Chapter 308
Chapter 308
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 308
Chapter Title: Busan (2)
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Cure Medical Care’s biotech research lab consisted of three buildings spread across a vast site.
The entire property had originally been designated a top-secret location requiring maximum security levels, but a few spots within were even more special.
Underground beneath the research building.
Akiyama murmured while gazing at the emerald glow.
“Ahh... It’s wondrous. Ahh—so very. Ahhhh....”
A massive tank, ten meters in diameter and thirty meters tall. Inside, viscous emerald slime convected sluggishly.
Akiyama’s green-glowing pupils reflected the bizarre lifeforms wriggling within the slime.
Vibrant green bodies, or transparent, or grayish ones.
Unpleasant shapes resembling amoebas, paramecia, euglena, and other protozoa.
In a sense, they weren’t entirely novel—familiar forms—but there was a fundamental, undeniable difference.
Their size.
From at least fifty centimeters to two meters.
Unlike the microscopic protozoa visible only through a microscope, every strange lifeform swimming in the tank was disgustingly enormous.
Blub—blub blub—
And at this very moment, they were visibly growing at a clear, steady rate.
Akiyama pressed both hands against the tank, his face lost in rapture.
“Ahh, beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. So incredibly beautiful. Children proving the existence of the [Source of Life]. How big will you grow? What size will you reach when fully mature? What form will you take?”
Akiyama rolled his eyes, imagining them swimming inside the tank.
His body dissolving and scattering within the slime—bubbling and writhing in a state devoid of any consciousness or thought. A blissful, magnificent, beautiful fantasy. Cilia and tentacles sprouting from his own body? His skin turning that transparent? His organs emitting such lovely light?
Blub—blub blub—blub blub—
Akiyama gradually lost his reason, slipping into a trance-like mutation state.
Extreme meditation, or hallucination, or perhaps delirium.
In the endless ecstasy, Akiyama sniffed, licked, and tasted the messages expressed to him by the bubbling slime.
“Ahh, I hear it. I see it. Make me feel more, more.”
Synesthetic messages conveyed not just through hearing or sight, but all five senses.
“Kim... Shin-hwa? Ah, that depraved, cowardly, wicked, horrific monster? Ahh... I understand. We just need to wound him and make him bleed? The monsters have already been summoned. They’re moving to crush and shatter him.”
Akiyama muttered in delight.
“Not enough? Is it not enough? It isn’t. Understood. But the Eternal Unity Church, devotees of the [Vice King] and [Ruler of the Boundary], rejected my proposal. Duped by that vile Kim Shin-hwa’s schemes, they foolishly chose to oppose the [Source of Life], the [Source of Corruption], the [Great Origin].”
Blub—blub blub—blub blub—
Akiyama pleaded desperately, but the bubbling slime offered no grace or gifts.
It merely demanded, and informed him of the rewards for fulfilling that demand.
“And soon, a sacrifice for you will be prepared. Soon, a gift from the sea folk will arrive at this city’s port. And blood! Blood can be prepared in abundance. Once they realize your love, everyone will gladly offer their blood for you.”
Blub blub—blub—blub blub—
The slime bubbled in satisfaction.
Akiyama sank back into delusions of reverting to a protozoan form, swimming within the slime. Such happy, joyful time. He wanted to fulfill this precious wish of his.
“Heh heh heh heh heh.... Heh heh heh heh....”
Lost in his fantasies, Akiyama let out eerie laughter, then pulled away from the tank with heart-wrenching regret and sorrow.
“Ahh, but I can’t have it all for myself...”
He wanted to share this perfect, magnificent dream with all humanity, whom he loved in this world.
A selfless, devoted wish for all mankind.
For a future where all humanity loved one another, loved themselves, and received the love of the great [Source of Life] in its wonderful, perfect embrace—he could sacrifice everything he had.
“Love.”
To share it with all humanity, Kim Shin-hwa had to die first.
Akiyama picked up the intercom on one side of the lab and contacted a few people in the research building.
He needed more help.
* * *
Vrooooom!
Armored vehicles roared down the road with ferocious momentum.
Modified pickup trucks.
Mana stone boosters and reinforced steel plating on the exterior.
Gunners in the truck beds firing submachine guns bare-chested.
A common sight in Paju, but in secure Busan, this level of lawlessness was a rare occurrence.
Weee-ooo-weee-ooo-weee-ooo!
Busan Metropolitan City police sirens wailed in pursuit.
“Stop! Stop your vehicles!”
Vrooooom!
But the fleeing vehicles didn’t slow—instead, they chose something else.
“Hahaha! Yeah, let’s fight for real!”
The gunner who’d been spraying submachine gun fire from the pickup bed tossed aside the tarp covering the cargo.
Flutter—
“Wha—!?”
The riot cop’s face paled in shock.
The massive object in the truck bed was a mortar. A relic from a nation fallen to Cthulhu mythos disasters.
Available cheap at Busan’s International Market with some legwork.
“Fire!”
A flash and a boom. Smoke scattered everywhere.
A shell streaked through the air, trailing a long tail.
“Arghhh!”
Screech—the police cars swerved left and right, but it wasn’t the right response.
KABOOOM!
An explosion?
No, what the hell is that? A person? No way a person—
“It’s the Amphibian!”
With a roar, the Amphibian shot in from the sky and snatched the mortar shell mid-air.
Staring at the small rocket-like shell in her hand, the Amphibian muttered.
“This thing explodes, right?”
It does.
“Guess I’ll hear ‘monster’ again.”
She landed and hugged the shell to her chest.
BOOM!
It detonated in her arms, flames engulfing her, but she was just a bit singed. No real damage.
Vrooooom!
Police cars sped past her.
“Move.”
No, they wouldn’t hear.
Bang!
With a sonic boom, the Amphibian rocketed into the sky.
Swoooosh—
The massive shockwave from her movement.
Screeech!
“Arghhh!”
“Oh my God!”
Several vehicles caught in the shockwave nearly flipped.
“Wh-what the—!?”
A stunned shout from one of the rampaging criminals.
The Amphibian, who’d been behind them, had just teleported ahead amid thunder, lightning, and whirlwinds?!
Facing the thirteen oncoming armed vehicles, the Amphibian casually raised her hand.
A signal to stop?
“N-no way! It’s the Amphibian! The Amphibian!”
“J-just run her over!”
“She’s still human!”
Wrong call.
‘How much should I hold back?’
Thinking that, the Amphibian swung her raised hand down. Palm open, from above to below.
Like fanning with a hand.
Whoooosh—
The air caught in her palm couldn’t withstand the absurd strength and screamed horrifically.
Rumble rumble CRASH!
The invisible shockwave smashed the lead vehicle to pieces, flipping it instantly.
KABOOM!
An explosion.
“Too brittle. If they push it, I’ll kill ’em all again.”
They could stop and surrender now, but the criminals, shocked into delirium by the absurdity, charged straight at her instead.
“Arghhh!”
Screaming criminals unleashing submachine gun fire.
Swish—
The Amphibian’s form blurred...
Boom! Kaboom kaboom!
Chain explosions erupted everywhere.
“Guh... ughhh....”
Criminals flung from vehicles, tumbling across the pavement. Compound fractures and full-body burns, but the lucky ones.
The Amphibian approached the groaning criminals on the ground and extended her palm toward them.
Clatter clatter—
Metallic casings rained down. Bullets she’d snatched.
“You shoot this stuff at people? You do? Or no?”
“Uh... uhhh....”
“Bullets kill people, y’know? Right?”
“Y-y-yes, sir!”
“Who the hell are you?”
“M-my name is....”
“No, what’re you doing rampaging here? Who put you up to it?”
“W-we just....”
Unsatisfactory answer.
“Oh, shy, huh?”
“Huh?”
“Nah, nah. Hard talking to strangers, right? Shy like that.”
“No! No sir! Not at all!”
“It’s fine. Hold on. Big sis got a gift for ya.”
She picked up a bullet from the ground, placed it in her palm, and clapped at ridiculous speed.
Bang!
A weird noise unlike hands clapping.
She opened her palm. The bullet was now a flattened disc.
“Use it as a coaster.”
She shoved the disc into the criminal’s hand.
“Arghhh!”
Hot.
The pressure from her clap had generated intense heat—enough to burn.
“Gift makes it friendlier, right? Now spill. Who sent you?”
* * *
“Woo-jin.”
—Sir, earlier I really...
Shin Woo-jin’s voice over the phone.
“Ah, drop it. Send some guys to Songjeong Port.”
—What am I looking for?
Having heard the Amphibian’s order, Shin Woo-jin hastily switched to polite speech.
“Someone’s deliberately stirring up trouble. Smuggling something into Songjeong Port today? Hey, smuggling? Or illegal entry?”
“W-we don’t know exactly. Anyway, a ship’s coming in.”
—Where are you, sir?
“Hey, where are we?”
“Seomyeon, Seomyeon, it’s Seomyeon.”
A middle-aged man reciting the location in a pleading, save-me voice.
—Seomyeon?
“Proper Busan tour today.”
Following info from criminals caught on Riverside Boulevard, she’d headed to International Market.
There, she met an arms dealer handling mortars and such, gave him a ‘gift,’ and made a friend.
After pork soup on the dealer’s recommendation, she moved to Seomyeon to meet a crime broker connected to the arms guy...
—You’re not bullying anyone, right?
“Bullying? Made lotsa friends today. Right?”
“Yes! Yes yes! Friends! We’re friends!”
“Heard that? Anyway, while eyes are on this diversion with crime, something’s coming into Songjeong. You know who pulls this kinda stunt often?”
—Kim Shin-hwa?
“Dunno. Go beat on whatever shows up.”
Usually links to the next one.
Hanging up, the Amphibian raised her foot.
“Yeah, good job.”
“Th-thank you. Sniff, ughhh....”
The crime broker burst into pitiful tears. Like being trapped in a hydraulic press.
“Why cry? You didn’t do shit. Cut it out.”
“Ughh... ughhhh....”
This broker’s moneymaking scheme had killed double digits today.
“Hey, too lazy to call cops. Turn yourself in.”
“Got it. Got it. Just spare me and I’ll turn myself in.”
Leaving the broker crying as he dialed the station, the Amphibian pondered.
“Kim Shin-hwa, huh?”
She glanced at her hand, recalling the legend of King Midas. The king who turned everything to gold and could touch nothing.
This world was strange to the Amphibian.
Visible, yet untouchable—reach out, and it scattered like mist.
Or illusions projected in the air.
Vague, intangible—no grasping, no interaction.
But Kim Shin-hwa was different.
‘Blocked me three times?’
Blocked her hands and fists, even counterattacked.
Kim Shin-hwa had substance.
He provided solid feedback.
She could grab him, punch him, interact meaningfully.
The Amphibian chuckled aloud. A laugh in ages.
Anticipation blooming from her chest.
“Wanna touch him longer this time.”
Muttering that, the Amphibian headed to Songjeong Port.