A Bizarre Coincidence
Dr. Licht slowly read the report resting on his desk. It contained details regarding the Guardian Project—an ambitious plan to transition the existing Enforcer-centered defense system into one powered by artificial lifeforms created using the P.V. Virus. The project was now on the verge of success.
Although the growth of Hydra was currently stalled, it wasn't a significant issue. Thanks to the success of the latest experiment, Hydra had grown even further. Its Activation Index had reached Level 5.5; it was now capable of not only easily repelling most threats but also exerting its power in the outside world.
"Hehehe..."
A sound of genuine joy escaped Dr. Licht’s lips. He was pleased with the project’s smooth progress, but he was also enjoying a period of unparalleled happiness in many other aspects of his life.
Through a special method, he had applied a stellar adaptation procedure to regain his youth. Although he couldn't fully harness the power of the P.V. Virus, the mere fact that he could apply the procedure to himself—someone who lacked the aptitude—was nothing short of miraculous. After all, power was only useful if one could control it according to one's own will. If he could control Hydra, a being capable of overturning the earth and crumbling buildings like sandcastles, wasn't that enough?
All these achievements had solidified his standing. High-ranking officials of the Defense Bureau, who had looked at him with disapproval just a few years ago, were now bowing their heads to him. Everything was truly perfect. Just as one cannot block the sun with their hand, Dr. Licht’s life was filled with success.
However, Dr. Licht was still not satisfied. He had to go further. Research had to continue endlessly, and for that... he needed to take control of the sector. The work to achieve this was already proceeding steadily. The foolish idiots at the Defense Bureau didn't even realize that their lower-level agents were being quietly replaced by "dolls."
-Knock, knock, knock.
"Doctor, it’s Emma."
"Come in."
The crisp, rhythmic sound of heels clicked against the floor, grating on Dr. Licht’s ears. Emma entered the room, scanned the report quickly, and opened her mouth.
"Director Licht. There is a problem in the Eastern District."
"A problem, you say... What possible reason could there be for a problem to arise?"
"I apologize."
Emma bowed her head. Her eyes were devoid of even a speck of emotion, appearing as stiff and robotic as ever.
"Fine. I’m in a good mood right now, so tell me."
"Yes. The responses from all the dolls deployed in the Eastern District have vanished."
The doctor, who had been contemplating his next research project without even looking at Emma, finally lifted his head.
"Did I hear you correctly? All the dolls have disappeared?"
"Yes. That is correct."
"...Why?"
Dr. Licht’s one-word question was pregnant with meaning. It was a tone that betrayed his emotional instability. Yet, Emma remained unruffled. Her gaze stayed cold.
"The investigation results are inconclusive. They vanished without a trace over the course of three days, without any commotion. We are redeploying the remaining dolls to the Eastern District, but since it is difficult to immediately secure a quantity of 200, it seems unlikely we can maintain the previous scale."
The doctor fell into deep thought. If the dolls were gone, someone had clearly disposed of them. But who? There were many who harbored hostility or suspicion toward him. On the surface, there was Director Hugo of the Defense Bureau’s moderate faction, and under him worked the Enforcer known as the strongest: Carlos.
Internally, there were also many who disliked him. While his position was officially just that of a research director, in reality, it was far more. Dr. Licht was in a key position to influence the sector's policies, and he exercised that authority aggressively. Naturally, this was not a luxury a simple researcher could enjoy.
Some people admire those who excel, while others despise those who stand out like a needle. But there was no emotion as pathetic as jealousy. If they wanted to keep their positions, they should have just shown their own competence. Why couldn't they do that? It was laughable to see them hold their heads high and nag him for research results.
A truly dim-witted and stupid group of people, Dr. Licht thought. They couldn't possibly be on his list of suspects. They were ultimately incompetent. It would be a miracle if they weren't swept away like a colony of ants, let alone shaking his plans.
Then what about the moderates? They certainly had competence. They were also a disgusting bunch who touted pathetic ideals of justice. Cadavers were a new species that had appeared on this planet. They were a biological classification that completely overturned the existing order of life. Their evolution was endless. While biological evolution usually takes centuries, Cadavers evolved instantly within a single generation.
They might have built walls and reclaimed safety for humanity for now, but it was merely a temporary reprieve granted to mankind. As long as the Cadavers continued to evolve infinitely, no one knew when or where those sturdy outer walls of the sector would be torn apart like paper.
Yet, this man called Director Hugo was foolishly blocking his research in the name of humanism. Why couldn't he realize it? Why couldn't he understand that his actions, which he claimed were to save people now, would lead all of humanity to destruction later?
The unfortunate part was that Director Hugo still held significant sway, and his position was secure. Was it Director Hugo who caused this incident? The possibility was high. But that still didn't explain the situation accurately. If Hugo had removed the dolls hidden throughout the sector, it would mean his plans had been completely exposed. In that case, he wouldn't have just sneakily disposed of the dolls; he would have raided the lab with concrete evidence.
He couldn't rule out other possibilities. The interior of the sector wasn't entirely outside the Enforcers' area of activity. However, the dolls were Cadavers that couldn't be identified by the Defense Bureau’s sensors. Even if their power was weak, they had put all their effort into hiding secretly. And yet, a patrolling Enforcer had stumbled upon them by chance and even wiped them all out? The ones that couldn't be detected?
No assumption could clearly explain the current situation. The only certainty was that someone was finally catching on to his plans.
"Carlos—has that Enforcer visited the interior of the sector recently?"
"Yes. He recently took a short leave. However, during his leave, he was spotted thoroughly patrolling the entire Eastern District. It seemed less like he was resting and more like he was searching for something."
Dr. Licht’s eyes twisted savagely at the unexpected news. It was the chronic problem with the dolls: they only knew how to answer questions. It would be nice if they could grasp related matters and explain them in detail, but they lacked that ability. The doctor’s blood boiled whenever this happened.
"Why! Why didn't you say that first...?!"
The doctor slammed his desk and shouted. Of course, Emma didn't even blink at his outburst.
"His movements were somewhat suspicious, but they did not overlap with the locations where the dolls were staying. Therefore, I judged it to be unrelated. I apologize."
"Do you think it makes sense to say it's unrelated! Even if you rolled that pea-sized brain of yours just a little, you'd realize!"
Dr. Licht clenched his hands, trembling. He displayed his anger on the outside, but deep within his heart, anxiety began to creep up. Carlos noticing his plans was as big a deal as Director Hugo knowing about them. Besides, the two of them essentially operated as a single team. Whether it was the Director or Carlos first, it meant someone was on his tail.
Rather than the Director sending people to raid the lab, it would be far more terrifying if that monster, Carlos, stormed the lab himself. He possessed unknown abilities that many researchers had yet to uncover. All they knew was that he brought death to Cadavers. What did it matter how strong Hydra was? Looking at Carlos’s recently measured Activation Index, it was clear that Hydra would die after taking only a few shots.
He had been preparing an operation to take the sector's residents hostage to bind the man's feet and prevent him from moving, just to prevent that!
"Damn it! I still need more time...!"
Dr. Licht finally unclenched his hands and clutched his head.
"Doctor."
"What is it!!"
"It is highly likely that Enforcer Carlos is unrelated to the current incident."
"You're going to talk nonsense again! Fine, say it! But if any bullshit comes out of that foul mouth of yours, I'll cut your throat immediately!"
Emma spoke without regard for the enraged doctor. She had been ordered to speak, and dolls simply followed orders.
"Although he was seen searching for something, to my knowledge, he has never encountered the dolls. In other words, while he clearly discovered something suspicious, it is at least not related to the dolls."
"Then who on earth disposed of the dolls!"
"There were no traces left at the locations where the dolls disappeared. It was as if someone had devoured them. Therefore, the entity that disposed of the dolls is at least not human."
The doctor’s expression twisted grotesquely.
"Then are you saying the Enforcers missed a Cadaver coming in from outside the sector? And that this Carlos fellow is looking for it!?"
Dr. Licht couldn't believe his own words. It didn't make sense for Carlos to miss a Cadaver, and it was even more ridiculous that the Cadaver he missed happened to be a Linker capable of identifying the dolls' special signals. Such a coincidence could not exist in this world, nor should it.
"I do not know about that. I apologize."
Emma, who had been busy investigating the dolls, could not answer this particular question. That lack of certainty was enough to make Dr. Licht anxious. Ultimately, the situation remained the same. Whether Carlos had noticed or not, he would soon be able to figure out the anomalies within the sector. It was obvious that those crazy humanists would rush in the moment they realized the residents were in danger.