Read Novel Full Chapter 517: Panic
Chapter 517: Chapter 517: Panic
A nearby guard rushed over, grabbing a U-shaped iron restraint pole and pressing it firmly across Zuzu’s body, pinning him to the ground.
The creature writhed, letting out guttural growls that no longer sounded human.
The civilians froze.
Then chaos erupted.
"How did a zombie get into the line?!"
"I was just talking to him!"
"I thought he was just a strange guy!"
Panic spread like wildfire. People began backing away, shouting, stumbling over one another as fear took hold.
Ivy felt her heart sink.
’If this spirals out of control, the entire base will fall into unrest.’
Before she could speak, Silas’s voice rang out, firm and commanding.
"Everyone, calm down!"
The authority in his tone cut through the noise like a blade. One by one, people stopped and looked at him.
Silas continued steadily,
"This creature’s ability to blend in is precisely why we detected it early. Our security measures worked. This proves that no zombie can enter the base unnoticed."
His calm explanation began to settle the crowd, though a few still shouted angrily,
"You say that now, but our lives were at risk!"
Silas’s gaze sharpened.
"If I had not pinned it down when I did, it would have attacked one of you. Do you truly believe we are the ones to blame when we were protecting you?"
The man who had shouted earlier flushed with shame and lowered his head.
The panic slowly dissolved into uneasy silence.
Silas then turned toward Ivy, his voice lowering.
"You should go inside. Leave everything here to me."
He paused, meeting her eyes.
"I will handle the rest."
"I want to investigate this too," Ivy said firmly.
Silas frowned, clearly displeased.
"You do not need to involve yourself further. I can handle..."
Before he could finish, voices from the crowd rose in agreement.
"She should be there!"
"As the base representative, Ivy must oversee the investigation!"
"We have the right to know what happens!"
The clamor grew louder, fueled by lingering fear. People needed reassurance, and Ivy’s presence meant stability to them.
Silas looked at the anxious faces, then at Ivy’s unyielding expression. After a brief pause, he sighed.
"...Fine."
Just then, another voice cut through the murmurs.
"What if we are already infected?"
The question froze everyone.
"What if the virus has already spread and we cannot see it yet?"
A ripple of terror passed through the crowd like a sudden cold wind.
Ivy felt her stomach tighten. That possibility could not be ignored. The safety of the entire base depended on acting quickly.
She made her decision immediately.
"Everyone who had contact with the zombie will be placed under quarantine."
The reaction was instant outrage.
"You are locking us up? But why! I heard the zombie virus doesn’t spread through the air! I wasn’t even touched by him!"
"We are not criminals! Or are you thinking of secretly eliminating us just because we have some in contact with zombies?"
"We are not going into cages like animals! You can’t take away our freedom!"
Ivy raised her hand, her voice calm but resolute.
"You will not be treated like prisoners. You will be given proper rooms, food, and medical observation. This is a precaution, not a punishment."
The protests quieted slightly, though tension remained thick in the air.
"And," Ivy added, choosing her words carefully, "the half-zombie antidote has already been developed. Even if symptoms appear, you will receive treatment immediately. You are not in danger."
Relief spread across their faces, fragile but real.
One by one, they nodded.
Of course Ivy knew that their chances of turning into half zombie was closed to zero, she still didn’t want to put her own base in danger.
Seeing that they had accepted the arrangement, Ivy turned back, intending to say something else, but Silas had already taken the restrained half-zombie away.
She watched his retreating figure, a faint crease forming between her brows.
’Something is wrong with him.’
Neveronce had he thought of leaving her alone when they were together.
He was always composed, always steady.
This was the first time he had seemed... distracted. And because of that distraction, he forgot that Ivy was still there.
’Or maybe he wants to investigate on his own? No... that seem far fetched. What good could it even do for him to a private investigation...’
..................
Meanwhile, Silas brought the restrained creature into a secured laboratory area.
The metallic scent of disinfectant hung heavily in the air, mixing with the faint growls of the half-zombie as it struggled weakly against its restraints.
"Administer the antidote," Silas ordered.
The researchers exchanged glances.
They wanted to test whether the half-antidote would work on a partially evolved specimen, or if it required modification.
One of the senior researchers hesitated.
"We should transfer it to the containment team first..."
"No," Silas said flatly. "That will not be necessary."
He understood their intentions. They most likely wanted to study it first before administering any kind of antidote.
The firmness of his tone left no room for argument.
"We will proceed with the investigation here."
The team looked uncertain.
"How are we supposed to communicate with it? It cannot speak since the antidote will take time."
A faint smile appeared on Silas’s face.
"We have someone who can translate."
The room fell silent.
"Translate... a zombie’s words?"
The researchers stared at him as if they had misheard.
Just then, the laboratory doors opened.
A man walked in.
Eric
The moment people recognized him, several nearly forgot how to breathe.
Whispers erupted instantly.
"That is ..."
"The world-renowned psychologist ..."
"Why is he here?"
Eric stepped forward calmly, his presence commanding yet strangely gentle, as though he had already understood the chaos before even entering the room.
In fact, from the moment he had entered the base, everything had been going well for him.
He was able to reunite with his parents and even awakened a power while working in the investigation department.
If he felt indebted to anyone, then it was definitely this base who had helped him feel the normalcy in this apocalypse.