Apart from the three Exorcists, there were two other civilians. Both were young men and women of USA descent, who probably lived in this city because of their work.
It was dawn. The sun was still hiding in the eastern sky. The humans didn't continue to wander around the city and wisely chose to rest in this house.
In the meantime, Stein and the silver-haired girl who was called as the captain wandered back and forth in the twenty-story building. Lucius guessed they were patrolling, securing the area. It won't be fun to meet a zombie early in the morning before they even had breakfast.
The temperature of the area dropped a few degrees. Zombies' low growls were scarce, the silence was a bit frightening. The Exorcist team hadn't returned yet.
In the hall, the two Americans sat together. Judging by their appearance, they should be brother and sister.
On the other hand, Lucius was sitting on the other side. He had been communicating with the system because he was bored.
"System, what is that unfinished Black Light virus?"
Lucius hadn't asked about the rewards given after the virus infected the powerful Esper before.
What does "unfinished Black Light virus' mean? It's not human-made?
[According to the host's imagination, the Black Light Virus is a new type of virus initially derived from a serum researched to strengthen various functions of the human body.]
"Did they end up creating those monsters because they lost control?"
[Correct. The nature of the Black Light virus is to strengthen human's physical power and accelerate their evolution.]
"Why is it called 'unfinished?'?"
[The unfinished Black Light Virus will spread in the host's body after infection, subconsciously strengthening the host's physical functions.]
That means the person won't turn into a zombie but can have zombie power?
But Lucius didn't believe there will be no side effects. After all, it's a virus! Though tempting, it won't be as good as it sounds.
"But when the host's mind hoards negative and impulsive emotions, the dormant Black Light virus will fuse perfectly with the host's genes. The mutated infected life form will be 1.000 times stronger than normal."
"What is the initial infection level?"
"Level 4 infected life form."
Level…4?
Lucius' eyes widened at the news. If he remembered correctly, there were more than 100.000 zombies in Wenhan City. Only 30 reached Level 2, and he hadn't seen any Level 3 yet. With the exception of the mutant crow, Lucius had created with a full dose of Black Light virus injection.
And this vial of Unfinished Black Light virus was able to create a Level 4 infected life form? That meant it had the same power as a B ranked Esper. No, maybe even stronger!
He had a plan!
Lucius tried his best to hide his excited smile, but he couldn't help grinning anyway.
And right at this moment, the Exorcist squad had returned.
"It's unfortunate what has turned this city into this." Stein held a shortsword in his hand, flinging the crimson blood from the sword, "Yuri, you're not hurt, are you? Otherwise, I'll be very annoyed."
"No…no…no…" Yuri followed behind Stein, being awkward.
"Please be careful."
The young girl patted his shoulder and walked away after saying those words.
A blush bloomed across Yuri's face.
Stein noticed the look in Yuri's eyes and kept that smile on his face. But he took Yuri by the collar and dragged him to the wall where no one could see them. He whispered in Yuri's ear, "Listen, my little Yuri. You're weak, so please don't ever think funny about the captain! You don't have any skills. Once the mission is complete, you will never meet her again!"
"I…" Yuri heard those cold, harsh words. Although he was already used to hearing them, his whole body stiffened, he froze.
"Do as I say, or you'll end up like your mother and father who were eliminated by the Church. I heard they died in a miserable state." Stein didn't wait for Yuri's word. He shook him off with one hand and followed the silver-haired girl. "Captain, wait a minute, you should tell me what your name is…"
Yuri touched his back that had been hit against the wall. The pain made Yuri grit his teeth as he looked at the two's departing backs and sat down, looking miserable. They were one of the strongest Exorcists. But he was just a clown—what a loser.
"Pretty girl, isn't she?"
"Eh?" Yuri found a hand suddenly stretched in front of him, with long and slender pale fingers that looked particularly striking. He looked up to find the survivor he had rescued before, the one called Lucius, looking at him with a gentle smile.
"Don't be discouraged, Mr. Exorcist!" Lucius pushed his intonation on the last two words, but Yuri seemed to be completely clueless.
He weakly reached out and grabbed Lucius' hand, using his strength to stand up. "Thanks."
That smile… he had seen it countless times on Stein's face, he naturally knew what was hidden behind Stein's smile. But what about Lucius? Is he really friendly and gentle? Yuri couldn't figure it out. He gazed at his smile for a while, mesmerized, but then cowardly lowered his head again.
"I'm the one who should be thankful." Lucius walked into the room with Yuri. The young Exorcist sat in a chair with a heavy heart, his eyes darting from time to time through the window to the balcony, where Stein and the silver-haired girl known as the captain seemed to be talking about something. But, none of the topics concerned him.
"Do you like her?"
"Eh??" Yuri gasped in shock after Lucius's sudden words. But he calmed down when he saw Lucius' mysterious smile. Gossip…an emotion that anyone would have. Perhaps only ordinary people could do that.
"That's… I…." Suddenly being asked about his feelings, Yuri wavered. Not knowing what to do.
This boy was even more naïve than Lucius had expected. Lucius no longer wore the same fake smile on his face. Instead, he used a sorry expression. After all, with two young Americans watching them, Lucius had to maintain his act, being the powerless civilian who had survived the doomsday.
"I'm so sorry, Mr. Exorcist. I should haven't asked that."
"No…it's fine, it's all my fault." Yuri shook his head. But when Yuri glanced at the young girl again. Lucius' smirked. This time, with a seductive tone, belonged to a vampire.
"Why don't you try to flirt with her?"
"Flirt? I'm weak. I'm just a D-rank Exorcist, and I don't even know her name. I think Mr. Stein suits her more."
Oh? He's feeling inferior?
"So… do you want to be more powerful?"
"Eh?!" Yuri startled. Immediately looked up to meet Lucius' eyes.
"Do you want power? You'll be even more powerful than that Stein guy. You'll have the power to pursue her! You can have this power for a small price, something you already have."
Yuri's eyes went blank. The words escaping from Lucius' lips echoed inside his head.
"I… want…" Yuri spoke in a longing tone.
Do you? Then, it's decided… Lucius snapped his fingers, and Yuri snapped back to reality. As if the devil's voice that was about to invade his heart just now were never there. Higher life forms had the ability to resist the Black Light virus. And the unfinished Black Light virus was not infectious. If it was injected into a high ranked Esper, the person's cell might destroy the virus. However, this child was just a perfect match for him. People with low self-esteem would explode when bestowed by the power they've always wanted. Just as Lucius was about to continue…
"Excuse me, err… hello?" A voice suddenly butted in. Lucius looked up to see it was the female American sitting on the other side of the room. She was holding a small camera in her hand. Lucius looked at her chest, a press pass hung on it.
"My name is Dana. As you can see, I'm a journalist." The journalist turned the camera on Yuri, who was looking somewhat confused. "May I interview you, Mr. Exorcist? And also this gentleman, of course." She turned the camera on Lucius. Vampires were mythical creatures who couldn't be captured in any photo or video because they were creatures disdained by God. But with his disguise glasses, Lucius was a human!
"An…interview?"
The Exorcists were famous. They enjoyed the fame after hunting down monsters. But a weak Exorcist like Yuri himself never received such treatment.
"It's hard to experience such an incredible event, if we can get this footage out of the city, it will definitely make the front page."
Whoa…this girl was pretty optimistic. She was completely clueless about the consequences this incident would have. Probably, that was the nature of journalists.
"Dana!" And the young male American walked up to her and put his hand on her shoulder, "Don't cause trouble for someone else."
"It's just an interview, brother. They won't mind."
As expected, they were related. Lucius glanced at the two Americans and ignored them.
In the meantime, Dana, a professional journalist, continued her interview with Yuri. The shy boy awkwardly answered her questions. Lucius didn't bother about that anymore as the interview didn't benefit him in any way.
With a final glance at the two Exorcists who had been standing on the window sill, still talking for more than ten minutes, Lucius walked alone to the hallway outside the room.
Lucius leaned against the wall beside the door, a blind position no one else in this room could see him. The scent of blood was constantly permeating the entire corridor as Lucius closed his eyes.
If you want power, you have to give up something. Humanity, for example.