Isla was right.
Sure enough, the city had been placed under military lockdown.
No one was allowed in or out, and a strict curfew was enforced. Without special clearance, it was forbidden to walk the streets at random.
Now, the only people permitted to move freely were the police and soldiers.
When Fenric and Chen's father attempted to leave their community, they were stopped by police stationed at the gate and advised to return.
Of course, if Fenric truly wanted to leave, nothing could stop him.
With his current strength and arsenal of special items, even an A-rank powerhouse couldn't hold him back.
But Fenric wasn't the type to make things difficult for the officers just doing their job.
Given the situation, he decided it would be best to cooperate with the authorities—for now—and gather information.
As of now, the entire city was under closed management.
During mealtimes, staff delivered supplies door-to-door: rice, vegetables, meat—enough to feed a family of three for two or three days.
The internet remained offline. It seemed that all major network providers had been evacuated. Nearby signal towers were either shut down or jammed, rendering mobile phones completely useless.
No internet. No calls. No online access at all.
Clearly, the move was intended to prevent information leaks and public panic.
That night, Fenric could hear distant sounds from the city center—inhuman roars and sporadic bursts of gunfire.
His expression darkened. He planned to enter the Samsara Space later that night to investigate.
Finally, it was midnight.
When the full moon tattoo on his arm began to glow a faint red, Fenric pressed his hand against it and instantly vanished from his room.
Upon entering Samsara Space, he immediately opened his friend list. Three contacts were offline.
After a moment's thought, he headed for the Entertainment City and entered the bar.
The bar in Samsara Space was always bustling with people—a perfect place to gather intel and overhear valuable information.
"Brother, is your area under military lockdown too?"
"Lockdown? What lockdown?"
"Damn, you seriously don't know?"
"Haven't heard anything like that."
"My city's locked down too. Which city are you from?"
"HA City. You?"
"CZ City."
"What the hell are you guys talking about? Why isn't there any news about this online?"
"Bro, the internet's down where we are. Total blackout!"
"Has to be something major. The government doesn't move like this unless it's serious."
Just a few minutes in the bar, and Fenric had already picked up valuable intel.
Apparently, multiple cities were under lockdown.
Then, a prompt popped up from the system:
"You have a new message. 'Belle Morwyn' is requesting a video call. Please respond promptly."
Fenric left the bar immediately and accepted the call.
Moments later, Belle's spirit avatar appeared before him.
"Belle, you came at the perfect time. I've got questions," Fenric said. "My city's been locked down by the military. Do you know why?"
"I do."
She had logged in specifically to inform him.
"Great. Do you have time now? Let's meet at the teahouse and talk there."
"Sure."
After ending the call, Fenric reserved a private box at the teahouse and waited.
A short while later, Belle Morwyn arrived.
"Belle, what exactly is going on?" Fenric asked.
"Shura, do you remember the 116 Incident back in 2009?" she asked.
Fenric paused, then nodded. "Of course."
The 116 Incident referred to a rebellion launched by a group of Samsara on November 6, 2009.
Fenric had even referenced the incident before when he sold his "World War Z" strategy to counter moral grandstanders at the bar. He knew the story well.
In fact, most people in the country did.
"Even though the 116 Incident was ultimately suppressed by the authorities," Belle said, "many of its members survived."
"They've been operating in the shadows ever since, gradually accumulating resources. In secret, they formed a dangerous organization called the Red Light Society."
"They aim to create a world where Samsara reign supreme, hidden in the dark, biding their time."
"This latest event was orchestrated by them. They managed to obtain a sample of the Blacklight Virus from the Samsara Tower instance 'Prototype'—and today, they released it to plunge the world into chaos."
Fenric's eyes widened.
"Blacklight Virus?!"
This virus was far more terrifying than the T-virus from Resident Evil. The Blacklight Virus wasn't just lethal—it accelerated evolution itself.
Once infected, even ordinary people would mutate into zombie-like creatures—except these ones could evolve into powerful monsters.
And if the host happened to be an "[Evolved]"?
They could awaken all kinds of terrifying abilities.
Shifting arms into blades, transforming their bodies into living armor—those were just the basics. The real powers were catastrophic!
The virus was even more potent than the symbiotes from Venom.
The Blacklight Virus came from Prototype 577.
Back on the old Earth, Prototype had been a popular open-world sci-fi action game. The plot featured a city infected by the virus, teeming with mutated monsters.
Fenric had played it and loved it.
But he never imagined Prototype would appear in the Samsara Tower… or that the virus sample could be brought into the real world.
That was insane.
"The virus is extremely dangerous," Belle continued. "It turns people into evolvable mutants. Thankfully, it's not easily contagious—it can't spread through air or water. With proper containment, it can be controlled."
"Our country's systems are robust. We've already taken the right steps. But in smaller, unstable nations… things could get ugly."
Fenric's expression turned grim.
"Wait, Belle… are you saying the Red Light Society released this virus worldwide today?"
"Yes," she replied. "According to intel my sister acquired, several small countries have already seen their capital cities fall. It's only a matter of time before they become full-on monster zones."
"..."
Fenric was speechless.
This Red Light Society… their methods were absolutely insane.