Unfathomable Doomsday

The history of human warfare was the history of weapons evolution. That was what Lucius had always believed. Starting with a sword, a blade that could cut down and reap life, it had evolved into a gun that could take life from miles away with a single pull of the trigger. War had given mankind little else but death and loss.

Weapons became more and more powerful so that the value of human life in the war was slowly diminished, even untraceable. A single nuclear bomb could claim the lives of millions of people. This is war, and this is what mankind has created as weapons. Killing human with a gun is so simple. One bullet for one life. That was the value of a human's life.

"That's why humans are scary." Lucius leaned against a wall forged from steel, looking at the lab whose walls and the floor was stained with blood, and the lights had changed to red alert. Alarm sound throughout the entire base.

"With their intelligence, they were able to create so many things that could kill their own kind. So many…"

Lucius closed his eyes and listened to the movement around this place. By absorbing their blood, Lucius could access the memories of the scientists who had vainly attempted to dissect him. Lucius learned that this underground research base was actually a factory that produced the ‘suppressant'. Namely, the amber-colored agent that could temporarily slow down the erosion of the Black Light Virus.

This was the only production place in the entire New Federation of China. Initially, these preparations were to control the citizens who were rebelling under the iron fist of the New Federation of China President. Now, it's used to suppress the civilians who were dissatisfied with the New Federation of China regime.

Tranquilizer. Using drugs to control the minds of citizens. A drug whose function was to suppress the national riot. Lucius was sure. This time, he was in the right place.

This underground research facility was structured like a beehive. Lucius was at the lowest part of the six floors. On the way to the surface, the soldiers armed with automatic rifles must've blocked all entrance and exits.

"This is really interesting."

As Lucius continued to analyze the base, he found another big surprise. "Capture the virus prototype?" Lucius pronounced this one term, "What does it mean? A high-level infected body?"

But the system still showed that there was only one level 4 infected body. Then… what was the so-called Virus Prototype?

"The factory is located on the second floor?"

Lucius looked towards the steel ceiling. Since he didn't know the truth, it's better to check it put with his own eyes.

Lucius walked out from the lab, the outside corridor was a tunnel made of metal. A dim crimson light illuminated the tunnel. By drinking the scientists' blood, Lucius had completely imprinted the map of this base in his brain.

While Lucius's footsteps echoed throughout the corridor, there was also the sound of messy and noisy footsteps and human conversations in the corridor.

"There's only one target! Team 3 holds this position. Team 1 and 2, search all the rooms and find the target in hiding, immediately. Shoot to kill the subject! Show no mer…"

The voice stopped mid-sentence abruptly because the heavily armed commander bumped into a man.

"Yo, hello, everyone."

Lucius looked at the roughly twenty-four people standing in this tunnel, wearing black uniforms and pointing assault rifles at Lucius.

The tense and serious atmosphere of the original chase stalled when the commander bumped into Lucius. Without any intention of hiding, Lucius just stood still in front of the muzzles of these soldiers' guns.

His scarlet eyes reflected the dim light in the tunnel. His mouth smiled, showing brilliant shark-like teeth. His hands and body were stained with blood. But the relaxed smile on Lucius's face told everyone present that he's still alive and well.

Previously, many of the soldiers presented had seen the death of the person in front of them. It was clear that his heart had been pierced by a wooden crucifix, and his brain had been shot through by bullets. But even so, he… was still standing there, unharmed.

"Shoot…" the commander's voice choked, but soon, he snapped back to reality. He shouted out loud at the sight of the monster. Like what he should've done, "Shoot! Aim! Shoot at him!!!"

Bullets were fired from the muzzle of the assault rifle. The speed was so fast that humans couldn't possibly dodge them! But Lucius wasn't human!

The moment the first bullet was about to hit Lucius, his body suddenly turned into a puddle of blood and disappeared. The effect of the Scarlet Pool that could temporarily turn Lucius's body into the blood.

"He…disappeared?"

Within the commander's sight, Lucius' body suddenly exploded into nothing.

"Stay alert! Find the target!"

The commander was smart enough to know that he wasn't facing a human, but a monster that feasted on human blood. The assault attempt just now wouldn't be enough to kill him!

"The feeling of blood flowing through your body is wonderful, isn't it?"

Lucius' voice was heard right in the middle of the team. His figure slowly rose from the shadow and finally appeared in front of everyone. The soldiers who reacted quickly were going to aim at Lucius again and pull the trigger in their hands, but they were too late.

The soldiers screamed simultaneously after their arms turned into the blood pool and collapsed. The assault rifles fell to the ground, along with a pool of blood.

All the soldiers turned at Lucius after their hands fell apart. This was the devil doing! The pain of losing their arms made many of them screamed in pain. Their instinct told them to run away, but as the elite troops of the New Federation of China prevent them from doing so. But what could they do with a broken arm? They couldn't even pick up a gun!

"And the feeling of a heart beating in your chest is wonderful, too, isn't it?"

A dangerous flash of excitement glowed Lucius' eyes. Lucius' gripped his hand as if he was gripping a human heart!

"Cough… uh… ah…"

The soldiers' breathing began to quicken, and the pain in their hearts made them fall to the ground.

"If it's truly wonderful, then I'll destroy it."

Lucius squeezed his hands as tightly as he could.

Bang!

Dull voices resounded in the chests of the soldiers around Lucius. The human bodies fell to the ground without a sound. Lucius could only count 23 ‘explosion' sounds. That left the commander…

"You're an Esper?"

Lucius looked over his shoulder at the commander who was leaning against the wall, his hands had collapsed and turned into a pool of blood. Still, he was immune from Lucius's heart explosion influence. He understood he could do nothing but one…

"All force, focus on search and destroy the enemy! Notify the command room! Search the enemy units! The enemy…"

"What about the enemy?" In the middle of his radio transmission, Ye Fusheng's voice came through, "Answer quickly…"

"The enemy…"

Lucius' figure approached him reflected in his google. Lucius stepped through the blood pool and bodies of his fallen comrades.

His body was trembling. Having lost all his strength, a long-lost feeling called fear rose up within him!

"It's… it's a monster…" his voice trembled and finally he screamed out "It's a monster! The enemy is a monster!"

"What's wrong! What's happening?!"

Ye Fusheng's voice kept ringing in the radio the commander carried. But he didn't answer Ye Fusheng. A pair of scarlet eyes gazed straight at him, his throat was choked.

"I said, soldier." Lucius held a pistol in his hand, aimed for the soldier's forehead, "How much do you think human life is worth?"

How much is a human life…worth? It's worthless! As a minion of the war, he was able to answer Lucius, and the answer was this… it's worthless!

Amidst the war, the killing devices created by mankind made the lives of humans worthless. A single bullet could easily claim a human's soul. How easy it was! How fragile human life was…

So was his life. Now, when confronted with this gun, his own life was just a matter of pulling the trigger! That's all it took to claim his life.

"Your lives are completely vulnerable in front of a device you have created." Lucius pulled the trigger of his pistol, and blood exploded behind the soldier, who fell to the ground. Dead.

And still, the radio transmission in his chest kept blaring the professor's voice. Annoyed, Lucius picked up the radio.

"Answer me! Soldier! Answer me now!"

"I'm sorry, Professor Ye, but the man who could answer you is dead…"

"Damn, rats!" Ye Fusheng recognized Lucius's voice: "I will kill you! You're alone. You'll never defeat me!"

"Alone?"

Suddenly, a bottle of glistening crimson liquid appeared in Lucius's hand. The corners of Lucius's mouth split open in a pleasant curve. The fallen corpses around Lucius arose. Their mouth slowly screamed, eyes turning into the same color as Lucius', scarlet red. Muscle twisted and grew out of their broken arm. Claws as sharps as steel replaced their fingers.

"Let me give you a friendly reminder, Professor Ye. You're about to face 24 monsters, plus a vampire. If you kept silent, their number will multiply, and eventually, this underground base…"

"…will become the lair or monsters!"

Lucius crushed the radio in his hand and stood up. At the same time, the infected corpses around Lucius growled with hunger. They rushed down the corridor in all directions in search of living flesh and blood.

"A few more participants in this Christmas dinner. How wonderful it is to switch place from the prey and become the hunter that hunts my meal."

Eat up, devour everything that lives! Everything!

The sound of gunfire kept resounding throughout the corridor, accompanied by the screams of human pain, the sound of flesh being torn and devoured, the low roar of monsters…

The lives of humans are worthless as a single bullet can end their lives. But, the monsters, they had become were different now.

"The hunt begins."