Nobody understands the brutal reality of the apocalypse more than Cyrus himself.
After all, he has lived in that hellish world for ten years: ten years of bloodshed and betrayal, ten years of being on the run, and trust was as rare as a bullet in a wasteland.
In that nightmarish world, ordinary people don't even have the basic survival skills. People are turned into slaves or, even worse, food.
Cyrus sat in the command chair, his eyes locked on the holographic screens rotating in front of him.
The map of Apex City was projected right in front of him, with multiple moving red dots, every landmark and street meticulously detailed.
"Administrator, the first infected person has appeared in Apex International Airport, and the infection rate is spreading at approximately 30 individuals per minute,"
Noah's cold and emotionless voice sounded.
A 3D projection map of Apex City International Airport appeared, with multiple red dots moving and more red dots kept appearing.
These red dots represent the number of individuals who are infected and also being infected as well; the speed is simply too terrifying.
"In three hours, the infection will reach the city center," Noah continued.
Cyrus's eyes flashed with a faint light. The Apex City International Airport is 50 kilometers away from the city center; the distance can buy him a lot of time, but he can't be sure; after all, there are several unknown factors involved, so things may spiral out of control.
Cyrus is not a saint; he can't save everyone, and that's the hard truth.
Even if he has regressed, saving everyone is out of the question. As for why he didn't tell anyone or notice people that the end of the world is coming, well, first of all, he believes that the moment he opens his mouth to say that, he might get locked up in a mental hospital.
Secondly, the governments might come after him; after all, those people at the top already know about the end of the world, and him coming out to tell people that the end is coming, the top institutions might not like it.
And lastly, Cyrus knows that the government, although they might be cruel, do know that humanity cannot become extinct, so they have already built countless shelters.
When the apocalypse happened, many people were rescued by the military. After all, in his previous life, he was also rescued and brought into one of the shelters, where he lived for two years before that shelter was overrun by zombies.
Looking at the red dots that kept multiplying at a terrifying speed, he couldn't help but let out a sigh and shake his head.
He wasn't a god that can save everyone; he is just one man with limited resources and strength.
But he knows his mission and top priority; that is to preserve at least a portion of human civilization; he can save talents and researchers.
While others may see survival as merely food and shelter, Cyrus sees it in a broader lens; the legacy of human civilization hangs in the balance.
Without those talents and researchers, recovery from this apocalypse will be a dead end, especially those researchers; Cyrus really needs them to research the virus.
Coming back to his senses, he took a deep breath and looked at Noah.
"Dispatch the buses and have the Combat Soldiers assemble at the Central Station Platform," he commanded coldly as he rose from his seat.
He clipped a communicator to his ear and immediately walked out of the Command Hall and got into the elevator.
A few moments later, he was already out of the Central Command Building and got into the shuttle bus.
In just two minutes, he arrived at the Central Station Platform. On the platform, all five hundred and fifty Combat Soldiers were already standing in neat rows, clad in striking black operative uniforms with their helmets on, exuding an aura of majesty and precision.
Behind them stood rows of futuristic armored buses and trucks, engines rumbling like slumbering beasts ready to awaken.
Each soldier held a modular rifle capable of shifting seamlessly between sniper and assault modes.
Cyrus stepped out of the shuttle, with a commanding aura.
He strode to the front and looked at the ranks, an army of shadows ready for action.
He nodded, his voice filled with resolve, and it steadily echoed across the platform.
"Our mission is simple: save as many people as we can, but our top priority is to rescue researchers and key talents. Noah will provide their data and locations in real time."
"Do you understand?" he shouted, his eyes locking with each soldier.
"Yes, Commander!" all the combat soldiers shouted in unison, their thunderous voices reverberating across the platform.
Cyrus gave a satisfied nod and waved his hand.
"Move out!"
With that, he grabbed a sleek electromagnetic cannon, looked at it thoughtfully, and gave a faint smile. "Good."
Climbing into the lead truck, he set the cannon on his lap and shouted over the roar of engines, "Go."
With a huge rumbling sound, like a giant awakening beast, the Ark's colossal gates swung open.
The trucks and buses' engines rumbled as they shot forward, leaving the Central Station Platform.
------------
Meanwhile...
Apex City was already crumbling at incredible speed.
"Ahhhhhhh....! Help me...."
"Honey...what are you doing? Why are you biting me....ahhhhhhh!"
"No...no...no...please, I have money; I can pay somebody help....."
"I don't want to die..I'm still a virgin....I don't want to die yet..."
"Please help me....I don't want to die! Ahhh!"
Terrifying and gut-wrenching screams reverberated through the air as Apex City descended into pure, utter chaos.
The once vibrant streets that were filled with smiling pedestrians and laughter were now painted in flowing blood and corpses.
Mangled and rotted corpses lunged at any living being that was moving, jaws snapping, tearing flesh apart, intestines flying everywhere; the scene was truly gory.
Cars collided frantically in desperate attempts to escape this hell; some cars exploded, adding to the chaos.
An airplane came crashing down into a tall skyscraper, half of the skyscraper was blown off, and huge steel pipes and glass rained down, impaling a lot of people in the process.
Half of that district was gone, drowning in blood, screams, flames, collapsing buildings, and the undead.
Crowds stampeded through the streets in panic, shoving and kicking.
The police tried to maintain order, but they themselves were trampled to death by the very people they tried to rescue.
Some kindhearted people tried to help those being trampled, but they immediately joined them on the ground.
Skulls were crushed under such overwhelming pressure, bones crushed; children, men, women, old or young, nobody cared about them.
Everyone was trying to escape with their lives.
From above, Apex City looked like a scene straight out of hell. Buildings lay in ruins, smoke billowed into the sky, and giant flames rose up across the sky.
Cars exploded one after the other; each explosion sent shockwaves, and many people were blasted into smithereens, while others were set on fire.
Civilians were scrambling and running for their safety. The virus spread with such terrifying speed, faster than what Cyrus had estimated.
People in the middle of running stopped, their faces contorted in agony, their eyeballs rolled back, and green veins popped out.
The next second, they pounced on their neighbors, friends, lovers, children, etc., tearing their flesh apart and biting them.
The next second, those who were bitten also turned into zombies. The cycle continued like that, as more and more turned into rotten, mangled, man-eating creatures in mere minutes.
The familiar human civilization was gone; the honking of cars in traffic, friendly chatter, and laughter that echoed through the streets were all gone.
What remained was only screams that tore the sky, the sickening crunch of bone and skulls breaking underfoot, and the wet sound of flesh being torn apart.
The apocalypse have already began and this is just the beginning of a more a terrifying purgatory to come.
Civilization was crumbling before their very own eyes.