Chapter 27 – The Price of Evolution
The meeting in the military base's main hall wasn't over yet. After Colonel Ren's explanation about the new zombie types and the emergence of the "Queen," the atmosphere was still tense. The team captains exchanged glances—some serious, others already beginning to formulate personal strategies in their minds. But when the side door opened and a man in a white uniform walked in with several folders in hand, the room fell silent again.
He was Dr. Elric Vash, head of the research team from the central base. Thin glasses sat on his nose, his silver-blond hair slightly messy. But the most striking thing about him was his gaze—sharp, full of enthusiasm, like a scientist who had just discovered something insane and brilliant at the same time.
He stood next to Colonel Ren, giving a slight nod to everyone in the room.
"Good afternoon. I won't take long." He immediately turned on the large monitor. A 3D image appeared—a zombie skull with the brain section highlighted, and in the center, a small diamond-shaped crystal emitting a faint reddish glow.
"This is what we found from autopsies of several Rank 3 zombies, this called Zombie Core, or 'Blood Crystal'," Elric said. "Located at the center of the brain. Not all zombies have it. Only those who have reached Rank 3—meaning they've evolved beyond the basic limit of their species."
Whispers started to spread.
"We've also isolated its effects," Elric continued, tapping the screen to display a graph. "When condensed and purified, this crystal can be broken down into a liquid reagent. And... here are the results."
He showed a graph of an Awakened human's status increase after using the purified reagent. The boost... was astonishing.
"One crystal yields 10 reagents and one reagent... increases three levels at once."