Amid the roar of the helicopter rotors, the three opened the files on their tablets and began browsing.
The first thing that caught Lü Yang's (ID [ Backstabbing Expert ]) eyes was a video clip taken from a surveillance camera.
In the center of the image is a white creature on all fours. Judging from its appearance, it should be some kind of mammal, but its body is strangely bloated and it is trembling constantly, making it difficult to identify its specific species.
The monster's barely visible head appeared to be tearing and chewing at a corpse, while nearby, a large flock of sheep huddled together, bleating in terror.
"Gurgle."
The bloody scene made Lü Yang swallow hard; he felt the white figure looked somewhat familiar.
"Could this be... a sheep?"
The young man in black explained:
"Yes, this video came from a ranch a thousand kilometers away."
"What is that sheep eating?"
"Sheepdog."
"Good heavens..."
Li Yu (ID [ Dawn Ah ]), who was listening in, pointed out the key point:
Is this kind of epilepsy contagious?
The young man in black's tone turned somewhat somber:
"I'm sorry, yes."
"Although it had already killed and eaten most of its kind before the infection spread, more than a dozen sheep still entered a similar state due to its biting."
The professor finished reviewing the documents, and his tone became very serious:
"They got away?"
"No, the rancher noticed and activated the anti-theft electric fence, then immediately reported it. So far, none of them have escaped."
"Can the electric fence keep them out?"
"It seems feasible at the moment, because that electric fence wasn't originally designed to protect against people, but rather against wolves."
The young man in black quickly explained:
"Latest news: This sheepfold is now completely surrounded. We haven't launched an attack because we're concerned about potential other routes of infection, as well as other related issues..."
"The three of you are all professionals in your respective fields and have a relatively clear understanding of the so-called World of Disorder. The reason I brought you there temporarily is to see if this suddenly appearing thing has any Shadow to that world."
"If these random mutations in organisms are indeed related to another world, we must increase our investment in this field and prepare contingency plans for further 'erosion'."
"At the same time, it is necessary to synchronize this matter with other countries. Based on past experience, this kind of thing will not only happen in this one place."
"Cough cough."
Hearing his young subordinates constantly rambling on about grand topics, the captain of the men in black impatiently interrupted him:
"Those matters don't really concern the three of you. Today, the main purpose is for the three of you to make a decision on how to handle this matter—whether to arrest or kill, destroy or research, and whether to inform the benevolent beings in another world who have a voice. These decisions will be made by the three of you, with other experts providing assistance."
Upon hearing this, all three of them became serious, especially Lü Yang and Li Yu, as this was the first time they had participated in such a decision-making process, and the pressure seemed to materialize and weigh heavily on them.
"Why am I still here...?"
Lü Yang asked the man in black in a low voice, and when he noticed that his senior brother Li Yu was also looking at him, he managed to utter a few more words:
"... the two of you?"
"Because your abilities are indeed outstanding, and your previous reports mentioned the process of independently developing drugs in the World of Disorder, after comprehensive evaluation, we believe that your individual abilities are sufficient to take on the responsibility and become the professor's Left and Right Arms."
Lü Yang's expression turned somewhat awkward:
"Can I say that it was actually just something developed for fun?"
The middle-aged man in black neither commented nor denied this.
"But that stuff does work, right?"
"At times like these, we need a broader perspective. So don't worry about not being able to shoulder this responsibility. While your opinions are important, they are not yet decisive. Many people will assist you and discuss things with you."
Hearing that someone could share the burden, Lü Yang breathed a sigh of relief, only to be slammed against the cabin wall by the helicopter that suddenly turned, his face turning red.
"Everyone, please rest on the plane. We'll arrive in about an hour."
An hour and a half later, the group entered a natural pasture in all-terrain vehicles.
It was winter, and not a single blade of grass could be seen on the vast grassland; apart from the withered grass blades, there was only a thin layer of snow.
The area had been completely cordoned off a few hours earlier, and the staff coming and going left countless footprints on the ground.
A simple isolation zone has been set up, and once the hysterical sheep rush out of the pen, considering the potential consequences of splattering blood, they will be met with the fiercest flames of winter.
The group entered a tent, and the professor quickly got to work:
What is the situation on site?
As soon as he finished speaking, sixteen videos from different angles were projected onto the large screen in front of him. These drones illuminated the entire sheepfold without any blind spots, and even the slightest twitch of the frenzied livestock was recorded.
Which one was the original infected organism?
The professor asked.
"The biggest one in the corner."
A staff member answered, while he made a few gestures on the control panel in front of him, shrinking the other videos to the corners and placing the video facing the sheep in the center of the screen.
Zoom in a bit, focus on the head, specifically the eyes.
Blood red and cloudy white.
"Look at the corner of your mouth."
Sharp teeth, dark spots, drooling.
"Take another look... at the sheep's hoof."
Blackened, sharpened tip.
Let's switch back to the previous window.
The professor concluded by saying this, then looked at his two beloved students:
"Is it that one...?"
Li Yu's expression was somewhat heavy:
"It does indeed resemble Blood Corpse..."
Upon hearing this, everyone inside the tent looked worried.
The investigation into the World of Disorder has been ongoing, and many people present actually know perfectly well what the so-called Blood Corpse are.
This is very similar to zombies in the traditional sense, except that viruses don't seem to exist in this other world, and the specific transmission mechanism is still under investigation.
What madness has this World of Disorder gone mad that it has directly invaded a sheep in the real world from a distance?
Although Aberration occurred occasionally in the previous months, they mostly affected only plants.
Now that something resembling Blood Corpse was appearing before them, they couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.
After thinking for a while, Lü Yang said:
"It seems a little different."
Seeing everyone's gaze turn to him, he pointed to a sheep in the corner of the sheepfold and said:
"This sheep doesn't seem to be severely Aberration; it's still largely the same size. Is there anything different about it?"