Marude Itsuki tapped his fingers against the table repeatedly while listening to Shinohara Yukinori's report.
"What exactly is the strength of those monsters?"
Shinohara Yukinori's expression was serious.
"To be honest, they're a bit troublesome. Their individual strength is not particularly strong, but... it seems like they carry poison. Quite a few members have already fallen unconscious after coming into contact with them."
Marude Itsuki's hand stopped tapping the table.
"Retreat first." He immediately gave the order. "Bring everyone back and get them examined as soon as possible."
After receiving Marude Itsuki's order, Shinohara Yukinori did not dare delay. He immediately directed the combat squad to cover each other in turns, quickly withdrawing from the engagement with those strange monsters.
During the retreat, they carefully brought back all the unconscious members.
As soon as they returned to the CCG headquarters' medical department, the doctors and researchers who had been waiting immediately rushed forward, placing the unconscious people into isolation beds and beginning urgent examinations and treatment.
However, the situation was far more troublesome than expected.
All their vital indicators were basically normal. They could not find any clear source of disease or poisoning.
"No known neurotoxins or pathogens detected..."
The experts looked at the piles of "normal" data reports, each of them frowning as they quietly exchanged opinions,
but they were still unable to reach a definite diagnosis. The medical room was filled with an atmosphere of anxiety and helplessness.
Just as everyone was stuck in this helpless deadlock.
"This is...!"
A young doctor who was performing a pupil reflex examination on an unconscious team member suddenly pulled his hand back as if he had been burned,
letting out a short cry of alarm. The color instantly drained from his face.
That cry was especially piercing in the relatively quiet medical area and immediately attracted everyone's attention.
Marude Itsuki had been standing not far away discussing with Shinohara Yukinori. Hearing the sound, he immediately turned around and asked in a deep voice.
"What happened?"
The doctor pointed at the hospital bed. His finger trembled slightly, and his voice was dry.
"His... his eyes... just now..."
Marude Itsuki's heart sank, and he strode forward. Shinohara Yukinori and several other High-Class Investigators present quickly gathered around as well.
On the hospital bed, the unconscious team member's eyelids trembled slightly without consciousness.
Then, his eyes suddenly opened, revealing a pair of crimson Kakugan in front of everyone.
"This...!"
Marude Itsuki's pupils suddenly contracted. A ridiculous yet horrifying thought struck him.
"What is happening? A human became a ghoul? Because of the toxins carried by those monsters?"
That thought sent chills down his spine.
As if to confirm his worst guess, like the first domino piece being knocked down.
"This side too!"
"This team member's eyes... they turned red too!"
"My God, look!"
Cries of alarm rang out one after another, coming from different beds throughout the medical area.
In just a few short minutes, all the unconscious team members, no matter where they had originally been lying,
had their eyes transformed into crimson Kakugan.
The medical area, which had originally been busy and noisy, seemed to have its sound turned off and fell into complete silence.
Only the regular beeping of the machines and everyone's suppressed breathing remained.
Marude Itsuki quickly recovered from his initial shock. He forcefully closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again, his gaze already returning to its usual cold determination.
"What are you panicking for!" he shouted, suppressing the faint unrest around him.
"Immediately perform a complete examination on them! Focus on their RC cell levels. I want definite conclusions, not guesses!"
There was still a trace of hope in his heart.
Having red eyes did not necessarily mean they had completely become ghouls. Perhaps it was only a temporary mutation and they would recover after some time.
When it came to examining ghoul-related data, CCG's technical department was highly professional.
After going through the procedures, the results came back very quickly.
However, when the report was handed to Marude Itsuki, that final trace of hope was shattered completely.
Black and white text. Cold and glaring numbers.
The RC cell concentration of every unconscious team member had already exceeded the human limit.
Active Kakuhou were detected inside their bodies.
They had truly and completely become ghouls.
They were not like the Quinx Squad, which relied on surgical implantation and only became incomplete products.
Their very essence of life had been forcibly transformed into ghouls!
"Humans really became ghouls?"
A young researcher beside him muttered, his voice trembling with disbelief.
Those words were like a block of ice crashing into everyone's hearts.
This was no longer an ordinary injury or poisoning.
The meaning behind it and the chain reactions it could cause were terrifying just to imagine.
Marude Itsuki only felt a chill rise from the soles of his feet, but he knew that he absolutely could not lose control now.
He slammed the report onto the table, his voice firm and decisive.
"First, transfer all mutated team members into the highest-level isolation monitoring room and keep them under strict supervision! Without my order, no one is allowed to come into contact with them!"
"Second, establish a specialized research team. Monitor their vital signs and changes twenty-four hours a day. Report any abnormalities immediately!"
After quickly issuing his orders, he turned toward Shinohara Yukinori, who had been waiting nearby, his gaze sharp.
"Shinohara, now tell me the entire process of your team coming into contact with those monsters. Every single detail. From beginning to end, explain everything carefully again!"
After listening to Shinohara Yukinori's detailed report, Marude Itsuki finally understood the entire situation.
Those monsters that had fallen from the "Dragon", although they had no eyes, could always accurately locate human positions. They were extremely strange.
Furthermore, although they looked similar, they were clearly divided into different types.
The most troublesome type was one where their heads would suddenly explode, spraying out red mist.
As long as a person inhaled it,
they would directly become ghouls just like those team members after a short period of time.
"This trouble has gotten way out of hand..."
Marude Itsuki's heart sank.
This was no longer simply a matter of exterminating them by force.
This was practically mass-producing new ghouls!
He immediately realized the most urgent matter.
"We must establish a quarantine zone immediately! Completely seal off all areas where these monsters appeared.
Not a single one can be allowed to escape! If they enter densely populated areas, then everything is over!"
Fortunately, the number of monsters detected so far was not yet overwhelming, and there was still time to act.
But no one knew how many more "offspring" that "Dragon" would "give birth to".
Time would not wait.
"We must move quickly!"
Marude Itsuki tapped the table, his thoughts becoming clearer.
"Isolation is the first step, but we cannot only defend without attacking.
The core problem is that 'Dragon'. We need to find its core or weakness as soon as possible.
Gather all our forces and completely eliminate it in the shortest amount of time possible!
The longer this drags on, the more variables there will be. When that happens, the situation may truly become impossible to control."