Zhang Tianyuan smiled at the three senior officials from "2012" below, then glanced up at his system panel.
He had received no notification that nonresidents could not use territory facilities.
In other words, the three below had already signed individual applications and become members of the Mutual Aid Society's First Branch.
Zhang Tianyuan checked the current resident count-
people.
Including the surviving population of Legend World, the reserves from "2012," and the 155-member vanguard.
It should have been people.
Yet 1,013 people had suddenly been added. Clearly, the First Branch on the "2012" side had used the spare applications to recruit new members.
Zhang Tianyuan guessed they were probably the staff in the shelter, along with the senior officials before him.
Moreover, this must have happened only after they returned from Legend World and the apocalypse in the parallel spacetime had been confirmed.
Clearly, the "2012" spacetime's trust in him had deepened again.
Zhang Tianyuan was in a good mood. Once everyone had settled into their seats, he began the meeting straightaway.
"The first session of today's meeting will be a research report on the KV Virus, so that everyone present can gain a sufficient understanding of it."
Since they were preparing to migrate to Legend World, the senior officials from the "2012" spacetime naturally would not take this world-destroying virus lightly.
They had requested this session themselves.
After Zhang Tianyuan finished, Team Leader Xi Lei stood up. He had spent over two months studying in Legend World, followed by another month studying the virus data in the shelter.
"The KV Virus was reportedly developed by a pharmaceutical company through modifications to the measles virus. It was initially used to treat cancer, with miraculous results. However, there may have been a serious flaw in the modifications. Patients who received this treatment became the first people infected with the KV Virus, after which the virus officially broke out in New York."
"The virus can spread through every currently known route of transmission. Its spread in natural environments is suppressed only by low temperatures. Its airborne transmission is characterized by long distances and a broad range, which was also the primary reason the other spacetime fell into disaster."
At this point, Tong Wenshi added painfully, "The KV Virus really does have an extremely broad airborne transmission range.
"Back then, whenever we found an infected person in a building, we would seal the entire building in plastic sheeting to prevent the air in-
"side from mixing with the outside air in large quantities.
"But it did little good. The KV Virus's infection rate was far too high. One person could infect a whole building, and one building could infect an entire residential complex. At that rate, a whole city would fall within just a few days..."
Xi Lei and the virologists behind him exchanged looks, each seeing the astonishment in the others' eyes.
They had already studied the virus data and knew that the KV Virus's transmission range was unprecedentedly broad, but they had never imagined it could be this terrifying.
The senior officials from "2012" could only feel thankful that they had built the first P4-level shelter in human history ahead of time.
"Please accept my condolences."
The old man with the crew cut came over and patted Tong Wenshi gently in consolation.
Only after this moment passed did Xi Lei continue his report.
"After infection with the KV Virus, symptoms include reddening of the eyeballs or visible blood in the whites of the eyes, along with slight bleeding around the eye sockets.
"The interval between infection and onset is extremely short. For adults, it can be as little as a few hours, or two to three days at most. Death likewise occurs within two to three days. In all cases, the cause of death is the collapse of bodily functions and massive hemorrhaging throughout the body."
As he spoke of this, Xi Lei suddenly recalled the blood-soaked scenes he had seen indoors and could not help shuddering.
At the time, he had wondered why the floors were covered in blood, and had even thought it was some perverse behavior of the Darkseekers. Only when he read this passage in the virus research materials Tong Wenshi had passed on did he understand.
The blood covering the floors had not been caused by the Darkseekers. It had flowed out naturally from massive hemorrhaging in human bodies.
Xi Lei continued, "In addition, if an infected person exhibits rapid, extensive loss of body hair, skin pigmentation, and changes in gum texture, it means they will transform into a special creature known as a 'Darkseeker'..."
The senior officials present listened quietly on the surface, but towering waves had already surged in their hearts.
"Is there any way to turn these monsters back into humans?" the old man with the crew cut could not help asking.
Zhang Tianyuan and Tong Wenshi both paid close attention to this question.
Xi Lei shook his head. "After these three months of research, our current assessment is that there is no possibility of turning Darkseekers back into humans."
"Although we have not captured any Darkseekers for study due to our limited personnel, I suspect their neural structures may already have undergone extensive changes.
"We might be able to kill them by eliminating the virus inside their bodies, but
"turning Darkseekers back into humans is probably impossible."
Tong Wenshi was somewhat disappointed.
Although roughly ninety percent of Legend World's population had already died, if they could turn the Darkseekers back into humans, their population might recover to over a hundred million.
The senior officials from "2012," meanwhile, were still absorbed in Xi Lei's report.
Previously, their understanding of the KV Virus had been only partial.
Only today, after all the information had been compiled, had they gained a sufficiently detailed understanding of this world-destroying virus and learned why it could destroy the world.
Terrifying transmission efficiency, a terrifying fatality rate, and a terrifying time to death.
Those three reasons alone.
"Now that the KV Virus is everywhere in the parallel spacetime, how can we migrate back without carrying the virus after we move there?"
Suddenly, the senior officials from "2012" remembered this crucial issue and raised the question anxiously.
When hundreds of millions of people migrated back in the future, what if they brought the KV Virus with them?
Zhang Tianyuan suddenly said, "We can prevent that by building quarantine facilities or using sea transport."
Everyone immediately looked at Zhang Tianyuan expectantly.
He thought for a moment before continuing, "There is no KV Virus out at sea. When the time comes, we just need to set up quarantine and disinfection facilities along the shore, then send people aboard seagoing ships.
"I'll open a fixed Spacetime Tunnel at sea then. The ships can sail into the tunnel themselves and return at sea."
Zhang Tianyuan had recalled the female lead in the film. She had been aboard a medical ship when the virus broke out, and none of the civilians aboard had been infected. Only when they had no choice but to go ashore for supplies had large numbers of them become infected on land.
This showed that although the KV Virus had a broad transmission range, it clearly could not survive on its own in the air for very long without a host. Its transmission still had a limited range.
It was still several levels below the mythical viruses in Resident Evil.
As long as they wiped out the Darkseekers and thoroughly disinfected the cities and survivors, the viral load in Legend World should drop significantly.
"Alternatively, we could build an enclosed tube railway, use ozone to disinfect the trains inside and out, then carry passengers through the Spacetime Tunnel back to this spacetime."
Zhang Tianyuan casually proposed another massive project.
If they wanted to move people in large numbers, rail and sea transport were their only two options.