Chapter 9 : Cordyceps Brain Infection (CBI)

The Last of Us Fungus is Real. The fungus from The Last of Us is based on a real fungus that exists in nature today and is called Ophiocordyceps unilateralis, or cordyceps. Cordyceps is often referred to as the "zombie-ant fungus" because it primarily infects ants and other insects such as spiders.

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"It is reported that a virus called "Cordyceps fungus" or "Cordyceps brain infection (CBI)" is rapidly spreading around the world. The southern region has been completely occupied, and a large number of infected patients have begun to appear in the east and west."

"The World Health Organization, together with elite medical teams from various countries, is making every effort to defeat the "CBI" bacteria and is expected to produce a relevant vaccine next year..."

"The government has urgently set up the "Federal Disaster Relief Agency," equipped with the latest research and development of "infection scanners." They will try their best to save all compatriots trapped in the infected area, and at the same time, they will also detect all those detected by the scanner as infected."Persons placed in quarantine"

"There are a large number of loafers on the streets of all cities. They denounce the government's policies related to isolating the epidemic. They need people and freedom."

Brian was sitting on the sofa; his left hand kept changing the channels on the radio, and the pen in his hand kept writing quickly on the paper, recording all the information he listened to.

A full week has passed since the outbreak of the plague, and he and Sarah have stayed here for a whole week.

From beginning to end, Joel and Tommy were nowhere to be seen. After Sarah's legs recovered, they searched all the areas near the bridge and even searched along the place where they parted, but there was no trace of them. 

Gradually, they learn to accept reality and understand that the person they are looking for may never appear again.

"Barton, be careful."

"Hehe, sister Sarah, catch the ball!"

Hearing the sound of people playing outside, Brian put down his pen and closed the book. He stood up and walked to the main door to look outside.

Although they didn't find Joel and Tommy when they sent out a signal, they did attract two nearby fleeing survivor families.

Three figures were playing freely on the lawn outside the house, footballs being passed around under their feet.

There was a fire beside the lake with an iron pot on it. Light smoke was rising. Two women were busy beside it. From a distance, Brian could smell the aroma of fish coming from the pot.

Outside the house, a middle-aged white man was sharpening long pieces of wood to make stakes and then driving the stakes into holes that had already been dug to create a circle of fence.

A black man was standing on the roof of the utility room next to him. He was holding a pistol and looking carefully at the surrounding situation. During this period, the two of them chatted.

The white man named Kenneth came here the day after the signal was released with his wife Kathy and his 10-year-old daughter Angela.

The black man's name is Taylor. He and his wife, Yvette, came here after being chased by the infected (playing here on the lawn). The black boy, Barton, is their son.

Although everyone gathered together to stay warm, as the number of people increased, there was a huge food burden. Fortunately, their residence was close to the lake, and they could obtain food by fishing. Recently, they also formed a team. They went to the town several times to collect supplies; otherwise, they would be worrying about filling their stomachs now.

Looking at Sarah playing with Barton and Angela, Brian smiled slightly. Fortunately, these two children were playing with her; otherwise, Sarah might still be immersed in the pain of losing her relatives.

Then he leaned against the door and began to seriously think about his next destination. Although this place seemed so peaceful and comfortable for the time being, since the person he was looking for was no longer there, he had no reason to continue to stay there. Brian doesn't want to stay in this dangerous place forever.

Especially the recent abnormalities in the bodies of infected people made him feel a little uneasy. He found that some infected people began to grow very strange red and white lumps on their heads, but the number varied.

From the radio broadcast, he learned that this was something derived from the virus invading the human body and absorbing nutrients from the human body—fungal spores.

The most Brian has ever seen is that half of his head has been eroded by the spores of this fungus. This mutation is very strange. In his opinion, it may even lead to some degree of "evolution," which is why he doesn't want to be here. 

After leaving here, he currently has only two choices. The first is to go to Dallas to find Arman. The old man left a note for Brian, who still keeps it, but he is not sure whether the other party can take him in.

After all, Dallas can be said to be in a mess now. Even if Arman is willing to take them in, will his daughter and son-in-law be willing?

The second way is to go to Washington to find his parents. Although Brian has been afraid to face them because he has taken over their son's body, there is no doubt that this is indeed an excellent place to go.

The only thing that gave Brian a headache was that the distance was not too far. He made a rough estimate and found it to be nearly 2,000 miles.

"Oh, forget it; just take it one step at a time."

"What are you thinking about?" Just when Brian was immersed in his thoughts, he suddenly heard someone talking next to him. He looked up and saw that Sarah had walked away from him at some point. She looked at him with concern.

"In the past two days, I've been seeing you alone in a daze. Is there something wrong?"

After a moment of silence, Brian walked up the steps to the door, then looked at Sarah, patted the seat next to him, and motioned for her to sit down and talk.

After the girl sat down, he looked at the people around him to make sure that no one could hear them, and then he said, "I plan to leave."

But who knows? Sarah didn't show too much surprise. She just said calmly, "Okay, when will we set off?"

"Do you know what I'm going to say?" Listening to Sarah's calm tone, Brian asked with some surprise as he turned his head and looked at the other person's calm face.

"Um."

Sarah nodded. She had noticed that Brian was not going to stay here at all. She saw that Brian was paying attention to outside information every day and was also intentionally or unintentionally storing some food that was easy to carry and preserve. From that time on, she knew that the other party would leave here sooner or later.

"I didn't think so; you know me pretty well." Brian raised his eyebrows, leaned back against the pillar, gently held Sarah's hand, and said, "Want to come together?"

"Of course, I will go wherever you go!"

.....

At night, when everyone was sitting around the iron pot drinking fragrant fish soup, Brian stood up and announced that he and Sarah were leaving.

"Why are you leaving? Isn't it nice for us to be here?"

Hearing Brian say that he wanted to leave here, Tyler looked very puzzled. He was very satisfied with his current living environment. He knew that the world outside must be very chaotic now. Even if he left the city, he might not be able to do it. It's better than living here. At least here, you won't be hurt by the infected as long as you don't make too much noise.

"Taylor, stop talking. After all, they still need to find the whereabouts of their relatives. We should understand."

At this time, the white man, Kenneth, also spoke. Contrary to Taylor, he obviously wanted Brian to leave. So instead of saying anything to stop him, he stopped the black man from trying to say anything.

He had always felt that Brian and Sarah were a burden, serving no purpose other than consuming the little food they had. In his opinion, even the last time they went out to collect supplies, it was his and Taylor's effort.

What made Kenneth most dissatisfied was that he knew that there was an assault rifle in Brian's room. He felt that this gun should be given to him to protect everyone's safety, but when he asked for it, that damn kid refused to hand over the gun to him, so when he learned that the other party was leaving, he did not stop him. Instead, he rolled his eyes and had other thoughts in his mind.

Taylor knew exactly what Kenneth was thinking because more than once he heard the other party secretly complain about the presence of two extra people in the camp, but he agreed with Kenneth's thoughts and hesitated for a while. He asked Brian, "When do you plan to set off? Have you decided where to go?"

"Ah, we will go to the town tomorrow to collect some supplies and then spend the night in the town. If everything goes well, we will leave the day after tomorrow. As for where to go, it should be Dallas."

Brian pretended not to notice (their thoughts were already written on their faces) and said it with a smile while he sneered in his heart. This was another reason why he didn't want to stay here anymore. Continuing to stay here would be inconsistent with his heart. In the team, sooner or later something will go wrong.

Hearing that they were going to spend the night in a small town, Kenneth's eyes suddenly lit up. He suddenly sat up and looked loyal. He patted his chest and said, "You two kids. It's too dangerous in the town. Let's do this. I'll be with you tomorrow." We'll all set out together, and I will come back after I send you out."

Brian glanced at Kenneth with a half-smile, but Brian didn't refuse and said, "I'll trouble you, Uncle Kenneth."

Then he glanced at Angela and Barton, who gathered around Sarah to express their reluctance to leave after learning that they were about to leave. He picked up the fish soup bowl and said, "Drink the soup quickly; otherwise, it will get cold later."

When everyone heard this, they all picked up their bowls and drank the fish soup in their respective bowls in silence. From the beginning to the end, Cathy and Yvette did not speak. They were accustomed to obeying their husbands. They had no thoughts in their hearts or in their eyes. It's not a bad thing for two useless kids to leave the team where they have to share food.

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The last of us Stages of infection-

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