The Mad Scientist of the Factory (2)
Click!
When Dr. Jang pressed the remote, an insect resembling a beetle appeared on the screen.
"I named it after Chairman Yoon, who granted me permission to conduct this research and provided full support."
The man looked as though he expected applause, but the room fell into an awkward silence. Attaching a person's surname to the name of a bug was either blatant flattery or the sincere expression of a fool's admiration—it was hard to tell which.
"Uh, well… Dr. Jang."
Even Yoon Changwon, who had previously instructed Yang Jaeyeol to humor the doctor, raised a hand to interrupt.
"Listen… Yoon… Mealworm doesn't quite work, does it? This isn't entirely my company, after all… I still have to consider Chairman Hwang's opinion back at headquarters, so maybe we should just…"
"Ah, but it's such a tremendous honor… That's why I held back from using my own name and included yours instead. Would Taeyang Mealworm be better, then?"
"Yes, yes. Taeyang it is. That sounds neutral enough."
Yoon Changwon forced a smile as he tried to placate the doctor.
"Well… If that's what you want, Chairman Yoon, the man who has always looked after me, then I'll follow your lead."
Dr. Jang muttered discontentedly for a moment before resuming his explanation.
"The greatest advantage of this new breed is its size."
Click!
The screen changed to a photograph of the Yoon Mealworm—now Taeyang Mealworm—placed beside a ruler. It looked like a darkling beetle.
"While ordinary mealworms measure under two centimeters and even the large American king mealworm reaches only about five centimeters, the Taeyang Mealworm grows up to fifteen centimeters. Naturally, its larvae are also significantly larger than those of other species. Another notable strength is its gregarious nature; even when thousands of adults cluster together, they reproduce actively without territorial disputes. But the most remarkable feature of this new breed is…"
Click!
The image shifted again—this time to a dissected adult specimen.
"It has no wings. As you know, flight demands enormous energy from insects. This Yoon… Argh!"
The doctor let out an irritated sigh, clearly struggling to break the habit of saying "Yoon Mealworm."
"Taeyang Mealworm. Taeyang Mealworm…"
Dr. Jang rubbed his face nervously and repeated the name several times, as if forcing the new term into his brain through sheer repetition.
"…The Taeyang Mealworm cannot fly. Instead, it channels all that surplus energy into reproduction. A single female can lay approximately four hundred eggs. After a brief three-day incubation period, the hatched larvae gain over nine percent of their body weight per hour when food is abundant. They reach adulthood in just twenty days and begin reproducing again. As long as the temperature stays above five degrees Celsius, they breed continuously throughout the year. Quite extraordinary traits, wouldn't you agree?"
What the hell does that matter…
Yang Jaeyeol suppressed his irritation and glared at the man. He couldn't see what was so impressive about some oversized bug growing fat and laying eggs nonstop.
"I'm sure you've both noticed by now. The inability to fly makes them extremely easy to control. We don't have to worry about them escaping and proliferating uncontrollably. That drastically reduces the risk of them becoming an unmanageable pest."
Click!
The screen changed once more. This time it showed a video of the larvae rather than the adults. The Taeyang Mealworm larvae looked like enormous maggots.
"These are the mealworm larvae. The most significant characteristic of this new breed's larvae is their ability to digest keratin, collagen, and protein. In simple terms, they can consume every part of an animal's body—from fur and skin to internal organs. They also feed well on cold food…"
Dr. Jang paused and looked at the two men expectantly.
"Do you not yet grasp how remarkable this is?"
The question carried the tone of a rebuke, as if he couldn't understand why they weren't clapping or expressing awe. When neither Yoon Changwon nor Yang Jaeyeol responded, Dr. Jang gave a bitter laugh and shook his head.
"This is an incredibly difficult feat. Imagine flies swarming a corpse. Do they eat the skin? No—they crawl into orifices to lay eggs and begin feeding from the inside: nostrils, eye sockets, anus, urethra, mouth. Those openings make it far easier to obtain nourishment. As I mentioned earlier, different insects can digest different substances. But the Taeyang Mealworm consumes and lays eggs without any such restrictions. It can even bore through unbroken skin to deposit its eggs inside. In short, it is the perfect scavenger."
Click!
The screen now displayed a zombie corpse inside a transparent glass case. It was a well-built man in his twenties or thirties, lying naked and exposed.
"To save time, the footage you're about to see has been sped up to 512x speed from the moment the mealworms were introduced. There has been no editing or trickery of any kind."
As Dr. Jang spoke, thousands of Taeyang Mealworms were poured over the zombie corpse on screen. Dark adults mixed with brown and white larvae cascaded down before the glass lid was sealed and the accelerated playback began.
Shhhk—! Shhhk—!
Though no sound could be heard, Yang Jaeyeol imagined he could hear the rustling of the mealworms scurrying across the body. After about ten seconds, visible changes began to appear. The thousands of Taeyang Mealworms started boring into the corpse from every angle, punching holes through the skin.
And then… some of them began gnawing at the hair. Within seconds, the scalp, eyes, ears, and genitals disappeared. But the truly dramatic scene came moments later.
Pop!
From every hole the adult mealworms had created, white larvae erupted like a geyser. The writhing grubs rapidly grew large enough to see clearly, then turned brown and elongated until they resembled centipedes. By then, roughly forty percent of the zombie's body had been reduced to bone.
Goddamn…
Yang Jaeyeol swallowed a curse, disgusted by the footage. He hadn't even had dinner yet, and now he was forced to watch bugs devour a corpse. What the hell was this?
Even as he watched, the changes on screen accelerated. With the addition of the newly hatched larvae, the rate at which the corpse was consumed increased exponentially. By the time the grown larvae began molting, nothing remained of the zombie but clean, white bones.
Slither, slither…
The larvae and adults crawled frantically over the cracked skull, searching for any remaining scraps. The floor of the case was carpeted with even more of them, like a living cushion.
Click!
Dr. Jang paused the video and spoke with pride.
"When food is scarce, the Taeyang Mealworm slows its own growth. More importantly, its excrement contains compounds that kill fly eggs and maggots. While this serves to eliminate competitors for the mealworms, it also provides effective pest control for humans."
Click!
The doctor pressed the button again, and the video resumed at normal speed. Researchers removed the glass lid and used plastic tools to scoop the larvae into a separate large transparent container.
Once the larvae were transferred, the researchers began scooping the dark adults into another container. The camera focused on two transparent vessels labeled Y.Molitor-01 and Y.Molitor-02.
"Now it's time for the highlight of this presentation. You've probably guessed it from the name 'mealworm,' but I'll say it anyway. These insects make an excellent food source for humans. Both the larvae and the adults are edible."
"Ugh…!"
Yang Jaeyeol let out an involuntary groan. Eating bugs that had fed on zombie corpses? What kind of sick joke was this? Just feeding them human flesh would have been horrifying enough, but raising them on zombie flesh and then serving them as food?
Yet Dr. Jang looked genuinely proud of his achievement.
"Thanks to the Taeyang Mealworm's remarkable abilities, we can now convert the massive quantities of corpses—once a source of disaster and terror—into food. Human corpses, zombie corpses, livestock carcasses… none are off-limits. Even with some livestock being rescued and bred, we're facing physical limitations. Securing this food resource is of immense significance."
"Indeed."
Yoon Changwon nodded in agreement.
Theoretically, there was nothing wrong with the idea. Roughly 3.5 million survivors lived in the South Area, and including Jeju's population and deployed troops, the total exceeded four million. The pre-apocalypse population of fifty million had dropped to less than a tenth, but livestock numbers had fallen to less than one-hundredth. Once stockpiles ran out, animal protein would become critically scarce. Still… the thought of eating bugs raised on zombie corpses was enough to turn anyone's stomach. Who in their right mind would put something like that in their mouth? This was on an entirely different level of revulsion from canned silkworm pupae.
Would distributing them without revealing the source work? No… Even if we tried to keep it secret, rumors would spread instantly. Handing out something like that could spark riots. And more importantly… are there any side effects? This would be the first food source cultivated using zombie corpses as nutrients.
While Yang Jaeyeol wrestled with these concerns, Dr. Jang pressed play once more.
Click!
As the video showed the two containers being moved somewhere, the doctor continued.
"Of course, converting zombie corpses directly into food is less efficient than other methods, but it still outperforms raising any other livestock. And unlike directly processing and consuming zombie flesh, there's no repulsive smell or taste. At least, not to my palate."
This crazy bastard…!
Yang Jaeyeol grimaced. The lunatic had apparently tried processing and eating zombie corpses himself. Dr. Jang, oblivious, kept talking as before.
"The Taeyang Mealworm larvae have a nutty flavor similar to regular mealworms, but with a subtle, distinctive aroma. The adults carry a slightly sweet yet bitter aftertaste."
As the doctor spoke, the footage showed the larvae and adults from the two containers being fed into a machine for grinding and heat treatment.
Well… if you think about it positively, it's no different from chicken-head hamburger patties. We could just feed it to the lower ranks. They need something in their stomachs anyway. If they don't want to starve, they'll eat it. Any side effects would show up in them first… Hmm… This could actually make some serious money.
While Yang Jaeyeol ran the numbers in his head, the video showed two powders—one yellowish, one black—being placed on trays. Gloved hands mixed in other ingredients and kneaded them like dough. Dr. Jang spread his hands awkwardly, mimicking a chef presenting a dish.
"Appetizing, isn't it? You can eat them after simple heat treatment, but with a little extra effort, they become quite a versatile cooking ingredient. The dough you see being baked in the video is exactly what the two of you ate earlier. How did the cookies taste? Did they suit your palate?"
"Urgh!"
A wave of nausea surged through Yang Jaeyeol, and he clamped a hand over his mouth. His entire body was drenched in sweat, and his mind went blank. He'd felt uneasy watching the color of the insect powder on screen, but he'd never imagined… He'd actually eaten several of those things! Shit! Goddamn it! This is why they told us not to eat anything!
Is it safe? This… is it really safe? Could the zombie bacteria be transmitted?
Terrified of potential side effects, he wanted nothing more than to vomit up the cookies immediately. Yet no vomit came. That only made it worse. Yang Jaeyeol cursed his own sturdy digestive system. Then anger boiled up inside him.
This son of a bitch…!
Yang Jaeyeol raised furious eyes to glare at Dr. Jang. Feeding them that without warning! He wanted to beat the man to death right there. Even that wouldn't satisfy his rage. But his new master, Yoon Changwon, was sitting beside him.
"Huuu…!"
Yang Jaeyeol forced down his anger, clenched his teeth, and asked, "Is it… definitely safe? There aren't any risks or anything…?"
"I understand exactly what you're worried about."
Once again, Dr. Jang didn't even let him finish before launching into his usual condescending reassurance.
"If you're not familiar with this field, such misunderstandings are natural. But there's no need for concern. The zombie bacteria are completely destroyed the moment the host's brain is destroyed. They vanish all at once, very quickly… like flipping a switch. Click! And they're gone. Furthermore, they're not contagious unless transmitted through a bite."
The bastard had a real talent for saying things in the most infuriating way possible. Yang Jaeyeol tightened his fists and pressed further.
"So… how many months have you been eating this? Are the people who've eaten it all fine?"
"Well, I've been eating it every day for the past month. As you can see, I'm perfectly normal with no symptoms whatsoever."
Dr. Jang thumped his chest and grinned. Hearing that this madman had been stuffing himself with it for a month was hardly reassuring.
"Ah! And we've been distributing them daily as snacks to the soldiers on perimeter duty. They quite enjoy them."
Having reassured Yang Jaeyeol, Dr. Jang operated the remote to change the screen. This time it showed a one-ton specialized truck with some kind of device mounted on its roof.
"This is the mobile food factory that will convert zombie corpses into sustenance. Drive the truck to where the corpses are, fill the cargo bed, and leave it there. The Taeyang Mealworms will pour out from the roof and multiply naturally. Not only can we dispose of the bodies at far lower cost than burial or incineration, but we'll also secure food in the process. Two birds with one stone. The truck can be replaced with a container as well. All of this is possible thanks to my repeated successful modifications."
When Dr. Jang's presentation ended, Yoon Changwon clapped lightly.
"Excellent! Well done. Very impressive."
"Thank you, Chairman Yoon."
Dr. Jang bowed his head in acknowledgment, then asked in a voice dripping with greed, "By the way… when will you be able to provide the promised immune serum?"