MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - "The Three Laws of Zombiotics" - STORIES, PSEUDO NON-FICTION, POETRY, ETC. NEEDED

jinlo · 08-12-2010, 08:54 AM

Seems we have stumbled on that age old question of when to go nuclear with Zombies.

Obviously, the outbreak has to reach an extremely critical stage before the nuclear option is ever considered. You're not going to drop the big one just to take care of a few dozen Zombies shambling across the countryside.

The argument to utilize tactical nuclear weapons does gain substance, however, when the epidemic rages across large cities having populations in the millions. You've got a large concentration of Zombies shambling across an area of 50 or more square miles with hundreds of steel and concrete buildings. There are countless roads and alleys, possibly an underground rail system, as well as tunnels, bridges, and waterways. It's going to be a real problem to root out all the undead. And remember, it only takes one overlooked Zombie to start another horde. As derrell noted, there is also a large probability of non-infected survivors holed up in some apartment building or hiding in the back of convenience stores.

Let's face it, this is a big mess and alternatives are few. Quarantines with fences and concrete barriers are potentially useless with so many exit points to cover. Sniping will simply take forever. So, what's left?

Personally, I don't think a nuke is the best choice. I've seen the models, I know the blast radius will take care of far more Zombies than any other known weapon. Still, it won't get them all, and what's left is now going to be covered in radioactive fallout. Yeah, it might be easier to detect a Zombie when it's glowing in the dark and Geiger counters can now be used as an alert system, but having radioactive Zombies just doesn't seem like a move in the right direction.

08-12-2010, 08:54 AM	#88
jinlo aka coco jinlo Posts: 415 Karma: 500002 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: NJ-USA Device: Just purchased Sony 505, but alas, it is for the wife	Seems we have stumbled on that age old question of when to go nuclear with Zombies. Obviously, the outbreak has to reach an extremely critical stage before the nuclear option is ever considered. You're not going to drop the big one just to take care of a few dozen Zombies shambling across the countryside. The argument to utilize tactical nuclear weapons does gain substance, however, when the epidemic rages across large cities having populations in the millions. You've got a large concentration of Zombies shambling across an area of 50 or more square miles with hundreds of steel and concrete buildings. There are countless roads and alleys, possibly an underground rail system, as well as tunnels, bridges, and waterways. It's going to be a real problem to root out all the undead. And remember, it only takes one overlooked Zombie to start another horde. As derrell noted, there is also a large probability of non-infected survivors holed up in some apartment building or hiding in the back of convenience stores. Let's face it, this is a big mess and alternatives are few. Quarantines with fences and concrete barriers are potentially useless with so many exit points to cover. Sniping will simply take forever. So, what's left? Personally, I don't think a nuke is the best choice. I've seen the models, I know the blast radius will take care of far more Zombies than any other known weapon. Still, it won't get them all, and what's left is now going to be covered in radioactive fallout. Yeah, it might be easier to detect a Zombie when it's glowing in the dark and Geiger counters can now be used as an alert system, but having radioactive Zombies just doesn't seem like a move in the right direction.