When Ackerman jumped from the back of the griffin and fell to the ground, he was greeted by a makeshift position in the streets of the harbor.

Stacked sandbags cloak the streets, and towering watchtowers blaze screeching sirens.

Ackerman glanced back at the frightened Parni and waved her to rest first, while he walked to the barracks alone.

Alfonso, who was looking at the map of the city at his desk, glanced at Ackerman as he walked by, and did not speak, but quickly wrote down a warrant and handed it to the herald beside him.

"Tell those who are reluctant to get on board that the Dragon Kingdom will not provide them with shelter and that they are free to leave. ”

Alfonso finished dealing with the matter at hand, turned his head to Ackerman, and whispered, "As a commander, you shouldn't leave your army. ”

Ackerman sighed: "I'll soon be no longer ......"

"As long as you haven't left the position for a day, you have to stick to your post. Alfonso said, "You should know what the Black Plague is?"

Ackerman reacted: "Wait a minute, what's going on with these rats?"

"A week ago, a succession of torrential rains washed away the sewer dam in Taylor City, and we believe that this is how these plague rats came out of the city. Alfonso tapped on the map as he said, "In order to escape the cold air from the north, these rats followed ditches, streams, and underground burrows all the way south to the Duchy of Duokezi. ”

"They first lurk under the city, and when the sea is at high tide, they all rush to the surface. ”

Alfonso paused for a moment and said to Ackerman, "Your Majesty has previously decreed that the Holy Cult, the Knights, and the Xenos are not allowed to act alone in the Duchy of Duokezi, do you remember?"

Ackerman nodded: "I remember, but I thought he meant to get everyone to evacuate quickly......"

Alfonso beckoned, motioning for the other to follow.

Confused, Ackerman followed the knight's footsteps, walked out of the room, and made his way through the crowd until he finally came to the door of a warehouse built near the harbor.

Looking at the convoy of ships busy loading people and supplies on the sea in the distance, Ackerman asked strangely, "What are we doing here?

Alfonso motioned for the guards to open the warehouse door and walked inside.

The huge warehouse has long been divided into dozens of huge rooms, and in each room, a group of people in doctor's coats are busy going around.

Ackerman was a little confused: "I never knew there was such a place. ”

Alfonso showed his dragon badge and continued, "Come in, just watch and make sure your hands don't touch anything." ”

Ackerman walked into the room and saw a metal operating table lying flat in the center of the room, and an orc covered in black parasites was tied to the bed.

Closer and closer inspection, the orc's limbs have been lost, leaving only the head and torso, and the life characteristics have long been lost, and it has become a plague zombie that has lost the ability to think.

"Bokanian, the captain of the sixth team of the seventeenth wargroup of the Holy Cult Orcs, was originally responsible for guarding the southwest exit of Taylor City......"

Hearing Alfonso's words, Ackerman's eyes widened, and he suddenly said: "I have never heard the name of this soldier in the list of the dead!"

Alfonso motioned for the doctors to continue their work, and he exited the room and said, "That's because Your Majesty doesn't want the Holy Cult Army to know about this, so some of the soldiers who were killed were recorded in the archives as having other military affairs or missing. ”

"Why?"

Alfonso pointed to the dragon-shaped badge on his chest and said, "In the battle against the Black Plague, there are some soldiers whose souls have not returned to Heaven. ”

"Wait a minute! What are you talking about?!"

Alfonso said, "I repeat, anyone who dies of the Black Plague has a certain chance that his soul will not reach Heaven. ”

Ackerman broke out in a cold sweat: "That is to say, ......"

Alfonso said as he walked forward, "If you and Parni had died there just now, then your souls might have been scattered and you would never have been able to reach heaven again. ”

Ackerman: "Why is this happening?"

Alfonso: "I don't know, the kingdom is working on it, but there is no answer yet." ”

Leaving the operating area in the warehouse, Alfonso walked over to a bunker door and motioned for the guards to open it.

The steel-forged door was opened by four knights in keel armor, and Alfonso carefully descended the stairs with one hand on the handle and the other on the weapon.

Walking behind the knight, Ackerman asked in a whisper, "Where are we going?"

"At the behest of His Majesty, we have built an experimental area under the Duchy of Duokezi. ”

"Experimental area?"

Alfonso brushed away the parasite limbs next to his ears and continued, "During this time, we have captured a large number of necromantic samples from Taylor City and transported them here for study. ”

Ackerman was stunned: "This matter, Grand Duke Duokeqi knows?"

"I don't know...... In fact, not knowing something is a blessing for him. ”

Stepping on the ground of the underground experimental area, the sound of metal echoing under his feet was heard, and Ackerman asked in surprise, "...... this ground?"

"It's not just the floor, it's the walls, the doors, the cleats, most of the materials are iron. Alfonso leaned down and walked through an iron door, saying, "Planks, dirt, and stone don't have much of a barrier against the plague parasites. ”

Walking further, Ackerman saw a group of men dressed in full-body armor, who were surrounding the iron cage, nervously recording something.

Getting closer, Ackerman found a large iron cage bound with many parasitic corpses infected by the plague in chains.

Alfonso walked up to a staff member and tapped on the latter's helmet: "Follow the predetermined plan, start clearing the field, remember not to miss anything." ”

The staff nodded, turned around and began to greet their companions.

Ackerman: "What's this going to do?"

Alfonso: "We will soon be evacuated from here, and by His Majesty's will, this experimental area will be destroyed and cordoned off. You come here and take a look at this ......."

Ackerman walked over to the cage and found that the parasitic corpse inside was not quite the same as usual.

The parasites clinging to the corpses were not the usual black, but glowing with a metallic hue. When they collide together, you can still hear the sound of Tie Ge hitting each other.

Alfonso: "These plague parasites have mutated. ”

"Mutation?"

"What you're seeing is a living example of how when a metallic-skinned xenomorph is infected by the plague, the abilities in his body are channeled to the parasite, causing the parasite to have the corresponding abilities. ”

Alfonso stared at the plague parasites with metal shells, and said worriedly: "Your Majesty guesses that parasites can also share and replicate abilities with each other, but fortunately, this has not happened yet. ”

Ackerman felt his brain turn a little bit, "You mean, these parasites can prey on xenomorph abilities and convert them into their own?"

"That's right, if a plague parasite has devoured the flesh of an xeno, then it can have the xeno's abilities. So far, not only metal skin, but also plague parasites such as power enhancement, speed enhancement, inflammation, splitting, colloid, transformation, mimicry, etc. have been discovered. ”