Chapter 47
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 47
Chapter Title: The Mayor and the Experiment
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They say art is an explosion.
I don't know who said it. And I don't care.
To begin with, I'm the kind of guy who's far removed from anything as lofty as art.
I might not get explosions, but violence? That's definitely art.
Is there no saying that violence is art?
If not, then starting today, I'll be its founder.
Kurrrung-!
Just look at this majestic scene unfolding before my eyes right now.
The white underground lab, hidden beneath the earth, exposing its innards.
Like slicing a piece from a cake, or digging clams from the mudflat, or flipping a green onion pancake...
Ah, no good metaphors coming to mind. A moment that reveals the poverty of my vocabulary.
Anyway, the whole chunk of earth has been uprooted and is floating lightly in the air.
That's Kang Jiyeong for you. The power of a Neo Incheon civil servant.
The villains must have been hiding underground, plotting their secret schemes.
What were those villains thinking down there?
Perfect security, flawless concealment.
They were probably cackling that no one would ever find our hideout.
But here's the thing.
Their house just got relocated to the sky wholesale. Now I get how that nursing home worker felt when they came to pick up Grandpa Knife.
No matter how thoroughly prepared they were, there couldn't have been a manual for what to do if the entire building gets levitated into the air.
Of course not. An organization with a manual like that wouldn't be a villain group—it'd be an SF novel reading club.
[Operation commence. Secure everything inside the lab.]
Kang Jiyeong issued the low command.
[All resisting entities are to be regarded as present offenders obstructing official duties and arrested immediately.]
[Understood! Objective: complete suppression and securing!]
[Entering now!]
Toward the lab floating in the air like an island, Special Task Force members rappelled down from the waiting helicopters.
Crash-!
They smashed through the walls and plunged inside without hesitation.
"Mayor, we've got the internal situation report."
Researchers in white coats were scrambling to flee or putting up clumsy resistance.
But how could mere humans stand against hippos?
They had no chance against Neo Incheon's elite, the tax-eating hippos of the Special Task Force.
One member smashed a researcher's face with a special alloy shield, while another twisted the joints of a gun-toting guard with fluid movements.
Oof. That guy's hospital bill is gonna be hefty tomorrow. Wonder if workers' comp covers it.
Such illegal labs probably don't even provide four major insurances. Truly, exploitative companies need to vanish.
"Hm. The resistance is less fierce than expected. Boring."
"Boring? Those guys are fighting a desperate struggle for survival right now. Can't you show a little respect?"
"It doesn't seem like what the mayor should be worrying about right now is their well-being. If you're so concerned about their human rights, I could arrange a personal interview at the Ganghwa Island detention center later."
"No, it's not that... I was just wondering if those guys even got paid properly. Did they get overtime or holiday pay? Did they sign contracts? Any workplace that doesn't follow labor laws should be wiped off this earth."
Seria gave me a look like she couldn't believe it at my muttering.
What? Did I say something wrong? Workers' rights are precious.
I used to be a laborer suffering daily overtime myself.
"Mayor, sometimes you think in ways I can't comprehend. It's intriguing, though."
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Flashbangs and gunfire erupted everywhere. The resisting organization members were subdued in an instant.
It was like watching an action movie, their movements precise and coordinated.
The underground lab was far larger than imagined.
White corridors stretched like a maze, with rooms full of various animals locked inside.
Dogs and cats were basic, but there were raccoons, birds, even giraffes, elephants, lions, and bears.
"Not Noah's Ark or anything... Wait, how the hell did they get giraffes and elephants underground? Elevator? Or raised them there from the start?"
My reasonable question was ignored as the Special Task Force reports continued.
[Report! This is an illegal bioweapon experimentation facility! They were forcibly implanting superpowers into animals!]
But something was off. These animals weren't ordinary.
On operating tables inside the lab, animals connected to mysterious machines were groaning.
[That dog seems to be shooting lasers from its eyes?]
[This raccoon is using cloning jutsu.]
[This parrot is actually talking like a human? 'Get me a lawyer'—pretty smart, huh?]
[Oh my god... the bear is walking on two legs! Wait... don't bears normally walk on two legs?]
The Special Task Force members' exclamations continued.
Every animal had superpowers.
Artificially implanted, forcibly injected abilities.
The researchers were visible too.
All in white coats, gleaming eyes, faces gripped by madness.
White coat, glasses, and a dash of madness—the perfect mad scientist starter pack.
"Feels familiar..."
Déjà vu. Was it in the original story?
I rummaged through the drawers of my memory.
Ah. There it was.
A-rank villain, Beast Master. One of the villains from the mid-game in the original.
Having perfected his research on injecting superpowers into animals, he led a beast legion to invade Neo Incheon.
A catastrophe where half the city burned to ash and countless heroes sacrificed themselves.
The man pulled out a remote and pressed the button.
Thud! Thud!
The wall split open, revealing a massive beast.
A ferocious lion at least five meters long.
But it had rabbit ears on its head, eagle wings on its back, and a scorpion tail.
Kraaaang!
Chimera Omega roared.
The entire building shook, and windows shattered.
"For an ultimate lifeform, it lacks any aesthetic sense."
"Agreed. It's on par with the mayor's taste in picking neckties."
"Hold on, what was that? What's wrong with my neckties?"
Why am I thinking of some of Neo Incheon's public sculptures?
The ones that just eat up budgets and wrinkle citizens' brows.
The Special Task Force didn't back down. They were Neo Incheon's elite anti-villain unit. They wouldn't flinch at a monster like that ragtag beast.
[Attack commence!]
With the member's shout, a superpowered spectacle unfolded from all directions.
The lead shield clashed with the monster's forepaw.
The shield-bearing member was pushed back several meters but didn't fall. He held firm.
[Firing!]
Flames spewed by one member engulfed the chimera's upper body.
But the chimera just flapped its eagle wings as if annoyed. A powerful gust reversed the flames back onto the Special Task Force.
Dozens of special rounds then embedded in the monster's body, but its thick hide didn't budge.
It twitched those annoying rabbit ears and began dodging the incoming bullets.
Beast Master shouted triumphantly.
The monster spread its eagle wings and lifted its massive body into the air.
It looked clumsy and precarious, but it flew anyway.
In midair, it swung its scorpion tail.
Sizzle-
With a chilling sound, the concrete floor melted black. Deadly poison.
The Special Task Force members' lives hung in the balance, but I wasn't particularly worried.
Why? Because if things got dicey, Kang Jiyeong would just compress the whole building into a scrap metal cube.
No matter how they struggled inside, it was all pointless.
Like ants thrashing in Buddha's palm.
Nyaaong.
Right then.
"Nero?"
In the corner of the screen, amid the chaos of the lab, a familiar silhouette strolled casually.
My cat. Nero.
"Huh? Why's he down there?"
I stopped midway putting popcorn in my mouth and stared holes through the screen.
Beast Master spotted Nero too. He looked puzzled at first, then grinned madly as if realizing something.
Prototype? Failure?
Ha, what an ignorant fool. This Beast Master doesn't even qualify to discuss art.
Look at Nero's fur. The warm harmony of calico. That elegantly extended tail, those intellect-filled eyes.
Calling such a lovely creature a failure? With taste that bad.
Someone who can't recognize the true value of their own creation is the real failure.
Shrrk-
Nero's body began to grow.
2 meters, 5 meters, 10 meters.
A massive calico cat twice the size of the chimera.
Cat vs. Chimera. The battle of the century.
Nerorong~
Giant Nero raised a forepaw instead of answering.
Thwack!
The ultimate lifeform threatening the Special Task Force became an unrecognizable lump of meat splattered against the wall.
Not splattered—more like it became wallpaper?
Flat meat wallpaper.
From 3D to 2D.
[Chimera Omega Defeated]
Beast Master's scream echoed hollowly through the lab.
Operation over. What an anticlimactic end.
*
A Special Task Force member approached my car and saluted crisply.
Sharp angles. Disciplined to the core.
"Mayor, report. All suspects, including the villain organization's boss, captured alive. Internal facilities secured. Captain Kang Jiyeong plans to confiscate and transport the entire lab."
"Good work. What was the inside like?"
"As you suspected, illegal biological experiments were underway. They were forcibly implanting superpowers into animals and attempting to control them. Their goal was..."
The member hesitated, as if it was absurd even to say it.
"To turn all of humanity into beastmen. That was their final objective."
"Beastmen? Furries?"
Good lord.
I was at a loss for words.
A furry fanatic villain group.
I deeply contemplated humanity's long history of evolution.
From bipedal walking, tool use, fire mastery.
Building civilizations, creating art, and ultimately manifesting superpowers—a great species.
And the pinnacle of that evolution was just fluffy fur and tails?
Darwin would be wailing in his grave.
"They called themselves the Furry Evolution secret society. They claim their noble mission is to shed humanity's imperfect flesh and merge with superior animal genetics to be reborn as a new humanity."
At that moment, Beast Master, being dragged away with his arms held by Special Task Force members, spotted me and screamed hysterically.
"Arrrgh! Interfering with great evolution! Why can't you see that beastmen are the perfect lifeforms! Soon, all you primitive humans could have been reborn in the blessed form of beastmen!!"
He spotted Nero in my arms and suddenly trembled all over.
"Prototype Alpha! You failed experiment... ruining all my plans!!"
Nyaam-
Nero yawned lazily.
Perfect ignore. A cat's virtue.
"No... no. Impossible... A mere cat couldn't devise such an elaborate plan. It must all be... your doing! You timed it perfectly right before my beast legion was complete, even improving the prototype's limits!! Mayor Lee Garam! What the hell are you...!?"
Me?
I'm just an ordinary corrupt mayor who wants to embezzle slush funds and run away peacefully.
"Mayor."
Seria, who had approached unnoticed, whispered in my ear.
"That guy needs a psych evaluation. His delusions are as serious as your work efficiency."
"Yeah."
And so the incident concluded.
Dozens of experimental animals were safely rescued and transferred to the Catto Pia special protection zone.
Catto Pia's about to become an animal kingdom. Time to jack up admission prices, I quietly resolved.
Maybe add experiences like tying ribbons on giraffe necks to squeeze out some cash.
Nero looked immensely proud at having rescued his old comrades.
A prototype experiment that succeeded in revenge.
As always in every creation, the prototype is the strongest.
A subject that should have died from side effects adapted to the environment and exploded with potential instead. What a convenient and cool setup.
I scratched Nero's chin and whispered softly.
"Yeah, you took them all down, huh? Thanks to you, I'm a hero again. How're you gonna take responsibility for this? Hm?"
Then it happened. Nero slowly stood up and stared right at my face.
Grrr...
A low, deep growl. Then he lightly bumped his forehead against my hand.
The cat's ultimate affection: headbutting.
"Nero?"
I'm sternly demanding responsibility from the debtor as the creditor here.
But this debtor isn't presenting a repayment plan—instead, brazenly acting cute.
Nero then entrusted his body to my arms and kneaded my chest with his forepaws.
Purr purr purr-
The comfortable throat rumble vibrated through me.
"You're... thanking me?"
Yaong.
Nero licked my finger.
The rough tongue tickled.
But still, it wasn't a bad feeling at all.