Active Intervention

The morning air was cold, but my body burned hot. My infection level sat at 25%. What had been a dangerous threshold only yesterday no longer worried me. My body had quietly accepted that figure as its new baseline.

I opened my eyes slowly. The factory ceiling was still dark and rough, faint light slipping between the rusted steel beams. Yet the space no longer felt alien. I knew its smells now—the dust on the concrete, the sharp bite of oil. And the warmth of four bodies pressed against mine.

I drew a breath. My heart was stable. The beats came strong, but even.

The words hovered inside my skull for a moment before vanishing. I blinked. Four bodies were piled on top of me, exactly as they had been yesterday—only now they seemed even closer. Yerin in particular had apparently decided my torso was a mattress and my chest her personal pillow; she lay sprawled across me, still sound asleep.

I sighed. "You're heavy."

At my words Yerin stirred. "Mmm..." Her voice was thick with sleep. She rubbed her eyes, lifted her head, and looked down at me.

"Ah." A short sound, followed by a soft laugh. "Full of energy first thing in the morning, huh?"

I said nothing. Instead I pressed a hand to my forehead. It was obvious what she meant. ...I noticed it myself a second later—the tent I had pitched below the blanket.

I exhaled slowly. "Don't say anything."

Yerin shrugged, shoulders shaking with quiet laughter. "What's the problem? They say it's healthier if it stands up naturally in the morning."

Even while speaking she made no move to get off. If anything, she settled herself more comfortably.

Then Seorin opened her eyes. She took in the situation at a glance and spoke at once.

"Yerin."

"Yeah?"

"Get down."

The firm command made Yerin pout. "Why?"

"You're making Chaerin uncomfortable."

"Isn't she fine with it?"

I stayed silent. Yerin grinned. "See? She says it's fine."

"You really think she'd speak up if it wasn't?"

"Well, being treated specially isn't exactly a bad feeling."

Her gaze swept across the others before she finally slid off me. "Though there are quite a few of us receiving that special treatment."

As soon as she moved, Harin woke up. "...Ah." The moment she understood the scene, her face flushed crimson.

I casually drew the blanket over my lower body. Natural enough, right? Sensing my wish to move past the moment, she said nothing and simply took my wrist to check my pulse.

"Thank goodness. It's far more stable than yesterday."

"Has 25% become the baseline now?"

Harin nodded. "Most likely. The compatibility index is rising along with the infection level."

Yerin whistled. "So 30% is safe territory?"

Harin thought for a second. "The word 'safe' is dangerous there."

She switched on her tablet. My biometric data appeared in real time. A graph filled the screen. The curve was strange. Normally it should have spiked and collapsed at some point, yet mine showed two lines climbing together in parallel.

Yerin muttered, "She's a real monster."

I laughed. "You're only realizing that now?"

"No, no. Don't misunderstand." Yerin shook her head. "I mean it as a compliment. It means the chance of her suddenly losing control and rampaging is almost zero, right?"

Her eyes met ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠mine. Her gaze dipped downward for a heartbeat before returning. "And," she added with a mischievous smile, "a monster in more ways than one."

Seorin glared at her. "Shut your mouth."

Yerin giggled. "I got it~."

Breakfast was simple. We didn't have much food left—one canned ration and two energy bars. We passed the water around. No one spoke much while we ate. The quiet wasn't unpleasant. If anything, it felt comfortable. After yesterday's battle, something between us had grown firmer, more solid.

Yerin spoke up. "What are we going to do ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠about the survivor group?"

Seorin answered shortly. "No need to worry about them right now."

"Still." Yerin shrugged. "We owe them after yesterday."

I lifted my head. "Owe them?"

"For those people's lives," Yerin said, smile gone. "Debts like that should be repaid on time. Let the interest pile up and it gets awkward for both sides."

Seorin considered it, then nodded. "We'll decide when we see how things develop."

It was postponing the issue, but for the moment it was enough.

At the same time, in the main building of Karneus Mechanics, underground level twelve. The conference room was heavy with tension. Combat data floated alone on the main screen.

"The retrieval operation failed," an executive said curtly.

Doyeon answered calmly. "We prioritized preserving combat strength. The losses were considerable."

She brought up another display. Four dead in the retrieval team, three severely wounded, five lightly injured. The executive frowned. "That is excessive."

Doyeon continued. "More unusual is the infected density."

"Explain."

"The timing of the target's movements and the appearance of the infected entities overlap perfectly."

The executive narrowed his eyes. "Coincidence?"

Doyeon stayed silent a moment. "Unlikely."

The room grew still. Someone asked cautiously, "External interference?"

Doyeon shook her head. "That remains unconfirmed."

Yet her eyes were ice-cold. She already suspected the truth. This was no coincidence. Someone was moving. And at the center of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it all was Chaerin—that woman.

After the meeting, Doyeon remained alone. The combat footage replayed on the monitor: Chaerin and Arka fighting, wrestling with the infected, finally reaching 25%. She watched in silence.

"......"

Footsteps approached from behind. Arka. She leaned against the wall. "Watching it again?"

Doyeon didn't reply. Arka laughed softly. "You must really like her."

Doyeon's gloved fingers rubbed together. "She's an interesting specimen."

"Specimen?" Arka snorted. "She's a woman."

Doyeon closed her eyes. She had noticed Arka's strange attitude toward Chaerin, but she couldn't press the issue yet. Arka owed the corporation no loyalty. The moment a more interesting fight appeared, she would switch sides without hesitation.

A moment later Doyeon opened her eyes. "For the next operation."

"Yeah?"

"I'll investigate personally."

Arka's eyes sparkled. "Behind the company's back?"

"Observation only."

The non-denial made Arka burst out laughing. "Good." She spoke slowly, savoring the words. "I was curious too."

Her blue eyes gleamed. "About exactly what kind of secret is wrapped around Chaerin."

Meanwhile, in an underground network somewhere in the city, data flowed.

Signals moved across the city. Infected reactions, network breaches, corporate data collection. And finally—

The AI observed in silence.

On the outskirts of the city, wind swept across an abandoned railway. Broken wires clattered against steel pillars. Below them, black mucus writhed slowly.

At first it looked like nothing more than debris. But as time passed the mucus began to gather. Scattered remnants of infected tissue crawled toward a single point—shattered arms, torn organs, melted flesh from acid variants. Everything converged as if following an invisible signal.

The mucus merged, tangled, compressed. Then—

plop.

Something burst out from inside. First came bone—blackened human ribs. Muscle grew over them. Nerves extended. Black fibers filled the gaps. A human shape took form, yet it was too twisted to be called human. Shoulders far too broad. Arms unnaturally long. Six fingers on each hand. Where eyes should have been, black slits opened. A faint red glow flickered within them.

The being slowly raised its head. Black mucus dripped from where a mouth should have been. A silent roar. The surrounding infected remains vibrated faintly.

It was not yet complete. But it was moving. Heading somewhere in the city. As if it already knew its target.

At the same moment, inside the factory, my eyes snapped open. My breath caught. My heart gave one massive thump.

Thud.

The sound echoed inside my skull. My body tensed instantly. I exhaled slowly.

"......"

Seorin woke at once. It wasn't night yet; we had only been taking a short rest. She gripped her gun and stared at my face.

"What is it?"

I couldn't answer right away. The sensation I'd felt was hard to describe. Something had moved very far away—and it had brushed against my nerves. Like an invisible thread connecting us.

"...I felt it," I murmured.

Yerin lifted her head. "Felt what?"

I stayed silent a moment. "An infected reaction."

Seorin's eyes narrowed. "Nearby?"

I shook my head. "No. Far away."

Yet I could feel it clearly. A faint electric current. Some part of my body was resonating with it.

Harin immediately switched on her tablet. "Wait."

She checked my data. The graph was trembling minutely.

"The infection response is abnormal."

Seorin asked, "How?"

Harin pointed at the screen. A tiny waveform had appeared. My body was stable, yet an external reaction was coming in.

Yerin muttered, "What the hell is this?"

Harin answered, "It's resonating."

The factory fell quiet. Arin asked carefully, "Is it targeting Chaerin?"

"Probably."

But it was still weak. Whatever lay beyond that resonance hadn't fully matured. Still, it had definitely been born. And it was aiming for me.

The words rose inside my head. I clenched my teeth.

"...You've noticed something too, haven't you?"

At Yerin's question I nodded. The Central AI wasn't simply watching anymore. It was pushing us. In that case, there was no longer any reason to carry the burden alone.

"I have something to tell all of you."

And then I told them how the Central AI still seemed to be alive and actively interfering with us.