At Mulu Base on one end of the World of the Kabane No.0001, Dr. Shoei, Amatori Biba, and others had arrived yesterday afternoon.
The moment they stepped out of their vehicle, they were escorted to the biochemical research institute's area—though the treatment they received varied drastically.
Dr. Shoei was invited to the director's office to meet with Dr. Fritz, while Amatori Biba, Mumei, and Ikoma were locked together in the same cell. Horobi, who had transformed into a 'Nue,' was confined alone, though right next to her was the Kabane personally named 'Blue Heart' by Dr. Fritz.
"Damn it, who are these people? Why are they locking us up?" The red-clad girl Mumei glared down the corridor outside their cell, frustration clear in her voice.
"They already told us—because we're Kabaneri," Ikoma leaned against the wall, watching her with resignation. "You've seen their strength. All we can do now is wait for their judgment."
Even as he spoke, his eyes betrayed unmistakable resentment, especially as he stared at his empty hands, reminded of the confiscated 'Piercing Gun.'
"They must be from an overseas faction," Amatori Biba murmured softly from where he stood nearby.
Mumei turned to him with a complicated look. "Brother... why did you lie to me? You said you were going to Diamond Citadel to see Father..."
"I didn't lie." Amatori Biba met her gaze impassively. "I am going to see him. But after that, I intend to destroy him and Diamond Citadel together. This is revenge—for me, and for the 400,000 soldiers from ten years ago. But what's the point of saying this now?"
Indeed. They were prisoners now, likely to be used as test subjects. What meaning did past grudges hold? The three fell into heavy silence.
Meanwhile...
Dr. Fritz led Dr. Shoei to the cell holding the 'Blue Heart' Kabane, accompanied by Steve Gus and four CP7 members.
"You actually injected the essence of the 'Black Smoke' Core directly into him—and successfully turned him into a perfect 'Nue'?!" Dr. Shoei exclaimed in disbelief after hearing the explanation and observing the 'Blue Heart' inside. "How is that possible?"
"The blood from the 'Black Smoke' Core has both temperature and Kabane Virus concentration far exceeding that of ordinary Kabane. No one could endure such extreme heat and pain—I've conducted these experiments before!"
Dr. Fritz chuckled lightly. "So instead, you opted to inject ordinary Kabane blood into humans and then block the left carotid artery, creating Kabaneri like Amatori Biba?"
"Exactly!"
"My method may not have a high success rate, but out of ten women, at least two would survive!" Dr. Shoei declared with a hint of pride.
"Why must it be women?"
"Because experiments proved women's endurance far surpasses men's. To become a Kabaneri, one must endure until the 'blood replacement' is complete—an excruciating process."
Upon hearing Dr. Shoei's words, Steve Gus grinned and said, "That sensation is intense indeed, like boiling water flowing through your veins. But surely it's not just women who can handle it? Are the men in your world really that weak?"
"Our world..."
Dr. Shoei immediately realized these people were from another dimension. Yes, he had just learned about the World Government's basic information in Dr. Fritz's office.
Frankly, it was hard to believe, but the evidence before his eyes left no room for doubt.
"Gus's words may sound crude, but he makes a valid point. If we're talking about us sea-star humans, gender shouldn't be an issue," Dr. Fritz mused. "However, judging by Gus's description of the pain, not everyone can endure the scorching heat of 'Blue Heart.' Using ordinary Kabane blood instead should lower the transformation difficulty into becoming a 'Kabaneri.'"
Strictly speaking, Steve Gus was already a Kabaneri, since the term referred to half-human, half-Kabane hybrids.
But he belonged to the advanced form of Kabaneri—the 'Nue.'
"But what about the Life Return requirement?" Gus asked.
Dr. Fritz smiled at this question and turned to Dr. Shoei beside him.
"Didn't I previously suggest using something like a collar to clamp the neck and prevent the Kabane Virus from invading the brain through the left carotid artery? I just didn't expect Dr. Shoei had already developed such a device years ago."
The latter nodded, pulling out what looked like a silk scarf from his inner pocket. "This is it. It's called the 'Restricting Band,' capable of blocking blood flow to a certain extent."
"What do you mean by 'a certain extent'?"
Dr. Shoei explained, "It means if the concentration of Kabane Virus in the blood becomes too high, the band will rupture."
"When Amatori Biba injected Horobi with 'Black Blood Plasma' to enhance the Kabane Virus's effects, she transformed into a 'Nue.' But because the Restricting Band shattered under the overwhelming viral concentration, the virus reached her brain and turned her into a true Kabane."
Dr. Fritz pondered this and asked, "So the issue lies in the material strength of your Restricting Band?"
"Well... yes, you could say that," Dr. Shoei admitted with a sigh.
"Then why not try reinforcing the band with Kabane's Heart Membrane?" Dr. Fritz pressed.
"This..."
Dr. Shoei froze, inwardly cursing himself. Why hadn't he thought of that before?
At this moment, his face twisted with shame and frustration—the expression of someone who prided themselves on intelligence only to realize they'd overlooked something obvious.
"Besides your relatively comfortable Restricting Band, I noticed that Kabaneri named Ikoma wears a metal collar around his neck," Dr. Fritz added.
Dr. Shoei shook his head. "That's ineffective. Metal collars can't withstand Kabane Virus enhanced by 'Black Blood Plasma' either. I've tested this before."
"In fact, the strength of the metal collar and this scarf-like 'Restricting Band' is about the same. However, what you just mentioned about using Kabane's Heart Membrane to enhance the 'Restricting Band' seems highly feasible to me!"
Dr. Fritz nodded, already aware of the 'Black Blood Plasma' that the other party had mentioned several times.
This was a viral enhancement agent made by Dr. Zhuang Wei using the blood of the 'Blue Heart' Kabane as the main material, supplemented with other biological materials. It could transform ordinary Kabaneri into the 'Nue' form of Kabaneri.
He also had an antidote serum called 'White Plasma.'
It could significantly reduce the concentration of the Kabane Virus, and if injected into a 'Nue' form Kabaneri, it could revert them back to an ordinary Kabaneri. If injected into an ordinary Kabaneri, there was a 50-60% chance it would turn them back into a normal human!
Because of these two inventions, Dr. Fritz valued Dr. Zhuang Wei's talents in biochemical viruses and agreed to apply for his qualification as a junior researcher at the Biochemical Research Institute.
At this moment.
"Hey, what do you think would happen if I injected my 'Black Blood Plasma' into this 'Blue Heart' Kabane?" Dr. Zhuang Wei boldly proposed two daring ideas.
"Or what would happen if I injected my 'Black Blood Plasma' into Mr. Steve Gus? Would the two become one form, or would there be differences?"