TWD - Zomboid - Chapter 264: You Have Nuclear Bombs, We Have Biochemical Bombs (Patreon)

Luke hadn’t expected the president to actually be a decent man.

He held absolute power in his hands and still insisted on playing by the rules of equality. If Luke were in his shoes, he would have gone full tyrant long ago.

“Fine. How you manage your people is your business. We’re not interested,” Luke said firmly. “But we have another bargaining chip, one that even you won’t be able to refuse.”

“Interested in hearing about it?”

The president felt as though he were talking to a lunatic.

“I don’t believe you have anything worthwhile to offer me... but my daughter is in your hands. Even if all you have to say is nonsense, I still have to listen and remember every word, don’t I?”

“I’m not a terrorist, President Graham. But before we continue, I’m guessing you have quite a few people around you right now.”

Luke deliberately added, “Especially that elite unit you’re so proud of. Coincidentally, I have a DSO, a Division of Security Operations, of my own. They specialize in dealing with bioterrorism.”

“Division of Security Operations?” Graham frowned.

He had a similar unit under his command, although theirs was primarily responsible for screening survivor groups and assessing potential threats.

From the sound of it, the other side had assigned its DSO specifically to handle bioterrorism.

And if they had a dedicated response unit, that meant they had considerable manpower. They might even control an Ark of their own.

After the apocalypse, Arks had been established throughout America one after another.

But each Ark was like an isolated island in the middle of an ocean. Graham only knew of a handful, and he had already lost contact with half of them.

“All right, let’s get to the point. What we’re about to discuss is extremely important. Important enough to overturn the current balance of power. So I hope you can keep this secret to yourself.”

Luke finished speaking.

...

Southern City-State.

President’s Office.

President Graham held the receiver, a puzzled expression on his face.

If his daughter weren’t in their hands, he would already have ordered his people to trace the signal and send a team to wipe them out.

What kind of nonsense was this?

Overturn the balance of power?

Still, Graham intended to hear them out. Just as he had said earlier, with his daughter in their hands, he had no choice but to listen even if they were spouting nonsense.

He looked up at the fully armed subordinates standing around his office.

Among them were two figures who stood out sharply from the rest.

One was massive, his body packed with muscle, built like a human tank.

He simply stood against the wall with his arms folded, yet his presence alone placed tremendous pressure on everyone nearby.

An elite warrior. Chris.

The other was a striking short-haired woman. Her features were exceptionally refined, but there was a sharp competence in her expression and bearing.

Beautiful and capable. Jill.

These two were among Graham’s most trusted people, specifically responsible for countering bioterrorist threats. Chris served as captain of the Special Operations Unit.

Jill had only joined after escaping Raccoon City, but she had quickly distinguished herself.

Chris listened to the radio with a slight frown.

When the president looked to him for an opinion, Chris thought for a moment, then gestured for the others to leave.

If the other side was willing to make a claim like that, whether it was true or not, they couldn’t simply ignore it.

Even the ravings of a madman were better heard openly than left to turn into something dangerous in the dark.

President Graham understood.

“Everyone out!”

He ordered the others in the office, “No one comes back in without my permission!”

Although they were clearly uneasy, the others obeyed, filing out and closing the door behind them.

Only President Graham, Chris, and Jill remained in the spacious office.

“All right.”

Graham spoke again. “I’ve sent everyone else away. Only two people responsible for my personal security remain.”

“They’ve both rendered tremendous service to my city-state. I trust them completely.”

“Now can you tell me, mystery man?”

“That’s your decision.” Ada took over, her voice cool. “I’m only going to tell you what our bargaining chip is. If this information leaks, the responsibility is yours.”

She paused briefly before dropping the bombshell.

“We have... an antidote for the walker virus.”

Everyone in the office reacted at once.

An antidote for the walker virus?

What a load of crap!

Next they’d probably claim walkers had hemorrhoids too.

Graham was about to dismiss the claim outright, but Ada’s next words made him frown deeply.

“As far as I know, your city-state has also been organizing researchers to investigate the possibility.”

“Unfortunately, despite pouring tremendous manpower and resources into it, you’ve made no progress at all, correct?”

“You’ve practically given up hope yourselves.”

“That is among the city-state’s highest-level secrets. How do you know about it?” Graham demanded.

“That’s our secret,” Ada replied.

“We’re different. Even before the apocalypse began, we already had a top-tier laboratory here. We’ve classified the different types of walkers and analyzed the distinct protein structures associated with their viruses...”

“We already have dozens of separate classifications. Given enough time, funding, and resources, sooner or later we’ll crack every one of those viruses.”

“When that day comes, we’ll possess the one absolute power that matters in this apocalypse. The power to rewrite life and death.”

“Is that bargaining chip worth a nuclear bomb?”

“That’s impossible!”

President Graham shot to his feet.

A virus antidote!

It was something all of humanity dreamed of possessing. Who wouldn’t want to reverse the apocalypse and return to the world that existed before the outbreak?

If such a thing truly existed, it would be like the legendary holy water.

His city-state had poured enormous resources into researching it for so long, yet they hadn’t even caught a glimpse of success.

How could these people possibly claim they had already developed an antidote?

Even if it only worked against a single virus, that alone would be enough to reignite hope across all of humanity.

The diseases ravaging the world could finally begin to be eradicated one by one.

“Nothing is impossible.” The corner of Ada’s lips curled upward. She had found an opening.

“President Graham, do you think we’re terrorists trying to extort you? If so, you’re badly mistaken.”

“The power we possess is no weaker than your city-state’s.”

“So what if you have nuclear weapons?”

“We have biochemical bombs. Drop just one, and an enemy force can collapse without ever putting up a fight.”

At this point, both sides were laying their cards on the table.

The Commonwealth held an information advantage. At the very least, they knew where the city-state was located.

And they truly did possess biochemical bombs.

A doctor’s scalpel could save lives, but that didn’t mean it couldn’t also kill.

Chris and Jill both grew grim.

A nuclear bomb could destroy an entire city.

Its physical destructive power was absolute, especially in the apocalypse. But a weapon capable of selectively wiping out humans was even more terrifying than mustard gas.

“Then... what exactly is your real objective?”

President Graham slowly sat back down, no longer daring to underestimate them.

Even if the people on the other end really were lunatics, they would still have to find those lunatics first. Otherwise, no one would sleep easily.

“It’s simple. We want an alliance,” Ada said according to Luke’s instructions. “We want your nuclear weapons. In exchange, we can provide virus antidotes, and even the original virus data.”

“Politicians have always known how to weigh benefits against risks. Each of us holds something the other needs. We form an alliance and share our technology.”

“In an apocalypse surrounded by wolves on every side, together we’ll become a beacon that no one can shake.”

“Think it over carefully.”

With that, Ada prepared to end the transmission.