"Okay, find a virologist. I don’t care what nationality they have, they must be the best of the best."
"Yes sir," the specialist typed in, fingers moving fast across the keyboard as the connection stabilized.
The browser loaded slowly at first.
Seconds later, results started appearing.
Databases.
Archived profiles.
University directories.
Research publications.
"Filtering for virology... infectious disease specialists... recent publications within the last five years," the specialist said, narrowing it down.
Nas began to populate the screen.
Dozens at first.
Then hundreds.
"Too many," one of the technicians muttered.
"Refine it," Adrian said. "Top-tier only."
"Copy."
More filters.
The list shrank.
Twenty.
Ten.
Five.
The specialist paused.
"...Sir, I’ve got one."
Adrian stepped closer.
"Pull it up."
The screen shifted.
A profile appeared.
The specialist leaned back slightly, reading it as it loaded.
"Dr. Han Seo-yeon," he said.
Adrian’s eyes fixed on the screen.
[Na: Dr. Han Seo-yeon
Age: 26
Nationality: Korean
Residence: Seoul
Occupation:
Virologist
Infectious Disease Specialist
Senior Researcher (Forr KDCA Consultant)
Education:
PhD in Virology – Seoul National University
MSc in Molecular Biology – KAIST
Notable Achievents:
Youngest published researcher in adaptive viral mutation studies
Contributor to rapid diagnostic system developnt
Recognized internationally for breakthrough virology research]
A photo appeared beside the text.
Adrian studied it without speaking.
She looked young.
Too young at first glance.
But there was sothing else.
Her hair was long, silver, tied neatly behind her with a ribbon, though a few strands fell naturally around her face. She wore thin-frad glasses that sat perfectly on her nose. She was wearing a lab coat, making her look more professional.
"Well, she looked like a model," the specialist comnted. "But her files don’t lie sir. I think she’s the best there is. The problem is that she is in Korea."
"Well we can find her, we know where he works right? It’s stated there."
The specialist shook his head slightly.
"...That’s the problem, sir."
He tapped the screen, pulling up more details beneath her profile.
"The institution is listed," he said. "But this is pre-outbreak data. Last confird update was weeks ago."
Adrian’s eyes didn’t leave the monitor.
"Pull it up anyway."
"Yes, sir."
Another window opened.
A map appeared.
Seoul.
Layered with markers—research centers, hospitals, governnt facilities.
"There," the specialist pointed. "Primary affiliation—Seoul National University Hospital. Secondary—KDCA-linked research facility."
Adrian studied it.
"Status?"
The specialist hesitated.
"...Unknown."
He typed again, trying to pull live data.
"Network traffic in that region is... unstable," he added. "So nodes are still responding, but most are either offline or heavily delayed. No reliable civilian updates."
"Well since she is a virologist, she must be working in the lab, studying the virus. Our best chance of finding her is in that location, the Seoul National University Hospital."
"But sir, it is a hospital. Zombies could have compromised the location in the first days of the outbreak. And it is in Seoul, one of the densest cities in the world."
"Still, it’s either we are fighting blind here or we are going to get her and increase our chances of winning in this war," Adrian said. "Let’s hope that she is still alive and if not, well, we better look for other alternatives. Can you search another candidates?"
"Running secondary query," he said. "Sa filters. Expanding region—East Asia."
The screen refreshed.
More nas appeared.
Fewer this ti.
More refined.
"Cross-referencing publications with citation index... filtering for mutation studies, rapid response research, and outbreak field involvent," he added.
The list dropped again.
Five.
Three.
Then—
"...Sir," the specialist said. "Another one."
Adrian shifted slightly.
"Pull it up."
The screen changed.
A new profile filled the display.
[Na: Dr. Akiyama Rina (秋山 理奈)
Age: 29
Nationality: Japanese
Residence: Tokyo
Occupation:
Virologist
Pathogen Evolution Specialist
Lead Researcher – National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID), Japan
Education:
PhD in Virology – University of Tokyo
MSc in Bioinformatics – Kyoto University
Notable Achievents:
Published breakthrough research on rapid viral replication pathways
Developed predictive models for viral mutation under high-density transmission environnts
Advised Japanese health authorities during early outbreak containnt efforts]
"Damn why are all virologists so damn hot," Adrian muttered under his breath. "Now we have two candidates. One in Korea, one in Seoul. If only the Philippines had the sa educational infrastructure as those in Japan and Korea, we won’t have to trouble ourselves looking for soone abroad. Okay, I want you to lock those two in."
"Yes sir," the specialist saved the file of the two candidates.
"And since we are up and running, I want to know the state of the world. It’s been weeks since the outbreak started. Let’s see if they are still a functioning governnt."
"Pulling global feeds," he said. "Governnt sites, ergency broadcasts, military frequencies... anything still responding."
The screen split into multiple windows.
Different countries.
Different signals.
Most of them—
Dead.
"No response from Europe," one technician said quietly. "Major governnt sites are offline. Last updates were days ago."
"North Arica?" Adrian asked.
The specialist shook his head slightly.
"Fragnted," he said. "So military channels are still active, but no centralized authority. Looks like regional command structures took over... then went silent one by one."
Another screen flickered.
"China?" soone asked.
"Blackout," the specialist replied. "No accessible data. Either they shut everything down... or they lost control."
Japan’s feed ca up next.
Static.
Then.
A recorded broadcast.
"...Ergency asures... containnt zones... avoid—"
"Last transmission was over a week ago," the specialist said.
"Korea?"
Another attempt.
A few signals.
Weak.
"...partial governnt continuity," he said. "But limited. So agencies are still pushing data, but it’s inconsistent. Could be automated systems."
Adrian watched the screens.
One by one.
Falling silent.
"What about Southeast Asia?" he asked.
The specialist pulled it up.
"Sa pattern," he said. "Initial response... then collapse. So military enclaves might still exist, but no confird national command."
Silence settled in the room.
Because the picture was clear now.
"There’s no global coordination," one of the technicians said.
"No," the specialist replied. "Every country is on its own."
Adrian didn’t react outwardly.
But his gaze hardened slightly.
"aning no rescue," soone added under their breath.
"No support," another said.
"No fallback."
Adrian finally spoke.
"Then we stop expecting one," he said.
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