Edited by: Kuro and Lille
Also, this chapter was sponsored by: AstridVinclair and two somebodies (who know who they are). Thank you once again for supporting me and my work! I will be posting the next chapter in a bit.
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Keith woke up a day later no longer feeling as though his body was trying to eat itself. Not only did he feel better, but he also felt as if he had gotten stronger. As a soldier, he was ready to test out his new abilities on the battlefield.
Then he realized that the lights above his head did not bother him. Actually, he felt so grateful that he could see the lights again.
He heard the door open and the same man from yesterday walked in with General Le.
"General Le!" Keith scrambled to stand up so that he could salute the man.
"Keith, be at ease. You are a recovering patient." Morgan motioned for Keith to lay back down and then went behind Adam 1 so that Adam 1 could do his job.
The researchers were outside the room constantly monitoring Keith's vitals. If everything went well, they would do their best to mass produce the vaccine and share the good news with everyone.
"Hello, Keith. Do you remember me?" Adam 1 asked. He said things in a monotone voice, but at a very constant pace so that the researchers could record his questions and answers.
"You are Adam 1, yes? Thank you for saving my life." Keith gave a bow as best as possible while sitting in bed. He was grateful to be alive for another day.
"We still have to monitor you for the next few days, so thank us when you are in the clear."
Keith felt at a loss but he knew he was testing the cure so he nodded, "I understand."
After that, Keith answered more of Adam 1's questions like how he felt before and after the treatment and how his physical strength was compared to how it was now.
From what Adam 1 could conclude, it seemed Keith was alright, actually stronger than ever, but a few days of monitoring might prevent a disaster.
He wondered how it would be if someone with a weaker immune system got bit and was given the treatment. Would it still work? Would it fail? They may never find someone with a weaker immune system because only those who were able to fight off the Z-virus at the beginning of the apocalypse were able to survive this long. Still, they were all things they had to keep in mind.
They had to wait for people to get bit or scratched, but most of the people who got infected were those who were tasked with protecting the base or those who had to retrieve supplies from neighboring cities. There were times they had to go far as well, so those who went had to be stronger than the average person.
"Adam 1, you can leave him to us to monitor."
"Understood. If you need any help, let me know." Adam 1 nodded. Honestly, the researchers were smart, they could probably do everything else on their own. "We will go back first. It's been a long day."
It was only the second day that Adam 1 arrived at the base. All of the researchers knew he was Adam 1, so they didn't say anything.
It was weird to see the artificial human that Dr. Linus and they had created in person. Adam 1 was living and breathing, he also had a mind of his own and was able to adapt to the current situation of the world.
Still, they all knew how dangerous Adam 1 was. Adam 1 was a weapon, not a human. One wrong move and they could all die, so they collectively decided to let Adam 1 be.
They watched Adam 1 go back with Morgan and then went to do their work. Making more vaccines was better than pondering on what-ifs.
Back in Adam 1's room, he let Morgan in. Morgan quickly made himself at home even though his room was next door.
"What are your plans now?" Morgan couldn't help but ask after they got settled in.
"I'm going to look for Dr. Linus…" Adam 1 said as he sat down on his bed. He wasn't physically tired, but he was mentally exhausted from the nonstop work on the vaccine and then having to teach the researchers how to make it.
He would like a good nap even though Adam 1 can't really sleep. His body would just turn off like a light switch.
"What are you going to do when you find him?"
"I will kill him." His expression didn't change when he said that. If someone didn't know he was an artificial human, they would think he was a psychopath.
"He's too dangerous to be kept alive. For all we know, he could create another artificial human, or something even worse than that."
He had a bad feeling about leaving Dr. Linus on his own.
"I understand. I will help you find him. I, too, think he is dangerous. He was also the main culprit for the Z-virus to begin with. Who knows what that man will do in times like this…"
"Well, let's focus on looking for him tomorrow. Tonight, we rest. I'm sure you are tired." Adam 1 said while pointing to the shower. "Be sure to shower. I will wait for you here."
Morgan's eyes lit up and he ran straight for his room to get his clothes. He was glad he was able to stay together with Adam 1! It was a good decision to have his companions on another floor.
Adam 1 rolled his eyes and took off his dirty clothes. He put on some sleepwear and then laid down.
He needed to focus on finding Dr. Linus. Even if he wasn't explicitly told to kill him, Adam 1 felt that Dr. Linus was a danger to all of humanity, especially because he was obsessed with creating Adam 1, not caring for the many people that died in the process…
When Morgan came back, they quickly went to bed. Morgan was the first to fall asleep as he was tired from their journey.
He looked at Morgan sleeping next to him peacefully. The man was a heavy sleeper and even if a tornado passed by, he would probably just cling to him and tell him he was cold. His face didn't show the years of exhaustion, but it made him seem like he wasn't living through a zombie apocalypse.
Adam 1 looked at Morgan's face a little longer and then closed his eyes. He was happy and glad that this man was with him across time and space.
Adam 1 hasn't had that nightmare in a long time. Actually, he could force himself to sleep in this world, but he didn't really dream.
It was different from what he was used to. In the previous worlds, he was always plagued by those nightmares of his ex-husband, but after going into a body that could not dream or sleep, he seemed to not mind it. He pretended to close his eyes every night and did a lot of thinking.
He didn't know if he should be happy or not, but he felt a sense of relief that he finally had a break from the nightmares.
He was glad he was able to find Morgan and be by his side once again…
*****
"Yes! This formula... If we can rewrite it this way..." Muttering could be heard coming from Dr. Linus' room in the basement.
It was dark, besides the light coming from his computer. He didn't like the light because it made him feel dirty, so he liked to do his work in the dark. Even when he was at the original research facility, he always kept his office dark. It made his eyesight worse and worse by the minute, but he didn't care. When he perfected the serum he was creating, bad eyesight would not be a problem any longer.
He was in the basement by himself. Dr. Langley was with the other researchers producing more of the vaccines that Adam 1 created.
He was told about Adam 1's arrival by Dr. Langley. Dr. Langley was excited, telling him how smart Adam 1 was.
All he could think about was that Adam 1 wasn't as smart as he was. He created the vaccines and more in his past life. In the end, Adam 1 did not have a soul like a real human being. That made him superior!
"If I create the serum like this… yes, yes! This is perfect…!"
Dr. Linus had always been interested in creating artificial humans, but this time, he wanted to enhance the human race, beyond what Ability Users could even dream of.
He wanted something more, something more god-like. He wanted to rule the world with everyone beneath his feet. But he needed to get stronger, stronger than even Adam 1!
Before he was reborn, Adam 1 was a level 10 zombie. He was basically the Zombie King, one who could control all zombies.
"I need to test this. I have to make sure it is perfect."
He had a vision, he had a dream. Now that the stupid Vice President was out of his hair, he could finally evolve and become the most powerful being in the universe.