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Chapter 39: Control
"There are only three areas left we haven't toured—the central control room, the biocontainment lab, and the power generation area."
"The power area just uses normal diesel generators for electricity. Nothing special. No need to visit."
As Jenner introduced the areas, he glossed over the power generation zone and led everyone directly to the central control room.
"VI, turn on all the lights."
As white fluorescent tubes lit up section by section, the central control room's complete appearance was revealed.
The central control room had a very high ceiling. Below was an elevated circular platform with several computers arranged on it.
The computers looked somewhat like multimedia equipment used in schools, but their internal components were infinitely more powerful.
Jenner spread his palm, letting everyone tour the control room freely.
"Wow, it's like a sci-fi movie."
Young Carl exclaimed in amazement, walking around the control room, looking at this computer, then that computer.
Beside the computers were some mechanical buttons. No telling what they were for.
Tate, who'd been chewing on a sandwich, perked up and walked over to Jenner's computer.
That computer was in an open state, displaying various research papers, experimental parameters, and so on. Tate couldn't understand any of it. Her eyes stared fixedly at the mechanical buttons beside it.
But no matter how long she stared, she couldn't figure anything out.
Rick also looked around curiously for two circuits, then stopped.
"Jenner, didn't you say you're the only person here?" Rick suddenly asked. "Then who were you calling just now?"
"Oh." Jenner seemed to suddenly remember and explained with a smile. "Do you know about artificial intelligence?"
"VI is an AI."
"VI, come out and say hello!"
A cold female voice came through the control room's speakers, devoid of any emotion.
"Hello, everyone. I am VI, the CDC's artificial intelligence."
After explaining VI, Jenner continued issuing commands.
"VI, display the infected subject's functional brain activity imaging."
Then the large screen in the center of the control room displayed a dynamic image similar to an MRI.
You could see the white brainstem and other parts.
Several people watched the screen curiously, not quite understanding why Jenner was showing them this.
Jenner pointed at the screen. "This is a normal person's brain state."
Then suddenly, the brain regions turned black at an extremely fast rate. Jenner's narration echoed in their ears.
"After death, the brain stops all activity."
Like a silent black ocean, without the slightest ripple—only a quiet so suffocating it was black.
Everyone just watched. More or less, their minds conjured scenes from before—friends, relatives...
"The virus infected the body. Fastest case, a few minutes. Longest, a few hours." A patch of crimson appeared in the brainstem area. The crimson spread forward along the brainstem.
You could see the bound test subject begin to struggle.
In an instant, a bullet penetrated the subject's brain, destroying the brainstem. The test subject stopped moving.
Lori covered her mouth in panic and walked to Rick's side seeking comfort. Rick held her in his arms, watching the lifeless test subject on screen.
"When the infected completely transforms into a walker, only these brainstem areas revive..."
Jenner briefly explained why walkers, though clearly dead, still wanted to feed and attack all living things.
"This is our research findings."
Jenner sighed. So many experts, so much time, and they'd only researched this much.
With just himself, how could he possibly figure it out?
Candace, you had such confidence in me!
After Jenner finished speaking, he slowly walked out of the control room, leaving several people standing there in a daze.
...
Night. Jenner's room.
He held a bottle of alcohol, drunk, looking at his wife's photograph. Occasional flashes of lucidity in his eyes were filled with attachment to his wife.
"Candace, I didn't tell them the CDC is going to explode."
"I know the apocalypse is too cruel. They definitely can't hold on. Taking them with me to leave this world—am I really harming them?"
"I think what I'm doing is right. I'm not wrong. Think about it—if walkers catch them, they'll be bitten piece by piece until there's no good flesh left on their bodies."
"Dying that way would be too painful. The CDC explosion is different. High temperature, high speed—when I come to see you, I definitely won't feel any pain."
"What? You don't want me to come find you. Why~"
"Candace, don't you miss me?"
"But I already did what you asked. I promised to keep doing experiments. I did. The test samples ran out—that's not my fault."
Jenner muttered on and on. His voice was soft and fragmented, but he didn't deliberately lower his volume.
Perhaps somewhere in his heart, he faintly hoped Rick and the others would hear and make their own choice.
Then he wouldn't have to bear all the moral pressure.
Tate stood outside the door, listening to Jenner's rambling with boredom until the voice gradually diminished and finally turned into sleep-talk.
"Finally asleep. I'm dying here."
Tate complained quietly, looking left and right. No one was passing by.
She turned around, pulled out some small tools, and went to work on the door.
All the rooms in the CDC residential area had these mechanical locks, not electronic locks controlled by computers.
After Tate fiddled for a few minutes, a crisp click sounded. Tate's lips curled up. "Done!"
She gently pushed open the door. Inside was pitch black. She could only borrow light from the corridor to see a human-shaped outline on the bed.
Tate entered the room, looking at the soundly sleeping Jenner, and frowned. "He's so big. How am I supposed to bring him back?"
"Plus, he's sleeping way too deeply."
Tate kicked Jenner with her foot. Jenner's leg moved, but he had no other reaction.
"Damn, this is nothing like the kidnapping I imagined!"
Tate angrily hoisted Jenner onto her back. Jenner was six-foot-three, while Tate was only five-foot-seven. It looked like a small mountain pressing on Tate, completely covering her.
In the residential area in the dead of night, no one came out to move around. Everyone was sleeping.
Therefore, Tate's brazen kidnapping went unnoticed.
As for VI? A 2010 AI—those who know, know. At most it was a phone assistant.
After considerable effort, Tate finally carried Jenner back to her room.
Jenner lay on the carpet, hugging the photograph of him and his wife, sleeping soundly.
Tate thought for a moment, then picked up the rope.
However, Tate didn't separate Jenner from his photograph. Instead, she bound the two together, then stuffed something in Jenner's mouth to prevent him from making noise.