Chapter 14

The enemy was defeated, utterly outmatched.

Ethan smirked, realizing they'd severely underestimated him.

He casually placed his hands in his pockets, not even breaking a sweat. The opposition meant nothing to him.

Countless tranquilizer bullets were fired at Ethan, but none of them even grazed his skin.

The bullets simply fell to the ground, piling up in front of him.

Ethan casually kicked the bullets away, scattering them with such force that they struck the guards around him.

Many of them were immediately sedated, collapsing where they stood.

Jackson, the leader of the group, quickly realized that the man before him wasn't just strong; his physical toughness was beyond anything he'd ever seen, even among the most evolved zombies.

"Switch to armor-piercing rounds! I don't care if he's dead or alive, just bring him down!"

Jackson's confidence in underestimating Ethan was gone. This opponent was unlike anything he'd ever encountered. Even the most resilient zombies didn't have such high resistance to bullets.

But to Jackson's shock, even the armor-piercing rounds couldn't penetrate Ethan's defense.

"You're not human, are you? You're some kind of robot!" Jackson could only think of one explanation. Before the apocalypse, there had been rumors of countries developing robotic soldiers with superhuman strength and intelligence.

Ethan laughed. "A robot? No, I'm human—just a bit stronger than most. Listen, this game is over. Surrender now, and I might let you live. Tell me everything you know about the zombie virus!"

Jackson wasn't about to give up that easily. Even if this weapon was useless, he had more powerful ones in reserve.

"Stop him!" Jackson shouted, turning to flee toward the command room, where his more advanced weapons were stored. If only he hadn't let curiosity get the better of him, he might have had a chance to escape.

But Ethan wasn't interested in playing around anymore. Jackson had shown his hand, and now Ethan wouldn't waste the opportunity.

With a powerful leap, Ethan surged forward, knocking the guards to the ground and grabbing Jackson by the throat, lifting him effortlessly like a rag doll.

"Now, can we have a proper conversation?"

Jackson never imagined he'd be held like this, with his life hanging by a thread, knowing that a mere squeeze from Ethan could end him.

"What do you want to talk about? I'm just a wealthy man who built this place for safety," Jackson lied, hoping Ethan didn't know who he really was.

"Hah, it seems you don't want to cooperate. Let me make this clear: I'm not a bad guy, but if you don't answer my questions, I'll break your fingers one by one. Once I'm done with those, I'll move on to your hands, feet, and... other parts," Ethan threatened, his voice cold. He didn't believe Jackson would hold out for long. 

"I'm just a regular guy! I don't know anything important. What do you expect me to say?" Jackson pleaded, his voice shaking.

"You're part of the New Life Order, aren't you? Tell me about them."

Ethan had heard of the New Life Order from John Malone a while back. He hadn't paid it much attention then, but now things were different.

"I don't know anything about the New Life Order! I've never even heard of it!" Jackson insisted stubbornly.

Ethan hadn't expected such resistance. This guy might look soft, but he had a surprising amount of nerve. Without hesitation, Ethan snapped Jackson's right index finger.

"Ah! I swear, I don't know anything!" Jackson screamed in pain.

Ethan could see the guy wasn't just being stubborn; something was stopping him from talking. Still, Ethan couldn't believe someone so weak and pampered was in charge of such a heavily armed force.

"Then explain why these guards follow your orders. No one would believe you're in control without some powerful backing."

Jackson winced, his finger throbbing. This man was relentless.

"I..."

Ethan could tell Jackson was caught between a rock and a hard place. It seemed there was something—perhaps someone—preventing him from revealing too much about the New Life Order.

"Fine, I won't push you further. Just tell me what you can. If you can't do that, then you have no reason to live."

Jackson's voice turned icy. His patience was wearing thin.

"Come with me. I'll take you to the lab," Jackson finally relented, realizing it was his only way to stay alive.

As they walked deeper into the facility, Jackson discreetly called for backup. But in this post-apocalyptic world, who knew when help would actually arrive?

Ethan stayed close, never letting Jackson stray more than a few inches away. If the man tried anything, Ethan would kill him in an instant.

Jackson clutched his mangled finger, the pain making him cautious. Any sudden moves could be his last.

He led Ethan to a hidden lab deep within the shelter. On the way, Ethan saw the survivors living there—pale, thin, and huddled together as they waited in line for their meager rations.

Seeing Ethan follow Jackson, they could only look on in curiosity.

The sight made Ethan uncomfortable. If these people were under his care, he could expand his own base's influence by miles within a year.

No matter how slowly Jackson walked, they reached the lab in ten minutes. The place was filled with dissected zombies and human corpses, evidence of the gruesome experiments taking place.

Ethan frowned. What exactly was the New Life Order trying to achieve?

"You didn't stumble upon this zombie virus by chance, did you?" Ethan speculated. "You found out it could make people immortal, but it had flaws. So you're trying to perfect it."

Jackson looked at Ethan in surprise. He hadn't said a word, yet this man had already guessed half of it.

Ethan watched Jackson nod slightly, then shake his head. His frustration grew—why couldn't this guy just come out and say it?

Jackson saw the frustration in Ethan's eyes and pointed to his own head.

Ethan understood immediately. Something had been implanted in Jackson's brain, preventing him from talking.

"Experimenter Jackson, repeat today's experimental data," a cold, mechanical voice suddenly ordered.

Jackson recited, "The virus activity in the zombie subjects decreased under the influence of palladium, and there was a slight recovery of consciousness."

"Human cells continue to be infected by the virus, with only one in a thousand subjects showing any form of evolution."

Jackson's words confirmed Ethan's suspicions. This virus wasn't a random mutation; it was man-made.

But who had the power and resources to unleash a virus that could decimate the entire world?

The implications were staggering. The virus wasn't airborne; it was spread through blood. For it to spread globally, it had to have been deliberately released.

Whoever was behind this was not just powerful, but deeply, terrifyingly organized.

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