At this time, the TV in the hall urgently broadcast breaking news:
"Hello, everyone. We have an emergency update. Just an hour ago, a highly infectious virus began spreading across the globe. This virus spreads rapidly, with an almost 100% infection rate."
"Once infected, people transform into monsters devoid of consciousness, pain, or even mortality. According to the latest national survey, this virus is spreading rapidly throughout the human population..."
"Here is military expert Diego Juan with more information: According to official reports, this new virus is a global catastrophe and a common enemy of humanity. Anyone infected or bitten by these 'zombies' must be strictly avoided or controlled. They will attack anyone in their vicinity without hesitation, so please exercise extreme caution."
"Please remain calm. While this virus is a disaster for all of humanity, do not panic. Stay indoors, lock your doors and windows, avoid making noise, and protect yourselves. The government is working tirelessly to address this crisis and will rescue everyone as soon as possible..."
The atmosphere in the airport hall grew tense as everyone turned their attention to the TV. Some were frozen in fear, while others broke down in tears.
Lily watched the scene unfold with a calm expression. She took out her phone and tried calling her brother, but the line was still busy. With just an hour left before the end of the world, she couldn't help but worry that Ryan might be in danger.
Desperate, Lily began contacting friends abroad. To her relief, one call finally connected after several failed attempts. The friend on the line sounded panicked, speaking in hurried sentences before abruptly hanging up. From their brief exchange, Lily confirmed the horrifying truth: the zombie virus had erupted simultaneously across the globe.
This realization hit her hard. The disaster wouldn't be resolved anytime soon. Rescue forces wouldn't arrive quickly, and it was uncertain whether government agencies could even maintain control. A City, lacking its own military district, would have to rely on reinforcements from a neighboring district located dozens of kilometers away.
Reports suggested that more than half of the world's population had already been infected. The elderly and children appeared most vulnerable, while adults seemed less affected—possibly due to their physical resilience, though the exact reason remained unclear.
Liam's face looked grim, possibly due to the disturbing news on TV or the casualties caused during the earlier zombie attacks. He had temporarily relocated the survivors to the cafeteria on the third floor, a safer location with access to food, water, and guardrails that could help block zombie attacks.
Lily joined the group in the cafeteria, while Liam and a few other security personnel stayed outside. Liam peered down the stairwell from the third floor, spotting dozens of zombies wandering aimlessly on the second floor. Luckily, none had approached the stairs yet; otherwise, they might have picked up on the scent of the living.
According to the news, zombies have highly sensitive hearing and smell. They can detect human presence within at least forty to fifty meters. Once they sense someone, they attack in swarms.
After careful observation, Liam noted that the first and second floors of the airport were eerily quiet, with only the occasional sounds of zombies shuffling around or bumping into objects. It was unclear whether the other people in the building had escaped or been killed.
Through the floor-to-ceiling windows on the third floor, the airport runways were visible—now engulfed in flames, a result of several plane collisions. The scene outside was utter chaos.
"If only I still had my gun," Liam thought helplessly. The outbreak had occurred just as the security shift was changing.
His firearm had been handed over to a colleague standing guard on the first floor. He remembered hearing a few gunshots when the zombies first attacked, but there had been no sound since.
Liam couldn't help but worry about his comrade while also grappling with what to do next.
Inside the third-floor cafeteria, Lily repeatedly dialed a phone number, but the line was still busy. The other survivors around her were doing the same, though only a few managed to get through.
Meanwhile, Ryan was in serious trouble. He had crossed several streets, but the road leading to the airport was completely blocked by a dense crowd of zombies—easily more than a hundred. Judging by the scene, it looked like an open-air concert had been held there earlier, which explained why so many people had gathered in one place.
This road was the closest route to the airport. Taking a detour would mean adding another hour to the journey, and Ryan couldn't afford to waste any time. If he arrived too late and something happened to his sister, he knew he would regret it for the rest of his life.
Hiding inside a store near the street, Ryan took a few sips of water, his eyes fixed anxiously on the horde of zombies a hundred meters away. He tried calling his sister multiple times, but there was still no response.
Meanwhile, the Internet was in chaos. News of the outbreak had caused social media servers to crash, leaving many platforms unusable. Ryan's Facebook page was stuck, but he could still skim through some of the news reports.
After quickly scanning the headlines, he confirmed his fears: the zombie virus outbreak was global. But a question lingered in his mind—why hadn't there been an outbreak in the world he remembered? Could it be that this parallel world was slightly different?
Still, the news provided some crucial information: zombies rely on sound and smell to detect living people. This gave Ryan an idea—it might be possible to lure the zombies away. While Ryan was highly skilled, he knew better than to challenge such a large group of zombies directly.
From experience, he could handle up to five zombies at once, but even then, he had to be extremely cautious to avoid being caught or bitten. He'd seen what happened to those infected by zombies and had no intention of becoming one of those mindless monsters.
Suddenly, through a gap in the store's shutters, Ryan noticed two men sneaking cautiously along the opposite street. They seemed to be heading toward the center of the road, moving as silently as possible to avoid alerting the zombies.
Curious, Ryan followed their movements and spotted what had drawn their attention—a dead policeman lying next to a red car in the middle of the street. The officer's uniform clearly marked his identity.
"Could the policeman have a weapon?" Ryan wondered, his interest piqued. In ABC Country, gun control was extremely strict, and civilians didn't typically have access to firearms. However, police officers and soldiers were exceptions.
If this area had recently hosted a concert and police had been deployed to maintain order, it was possible the officer had been armed.
In this chaotic world, a gun would be invaluable. The idea sparked a plan in Ryan's mind...
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