Chapter 355 – Life Finds a Way (2)
The gum flesh attached to the fallen tooth, the blood leaking from it, and the saliva on the severed leg were magnified under a microscope.
Under normal circumstances, the vaccine would have to chase down the body cells of the infectious agent and infect them in reverse.
This is a mechanism where vaccine-contaminated cells multiply serially, killing the host, and further collapse the colony, just as zombies spread.
“I don’t think it’s an antibody. “If you’re an antibody, you can’t be this peaceful.”
Although I am not a biology major, I know the basic principles of antibodies.
When an antigen (virus or bacteria) comes in from outside, antibodies attach to it and slow it down. It leaves you stuck like a knight stuck in the mud.
But the scene unfolding before my eyes was devoid of such contention. Both somatic cells and vaccines coexisted leisurely.
“That’s right, Jinsu. “It’s not like I developed a tolerance or anything.”
“Is it possible that the vaccine is incomplete because of the samples used in Tanis?”
At the time, if it wasn’t used, it was likely to be annihilated. Still, I couldn’t shake off the thought, ‘What if I brought everything with me?’
“If that were the case, immune individuals would have appeared long ago. “In the three years that you disappeared, even though there were types of medicine with less efficacy, there was never a case where they were completely ignored like this.”
It is said that Tanis’ vaccine samples do not target only specific infections. It was almost like everything was merging together to create a kind of toxic cocktail.
“Then what is it?”
“It is difficult to carry out a detailed inspection with the insufficient equipment at the outpost. “At this stage, we are only making hypotheses.”
“Your hypothesis is more accurate than most doctors’ experiments, so tell me anything.”
Artemis smiled slightly.
“If a dog eats a lot of chocolate and remains fine, what do you think is the reason?”
“Huh?”
I was lost in thought at the unexpected reverse question.
Chocolate is like poison to dogs. What if you eat a lot of that and still feel fine?
“A mutant dog that can eat chocolate? Actually, I guess I didn’t expect such an obvious answer.”
“That’s right. Mutants are not omnipotent. “Vaccines using alien technology are not that easy.”
Even though Artemis, who is equipped with transcendent intelligence, focused on improvement for three years, little progress was made. A vaccine is one that applies advanced technology to that extent.
“Think simply. To give you a hint, think of a monster movie you saw a few days ago.”
“The thing?”
It is a classic science fiction film in which a parasite from outer space turns Earth creatures into monsters.
The scary part is that monsters maintain the appearance of humans or dogs and come among people to deceive them.
The moment I thought of that movie, a much clearer hypothesis came to mind.
“It wasn’t a dog in the first place? So, does that mean I was fine even if I ate chocolate?”
“That’s it.”
Artemis’ gaze turned to the mutant somatic cells floating alongside the vaccine.
“The vaccine that destroyed countless colonies for three years doesn’t even work. Then there is no need to think complicatedly. “It’s not effective because it’s not an infectious agent.”
Since further research was not possible at the outpost, the monster’s somatic cells were airlifted to the shelter.
And as always, Artemis’ hypothesis was correct.
Teeth, body tissue, and saliva did not match biological patterns that evidenced an infectious agent.
Something new has appeared that is neither an infectious agent nor a living organism of Earth origin. He is also a very dangerous guy.
* * *
The most important thing to avoid in battle is fighting an unknown enemy.
We know too little about new infectious agents, or even new monsters, that vaccines do not work against.
“Was this mutation also intended as a weapon?”
“I don’t know. “The technology used for infection is so high-level that even I cannot access it.”
The infectious agent is a weapon developed in the distant past when the pioneer race, the Editors, were consumed with immature violence.
Just as mankind developed biological and nuclear weapons in the 20th century.
What they have in common is that the risk was so great that their use was banned and sealed.
The difference is that, unlike humanity, which did not completely eliminate it due to the interests of each country, the editor actively tried to eliminate it.
However, as it was a product of the combined technology and desire for conquest of its heyday, it was impossible for them to completely eliminate it.
So we had to stop at keeping it strictly sealed. While cursing their barbaric past.
“Do you remember the cocoon we found at the North Korean border a while ago? “The one that used the elk carcass as food.”
“Of course. “I remember seeing it three years ago.”
It reminded me of a time when large-scale colonies were divided and moved south, and the lives of survivors were at risk.
The village that was being rebuilt was reduced to ruins, and the people who had fallen asleep after working hard until yesterday were turned into a pile of corpses.
I can’t forget the cocoons that were created in the middle of it as if they were sucking up nutrients.
“Okay. “The cocoons discovered three years ago used not only animal carcasses but also infectious agents as food.”
“Could it be this unidentified monster that came out of there?”
“There is too little information, so it is impossible to be certain.”
Despite her words, Artemis seems almost certain.
“But shouldn’t the thing that pops out of the infectious agent cocoon be the same infectious agent?”
“Originally, that would have been the case, but a variable has arisen, right? This is the vaccine we distributed.”
A hologram appeared. It is an insect pupa.
“Most of the caterpillar’s body becomes liquid inside the pupa. All that is left is the core nervous tissue. That’s why they can transform into completely different forms, like bees or moths.”
I can guess what Artemis wants to say.
“So, the cocoon that should have produced a more vicious variant was exposed to the vaccine, and as it struggled to survive, it spewed out a whole new species?”
“There are many things to point out and many things to omit, but if I were to explain it simply, it would be okay.”
“This is a possible incident because it is a living weapon.”
This was a variable that could not occur in products such as guns or bombs, only biological weapons.
In any case, the unidentified monster could not be studied in depth because the sample size was too small.
What is certain is that, even to the bare minimum, he is more dangerous than the Reaper.
With a single bite, he can cut off the leg of an adult woman, have the scratch ability to pierce the torso of an adult man, and even have the mobility to chase a running horse.
It has excellent thermal insulation properties and does not have the unique weaknesses of infectious agents that are less active in cold places.
“Should we search Russia? No matter how much I think about this, I can’t come up with an answer.”
When I looked at the wide map of Siberia, I just sighed.
This is an area that cannot be monitored by low-orbit satellites that were launched from the beginning to cover the Korean Peninsula.
There is no choice but to send in a ground reconnaissance team and search around.
In the end, we have no choice but to rely on drone carriers, which are also difficult to track in forests, urban areas, and underground. It is impossible to look into all that vast land.
We didn’t get much information from the Amur warlords that Artemis had connections with.
Was it because it was a completely different direction from where the three horses carrying the corpse came?
While I was contemplating this, the Russian leader who came down from the Gaema Plateau was a very happy guest.
* * *
Seven carriages pulled by heavy Russian horses arrived at the entrance of the Kaesong Industrial Complex.
Having figured out the route in advance, I boarded the helicopter and went out to meet them. Because there were more than one thing I wanted to ask directly.
“I am in charge here. “I will guarantee your safety, so will you come inside?”
I turned on the interpreter and spoke.
A woman who appeared to be in her 30s got out of the lead carriage.
She remained calm even in the face of heavily armed stalker guards and sentry guns.
“You can speak in Korean. I lived in Korea for 3 years. “You cannot visit as a guest and demand consideration for language.”
Although the accent is somewhat strong, the Korean language is perfect.
“We are merchants. “I have no intention of causing trouble in Korea.”
“It looks like that even if you look at it.”
The upper carriages all had white flags and Taegeukgi flags flying. Those who appear to be escorts are also disarmed and raising both hands.
“I have no intention of going around looting supermarkets or military bases. “I don’t even take a spoon.”
“There’s no need to say that. It’s not that harsh of a country. “You weren’t attacked by explorers on the way there, right?”
“In our land, ax blades go back and forth just because one picks up a glass cup first.”
“… That’s a really tough neighborhood.”
Certainly, there are few places as good to live as the Korean Peninsula after the period of destruction.
“Is this the polis? “I heard it’s a much bigger city.”
The woman looked around.
It must have had the feeling of a powerful camp because it was completely renovated into a logistics base during the war against the Chinese army.
However, it feels more like a military base than a city. There aren’t many people walking around in the first place.
“This is the Kaesong Industrial Complex. You have to go down a little further to reach Police. “I guess I’m not sure about the location?”
The woman made an embarrassed face.
“Oh, my. “We live in a time when it is difficult to find your way from far away.”
“I don’t know what you want, but I think we can provide pretty much everything here. Medicines? Fuel? Ammunition? Luxury? Preserved food? Electronics? Anything.”
The woman nodded, looking at the hundreds of oil drums and vehicles piled up around her.
“My name is Margarita.”
“It’s a name that sounds like someone would like pizza.”
“Yes. I like it. “I haven’t eaten it in 5 years.”
“Okay? Come in first. I’ll treat you all to pizza. “Let’s eat first and then talk.”
“!!!”
Both her poker face and her security guard, who had maintained her tension, lost their expressions.
I laughed lightly.
In the post-apocalyptic era, surprising people with food was a fun experience that could not be stopped. Although it is only the privilege of the shelter manager.
“Well, what we can give you is…”
Margarita was stopped as she was hurriedly trying to lift the tent covering the luggage compartment.
“It’s okay. Pizza is just a good thing. Actually, what I want to receive is not things, but information.”
“Can I ask your name?”
“Seo Jin-su. Or call them managers.”
“Yes, manager.”
When Margarita looked behind her and nodded her head, her escort and subsequent carriages advanced.
“Welcome to Korea.”
“Excuse me, what information do you want?”
“Three bodies on horseback were found near Gaema Plateau. There were traces of all being attacked by monsters. Those are the ones who can kill a person with one hit. “Do you have any guesses?”
Margarita nodded her head immediately.
“A camp where the entire population evaporated overnight, an incident where a small infected nest that the warlord alliance was trying to suppress had already been torn apart by something, and a huge chorus of screams heard from across the mountain range.”
She took a moment to catch her breath.
“Which one are you curious about?”
“I want to hear everything.”
As I was contemplating a new crisis, this was all information that I could not ignore.
Growling.
The sound of a boat horn ringing at the right time in Margarita’s stomach.
But she didn’t blush. Just being that shy is a cliché that doesn’t fit these days.
“Let’s eat first.”
Margarita’s face swelled with anticipation.
