Chapter 57: The Realm of Terror

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In Nanze City, at a military base situated away from the city center yet still some distance from Jishui Mountain, a tense scene was unfolding. Within a unique building on the western side of the base, several individuals sat in a command room, their eyes fixed intently on the massive screen before them, which projected images of critical importance.

Displayed on the screen were five segmented views. The largest showed an aerial sweep capturing the entire forest corridor, filmed in real time by a military reconnaissance aircraft soaring ten thousand meters above ground. The other four smaller segments offered close-up footage of various parts of the corridor where the sika deer was located—one at the front, one at the middle, one at the rear. The final segment, however, depicted a blurred image, featuring indistinct silhouettes of humans and creatures. This image was so vague that after initial processing, the system ran an algorithm, delaying the feed by several minutes to render a clearer outline, reducing figures to something akin to stickmen—though, unlike the simplicity of stickmen, the lines here were fuller and more detailed.

“After all this time, why isn’t it moving? What’s it going to do next? Professor Qin, do you really think it won’t kill those three unlucky souls?” He Xiaowu questioned, his voice laden with doubt and curiosity. The outcome was crucial, for it would directly influence many subsequent decisions.

“It’s hard to say, but I hope it won’t,” Professor Qin replied, wearing his white lab coat, his tone hesitant but his gaze filled with anticipation. “Its emergence differs greatly from those creatures tainted by the Purple Moon. It is rational, showing no signs of bloodlust or chaos. Its creation of this vast forest and its refusal to leave are proof enough. As for its attitude toward humans, these three fortunate—or perhaps unfortunate—individuals may provide us with an answer.”

Not everyone agreed with Professor Qin’s assessment, however. The sika deer’s unseeable nature was overwhelmingly dominant. Just yesterday, when the mutated deer was first discovered, over ten members of the electronic surveillance team suffered severe symptoms and were hospitalized. Though most had recovered by today, their descriptions of the deer’s bizarre attributes were enough to send chills down anyone’s spine.

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It cannot be looked at directly—not even through electronic screens. This terrifying ability instills fear in many. Originally, the commander of the Southwest Military Division intended to eliminate the sika deer with maximum force. But Professor Qin, the arriving director of the research institute, intervened.

His reasoning was simple: the deer’s behavior was too patterned, displaying intelligence absent from other creatures corrupted by the Purple Moon. Moreover, it could accelerate the growth of flora—a remarkable ability and size, unprecedented in Qin’s three years of research. How could he allow the military to crudely destroy such a specimen?

Thus, leveraging his special authority in Purple Moon contamination research, Professor Qin forcibly halted the military’s impulsive plan. This was a living specimen; mere observation of this terrifying deer thrilled him.

Yet not everyone shared Professor Qin’s confidence in his research. Despite the odd innovations he derived from the corpses of mutated creatures, these items often carried severe negative effects for humans. While he was highly praised by Parliament, the soldiers and military who wielded his creations held a far less favorable view.

“Old Qin, you scientists really ought to stick to your labs. If you want to study it, we can bring it to you right now—though probably dead,” remarked the Chief of Staff of the Southwest Military Division, his tone calm, viewing the deer on screen as nothing more than an object.

“Such a massive and dangerous creature is a latent threat we shouldn’t ignore. It may not seem aggressive, but its contamination alone is enough to drive people mad. Rather than hoping a wild beast won’t threaten cities, it’s better to resolve the issue once and for all. Once it’s dealt with, you can study it however you wish. Its blood and flesh might even accelerate your research.”

“Kill it?” Professor Qin shook his head. “I understand the military’s concerns, but merely killing won’t change the extreme path our world is heading down. According to projections, Parliament won’t be able to suppress the news for much longer—maybe a year, maybe half. The intervals between Purple Moon appearances are shrinking, and the danger is only growing. Long-term confidentiality agreements are meaningless; the moment we release the information, society will erupt in chaos.”

“And when that happens, if we haven’t found effective ways to combat contamination, half of our entire nation of Laine could be lost.”

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“And when it truly comes to that, Chief, how do you propose we save the people? Save the nation?” Professor Qin’s words settled over the room, quieting the entire meeting.

Those present were among the highest-ranking officials of the Laine Federation, and they had witnessed firsthand the Purple Moon’s true horrors. The more they knew, the more they understood how terrifying its effects really were.

Consider just the past month’s data: across the Federation, there had been 1,238 incidents of mutated ‘creatures’ attacking humans. Most occurred near forests and wilderness, but nearly a hundred took place in densely populated cities.

Yet, compared to these attacks, another phenomenon posed even greater terror: the Domains.

Whenever the Purple Moon appeared, a terrifying anomaly would manifest, random and without pattern. At first, a Domain would create overlapping illusions between two worlds within a defined area. Yet after the illusion faded with the Purple Moon, the area seemed marked. The Domain would reappear with each subsequent Purple Moon, growing stronger every time. Eventually, the Domain would resemble two paintings of vastly different styles forcibly merged, producing a bizarre and otherworldly landscape. Within, one would lose direction and sense of reality, and face attacks from all manner of alien and mutated life.

In the last Purple Moon, three new Domains emerged within Laine’s territory. For context, only eleven had appeared in the past three years—now, three more in one sudden event? It was easy to imagine the government’s alarm.

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