Witnessing this scene, the group felt as though they had accidentally tumbled into a horror movie. Although they didn't understand exactly what had happened, anyone who wasn't blind could tell they were in deep trouble.
Normally, the best way to handle a situation like this would be to burn them all to ash. However, there was a major problem: Infected with extremely high levels of infection must absolutely never be burned! This was even more true for the grotesque creatures standing before them. If they were set ablaze, the airborne Originium particles released would be enough to plunge the entire city into an infection crisis.
Left with no other choice, they had to return to their original position and close the floodgates, at the very least ensuring these things wouldn't escape through the underground pipes.
Thump!
Watching the Infected slowly reanimate, Jeanne decided to stop observing and take the initiative to halt their revival. Relying on her terrifying monstrous strength, she smashed open a water tank containing an Infected zombie. As the internal Originium fluid flowed out, Jeanne felt a tingling, numbing sensation wash over her.
"Crap... so that's why the company's power vanished all at once? These things need a massive amount of electricity to wake up! Don't come over here, it's not safe for you!"
Fortunately, electricity on Terra is generated via Originium Arts, meaning it conceptually belongs to a variant of Originium Arts. Otherwise, even Jeanne would have suffered a major setback here. However, even with her Magic Resistance, the sensation of high-intensity current hitting her body wasn't pleasant. The proof was Jeanne's hair, which began to float upward in a way that defied gravity.
"Ch'en, a word of advice! After this is over, investigate these corporations thoroughly! If they aren't subjected to extremely strict regulations, who knows what kind of mess they'll cook up next!"
Jeanne kept her distance from the others, worried that the high concentration of Originium particles on her body might harm them. After all, they didn't possess her unique immunity to Originium.
"You don't have to tell me! Once I'm back, I'm definitely looking into this."
Perhaps because Jeanne had smashed the tank, causing high-purity Originium to leak, Ch'en felt a dull ache begin to throb near her lower back. That was her lesion site—the spot where she had accidentally come into contact with Originium shards years ago, leading to her infection with Oripathy.
She cared deeply about her condition and had managed to avoid a sudden flare-up for years. She never expected her first major outbreak to happen here. However, aside from a slight furrow of her brow, she made no other movement. Except for Jeanne, who had already guessed Ch'en was infected, no one would associate her with Oripathy.
"I'm going to find something; I expect we'll need it once the fighting starts. If anything happens, remember to call me!"
As if struck by an idea, Jeanne turned and walked toward a corner. The others weren't sure what she was up to, assuming she was making some kind of combat preparation, so they didn't follow.
The three of them found a bright spot to sit down, preparing the weapons they might need. Everyone knew they were about to face a grueling battle. Despite not knowing each other well—and some being members of factions with tense relations—they had all remained here for their own reasons.
As time ticked by, the Infected became more "alive." They could now be seen frantically pounding on the reinforced glass with their limbs.
"Ugh! This scene reminds me of the stories I heard as a kid about Sargon's Undead Soldiers! They say those guys could also return from the dead, but I wonder if they were this disgusting."
Lemuen looked over with a hint of revulsion, though her hands weren't idle. She set up her repeating firearm, preparing for the enemy. She watched the pale limbs of these creatures slowly recover as the Infected opened their cloudy eyes. No matter how you looked at it, these things were dead. To toy with the deceased was an unforgivable sin in Laterano's teachings—not that it was any more excusable in any other country.
"If you're talking about that, you can indeed see the shadow of that Undead Legion in them. But the technical level is worlds apart, and this technology is still incredibly immature."
Gin watched the Infected stirring in the vats. Due to a past mission, he had dealt with that specific unit before and could naturally see the similarities. But in his mind, these people had only managed to grasp a tiny fraction of the technique. The Sargon tech involved here was like the actual chips in a bag of Lay's—almost invisible.
Clearly, the deal between the party involved and that Tribal Chief had collapsed for unknown reasons. The person behind all this hadn't even obtained much intel regarding the Undead Legion. But this was absolutely not something a mere group of nobles could achieve; they didn't have the status to negotiate with a Sargon King-Chief unless they had sold their souls.
This meant there was another faction backing those nobles... one with a high enough status and resources to converse with a King-Chief on such a level. Gin felt as though this matter was a bottomless abyss; every time you thought you'd hit the floor, it revealed a deeper, hidden secret.
"Finally found them. It wasn't easy finding these in a place like this. Here, once they break the tanks, splash this on yourselves."
Before he could think further, Jeanne had returned. The group saw her holding several bottles of bottled water, which she began distributing. Jeanne had just realized: since these liquids contained ultra-high concentrations of Originium solution, didn't that mean the three of them were in grave danger?
These three didn't have a constitution like hers! To them, this place was a 100% terminal-illness hell! For her? If she moved through a high-Originium area, the worst she'd get is maybe a kidney stone.
Thinking of this, Jeanne immediately thought of using the power of Holy Water. Since Holy Water could suppress the activation of Originium, it could help them resist the environment.
Thump... Thump... CRASH!
Before they could ask questions, the sound of reinforced glass shattering under continuous impact echoed. The zombie that broke the glass had smashed its face so hard its nose bridge was flattened. But in the next moment, its face—which looked like a smashed grocery store—began to rapidly reconstruct. Before long, it was perfectly intact.
Jeanne stared at the countless black Originium crystals protruding from its body. For a moment, she felt like she had seen an Infected in this state somewhere before. But she couldn't recall exactly where. She remembered seeing it in a photo, perhaps in some book she had glanced through.
"It seems they're not just 'back from the dead.' Their physical recovery speed is ridiculously fast!"
Lemuen watched the zombie recovering at high speed. Ignoring whether it would be uncomfortable to have wet clothes, she quickly splashed the water Jeanne gave her onto herself. In fact, before Jeanne could stop her, she even took a few gulps!
As she drank the Holy Water, her halo and wings became significantly brighter than before. At this moment, Lemuen was as bright as a searchlight. This radiance attracted the newly awakened zombie, which began sprinting toward them at a terrifying speed.
"Wait! Conventionally speaking, aren't these creatures supposed to be blind? Why was it attracted to the light!?"
Seeing the zombie charging, Lemuen hurriedly fired. The submachine gun rounds struck the creature's head and heart, and the etched bullets exploded upon contact.
"Is it dead? I specifically aimed for the head and heart. At this rate, that should be enough, right?"
Lemuen looked at the Infected zombie lying on the ground due to the explosion. It didn't get up for a long time, leading her to believe it was dealt with. But before she could finish the thought, the Infected stood up stiffly. The wounds blown open by the etched bullets were also growing back at a pace visible to the naked eye.
"Apparently not. These guys are indeed hard to deal with."