A glimmer of hope

"Delayed gratification?" Confusion showed in Su Jin's eyes.

"Yes. Their urge to kill is incredibly strong. Given an opportunity, they'll act. The man who died yesterday instinctively started choosing someone to kill the moment his traits surfaced." Sun Ya smiled and pointed back at Rat No. 3. "And this one hasn't stopped attacking since it realized it couldn't hide anymore. It gets tired and needs food too, but once it's rested, it resumes its endless attacks."

"Xiao Li, do you understand?"

Su Jin's brow furrowed, then quickly relaxed. "You two mean... we can set up a situation that lures them into exposing their bloodthirsty nature, and identify them that way?"

"Exactly! That's what we mean!" Sun Ya slapped his thigh and leaned forward. "We worked out the whole plan last night. It should be feasible."

"There are still quite a few surviving residents in the complex. Not long after the rain started, broadcasts and text messages warned them not to touch rainwater or tap water. Normal people generally wouldn't touch either. The concentration of gray matter in the tap water wouldn't have been too high, and the warnings came early, so only some people were infected. Once infected, they're much more likely to turn into zombies than Disguised Infected."

"What happened in the building opposite also supports that conclusion. That's our first filter."

"As for any Disguised Infected who might still be indoors, they wouldn't sit there doing nothing after spotting living people. They'd leave their rooms or go hunt other people. And since they aren't contagious, those still alive are most likely healthy. Strip examinations can further screen for risks. That's our second filter."

"They'd also be wary of zombies attacking them, and they need supplies to survive, so some might stay indoors," Wei De added.

"Yes, we can't rule that out," Sun Ya continued. "But those first two safeguards alone would already greatly reduce the risk of recruiting people into our team. If we can establish a third safeguard, we should be able to reduce the risk to a minimum and confidently build our team."

"After that, we can further ensure safety by carefully assigning duties. Keeping people together so no one ends up alone can suppress the Disguised Infected's urge to cause internal chaos. Even if they're bad, as long as we can keep them under control, they can still work for us."

Su Jin pondered this. "The third safeguard you mentioned is identifying them by drawing out their urge to kill, right? But how would we do that? It's impossible. We can't lock living people up with them as test subjects, can we?"

"Disguised Infected are people, not rats. Surely they aren't that stupid?"

"You're right. We can't afford the time or risk involved in testing them with people, and the test can't look deliberate. That leaves only one option: testing them with small animals." Sun Ya pointed at the rats.

"They also feel the urge to kill other species. Rats best suit our needs. We can act in the government's name and use food and water deliveries as a pretext to slip rats inside. Ideally, we'd order them to stay in their bedrooms under threat and seal the doors. That would make it easier for them to discover the rats and prevent escape. Then we follow up afterward, and our third safeguard will be in place."

"There are only two or three normal rats left." Su Jin frowned deeply. "Besides, how would we track it? If they swallow the rats, how am I supposed to know?"

"Exactly." Sun Ya raised his eyebrows, his spirits suddenly sinking. "That's why... we need to get a large number of rats. We also need sodium fluorescein, so we can use a fluorescent marker to track anyone who's killed a rat."

"With this sudden outbreak in such freezing weather, where are we going to find rats?" Su Jin asked, looking miserable. "And that reagent you mentioned-where would we get it?"

"Actually, we've already worked that out for you. At Dragon Mountain Medical University, there's an underground laboratory... It's one of the best laboratories in the country, with an independent emergency power supply and constant temperature and humidity controls. The lab rats inside must still be alive. Even if they ran short of food, some would survive by eating one another. The laboratory also has sodium fluorescein and portable UV lights. Once we find those, we'll have all the tools we need."

"A university has a laboratory that advanced?"

"Universities are research institutions. Their laboratories are usually better than hospitals'. Besides, surely you've heard of Dragon Mountain Medical University?"

"Uh... of course I have."

Sun Ya and Wei De exchanged a glance, then quickly looked away.

Wei De took off his glasses and wiped them with the hem of his shirt. With his head lowered, he said, seemingly offhandedly, "Yes... Xiao Li would definitely know..."

"Why are you two suddenly acting so strange?" Su Jin's gaze flicked between them.

"Ahem, it's nothing!" Sun Ya changed the subject. "That reminds me, Xiao Li. You can use that Flesh Ball, right? Can other people use it too?"

"What kind of question is that? We talked about this last night. The stuff inside the Flesh Ball isn't the same substance as the gray mist. It can change me without infecting me, so it'll probably do the same for you. What's the matter? Are my organs different from yours?"

"No, no, no..." Sun Ya waved his hands repeatedly, then immediately pulled a notebook from inside his jacket and handed it over.

"This is the detailed plan we wrote this morning. Take a look."

Su Jin quickly took the notebook and read it. Even after finishing, his brow remained furrowed.

He looked up. "I have no objections to this plan. I'd even call it the best solution available right now. But adopting it means giving up on expanding within the city. We'll have no choice but to go for the military district."

"That's right. We can only recruit safely within this residential complex. The people we find should be enough to form a reinforced company. Expanding any farther would jeopardize the whole operation," Sun Ya said. "What you're really worried about is the Disguised Infected setting their sights on the military district too, isn't it?"

"Yes. After all, there are already signs that the higher-ups have been infiltrated. They have brains, and they're clever. They might well target it."

"You shouldn't judge mutated creatures by normal human thinking. I believe they'll kill whatever's nearby. Long-term development goes against their nature. Besides, the higher-ups aren't necessarily as smart as you think. Plenty of them are idiots. They just have access to more information than ordinary people."

Su Jin considered this and closed the notebook.

"But it's all still speculation. We can't eliminate the risk at every stage. This is a gamble."

"That's right," Wei De sighed. "But you're the one we're most worried about. The shortest route from here to Dragon Mountain Medical University is six kilometers... twelve kilometers there and back. And only Cheng Du and Fu Hu can go with you. That distance could mean life or death."

"Xiao Li, whether we do this or not is entirely up to you... If it really won't work, we can think of something else."

Su Jin turned his gaze toward the mutated rat gnawing at the cage wire. Undisguised malice spread across his face as he murmured.

"I think you've considered this too, but don't want to tell me... These new mutated creatures possess intelligence. That most likely means zombies that keep evolving will develop intelligence too. Maybe one day, the two will join forces. We might even see mutated creatures capable of controlling hordes of zombies."

Both old men lowered their heads, sinking into silence.

"So what is there to hesitate over? If we fear every risk and put every problem in our way before we even start, we'd never do anything." Su Jin looked away and smiled. "We have to seize this one chance at survival."