Chapter 15: Art
“You should know the principle of hallucinogen addiction; this kind of pollution follows the same reasoning.”
“Their minds have been eroded, losing the normal emotions of joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure, and the transformed can only derive a stimulating pleasure from inflicting pain on others; beyond that, nothing mundane can bring them joy.”
“Thus, in pursuit of that stimulating pleasure, the polluted will go to any lengths to inflict violence and devastation on others.”
“Love, friendship, familial bonds… the more highly cherished and fiercely protected these beautiful emotions were before, the more intense the desire to inflict pain and destruction that arises after the inversion by the Iron Cross.”
“And the flesh mutations caused by the pollution grant these polluted beings bodily qualities several times that of a normal person, while also growing steel-like membranes in critical areas such as the throat and heart.”
“Regular handgun bullets and cold weapons cannot penetrate these membranes; only full-power rifle rounds or armor-piercing bullets can barely break through. Of course, extraordinary weapons like your slender sword can also do so.”
Rast’s calm voice rang in Hiltina’s ears.
“The greatest characteristic of these polluted beings is that a highly conspicuous cross-shaped scar appears on their surface, the color of the brand is iron-gray.”
“I call these polluted beings ‘Iron Cross.'”
“The so-called ‘Iron Cross Plague’ in later generations should also be named after this.”
Rast looked at the Coachman’s corpse and murmured, “According to the previous cycles, he shouldn’t be here.”
“It’s merely because of your arrival that the original trajectory has changed. He waited for us near the manor for a long time, and during this time, he was affected by the pollutants, quietly planted with the seeds of pollution, which sprouted after he returned home.”
Hiltina thought for a moment and quickly understood the meaning of Rast’s words.
In Rast’s previous cycles, there was no presence of her, so he didn’t need to use the excuse of “having a private detective catch cheating.”
And the Coachman wouldn’t have waited near the manor for a long time, worrying about Rast and the others’ infidelity, ultimately being silently polluted.
“It sounds a bit like zombies,” Hiltina recalled the zombie films that had been quite popular at Starry University recently.
“If they were really zombies, that would save us some trouble.”
Rast chuckled, reloading his revolver: “Those zombies in the movies are at most just beasts with human shapes, slow-moving, and dim-witted, only thinking about biting people. Setting aside the point that zombie viruses can spread, wolf packs during hunts are much stronger than them…”
“But the Iron Cross still possesses intelligence, governed by the desire to destroy and inflict pain.”
“They can use tools, drive vehicles, disguise themselves, set traps, and lure kills… everything humans can do, the Iron Cross can do as well.”
“Including using firearms?” Hiltina asked.
“Exactly,” Rast nodded: “And because their perception is enhanced, every Iron Cross is a sharpshooter.”
If before the plague outbreak, Rast’s gunfight with the police and army was akin to playing Grand Theft Auto.
Then after the outbreak of the Iron Cross Plague, it had abruptly changed from a robbery game to a battle royale, facing off against doomsday machines with auto-lock on them, exposing themselves to immediate d*ath.
Rast glanced at his pocket watch: “It’s about time.”
Time for what?
Before Hiltina could ask, a tremendous roar echoed from afar, which should be from the harbor area, a significant distance from the manor, at least half of Deep Blue Harbor.
Following that, thick black smoke began to rise from the harbor area, accompanied by faint flames.
“What happened over there?” Hiltina looked up, the dense smoke was still clear to see even half a city away.
“That is a large cargo ship expected to arrive at Deep Blue Harbor around two o’clock this afternoon,” Rast pocketed his watch.
“I personally witnessed it at the dock; that Captain, turned into an Iron Cross, was laughing wildly as he steered the ship at full speed to crash into the dock, refusing to let go even as he was engulfed by fire and twisted steel.”
“At the same time, this marks the point where the Iron Cross Plague completely erupted in Deep Blue Harbor.”
Everything happened too quickly.
As if to validate Rast’s words, less than a minute after the roar from the harbor, the chaotic sounds of unrest from the streets outside the manor also came crashing in.
To be more precise, the unrest was not limited to this block but encompassed the entire city.
Screams, desperate cries and wails, shouts of pursuit, and the constable’s reprimands rang out incessantly…
From time to time, gunshots could be heard, but it soon returned to silence.
It was impossible to know whether the police had subdued the Iron Cross with their guns or had been killed by the Iron Cross in turn, or if they too had been infected to become one of them.
But one thing was certain: the crazy and hysterical laughter that Hiltina had previously heard from the Coachman was becoming increasingly common.
At first, it was just a few, but soon that kind of wild laughter intensified, coming from all directions, becoming the mainstream of the chaotic noise.
In just a few minutes.
This once peaceful harbor town had transformed into a hell where evil and chaos reigned.
Hiltina sighed and looked at Rast: “What are you planning to do next? Control the source of infection and find a way to stop the Iron Cross Plague from spreading?”
“At first, I thought about that too, but it’s impossible.”
Rast shook his head: “The Iron Cross Plague spreads through bodily fluids; bl**d, saliva, and droplets can all become pathways of transmission.”
“And for those who have already been polluted into Iron Cross, they are more than willing to actively convert others into crazed beings like themselves to better vent their desires for inflicting pain and violence.”
Hiltina frowned slightly: “For example, they would smear saliva on knives and bullets? As long as a human is scratched by a weapon, they will be infected?”
“That’s merely the roughest method,” Rast took out the lead box containing the Evil God sculpture from his pocket: “Those Iron Cross even mix their bl**d into the city’s water supply system, as well as in wells and rivers, once someone uses that water source, they become polluted.”
“Attempting to counter the Iron Cross Plague with common epidemic prevention measures would be akin to a fantasy.”
“Of course, that doesn’t mean we should just wait here to d*e.”
He picked up a suitcase from beside the sofa, one that Hiltina hadn’t seen before; it seemed Rast had prepared it while she was asleep.
Rast stood upright, his gaze slowly sweeping towards the street outside, which was already in chaos ruled by disorder: “If at this moment, a minefield filled with landmines appeared on your path, what would you do?”
Hiltina looked at Rast in confusion, thought for a while: “Of course, I would defuse the mines before passing through… According to what we learned at the university, we could use metal detectors or mine detection dogs.”
Rast nodded: “Exactly… but what if the layout of this minefield was extremely complicated, interlinked, and your time was very tight, making it impossible to use metal detectors and mine detection dogs to defuse each mine one by one?”
Hiltina was momentarily stunned, and Rast didn’t wait for her answer, directly speaking: “Aside from what you’ve mentioned, there’s another way.”
“That is, through an explosion—”
He paused for a moment, carrying the suitcase as he walked out through the side door of the main house.
“Level the entire minefield, along with all the mines in it, to the ground.”
(End of Chapter)
