2: Chapter 2 The Data-Driven World

Commander Lin Dong's right index finger hovered outside the trigger guard; this was a good habit developed in the Reconnaissance Company—unless he decided to fire, his finger would never rest on the trigger.

At the end of the corridor, that shadow wearing combat fatigues swayed again.

Twenty-seven meters away.

Commander Lin Dong calculated quickly in his mind; at this distance, the Type 95's iron sights could easily hit the head.

But he did not fire.

Because the shadow's movements were too "regular."

He had seen zombies before—just now in the dormitory area, those monsters that used to be his comrades had movements that were twisted and frantic, like someone trying to perform vigorous exercise with rusted joints.

But the one before him, although stumbling, maintained a certain rhythm.

Left leg steps out, pause for a second, right leg follows, then pause for another second.

Commander Lin Dong's pupils constricted slightly.

Was it marching in formation?

No, it was more like... remembering how to walk.

He slowly crouched down, placed his backpack gently on the ground, and pulled out binoculars from the side pocket.

This was his personal equipment, a Type 62 8×30 military binocular, with mud from last month's exercise still clinging to the lenses.

Through the binoculars, the details of the shadow were pulled closer.

It was a Private, his rank insignia still attached, but there were large black-red stains on his combat fatigues—dried blood.

There was blood on his face too, streaming down from his forehead and covering half his face.

But what caught Commander Lin Dong's attention were the other person's eyes.

Those eyes didn't have the cloudy, grayish-white look of a zombie, but were... blank, like someone who had just woken up from a nightmare and hadn't yet distinguished between dream and reality.

In Commander Lin Dong's field of vision, something suddenly flashed.

He blinked instinctively, thinking it was a reflection from the binoculars.

But the thing was still there—hovering right above that Private's head was a set of semi-transparent numbers and symbols, like some kind of augmented reality projection.

【Human Survivor】

【Status: Near Transformation】

【Infection Level: 78%】

【Estimated Time to Full Transformation: 00:47:33】

【Threat Level: Low (Current) → High (After Transformation)】

Commander Lin Dong's hand shook violently, and he almost dropped the binoculars.

He jerked his head up to look around—the corridor was still the same corridor, with peeling wall paint and a crooked fire hydrant door.

There was no projection.

He looked at the Private again; those numbers were still there, hovering about twenty centimeters above the other's head, swaying slightly as he moved.

"What the hell..." Commander Lin Dong muttered.

He remembered earlier downstairs at the dormitory, while facing those zombies, he seemed to have seen something similar—he had thought it was a hallucination in a life-or-death moment, but now that he thought about it, those numbers were clearly:

【F-Class Zombie】

【HP: 95/120】

【Threat Level: Low】

And that instructor who pounced from the third floor, what was displayed above his head was:

【F-Class Zombie (Enhanced)】

【HP: 180/180】

【Threat Level: Medium】

Commander Lin Dong's heart began to race.

Not because of fear, but because of a scout's instinct—intelligence, he had obtained key intelligence.

The Private walked forward two more steps, then stopped, sliding down to sit on the ground against the wall.

He held his head in his hands, and his shoulders began to tremble.

Commander Lin Dong gritted his teeth and made a decision.

He put away the binoculars and raised the Type 95, but this time he switched the selector from "auto" to "single."

Then he stood up and walked slowly toward the Private.

Footsteps echoed in the corridor.

The Private jerked his head up, his eyes finally focusing—fear, despair, and a trace of surviving will to live.

"Don't... don't come over..." His voice was as hoarse as sandpaper scraping against glass, "I... I was bitten... I'm not going to make it..."

Commander Lin Dong did not stop, but at a distance of ten meters, he crouched down against an overturned motorcycle and pointed his muzzle toward the ground.

"Which unit are you from?" he asked.

"Third Company... Third Company, Second Platoon, Fifth Squad..." the Private answered subconsciously, then held his head again, "The Platoon Leader and the others are all dead... all dead... that thing smashed down... smashed into the canteen... everyone was..."

Commander Lin Dong looked at the numbers above his head—【Infection Level: 79%】; in the time it took to say these few words, it had risen by another percentage point.

"What's your name?"

"Zhang... Zhang Mingming..." The Private looked up, revealing a young face, at most nineteen years old, "Squad Leader, do... do you have a cigarette?"

Commander Lin Dong was silent for a second, then fished a crumpled pack of Hongtashan cigarettes from his combat fatigue pocket, pulled one out, and tossed it over.

Zhang Mingming caught the cigarette, his hands shaking violently; it took him three tries to get it into his mouth.

He looked up at Commander Lin Dong again.

Commander Lin Dong tossed the lighter over as well.

The cigarette was lit, and Zhang Mingming took a deep drag, then began to cough violently—the smoke he coughed out contained faint traces of blood.

"Squad Leader," he said in a hoarse voice, "Just now... I just saw numbers on the heads of those things. Those... comrades of mine who turned into monsters, they all have numbers on their heads. And I have one on mine too. Do you think I've gone crazy?"

Commander Lin Dong's fingers tightened slightly.

"You're not crazy," he said, "I see them too."

Zhang Mingming was stunned, and the cigarette slipped from his fingers.

"Really?"

"Really." Commander Lin Dong stood up and took two steps closer, but didn't get too close—【Infection Level: 82%】, it had risen again.

"The numbers on your head say you have forty minutes left."

Zhang Mingming looked down at his trembling hands and suddenly smiled; the smile was uglier than crying.

"Forty minutes... enough for a few cigarettes?"

"Smoke sparingly, it'll be enough to last until the transformation," Commander Lin Dong said, then changed the subject, "Before that, tell me what you saw. All the numbers, everything you can remember."

Zhang Mingming picked up the dropped cigarette and took another drag.

This time he didn't cough.

"It started with my Platoon Leader," he said, his voice calmer, "He had a... a red bar above his head that said 【F-Class Zombie】, along with a health bar. I thought it was a hallucination at the time, but later, I ran to the third floor and saw the Company Commander... the Company Commander had turned into a bigger kind, with a yellow bar on his head that said 【E-Class Mutant】."

He paused, his eyes becoming hollow, "After that, I ran to the window to look out—the whole drill ground, the whole barracks area, all the monsters had numbers on their heads. Red ones, yellow ones, and a few that were purple. Densely packed, just like... just like the heads of monsters in a game."

Commander Lin Dong's breathing became slow and deep—this was his habit when thinking.

"Only monsters?" he asked, "What about the living?"

"There are some," Zhang Mingming pointed to himself, "I just saw in the mirror that there was a line of green text above my head, 【Human Survivor】, and a red bar that said 【Infection Level】. It was seventy-something just a moment ago, now it's already..."

He looked up, staring at the empty space behind Commander Lin Dong, and his pupils constricted violently.

"It's eighty-five," he said, his voice carrying a strange calmness, "Squad Leader, I have twenty-five minutes left."

Commander Lin Dong didn't turn around, but he knew Zhang Mingming was seeing the numbers above his own head—everyone had them.

"Can you still walk?" he asked.

"Walk?" Zhang Mingming was stunned for a second, "Go where?"

"Downstairs, the parking lot. I have a vehicle."

"And then?"

"Then find a way to survive," Commander Lin Dong said, "Twenty-five minutes is enough for me to do a lot of things. For example, finding a place with medical equipment, or researching how to lower that infection level."

Zhang Mingming looked at Commander Lin Dong as if he were looking at a madman.

"Squad Leader, I was bitten. It wasn't an ordinary bite; that thing... that thing bit my neck, and I can feel something crawling into my veins and climbing up. Even if there is medical equipment, what's the point?"

Commander Lin Dong didn't answer the question, but instead asked, "How long have you been in the army?"

"Three months... just finished training and joined the company."

"Three months, still a rookie," Commander Lin Dong stood up and slung the Type 95 behind his back, "What did they teach you in recruit training?"

Zhang Mingming answered subconsciously: "Listen to the Party's command, fight to win, maintain excellent conduct..."

"What else?"

"Never abandon, never give up..."

"That's it," Commander Lin Dong walked over, grabbed Zhang Mingming by the arm, and hauled him up from the ground, "It's not time to give up yet. Let's go."

Zhang Mingming stood up unsteadily, then suddenly froze.

His gaze passed over Commander Lin Dong's shoulder and looked deep into the corridor.

Commander Lin Dong turned immediately, his rifle already raised.

At the end of the corridor, the door to the stairwell was pushed open.

No, not pushed open, but "squeezed" open.

Three zombies were squeezed into the door frame; their movements were surprisingly synchronized—turning their heads at the same time, locking onto the target at the same time, and stepping forward at the same time.

The scene was so eerie it was like watching a looped video.

【F-Class Zombie】×3

【 HP: 87/100 】 【 102/120 】 【 65/90 】

【 Threat Level: Low 】

Data flashed instantly in Commander Lin Dong's mind: distance thirty-five meters, zombie movement speed approximately 3.2 meters/second, it would take about eleven seconds to reach here. There were two of them, one half-crippled. Bullets—he quickly felt the magazine, twenty-eight rounds left.

Enough.

"Stand back," he said in a low voice, his finger finally resting on the trigger.

The first shot.

The gunshot exploded in the corridor, making his eardrums ache. The head of the zombie in the front burst with a spray of black blood, its body falling forward and sliding two meters along the ground.

【 Killed F-Class Zombie, gained +5 Energy Points 】

That line of text flashed across the edge of his vision.

Commander Lin Dong had no time to think; the muzzle was already pointed at the second one.

The second shot.

But with this shot, the zombie suddenly tilted its head—not to dodge, but because the one behind it had shoved it. The bullet grazed its cheekbone, tearing off a piece of rotting flesh, but it didn't hit a vital spot.

【 Hit Notification: Head missed, dealt 47 damage 】

Those numbers again.

Commander Lin Dong gritted his teeth, and the third shot rang out.

This time it hit right between the eyebrows.

【 Killed F-Class Zombie, gained +5 Energy Points 】

The third one had already charged within fifteen meters.

Commander Lin Dong pulled the trigger—

Click.

Slide locked back.

Twenty-eight rounds, he had used twenty-seven, killing two and wounding one. The remaining one still had 【 HP: 42/90 】.

No time to reload.

Commander Lin Dong released his grip on the rifle with his left hand and reached for the type 92 pistol at his waist. But the zombie had already pounced, its rotting hands outstretched, emitting a hoarse roar.

Just then, a figure rushed out from the side.

Zhang Mingming.

He used all his strength to slam into the zombie, and the two—one person, one zombie—fell to the ground together. The zombie's claws swiped at his face; he blocked with his arm, the nails raking across his skin and leaving three bloody scratches.

But he didn't let go.

"Platoon Leader!" he roared, "Quick!"

Commander Lin Dong had already drawn the pistol.

The distance was too close, close enough to see the maggots wriggling in the zombie's eyeballs.

He pressed the muzzle against the zombie's temple and pulled the trigger.

Bang.

【 Killed F-Class Zombie, gained +5 Energy Points 】

The zombie's body twitched twice, then stopped moving.

Zhang Mingming pushed the corpse off his body and lay on the ground, gasping for air. On his neck, at the site of the original bite wound, black vein patterns were spreading outward.

Commander Lin Dong glanced at the numbers above his head:

【 Infection Rate: 91% 】

【 Estimated Time to Full Transformation: 00:09:17 】

Nine minutes.

"Get up." Commander Lin Dong pulled him up, "Downstairs."

This time Zhang Mingming didn't resist. He stumbled behind Commander Lin Dong, walking toward the stairs step by step.

From the stairwell at the end of the corridor, that dragging sound of footsteps came again.

More zombies were coming downstairs.

Commander Lin Dong quickened his pace and pushed open the door to the emergency stairwell, which led downstairs. He looked back at Zhang Mingming—the New recruit's face had started to turn gray, and bloodshot veins were appearing in the whites of his eyes, but he was still walking.

"Platoon Leader..." Zhang Mingming suddenly spoke, "Those numbers... did you see them? Every time one is killed, there's a notification saying something about gaining Energy Points..."

"I saw it."

"What is that?"

"I don't know," Commander Lin Dong said, "but now is not the time to study that."

They rushed down one floor, then another.

Second floor, first floor.

The parking garage door was right in front, half-open, with pale daylight shining in from outside. Commander Lin Dong's humvee was parked twenty meters away.

Just then, Zhang Mingming stopped.

He leaned against the wall and slowly slid down to a sitting position.

"Platoon Leader..." His voice had become slurred, "I can't... I feel... I feel like something is in my head... calling..."

Commander Lin Dong turned back and saw the numbers above his head:

【 Infection Rate: 97% 】

【 Estimated Time to Full Transformation: 00:02:44 】

Two minutes.

He walked back, crouched down, and stared into Zhang Mingming's eyes.

Those eyes were changing—pupils dilating, whites yellowing, and a hint of gray spreading from the corners toward the center.

"Zhang Mingming." he said in a deep voice, "look at me."

Zhang Mingming struggled to focus his vision.

"You saved my life just now. Even though you're a New recruit, that slam had the look of a veteran," Commander Lin Dong said, "Now I need to ask you one thing, and you must answer me."

Zhang Mingming nodded.

"When you ran down from upstairs, you saw numbers on top of all the zombies in the entire camp. Tell me, did you see any particularly different numbers at the furthest point? Like different colors, or different text?"

Zhang Mingming struggled to roll his eyes, as if trying to recall.

"Yes..." he said vaguely, "Over by the cafeteria... there was a purple one... very big... the text was... 【 ??? 】... can't see clearly..."

"What else?"

"Office building... the roof... there was a golden one... very small... but... blinding..."

【 Infection Rate: 99% 】

【 Estimated Time to Full Transformation: 00:00:43 】

Zhang Mingming suddenly smiled, and the smile looked especially eerie on his already distorting face.

"Platoon Leader... thank you... for the cigarette..."

His eyes turned completely gray.

【 Infection Rate: 100% 】

【 Status: Transforming — 】

Commander Lin Dong stood up abruptly, stepped back twice, and raised the type 92 pistol.

Zhang Mingming stood up.

No, that was no longer Zhang Mingming. That nineteen-year-old New recruit, that kid who was still thinking about smoking a cigarette in his final moments, was gone. Standing there was a zombie.

【 F-Class Zombie (Newborn) 】

【 HP: 150/150 】

【 Threat Level: Low 】

Its movements were stiff but faster than a normal zombie—perhaps because it had just transformed, and the muscles hadn't fully rotted yet. It stared at Commander Lin Dong, emitting a hoarse roar from its throat.

Commander Lin Dong looked at it.

Three seconds.

Then he pulled the trigger.

Bang.

【 Killed F-Class Zombie, gained +5 Energy Points 】

Zhang Mingming's body fell to the ground, and on that young face, a trace of that final smile still remained.

Commander Lin Dong stood for two seconds, then bent down, picked up the dropped pack of Hongtashan cigarettes, and stuffed it into his pocket.

"I owe you a cigarette," he said.

Then he turned and strode toward the parking garage.

The sunlight was blinding.

The humvee was still there, intact. But Commander Lin Dong didn't get in immediately; instead, he stood by the vehicle, looked up, and gazed in the direction of the office building.

The words Zhang Mingming said before he died were still in his ears: on the roof of the office building, there was a golden, very small, blinding thing.

He narrowed his eyes and looked at the roof of the office building three hundred meters away.

Then he saw it.

It was a figure.

No, not a figure. That thing was standing on the edge of the roof, backlit, its outline unclear. But above its head, a golden symbol hovered, looking like a crown, or perhaps an eye.

And underneath this symbol was a line of text:

【 ??? 】

【 Level: ??? 】

【 Threat Level: ??? 】

That thing seemed to sense Commander Lin Dong's gaze.

It turned its head and looked toward the parking garage.

Commander Lin Dong's pupils constricted sharply.

In that instant, he clearly felt it—that thing was "looking" at him. Not a normal look, but something deeper, as if something was scanning his mind, reading his information.

In his field of vision, a line of text suddenly appeared:

【 Warning: You have been marked by a high-level entity 】

【 Mark Source: ??? 】

【 Mark Duration: Unknown 】

【 Suggestion: Evacuate immediately 】

Commander Lin Dong did not hesitate.

He opened the car door, started the engine, and the humvee roared out of the parking garage.

In the rearview mirror, the golden figure on the roof of the office building was still standing there, motionless.

Until the humvee turned the street corner and disappeared into the ruins.

【 System Notification: Key plot node detected 】

【 Hidden Task Triggered: The Marked One 】

【 Task Description: You have been noticed by an unknown high-level entity; this will affect your future survival trajectory 】

【 Task Reward: Unknown 】

【 Friendly Tip: The digitized world has been fully activated, please make good use of your talent 】

Commander Lin Dong gripped the steering wheel, his eyes fixed on the road ahead.

In the rearview mirror, the camp was getting further and further away.

But the feeling of being watched on his back still wouldn't go away.

【 End of Chapter 】