Mutagen

Many humans saw the world suddenly change.

They witnessed their loved ones getting bitten by the infected.

They witnessed their family and friends turn and try to eat them.

The governments collapsed.

The cities became overrun by the infected.

The world they knew, the reality they had, collapsed in the span of a single day.

Every single one of them. Everyone\'s hearts, they were all crying for the answer to this question.

Unexpectedly, Christia returned the question with eyes half-closed, unable to understand why Mark would ask such a kind of thing.

"What kind of question is that?"

Christia asked in return.

"No, actually, I already have the hunch on the answer. I just want to confirm it from you."

Mark replied.

"Oh, is that so?" Christia smiled. "Well, then. I\'ll say it. Goal? Such. Thing. Do. Not. Exist."

Christia then peered below the building, looking at the infected scattered around in the streets.

"Let me ask." Christia voiced out. "How many zombie movies have you watched?"

That question made Mark thinking. With a smile, he replied.

"Probably, all." Mark shrugged. "I don\'t care about language or actors. I just watch every single zombie movie or even short films I come across. Well, most of it is pirated, though."

Mark answered in all honesty. For someone penniless like Mark, the only way to watch movies was by downloading pirated low-quality copies. If he wanted higher quality ones, he needed to wait for several months to even a year, and that was when the hype on the movie had died down.

Christia almost laughed after hearing that. Still, just that question that she gave answered Mark\'s question.

In zombie apocalypse movies, people turn into zombies either because of a sudden virus mutation or because it was developed by a certain person for personal purposes. But in the current case, Mutagen arrived on Earth without any particular reason.

It was all by coincidence.

And thus, no such goal existed.

"We infected are only behaving according to our nature," Christia said. "Like how humans treat pigs and chicken as livestock, that was how we view humans. Spread our species, like how humans and animals do by nature. Since the lower class can\'t procreate without any suitable mutation, the only thing they can do to increase our number is to infect humans and animals. For those that can create children, they will do that instead."

Christia then turned to Mark.

"We only have those urges. Not to think of a certain goal like taking over the world. Even if we do manage to take over this planet, it is just the aftereffect of our urges. Even if all humans or animals became infected, it is also just an aftereffect. Even if Earth was destroyed, it is just an aftereffect."

"We have no goal. We only follow our urges."

Mark then asked.

"Even if you had enough intelligence and human memories, you still had those urges, isn\'t it?"

"Why not?" Christia replied with a confused expression. "Humans are intelligent. But their urges are far more intense than us infected. Don\'t you think that I\'m right?"

Mark could only agree with that.

Humans were intelligent beings. They pushed science and technology to the point that humans stopped evolving because of the ease that science gave them.

Yet, humans were filled with endless urges that could not be satisfied in their whole lifetime.

There was an urge to eat a delicious meal.

There was an urge to find a good partner in life.

There was an urge to become rich.

These urges were too much that sometimes, it was mistaken as dreams.

Compared to humans, the urges of the infected were far simpler.

It was to spread their specie and eat human flesh. As the infected gained intelligence, the infected gain more urges like Heron wanting to fight a strong opponent or that other Infected King looking for a Queen. But even so, their initial urges still prevailed over others.

Unlike humans...

...that could not even identify what urge they should prioritize in fulfilling.

Mark then realized something.

"The infected had a single goal then?"

"What are you talking about? I already said that there\'s no such goal."

Christia insisted.

"No, you have a single goal. That is to satisfy your urges as an infected."

Mark said with open hands in front of him.

"That\'s..." Christia could not retort at all. "If you say it that way, then I can\'t find a way to deny it."

Christia gave up on Mark\'s way of thinking. He was not wrong, after all. Fulfilling an urge was also a kind of goal.

It was just unfortunate that the target of the infected\'s urges were mainly humans.

"Then..." Mark followed up. "You don\'t have any urge to attack human settlements on your own?"

Hearing that, Christia smiled.

"No. At least, not me. I\'m not dumb like the others. I have human memories. I know what extent humans pushed in a corner can do. Attacking a settlement is nothing but a pure gamble. I\'m not a gambler. I even forbid my King from doing something dumb like that. Of course, it\'s a different thing if it\'s humans that entered our territory. We\'ll try our best to kill and eat them. Or at least, make them one of us."

Mark nodded at that answer. This was something that would not be answered by an infected just having developed intelligence. Christia knew what humans could do and would not be reckless in dealing with things. On the other hand, the other intelligent infected would still end up attacking settlements if they could. It was because they knew nothing about humans, aside from being food for them.

Nevertheless, Christia\'s answer proved that she was not a reckless opponent. If she actually started to attack settlements, she would have plans that other infected would not be able to pull off. Even if she failed to take down a settlement, she would not die and would probably leave the settlement in an unrecoverable state.

"Okay then, next question." Mark decided to move to the next one. "What is the purpose of Kings and Queens? Are your kinds just here to lead the infected or are there other purposes?"

That question made Christia\'s expression crumple.

"I don\'t know," Christia answered, maintaining that expression. "I don\'t know about others. But for me, I just have the urge to find a King the moment I woke up. I don\'t really know why. The moment I found my King, Heron, I just want to be with him. To tell you the truth, there are other Queens that tried to challenge me for my position before. I killed them all. That is what my mind dictated for me to do. It is some sort of unexplainable obsession. It is the same for the Kings too, as long as they haven\'t found a Queen, they will challenge those that had queens and try to claim the Queen as their own if they defeated the other King. Once we found a partner, however, the urge will vanish as long as we are together."

Christia then tapped her chin, thinking about something.

"Ah, remember that kid that you trashed this afternoon? If you remember how he reacted to a Queen being with you, you can probably understand what I am saying."

"An unexplainable urge, huh." Mark murmured as he remembered how that Infected King before behaved when he was rejected by Snow. "That guy totally looked like some guy with intense anger issues."

"Hahaha!" Christia laughed upon hearing that. "That\'s right. But if you had seen my King and another King fighting for me before, you will probably think that kid having anger issues is just a mild one."

Mark started to imagine and shook his head.

Imagine a scene of two mutated guys rampaging while roaring at each other like there was no tomorrow.

"I think what you are imagining is wrong but I won\'t correct it."

Christia said, seeing Mark\'s actions.

"So, you really don\'t know the significance of Infected Kings and Queens, huh?"

Mark asked again.

"Sorry, I don\'t. Before, I also thought that I\'m looking for a King to procreate or something along those lines. But now that I have my King, Heron, there\'s nothing of that sort. Rather, we are just staying in his territory, leading the lower class there, and dealing with intruders. Probably, I will know in the future."

"I see."

Mark nodded. There was no need to push this question. He could tell that even Chritia was yearning to know her purpose for existing.

"By the way. You Kings and Queens can absorb abilities of Mutators... No, those that you call Mutants, right?"

"Hmm? How did you... Ah right, you have Queens with you. We do. You can say that we Kings and Queens can\'t mutate on our own anymore. It means that we can\'t grow like how the lower class does. Instead, we have the ability to absorb the abilities of Mutants in our bodies. Actually, not only us, you know?"

"What do you mean?"

Mark was confused.

"I wonder if you have ever seen any Infected Mutants? In my knowledge, certain humans can become Mutants after being bitten instead of turning into one of us. Those Mutants can still become one of us after being bitten once more, you know that? But you won\'t be able to see any at all."

That made Mark realize.

He had seen failed Mutators before, but never any Infected Mutators. Of course, it was a different case when Mark removed the ability first and the body became a normal infected instead.

"The lower class can accelerate their mutations after eating a Mutant\'s body, especially the brain. They won\'t be able to actually possess the Mutant\'s abilities but certain aspects of that ability will be incorporated into the mutations of the Infected that ate their bodies."

Hearing that answer, Mark looked down.

This was one thing he had been thinking about before. He was comparing the speed of mutation in Eriellis and Earth and concluded that the infected here on Earth was mutating faster. It was very likely that these ones were among those that Christia had mentioned just now.

"Say, what effects does it give to the infected after they eat a psychic or any non-human with supernatural abilities? I noticed before that the infected are pretty much sensitive towards us."

Mark asked as it was one of the things that were personally bothering him.

"Sorry, but I don\'t know." Christia shook her head. "We have seen some psychics before but they managed to escape. I haven\'t tasted one myself. Hey, I have an idea. Since you can regenerate, why don\'t you gave me a slice of yourself? Just a taste test or something."

Mark frowned. This woman just had a ridiculous suggestion.

"No."

Of course, Mark would refuse it flatly.

"What a bummer."

Christia pouted.

Mark looked at that expression. The way Christia expressed herself and show emotions was very human-like. However, the eagerness she showed when mentioning eating humans was also genuine as an infected.

"I want to ask a personal question."

Mark spoke, erasing the pout on Christia\'s face.

"What question?"

"You have human memories and can think like one. Have you ever thought of living like a human? Returning to human society or something and live as one?"

That question made Christia show a bitter expression.

"I have these memories but it doesn\'t mean that its mine. It\'s the memories of the person who owned this body before I was born as a Queen. And besides, even if I was her, I won\'t return either."

Christia turned to Mark. There were tears in the corner of her eyes.

"Do you know what is the last memories of the real Christia before she died?"

"She was in pain all over her body. Burns, knife wounds, bruises, twisted limbs... That is just the beginning of it. Christia\'s trusted friends turned her into a toy that they played with. Her beloved boyfriend was even among them. When the place they stayed at was attacked by the infected, they all fled, leaving the Christia, who can\'t even stand up because of her injuries, alone."

"Tell me. Should I think of becoming human when I have those kinds of memories the moment I woke up?"