EDEH Chapter 11

Dawn was breaking.

 

“What’s happening!”

 

The A District patrol captain looked up to see strange gray giant birds folding their wings and diving toward them. The sonic devices seemed to have no disruptive effect on the gray birds.

 

He shot through the skull of a gray bird charging at him and pressed his communicator: “Team 17, attention! Everyone take cover in buildings!!”

 

“You go first!” The soldier providing rear cover heard the captain’s hoarse roar: “Third, get out of the way!!!”

 

The bullet pierced the left wing of the gray bird attacking from behind, but it was useless.

 

He looked down and saw his own heart had been torn through.

 

This bird was even larger than a grown man. Before his pupils faded, the last image he saw was only slender gray feathers.

 

Blood dripping from the bird’s wing contaminated his heart wound. He could feel his consciousness slowly dissipating, but he wouldn’t die.

 

Foreign, thread-like cells resembling fungal filaments tore at his body, destroying, reorganizing, occupying his form—

 

Then growing new wings on his already deviant body, or perhaps just sprouting a ridiculous bird tail, his entire body covered in gray feathers…

 

Finally losing consciousness and becoming a monster.

 

He didn’t want to become a monster.

 

The soldier struggled to reach for his waist. Although deviants didn’t rely on weapons, they still carried guns just in case.

 

“Bang—!”

 

If he’d known the first bullet would be for himself, he would have used it more before.

 

The captain who had reached the building area punched the wall in fury, but the battle wasn’t over—he couldn’t be the first to lose his composure.

 

He pressed his communicator: “Calling the General! Large flocks of birds unaffected by sonic waves are charging toward residential areas. Is the lighthouse safe!?”

 

The sonic dispersal device was installed at the lighthouse’s peak. As the main city’s tallest building, its dispersed sound waves were sufficient to cover the entire city, yet today there were too many birds slipping through.

 

Huo Jiangmin’s voice came through: “The lighthouse is fine. It’s a new deviant species. Don’t engage directly, focus on evasion, prioritize protecting area residents. Supervisors have occupied sniper positions, don’t panic!”

 

“Yes!”

 

The entire city was filled with the smell of gunpowder, bullets flying everywhere, blood splattering.

 

Deviants who were fighting monsters one moment might hear the squelching sound of bullets passing through their own flesh the next—

 

The supervisors lying in ambush at various sniper points not only had to kill as many birds as possible but would immediately eliminate soldiers who had already been contaminated.

 

They crouched in place, bodies motionless, eyes and gun barrels tracking all moving objects.

 

—Both humans and monsters were their targets.

 

…

 

The sound of military boots on cold floor tiles was like stepping on a heart.

 

Huo Yanji pushed open the laboratory’s glass door: “Are the results ready?”

 

The researchers had gathered together. Hill was also here, though deviant bird and beast research wasn’t her specialty.

 

The elderly Dr. Ji pushed his glasses: “Your samples arrived very timely. The results are out. We’ve temporarily named this new species honey-guide. Its beak is similar to a woodpecker’s, hard and sharp—”

 

“Get to the point.”

 

Dr. Ji changed direction: “The honey-guide’s cochlear structure is very peculiar, and its auditory nerves are also problematic. They can’t receive the sound waves emitted by the lighthouse, so naturally they won’t be disturbed.”

 

Huo Yanji had previously sent three samples: one intact, one dead, one half-dead.

 

Because the sample conditions were complete, results were obtained quickly.

 

“Honey-guides aren’t suitable for close combat with deviants. Their vitality is extremely strong, and when tense, their wing hardness rivals that of claws and beaks.”

 

“But sniping is also difficult. Their bodies are as large as adult males, but their heads—the fatal target—are only fist-sized, extremely difficult to aim at while moving.”

 

“Thank you for your hard work.”

 

Huo Yanji remained unmoved, picked up the report and left. As soon as he stepped out, he encountered Huo Jiangmin.

 

The two men in identical black military uniforms faced each other—one cold and steady, the other always wearing a composed smile at the corners of his mouth. It was impossible to say whose presence was stronger.

 

Huo Yanji nodded: “General.”

 

However, they weren’t antagonistic as rumored, but rather quite calm.

 

Huo Jiangmin asked: “Let me see the report. I won’t go in to listen to the old guys ramble.”

 

Black leather gloves completed the report handover. Their long military life had synchronized their pace as they stepped out of the experimental area almost in unison.

 

“Honey-guide? The old guys are quick with names, afraid someone else will steal the naming rights.” Huo Jiangmin flipped through the documents and snorted with laughter. “We’re counting on you this time. The situation developed suddenly—I lost quite a few people.”

 

And the bird attack had only been underway for an hour; it usually lasted two to three days.

 

Since honey-guides weren’t suitable for close combat, they could only rely on weapon attacks. Firearms combat was the supervisors’ strength.

 

Huo Yanji: “Yes.”

 

Huo Jiangmin paused: “I heard you went to Crack #2 again a few days ago?”

 

Huo Yanji said flatly: “The General needn’t concern himself with my private affairs.”

 

Perhaps due to accepting contamination genes, Huo Jiangmin had heterochromia—one black eye, one purple—and his smile never reached his eyes.

 

“Private affairs? This world is as black as crows, yet you still fantasize like in your youth that all the birds flying overhead are white cranes.”

 

“Whether crows or white cranes, all have the right to know the truth.” Huo Yanji’s dark pupils were calm and unruffled.

 

“After all these years, you’re still so idealistic.”

 

The atmosphere froze momentarily. Though the two stood very close, they seemed separated by an unbridgeable chasm.

 

Huo Yanji stood before the huge floor-to-ceiling window. The transparent glass reflected everything happening in the air—gray honey-guides constantly circling and diving, then being shot down mid-flight.

 

Falling from the sky alongside them were deviants from the high-rises, their hearts torn through by sharp claws.

 

His pupils reflecting the shadows of towering buildings, Huo Yanji said: “There are too few honey-guides in this attack.”

 

Huo Jiangmin: “Except for the honey-guides, the other bird flocks have not entered the city, only circling outside.”

 

The communicator suddenly emitted urgent beeping sounds, as if foretelling something along with Huo Yanji’s words.

 

Huo Yanji pressed to answer, his face turning cold: “Stop them, stop as many as you can!”

 

Huo Jiangmin: “What’s going on?”

 

Huo Yanji: “More than half of the bird flocks outside the city have retreated.”

 

Huo Jiangmin: “Which direction did they retreat to?”

 

“To the south.”

 

As soon as Huo Yanji finished speaking, Huo Jiangmin immediately realized something.

 

He hurriedly left: “I’ll contact District Seven! Just in case, you go gather all available reinforcements!”

 

“Received!”

 

District Seven, also known as the Seventh Human Safe Zone, is the closest city to the main city, located less than 150 kilometers to the south.

 

Although the area is small, it has many precious resources and is one of the largest fruit and vegetable supply areas.

 

If this deviant bird flock’s unusual movement is really just a feint, then it’s terrifying.

 

Before Huo Yanji had even left the laboratory building, his communicator beeped again. Deputy Zhang Min requested communication.

 

“Report, the tavern owner’s house is in trouble—actually, that whole area is in trouble.”

 

…

 

“Bang!”

 

Old Karl was knocked to the ground by a gray giant bird, and glass shattered everywhere.

 

Sang Jue’s slender dragon tail seemed to have eyes of its own, directly piercing the gray bird’s skull. The cold scales scraped out a patch of brain matter. Old Karl had just crawled out from under the corpse when he saw the little guy, who looked powerless in his eyes, stepping on the gray bird’s head with one foot and tearing off its huge wings with one hand.

 

Blood splattered all over the walls, cabinets, sofa, and Old Karl’s treasured bottles of liquor.

 

The pale and clean-looking youth was fearless of the blood and unflustered.

 

The gray bird with a broken wing was still flapping desperately, but Sang Jue crushed its head with a single kick.

 

“Game over.” The female mechanical voice of the game failure and Sang Jue’s clear voice sounded simultaneously.

 

That was the eighth one.

 

Sang Jue removed his foot, took a cloth, carefully wiped his tail clean, and then put it away.

 

Currently, only Old Karl knew that he had a tail, so it was better not to let others see it.

 

The house was already covered with gray bird corpses. They retreated all the way to the corridor and took a deep breath.

 

Old Karl was still panting with lingering fear. Sang Jue had saved him at least six times just now.

 

He was about to express his thanks when a gray bird at the door, not yet dead, suddenly moved. In a flash, it raised half of its sharp wing and stabbed at the nearest youth!!

 

“Watch out!”

 

“Bang!”

 

Old Karl’s warning and the gunshot sounded simultaneously. Sang Jue instinctively took a step back and retreated into a warm embrace.

 

The bullet pierced the wing that was trying to stab him, kicking up a cloud of dust on the ground.

 

A familiar scent.

 

“Huo Yanji.”

 

“Mm.” The person behind responded coldly, “Looks like I wasn’t really needed.”

 

“You were needed.” Sang Jue held the game console, “I was scared to death.”

 

Huo Yanji turned on his toes, looked at the pile of honey-guide corpses in the room, and glanced at Sang Jue.

 

Sang Jue grabbed his clothing and said seriously, “Old Karl killed them all. He’s really amazing.”

 

Old Karl: “…??”

 

He only took down one, and that was after using up all his shotgun shells.

 

Huo Yanji: “Is that so?”

 

Sang Jue blinked: “It’s true.”

 

Huo Yanji stepped through the gaps between the honey-guide corpses and entered the room. The long dagger that Zhang Min had brought to Sang Jue was still in the corner of the sofa, clean and without a drop of blood.

 

Of the eight dead honey-guides, only one was riddled with bullet holes, showing the panic of the shooter.

 

The other corpses had their bird heads precisely crushed, with hard skull fragments scattered everywhere.

 

“Click.” Huo Yanji chambered his gun—under Sang Jue’s pursed-lip gaze, he aimed at Old Karl’s head.

 

“You know the outcome.”

 

Old Karl smiled bitterly and didn’t try to hide it. He showed the scratches on the back of his hand: “I know, I have no complaints.”

 

The reason for adding the last sentence was because there was a mocking joke in the main city—General Huo Yanji rarely drew his gun against contaminants, reserving cold bullets mostly for his own people.

 

Huo Yanji never explained this, and combined with some inappropriate remarks and rumors of extravagance years ago, the public had some grievances against him.

 

Sang Jue blinked as Zhang Min held his shoulder, not quite understanding.

 

He could have reported A-Ruan indifferently, but he didn’t immediately tell Huo Yanji that Old Karl was also infected.

 

He had known for ten minutes already.

 

Maybe it was because Old Karl had given him a game console.

 

He looked at Huo Yanji’s gun barrel, thought for a moment, and seriously asked, “Is there really no other way?”

 

Huo Yanji: “If you don’t die now, it will be more painful later.”

 

Every moment after contamination, the genetic sequence changes, tearing, recombining, agonizing, and finally consciously experiencing the process of becoming a monster and being stripped of humanity bit by bit.

 

Old Karl nodded in agreement. Huo Yanji was quite patient with Sang Jue.

 

According to rumors, the little guy should have been shot dead for blocking him like this, especially since he was a deviant.

 

Hmm… Huo Yanji wouldn’t not know Sang Jue was a deviant, right?

 

Huo Yanji’s clothing was held by two fingers, but no force was used.

 

Sang Jue was caught in a dilemma—he wanted to stop Huo Yanji from shooting but knew he shouldn’t.

 

Huo Yanji pulled his clothing free and said to Old Karl, “The creature that infected you is a new species called honey-guide. The research institute needs sample data from infected individuals—are you willing?”

 

Honestly, he really didn’t want to be bothered. Dying sooner or later was still dying.

 

But perhaps he didn’t want to die in front of Sang Jue, or perhaps having lived a mediocre life and lost everything he could lose, he wanted to make one small contribution before death.

 

“Alright.”

 

“Your contribution will be remembered forever.”

 

Huo Yanji tilted his head, signaling his subordinates to take the man away.

 

Zhang Min hadn’t said anything from beginning to end, so Old Karl and Sang Jue naturally wouldn’t know that there were actually enough infected samples already.

 

Huo Yanji looked down at the honey-guide corpses in the room: “What are the casualties?”

 

Zhang Min reported: “District A had a total of twenty-one households with broken windows, sixty-three people infected, and thirteen died on the spot from severe injuries.”

 

Huo Yanji looked up: “Only District A?”

 

Zhang Min: “District B also had one household broken into by honey-guides, but the homeowner was a deviant and killed them himself.”

 

Sang Jue pressed his lips together.

 

Those contaminants seemed to have caught his scent and were searching for him within District A. But birds have virtually no sense of smell, which is why they were crashing around everywhere.

 

The monsters on this planet all seemed to want to eat him… except for that humanoid contaminant last night.

 

Huo Yanji walked to the balcony and looked up at something.

 

The distance between the two buildings was very close, making it difficult for light to penetrate.

 

This design was originally intended to prevent deviant bird flocks from attacking residential areas, yet eight honey-guides had accurately broken into Old Karl’s house.

 

Perhaps it was a coincidence.

 

But Huo Yanji believed in coincidences least of all.

 

If he wasn’t mistaken, the honey-guide corpse slumped in the corner by the coffee table had an obvious front-to-back penetrating wound, about the size of a fist, as if pierced by something sharp that went from thin to thick.

 

His sharp military boots turned direction, and his slender fingers were already touching the gun handle through his black gloves.

 

Until Sang Jue grabbed his clothing again.

 

The two stared at each other quietly. Sang Jue had many bloodstains on his clothes, and one side of his cheek was also stained with blood.

 

Seeming to remember what Huo Yanji had said about friends not holding each other’s clothing, he quietly let go.

 

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