"Something about… what was it again?"
Daphne scratched the back of her head at Bryan's question, then turned to Lucy on the couch with an embarrassed look. "What was that thing you told me about the other day? I think I forgot."
Lucy looked at Daphne's scatterbrained expression and rolled her eyes. God knew how she'd managed to live with this woman for three months.
"Ahem."
Lucy cleared her throat, sat up straight, and gathered her thoughts. "You probably haven't heard. About two weeks ago, the QZ government issued a new regulation called the 'Infection Protocol.' The gist of it is this: the QZ has assembled an enforcement squad, fully armed and equipped with infection scanners. They can show up at any residential building at any time and scan every single person inside. If they find anyone carrying the Cordyceps pathogen, that person is executed by lethal injection on the spot. If they try to run, they're shot."
Bryan listened carefully, his eyes thoughtful. He'd heard whispers about this policy before, but being inside the school, he hadn't looked into the details.
He didn't jump in with questions, because the Infection Protocol alone wouldn't be enough to put the entire QZ under controlled status. There had to be more to the story.
Sure enough, Lucy took a sip of water, noticed everyone watching her intently, and continued. "Originally, the Protocol was just meant to do a thorough sweep of the QZ—make sure there weren't any hidden pockets of Cordyceps contamination. Everyone understood it was essentially a routine check."
"But here's where things went wrong. Some residents living near the QZ walls discovered passages leading outside—through collapsed basements or gaps in flooded structures. And they used those passages to bring back valuable supplies."
"What?"
The others reacted with shock. But Bryan's eyes narrowed, a sharp glint passing through them as the pieces clicked into place. "They brought the virus in… didn't they?"
Lucy stared at him for a moment, then let out a bitter laugh. "You guessed it. At first, these people were just smuggling supplies in on the down-low. But then one of them suddenly turned—mutated right there in his own home. He attacked several people and triggered a significant disturbance. The military found the passage when they investigated his residence. Otherwise, the whole thing might have stayed hidden for a lot longer."
"Further investigation revealed that the man who turned had no bite wounds or scratches. He'd most likely inhaled fungal spores while scavenging outside—that's what caused the infection."
Sarah glanced out the window. "So that's why there are so many police and soldiers on the streets?"
"Basically, yes." Lucy nodded, then added, "After that, the QZ government ordered a building-by-building search of every structure near the perimeter walls. They found several more tunnels leading outside. Everyone who'd been sneaking out was detained. Word is they'll all be expelled from the QZ before long."
"The passages have all been sealed now. The military presence out there is just to make sure nothing like this happens again. It'll probably die down within a few days."
The group sat with this information in silence, processing the chain of events none of them had imagined.
After a long pause, Bryan checked the sky outside, braced his hands on his knees, and stood. "Alright, now we know what's going on. It's getting late, and we still need to get Lulu home. Let's move."
Everyone noticed the fading light and agreed. They gathered their things and headed for the door.
Daphne didn't try to stop them. Curfew had been lifted, but kids walking the streets after dark still wasn't ideal. Better to leave while there was still some light.
Bryan's group left the apartment building and quickened their pace. Before long, they reached the checkpoint into District C.
Another round of ID checks and questions. After getting directions from the soldiers, they delivered Lulu to her destination by seven o'clock.
Once Lulu was safely with her mother, they set off again at a brisk pace. The trek had taken them across a third of the entire QZ, but thanks to months of school training, none of them were winded.
When they finally entered District A, they slowed down. Night had fully fallen, but the streetlamps were on, posing no obstacle.
Plenty of QZ residents were still out and about—after a full day of labor, the evening was their only chance to relax. People milled around, chatting with neighbors in the lamplight.
Bryan walked on, taking in the peaceful scene. "Wonder how long this can last…" he murmured.
"Hm?"
Sarah caught the quiet remark and grabbed his arm. "What do you mean by that?"
After all their time together, she knew Bryan didn't say things without reason. If he was voicing a thought like that, he'd already formed a theory.
Bryan turned to look at her but said nothing, clearly waiting for her to work through it first.
Catching his intent, Sarah fell into deep thought, mentally reviewing everything they'd seen and heard that day. Something clicked. She looked up, uncertain. "Is it… because of those tunnels out of the QZ?"
"Smart girl."
A smile broke across Bryan's previously neutral face. He flicked Sarah's forehead lightly. "That's exactly right. The tunnels to the outside."
"Ow! That hurt!"
Sarah rubbed her forehead and shot him a glare, then pressed on with a puzzled frown. "But the military already found and destroyed those passages, didn't they?"
"Destroyed them?"
Bryan let out a dry laugh. "What the military destroyed were the physical tunnels. But the idea? That can't be destroyed. This incident has planted a seed in certain people's minds. Maybe they won't act on it right now, but trust me—the moment things get tough in the QZ, those people will actively seek out or dig new routes to the outside. Even at enormous personal risk."
"But the QZ factories are producing resources, and the military brings in supplies from outside…" Sarah struggled to see it. "Something like that shouldn't happen… right?"
"Maybe not right now."
Bryan ruffled her hair and pulled both her and Allen close, an arm around each of their shoulders as they walked. "But remember—we're living in the apocalypse. Every resource used is a resource gone. If the military doesn't come up with new policies, supply issues are inevitable. Outside resources will dwindle too, as the search radius expands and preserved food passes its expiration dates. Give it a few years and scarcity will set in. Combine that with grueling daily labor and rewards that don't match the effort… sooner or later, people in this QZ are going to start looking at those tunnels."
Sarah turned the argument over in her mind. As much as she didn't want to believe it, she couldn't deny the logic. Without new government policies, it was only a matter of time.
She looked up at Bryan. "But that doesn't seem like it would be worth much, does it? It's just some supplies."
"Oh, it goes way deeper than that…"
Bryan scratched his head. "Think of it as smuggling. Going against QZ regulations, bypassing official channels, privately accessing the outside world for profit."
"Here's an example. The QZ is at capacity now—they've stopped accepting new residents. People outside are stuck out there with no way in. But what if someone says, 'Give me enough resources, and I'll smuggle you inside'? Would those people pay? Of course they would."
"And since the smuggler built the tunnel themselves—sure, there's risk, but the profit margin is enormous. Why wouldn't they do it? If they can use some of those resources to bribe military officers into looking the other way, suddenly you've got a full-blown underground economy. The officials become co-conspirators with a stake in keeping the whole thing running."
Sarah thought about this for a long time. A troubled look crossed her face. "But… what if they bring someone in who's infected with Cordyceps?"
...
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