The Return
"Error... and terror?"
Nietzsche's eyes were somewhat unfocused.
"It's ghoul contamination... After several rounds of confirmation, we finally discovered that when the number of ghouls killed reaches a certain point, they affect those present nearby... It doesn't always take effect, but there's no doubt that the more deeply someone is exposed—or the darker their heart—the more likely they are to be affected..." Ryan rubbed his brow. "Hannibal was an ordinary person, with a complete record of his birth and upbringing and a network of social ties. But the fact that he turned into a ghoul is undeniable. There's no doubt it was because he was contaminated like this!"
"Contamination..." Nietzsche murmured. He had gained a deeper understanding of Extraordinary Persons' abilities, and at the same time realized that Mister Andy of the Grocery Store really hadn't been joking with him.
Even ghouls that seemed easy enough to deal with were far too terrifying for ordinary people.
"I understand. How do you check?"
"Give me a drop of your blood," Ryan said.
Nietzsche did as he was told, and a doctor promptly took a test tube and left.
"The test won't take long, just a dozen minutes or so... We can talk about something else in the meantime. I'm sorry about Vivian..." Ryan sighed. "I'd originally wanted to recruit her into the Investigation Department..."
"Tell me about the ghouls. The escaped Hannibal seems different from ordinary ghouls..." Nietzsche said expressionlessly.
"Yes, very different... When a ghoul is killed, it spreads something into the surrounding area—bacteria, viruses... or perhaps some kind of contamination we haven't identified yet... People affected by it begin to change. First comes a craving for flesh, along with an insatiable hunger, somewhat like a patient with binge-eating disorder... Hannibal has undoubtedly accepted the change completely. He's