Chapter 63
"The Three Stages of the Z Virus"
Far away from the chaos consuming the outside world, behind heavily secured doors, a completely different battle was taking place.
A battle against the virus itself.
Inside a highly secured laboratory, doctors were working tirelessly.
Every one of them was completely covered from head to toe.
They wore white protective suits made from thick, plastic-like material that covered their bodies completely. Over their heads were protective coverings, followed by white goggles, masks, and another transparent protective shield covering their entire faces.
Their hands were protected by double layers of gloves, while their feet were covered with protective shoe coverings wrapped tightly around their shoes.
Not a single part of their bodies was left exposed.
They were working with something that could turn a healthy human being into a monster within minutes.
Inside the laboratory was a transparent, glass-like isolation chamber.
And inside that chamber stood a zombie.
It was still wearing an army uniform.
A clear bite mark could be seen on its neck—the unmistakable mark left by another infected creature.
The zombie moved restlessly inside the chamber, occasionally pressing against the glass and producing a low, frightening growl.
The doctors remained focused.
There were ten doctors working inside the laboratory.
One was examining the zombie's blood under a microscope.
Another was studying its X-ray images.
Others were analyzing samples, recording observations, and carefully monitoring the infected subject.
Every movement was precise.
Every procedure was carried out with extreme caution.
They knew that even a single mistake could put their own lives at risk.
After hours of examination, one of the doctors finally stepped away from the laboratory.
He entered an adjoining room and carefully removed his protective equipment.
First, he removed the outer protective layer.
Then the gloves.
Then the mask and face shield.
He made sure that everything was removed carefully before changing back into ordinary clothes—a shirt and trousers.
He picked up a thick file from the table and left the room.
---
A few minutes later, the doctor entered a large conference hall.
The atmosphere inside was serious.
Seated around the hall were the Army Chief and numerous high-ranking military officers.
At the front of the room was a massive wall covered with screens.
Several important government officials were attending through an online meeting, including the Prime Minister, Health Minister, and other ministers.
The doctor walked toward the stage-like platform at the front.
The moment he stepped onto it, the lights throughout the hall switched off.
The room fell into darkness.
Then the projector came to life.
A bright image appeared across the enormous wall behind him.
Images of different zombies appeared one after another.
Some showed the physical changes occurring in infected humans.
Others displayed medical scans and laboratory observations.
Then another image appeared.
A strange, round-shaped virus filled the screen.
It slowly rotated in motion, changing from one enlarged image to another as different parts of the virus were displayed.
Everyone in the hall remained silent.
The doctor stood beneath the light of the projector and looked toward the screens.
Then he spoke respectfully.
"Sir, may I begin the presentation?"
The Prime Minister gave him permission.
The doctor nodded and turned toward the screen.
His voice became clear and professional.
"Today, we have gathered here to understand one crucial question: how exactly does the Z Virus travel through the human body?"
He paused briefly.
Then continued.
"First, I would like to thank the Chief of Army Staff for capturing a zombie and bringing it to our laboratory. Because of that specimen, we have been able to learn a great deal about the Z Virus."
The image behind him changed.
A diagram appeared.
The doctor pointed toward it.
"According to our research, the Z Virus has three major stages."
The first diagram appeared on the screen.
Stage One — Infection
The doctor continued:
"The first stage is Infection."
A visual representation of an infected human appeared behind him.
"When a zombie bites a healthy human, the virus present in the zombie's body enters the victim through the bite. Once inside the human body, it begins spreading rapidly."
The doctor changed the slide.
A timer appeared.
"According to our observations, the transformation can occur within approximately ten minutes."
The room remained completely silent.
"One of the clearest signs of this stage is a change in the victim's eyes. They gradually turn completely white."
A close-up image appeared on the screen.
"Once the eyes become completely white, it indicates that the Z Virus has spread throughout the body and has reached the brain."
The doctor's expression became more serious.
"At that point, the infected person loses their normal emotional responses and begins behaving like a zombie. Their primary instinct becomes the search for other humans to hunt."
Another diagram appeared.
"During this stage, the zombie becomes completely blind."
Several officers exchanged concerned looks.
The doctor continued:
"However, while its vision disappears, its sense of hearing becomes extremely sensitive."
He allowed the information to settle before moving to the next slide.
---
Stage Two — Change in Condition
The image changed.
The white eyes of the zombie slowly transformed into red.
The doctor pointed toward the screen.
"The second stage is called Change in Condition."
The image showed the zombie's eyes turning red.
"During this stage, the zombie's eyes change from white to red. This allows the zombie to see again."
Another medical diagram appeared.
"This change indicates that the virus has begun severely affecting the zombie's internal organs."
The doctor took a breath.
"When the zombie's body can no longer obtain enough nutrition, the Z Virus begins consuming the body's own resources."
The room grew even quieter.
"As a result, the zombie becomes considerably more dangerous."
A new image showed the physical changes occurring in an infected body.
"Its physical strength increases. Its movements become more aggressive, and its hunger becomes increasingly intense. Because of that hunger, the zombie becomes almost completely obsessed with finding prey."
The doctor looked toward the officials.
"According to our current research, the transition from Stage One to Stage Two occurs within approximately two hours."
The slide changed again.
---
Stage Three — The Dead Stage
The screen became darker.
A third image appeared.
The zombie's eyes were now completely black.
The doctor spoke more slowly.
"The third and final stage is called... The Dead Stage."
Everyone watched the screen.
"Approximately twenty-four hours after a person becomes infected, the zombie's eyes turn completely black."
The doctor pointed toward the image.
"This is a sign that the Z Virus has consumed most of the zombie's internal resources and organs. At this point, the zombie is approaching the final stage of its existence."
The next image appeared.
"Interestingly, despite its deteriorating condition, the zombie's physical strength can increase several times over during this stage. Its body becomes considerably stronger, and its attacks become more powerful."
He paused.
"However, this stage does not last long."
The timer appeared again.
"Within approximately twenty-four hours, the zombie eventually dies."
The doctor then added another important observation.
"However, there is one factor that can affect this timeline."
Everyone listened carefully.
"If a zombie continues to receive sufficient food—particularly human prey—it may take longer to progress through the later stages."
The doctor looked toward the officials.
"But if it cannot obtain enough food, its condition deteriorates much faster, and it eventually dies."
The final slide appeared.
The doctor closed the file in his hands.
"That concludes my presentation. You may now ask any questions."
---
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Then the Army Chief raised a question.
"Has a vaccine for the Z Virus been developed yet?"
The doctor looked toward him.
His expression became slightly troubled.
"The Z Virus continuously changes itself, even though it is considered a dead virus outside a host. Because of its constantly changing nature, developing an effective vaccine has proven extremely difficult."
He paused.
"However, we are still working on it. All of our teams are continuing their research, and we hope that we will be able to develop a vaccine soon."
Silence returned to the hall.
The doctor looked around.
"Does anyone have any other questions?"
Nobody immediately responded.
Then the Prime Minister spoke from the screen.
"I have a question for the Chief of Army."
The Army Chief immediately focused his attention on the screen.
The Prime Minister continued:
"Tell me about the rescue operation. How is it going, and how many people have been affected so far?"
The Army Chief slowly stood from his seat out of respect.
He straightened his uniform before answering.
"Sir, the rescue operation is continuing successfully. So far, we have rescued more than one million people."
He paused.
His expression became more serious.
"However, the Z Virus has spread extremely rapidly across many regions. More than half of the population has now been affected, and because of that, continuing the rescue operation is becoming increasingly difficult."
The Prime Minister remained silent for a moment.
Then he gave his order.
"No matter how difficult the situation becomes, the rescue operation must continue."
The Army Chief immediately replied:
"Yes, sir."
The meeting came to an end.
The screens gradually went dark.
The lights inside the hall turned back on.
One by one, the officials and officers began leaving the room.
The doctors returned to their respective laboratories and research facilities.
But the Army Chief did not return to his office.
Instead, he immediately moved toward the command center to oversee the rescue operation.
Orders were issued to increase the number of rescue helicopters.
More teams were prepared.
More commanders were assigned to different regions.
Across the affected areas, rescue operations continued under military command.
The commanders worked with discipline and precision, coordinating helicopter flights, locating survivors, and sending rescue teams into areas where the virus had already spread.
The world outside was collapsing.
But while humanity fought the infected on the streets...
another battle was being fought inside the laboratories.
A battle against the Z Virus itself.
And the entire future of humanity depended on whether the doctors could win it.