Silence settled heavily inside the cramped submarine quarters afterward.
The low hum of the nuclear reactor echoed faintly through the steel walls while the sea shifted around the submarine outside.
Ryan slowly looked back toward the nuclear impact map pinned on the wall.
The amount of red markings covering mainland China was horrifying.
Entire regions.
Entire coastlines.
Gone.
And yet somehow—
The infected still survived.
Adrian finally broke the silence.
"Is your government still operational?"
Captain Liu did not answer immediately.
That alone already told Adrian enough.
The Chinese captain slowly walked toward the small desk before pouring hot water into several metal cups from the electric kettle.
"I don't know."
Ryan looked toward him.
"You lost contact completely?"
Captain Liu handed one of the cups toward Adrian before answering.
"Military communication collapsed in stages."
He handed another toward Ryan afterward.
