On the second floor of Medical Center No. 3, almost everyone was startled awake. In a room on the west side, a man had fallen from his bed onto the floor. The medical staff who rushed to the scene found him violently smashing his leg with some object.
Each strike sent flesh and blood flying, accompanied by his distorted wails of pain. Yet, despite the agony, he continued to attack his own leg as if he had seen something horrifying. His eyes were wide with terror, his face twisted in a grimace.
Nearby patients, with the help of their families, scrambled to move away from the scene. In the farthest corner of the room was the bed of a family of three—the father, who had been comatose earlier that afternoon, had woken up. He now shielded his wife and young daughter with his bandaged arms as they all huddled together on the bed.
Everyone in the room stared in horror at the gruesome sight. Even the medical staff, accustomed to dealing with injuries daily, were shocked by the horrifying scene. They stepped forward to stop the man but were unable to control him in his frenzied state.
Eventually, the night watch team burst into the room, subdued the man, and allowed the medical staff to administer a sedative to halt his self-harm. Once the room’s main lights were turned on, everyone could finally see the abnormality on his leg.
The flesh on his leg continued to writhe and twist even after he lost consciousness. A team member quickly stopped anyone from approaching, warning them off. While most civilians in the building didn’t understand the situation, the soldiers knew all too well about the bloody organisms they had encountered before. The man’s leg bore a chilling resemblance to those phenomena.
“Notify the captain immediately!” a team member ordered, his voice steady. “No one in this room is to move—this includes medical staff. Anyone who came into contact with the blood, especially those with open wounds, must undergo an examination.”
“What is this? Can it spread?” a nearby injured patient asked, voice trembling.
“Don’t panic. This is just a precautionary check,” the team member reassured. “As long as you cooperate, you’ll be fine. That includes us—we’ll undergo testing too.”
Hearing that even the soldiers would be tested, the room’s occupants felt slightly less anxious.
Just as another team member finished notifying the captain, terrified screams rang out from upstairs, interspersed with broken cries of, “Blood… blood… it’s moving…”
The soldiers exchanged grim looks, their hearts sinking. This wasn’t an isolated incident.
That night, five patients across multiple medical centers were found to have unknown mutations at their injury sites. Additionally, two individuals who had sustained minor injuries during the ice blade attack and returned to their respective shelters ed severe pain and abnormal tissue changes.
The military worked through the night to clear and repurpose a building near both the medical and research centers to isolate the mutated patients. For now, the medical staff were helpless against the mutations and the associated pain, relying on heavy sedation to calm the afflicted.
Furthermore, all civilians injured during the ice blade incident—whether lightly or severely, whether cut by the ice or debris from buildings—were relocated to a single medical center. Blood samples were collected for testing, and their conditions were monitored closely in separate rooms.
Anyone showing signs of mutation was immediately isolated, and their families underwent full-body examinations before being allowed to return to their original accommodations.
A little girl, who had been in close contact with the first mutated man and had a scraped palm, was kept in the medical center for observation. Her mother, uninjured and cleared after a full-body check, was asked to return to her temporary shelter.
Watching her husband and daughter being placed under observation, the mother broke down in tears.
“Mommy, don’t be afraid. Daddy and I will be fine. I’ll take care of Daddy here,” said the girl—Yinyin. Perhaps because she was allowed to stay with her father, she seemed unafraid.
The child couldn’t comprehend the complexity of the situation. To her, the fact that her father had woken up and she could stay by his side at the medical center was enough.
Some children are not emotionally strong, but perhaps just having family by their side gives them an unconscious sense of security.
The next day, all individuals who had been in close contact with or in the same room as the mutated patient were tested and cleared of the red alert status, including Yinyin and her father. While both still needed to stay at the medical center for a few days of monitoring, this result finally eased the minds of the adults who understood the gravity of the situation.
Meanwhile, the research team had begun investigating the incident. It was evident that the mutation of the patients’ wounds was linked to the previous blood-red soft tissue cases. Knowing that the bloody organism situation wasn’t over left the researchers with mixed feelings. It validated their tireless research efforts, but it also signaled that the public would face new hardships.
“This mutation is a form of infection. So far, all mutated individuals were patients previously injured by the ice blades. Based on comprehensive tests, we’ve ruled out other causes for the injuries.”
“So, it’s the ice?”
“Yes. We analyzed the composition of the ice blades and found remnants of flesh and tissue inside after melting, along with other unidentified gray dust-like components. Some cellular characteristics in the tissue matched the previous bloody organisms but showed new changes.”
This revelation left everyone at the conference table stunned. “Are you saying the bloody organisms has evolved again?!”
“No, as before, we can’t use the term ‘evolution.’ The bloody organisms rely on gray mist to survive but are highly sensitive to low temperatures. This extreme cold nearly wiped them out. At least, the remnants in the melted ice blades were completely dead. However, this might be another adaptive response to a crisis. These unknown organisms have characteristics we completely fail to understand.”
“So, are they dead or not?”
The researcher, exhausted after two sleepless nights, sighed and continued, “We can’t confirm that yet. Not all patients injured by the ice blades developed mutations. Some wounds are healing normally, while others… as you’ve seen, their injured areas have been infected and mutated, as if the bloody organisms has been reactivated in the human body.
We cannot yet determine whether this difference is due to individual constitution or some other factor. But what we do know is that the bloody organisms seems to have revived within the human body through the ice blade injuries. Like hibernating creatures, many species in this world possess biological traits far superior to humans. We, humans, have always been the most fragile species.”
At this point, the military personnel realized further questioning would yield no immediate answers, so they shifted focus. “What about treatment? Can those already infected and mutated still be saved?”
“Currently, the bloody organisms fears two things: gray mist and low temperatures. But neither can fully eliminate them, and the human body cannot withstand subzero temperatures. So, the only treatment we can attempt right now is… amputation.”
“What?!”
“From what we’ve observed, the infection is localized near the wounds. Amputation might stop or delay the spread. It’s the only viable option.”
Someone paled as they asked, “What about injuries located on the torso?”
The researcher paused for a long moment before responding, “Wounds with infection and mutation cause excruciating pain. It’s recommended to administer painless injections.”
Painless injections—euthanasia.
The command center conference room fell into a deathly silence.
By late afternoon, the military command center issued a broadcast to all personnel and civilians. The announcement stated that everyone would be relocated within a day to a secure location 200 kilometers away, deep within a mountain fortress. The site had strong defensive measures that could withstand gray mist, ice blades, and extreme cold, ensuring safety within.
The relocation procedures and details would be shared through an internal communication platform established by the military. The platform aimed to encourage those with mobile phones to assist those without, ensuring smooth communication.
Yu Xi naturally heard the announcement. Her sharp hearing had not only caught the broadcast from the mountain’s base but also the terrified screams of the injured that night when the infections and mutations occurred. Since there was no information about it online, she decided the next day to don polar cold-resistant gear and head down the mountain to gather information.
She had planned to go alone, but the men in the villa would not allow it.
“It’s just a quick check for information. There’s no gray mist outside, and no ice blades are falling.”
Jian Shou and Xi Yuan, already in the process of quickly suiting up in cold-weather gear, ignored her protests entirely.
Feeling a headache coming on, Yu Xi turned to Hei Mu. “Who’s actually in charge here?”
Hei Mu, calmly helping Jian Shou and Xi Yuan with their gear, replied without missing a beat, “You are, of course, Master.”
Yu Xi: …
“You should let them go with you,” Yan Shang, usually quiet, chimed in. “Otherwise, none of us will feel at ease.”
In the end, Yu Xi relented, though she firmly refused to let Xing Min join them. His fragile, energy-draining body required constant repairs, and his pale, sickly appearance was a clear indicator that he shouldn’t exert himself.
Yu Xi: “It’s too cold outside. Your energy is precious, so save it. You’re not allowed to come!”
【…I’m not that weak.】
Yu Xi: “I don’t care. You’re staying behind!”
【…】
Yu Xi: “That’s final. Don’t make me worry about you. If something happens, I’ll call you.”
【……】
Through a mix of firmness and soft persuasion, Xing Min finally stayed behind. But as he stood by the window, watching Yu Xi descend the mountain with the two tall figures accompanying her, a wave of frustration and loathing for his current weakened state swept over him for the first time.
In such a fragile, powerless body, he couldn’t stay by her side to protect her as he wished.
Yu Xi and the two men, fully masked, goggled, and hooded, with not even their eyes exposed, first visited the vicinity of the medical center and the nearby shelters. Although she couldn’t enter the medical center, her sharp hearing allowed her to catch conversations inside from a distance.
After about half an hour, Yu Xi gathered the information she needed and returned to the villa with Jian Shou and Xi Yuan.
That evening, she convened a small meeting, explaining the situation regarding the infections and mutations caused by ice blade wounds. She emphasized one critical rule:
Never stay outdoors during an ice blade incident and absolutely avoid being injured by the blades!
Although infection and mutation weren’t guaranteed outcomes, it wasn’t a risk worth taking.
That night, during dinner, the group heard the military’s broadcast announcing plans for a large-scale relocation. Recently, under Hei Mu’s guidance, everyone had been training in physical fitness and combat while also working to cook and preserve large amounts of fresh food. Yu Xi’s Star House storage now held an impressive stockpile of ready-to-eat meals.
At this stage, the seemingly endless supply of fresh vegetables, fruits, fish, meat, eggs, and dairy from the villa’s fridge and storage rooms no longer raised questions. Everyone was well aware of the truth but chose not to dwell on it. After all, Yu Xi was someone they wanted to protect, and her capabilities only reassured them further.
That night’s dinner was a luxurious fish hotpot. Slices of fresh black fish, translucent and bone-free thanks to Hei Mu’s impeccable knife skills, were cooked in a rich, creamy broth made from fish and pork bones. There were also two carp heads prepared as spicy chopped pepper fish head and dry pot spicy fish head, accompanied by beef, lamb, and an assortment of fresh vegetables—a delicious and hearty meal.
Even Xing Min, who usually only ate fruits and vegetables, enjoyed several pieces of the black fish.
When the relocation announcement played, Xi Yuan looked up at Yu Xi. “The military is moving far away this time. What about us? Are we staying here?”
“We’ll have to move sooner or later,” Yu Xi replied, already mentally prepared after receiving a random system mission that morning.
“So, are we going on our own, or…?”
“We’ll go with the military for now,” she said thoughtfully. “If something happens on the road, we can help. If it reaches the point where we can’t rely on them, we’ll leave on our own.” She looked at the group. “Does this plan work for everyone?”
The four Subordinates nodded.
“It works.”
“We’ll follow your arrangements.”
Yu Xi turned to Xing Min.
He glanced at her before responding.
【Alright.】
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