Spreading

On the snowy plain, the tiny red specks in the test tube gradually multiplied.

They were reproducing rapidly. Once they had consumed all the nutrient solution, dense cracks appeared across the glass. The Metal Virus seeped through them and spread swiftly in every direction.

Several thousand meters away, a few snow rabbits were eating the tenderest leaves at the tips of the trees. They kept watch on the sky and their surroundings, alert for any danger.

Suddenly, a patch of red appeared nearby. It was a strange mass made up of countless hair-thin threads.

The snow rabbits sensed no danger. They watched the Metal Virus as they ate.

One particularly curious young rabbit even hopped over and sniffed it.

The Metal Virus was incredibly fine. As the rabbit sniffed, countless tiny particles entered its lungs with the air and began multiplying rapidly inside its body.

About ten minutes later, every rabbit had inhaled the virus.

The smallest rabbit was naturally the first to change. In the middle of playing, it suddenly went rigid. Then its body swelled violently, its white fur fell away, and the palm-sized rabbit swiftly became a half-humanoid monster.

The other rabbits fled in different directions, but as they ran, their bodies swelled too. One after another, they turned into red, half-humanoid monsters.

They looked at each other, then opened mouths full of sharp teeth and gnawed frantically at the surrounding trees. As they fed, their bodies swelled even further.

Not far away, a snow fox that had been preparing to hunt the rabbits slowly backed away, its eyes filled with terror.

The night passed without incident.

When Zhang Ping and the others woke, they were at a loss for words.

They had been ready to fight at any moment the night before.

But the whole