In Dr. Fritz's office, the two team leaders sat excitedly in their chairs, watching as the doctor reviewed the experimental reports they had just handed over.
"It's truly incredible! The total number of cells in the people of this world is only around forty trillion!"
"In one cubic millimeter of blood, there are only 4,000 to 5,000 white blood cells. This indicates that their self-healing mechanisms and immune systems are very fragile. It's easy to imagine that they fall ill frequently and have poor physical stamina!"
Team Leader Eli, sitting beside Team Leader Ron, nodded repeatedly in agreement. "Indeed, even a ten-year-old child from our world is much stronger than the adults here."
After finishing the two reports, Dr. Fritz removed his glasses and looked at them sternly. Both men had a hint of disdain in their expressions.
"We can't jump to conclusions so hastily. With only two test subjects, the results aren't representative. We can't determine whether they belong to the majority or the minority, nor can we rule out the possibility of even stronger humans existing."
"Take us, for example. Although we are part of the majority, there are countless individuals or races whose physical strength surpasses ours by several times, even dozens or hundreds of times. I'm sure you're aware of that."
Team Leader Eli and Team Leader Ron were momentarily stunned, then realized the truth in his words. Who knew if this world had races like the Fish-men or giants, or individuals with extraordinary talents?
"You're right. We were too hasty," Team Leader Ron apologized, feeling ashamed.
"Indeed. Our current focus should be on this Undead Virus. The more I study it, the more fascinating it becomes."
After delivering his lesson, Dr. Fritz tapped one of the reports with his finger and continued.
"According to the experiments, this is a virus that primarily infects the blood. Once it enters the body through a wound, it quickly invades the blood vessels, causing the infected plasma and blood cells to rapidly heat up, reaching temperatures close to boiling water."
"Such high temperatures, of course, 'burn' the surrounding tissues. The external manifestation is the skin turning black and purple, while the blood in the vessels emits a fiery red glow due to the intense heat radiation."
"When the virus invades the heart through the blood vessels, it can spread to all blood vessels, including the brain. However, the brain can hardly withstand such high temperatures, leading to brain death. What remains are the instincts driven by the virus—movement and a thirst for blood."
The two middle-aged team leaders listened intently, simultaneously applying their knowledge to ponder the matter. Suddenly, Team Leader Eli had an epiphany.
"So, isn't this an infectious parasite? A special parasite that inhabits human blood!"
Dr. Fritz gave him an approving look and smiled. "Exactly. It's a parasite—a blood parasite that thrives in high-temperature environments, or rather, prefers high-temperature environments."
"If invading the heart is to create a comfortable environment for them, then invading the brain is to control the host, forcing it to seek and consume more food—blood!"
Team Leader Ron sighed in awe. "What a terrifying parasite. It truly lives up to the wonders of another world. There's no limit to the bizarre things one might encounter."
"What I just described is the essence of this Undead Virus. Now, let's talk about its effects!"
Dr. Fritz's mood was complicated at this moment because he knew that this virus would undoubtedly be exploited by the World Government. However, if such a dangerous virus were to be used as a weapon, it would inevitably cause countless deaths.
Yet, he had no choice and no way to stop it.
"First, because the nerve tissues are extensively desiccated, they won't feel much pain. Similarly, the body's self-protection mechanisms will fail, allowing their strength to remain unrestricted."
"Additionally, through experiments, we've found that they possess an extremely sensitive olfactory ability towards blood. Their eyes, which emit light due to thermal radiation, have excellent night vision. Their skin, due to the high internal temperature, has a certain resistance to external heat."
"Finally, the most unique aspect of this parasite is that, although it causes the blood to heat up and emit light, it still preserves some functions of the blood cells, such as platelet aggregation. This manifests as enhanced wound healing because they cannot afford to lose the most important resources and carriers."
"Hearing this, can you think of its potential uses?"
Team Leader Ron and Team Leader Eli exchanged glances, both seeing confusion in each other's eyes. Then, the latter hesitantly said, "Creating a large army of the Living Dead?"
Hearing this, Dr. Fritz shook his head in disappointment, thinking to himself that geniuses like Caesar were indeed rare. Imagination was not something everyone possessed.
"I mentioned earlier that this parasite can only fully control the host's actions if it invades the brain. So, as long as we find a way to prevent that..."
At this point, the director of the Biochemical Research Institute paused, his eyes darkening as he spoke heavily, "We can create soldiers who retain their self-awareness while possessing reduced pain sensitivity, extraordinary strength, enhanced healing, heat resistance, blood scenting, blood infection, and the special ability of a Steel Heart Membrane. And they only need to drink blood to function normally!"
"..."
The two team leaders were stunned by Dr. Fritz's idea, but soon both showed signs of excitement.
"Director, wouldn't we be making a great contribution then?"
"Yes, a huge contribution!!"
However, Dr. Fritz's face showed no trace of joy. Instead, he looked deeply troubled as he said, "But the problem is how to prevent the virus from invading the brain?"
"Their carrier is blood, circulating through the blood vessels. To intercept them, we would have to stop the blood flow, which would inevitably lead to insufficient blood supply to the brain..."
For a moment, the office fell silent. Ron and Eli didn't think they could come up with a solution that even the director found troubling. For now, they just needed to remain quiet.
"Wait!"
Suddenly, a three-dimensional image of the Living Dead flashed in Dr. Fritz's mind. He felt he had discovered something and quickly picked up another report, flipping through the pages until he reached the last one, which had a photograph of the Living Dead.
His gaze focused on the glowing red chest, then followed a red line connected to the heart, moving upwards. He continued to trace the line through the glowing red pupils and finally stopped at the red light in the left brain.
"Indeed!"
Dr. Fritz compared the three photos—two of the local Living Dead and one of a prisoner Living Dead from the native world—and immediately noticed a commonality.
"Although the reason is unknown, the virus only invades the brain through the left carotid artery, and there are a total of four blood vessels supplying the brain!"
"Although a blockage in the brain's blood vessels could lead to neurological dysfunction, it's completely worth a try!"
At this moment, the director of the Biochemical Research Institute was no longer burdened by moral or ethical dilemmas. Instead, he was entirely consumed by the fervor of a biochemical scientist dedicated to his research.
"You all leave first. I need to write a report to apply for an experiment. I require more experimental subjects, tentatively codenamed... Living Dead Warrior!"