Infinite Gods Reign Supreme

Chapter 25: Professor Si from the University of Michigan
Colonel Robert Nefert applied the brakes. It was nearly noon; the air was fresh, and the light was good. He had a very regular schedule, and every day at noon, he would make a trip to South Street Harbor in New York.

He needed a regular routine, because only a regular life could prevent him from going mad with loneliness. The KV virus outbreak three years ago destroyed the entire city of New York in a very short time, and by the time he could no longer receive any human signals from the outside world on any channel, less than a month had passed.

He became the only living person in the city, and before his last helper turned into Nightmare, he managed to figure out how to survive the disaster. After that, he stayed in New York, conducting experiment after experiment with his own blood, which was naturally immune, in an attempt to create a cure for KV virus infection.

After thousands of failures, today he finally saw a glimmer of hope—a special serum compound he named Compound Six showed significant efficacy in animal experiments. Aggression decreased, xenobiotic tissue was reduced, and blood pressure and body temperature returned to normal; it seemed poised to cure the KV virus.

Human experimentation was now imminent. He knew he needed to capture a live Night Demon to use as a test subject. However, until then, his regular daily life could not be disrupted.

"Sam, how about we have fish for lunch today?"

Sam is a German Shepherd who is three years old this year. He was born just before the KV virus outbreak and has been with Robert through these difficult three years.

It let out a light, low growl and wagged its tail. Clearly, it was very interested in the suggestion.

"Okay, let's see what kind of fish we can catch next."

Robert also wore a pleased expression. He took his fishing gear from the car and quickly arrived at a suitable fishing spot—humans had disappeared for three years, and the Night Demons had little interest in going into the water. The fish in the ocean had long since multiplied to an enormous number. It could be said that any place with water was now a paradise for anglers.

"Oh, there's one more thing to do."

He baited the hook and adjusted the rod. Before casting, he placed the radio he carried in his car next to his fishing spot. As the hook entered the water, the pre-recorded audio began to play, echoing with the radio's operation.

My name is Robert Neffer, and I am a survivor living in New York City...

The buoy bobbed on the water as the colonel fell into thought. He never went out at night, so he didn't actually know where the major Night Demon strongholds were in the vicinity.

I broadcast on every FM channel, and every day at noon, when the sun is at its brightest, I appear at the harbor on South Street…

Night demons are pack animals, and sometimes you can hear sounds coming from the basement when exploring detached houses during the day. But when you go back the next day, you find that it has disappeared. Unless you find their largest lair, it is very difficult to capture a live night demon under normal circumstances.

[If anyone can hear me... if anyone can hear me. I can provide food, I can provide shelter...]

He knew where the Night Demons' lair was. It was underground, in the New York City subway system. But he dared not approach that place, because he didn't know how many Night Demons were hiding within the New York subway loop.

Half a million? One million? Or even two million? He wasn't sure, but he knew that New York City had a total population of eight million at the time of the KV outbreak.

[It can also protect your safety... If anyone has received this message, please reply...]

The float bobbed, then suddenly sank – a fish had taken the bait. Sam shouted excitedly and immediately gripped his fishing rod.

You are not alone.

"It's a big fish! Buddy! We'll have fish for lunch—"

[This is Professor Robert Nefert, I heard your broadcast.]

The colonel's actions at that moment were exactly the same as Sam's when he was hit on the head by a sudden bone. He was stunned for a moment, and then, without hesitation, he threw down the boom bar.

He practically scrambled to the radio station.

“I am Colonel Robert Nefert! I am at South Street Harbor! Good heavens, good heavens, could you please reply to me again? Where are you now! Be careful, don’t go near the subway entrance or in the shadows—did you drive here?”

He practically roared out the entire string of words in one breath, and every second while waiting for a response felt longer than a year. His hands and feet were cold, and his heart was pounding wildly. He was afraid it was all just his imagination.

One second, two seconds.

"I heard you, Colonel. My assistant and I are driving towards the port area. We're currently heading along the main road. It shouldn't take long."

He clenched his fist forcefully. Even the wild deer that had suddenly appeared under the overpass not far away, the one he hadn't been able to hunt yesterday, went completely unnoticed. The little dog beside him let out a confused whimper, and as he reached out to pat Sam's head, he immediately realized something, as if he had thought of something.

"Don't take the Manhattan Bridge! It's been bombed. Take the Brooklyn Bridge instead; that's the only bridge that's still open now."

When the KV virus outbreak occurred, the Air Force bombed the Manhattan Bridge. He was there at the time and witnessed the chaos of the crowds and the deaths of his wife and children.

"I saw it." He saw...what?
In the distance, the roar of a vehicle suddenly echoed. Large flocks of uninfected birds were startled and took flight. The noise grew closer and closer to Colonel Robert's location. It didn't seem like a car, but rather some kind of colossal, imposing behemoth. The colonel swallowed hard and straightened his back.

"Hey buddy, pull yourself together, don't embarrass yourself."

He tugged at his coat and whispered to Sam, who was obediently standing beside him. Having not seen a living person in so long, he felt he had even forgotten how to communicate with ordinary people. He had gone over his opening remarks and self-introduction dozens of times in his mind, only to reject them all.

He spotted the car very quickly.

It wasn't a car, but a motorcycle. It looked like some Harley-Davidson model. The driver was dressed very heavily, his full-body 'motorcycle suit' looking like an alien armor set, though that could just be the professor's personal preference. Behind the motorcycle, a young girl with long black hair carefully gripped the safety railing of the back seat, not daring to touch the driver at all.

How did they manage to drive such an unprotected car to New York?
He thought—but he quickly forgot about this trivial matter. The motorcycle stopped, and the passengers disembarked one after the other.

"Welcome, very welcome! I'm Robert Neville, and wow, I'm seeing a living person again!"

He stepped forward, grabbed the stranger's hand, and shook it violently. The stranger's full-face helmet opened automatically, as if a switch had been triggered, revealing a young face underneath.

Black hair, black eyes, an Asian face. His brows appeared quite smooth, yet lacked the childishness of his age, instead bearing the marks of time. Undoubtedly, he had weathered countless perilous situations along his journey. The girl behind him, on the other hand, looked as innocent as a baby who had just crawled out of a sterile room.

“This world is vast.” Professor Si smiled and nodded at him. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Colonel Robert. This is Shizuka Ishikawa, a survivor I found not long ago, and now my assistant. Ishikawa, please give my regards to the Colonel.”

“No, it’s a great honor to meet you, Colonel Robert. I am Shizuka Ishikawa, Professor Tsukasa’s… Professor Tsukasa’s assistant.”

The fair-skinned girl bowed to him, looking visibly shaken. This actually matched Colonel Robert's stereotype of the Japanese. He just hadn't expected that even after three years, the resemblance would be so authentic.

So he responded politely, then immediately turned his attention to Professor Si. He noticed that the motorcycle behind the two had no luggage or even many weapons.

In the distance, there was no sound of any new vehicles starting up.

"Are any others coming?" The colonel hadn't even seen Professor Si's radio. "My house is quite large; it can accommodate ten people. There are plenty of supplies and provisions, and the electricity is guaranteed."

However, Professor Si simply smiled and did not answer.

Did they say something wrong? Or have the others who came with them already...?

"Ahem." The colonel coughed, trying to change the subject. The young man from the East did indeed possess an air of scholarly refinement beyond his weathered appearance. But at his age, his academic achievements didn't seem particularly high…

"Ah... I haven't asked yet, which university did you study at? I happen to have some research to do, and I might need your help."

He received a very prompt reply.

“Miskatonic University.” Professor Si nodded with a smile. “I have my doctoral degree from there.”

“It’s Miskatonic University, I know…” Colonel Robert’s lips twitched slightly. He wasn’t some reclusive old-fashioned relic; of course he knew about the Dunwich Horror and Cthulhu. And this fictional Cthulhu-themed university was naturally within his knowledge.

"...That's pretty good, um, very good." He smiled awkwardly yet politely, looking at Professor Si with the same gaze one would give a mental patient. However, recalling his own mental state, a surge of shared sympathy welled up within him. Who would want to live in such a hopeless world? Sometimes, he would fantasize about becoming a superhero.

“That university, I remember they were very knowledgeable about the Necronomicon, ah… I also hope that one day I can bring the dead back to life.” He was referring to the passage where the university first appeared in the Cthulhu Mythos text, which described a forbidden book called the Necronomicon.

“Resurrection of the dead in the absolute sense is extremely difficult, far beyond my reach. Perhaps it will be a long time before I can access true resurrection magic.”

So that's how it is. So Professor Si also has someone he wants to resurrect? No wonder he turned out this way.

The colonel sighed silently, the image of his wife and daughter crashing with the helicopter flashing before his eyes. A long-forgotten sadness welled up inside him, but he knew he had to be strong; he had to comfort his new friend who was struggling with mental health issues…

"But if it's just simpler necromancy, I've already mastered it."

The colonel's thoughts were still racing.

He saw with his own eyes a dark door open beside Professor Si, and a skeletal soldier with dark flames burning in his eye sockets strode out.

(End of this chapter)