Chapter 96: Hierarchy
At William's retort, Chetan Ambani gave a mischievous smile and then left the line.
Marlon burst out laughing. "You're acting like a Brawler yourself, William! A guy butts in front of you and you challenge him to a duel!"
William's face had gone peculiarly pale in the moments after Chetan Ambani left. He put a hand to his forehead. "I don't know what came over me. When he stepped in front of us, this incredible surge of anger filled my body. It was all that I could do to avoid striking him right in the face!"
Marlon kept laughing. "I guess we'd better be careful, huh, Alexandre? If we don't keep the apartment nice and tidy, this little bastard might headbutt us in the face. He's like a goddamn pit bull!"
But Alexandre wasn't smiling. He said in a serious voice, "I wouldn't joke about it so lightly. This is a very serious matter. Haven't you heard about Hunter Syndrome? When a human turns into a Hunter, there's an intense hormonal shift that seriously affects the frontal lobe. It makes both men and women more aggressive, violent... and, well, it increases the libido. But there's a decrease to the patient's perception of morality, leaving them with less remorse after committing violent acts. This is why Hunters have ten times the violent crime rate of humans. The more your body evolves, the hotter your temper will run. You both need to learn to control your rage before it's too late."
William looked shaken. "What? You're saying that I'm becoming a more physically violent person due to my transformation!? But I feel perfectly fine! This is absurd."
Alexandre shook his head. "We're being injected with the same substance that causes Zombies to go berserk. Why are you acting surprised?"
Marlon interjected, "Damn, if you're right, we're gonna be in some deep shit. And by 'we,' I mean everyone. The stuff people were doing in the exams are gonna look like Sunday dinner compared to what's coming."
Alexandre replied, "Don't worry too much. We're at Hunter Academy. It's in their best interests to help students retain their sanity. They'll teach you to control your emotions, so just try to avoid murder or sexual assault until then."