Chapter 1353: Infection

Verick did not speak again.

After General Weisi left, Kus sat on the edge of the bed, staring at his own hands.

There were black stains in his fingernails, he did not know what they were.

He tried to recall what happened last night; there were shadows, sounds, and a warm touch piercing into his neck.

But the more he thought, the blurrier it became, as if it had been wiped from his mind by something.

He only remembered Dura turning his head to smile at him, his eyes were red.

In the evening, Kus went to the medical station to change his dressing.

The nurse removed the bandage on his leg; the wound had already scabbed over, with a circle of black markings around the edge.

The nurse frowned.

"What is this?"

She pointed at the circle of black markings.

Kus looked after.

"I don't know, probably pigmentation left by the burn."

The nurse shook her head.

"It's not pigmentation. I've never seen anything like this."

She reapplied the ointment and changed to a new bandage.

"If you develop a fever, dizziness, or blurred vision, come over immediately."

Kus said okay.

When he walked out of the medical station, the sky had already darkened.

He was walking on the small path in the camp area, and the laughter of soldiers could be heard from the tents by the roadside.

Everything looked normal.

But he always felt something was wrong.

He quickened his pace and returned to his tent.

Dura was not there, his bunk was empty.

Kus lay down and closed his eyes.

He forced himself to fall asleep, not wanting to recall the events of last night again.

When Kus woke up, he discovered a wound on his left hand.

It was not new, it had already started to scab, but he did not remember when he had scratched it.

He tried to recall, but it was a blur again.

Dura was sitting by his bunk, staring at him.

"What's wrong?" Kus asked.

Dura smiled.

"You sleepwalked last night, walked out, and didn't come back for half an hour."

Kus was stunned.

"I sleepwalked? That has never happened before."

Dura shrugged.

"War trauma, the doctor said, many soldiers have it."

Kus did not ask again.

He stood up to wash.

Several soldiers were standing by the sink, all washing their faces.

Kus turned on the faucet and lowered his head to cup water.

When he looked up, he saw the eyes of the soldier next to him in the mirror; they were pure black, with no pupils and no whites.

Kus's heart shrank.

He turned his head to look at that soldier, but the man had already wiped his face dry and turned to leave.

"Did you see that person just now?"

Kus asked the soldier next to him.

That soldier shook his head.

"Who?"

"The one standing next to me washing his face, his eyes were completely black."

That soldier looked at him.

"Your eyes must be playing tricks on you, no one here has black eyes."

Kus lowered his head, not wanting to say anything more.

He discovered that more and more people's eyes were starting to turn red.

Not just the wounded soldiers' camp, but also the Logistics Department, the Engineering Team, and even the officers.

The uncle serving food in the cafeteria, the driver of the truck, the nurse at the medical station... their pupils were all a shade darker than normal.

General Weisi held a defense meeting in the Command Center.

General Dakai Shimo, Commander Weitelasi, the engineer Wusi, and several high-ranking officers were all present.

The focus of their discussion was: if Chengjia Star fell, could Kalini Star withstand the Zerg's offensive.

General Weisi stood before the Holographic Star Map, pointing at the marked defense lines.

"The first defense line is ninety percent complete. The second defense line is eighty percent. The third defense line is sixty percent. Ammunition reserves can support intense combat for a period of time."

Weitelasi spoke.

"General, our fleet can still muster eighty Capital Ships and one hundred and fifty Auxiliary Ships. If the Zerg biological ships in orbit exceed this number, we won't last long."

Weisi said.

"Therefore, Chengjia Star cannot be lost."

Silence fell in the Meeting Room.

Just then, Wusi, who was sitting to the left of General Weisi, suddenly coughed violently and leaned forward.

His face flushed deep red, his hands braced against the tabletop, and his whole body was trembling violently.

The officer next to him stood up quickly, wanting to help him.

Wusi raised his head; his eyes were completely black.

Everyone in the Meeting Room saw it.

"Doctor! Call a doctor!"

General Weisi shouted, but he did not finish his sentence.

Wusi's mouth opened.

Countless tiny tentacles extended from deep within his throat, waving in the air like insect mouthparts.

Those present screamed, some retreated, and some stood frozen in place.

Wusi lunged at the officer nearest to him, wrapped his hands around the officer's head, and thrust the tentacles into his neck.

That officer did not resist, nor did he even struggle; his body went limp the moment the tentacles pierced him, his eyes rolled back, and saliva dripped from the corners of his mouth.

"Kill him! Open fire!"

General Weisi shouted. But most of the officers in the Meeting Room were not carrying weapons; the only ones with weapons were the two Guards at the door.

The Guards rushed in and raised their Energy Guns, but they did not know where to aim.

Wusi's body was still convulsing, and the tentacles had already pierced the neck of a second officer.

The Energy Guns fired, Wusi's chest was hit, and his body fell backward.

But those tentacles were still alive, extending from his open mouth and his ruptured chest, writhing on the floor.

The two officers who had been pierced collapsed to the ground, their bodies convulsing violently, and their eyes began to turn black.

General Weisi's back was soaked with cold sweat.

"Quarantine! Quarantine these two people!"

He pointed at the two officers.

Dakai Shimo's face was pale.

"General, what is this?"

Weisi looked at him.

"I don't know. But I know this is not an ordinary disease; it is something of the Zerg."

A medical officer named Weilakesi who was present spoke up, trembling.

"General, in the intelligence transmitted back by the Xiuluo Holy Star Alliance, a Zerg organism called a 'Genestealer' was mentioned. They can infect other races and turn the victims into Zerg spies."

A deathly silence filled the Meeting Room.

General Weisi closed his eyes.

"The entire planet, screen everyone, everyone must have their eyes checked."

It was too late.

That night, violent incidents broke out in many places in the Third District of Kalini Star.

Soldiers attacked soldiers, officers attacked officers, and wounded soldiers crawled out of their hospital beds to lunge at nurses.

Without any warning, without any precursor, the infected tore through the defenses from within.

Their strength far exceeded that of ordinary people; tentacles extended from their mouths and eye sockets, and the infected and the uninfected completed the conversion through biting.

Ten minutes, an entire field hospital fell. Thirty minutes, the logistics base fell. One hour, the capital of Kalini Star fell into chaos.

General Weisi stood in front of the window of the Command Center, watching the firelight rising outside.

On the streets in the distance, soldiers were fleeing, soldiers were screaming, and soldiers were turning into monsters.

Dakai Shimo rushed in.

"General Weisi! The entire Third District has fallen, and the infected are spreading toward the Fourth District. Our troops are unprepared, and most of the weapons are in the warehouses; there is simply no time to react."

Weisi's lips were trembling.

"How many people are infected?"

Dakai Shimo said.

"Impossible to count, at least... at least hundreds of thousands, and it is still spreading."

Weisi's legs went weak, and he braced himself against the windowsill.

Dakai Shimo supported him. Weisi pushed him away.

"Notify all uninfected troops, abandon the fallen areas, and establish a defensive line in the Fourth District. Open all weapon depots, distribute ammunition to every soldier, kill."