Chapter 396: Needing Taoyang’s Cooperation to Capture Eye Tomb
Su Tao was stunned. “Next year?”
Before the President could speak, the old commander pushed a document toward her.
Su Tao glanced over it briefly and felt a chill run down her spine.
The document detailed the changes in population, food supply, and energy across the nation over the past two years, presented in data charts.
The sharply declining graphs made her heart tighten.
Such a light piece of paper carried the heavy and bloody weight of reality.
Was the situation outside already this severe?
Clearly, Taoyang’s peacefulness had limited her perspective.
The President’s aged voice drifted through the air:
“Yes. Aside from the food and energy crises, this winter will give rise to more mutated zombies. Next spring, humanity will likely face not warm sunlight but a bloodier storm. As I mentioned earlier, in addition to Bone Wings, Eye Burial, and Hua Pi, there are at least three other mutated zombies hiding within human bases. By next spring, their numbers will grow exponentially.”
“You understand the combat power of mutated zombies—one alone can destroy an entire base. The fall of the He Kang base is proof enough. Recently, another mutated zombie has been discovered—called ‘Siren.’ The name sounds familiar, doesn’t it?”
With little knowledge of Western mythology, Su Tao shook her head in confusion.
“Oh, I forgot—you were born after the apocalypse. It’s normal not to know. Sirens are creatures from ancient Greek mythology, said to lure sailors to their deaths with their enchanting songs. At first, our researchers didn’t understand the connection—until more victims surfaced, revealing a common thread.”
Su Tao held her breath. “What is it?”
Bone Wings had been a bone cancer patient. Eyes Burial, Jiang Tong, had severe myopia. Hua Pi (a.k.a Skin Painter) was likely related to a skin condition.
But this “Siren”… the name offered no clues.
“All the victims had severely distended abdomens, extreme water retention, and missing livers. Our researchers preliminarily concluded that this mutated zombie was once a cirrhosis patient. Without a functioning liver to detoxify, the unfiltered toxins in their blood affected their brains—causing them to hear an ethereal song, like a siren’s call. Cirrhosis also leads to complications such as respiratory distress and oxygen deficiency—mimicking the sensation of drowning as if dragged underwater by the siren.”
Su Tao remained speechless for a long time.
The agony these victims endured before death was unimaginable.
The President sighed, “Their faces were frozen in terror, eyes nearly popping out of their sockets. What’s worse, this ‘Siren’ doesn’t discriminate—it mercilessly kills every human it encounters. According to Longjing’s records alone, over 30,000 people have died at its hands. It reduced two small settlements to hellscapes, even worse than He Kang’s downfall.”
“Beyond Siren, there are more unknown mutated zombies along the coast and abroad—all lying in wait.”
“So…”
Su Tao had a premonition of what was coming next. Sure enough, the President continued:
“So, our primary task now is to control the number of mutated zombies and develop an effective counter-serum. I understand that Taoyang’s research team has made significant progress?”
Of course, this had to come up.
Su Tao smiled bitterly.
“Given all the research staff and equipment you’ve provided Taoyang, you must know that Shen Wencheng’s team only lacks a mutated zombie sample to crack the key and produce the serum. You want us to find the second sample as soon as possible, right?”
She had known it was impossible to keep this from Longjing.
The serum wasn’t just Taoyang’s business—it was a matter of survival for Longjing and humanity as a whole.
Since the President already knew that Jiang Tong was Jiang Yu’s sister, it was obvious who they would target.
In this harsh reality, the softest target is always the easiest to squeeze.
Resources were scarce. Catching other mutated zombies would require enormous human, material, and financial resources—something no one could afford.
To sacrifice many humans for a single “otherkind” was a cost neither Su Tao nor Longjing was willing to bear.
The President’s tone was firm:
“Since you understand, I won’t beat around the bush. We need Taoyang’s full cooperation to capture Eyes Burial and deliver her to the research base as soon as possible. I hope you understand.”
Su Tao nodded with difficulty.
The President sighed again:
“I’ve read up on Eye Burial—she’s a pitiful child and one of the rare few who retained human conscience after turning. But we cannot risk the lives of thousands of soldiers to capture Skin Painter or Siren instead.”
After the call ended, Su Tao stood in place, lost in thought for a long time.
In the end, all her tangled emotions condensed into a long, weary sigh.
