September 2, 2024.
While eating, I heard another piece of gossip through the grapevine.
Our bonuses were only distributed shortly after Director Zhou's son recovered from his illness.
Word has it that he used his own son as the first guinea pig.
I don't know if it's true or not.
But he is cured.
Director Zhou's mood has also improved a lot these past few days.
But even if he is a research maniac, would he really have the heart to test drugs on his own flesh and blood?
I have no idea.
Big shots are truly complicated.
December 1, 2024.
Recently, many strangers have arrived at the research institute. There are men and women, all very young.
I heard they are the volunteers for the drug trials.
Everyone is assigned a one-on-one handler, and the control is strict.
Aside from the core insiders, ordinary staff like us aren't allowed near them.
Sigh, I hope they all stay safe and sound.
After all, every drug has side effects. Director Zhou's son was just lucky nothing went wrong.
But what if their luck runs out?
January 28, 2025.
Another year has passed.
But the atmosphere in the lab is a bit strange.
I don't quite know how to describe it.
Some people also say they keep hearing strange things howling at night, but we don't keep dogs in the institute.
That wasn't a dog barking.
It was some kind of weird creature.
Someone said it sounded like a lizard.
Nonsense!
We aren't in the tropics, and the institute is ten floors underground. How could there be lizards?
Director Zhou's temper has been getting increasingly volatile lately.
Every researcher looks like they're in a hurried panic.
Oh, right.
Those few staff members who initially had the chance to personally check the experiment's progress haven't been seen for a long time.
Did they resign?
Or...
I dare not think about it.
March 2, 2025.
People from other institutes came again.
They must be director-level figures as well. Upon seeing Director Zhou, the group hurried into the conference room.
It seems something happened.
I vaguely heard them say,
"Controllable state."
"It's fine."
"Worst case, we mobilize the police department."
"That's not a good idea."
"We have no other choice."
So did something go wrong with the experimental results?
Why, why would they need to mobilize the police department?
I'm getting a bit scared.
April 21, 2025.
Director Zhou gathered everyone and announced that the entire first batch of the serum is to be destroyed.
Heaven knows how much funding was poured into developing it.
What a pity it would be to destroy it.
But is this related to what happened before?
I'm not sure.
I keep telling myself that curiosity killed the cat. You're just a lowly data clerk, don't look into those things.
But I still couldn't resist.
My computer can connect to all the databases, though my clearance is very low.
That night.
I was on the night shift.
I heard the roars of strange creatures again.
Then, I discovered that Director Zhou hadn't had time to set the permissions on his files yet.
"Spore plants."
"Meat."
"Hybrid."
"Mutation."
These seemingly illogical words put together made me go pale with fright.
So the day the meteorite fell.
Did they discover some new species there, a spore plant never before seen on Earth?
But what do meat and hybrid mean?
Plants eating meat?
I dare not think further.
Staring at that last word, mutation, I lost sleep.
May 6, 2025.
A week ago.
Director Zhou suddenly called me in for a talk, asking if I wanted to join the core project.
He offered me a promotion and a raise.
But I only felt terrified.
Could it be that the traces of me snooping through his files in the archives that day were discovered?
But I clearly erased them.
This diary is also encrypted.
It should be safe, right?
I immediately refused.
It's not that I don't want a promotion or to make more money; it's that I'm afraid to die.
I feel like some things have already started to spiral out of control.
Although Director Zhou left with a smile, I know that it is already impossible for me to leave this institute.
June 2, 2025.
Many more people have arrived at the institute recently.
All wearing white lab coats.
They should be from the nearby hospitals.
What are they trying to do? Are they planning to distribute the improved serum to the hospitals to treat terminally ill patients?
If this were the old me, I would definitely be thrilled!
This is a leap in medical technology; humanity is saved.
But ever since hearing the low growls of strange creatures over several nights and seeing those words recorded in Director Zhou's files.
I feel things have become quite dangerous.
What if.
What if the side effects are systemic?
If these patients in the hospital use the serum and don't heal, but instead...
Mutate.
What should we do then?
July 20, 2025.
I keep urging my girlfriend to absolutely avoid going to the hospital lately unless it's an emergency.
I don't know when that situation will happen.
Even though I don't exactly know what that situation is.
I've submitted my resignation several times, but they've all been rejected.
I know.
They won't let me leave.
My parents are very angry about my attempts to quit.
They feel that since they pulled strings to get me in through the back door, an opportunity others don't have, I'm being foolish by rushing to leave.
Sigh, they just don't understand anything.
Sometimes, ignorance truly is bliss.
August 19, 2025.
Everything still seems normal.
Perhaps I've just read too many novels and watched too much anime, making me paranoid.
Actually, the serum Director Zhou developed is very safe. So far, not a single patient has shown any symptoms.
Yes, I must be overthinking it.
It couldn't possibly have a really long incubation period, right?
If that's really the case.
Humanity's future,
is a dead end.
September 20, 2025.
I saw it.
I saw the news. Many people in the hospitals have started biting ordinary people.
Those who have gone mad have lost their minds, like they have rabies, but they are far more terrifying than rabies.
Because the people who get bitten will stand back up and attack even more people.
It broke out in the hospital.
So, it is the serum.
Yes, it is the serum!
The thing I've been worrying about has finally happened.
Is it only like this in Jiang City?
Or the whole country.
September 21, 2025.
Many people from the security forces have arrived for an emergency evacuation.
Leading the team this time is Commissioner Gu of the Jiang City Police Department.
I heard his daughter and Director Zhou's son are supposedly preparing for an arranged marriage.
Who knows.
Isn't gossiping at a time like this a bit too nonchalant?
I know I should be running for my life right now instead of staying here writing in my diary.
But I am just an insignificant, ordinary data clerk.
I have no value to be saved.
The only ones escorted away by the security forces were Director Zhou and the senior researchers.
Fortunately,
Researcher Yan was sent out on assignment half a year ago and managed to escape this disaster.
Is he still alive?
I hope he is alive.
As for Director Zhou, it would be better if he died.
Forget it, I'm just a nobody. Maybe I'll be the one to die first.
...
The diary ends here.
