Chapter 17: Converts

Chapter17: The Converts

Seeing the mother body torn apart, blood spilling across the ground, Chen Jian felt his chest tighten.

Can this thing even be eaten?

Quite right; he himself was from the Liangguang region, he wouldn't eat winged aircraft or four-legged stools, and otherwise had no taboos.

Having served in the troops, during field drills he could even chew leeches with their entrails removed until they crackled, his steel teeth and iron stomach already honed; eating a bit of monster meat now posed no problem.

But the problem is, the mutation mechanism of this thing remains unclear; who knows if its flesh harbors a virus.

If he took a bite and developed ulcers that infected his capillaries, he'd be done for.

Even if he didn't mutate on the spot, he'd surely lose a good chunk of sanity, right?

Chen Jian eyed Xu Lie skeptically, who burst out laughing and said:

“Just joking; only in dire straits would monster meat be eaten, and only by those Converts.”

“We have rations; we're leaving the city now, and we'll eat together once we reach the camp.”

Having said that, Chen Jian finally let out a breath of relief.

But in an instant, he keenly caught a crucial point from the other's words.

“Not unless absolutely necessary.”

“That means, if it's absolutely necessary, we can still eat it, right?”

He immediately posed the question to Xu Lie, who nodded and replied:

“All monster meat is toxic, though some are mild and some severe.”

“If it's mild, eating it just gives you a few days of diarrhea, vomiting and purging for a spell.”

“If it's severe, you drop dead on the spot.”

“But regardless of mild or severe, once you eat it, the monster’s ‘spirit’ stays with you for life.”

“What do you mean by ‘spirit’?”

Chen Jian pressed on.

“It's roughly a kind of… concept?”

“In any case, it's some kind of curse; after you eat it, every descendant you bear will be nothing but monsters.”

“I don’t know the specifics; if you want to know, you can come with us to the Holy Blood Hall and ask the high priest.”

“Oh, and the Machine God cult calls it ‘progenitor gene,’ though they probably don’t even know what that term really means.”

Well, progenitor gene.

What, do these monsters all have a holy father too?

Chen Jian clicked his tongue twice, and roughly grasped the logic of how this works.

It's highly probable that monsters are caused by a virus and also arise through mutation.

But in a logically coherent physical world, nothing can cause a fully grown adult to undergo functional mutation, let alone alter its bodily structure.

So the virus lies dormant, waiting until the host begins to reproduce, then it attacks the genetic material, alters the genome, and ultimately achieves the goal of 'breeding monsters.'

Perhaps humanity's extinction is linked to this ultra‑covert mode of attack?

Chen Jian dared not be certain.

But at least he now understood why those so‑called Converts were so eager to 'breed.'

No wonder they say they 'can't leave.'

In this post‑apocalyptic age, using the most basic logic, Chen Jian also knew that reproduction was of paramount importance.

And what about them?

If they don't reproduce, they're treated as freaks and will inevitably be exposed.

If you stubbornly refuse to breed, someday you'll be suspected and cannot escape death's fate.

So those already infected by the virus can only remain in the monsters' territory.

Tsk.

The world isn't mad; I just haven't seen enough of it.

He quickly updated his findings on his PDA, and the other teammates, after reading his speculation, all nodded in agreement.

Xu Lie noticed their demeanor, curious about what means they used to communicate.

Chen Jian didn't reveal the secret of his goggles, so he merely shared his speculation with Xu Lie to divert his attention.

And after hearing Chen Jian's words, not only Xu Lie but every member of the Holy Blood squad showed undisguised astonishment.

They had already assumed Chen Jian's squad were 'chosen ones' descended from some unknown land, and that although these people were strong, they knew nothing of this wasteland.

But only a short time had passed, and they had already grasped this complex reality.

You should know that even the Holy Blood Hall only became aware of the Converts' issue after a small settlement was wiped out, and only then did they sense it. And now—

I merely uttered a few fragments, didn't I?

Xu Lie's gaze toward Chen Jian grew ever more curious, mixed with a measure of awe.

The party pressed on, detouring around the scaffolding blown apart by Chen Jian's squad, heading outward; the route was hardly different from the one they'd taken to enter the city.

But as they walked, Chen Jian gradually sensed something amiss.

When they stepped onto a narrow alley, a rustling sound arose around them.

The four Holy Blood squad members had already drawn their weapons, and Chen Jian racked his gun.

“Get ready; there may be enemies.”

His words had barely left his mouth when, the next second—

Several stone‑like objects flew out from the windows on either side of the street.

“Engage!”

Shen Yue shouted loudly, instinctively dropping to set up a machine gun.

Immediately, those objects exploded with a boom.

“Boom!”

The squad of four, who had prepared in advance, were hardly affected; the Holy Blood members, already stronger than ordinary folk, stood firm.

This ambush ended in failure, and the enemies hidden in the shadows emerged one by one onto the street.

A thick mass of figures surrounded the eight at the center; Chen Jian could see at a glance that their numbers ran to at least a hundred.

“Converts.”

Xu Lie's voice was steady.

“We killed their master; now they have nowhere to go.”

“We need to withdraw quickly; they're too many to kill cleanly, and they're tenacious.”

Withdraw?

I damn well want to withdraw!

Chen Jian's gaze was stern, his mind racing.

Now the eight‑man squad was surrounded; a Saint‑Blooded could leap three or four meters high, so carving a bloody path would be no trouble.

But our four men are all weighed down by heavy gear; we can barely run—where could we possibly withdraw to?

Ammo is running low.

If we don't use it now, we may never get a chance to use it later.

With that thought, Chen Jian spoke decisively:

"We're too slow; we can't get away."

"You can't leave either."

"Fall back with us into the left‑hand alley and watch for any enemies slipping past on the flanks."

"Shen Yue, get ready and inflict as much damage on the enemy as possible."

"Understood!"

At the instant the order was given, the four squad members sprang into action.

A few seconds later, Shen Yue had set up a machine gun on the ground, while the other three each gripped their weapons, crouching beside him on guard.

The next second, dozens of converts poured out of the alley mouth, thick as a swarm, sprinting head‑on toward them.

The sight was terrifying enough to make even the four Saint‑Blooded squad members tense up.

Instinctively they thought this tactic was putting themselves on a death sentence.

But Chen Jian's unquestionable tone made them wonder whether the enemy possessed some other 'ability'.

——

But, no.

They simply crouched there, simply letting the weapons in their hands spew fire.

The charging converts fell, layer upon layer, until not a single one remained standing.

At that moment, the four Saint‑Blooded felt like thorns in their backs, a chill running through their bodies.

It was the first time they had sensed, at such close range, the terrifying power of these four 'God‑Chosen'.

And they also knew, with absolute certainty, that their power far surpassed even the strongest of the Machine God Cult.

(End of chapter)