To the Start of a New World

3.x Epilogue

"Ma, I promise. Hong Sheng and I are doing fine."

Lu Hao sighed. On the other end of the satellite phone, Ma kept telling him, "Don't think that because your father and I are in another country that we can't keep an eye on you! I know you've been working too hard. You know, that young lady—Little Sheng's friend—she said that Little Sheng is so tired that he can't even get out of bed!"

She kept going, but whatever she said after, Lu Hao couldn't hear over the sound of his own choking. "Cough, cough—Ma, when did you—why were you talking with Qiu'er?"

"Well, I called Little Sheng, but he didn't answer. Then that girl picked up the phone and said she was delivering his meals because he was resting in his room and had fallen asleep."

Lu Hao pinched the bridge of his nose. Damn it, Yu Qiu. That girl's crush on Hong Sheng was insidious. "Ma, listen. It's not what you think. We're doing alright here. My group is very peaceful right now. You know that we're not fighting zombies anymore."

"But I heard those rebels are still active in China!" Ma fretted, "Why don't you come over to Iceland? Everyone here has already been cured. And everyone gets along, not like in China, where there's all that fighting."

"It's fine, Ma. Hong Sheng and I will visit you soon, okay? Look, I've got to go. I'll talk to you later."

Lu Hao hung up the phone just as Lisa Xi walked over. She raised an eyebrow. "Your mother's still going at it, huh?"

"Yep." Sighing, Lu Hao walked with her to the meeting room.

Around the table, representatives of government leaders from all around the world had gathered together. Lu Hao took his seat at the edge of the room, while Lisa Xi walked to the head of the table. He wasn't here to join the discussion, but to guard Lisa Xi as she gave her speech in front of the world powers.

It was eight years after the apocalypse, and humankind was now faced with a new dilemma: what to do with the zombie population.

After Lisa Xi discovered the cure for the zombie virus, humans no longer had to fear infection. But with the cure came another discovery. People who had already become zombies would have strange reactions when given the cure: they wouldn't revert to being human, but instead, would continue to evolve.

These zombies would heal their wounds and regain their human-like appearance, intelligence, and sanity, but would remain zombies. They no longer needed to eat or sleep, and could regenerate wounds at a much faster rate than humans. They were a new, evolved species, one that could easily overpower the weak and mortal humans.

No one had an easy answer for humanity's path forward. And that wasn't what Lu Hao, Lisa Xi, or anyone in the SG could decide. But the SG's goal had always been clear: to aim for peace, and to protect the lives of the people.

Although zombies were frightening, once they regained their sanity, they were still people in the end. So long as they were willing to remain in society and work together to rebuild the world, the SG believed humanity and zombies could work together.

For this reason, after the distribution of the cure, the SG became a safe haven for humans and 'neo-humans'—meaning ability users and enlightened zombies—alike.

The discussions went on for a few hours. Lisa Xi maintained her calm in the face of questioning and accusations. By the time it was all over, Lisa Xi and Lu Hao left the place together, and got into the jet that would fly them back to F City.

There, Lisa Xi finally cut loose and exploded with cursing, and Lu Hao looked out the window.

He wanted to see Hong Sheng.