Soon, the people at the Aurora Research Station heard the commotion and rushed outside. A dozen or so individuals caught sight of the roaring flames.
"Mr. Weyland, what's…?"
Mike Dean stared in shock at the scene before him, then turned to Roy, who was holding a gun.
Charles quickly explained.
"Just now, an Alaskan malamute ran out. After Roy shot it dead, it suddenly turned into a monster and killed that man."
The explanation sounded so bizarre that the people from the Aurora Research Station didn't immediately believe it.
A man who looked like the station chief stepped forward.
"Mr. Weyland, is this true?"
"I swear on my honor. Besides, everyone in the vehicle should've seen what just happened."
At that moment, the Black Mountain mercenaries from the Conqueror rushed over, surrounding Charles protectively and aiming their guns at the Aurora Station crew.
"What do you think you're doing?!"
Seeing the fully armed Black Mountain mercenaries, the Aurora Station crew immediately backed down.
Mike Dean hurriedly tried to smooth things over. Bullets don't discriminate, and the Antarctic wasn't exactly a peaceful utopia.
"It's probably just a misunderstanding! Chief, shouldn't we check the kennels to see what's going on?"
The station chief, eager to de-escalate, nodded in agreement.
"You're right. Let's go check the kennels now."
Roy immediately pulled out his credentials and stepped forward.
"Hold on! I'm Roy Black, an agent with the FEA. I suspect the dogs in the kennel have been infected by some kind of supernatural entity. I'm coming along to investigate!"
The Aurora Station crew exchanged uncertain glances. They had no idea what the FEA was.
The station chief spoke up.
"Excuse me, what's the FEA?"
"The Federal Emergency Agency. We specialize in handling supernatural incidents."
"So, you're a federal employee?"
"You could say that."
The chief reluctantly agreed to let Roy join them at the kennels. Roy's commanding presence was hard to argue with.
Before heading out, Roy gave a quick warning to Heather and Charles.
"Watch out for Lex Wood!"
Charles looked puzzled.
"Why's that?"
"I saw some blood from that dog splatter into Lex Wood's mouth. We don't yet know what caused the Alaskan malamute's mutation, so she needs to be quarantined!"
At that, Charles's expression hardened. He immediately gave orders to the Black Mountain mercenaries.
"Secure Lex Wood. No physical contact!"
Lex Wood froze, stunned.
"Hey! Mr. Weyland, what's this about?"
"Sorry, Ms. Wood, but you've been exposed to that dog's blood. I have to quarantine you."
"No! I'm perfectly fine! This is a violation of my personal freedom—it's illegal!"
The Black Mountain mercenaries, employed by Amacham Technology, didn't care about her protests. They'd dealt with biohazard leaks before and knew the drill.
The mercenary captain chambered a round and aimed at Lex Wood.
"Ms. Wood, I suggest you don't move. This is for everyone's safety."
Lex shot Roy a venomous glare, convinced he was the reason for her unfair treatment.
Meanwhile, the Aurora Station crew seemed rattled by Roy's words.
The station chief spoke up on their behalf.
"Sir, is it really that serious?"
"Haven't you seen sci-fi movies? If this is a biohazard leak, anyone who's had close contact with those dogs is extremely dangerous!"
Most of the people working at the Antarctic research station were scientists, not just support staff. Deep down, they knew the risks, though some clung to a sliver of hope.
Mike Dean spoke up.
"Chief, wasn't Clark bitten by a dog earlier? Not sure if it was that dog, though!"
Roy's brow furrowed instantly.
"Who's Clark?"
The chief glanced around at his team.
"Clark didn't come out with us. Has anyone seen him?"
Roy's gut told him something was wrong.
"Everyone, listen up! Spread out and stand still. Until I've investigated, no one leaves!"
"Hey, you can't do this! We'll freeze out here!"
Someone protested, but Roy fired a warning shot into the air.
"Listen, if this thing gets out, it could be a catastrophe for human civilization. You get what I'm saying, right?"
The dozen or so Aurora Station crew members fell silent. They understood, but some selfish ones didn't care about the consequences.
Luckily, Roy had seven fully armed Black Mountain mercenaries who only answered to their employer, not humanitarian ideals.
"Charles, keep an eye on things here. I'm going to check the kennels and find Clark."
"Better hurry, Roy. I can feel the temperature dropping already!"
The sun was beginning to set. Even though it was early summer in Antarctica, the sun would be gone within an hour.
When that happened, the temperature on the continent would plummet. No one could survive long in that cold, even in insulated gear.
"I'll be quick! Tell me, where's the kennel?"
The chief pointed Roy in the right direction.
"Uh, sir, are you sure you'll be okay alone? Want to bring some help?"
"No need. If I can't handle it, no amount of backup will matter."
With that, Roy loaded his M500 and headed toward the kennel.
He found it quickly, but the door had already been forced open.
Then, gunfire erupted outside, suggesting an attack. Roy prepared to head back to provide support.
Just then, the ventilation duct above crashed down, and something lunged at him.
Roy reacted instantly, entering a bullet-time state. In a flash, he transformed into his ghost wolf form, using his explosive speed to dodge.
The attacker blinked, only to find Roy gone. A second later, a cylindrical object rolled beneath it—a flare.
Boom!
The flare exploded, setting the kennel ablaze, along with the creature.
The attacker was barely recognizable as human. Its skin was split open, a grotesque mess of flesh and blood.
Long, red tendrils extended from its body, flailing wildly, while sharp, spider-like limbs protruded from its sides.
It was no longer human.
Roy noticed the flames didn't kill the creature instantly. Its neck stretched unnaturally, launching its head into the air.
The head, sprouting spider-like legs, grabbed onto the ventilation duct to escape.
Bang!
Roy fired his M500, blowing the head apart. The splattered flesh still writhed slowly.
This made Roy realize this bizarre creature wasn't just parasitic—every cell seemed capable of developing into an independent entity.
At first, Roy thought it might be the Silence Seed, but this was different.
The Silence Seed had a core, and all mutations stemmed from it. Destroy the core, and the infected creature died.
This thing had no core. Its chaotic growth allowed every cell to potentially become a new entity, making it far more infectious, though less potent than the Silence Seed.
While their infection methods differed, the mutation patterns were eerily similar. Perhaps they originated from the same source but evolved in different directions—one prioritizing survival, the other mutation strength.
Realizing this, Roy tossed another flare to burn the entire kennel, ensuring no cells survived.
As the flames roared, Roy left to check the situation outside.
The infected dogs from the kennel had attacked Charles's group. Fortunately, the Black Mountain mercenaries' heavy firepower eliminated them.
The mercenaries also had flares and had incinerated the infected dogs for good measure.
This time, Lex Wood had no argument. If she spouted any animal rights nonsense now, the mercenary captain might just shoot her.
"Everyone, I was attacked in the kennel by something human-like. I had to burn it down to destroy it. That thing was likely your Clark—he'd already mutated."
Roy scanned the Aurora Station crew as he explained the situation.
The chief forced a smile.
"Since you found Clark, can we go back now?"
Roy shook his head.
"Not yet. Clark's dead, but that doesn't mean there aren't others infected among you. This parasite can infect others as long as a single cell remains. The best option is to destroy this station entirely."
The chief hesitated.
"But there's so much research data in the station—it's our life's work!"
"Losing some data is better than turning into one of those monsters. Do you want to end up like that?"
The Aurora Station crew shook their heads. No one wanted to become a monster.
"My suggestion is to head to the nearest research station and wait for rescue. But first, I need to confirm none of you are infected."
The chief hesitated but agreed.
"Fine. But how do we check for infection?"
Lex Wood chimed in.
"Yeah, how do we know you aren't infected, Mr. Black?"
She was trying to drag Roy down with her, but he ignored her. In his mind, Lex Wood was already a dead woman walking.
"In the kennel, I noticed a trait of this parasite. Even a small amount of its tissue retains basic biological instincts. So, if we take a blood sample from each of you, we can test for infection.
To be fair, everyone here, including me, will be tested."
As Roy spoke, he closely observed the group.
Most looked relieved, but one person from the Aurora Station crew showed a subtle change in expression.
Roy smirked coldly, locking onto his target. He didn't call them out, wanting to test if this parasite could access its host's memories and intelligence.
If it could, that would be terrifying.
"Heather, have the Conqueror send down some petri dishes and a scalpel. I'm starting the blood tests."
"Got it!"
The people in the Conqueror and the other two snow vehicles were safe and should stay put to avoid contamination.
Soon, the petri dishes and scalpel were delivered.
Roy went first, but his skin couldn't be cut with a scalpel, so he bit his own finger.
After a few drops of blood, his wound healed instantly.
He showed the group his blood in the petri dish, then began testing the others.
Charles, Heather, and the Black Mountain mercenaries all tested normal. But when Roy approached Lex Wood, she refused.
"I refuse the blood test! This violates my civil rights! I don't even know if that scalpel is clean!"
Normally, blood collection tools are disposable to avoid contamination.
But in Antarctica, they didn't have those luxuries. Roy wasn't in the mood to argue with Lex Wood and pointed his M500 at her.
"You have two choices. I take your blood with the scalpel, or I take it with a bullet."
Lex Wood put on a frail, pitiful expression and looked at the Aurora Station crew.
"Are you just going to let this guy bully a defenseless woman?"
Someone from the station spoke up.
"Isn't this a bit much? Maybe there's another way to verify?"
Others began murmuring in agreement.
Roy noticed the first person to speak wasn't the one he'd flagged as suspicious. He gave the mercenary captain a look.
"Secure that guy who spoke up. He might be a problem."
The captain looked to Charles, who nodded.
"Do what Roy says."
"You two, bring that bleeding-heart gentleman over."
The man hadn't expected Roy to act so decisively.
"Since you're so sympathetic to the lady, you can go first."
With two rifles pointed at him, he had no choice but to comply. His blood tested normal—he was just an idiot trying to play the gentleman.
"Get lost," Roy said.
He turned back to Lex Wood.
"Last chance. What's it gonna be?"