Although no one mentioned it, everyone knew perfectly well—abandoning the Lake Baikal Region was just a matter of time.

The fisherman put down the binoculars and climbed down from the lookout tower.

Mr Sergei sat on the ground, his face ashen, leaning against the cement pillar at the tower's base, surrounded by piles of cigarette butts.

The fisherman glanced at his superior and sighed.

Mr Sergei's luck was much worse than his own...

He had a son and a daughter.

Mr Sergei's son is twenty-four years old this year. After graduating from college, he successfully passed the exams for Dubhe Tower. He is now the chief of the Dubhe Tower's office in Lake Baikal City, with limitless prospects;

His daughter is seventeen years old, the school beauty of Lake Baikal City's First High School. Last year, the fisherman accompanied Sergei to the school's Christmas party, where the young girl led a group of girls her age, performing the ballet "Swan Lake" on stage, dressed in a white ballet skirt, radiating youthful grace, like a proud little swan...

The fisherman still remembers the scene of the young girl gracefully dancing on stage to the music's rhythm, on her tiptoes.

Mr Sergei once had an enviable family and life, but all of it turned to ashes when E77 rained down from the sky.

"Boss..." The fisherman initially wanted to ask, "Are you alright?" but thought better of it. Such a seemingly caring question was foolish—everything was already as bad as it could be, so how could anything be "alright?"

"Do you want some vodka?" The fisherman paused, pulling out a white tin flask from his pocket.

Sergei raised his head, looked at the fisherman with bloodshot eyes, and said hoarsely, "Yes."

Sergei took the flask, unscrewed the cap, and took a big gulp, then began coughing violently.

"Drink slower, no one's competing with you..." The fisherman intended to pat Sergei's back, but unexpectedly Sergei suddenly rose, pinning him to the ground, fiercely gripping his neck!

"Mysterious creature! Damn mysterious creature!" Sergei yelled hoarsely, "It's all your fault! All your fault!!!"

"Crazy... Crazy? Boss... Are you fucking... crazy?!" The fisherman pushed Sergei, but the strength Sergei suddenly exerted as a normal person completely overpowered the fisherman, who as an infected had no way to push Sergei off.

Several soldiers nearby immediately rushed over, dragging Sergei away with combined effort.

"Has Mr Sergei gone mad?" A colleague who ran over upon hearing the commotion asked the fisherman, "Did you accidentally say something to trigger him?"

"I don't think so..." The fisherman shook his head.

"Then what's going on with him?"

"Probably because I'm an infected. He transferred his hatred of the mysterious creatures onto me... It's just a shame E77 has no physical form. If Lake Baikal City was destroyed by some giant beast, Sergei would have probably grabbed a gun and charged up long ago... cough... Suka, that old man really has a strong grip." The fisherman rubbed the red mark on his neck and spat out a Siberian curse.

"I think..." The colleague glanced at Sergei struggling under the soldiers' restraint and whispered, "Maybe a psychiatrist should come and see him..."

"Psychiatrists don't have the time to care for him."

"Cough, anyway, old Sergei is finished." The colleague coughed twice and spoke softly.

For someone who is not an infected, if diagnosed with a mental illness, it is strictly forbidden to hold any work or positions related to mysterious creatures... Whether it's the Investigation Bureau or the Institute, all personnel regularly undergo psychological evaluations, except for Hunters.

Nine out of ten Hunters have psychological conditions different from ordinary people, but that's unavoidable—how to keep these Hunters emotionally stable is also an important task for the Institute.

"It makes no difference to him anymore." The fisherman sighed.

"Ha, in my opinion, instead of being impotent and furious at his own people, he should take some equipment and charge into the polluted area... then I'd respect him as a man." The colleague said.

"You think he doesn't want to? He's just being stopped from doing it." The fisherman replied.

With Sergei's current state, the higher-ups would never allow him to undertake exploration missions... If he suddenly lost control of his emotions during a mission, it would only harm others and himself.

"Really? When did the old man become so brave?" The colleague asked in surprise.

"What does that old saying from Xiazhou go? When a dog is cornered, it'll jump over a wall, let alone a man."

"Sigh... Luckily I'm a lone soul without any attachments." The colleague also sighed, "Although I can't empathize, just imagining it feels really unpleasant."

"Don't overthink it, just live well." The fisherman patted the colleague's shoulder and was about to return to the barracks, but stopped after a few steps.

That's not right…

He is a Mysterious Creature Hunter, an infected; although he couldn't compare with those Hunters specializing in strength, with his abilities, he could surely flip over a small car.

Why was he completely helpless just now when Mr Sergei pinned him down?

Could a person's strength in utter despair really be that terrifying?