Chapter 135

"Marshal Zhu Dekun, I have said it before: he is not one of your Eastern Alliance people. He is my brother-in-arms and a soldier of our United Kingdom. I can agree to lend him to you, but as for whether he wishes to revert to your Eastern Alliance citizenship? You will have to ask him yourself."

"I understand. Changing one's nationality is a fundamental right of personal freedom. But we are in a time of war. The nation cannot afford to be without such talent. However, our military law does not permit a foreign soldier to serve as our commander." Inside the office, Trexi seemed to be on a call with the Marshal of the Eastern Alliance Army, and the person they were discussing appeared to be Lei Mingchuan. "Your country does not recognize dual citizenship, and there is nothing I can do about that. Although he claims to be from the Eastern Alliance, the nationality he represents remains that of our United Kingdom. Look at me—although I am the Crown Prince of the United Kingdom, do I not still hold citizenship in the Galle Empire? You know the situation is one of war; special circumstances call for special measures. Or, you could treat him as a military advisor! Think of him as the mastermind behind the scenes!"

The office was incredibly spartan. A single wall separated it from a world of vast differences, though it was clear that conditions had once been much better than they were now. Directly facing the door was a desk. Although it was made of mahogany, it was covered in scratches. Beside it were many bookcases filled with a chaotic jumble of files and documents. In a far corner, beneath a bookshelf, sat something that could barely be called a bed, topped with a simple military blanket. One might think they had been transported back to a different era.

"Then let him serve as my staff officer. After all, high-ranking commanders like us cannot personally go to the front lines. I will have to rely on him to convey my orders." Marshal Zhu Dekun sighed helplessly. Just then, a soldier approached him and whispered something. After nodding in confirmation, the Marshal resumed his conversation with Trexi. "My men have reported new information. A 'big guy' has appeared at the border of the Southern Alliance, the Kingdom of Kestan, and our Eastern Alliance. Our soldiers describe it as a three-headed hound. Are you aware of this?"

"A three-headed hound? You mean Cerberus, I presume? My teacher was quite fond of Greek mythology. Although he was a biological scientist, his research was similar to what I am working on now. He studied these legendary ancient creatures, so their appearance isn't entirely surprising. As long as things like dragons don't start showing up, the war remains within the realm of normalcy. It is a pity, though—he must have already started experimenting with those lizards and the like by now. There may not be much time left before he achieves his results."

"What do you mean?" Marshal Zhu Dekun could not help but feel a sense of dread. Trexi had already spoken to him about his teacher, Professor Titan. If that genius of the biological sciences were still alive, the war could expand indefinitely.

"You know that much of this research is prohibited in our countries. But once one breaks free from the constraints of the state, these results become easy to achieve. If you combine the DNA sequences from ancient Jurassic dragon fossils with the DNA of modern reptiles, then *Jurassic Park* will play out in our world."

Indeed, if things continued this way, it would be a war without end. Humanity might find itself fighting mythical creatures and vicious, long-extinct beasts—creatures that might even possess immortality. If the war drags on, it is humanity that will ultimately suffer.

"Is there no way to eliminate them? Must we resort to nuclear weapons?" Although Marshal Zhu Dekun was a brilliant commander, he was not fighting against ordinary humans. He was facing legendary, zombie-like creatures that were difficult to deal with and highly infectious. Even with vaccines and serums available, there was no guarantee they wouldn't trigger another viral crisis, much like the relationship between the G-virus and the T-virus.

"No, nuclear weapons are useless. At the very beginning of the war, the Kingdom of Kestan dropped a nuke on that area. It only led to the spread of the viral crisis. The virus itself is not afraid of high temperatures; only the hosts are. To completely eradicate the virus, one must decompose their DNA sequences. However, by coincidence, we have made a new discovery here recently. It seems that the body of a 'Satan' produces a crystal composed of this virus. It is like a human brain, controlling every action of the host. Yet, once the crystal is formed, the virus itself loses its infectivity. In other words, there is no danger in direct contact—as long as you don't swallow it, of course."

"Viral crystals? A fascinating concept. What exactly do they do?"

"I will give a full briefing at the United Nations General Assembly, but I'll give you a preview. I don't know the principle behind it, but once the crystal is formed, it becomes both more fragile and more solid. 'Solid' refers to the hardness of the crystal itself, and 'fragile' refers to how much easier it is to decompose. You wouldn't understand the methods for decomposition yet, so we will cover that in the briefing. If you really want to wrap your head around it, just think of them as the 'magic cores' from fantasy novels."

"Very well, Crown Prince Trexi. I hope we can cooperate again. Your United Kingdom can certainly be considered an old ally of our Eastern Alliance." With that, the Eastern Alliance unilaterally cut the connection.

"Troublesome Eastern Alliance people. Trying to snatch someone from our United Kingdom without even asking for my consent as Crown Prince. If he hadn't been medically discharged, they probably would have stolen him away long ago." After speaking, Trexi spun his chair around. In the next second, with the practiced skill of a secret agent, he vanished and reappeared at the doorway.

"You really did listen to every word, didn't you? It's not like I didn't know you were standing behind there." Although he didn't force the door open, Trexi leaned against the frame, questioning the person hiding behind it.

"I must say, Miller, why does a spy feel the need to do his own legwork?"