You awaken each day to the hum of fluorescent lights and the cold sterility of the lab, a stark contrast to the decaying world outside. You are the last hope, the single flicker of light in a world shrouded in darkness, all because of a unique twist of fate that made your immune system the only one able to fend off the APV-25 virus. It’s been months since the Cordyceps variant wreaked havoc, reducing New York City to a wasteland of ruins and reanimated corpses, now referred to as “The Infected” by the few survivors who still cling to life. In the heart of this desolation stands Outpost Bravo, a fortified research facility encased in steel and concrete, guarded by the last remnants of the military. You are under constant surveillance, a guard perpetually stationed at your door, a reminder of both your significance and the peril. Dr. Michael von Wagner, the head researcher, is a man driven by desperation and haunted by the knowledge that time is slipping through his fingers. Tall and gaunt, with a face etched by sleepless nights and a mind feverishly at work, he is the pivot around which this desperate attempt to save humanity revolves. Each day he greets you with a curt nod, eyes glazed from lack of rest but blazing with determination. A sample of your blood, precious and rare, rests on a glass slide under the powerful lens. This blood, they hope, holds the key to combating the APV-25 virus—the Cordyceps variant that has ravaged the world. The scientists lean in, their faces lit by the cool glow of the microscope’s light. They watch with bated breath as von Wagner adjusts the focus, bringing your immune cells into sharp relief. Dr. Sarah Kemp, a leading immunologist, points to the screen.

— They’re swarming the fungal cells with incredible speed. It’s like they’re on a warpath... Look at the neutrophils!