honeywell suddenly glared at Carver as though Carver were the man behind the observation window.
"They knew I was there! They remembered!
"There were still a lot of researchers in the central control room, right next to the leak zone. They... they were the first..."
He could not continue. He buried his head deeply and let out a wounded, animal-like whimper.
Carver stood in silence for a moment, then turned and walked to the door. He gave the guard outside a low order.
"Watch him."
Then he picked up the notebook, the USB drive, and the scattered items found on Honeywell, and strode toward the command center.
...
Calista was discussing the possibility of producing basic rubber goods with Dr. Caitlin from UTK materials science.
Dr. Caitlin specialized in polymer materials and composites, and she was trying to restart the production of medical and sanitation supplies.
Carver did not knock. He walked straight in, placed the items in his hand on the table, and said concisely, "Calista, you need to see someone immediately. He came from Block D and used to be a security consultant at Singularity Polymers."
As he spoke, Carver glanced at Dr. Caitlin.
She understood at once, picked up the materials in her hands, and nodded to Calista.
"I'll head back first. I still need to look into a few plans."
Once only Calista and Carver were left in the room, he carefully checked Calista's expression before speaking cautiously.
"The man mentioned Oak Ridge. He mentioned 'smelting walkers.' He mentioned the U.S. military and a nerve agent accident."
Calista sucked in a cold breath, and the relaxed look on her face vanished completely.
Her gaze first fell on the old notebook and USB drive. Then she slowly looked up at Carver.
"Where is he? What condition is he in?"
"Interrogation room. He's been badly traumatized, and his story is scattered, but the core information... it's credible."
Carver recalled Honeywell's account and condensed both the man's words and his own judgment into a few precise sentences.
Calista closed her eyes. A few seconds later, she opened them.
"Bring him here, Carver. Don't tell anyone else yet. Just you and me."