While introducing Subject-1, the screen showed some photos.
They depicted humanoid creatures with smooth grey skin, large bat-like heads, and tall, monstrous bodies.
They looked utterly grotesque.
[Subject-2 is a class of worm-like organisms, with varying sizes, shapes, and functions. They are classified as Subject-2A, 2B, and 2C respectively.]
[Genetic analysis reveals that all Subject-2 types share a close kinship, with Homo sapiens as their most recent common ancestor. It is suspected that Subject-2 did not evolve naturally, though their true origin remains unknown.]
[Subject-2A strongly resembles lampreys but has internal structures more similar to leeches.]
[Each Subject-1 hosts a Subject-2A inside its abdominal cavity, generally in the place of their stomach and intestines.]
[Subject-2B is a worm-like species that inhabits the crevices of the Vampire Factory's walls.]
[The Factory appears to have carved an extensive tunnel network for them to move through.]
[These slender worms often enter Subject-1's bodies (primarily via the mouth or rectum), yet cause no harm or discomfort. Subject-2B is believed to assist in distributing nutrients within the Factory, absorbing from the most recently fed Subject-1s.]
[Subject-2C is a tendril-like organism, rooted to the Factory's structure, similar to 2B in habitat.]
[These tentacle-like creatures are composed mainly of neurons and, while inactive, remain attached to Subject-1's spines.]
[Subject-1s only display intelligence when connected to Subject-2C (including prayer-like behaviors). While connected, Subject-1s are considered inactive.]
[When active, Subject-1s leave the Factory to hunt live humans. Non-human animals and human corpses are ignored. Activity periods do not occur for all Subject-1s simultaneously (though generally happen between dusk and dawn).]
[They do not hunt in packs, instead wandering alone through the forests. They use venomous hooks on their wrist bones to inject a paralytic agent into prey.]
[Once the prey is subdued, Subject-1 opens its mouth, unhinging its jaw and widening its throat.]
[Then, Subject-2A crawls out from within Subject-1 and wraps around the prey's neck, feeding through its toothed funnel-like mouth.]
[Subject-2A first injects digestive enzymes to liquefy the organs, muscles, and bones, then consumes the resulting fluids. This process takes 20 to 50 minutes depending on prey size.]
As the screen introduced these three worm monsters, it showed corresponding photos.
Each was more revolting than the last.
[Residents near Hoia Forest have long known of the Vampire Factory's existence, but the Foundation only recognized it as anomalous in August 1916, after 244 Austro-Hungarian First Army soldiers went missing during the Transylvanian Campaign.]
[Due to World War I, containment efforts only began in early 1919. With food sources cut off, Subject-1s began hibernating from December 1924 onwards.]
[Several incidents between 1932 and 1977 revealed the existence of the Factory's true master – Subject-3.]
At this point, the screen began playing a video.
The footage was from high altitude, showing several islands at varying distances from each other, all shaking with massive earthquakes.
[Multiple islands were struck by earthquakes simultaneously, despite being located on tectonically stable plates and far apart. This anomaly alerted the Foundation to potential underlying causes.]
[As investigations deepened, more strange phenomena were reported within these earthquakes.]
[Residents claimed vampires emerged from underground during the tremors, though local media dismissed it as superstition to maintain secrecy.]
[Elsewhere, people saw a giant serpent rise from underground, devouring humans.]
[Some places reported massive tentacles emerging from cracks, dragging hundreds into the earth.]
[In areas struck by nighttime quakes, locals spoke of pale-faced monsters attacking en masse.]
[These rumors, all tied to the same seismic events, forced the Foundation to suspect a deeper problem.]
[Further analysis indicated a potential link to the Vampire Factory.]
[The Foundation dispatched elite forces to explore the Factory's depths. Only then did they realize the Factory was an immense subterranean labyrinth, like a bottomless abyss leading to another world.]
[Inside were countless Subject-1 and Subject-2 entities. The task force was swiftly overwhelmed and completely wiped out.]
[Later, the Foundation sent an even stronger force of several hundred soldiers. After suffering heavy casualties, they finally uncovered the truth.]
[Previously, it was thought that Subject-1 and Subject-2 were the Factory's primary anomalies. But in reality, both are products of a far greater entity – Subject-3.]
[Subject-3 is a colossal organism, its core located deep beneath the Factory. Its true size is unmeasurable, but its root-like appendages spread across roughly 660,000 square kilometers.]
[Subject-3 secretes a corrosive substance, tunneling out the extensive network beneath the entire Balkan Peninsula.]
[It is intelligent, controlling Subject-1 and Subject-2 through complex pheromones and direct physical interaction with Subject-2C.]
[Subject-1s (aided by Subject-2A and 2B) act as harvesters for Subject-3.]
[It was discovered that local villagers perform human sacrifices to the Factory to appease the quakes.]
[All activities within the Vampire Factory ultimately serve Subject-3's feeding. When it starves, it triggers massive earthquakes to slaughter and drag surface dwellers underground.]
[Thus, villages surrounding Hoia Forest regularly offer live humans as sacrifices – not just locals, but also travelers – explaining the region's high disappearance rates.]
(End of Chapter)
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