Adrian Fu stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing down at the city below. At four in the morning, S City was still ablaze with lights, neon signs flickering, and traffic weaving endlessly through the streets. His long fingers tapped lightly against the tempered glass, a rhythm echoing the beat of his heart—steady, powerful, undeniable.
"Mr. Fu, the latest data for the 'Spark Project' has finished transmitting," came the calm voice of Chief Scientist Lin Xiu in his earpiece. "The gene sequence recombination success rate has increased to 78.3%, though side effects remain."
"Keep testing," Adrian's voice was low and icy. "I want to see a breakthrough within seventy-two hours."
He cut off the communication and let his gaze fall on the file marked Top Secret resting on his desk. The cover bore a blood-red moon emblem—the Blood Moon Project, the highest classified joint initiative between the military and the Fu Group. No one knew that this technology, designed to enhance human genes, would soon become humanity's final hope.
Outside, the first rays of sunlight pierced through the clouds, only to be instantly tinged with a strange, unnatural red. Adrian narrowed his eyes. It wasn't dawn— the entire sky was visibly turning blood-red.
At the same time, his private phone began vibrating furiously. The screen flashed the words Emergency Alert in bold letters.
"Mr. Fu, something's happened!" The usually composed voice of Security Chief Chen Mo trembled with rare panic. "Multiple violent attacks have been reported at the central hospital… the victims… they're showing symptoms… like zombies!"
Adrian's pupils constricted sharply. He quickly brought up the surveillance feed. In the hospital corridors, several blood-soaked figures were frantically biting medical staff. Those bitten began convulsing within minutes, then attacked others with the same ferocity.
"Initiate the Ark Protocol," Adrian said, his voice devoid of any tremor. "Recall all core personnel, lock down the headquarters, and activate the defense systems."
He strode to the safe, inputting his fingerprint and iris verification. From inside, he retrieved a metal vial containing a blue liquid, engraved with the code Ω-7—the most successful gene enhancer of the Spark Project, and the only one of its kind.
By the time Adrian stepped out of his office, the entire Fu Tower was in emergency mode. Blast-proof doors slammed down floor by floor, armed security personnel took their positions. Through the glass walls of the corridor, he could see that the sky outside had completely turned blood-red, a sinister blood moon hanging high, as if staring down at a world on the brink of chaos.
"Mr. Fu, satellite images indicate this phenomenon is global!" the technical director reported, sweat streaming down his face. "North America, Europe, and Asia are all reporting similar events. The virus is spreading faster than any predictive model!"
Adrian listened impassively before issuing a series of orders: "Cut off all non-essential communications. Activate backup power. Take inventory of all supplies. From this moment, the Fu Group is in wartime status."
He knew better than anyone that this was no ordinary viral outbreak. Three months ago, he had seen the military's classified projections, and now they were unfolding in the worst possible way. The Blood Moon Project had gone out of control, and the key to stopping it was likely in his hands.
Nora Su pressed her hand tightly over her mouth, forcing herself into silence. Outside the locker, heavy footsteps and beastly growls drew closer. The metallic scent of blood was thick in the air, and she could hear liquid dripping onto the floor.