Chapter 54: The World’s End
Quetzalcoatl—a demonic creature, genetically engineered from a blend of multiple genomes. According to Lee Yeonho, it was meant to transcend every boundary of possibility.
The beast radiated violence the moment it was born, but not even its creator could predict how it would behave. A creation, by its very nature, cannot obey a creator it doesn’t recognize—and certainly not when it knows nothing of the world it’s been thrust into.
Lee Yeonho understood this, but he had catastrophically little time to study it. The moment incubation was successful, the leader of Umbra allowed himself a breath of relief.
A lone doctor had assisted in its creation—a specialist of rare caliber, nearly impossible to find in today’s world.
Upon release, the serpent tested its strength on everything around it. As it devoured the world, it developed the ability to smell.
But when Minho’s axes slashed its body, it felt something new—pain. That sensation made it flee. It ran from the one who had become the embodiment of agony.
Quetzalcoatl was still an infant, adapting to its environment. It slithered toward the densest scent of prey. With each life consumed, it experienced surges of emotion—violent, primal feelings that awakened its regenerative capabilities.
Umbra’s forces pursued it, cloaked in shadow. Lee Yeonho was disappointed by the chaotic outcome, but his followers were under strict orders to protect the serpent.
The plan had always depended on instinct—on how the beast would respond to the world. And Lee Yeonho understood now: true domination would take time.
Meanwhile, swarms of helicopters and drones closed in on the monstrosity. Their warheads were primed to strike the worm’s gullet the moment it left the Green Zone.
The military held their fire, waiting for it to cross the boundary.