Apocalypse Rebirth: Crazy from Day One

Chapter 562: Chapter 571: Chaos

During this time, the world outside had undergone massive changes, descending into complete chaos.

In a short period, many bloodthirsty and rabid mutated individuals appeared.

At first, no one knew the cause. They had no defenses and no way to counter it, so many people died as a result.

Even though people from Caeluna Base and Meridia Base had already been sent to inform outsiders about the mutated individuals and the proper way to handle them, the effort had little effect.

The main issue was that information spread too slowly.

Those injured by these mutated individuals were unaware of their predicament and would eventually mutate themselves. The number of such cases grew daily.

Outside the bases, civilians were fleeing in all directions.

Meanwhile, the major bases were not peaceful during this time either.

Caeluna’s situation was relatively stable. Thanks to Stella Sterling’s earlier warning, she had immediately implemented strict screenings, preventing any such incidents.

In all this time, no one there had mutated, and everyone else was safe. Because of the previous warning, they were much more cautious when they went out on missions.

Shane Lawrence had even organized the logistics department of Caeluna Base to produce a large batch of protective suits in the shortest time possible.

Members who went out on missions to clear out the mutated individuals would wear these protective suits.

With these multiple layers of security, the safety of Caeluna Base’s members was greatly ensured.

To this day, Caeluna Base’s defenses remain solid, with no weaknesses exposed.

But the situation in other bases was not nearly as good.

As for Meridia Base, thanks to its formidable strength and Stella Sterling’s warning, they managed to quickly suppress the few internal mutations that occurred later.

Afterward, they conducted strict screenings and implemented various protective measures, which stabilized the situation at Meridia Base.

Now, they are sending their armed personnel out to clear away those who have mutated and those who have been infected.

The other major bases, despite not reacting as quickly as Meridia Base, soon identified the source of the problem. After a brief period of chaos, they temporarily resolved the crisis, freeing them up to rescue the survivors outside.

The smaller bases, however, suffered terribly. Their strength and defenses were insufficient. Some of the weaker ones were overrun in an instant, their entire populations falling to the mutated attackers.

And such incidents were not uncommon.

All civilians were plunged into panic, but some rose from the chaos, beginning new legends of their own.

But the situation outside remained dire. Just two days ago, another base had fallen.

Moreover, this was a relatively strong base, though it was considerably weaker than top-tier powers like Meridia Base.

But its armed forces were well-equipped and its facilities were comprehensive, making it a decent sanctuary in the apocalypse.

Yet, just yesterday, this very medium-sized base was destroyed. Other bases could no longer contact them.

Only later was it discovered that the cause of its fall was the very civilians it had rescued.

With the outside world in utter chaos, many people’s first instinct in this apocalypse was to seek refuge at the various bases.

Many regions outside had already been overrun by the mutated. If the bases refused to take them in, those survivors would also turn into those grotesque monsters.

If that happened, and all the humans outside were wiped out and turned into such grotesque monsters, then it would only be a matter of time before the major bases were overrun as well.

Therefore, when faced with people seeking aid, the major bases all chose to take them in.

This included not only those who came seeking help on their own, but also survivors brought back from missions. The bases would accommodate them, which also served as a form of recruitment.

It wasn’t just that medium-sized base; other bases, large and small, did the same. But unexpectedly, the problem ultimately arose from this very practice.

The major bases would inspect all returning survivors for bite marks, only allowing those who were unbitten to enter.

They thought this method was foolproof, but unexpectedly, some of the survivors were already infected, just not yet showing signs of mutation.

In such cases, even the individuals themselves were unaware of the danger lurking within them, let alone the bases that took them in.

Of course, there might have also been some who deliberately hid their condition.

Caeluna Base had previously sent warnings to the other major bases about this possibility. However, communications were poor and messages traveled slowly, so very few bases actually received the warning.

Some bases that did receive the message refused to believe it, and even grew resentful toward Caeluna Base.

They felt that Caeluna Base, flush with its newfound strength, was trying to boss them around and tell them what to do, acting as if they were in charge. This defiance made them dismiss the warning.

In the end, that medium-sized base collapsed because of a few such individuals, and it was dismantled from the inside out.

When the leaders of the surrounding bases learned this news, they were all deeply shaken. The incident served as a stark warning, and everyone finally realized the gravity of the situation.

They then recalled Caeluna Base’s warning and were filled with regret.

But no amount of regret could change the fact that it was too late.

Just as everyone was still lamenting the fall of that base, similar incidents were quietly unfolding in several others.

No one dared to be careless any longer. They screened every single member within their bases all over again.

Stricter requirements were also imposed on any newly accepted survivors.

The situation within the bases was grim, and the world outside had become a living hell.

And this was the situation in the regions relatively close to Meridia Base and Caeluna Base.

As for regions farther away, without the warnings from these two bases and their swift countermeasures, the situation was bound to be even more dire.

Within Caeluna Base, the mood was somber. Although they had suffered no new casualties, every time they went out on a mission and witnessed the severity of the situation outside, it felt like stepping into a living purgatory.

Even though they themselves were safe, they couldn’t bring themselves to feel happy.

And at times like this, they couldn’t help but think of Sterling again.

’Thank goodness Sterling acted so decisively,’ they thought. ’If it weren’t for her, our base would probably be in the same state as all the others.’

Every time they thought of this, they were filled with both gratitude and a profound sense of awe for Stella Sterling.