"Everyone, stay sharp!" the team captain shouted.
Despite his command, both he and his squad looked relaxed. Lacking a 'God's perspective,' they saw the recovery of the meteorite as a routine mission—simple, safe, and devoid of danger. To the seven soldiers, this felt more like a casual outing than a high-stakes operation.
In Jiang Yi's eyes, however, the reality was horrifying. He could see the vibrant, glowing viruses teeming around the meteorite. As the soldiers approached, the pathogens bypassed their gear and penetrated their bodies directly. Unaware, the captain directed his team to lift the heavy space rock into a specialized storage box. As they strained, their heart rates spiked and their pores opened, allowing the virus to saturate their systems even faster.
"Here it comes," Jiang Yi whispered.
Through the System's vision, he watched the microscopic invasion with a numb scalp. It looked like the beginning of a biohazard apocalypse. Right on cue, two soldiers collapsed. Their faces contorted in agony as they let out shrill, blood-curdling wails.
Their five teammates rushed to help, only to be tackled by the infected men. The sickened soldiers moved with animalistic ferocity, tearing at their comrades with mindless rage.
"Damn it! There's something wrong with the meteorite!" the captain roared. He raised his rifle to strike his frenzied subordinates, his training kicking in even amidst the chaos.
But before he could swing, a massive, swift claw tore through the air. The head of one of the crazed soldiers exploded into a mist of blood.
Silence fell. The remaining soldiers froze, their eyes wide with terror as they looked up at the behemoth that had emerged from the shadows. It was a bear, but unlike any known to science. It stood as tall as a heavy truck, its muscles rippling with an overwhelming, suffocating pressure. It was a creature of myth made flesh.
With a thunderous roar, the violent bear slaughtered the remaining humans in seconds. It didn't eat them; instead, it lay down next to the meteorite, greedily inhaling the escaping viral essence.
Similar scenes played out across the globe. In high-security bunkers, government officials and scientists watched in horror as the world's flora and fauna underwent a frantic, terrifying metamorphosis.
"Evolution... they are all evolving!" a biologist screamed, his voice cracking with disbelief. "The energy from the meteorites is forcing a global evolutionary leap!"
It wasn't a zombie plague, as Jiang Yi had first feared. It was an Evolutionary Frenzy. The virus acted as a catalyst; those who could withstand it gained exponential strength, while those who failed became the mindless "Walkers"—like the soldiers earlier.
Scientists grew pale as a chilling thought took root: Was the meteorite an accident? Or was this a calculated restructuring of the planet? The air in the command centers felt suddenly thin.
They had no choice but to fight back with every ounce of human ingenuity. But the speed of evolution was too fast.
[One year has passed since the Host witnessed the dawn of the crisis. Blue Star's ecological chain has undergone a total transformation. Humanity has been stripped of its dominance.]
Jiang Yi's perspective shifted, rising high above the planet. "A year already?" he muttered. The world below was unrecognizable.
[During this year, mankind deployed its most powerful thermal weapons to regain control. The effect was negligible. As the beasts grew stronger, conventional firearms became useless against anything but the lowest-tier creatures.]
[Australia, home to the most aggressive wildlife, fell first. The continent has become a literal hellscape of monstrous beasts. Survivors: Zero.]
"Not a single soul left?" A flash of shock crossed Jiang Yi's eyes. Tens of millions of people, gone in just twelve months.
[With the evolution of avian predators, the skies became a forbidden zone. Human aircraft are easily shredded by monstrous birds. Continents are now isolated; humanity has lost all global communication.]
[As thermal weapons failed, the human sphere of influence retreated. Governments have moved underground, building massive fortresses to house the remnants of their populations and resources. The surface now belongs to the beasts.]
Jiang Yi sighed as he watched groups of humans being hunted like prey on the ground below. Even though he was a traveler from another world, the sight of his own species' near-extinction moved him.
[Hidden in the shadows of the earth, the remaining scientific elite began to analyze the meteorites and the corpses of the evolved beasts. Three years have passed.]
[Through the tireless research of the Xia Kingdom's brightest minds, a breakthrough has been achieved: Gene Pharmacy Type I. By distilling the essence of the beasts' blood, humans can now trigger their own controlled evolution.]
[With the injection of the Gene Pharmacy, the virus within the human body is finally harnessed. A genius from the Xia Kingdom has codified this new power, creating 'Martial Arts' designed specifically for evolved humans.]
[The spark of hope is lit. The Warrior is officially born.]