The exorcist squad's safehouse hummed with the silence of a city deadened by ice. Lu Qiu sat apart from the group, eyes half-closed as he communed with the System, while the two surviving civilians—a USA-born siblings—huddled together, their whispers lost in the chill. Dawn had just cracked the sky, but the silver-haired captain's ice magic had muffled the zombies' growls, leaving the air so still it ached.
"System, explain the Incomplete Blacklight Virus," Lu Qiu mentally queried, ignoring the distant clatter of Stein's sword as he cleaned zombie blood from its edge.
The Blacklight Virus was humanity's failed attempt to accelerate evolution, the System droned, a parasite masquerading as progress. The incomplete strain lies dormant in hosts, enhancing strength… until negative emotions—rage, despair—trigger full mutation. Then? It paused, They become Level 4 Infected: stronger than B-rank psychics, driven by a single urge—consume.
Lu Qiu's lip twitched. A weapon tailored for the broken, the desperate—perfect for someone like Yuri.
The boy stood nearby, shoulders hunched, watching Stein laugh with the captain, his smile never reaching his eyes. Earlier, Lu Qiu had witnessed the older exorcist drag Yuri into a corner, voice dropping to a venomous whisper: "You're a liability, Yuri. Don't delude yourself into thinking you belong here."
Now, Yuri's gaze lingered on the captain, a flush creeping up his neck when she glanced his way. Pathetic, Lu Qiu thought, but perfect.
"Beautiful, isn't she?" Lu Qiu approached, voice warm as he offered a hand to the startled boy, "But strength is the only language these elites understand."
Yuri froze, staring at Lu Qiu's pale fingers—so gentle, yet somehow hungry.
"Would you like to protect her?" Lu Qiu pressed, leaning in, "To stand beside her as an equal, not a shadow? The System offers… deals."
Yuri's breath hitched. In his eyes, Lu Qiu saw the flicker of hope—and the darker, hungrier thing beneath it.
Before the boy could answer, a camera lens clicked. "Mind if I film?" asked Danna, the USA-born reporter, her voice bright as she adjusted her mic, "Your story could save lives, you know."
Her brother, Mark, shot her a warning glance, but Danna was already kneeling before Yuri, lens unflinching. "What's it like," she asked, "fighting monsters while the world burns?"
Yuri stammered, cheeks flaming, but Lu Qiu tuned them out, slipping into the hallway. The scent of blood lingered—old, stale, human—and he smiled, fangs scraping his lower lip.
Yuri's despair was a ripe fruit, ready to burst. The Incomplete Virus would nestle in his veins, feeding on his,his longing for approval. When Stein inevitably betrayed him, when the captain dismissed him as irrelevant…
Despair sharpens even the weakest blade—especially in those who've learned to hate their own weakness.
Lu Qiu glanced back at the boy, now laughing awkwardly at Danna's joke, unaware of the venom about to take root. Stein's hand clamped down on Yuri's shoulder, smile razor-thin, and the boy flinched.
Perfect.
The virus needed a vessel, and Yuri was more than ready. He'd be the first experiment—a test to see if humanity's weakness could be weaponized, their hope twisted into something far more dangerous.
In the distance, a zombie howled, its cry muffled by ice. Somewhere, the captain stared at the horizon, her cross pendant gleaming falsely in the false dawn.
Lu Qiu closed his eyes, savoring the anticipation. Soon, Yuri would beg for power, and the virus would answer.
And when he inevitably lost control, tearing Stein apart with newly grown claws, screaming for the captain's attention as his body mutated into something unrecognizable…
Well.
Even monsters deserved a little hope before they fell.
Especially when that hope was just another link in the chain of despair.