The meeting in the military base's main hall wasn't over yet. After Colonel Ren's explanation about the new zombie types and the emergence of the "Queen," the atmosphere was still tense. The team captains exchanged glances—some serious, others already beginning to formulate personal strategies in their minds. But when the side door opened and a man in a white uniform walked in with several folders in hand, the room fell silent again.
He was Dr. Elric Vash, head of the research team from the central base. Thin glasses sat on his nose, his silver-blond hair slightly messy. But the most striking thing about him was his gaze—sharp, full of enthusiasm, like a scientist who had just discovered something insane and brilliant at the same time.
He stood next to Colonel Ren, giving a slight nod to everyone in the room.
"Good afternoon. I won't take long." He immediately turned on the large monitor. A 3D image appeared—a zombie skull with the brain section highlighted, and in the center, a small diamond-shaped crystal emitting a faint reddish glow.
"This is what we found from autopsies of several Rank 3 zombies, this called Zombie Core, or 'Blood Crystal'," Elric said. "Located at the center of the brain. Not all zombies have it. Only those who have reached Rank 3—meaning they've evolved beyond the basic limit of their species."
Whispers started to spread.
"We've also isolated its effects," Elric continued, tapping the screen to display a graph. "When condensed and purified, this crystal can be broken down into a liquid reagent. And… here are the results."
He showed a graph of an Awakened human's status increase after using the purified reagent. The boost… was astonishing.
"One crystal yields 10 reagents and one reagent… increases three levels at once."
Those words were like a bomb dropped in the middle of the room.
"WHAT?!"
"Impossible!"
"three levels? That means someone at level 5 could jump straight to 8!"
"With just three reagents, someone could Rank up!"
The room erupted. Some jumped from their seats, others shouted to their teammates in excitement. Sofia could only freeze, trying to process what she had just heard.
If that reagent was real… then months of struggle to gain one level could be compressed into a single injection. It was like a shortcut to power.
But Elric raised a hand. "Calm down. Listen first. This crystal is dangerous. It still contains remnants of an active virus. Anyone who consumes it carelessly—will die or mutate into a zombie and maybe it has a usage limit but we don't know for now."
The uproar simmered down a bit.
"That's why," Elric continued, "this reagent can only be used after a 72-hour purification process by a lab team. It can't be used in the field. And each reagent requires high-level containment."
Colonel Ren stepped forward, his expression more serious than before.
"And we have not authorized distribution yet. Every crystal obtained must be handed over to central command. Any violations will be considered treason and dealt with under military law."
Someone from the right row—Captain Lyle from the Fire Unit—stood up. "With all due respect, sir, this is an opportunity we can't ignore. Many of our teams are stagnating at Rank 2. If we could Rank up faster, we could expand the safe zones."
"He's right!" said the captain of the Hunter Unit. "Rank 3 zombies are tough, but with teamwork and tactics, we can take them down!"
"Then what about our Rank system?" asked someone from the support team. "How many reagents are needed to Rank up?"
Elric explained quickly, "Awakened humans' levels are divided like this: Levels 1–10 are Rank 1, 11–30 Rank 2, and 31–60 Rank 3, maybe because not yet people rank 4. Each Rank increases your power exponentially. But remember, reagents only give levels, not technique, control, or experience."
Colonel Ren added, "Currently, our base only has two Rank 3 individuals. One of them is me. The other—you already know… Captain Altair from the Raijin Unit."
Sofia swallowed hard. Captain Altair… the quiet man who could control lightning like a god of war. Once, he shot a lightning bolt the size of a tree into a horde of zombies and left a massive crater.
If… there were more people as powerful as him… then humanity could truly rival the high-evolution zombies.
But the risk of mutation, the danger of the crystal, and the fact that a Rank 3 zombie could wipe out an entire team in seconds—couldn't be ignored.
Colonel Ren spoke again, his tone firm.
"The final decision will be announced in 48 hours. During that time, all teams are expected to submit reports on readiness and Rank 3 engagement strategies, in case we decide to hunt them.
"Silence no one spoke."
Then, like a delayed explosion, the uproar broke out again.