Chapter 23: My Fury Can Burn the Sky – Section 9

The marquis recognized at a glance that the three terrifyingly disfigured corpses were none other than the researchers he had sent aboard the warship!! Yet their appearance now bore not a trace of what it used to be. Their eyes bulged out, glowing a fish-belly white. Their skin was rotting at a visible pace, with blood mixed with greenish fluid flowing down their bodies. White bones protruded from their flesh. In just a short while, how had these men turned into something like the legendary zombies? Even more astonishingly, these “zombies” seemed unaware of their own transformed state, continuing to chase after their companions while shouting loudly.
“Hey! Why are you all running away? Wait for me! Wait for me…”
Seeing this scene, almost everyone’s hair stood on end. A horrifying dread seized each of their hearts. Marquis Vincent’s face turned pale with fear. As a high-ranking noble accustomed to a life of luxury, he had never witnessed such a terrifying sight. Watching those three researchers, covered in pus yet completely unaware, made Marquis Vincent feel as though his heart would leap out of his mouth. He stepped back several times and shouted hoarsely,
“Stop them! Hold them back!! No, attack them! Attack them now!!”
Although the marquis’s guards were also terrified, they were trained professional fighters. Bright energy beams instantly formed a web of fire, turning those three researchers into pulp. Greenish fluid and red blood splattered in the air, emitting a thick, foul smell. With loud popping sounds, pieces of flesh scattered everywhere, with internal organs still twitching slightly.
“Ugh…” Nearly all the servants could bear the disgusting sight and immediately vomited.
In fact, not only them—among the hundreds of people present, who didn’t feel nauseous? Looking at those three researchers reduced to flesh paste by the energy beams, everyone’s face turned deathly white.
“What’s going on!? What’s this?! Keba!! Didn’t you say sanitation and quarantine were already in place? Then what is this!?” Marquis Vincent flew into a rage, shouting at the captain beside him.
Keba’s face turned red and white alternately, but he couldn’t come up with any defense. He was also puzzled in his heart.

That’s right… to prevent abnormal incidents from happening. I even conducted extra quarantine checks several times. How could such a thing happen? But what about those researchers? Could it really be a virus I’ve never heard of before?
At this thought, Keba’s face turned pale.
Unlike regular battles, if it’s a virus, the consequences could be severe. As space exploration progresses, more and more dangerous viruses are being discovered, with increasing levels of harm. It’s not uncommon for a new virus to either destroy entire cities and regions or turn an entire planet into a wasteland. Even the most advanced instruments are powerless against undiscovered virus types.
“That’s impossible! Absolutely impossible! I conducted at least five quarantine checks! My Lord Marquis, it definitely isn’t a virus!” Keba hurriedly denied it, shaking his head vigorously.
Come on, if he showed hesitation now, all his merits would be lost. If he still wanted a reward, not being exiled would already be good!
“Really?” Marquis Vincent raised his eyebrows, looking skeptical.
“Absolutely not, My Lord Marquis. Not only that, but I also sent people to conduct detailed life detection on this warship. No abnormalities were detected at all,” Keba said firmly.
“I see…” The marquis fell into thought.
He knew that life detection, unlike virus quarantine, was a highly reliable technique. Since viruses are also a form of life, they couldn’t escape the inspectors’ attention. If it were a new virus, there would surely be a report. So, it must be a problem with the warship itself.
At this thought, the marquis stiffened and suddenly turned to face Keba.
“You mean this warship was detected because of a strong abnormal signal!?”
“Yes…”
“But you also told me that when you checked it, all its energy was depleted, and its core was damaged?”
“That’s right,” Keba replied confusedly.
“I’m asking you, did you activate full-scale active scanning when you discovered it?”
“I…” Keba was about to answer but suddenly froze. Then, beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
He hadn’t thought of that unless the marquis suddenly asked. At that time, his fleet had just finished its patrol and was preparing to change locations. How could it still have full-scale active scanning on? Apart from basic passive energy scanning, his fleet actually didn’t even have the capability to scan a “coffin”!!
So, that distinct signal…

“Conspiracy!” the two said in unison.
Glaring fiercely at Keba, Marquis Vincent could no longer afford to curse. He quickly summoned the nearest guard. “Mobilize troops immediately. Seal off this warship. Isolate all the researchers who have come out. Bring the best quarantiners to re-quarantine them!”
“Yes, My Lord!” the servant replied respectfully. But before he could turn, another shrill scream suddenly rang out not far away. When the servant looked in horror, he saw that several of the researchers who had just disembarked from the warship now had distinct greenish-blue patches on their skin—clearly resembling livor mortis!
“This…” The servant was stunned, speechless.
“What kind of virus is this, so ruthless!” Marquis Vincent’s face also changed drastically. He was at a loss.
But in just that short while, the situation changed again. This time, not only the researchers but also the nearby guards developed faint patches. Yet the affected individuals felt no pain at all. If it weren’t for the terrified looks around them, they wouldn’t have even realized anything. Soon, shrill screams rose one after another, forming a continuous chorus. Everyone’s face was pale. Many of those with patches became panicked and frantically tried to huddle together with others, trying to find companions.
Chaos erupted instantly. The entire scene became chaotic as people scattered in all directions, pushing and shoving. Those with patches were treated like monsters, and no one dared approach them.
The extreme chaos affected even the marquis, who was far behind. He couldn’t control the situation at all. Intense fear gripped his heart, even altering his voice.
“Run! Run back to the marquis’s estate! Mobilize the army—kill these guys! Now!”
His desperate cries woke the servants beside him. They quickly supported the marquis and rushed toward the vehicles nearby. But the marquis didn’t realize that his orders included the guards as well. Hearing his words, many of them changed their expressions.
At this point, what was there left to explain? Everyone knew that once the marquis’s orders were given, an army would swarm in and slaughter them all, those with obvious patches. Realizing this, several of the visibly fierce guards tightened their grips on their weapons, exchanged glances, and without hesitation raised their guns.

“Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh!” The dazzling rays reappeared before everyone’s eyes. But this time, their target was the retreating servants. A few at the back were caught off guard and instantly pierced by the rays. Pools of blood gushed out like fountains. With expressions of utter disbelief, those servants collapsed to the ground.

Seeing such chaos, Keba wished he had more legs. He fled frantically with the marquis’s group while shouting orders for his subordinates to counterattack. The rays in the air kept firing, turning people into piles of flesh. Blood and screams became the only sounds in the scene.

Yet only a few guards were infected. Soon, they were overwhelmed by the fire from the other guards. The once-proud guards became victims of their own kind. No pleas helped. In less than ten minutes, they all turned into bloody messes.

But no one paid attention to them now. People suddenly realized that those infected guards hadn’t even come into contact with the researchers… Could this virus spread through the air?

Turning their gaze, they saw that the marquis’s convoy had long since left. They were left alone at the scene…

It was a miserable situation. By the time Marquis Vincent returned to his mansion, his expression had improved significantly. Yet the events earlier still left him shaken. Without hesitation, he summoned a servant and ordered him to mobilize troops to seal off the area, insisting they eliminate all possible sources of infection before he could feel slightly relieved. But soon, extreme despair enveloped him again.

One after another, mining planets had been destroyed, and now there was a virus attack. What deep grudges did he and that Blood Wolf faction have that required such ruthless actions? After all, he was a noble—how could he end up like this? None of his once confident companions were there to help him. His forces were still strong, so why did he feel so isolated?

At these thoughts, Marquis Vincent was so upset he almost vomited blood. He strode into his bedroom, where his beloved Maria must be waiting for him. Thinking of his wife’s fair skin, he felt a little better.

The door opened, and a graceful figure approached him. Marquis Vincent rubbed his face roughly, trying to shake off his gloomy mood, when his eyes suddenly widened…

“Ma, Mary… on you… on your body…”