Chapter 80: Created by The Government [BONUS - ]
Those things had been the beginning of everything. The monsters that had torn through cities.
The creatures that had hunted surviving humans through ruined streets.
The monsters that had turned his previous world into hell.
The monsters that had eventually killed him.
Ethan stared at the image on the screen, unable to tear his eyes away.
His pupils trembled.
Wasn’t that—
a zombie?
***
Wait.
They had the same kind of monsters here too?
Ethan stared at the image on the screen, his expression slowly becoming more serious as an uncomfortable thought surfaced in his mind. If these creatures existed in this world as well, then wouldn’t that eventually lead to an apocalypse here too?
The thought alone made a chill run down his spine.
He immediately forced himself to think about it more carefully, however, and after a moment, he managed to rule out the possibility, at least for now.
His previous world had been completely different.
There had not been a single monster before the apocalypse began, which meant that when the first zombie-like creatures suddenly appeared, humanity had been caught completely off guard. Nobody knew what they were, how they behaved, what their weaknesses were, or even how to properly fight them. By the time people began understanding what was happening, the monsters had already spread far beyond anyone’s ability to control them.
This world, however, was practically built around monsters.
Rifts existed.
Miasma existed.
Spiritual energy existed.
Sentinels were trained specifically to fight monsters, while Guides supported them by managing their spiritual energy and keeping them from being overwhelmed by corruption. There were entire military units, academies, research facilities, and organizations dedicated to dealing with monster-related threats.
Humanity here wasn’t waiting helplessly for monsters to appear.
They had been fighting them for generations.
There were countless people who knew how to kill them.
So even if these zombie-like creatures existed here, it was highly unlikely that they could simply overwhelm the Empire the way they had overwhelmed humanity in his previous life.
At least...
He hoped so.
Ethan slowly exhaled and forced himself to put those thoughts aside before turning his attention back toward the lecture.
Mr. Davin stood at the front of the classroom with his teaching stick in hand, pointing toward the enormous image displayed across the screen.
"This specimen is classified as a high-tier infectious monster," he began, his voice carrying clearly throughout the classroom. "Its official research designation is Specimen Z-07, although most field units have already begun referring to it by the name commonly associated with its appearance."
The image enlarged.
Ethan’s eyes narrowed.
The creature looked disturbingly humanoid at first glance, but the longer he stared at it, the more obvious its monstrous nature became. Its body was unnaturally thin and elongated, with limbs that appeared slightly too long for its frame, while layers of greyish, decaying flesh stretched tightly over its bones. Dark veins spread across its neck and arms like tangled roots, and several portions of its body appeared almost blackened, as though the flesh had been exposed to corrupted spiritual energy for far too long.
Its fingers ended in long, hardened claws, while its jaw extended farther than any ordinary human jaw should have been capable of moving. Rows of irregular, needle-like teeth filled its mouth, designed less for tearing flesh apart and more for piercing directly into its prey.
Yet the most disturbing part of the creature was its eyes.
They were completely different from the eyes of ordinary monsters.
Instead of the usual spiritual core located somewhere within the chest cavity, the creature possessed a strange crystalline structure deep inside both eyes, each one glowing with a faint, ominous light.
Mr. Davin tapped the screen with his teaching stick.
"Unlike most high-tier monsters, Specimen Z-07 does not rely solely on physical strength. Its greatest danger comes from its infectious nature."
Several students immediately began taking notes.
Ethan remained silent.
He already knew where this was going.
"The creature possesses exceptional physical regeneration, heightened speed, increased strength, and a highly developed sense of smell. It is also capable of detecting changes in spiritual energy from considerable distances, which makes hiding from an active specimen extremely difficult."
Mr. Davin paused before continuing.
"However, none of those abilities are its greatest threat."
He changed the image.
The screen now displayed a diagram showing a human figure beside the monster, followed by another figure with distorted features.
"The greatest danger of this species is its ability to infect ordinary humans through a bite." Mr. Davin looked across the classroom. "Before we proceed to the next section, I want to see whether anyone can identify the common advantage this creature possesses based on the characteristics I have just mentioned."
The classroom fell silent.
Several students lowered their heads, hurriedly looking through their notes, while others exchanged uncertain glances.
Ethan didn’t hesitate. He pushed his chair back and stood.
"Once they bite a normal person, that person becomes infected and starts behaving like them."
Every head in the classroom turned toward him.
Ethan continued, his voice becoming firmer as memories from his previous life resurfaced.
"So instead of simply killing or eating their victims, the monsters multiply their numbers through infection. Every person they bite becomes another infected creature, which means the longer they’re allowed to spread, the more dangerous the situation becomes."
Silence followed his explanation.
Mr. Davin stared at him for a moment before slowly nodding.
"Correct."
Applause immediately broke out around the classroom.
Lara was among the first to clap, looking at Ethan with obvious admiration, while several other students nodded in agreement.
Jake’s expression became complicated.
Again?
This new student had somehow managed to get another thing correctly.
Mr. Davin waited for the applause to settle before continuing.
"Now, moving to the next section."
The screen changed again.
This time, several diagrams of the creature’s body appeared, highlighting different areas.
"The registered methods for taking down these monsters are somewhat different from those used against ordinary monsters."
Mr. Davin pointed toward the chest.
"Most monsters possess a spiritual core somewhere within the chest or central body cavity. Destroying that core usually results in immediate death."
He moved his teaching stick upward.
"But Specimen Z-07 is different."
The image zoomed toward the creature’s head.
"The core isn’t located in its chest."
Ethan’s brows furrowed.
Mr. Davin pointed directly at the creature’s eyes.
"It is located here."
The classroom became noticeably quieter.
"The eyes contain the creature’s primary spiritual core. Therefore, the most reliable method of killing it is to destroy the core directly. Severing limbs or damaging the body will only slow it down because its regenerative ability allows it to recover extremely quickly."
Mr. Davin continued, "The government has therefore been developing and testing specialized methods to deal with these creatures, particularly because—"
Ethan suddenly froze.
Government?
His gaze snapped back toward the screen.
He had been so focused on the information about the monsters that the word had barely registered until now.
But now it echoed loudly in his mind.
The government.
Why would the government need to develop specialized methods for dealing with these creatures?
Unless...
Ethan’s expression slowly changed.
A terrible possibility began forming in his mind.
He looked back at the image of the zombie-like creature displayed across the screen.
His stomach tightened.
Wait.
Did that mean...
These creatures that had been putting people’s lives in danger...
Were created by the government?