Rumors exist everywhere.


    From celebrity gossip to stock market whispers, conspiracy theories, and more, they capture people’s attention, are consumed, and eventually fade away.


    In the extreme stress and isolation of a warzone, where information is scarce, rumors tend to become more provocative and despair-inducing.@@@@


    There were countless rumors during my time in China, too.


    Stories about monsters being under the control of intelligent extraterrestrial beings, leader-class monsters directing groups of other monsters, monsters blending in with humans by mimicking them, and even urban legends claiming that children born to the Awakened were actually monsters themselves.


    The rumor I posted on the forum was simply a rehashed version of one of those Chinese rumors.


    A gang’s power doesn’t come from laws or public support; it comes from the number of strong gangsters under its control.


    And if those subordinates are well-trained and highly loyal, even better.


    King wouldn’t want to lose any of his key subordinates. Naturally, he wouldn’t ignore even a small rumor.


    Now that King has taken the bait, I need to reel him in.


    The rumors I’ve encountered all share one common trait:


    Aside from the most outlandish ones, every deeply discussed rumor prominently features an authoritative figure, like a professor or expert.


    Full-time professor in the Department of Biotechnology at Harvard University, recognized as a leading authority on mutation and monster research.During his doctoral studies, he and fellow scholar Edmond K. Park (rumored to be of Korean descent) discovered the M.E.-Rees reaction, shocking the academic world.Recently, the professor reportedly identified an aggressive mutation factor that instantly zombifies living humans upon inhalation and has begun research to commercialize it.This project was, of course, terminated in the U.S. following protests from various bioethics organizations.However, rumors persist that the research continues in secret at U.S. military bases located in Korea, Japan, and Germany.


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