Chapter 127: A Familiar and Comfortable Routine
Kyle leaned back in his chair, enjoying a rare moment of peace.
The registration desk was still the same folding table as always, with a brick wedged under one corner to keep it from wobbling.
Pens were neatly arranged in a holder.
A stack of registration forms sat on the table.
Not a single one had been filled out all day.
He yawned lazily, tears forming in the corners of his eyes.
As he rubbed them away and glanced into the distance, he spotted three people approaching.
A burly man with muscles stretching the fabric of his T-shirt.
A heavyset man panting after only a short walk.
And a woman in a baseball cap carrying a rifle, moving with the quiet grace of a cat.
Kyle immediately sat upright.
He slid a registration form to the center of the table and placed a pen beside it.
"Fill this out."
The muscular man didn't even glance at the paperwork.
Planting his hands on his hips, he surveyed the black-clad soldiers around the registration area, the training grounds beyond them, and finally Kyle himself.
"Call your commanding officer."
"We have important business to discuss."
Kyle blinked.
"Commanding officer? We don't exactly have a military here—"
The man interrupted him.
"We are escorting Dr. Porter to Washington, D.C."
His voice was loud enough for everyone nearby to hear.
"He is a top scientist involved in the Human Genome Project."
"He possesses critical information regarding the zombie virus outbreak and key data for a cure."
"The cure can only be developed in a government laboratory in Washington."
"We require your assistance free of charge."
"That includes military personnel, transportation, and helicopter escorts."
Kyle stared at him.
His mouth slowly fell open.
Then he glanced at the overweight man standing behind him.
Round face.
Messy hair.
Clutching a backpack.
Looking completely detached from the conversation.
Like someone watching a play unfold.
Kyle silently closed his mouth and picked up the phone.
"Please wait."
"I'll report this to my superiors."
---
Amy was organizing documents when the call came through.
After listening to Kyle's report, she paused briefly before transferring the call.
To Wu Fan.
Wu Fan was equally stunned after hearing the story.
A top scientist?
A cure?
Saving humanity?
And they expected free troops, vehicles, and helicopters?
The entire situation felt strangely familiar.
He recalled standing on a makeshift platform in the quarry during the early days of the apocalypse.
Back then, he had relied on little more than bold promises and confidence to recruit Sean and the others.
Thinking about it now...
He had already fulfilled roughly half of those impossible promises.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Bring them up."
He hung up the phone.
Then immediately picked up another.
"Send Edwin, Candice, Arthur, and Elias to my office."
---
The four researchers arrived quickly.
Edwin's glasses sat crookedly on his nose.
Candice's lab coat was buttoned incorrectly.
Arthur still carried a test tube.
Elias had an open notebook packed with handwritten data.
They gathered around Wu Fan's desk, exchanging puzzled looks.
"A top scientist is on his way here."
Wu Fan leaned back in his chair.
"I need all of you to verify his credentials."
---
Outside, Kyle hung up the phone.
"Our boss will see you."
"A vehicle is on the way."
Moments later, a Humvee rolled out through the gate and stopped beside the registration area.
Abraham glanced at it before climbing inside.
Rosita followed.
Eugene sat in the back seat, clutching his backpack so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
The Humvee drove through the checkpoint and passed the training grounds.
Hundreds of men and women in black combat uniforms were training.
Gunfire echoed.
Orders were shouted.
The windows vibrated from the noise.
Abraham frowned.
"Does the military wear uniforms like that now?"
The driver chuckled.
"The military?"
"It disappeared after the apocalypse."
"We're Umbrella Corporation."
"A private organization."
"Everything here belongs to the company."
Abraham and Rosita exchanged a glance.
Private organization?
With soldiers, armored vehicles, and aircraft?
Neither commented further.
---
The Humvee entered the residential district.
And both Abraham and Rosita froze.
People walked through the streets.
Parents pushed strollers.
Dogs trotted beside their owners.
Children chased balls across sidewalks.
An elderly woman sat in a rocking chair knitting.
Two teenagers skated past laughing before disappearing into an alleyway.
Rosita stared in disbelief.
"Where are we?"
"It feels like a dream."
The driver smiled.
"This is the employee residential district."
Abraham gazed at laundry hanging beneath the sun.
Flower gardens.
People chatting casually.
An old man repairing a bicycle.
For a moment, it felt as though the apocalypse had never happened.
The walkers.
The ruins.
The endless struggle to survive.
All of it seemed unreal.
---
The Humvee stopped outside the CDC headquarters.
At the entrance stood Guillermo holding a handheld metal detector.
"Weapons."
Abraham hesitated before surrendering his rifle.
Then his pistol.
Rosita handed over her rifle, a combat knife, and a smaller blade hidden inside her boot.
Eugene emptied his pockets.
The only thing he produced was a pack of chewing gum.
After scanning them and confirming they carried nothing else, Guillermo waved them through.
---
Inside, Amy greeted them at the elevator.
"Follow me."
The elevator rose.
Second floor.
Third floor.
The doors opened.
The corridor was spotless.
Brightly lit.
Quiet.
At the reception desk sat a blonde woman in a white shirt with her hair tied neatly into a ponytail.
She smiled and nodded politely.
Abraham felt slightly dazed.
He hadn't seen anyone dressed so cleanly in years.
Nor had he seen such a clean building.
Or such a normal environment.
---
Amy opened the office door.
Four researchers in white lab coats stood beside a large desk.
Some old.
Some young.
Each carrying a different expression.
Behind the desk sat an Asian man in his early thirties.
Black suit jacket.
White shirt.
Maps and documents spread across the desk.
An overflowing ashtray sat nearby.
Wu Fan rose and extended his hand.
"Wu Fan."
"Head of Umbrella Corporation's Georgia Division."
Abraham shook his hand firmly.
"Abraham Ford."
Rosita followed.
"Rosita Espinosa."
Eugene remained at the back of the room clutching his backpack.
His hands trembled.
Wu Fan smiled.
"So this is Dr. Porter?"
Eugene nodded nervously.
Before he could speak, Abraham stepped forward.
"Mr. Wu."
"We need your help."
"Dr. Porter possesses key data for a cure."
"The cure can only be produced in Washington."
"We need transportation and military support."
"If I didn't know the truth, I'd almost be moved."
Wu Fan thought silently.
---
Candice stepped forward first.
She studied Eugene from head to toe.
"I'm the Chief Virologist at the CDC."
"Which institute did you work for?"
"I've never heard of you."
"Do you have any published papers?"
Eugene swallowed.
"I've worked on classified projects."
"My identity was confidential."
"I never published anything."
Candice frowned.
She glanced toward Edwin.
Edwin adjusted his glasses.
"Then perhaps you can answer a simple question."
"What are your thoughts on the protein coat structure of the Wildfire Virus?"
Eugene froze.
Arthur immediately followed.
"Is it a single-stranded RNA virus or a double-stranded RNA virus?"
No answer.
Elias stepped forward.
"What is the relationship between incubation time and environmental temperature?"
Sweat appeared on Eugene's forehead.
His lips trembled.
His eyes darted from one researcher to another.
Like a rabbit trapped in a corner.
Edwin sighed.
Then turned and left.
Candice followed.
Arthur pocketed his test tube.
Elias closed his notebook.
One by one, they departed.
---
Only Wu Fan, Abraham, Rosita, and Eugene remained.
Wu Fan lit a cigarette.
Then looked directly at Eugene.
"Would you like to tell them yourself?"
"Or should I?"
Eugene's legs gave out.
He slid down the wall and collapsed onto the floor.
Wrapping his arms around his backpack, he buried his face inside it.
Abraham stared.
Confusion.
Disbelief.
Then rage.
His fists clenched.
"You're lying to me?"
His voice rumbled like distant thunder.
Eugene said nothing.
His shoulders shook.
"You lied to me all the way here?"
Abraham roared.
The windows rattled.
Rosita grabbed his arm.
He shook her off.
"I protected you from Texas to Georgia!"
"Over a thousand miles!"
"Walkers!"
"Bandits!"
"Robbers!"
"People trying to kill you!"
"And now you're telling me it was all fake?"
Eugene's muffled voice emerged from his arms.
"I just wanted to survive..."
Abraham raised his fist.
Then stopped.
He stared at the terrified man curled on the floor.
At the backpack squeezed against his chest.
At the trembling body shaking uncontrollably.
Slowly...
His fist lowered.
The anger remained.
But the fight left him.
Without another word, he turned and walked away.
At the doorway, he paused.
"You owe me a life."
Then he left.
Rosita looked at Eugene.
Then at Wu Fan.
And quietly followed Abraham out.
---
The office became silent.
Wu Fan finished his cigarette.
"Tell me honestly."
"Was any of it real?"
Eugene slowly shook his head.
"No."
Wu Fan sighed.
Then walked to the window.
Outside, Abraham stood alone in the open courtyard.
Rosita rested a hand on his shoulder.
A gust of wind tilted her baseball cap.
She adjusted it without speaking.
Wu Fan turned back toward Eugene.
"We're short on people."
"What can you actually do?"
Eugene looked up.
His eyes were red from crying.
"I'm a teacher."
"A high school physics teacher."
Wu Fan considered him for several seconds.
Then nodded.
"Go register at the school."
"Paul's team needs help."
"If you can invent something useful, even better."
"Our reward system is based on contribution points."
"I think you understand."
Eugene nodded silently.
Then picked up his backpack and left.
---
Wu Fan watched him disappear down the corridor.
Then he looked out the window again.
At Abraham.
A man whose reason for living had just shattered.
Wu Fan picked up the phone.
"Send Dale to my office."
"We have a problem only he can solve."