Mutagen



Day 350 - 9:21 AM - Jakarta, Java, Indonesia

Indonesia. It was the largest island nation in Southeast Asia and Oceania, sharing both land and sea borders with several countries. Its capital city, Jakarta, was also the second most populated city in the region. It also shared the largest island ecosystem in the continent, the island of Borneo, with Malaysia and Brunei.

The Republic of Indonesia had an almost entirely tropical climate. This weather system contributed to the natural creation of the third-largest rainforest area in the world, following the Amazon and Africa's Congo Basin.

And such a factor ended up affecting almost the entirety of the country after the apocalypse.

Just like the Philippines, Indonesia was a country separated into thousands of islands. The Philippine's around seven thousand islands was nothing compared to Indonesia's eighteen thousand.

This separation between the islands caused some diversity among the effects caused by the apocalypse.

The diversity was mostly observed in the variants of [Infected] and [Mutated Creatures].

In the Philippines, this diversity was barely noticeable. The diversity was consistent in most of its islands, making it feel natural instead. But if there was something that could possibly stand out from the [Infected] in the Philippines compared to other countries, it was their absurd geographical adaptability.

The Philippines had a larger water territory than land. It might have been the factor that gave the [Infected] in the Philippines the ability to adjust their mutations to both water and land.

It was just like what happened in Catanduanes. After getting stimulated by the magical energy on the island, the [Infected], which traveled underwater, adapted fast and reached the island. T

The Reclaimed City in Japan, given the large population of the [Infected] in Tokyo, did not have problems with humanoid [Infected] turning aquatic. Yet, hundreds of [Infected] in the Philippines went under similar mutations in such a situation.

It was not just the [Infected] roaming the land. There were also those mutated sea creatures that gained the ability to walk on land. For example, the [Infected Storm Whale].

On the other hand, while the [Infected] in Japan did not have an absurd geographical adaptability, they leaned more toward becoming highly territorial.

This [Territorial Trait] was something a [Leader Type Infected] would mostly have. [Leader Types] tend to gather hordes of [Infected] before they either start roaming around or stay in the same area, thus claiming territory.

It could also be the same with some [Monarch Types] who had the ability to rally the [Infected].

But this [Territorial Trait] was not limited to [Leader Types] or [Monarch Types] in Japan. The [Siren of Death] was classified as an [Instigator Type] while the [Abomination of Thousand Corpses] belonged to a new type called [Cluster Type]. None of the two were [Leader Types] and did not have [Infected] followers. Yet, both had territories they wandered around without stepping out of it for no reason.

It was geographical adaptability for the [Infected] in the Philippines and [Territorial Trait] for the ones in Japan.

For Indonesia, the majority of the [Infected] and [Mutated Creatures] also followed a certain trait.

It was the [Floral Trait].

Most of the [Infected] gained plant-like mutations and abilities. It was the same for [Mutated Creatures]. On the other hand, it increased the mutation adaptability of the flora and the size and strength of insect creatures all over the country.

With all those factors coming together, it turned seventy-five percent of the whole of Indonesia into a Green Hell.

And if that was not enough, the situation within the territorial borders was much worse.

Unlike the Philippines and Japan, Indonesia directly shared borders with other countries. It caused the factors and traits to mix within the borders, making these areas much more dangerous than most parts of the country.

And then, there was Australia. Through the Torres Strait and its islands between Australia and Papua New Guinea, [Mutated Insects] from Australia, both [Infected] and not, managed to migrate. These insects soon took over the southern areas of Papua New Guinea. 

And since Indonesia shared the eastern borders with Papua New Guinea, its southeastern islands also became infested with those insects, which grew even stronger because of the natural effects of the apocalypse on the country.

Those insects were actually the first causes of humans getting wiped out in some islands in Indonesia. Even the [Infected] could not do such a quick job.

However, the mixed traits in the borders and the migrated insects in the south were not the most pressing danger in Indonesia.

***

Malls, schools, housing units, hotels, parks, and many more. Such places were not a rare sight on Earth. Most human-inhabited places, specifically capital cities, had a lot of them. 

But after the [Fusion of Dimensions], those common sceneries became not so common.

However, that was not the case for a certain place in Indonesia.

Jakarta, Indonesia's capital city. And right now, it might be one of the few, if not the only remaining intact uninhabited city, in the world.

Yes, intact. At least, the most of it.

Cracks could be seen on the walls of structures. Some even had collapsed areas. But compared to Tokyo, which was nothing but a collection of collapsed structures reclaimed by nature, more than fifty percent of Jakarta remained standing and explorable.

But the reason was not like one would think.

The only places that survived the earthquake during the [Fusion of Dimensions] were places inhabited by humans. The protection of the [Eyes] made it that way.

But as said before, Jakarta was uninhabited. It had long been abandoned due to the sheer number of [Infected] in the area. Only those brave and desperate would take a step into the city.

***

Day 350 - 10:02 AM - Living Room, Cliff House, Mountain Base, General Nakar, Province of Quezon, Philippines

"Hey, why did you stop?"

Mark asked Thirteenth, who suddenly paused while giving Mark information.

Sitting on the sofa in the living room, Mark was reading a book while he listened to Thirteenth.

"I got told off," Thirteenth grumbled. "Nineteenth said I can't tell any more than this."

Mark could only frown. Thirteenth was about to tell Mark about the danger in Jakarta, but she was cut off.

Thirteenth sat on the chair beside Mark with a sigh.

"I can tell the background stuff. But I can't say specific things. If I did, it would be considered as direct intervention," Thirteenth explained. "I might get punished doing that unless it's Master's instructions."

It looked like Thirteenth really wanted to tell Mark more. But being an [Eye] also meant she had rules to follow.

In any case, Mark learned a few things.

Indonesian land borders were dangerous. It was the same for the southeastern islands. Jakarta had something lurking in it that could affect almost the entire city.

With that bit of information, Mark could do a lot of things. But, for now, Mark had something else to focus on.

FLAP!

Mark turned the page of the book he was reading.

"You're really something, aren't you? You're already halfway through that tattered book."

Thirteenth said, looking at Mark's book.

Well, it was not a storybook or textbook. It was a translated dictionary that Mark luckily acquired after commissioning some people in Corregidor.

It was a dictionary. An English to Bahasa Indonesia dictionary, to be exact. 

This was the seventh book Mark had read this past few days after leaving Japan. All of which were related to the Indonesian language. He could have read more, but books were extremely hard to find, especially after the [Fusion of Dimensions]. It was already fortunate that Mark managed to find some after scouring a few ruins in Manila and commissioning some people in Corregidor.

Even the dictionary in Mark's hands was almost turned into tinder for a campfire. It was even missing a few pages after being torn off.

Since Mark decided to go to Indonesia, he at least had to learn the basics of the language. Of course, it should not be an issue even if Mark spoke English there, as it was a widely spoken language in Indonesia. Even so, it would not hurt to learn the basics.

"You say I'm something, but you [Eyes] don't even have to learn the language."

Mark replied.

Yes, the [Eyes] did not have to learn any language. As long as it was a language that humans use, the [Eyes] could speak it fluently. It was a perk of being born from human emotions and being a protector of Earth.

Mark continued to flip the pages after a minute of skimming through two pages. He really did not have to read everything thoroughly. The only thing he needed to do was to read things once to make it easier for him to recall them. It was the best use of his access to his subconscious memories.

Of course, reading was not the only thing Mark had to do. First and foremost, he had to repair his armor. The best armor Mark had was broken during the battle against the Yamata-no-Orochi. All he had right now was the old armor before he developed the [Abyss Tech]. There was also his new sword. Since one of its features was to dock Ignis, the current form of Ignis would not fit into it. Mark needed to remodel the sword a little bit and give it a fitting name, too.

And now that Mark knew they would be going to a Green Hell, he also began thinking of making some improvements with the weapons of the girls. Fire-based weapons would be the best against plant enemies, but since it would be a forest-like terrain, it would also be the worst thing to use. In that case, Mark would need more than one upgrade for each of their weapons.

"Hmm, hmm..."

Mark began humming an anime song. His eyes were reading while a part of his mind was already making blueprints. The level of multi-tasking Mark was able to do was rising. If it was before the apocalypse, it was something he could not do at all.

Seeing Mark busying himself in his work, Thirteenth stood up. She then gave one last glance at Mark before taking a step around the corner of the sofa. And like a ghost, she vanished without a trace.

Mark was under surveillance by Thirteenth since the battle against the Yamata-no-Orochi ended. But seeing no severe behavioral change happened to Mark in the past few days, the surveillance became less strict, and Thirteenth was allowed to leave Mark's side from time to time to check on her other candidate.

Considering Thirteenth was not too concerned with her other candidate recently, it seemed their situation had become better than previously. Of course, the other candidate's situation was still in no optimal condition. This was shown by the fact that Thirteenth could leave Mark and his people without surveillance while being more attentive to her other candidate.

Mark noticed Thirteenth's departure but did not pay much attention. She was like this for a few days now, and there was no problem with it.

If there was a problem, it was Mark and Ignis.

Ignis had yet to wake up. On the other hand, Mark's body was still in the middle of its adjustments to his newfound strength. He already got used to the muscle pains, though. Some might find it odd since it was taking days, but considering that Mark took a whole month before waking up as a [Mutator], eight days was still short.

All of a sudden, Mark's attention perked up. It seemed that something happened. He put down the dictionary on the side table and made his way out.

Mei, who came from outside, immediately found him as he stepped out.

"Gege!" Mei seemed to be a little excited. "The dragonfly egg hatched!"

Mark was also surprised. It had been months since Mei received that egg in New Jersey. He was ready to give up on the egg hatching if not for the fact that he could still sense the life inside the egg.

But then again, a dragonfly egg would take around one to five weeks to hatch. It should not be surprising for an egg of a giant mutated dragonfly to take this long.

And now, the day for the nymph to come out of its egg had finally arrived.