Ch.111Chapter 15. Dead Man Blues (2)

I had lunch with Camilla on the rooftop. The sky was filled with sheep-like clouds racing across the blue expanse, making the sunlight less intense.

It was a bit hot, but this rooftop is the only place in this world where we can safely bask in the sunlight.

From the first to fourth floors, all windows are sealed shut to block the sun, and the parking lot isn’t completely safe.

“The sunshine feels amazing.”

Camilla, dressed in short clothes, is lying on a sunbed drinking orange juice. She has a wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses covering half her face, and oil already applied to her skin.

She seems to be in such a good mood and smiling so happily that I couldn’t bring myself to ask what happened between her and Cassandra yesterday.

Well, whatever. I also lay down on a sunbed and sipped grape juice.

“Should we go on a trip?”

At my suggestion, Camilla covers her mouth and laughs.

“Sounds nice, a trip. Do you have somewhere in mind?”

“Well, we’ve been to mountains and fields too many times… a lake or the sea would be nice. Maybe a resort. Not a golf resort though.”

“That would be fun. We could relax in the sun during the day like this, and eat delicious food in the evening. Beer and barbecue. Beef and lamb, with onions and bell peppers on skewers that we can turn and eat.”

“With pepper and salt.”

“Beer cans chilled in an ice box. And the meat has to be really fresh.”

It’s an impossible fantasy, but that’s what made it more enjoyable. We’ll never eat “fresh meat” again.

All living animals must have turned into zombies by now. And no matter how much I might crave fresh meat, I certainly don’t want zombie meat.

“…Johan, don’t you think it might actually be possible?”

But Camilla seems to have different thoughts than mine.

“How? A cure?”

“A cure would be best, of course. Something that could purify the land and work on both humans and animals would be ideal, but even if not… we could brew beer ourselves, and for meat… cultured meat?”

Cultured meat.

That was the main research field of Cybele Laboratory, where we’ve settled. The technology of growing artificial meat by placing stem cells in nutrient solution.

They had successfully commercialized it and even built production factories, but it didn’t make money for Cybele Company.

There were too many aspects that needed improvement. The process was complicated, making production costs high, but above all, it was inferior to regular meat in both taste and texture.

Moreover, Elza’s main industries were agriculture and livestock farming. Fresh meat was available everywhere in the country. Yet Cybele pushed the cultured meat business to condition the citizens.

The Cybele Group is a state-owned enterprise of the Elza government, and the Elza government is a puppet of Römer. Furthermore, the founders of the Cybele Group were nobles from Römer.

Römer knew they couldn’t suppress Elza with guns and weapons.

So they took a different approach this time. They inserted hunger-inducing viruses into food supplies, forcing people to spend more money on food, thus making citizens economically dependent on the state.

Aggressively pushing the cultured meat business was part of this grand plan.

The goal was to increase production to a level that could feed an entire nation’s population, achieve economies of scale, and eventually drive even the largest farms to the point where they couldn’t survive.

Of course, they had a long way to go, and now it’s a path they can no longer take. The zombie outbreak changed everything.

A fact that I, Camilla, and Cassandra all know.

“…It sounds kind of funny now that I say it out loud.”

Camilla shook her head with a bitter expression.

“Why?”

“Cybele developed the cultured meat industry to destroy traditional livestock farming and make the people of Elza dependent. It was technology created with bad intentions.

But now it’s become the only means to safely consume meat. I used to hate it so much. Now… if my past self could see me now, she’d probably call me a traitor and despise me.”

Camilla’s laugh was self-deprecating. I deliberately reassured her, “I don’t think so.”

“She’d probably say she’s jealous that I found such a good boyfriend.”

“…Honestly, aren’t you embarrassed saying that?”

“Quite a bit.”

“Then come and apply more oil on me.”

Camilla lightly tapped her stomach. I poured an appropriate amount and gently rubbed it in. Looking at her well-defined abs glistening in the sunlight gave a different feeling than touching them at night.

“I need to go out this afternoon…”

Camilla bites her lower lip slightly, seeming pleased yet regretful.

Actually, I was supposed to go out with her this afternoon. Since we’re going to stay here for a while, we thought it would be good to make the surroundings a bit “safer.”

By safety, nothing special. Just clearing the nearby houses, cleverly arranging furniture so that it makes loud noises if disturbed, and taking photos.

Then, a few days later, comparing our photos to check if anyone has visited. That’s all.

However, we needed to move carefully to avoid being detected by zombies. Even if we were spotted, we had to deal with them quietly—using spears, axes, or knives instead of guns.

In other words, it takes a long time.

“Why don’t we rest today and go out tomorrow? It’s not that urgent. Or I could go alone.”

“No way. We need to arrange the furniture together. What if you get attacked by zombies while doing it alone?”

Thinking about it, Camilla is right. But she seemed to have changed her mind a bit.

“…Alright. It’s not like today is the only day. So Johan, take off your shirt and lie down. I’ll apply oil on you this time.”

I spread out the sunbed and lay down on it.

Camilla applied oil on my back, pressing her fingers firmly. She skillfully loosened the tight spots, making me drowsy.

The sunlight on my back felt stinging, as if it were casting jealous glances, but it felt good.

“…It’s strange.”

“What is, Camilla?”

“I feel like I’ve changed so much from who I used to be. Before, I was happy even rolling in rough mud or rationing one can of food over two days. Back then, I was intoxicated with the idea of liberating Elza.

But now I’m sunbathing on the rooftop of a rural research facility surrounded by zombies, and I’m happier now.”

“Let’s not overthink it. If you’re happy, that’s good, right?”

“…I wonder how much more I’ll compromise in the future?”

It was a difficult question. I stayed quiet because it was hard to answer. Camilla smiled and lightly slapped my back. It meant I should turn over.

She squeezed oil onto my chest and upper abdomen. It seemed like a bit too much, but seeing her spread her hands wide, I could tell there was some self-interest involved.

Camilla mainly rubbed my chest and shoulders. She spread the oil widely with her palms and subtly tapped with the back of her hands.

Knowing the sensitive parts of my body, she deliberately pressed lightly as if teasing me. Somehow, this was starting to become problematic.

“The world has changed. We can’t live exactly like we used to.”

“That’s true, but sometimes I miss the old days. I thought there couldn’t be a lower point than before, but below the bottom… there was an even deeper bottom.”

I understood what she meant. Before, Camilla fought against people. Now, on top of that, she’s fighting against things that used to be people.

And both of us—no, everyone in the world—is changing into such beings day by day. The few who know the truth remain silent to prevent greater chaos.

“Then before we fall deeper below that bottom, let’s find a camper van and go to a lakeside.”

Camilla lowered her head and giggled. Her eyes seemed to sparkle a bit behind her sunglasses.

“…Really.”

She sprinkled oil on my body, slowly rose, and then lay on top of me.

While I was worried whether the sunbed could support the weight of two people, she slowly rubbed her entire body against mine.

“I’m glad.”

“About what?”

“That I get to stay with such a shameless man.”

Her small, pointed tongue peeked out slightly. The rooftop door creaked open. It was Cassandra.

“So you were here… oh.”

Cassandra turned around, seemingly embarrassed. Camilla seemed startled and was about to move away, but then, for whatever reason, she instead lay down more firmly on top of me. My chest was almost crushed.

“You’re up, Cassandra? Rest more.”

“Ah. No. I’ve… I’ve rested enough. More importantly…”

An excited Cassandra stammered. Still with her back turned.

“…I found something. It’s, it’s not urgent, so re-rest and come down when you’re done.”

Then she quickly went down the stairs.

* * * * *

We gathered in the third-floor dining room. Cassandra opened her laptop and showed us what she had found.

“You found it much faster than expected? You said it would take a few days.”

It was truly an impressive achievement, but Cassandra seemed somewhat shy about it. At least, that’s how she appeared in the light of the laptop.

“So what exactly did you find?”

Camilla leaned toward the laptop curiously. On the screen, a 3D model of a virus floated, and next to it was a sheet with complex data.

“The, the initial input values for the hunger virus. Much of it was omitted in Cybele’s database, but this research facility had the original input data. That’s what I found.”

I had many questions, but decided to listen first. Cassandra gulped down an entire bottle of water, then began explaining more calmly.

“The hunger virus is called ‘Limos.’ Later it was called by various names like F, special ingredient, food additive, etc., probably to obscure its true identity.

The Limos virus is similar to anthrax in many ways. It doesn’t spread easily yet can’t survive without a host.

Normally, it creates a hard outer shell with calcium and hides in spore form. Thanks to this, it can survive for a very, very long time. Persistently. Very… maliciously.”

“What do you mean by malicious?”

At my question, Cassandra hugged herself and shuddered.

“Li-Limos attacks the brain and nervous system, releasing toxins. It paralyzes and disrupts the brain regions that control satiety, so even though the stomach is full, it drives the host to constantly seek food.

The host wanders everywhere looking for prey, eventually dying from shock, or literally having their stomach burst from overeating, or being exposed to danger and killed by predators.

And the same thing happens to the predators. Even if not eaten, it spreads throughout the land through corpses, saliva, and secretions, lying dormant.

It sleeps in the soil until it attaches to a passing animal, or sticks to plant leaves to be absorbed by herbivores…”

“Why would anyone do such a thing?”

Camilla covered her mouth in disbelief. Cassandra kept swallowing dry saliva.

“To, to spread itself far and wide! Just as humans use horses, cars, and trains to spread everywhere, Limos uses animals as its own vehicle and home.”

And Cybele Company put it in canned food and distributed it nationwide.