Mutagen

Day 359 - 12:02 PM - Kudus, Kudus Regency, Central Java, Indonesia

After Captain Timur informed the Logistics of the situation in Kudus Outpost, he asked Luna's large group of people to move into the drill grounds of the outpost. It was a necessary action. The combination of Moon Chasers, 41st Settlement, and Evernight was more than enough to block the checkpoint through the outpost, not to mention the two large lizards pulling large wagons with them.

Furthermore, while not a lot, quite a number of people passing by heard Luna's declaration and saw the severed head of the [Fog Crawler]. It would not take long for the information to circulate and for more people to gather to see it. It might just be a severed head, but it was better not to forget that it was the severed head of a creature that had already killed hundreds of people.

The group moved without complaints. And now, all they needed to do was wait.

It was already lunchtime, anyway. This waiting time would not be wasted. The group then asked permission from Captain Timur to use the drill grounds for cooking lunch.

Considering the situation, Captain Timur agreed. There was no harm in letting them cook there as long as they would clean up afterward.

Soon enough, the appetizing aroma spread throughout the outpost, torturing the soldiers and all those passing by.

Using [Ground Hunter] meat as the main ingredient with wild vegetables, herbs, and spices, topped on white rice, the members of both the Moon Chasers and the 41st Settlement relished a lunch they could not imagine eating after the civilization fell.

The meat was obvious where it came from. As for the vegetables and herbs, these were collected along the way. The only odd ones out were the spices. Without plantations and factories to produce them, rich spices became a rare luxury item that not just anyone could enjoy.

However, ever since the Moon Chasers met Mark's group, their food has greatly improved. It was because Mark did not mind sharing the good amount of spices and seasonings they had during meals. The 41st Settlement group also enjoyed this luxurious food after they were rescued.

The drill grounds were just beside the road through the outpost. Everyone passing by could only drool while they enviously looked at the groups enjoying their lunch.

"You people are causing quite a ruckus already," Captain Timur returned after he left to check on something. "It's not even the ruckus about the [Fog Crawler]."

"What ruckus?" Farel asked with a bitter expression. "We're just having lunch."

"What's the matter?" Captain Timur noticed Farel's expression. "You're eating good, but, Farel, you look like someone who lost everything."

Those words from Captain Timur caused a chain reaction among the members of the 41st Settlement.

"Did I say something bad?"

The Captain could not help but ask as he realized he triggered something.

And there, Farel told Captain Timur what happened, minus the details about the impostor. Why not tell everything? It was Mark who suggested it for various reasons.

"So, that's what happened."

Captain Timur could only tap Farel's shoulder after hearing the events that happened to the group from the 41st Settlement.

"Cecile, Ral, Shale, we can't even retrieve their bodies," Farel said with a sad tone. "We only had Mal's body there at the wagon. Still, we plan to make a grave for everyone in the Settlement once we return."

"Don't let it overwhelm you," Captain Timur consoled Farel. "They might have died, but you guys are still alive. And you all need to be alive to remember the dead."

"Enough with the sad talk~" Bajing chimed in. "Just eat! Delicious food will lift your spirits."

Farel and Captain Timur looked at each other and shook their heads with a bitter smile. Bajing was not wrong, however.

"You want some, too, Captain Timur?"

Limabela asked the Captain.

"I'm tempted, but I'll decline. My subordinates will probably nag me for the rest of the day if I accept your offer. Haha. I'll just eat our bland rations later."

Captain Timur laughed while glancing at his soldiers atop the watch towers. Many soldiers and passersby kept looking enviously at this group before him due to their food.

VROOOOM!

In the middle of lunch, the sounds of vehicles echoed from the direction of the mountain.

"Looks like they're here."

Captain Timur said, looking in the direction of Mount Muria.

Silently, Mark concentrated his hearing on the sounds of the incoming vehicles. The rumbling sounds made him sure it was around five or more military trucks.

The number was quite strange. If it was just the logistics personnel and the transport team, one to three trucks was enough to assess and carry the head of the [Fog Crawler]. There was no way a decent soldier as Captain Timur did not tell them the specific details.

Another minute passed, and the military convoy arrived. There were eight military trucks in total.

BAM!

The front passenger door of one of the trucks opened violently. A man in a white lab coat jumped out like a crazy maniac.

"WHERE IS IT? WHERE'S THE [FOG CRAWLER'S] REMAINS?"

The lab coat-wearing man said in a loud, almost shouting voice.

Mark could only squint his eyes. There it was, the kind of scientist hardest to deal with. It was the crazy type of scientist who would not care about anything else aside from their research.

"WOW! WHY ARE THERE MUTATED CREATURES HERE? WHY ARE THEY DOCILE?"

The crazy lab coat guy exclaimed when his eyes fell onto the strange creatures before him.

"Hold your horses there, you crazy bastard. This is why I didn't want to bring you here."

The crazy scientist was about to charge toward the dragon-like creature he set his eyes on when his shoulder got tugged back by a soldier in his early forties.

This soldier also came out of one of the military trucks. He was quite young for his status. Looking at the badge and uniform this soldier wore, this soldier in his early forties was a Brigadier General. With the usual ages for this rank being around late forties and above, this soldier sure was young.

"You guys, hold this idiot."

The General ordered some of the soldiers to restrain the crazy scientist despite his protests.

"General Wijaya."

Captain Timur and the nearby outpost soldiers gave their salutes to the Brigadier General.

"Good afternoon."

General Wijaya gave his own salute and greeted them.

"Why are you here? It's only supposed to be the logistics."

The Captain asked.

"That is for normal circumstances. Anything about the [Fog Crawler] is nowhere normal."

General Wijaya replied.

That was right. Considering the dangers and things caused by the notorious [Fog Crawler], it was something far from anything normal.

"So, where is it?"

The General inquired.

After hearing that question, Captain Timur nodded at Luna. The Moon Chasers then removed the cloth cover on the severed head of the [Fog Crawler].

"WOAH!"

The crazy scientist loudly exclaimed while being restrained by the General's subordinates.

The soldiers who arrived with General Wijaya looked stunned at the severed head. It was the head of a ferocious-looking giant centipede. Nonetheless, the General kept a calm demeanor. He turned to one of his soldiers.

"Let the guy out."

The General ordered.

Captain Timur and the others were the ones confused this time. Who was the guy

The soldier opened the only remaining military truck with a closed passenger door. He then escorted a man who seemed to be in an unstable state of mind. The man looked panicked as he frantically looked around the surroundings.

But then, the man's eyes fell on the severed head on the wagon.

"U-U-UWAAAAAA!!!"

The man pushed away the soldier escorting him and ran away in extreme panic. The surrounding soldiers immediately restrained him. A doctor who came with the General approached the restrained man and injected something in his neck, causing the man to slowly slip out of consciousness.

"General, could we not do this in the future?" The doctor turned to the General to complain. "It is not good for the mental health of the patient."

"I don't want to do this either," General Wijaya sighed. "But in his state, we can't get any concrete information about the [Fog Crawler]. Even just a single sketch would be fine, but he would have panic attacks every time the image of the [Fog Crawler] comes into his mind."

"Even so."

The doctor was not convinced.

"Don't worry, this will be the first and last. We now know what the [Fog Crawler] actually looked like."

The General said, looking at the severed centipede head.

"True. I guess."

The doctor partially agreed since the patient showed a far greater intensity of panic after seeing the severed head in front of them. The only thing that could trigger such a reaction would be the source of the patient's trauma.

It meant that the giant centipede head in front of them was the genuine article.

"General, is that?"

Luna approached the General and was about to ask about the panicked man.

"That's right, he's someone who saw the actual appearance of a [Fog Crawler]."

The General explained.

"But, from what we heard, there shouldn't be any survivors of [Fog Crawler] attacks who had seen its true appearance before we left a few days ago."

Luna spoke in confusion.

"He's from the recent attack. During the fog a few days ago, the [Fog Crawler] attacked his team. He is the only survivor. He also managed to see the [Fog Crawler] upfront. Of course, at the expense of seeing it slaughter his entire team."

The General answered without withholding information as it was already known to many.

"When were they attacked and where?"

Luna asked.

"South, in Gambaran. By the remains we found, and according to the little bit he could answer, it seemed they were attacked on the second day of the fog."

It was the doctor who answered Luna's question.

"Huh?"

Luna and the rest of the Moon Chasers were confused.

It was when the crazy scientist's voice entered everyone's ears.

"That's strange. The smell of its flesh and this firmness, it's been dead for several days. It's very likely that this thing had been killed on the first day of the fog."

The crazy scientist stated as he pinched the flesh of the [Fog Crawler] with his bare hands.

"Who let him go?" The General questioned his soldiers, only to see them confused while holding the crazy scientist's empty lab coat. "This slippery bastard."

After cussing a little, the General sighed and went back to the more important topic.

"Is what he had just said the truth?" The General asked Luna. "Where is this killed?"

"That's right," Luna glanced at Mark and Mei before answering. "This [Fog Crawler] was killed after sunset on the first day. This was killed in Indramayu."

Now, everyone noticed the inconsistency. It would not be strange if the attack happened first before it was killed, but it was the exact opposite.

"This is bad, isn't it?" Limabela chimed in. "There's two [Fog Crawlers] lurking about. And if there's two, it won't be strange if there's more."

Limabela spoke what everyone feared.

Even the military was unsure if they could kill the [Fog Crawlers] without casualties. A single one of them could wipe out a battalion or two, not to mention if there were more of these monsters.

At that thought, a crucial question entered everyone's minds.

"How did you manage to kill it?"

General Wijaya asked Luna.

It was the first instance of a [Fog Crawler] being killed. It meant that the [Fog Crawler] was not an invincible creature.

Then, the crazy scientist chimed in to answer the question.

"It's a laser or some sort of high-concentrated energy beam," The crazy scientist then pointed at the bisected part of the [Fog Crawler's] head. "The entire section beyond the head was melted. It even solidified the flesh along with the sturdy, metal-like chitin."

The scientist then looked at Luna with sparkling eyes.

"WHERE DID YOU PEOPLE GET SUCH A HIGH-TECH WEAPON?"

Luna fell silent. She was unsure how to answer that question.

As crazy as the scientist was, he was still an expert. With a few clues and hints, he managed to deduce many things.

And as Luna was unsure how to answer the question, someone raised his hand.

"It's us. We killed it." Mark admitted. "We just have no use for it, so we gave it to them, but it's us who killed it."

Those words turned everyone's attention to Mark and his robed mysterious group.