Kaizen quickly turned toward the laptop screen at the sound.
A young girl had appeared in the footage—alive.
The exclamation just now had come from Gogus.
"Finally found a living one."
"I didn't expect any survivors here."
Gogus's excitement was understandable—an actual survivor could reveal what had happened to the village. It was a vital lead for his research.
Ponzu hurried over, staring at the screen.
But the girl's eyes were empty.
Even though she clearly saw Gogus and could hear him, she didn't react at all.
She just sat there, quietly.
Like a statue.
Her breathing and heartbeat were steady.
But she didn't move.
It was like looking at a living corpse.
Gogus's excitement dimmed.
Suddenly, a white thread emerged from the girl's body. It rose like a snake sensing prey, pointing toward Gogus.
But then...
A black thread emerged from Gogus himself.
The moment it appeared, the white thread shrank back into the girl's body, as if it had been frightened off.
Gogus stepped forward.
In response, a flood of white silk threads burst from the girl's body.
As the threads left her, it was as if her vitality drained away.
When the last thread slipped out, the girl collapsed to the ground, lifeless.
The swarm of white threads retreated, moving farther and farther away from Gogus.
He stared at the girl's body in silence.
...
Then, without warning, Gogus raised his hand, reaching toward the air.
He grabbed hold of a struggling white thread, plucking it from midair.
Without hesitation, he forcibly stuffed the thread into his own body.
In an instant, a large sphere materialized above his hand, showing images—close-ups of the white silk threads.
"These parasites only inhabit corpses. The girl was already dead before they entered her body," Gogus explained calmly. "After infestation, they kept her moving, like a puppet. Once they mature, they leave to find new hosts and reproduce. When that happens, the walking dead become true corpses again."
Gogus turned his gaze toward the wireless camera, speaking to Kaizen through it.
"Kaizen, the situation in this village is complicated. There are no survivors, and it's impossible for me alone to fully investigate it in a short time. I've decided to stay and continue my research here."
"...What's your plan?" Kaizen asked, glancing toward Ponzu.
Kaizen couldn't afford to wait around indefinitely. There was no telling how long Gogus's research would take—and the parasites offered nothing valuable to Kaizen himself.
"P-Ponzu, what about you?" Kaizen asked.
Ponzu stayed silent for a moment.
"Captain... I think we should leave."
"Grandma is gone. The village is gone too."
"With my current strength, I'd only get parasitized if I went deeper in. I can't help anyone. Grandma wanted me to live. If I can't do anything else... at least I can't waste her last wish."
"Captain, you have more important things to do."
"Siper has no reason to stay here either."
In truth, Ponzu didn't want to leave.
Even if she couldn't do anything—just watching Gogus work might have brought her closer to understanding what happened.
But she knew this wasn't Kaizen's problem.
She couldn't selfishly ask him to waste precious time for her sake.
If Kaizen hadn't come, if he hadn't called on Gogus, Ponzu would never have dared to investigate the village alone.
She would have died here—just like the villagers.
That wasn't what her grandmother wanted.
Kaizen nodded.
"Even if we uncover the truth, Ponzu, you'll still need greater strength to face whatever enemies are behind this," he said. "Waiting around here would be meaningless."
"We'll leave the investigation to Gogus-san. We can contact him anytime if something comes up."
"And you," Kaizen added, looking Ponzu in the eyes, "will work hard to grow stronger while he investigates."
Kaizen leaned closer to the laptop.
"Gogus-san, we're ready to leave."
"...Leaving, huh?" Gogus said, unsurprised.
"Kaizen, do me one more favor before you go."
"What is it?"
"Contact my team. I can't handle devices with batteries right now. They need to come here and support the research."
"Got it."
Gogus gave him a number.
Kaizen took out his phone and dialed.
Soon, a woman's voice—deep and firm—answered.
"Who is this?"
"I'm with Gogus-san," Kaizen replied.
The woman's voice instantly sharpened.
"Where are you?"
Kaizen reported their location.
"Gogus-san made a major discovery here and decided to stay. I'm leaving, so he needs someone to maintain communications and assist him."
The woman hesitated, then her tone softened.
"Got it. I'll be there soon."
...
True to her word, within a day and a half, they arrived.
High above, a bizarre-looking creature flapped its wings. A figure stood on its back, scanning the area below.
The monster quickly descended.
A woman dismounted and strode toward Kaizen and the others.
"Gogus-san is inside the village," Kaizen told her. "We're communicating with him through wireless cameras right now."
"You can speak to him directly through the feed."
The woman nodded.
She glanced at the screen, saw Gogus's face, and finally relaxed.
"Thank you."
She bowed slightly to Kaizen.
"You're welcome," Kaizen replied calmly.
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