Chapter 104: Cruelty
Even disregarding the monster's aggressiveness, its appearance alone was enough to terrify most people.
When Thor first saw such an ugly, disgusting, and horrifying creature, he was startled, yet the man before him showed no change in expression.
Was it an illusion? For a moment, he even sensed a faint smile on Mord's face.
It must have been a trick of the eyes.
"Mr. Mord, this is one of the commoners afflicted with the strange illness," Thor explained.
Mord pointed at the gruesome wound on the creature's face and remarked, "Even in this state, it still has the strength to struggle."
"After contracting this illness, these commoners not only lose their sanity and bite people indiscriminately but also gain immense strength, lose all sense of pain, and develop an incredibly tenacious vitality," Thor elaborated.
"Through experimentation, we've found that the only way to kill them is to decapitate them or directly destroy their brains," Thor added.
Its characteristics were identical to the zombies from the films and games in Mord's previous life.
The spread of the zombie virus was alarmingly fast—no wonder Netero was personally overseeing the matter.
Fortunately, it seemed the zombie virus hadn't spread widely yet, and the situation was still under control.
"How many people have been infected with this illness?" Mord asked.
"So far, it's confined to Tolgon City. No cases have been reported elsewhere," Thor paused before continuing. "The entire city has been completely sealed off, and any of these creatures that emerge are to be eliminated on sight."
Had things escalated to this extent already?
Mord rubbed his forehead and asked, "Is it the Khongyon Kingdom's people handling this?"
"No."
"The blockade task is being carried out by the Ninth Army directly under the Federation of Ochima," Thor replied.
The V5 nations were truly overbearing, deploying troops into another country's territory under the guise of assisting with difficulties, leaving smaller nations with no right to refuse.
"Then what's the story with this one here?"
"I smuggled this out. I'm a physician, and I want to find a cure for this strange disease," Thor said earnestly.
"How long has the lockdown been in place?"
"Today is the ninth day."
"Take me to Tolgon City."
...
...
At Tolgon City, all exits were garrisoned by the Federation of Ochima's military.
Countless tanks, artillery, and heavy weapons were aimed at the entrances.
Mord and his companions' vehicle was stopped by a squad of soldiers.
"We're hunters from the Hunter Association, commissioned by the Khongyon Kingdom to investigate the strange disease in Tolgon City. Here are the relevant documents," Thor negotiated.
The leading officer, after inspecting Mord and the others' identification, said with an unfriendly expression, "I can let you in, but let me be clear—if you get infected inside, we won't show any mercy when the time comes."
The Hunter Association had a long-standing cooperative relationship with the V5, so they wouldn't stop Mord and the others from entering; this much courtesy was given.
Moreover, the Federation of Ochima had deployed troops to the Khongyon Kingdom solely to prevent the spread of the strange disease, so they had no reason to obstruct them.
Bang!
Just then, a gunshot suddenly rang out in the distance.
Mord looked up and saw a young boy with a gunshot wound to his forehead, his body stiffening before collapsing to the ground. Crimson blood soon formed a small pool around him.
Another girl beside him was frozen in terror at the sight, her entire body trembling uncontrollably.
Yet the soldiers standing across the military barricade remained cold and detached, repeating the same words over and over.
"All arrivals must immediately remove all clothing!"
"All arrivals must immediately remove all clothing!"
"All arrivals must immediately remove all clothing!"
...
The lead officer watched the girl opposite him, his raised right hand poised to gesture at any moment.
Under the gaze of everyone present, the girl—consumed by fear and humiliation—stripped off all her clothes and pants, not even sparing her shoes.
The Federation of Ochima military then dispatched a fully armed soldier in protective gear to inspect her. After confirming she was clear, he gestured to the other side, allowing her to pass.
"Any wound contaminated with a patient's saliva, bodily fluids, or blood can lead to infection. That's why everyone leaving the city must prove they haven't been bitten by those monsters," Thor explained, following Mord's gaze.
"What if the wounds aren't caused by those monsters?" Mord asked.
The response was a prolonged silence—an answer in itself.
Mord said, "Thor, you stay outside and continue developing the antidote. I'll go in to assess the situation and save as many as possible."
Mord's mission was to investigate the origin of this strange disease.
To uncover the source, he had to go to the epicenter of the outbreak.
After so many days, no one knew what it was like inside. According to the Federation of Ochima military, fewer and fewer people had been emerging over the past two days.
The two children earlier were the only living souls they had seen all day.
Though Thor possessed Hatsu, he was not a combatant and would only be a liability inside.
Moreover, he was far more useful remaining outside.
If he could develop an antidote, the crisis could be completely resolved.
Bang!
A loud noise echoed as the heavy gate slammed shut behind him.
Mord ventured alone into the city overrun by zombies.
...
...
The streets were predictably desolate, with no signs of living humans—only zombies wandering aimlessly.
Near the entrance, a group of zombies was feasting on their "meal."
Mord glanced over and saw a middle-aged woman lying on the cold ground, her body ravaged beyond recognition. Half of her face remained, faintly bearing a trace of a smile.
A great mother.
Mord's presence drew the attention of the zombies.
Sensing the scent of a living person, they abandoned their "meal" and began shuffling toward him.
Their movements were slow, posing zero threat.
Mord assessed the zombies before him, casually picking up a few stones and hurling them forward.
Several zombies were struck in the head before they could even lunge, dark fluid splattering as they crumpled to the ground.
The entire process took less than a second.
If this was their level of threat, then no matter how many came, they posed no danger to Mord.
Then I'll just exterminate every last zombie and head back.
Mord looked up at the zombies wandering the streets and walked over.
...
...
One hour later.
Mord began to slowly change his mind—there were simply too many zombies.
Along the way, his Zetsu hadn't detected a single living person.
Only these zombie monsters.
If everyone in the entire city had turned into such monsters, the image of a city besieged by zombies surfaced in his mind.
Forget hundreds of thousands of zombie monsters—even hundreds of thousands of wooden stakes would take considerable time to destroy.
Elsewhere.
Among the Ochima troops stationed outside, one officer dialed a number on his phone...