fictionpage Chapter 15 [The First Signs of Plague: The Opposite of Order]
Chapter 15 [The First Signs of Plague: The Opposite of Order]
In the days following the arrival of the "oracle," this piece of flesh and blood originating from the divine body was the most sacred and bizarre existence they had never encountered before.
Its structure violates all known laws of the Kaz civilization. Every activity it undertakes is captured, analyzed, and recorded by the residual array of the "Eye of the Sky," but it remains incomprehensible.
In a moment that seemed no different from any other, the center of that dark red solidified mass throbbed.
thump.
At the same second, all the perceivers sent back the same alarm to the wise king Kars.
After the pulse, the oracle came to life.
The flesh and blood began to extend outwards, reaching everything it touched.
The barren soil that forms the cave floor, the crystalline rocks scattered throughout, and even some abandoned metal veins from the Kaz civilization were rapidly assimilated.
No matter what it was originally like, once it's touched, it will immediately transform into someone else's shape and can never go back.
In just a few tens of minutes, a carpet of blood and flesh spread out across the land of Anthill.
Faced with a terrifying entity that was about to devour the world, the Kaz civilization gave it a unified name:
[Plague]
Outside the capital, the plague is spreading faster and faster.
Inside the temple, the core of the Wise King Kaz continued to calculate, and after a long time, it finally completed the deduction.
Letting things go unchecked equals a threat equals the unknown.
The logic leads to a single solution: parsing, and then decomposition.
This is the standard procedure for the Kaz civilization to handle unknown problems, and it has never failed since its inception.
"The 'probing' operation begins."
In a fraction of a second, an advance team of ten elite decomposers launched their attack!
They are the embodiment of the military power of the Kaz civilization, and the sharpest spear of the wise king.
The leading commander, codenamed Alpha.
Its internal structure was more sophisticated than its counterparts, and it also enjoyed the privilege of being granted a coronation by imperial authority.
The decomposers, moving at high speed in a non-triangular formation, reached the edge of the desolate plague.
"Deploy the standard decomposition force field. Power thirty." Alpha's command was relayed within the squad.
All nine team members responded simultaneously. As planned, the flesh and blood should have been broken down into the most basic particles within 0.1 seconds.
However, the force field that was powerful enough to break down diamonds didn't even react when it came into contact with wriggling flesh.
Error: Unable to resolve.
"Increase power to seventy," Alpha ordered again.
Even if the intensity is doubled, the result remains the same.
"Following the A-3 logic contingency plan: When encountering an unknown, highly resistant target, use overwhelming force for saturation elimination." Alpha's core logic chain points to the only solution: "If power is insufficient, respond with maximum power."
It temporarily takes over control of the other members of the squad. "Ultra-high power decomposition impact, execute."
A solidified, silvery-white beam of light shot out from the front of Alpha's body and struck the core of the plague.
The plague easily absorbed its flesh and blood, and there was a response.
Its terrifying corrosive effect even reversed, entering the collective consciousness of the Kaz civilization through the Alpha's body.
"Warning! Unknown...prologue...intrusion...I...have been..."
Alpha's lament resonated with every fellow human.
In the moments before his self-awareness was completely erased, the Alpha, relying on the absolute loyalty to the Wise King and civilization imprinted deep within his core, initiated his final self-destruction.
It intends to detonate its own core and perish together with this terrifying enemy.
"For the sake of... *sizzle*..."
Before the final part of the self-destruct command was completed, the plague took over the body and forcibly stopped the detonation process.
Under the horrified gaze of the remaining nine Decomposers, it, the Plague, began to desecrate the warrior.
Alpha's smooth, silvery-white metallic shell was brutally torn and twisted by flesh and blood that had entered from the inside.
In just a few seconds, the once-strong warrior vanished.
What remains is a twisted monster, half mechanical and half flesh and blood, constantly dripping filthy slime.
Defeat and massacre ensued.
This puppet, controlled by the plague, has lost all its former rationality and order, possessing only a pure bloodlust. It wields its knife against its former comrades.
"Suppress companion A-Alpha..." The remaining nine decomposers, driven by rigid and loyal commands, attempted to control the monster.
Their actions are like moths drawn to a flame.
The first decomposer that tried to use its force field to restrain itself had its shell shattered by a single claw.
Infection occurs simply from the contact of the filthy flesh with its wound.
After a brief period of data lamentation, a second flesh and blood puppet was born.
Two against eight.
Three against seven.
Four against six...
In the blink of an eye, the elite squad transformed into a monstrous army that grew ever stronger, feeding on its former comrades.
Their only instinct is to transform and assimilate more of the order into themselves, or rather, into part of the desolation and plague.
Inside the Temple of the Nest City, the Wise King Kaz remained unmoved as he received the avalanche of news from the battlefield.
It grieves deeply for the fall of each of its subjects, even if these individuals do not possess the same capacity for thought as itself, for they are still companions it has pieced together bit by bit.
The core lies in rapid computation:
"Assessing the rescue plan... success rate 0%".
"Assess the consequences of letting things go unchecked... The enemy's strength has increased tenfold. Continuing to allow survivors to escape back will lead to an infection source within the hive city, and the consequences... are incalculable."
Emotion and logic have created a contradiction in the consciousness of the wise king Kazna, which has existed for over a thousand years.
On one hand, the enemy has taken over Ziming's body; on the other hand, there is a future scenario where the entire world will perish if the situation is not dealt with.
But the hesitation lasted only three ten-thousandths of a second.
Logic, in a single blow, kills emotion.
"Abandon the rescue."
"Close the passages to the first through tenth ramparts." The ruthless order was given.
On the battlefield, the last surviving Decomposer, dragging its broken body, desperately fled towards the hive capital.
It still trusted its king, believing that he would save it no matter what.
It saw it, that familiar gap, mercilessly closed.
How could you, my king, give up on yourself?
Even at its last moment, it was still contemplating such absurd thoughts...
"King... save..." The plea abruptly ended.
An arm, mutated from a former kin's arm into a giant claw, grabbed its leg from behind and dragged it back into that writhing hell of flesh and blood.
The advance team was completely wiped out.
After a brief storm, the collective consciousness of Wise King Kaz has completed its final definition update.
It completely removed the plague from the category of unknown oracles, and with the most profound authority, imprinted it with a completely new and unshakable eternal definition:
[First priority target to eliminate: Enemies].
Xu Ye's pale and thin face was reflected on the cold glass.
Half of his pupils were filled with the cold blue light that shimmered in the Nest City, representing its icy order.
The other half is a crimson glow that represents destruction and chaos, writhing like "wild plague".
Blue and red intertwine and collide silently in his eyes.
He gave the ultimate and most contradictory command to the glass, to his own reflection, and to his creations:
"Live on..."
"Then, destroy me."
[Antheraea 1508: The Creator's original sin, "Plague," displayed unparalleled destructiveness, assimilating and transforming everything, seemingly trying to mold everything into its own form. It expanded, it was disorderly and chaotic, and it was the enemy of civilization.]