I Have a Modern Weapon Gacha System in the Zombie Apocalypse

Chapter 198: The Truth Behind the Outbreak

The MV-22 Osprey climbed hard through the burning skies of Beijing while the dead city disappeared beneath them.

Inside the aircraft, nobody spoke for several seconds.

The atmosphere inside the troop compartment remained heavy from adrenaline, exhaustion, and the nonstop gunfire they had just escaped from underground.

The roar of the tiltrotors filled the cabin while red interior lights illuminated the operators strapped into their seats.

Several of them were breathing heavily.

One operator finally removed his helmet and wiped sweat from his face.

"...I officially hate China."

Ryan looked toward him immediately.

"You hated China before this mission."

"Yeah but now it’s personal."

That actually earned a few tired laughs from the team.

Not many.

But enough to briefly ease the tension.

Doctor Lin remained seated near the rear bulkhead while tightly holding the secured data case against her chest. Even now, she still looked shaken from the underground facility.

Honestly—

Who wouldn’t be?

Adrian sat across from her while reviewing tactical reports on the tablet attached to his vest.

Surface conditions in Beijing continued deteriorating rapidly.

The missile strikes had cleared large sections of the western districts, but fires still consumed huge portions of the city. Infected movement patterns remained unstable while several underground sectors continued collapsing from structural damage.

And somewhere beneath the city—

That giant mutation was probably still alive.

Ryan leaned back against the aircraft wall afterward.

"You know what bothers me the most?"

One operator glanced toward him.

"What?"

Ryan pointed downward vaguely toward Beijing disappearing beneath the clouds.

"That thing underground."

Nobody answered immediately.

Because everyone onboard was thinking about it too.

The giant mutation.

Doctor Lin slowly lowered her eyes briefly.

"It should not have existed."

Adrian finally looked up from the tactical display.

"Then explain it."

The scientist remained silent for several seconds.

The Osprey continued flying eastward through heavy smoke clouds while escort drones monitored the surrounding airspace remotely.

Finally—

Doctor Lin spoke quietly.

"The outbreak evolved faster than predicted."

Ryan blinked slightly.

"Predicted?"

The entire compartment became quiet afterward.

Doctor Lin realized immediately what she had implied.

But at this point—

There was no hiding it anymore.

She slowly exhaled.

"Yes."

Adrian’s expression hardened slightly.

"You knew this outbreak was artificial."

Doctor Lin looked directly at him.

"I suspected."

"That’s different from knowing."

"No," she admitted softly. "It really isn’t."

The operators listened carefully now.

Even the crew chief standing near the side door stopped checking equipment for a moment.

Doctor Lin continued quietly.

"The underground facility beneath Beijing was part of a classified biological research network established years before the outbreak."

Ryan immediately frowned.

"You mean bioweapons."

Doctor Lin shook her head slightly.

"Originally, no."

She adjusted her grip around the secured data case afterward.

"The project initially focused on regenerative medicine, accelerated tissue repair, and neural adaptation."

Adrian already understood where this was going.

And honestly—

He hated it already.

Doctor Lin continued.

"It was not originally designed as a virus."

Ryan frowned slightly.

"Then what was it?"

Doctor Lin hesitated briefly before answering.

"A synthetic slime mold colony."

The compartment became quieter afterward.

Doctor Lin carefully chose her next words.

"The organism was engineered to function as a collective biological intelligence. Individual cells could communicate, adapt, and reorganize themselves faster than any known pathogen."

One operator blinked.

"...You made a hive mind?"

Doctor Lin looked exhausted now.

"The goal was human evolution."

Nobody interrupted her.

"The colony could repair damaged tissue, strengthen neural pathways, and synchronize biological responses between hosts. In theory, infected individuals would become stronger, faster, more resilient."

Ryan stared at her.

"...That sounds exactly like how zombie movies start."

One operator quietly muttered—

"He’s not wrong."

Doctor Lin lowered her eyes briefly.

"At first, the results appeared miraculous."

Her grip tightened around the data case.

"Subjects recovered from fatal injuries. Cognitive processing increased dramatically. Some even demonstrated shared awareness between infected hosts."

Adrian’s expression darkened immediately.

"But something changed."

Doctor Lin nodded slowly.

"The colony continued evolving."

The operators exchanged uneasy looks afterward.

Because everybody onboard already knew where this story ended.

"The lead researcher was a Japanese biochemist, Akira Tomoyasu. He injected himself with some sort of a mold that would allow him to communicate and control the infected."

The compartment inside the Osprey became completely silent afterward.

Even the roar of the rotors suddenly felt distant for a moment.

Ryan blinked slowly.

"...He what?"

Doctor Lin lowered her eyes briefly.

"At first, we believed it was impossible. The colony was too unstable for direct human integration."

Her grip tightened around the secured data case.

"But Akira was obsessed with synchronization."

Adrian’s expression remained calm.

Too calm.

"What exactly did he inject himself with?"

Doctor Lin looked toward him.

"A modified strain of the colony designed for neural bridging."

Ryan frowned immediately.

"English please."

The scientist slowly exhaled.

"He created a version capable of linking directly into the human nervous system."

That honestly sounded worse.

Much worse.

Doctor Lin continued quietly while the Osprey pushed farther away from the burning skies of Beijing.

"The original colony connected infected hosts through biological signaling. Akira believed he could place himself at the center of that network."

One operator slowly processed that.

"...Like a controller?"

"Yes."

Doctor Lin nodded once.

"He wanted to maintain human consciousness while accessing the collective intelligence of the colony."

Ryan stared at her.

"And he actually succeeded?"

The scientist remained silent briefly.

Then quietly—

"Yes."

Nobody spoke afterward.

Because suddenly the horrifying coordination they had witnessed throughout the apocalypse started making far more sense.

The synchronized hordes.

The strategic movements.

The way infected gathered toward important targets.

The mutations.

Even the behavior underground.

Ryan slowly rubbed his forehead.

"...So we’re basically fighting a guy connected to billions of zombies."

Doctor Lin answered immediately.

"Not billions anymore."

That did not help.

At all.

The operators exchanged uneasy looks afterward while the aircraft continued flying eastward over dark ocean waters.

Doctor Lin continued speaking quietly.

"Akira disappeared three days before the first containment failures."

Adrian narrowed his eyes slightly.

"You think he released the outbreak himself."

"I know he did."

That answer immediately hardened the atmosphere inside the compartment again.

Ryan leaned forward slightly.

"How can you be sure?"

Doctor Lin looked toward the secured data case resting against her chest.

"Because I found his logs."

Adrian immediately focused.

"You brought them?"

"Yes."

The scientist looked exhausted now.

"There were encrypted recordings stored inside the archive systems beneath Beijing."

Ryan frowned slightly.

"And?"

Doctor Lin hesitated briefly before answering.

"He believed humanity was fundamentally flawed."

Nobody interrupted her.

"He believed governments, war, greed, religion, and individuality itself were diseases."

The red cabin lights reflected faintly across her tired face while the Osprey continued cutting through the night sky.

"Akira believed the colony represented the next stage of human evolution."

Ryan slowly shook his head.

"...That guy was insane."

"No," Doctor Lin answered quietly.

"That’s what made him dangerous."

Her eyes hardened afterward.

"He was completely rational."

That honestly sounded far worse.

The operators remained silent while processing everything she had just revealed.

Then Adrian finally asked the question lingering in everybody’s mind.

"Do you think he’s still alive?"

Doctor Lin looked directly at him.

"Yes."