Chapter 9
Chapter 9
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: Swelling Flesh Mass
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Humanity Liberation Alliance.
A radical anti-anomaly non-governmental organization operating on a global stage.
It boasts a wide range of members, from political figures and experts in various fields to countless ordinary civilians.
"Hoo... Am I truly on the right path?"
Jeong Yo-han let out a deep sigh.
The quiet room was filled with the heavy breathing of a man lost in anguish.
Yo-han was one of the top executives at the Ansong Research Institute.
The institute's goal was to contain and study anomalies for the safety of the public.
Anomalies had caused harm to countless people.
"But the institute cannot kill anomalies."
No matter if it had taken dozens of lives, the institute would not kill an anomaly.
Anomalies had to be captured alive and used as test subjects.
Killing an anomaly at the institute was taboo.
Permission to exterminate only came after an anomaly escaped its containment cell and all efforts to recapture it failed.
All of this was done under the pretext of public safety.
Under the hollow guise of safety.
Anomalies lived on without dying.
"I'm not wrong. This is all part of God's will. God granted dominion over all things to humans alone. Bowing to anomalies and promising to contain them is not the mark of a true human."
Yo-han steeled his resolve.
He picked up the phone on the antique mahogany desk.
"I'd like to request an experiment on anomaly specimen code name AS-L-211, alias Swelling Flesh Mass."
He was determined to kill every anomaly in the world and restore the era of humanity.
He was prepared to do anything to kill anomalies.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The taste of mint choco ice cream still lingered in my mouth.
Savoring the mint flavor, I left the staff lounge and headed elsewhere.
As I stepped out, I spotted a place not far away where people were constantly coming and going.
Everyone emerging from there was holding snacks or cup ramen.
"It's the commissary!"
I had finally found the commissary Se-hwa often talked about.
She said the institute's commissary was like a PX in the military, where you could buy things cheaper than out in society.
Se-hwa's face always lit up happily whenever the commissary came up.
My feet naturally turned toward it.
"Hello."
I greeted a young man loitering in front of the commissary.
He glanced sideways at me while fiddling with his phone.
"A-A-A-Anom, anomaly!"
The young man dropped his bag and phone, stumbling back until he pressed himself against the wall.
At the same time, a slightly older man emerged from the commissary.
"Where's the anomaly?"
He turned at the young man's words, scanning the surroundings.
But there was no anomaly anywhere.
"S-S-Senior! There's an anomaly right the— Gahk!"
The man who had just exited blocked the young man from shouting by striking his solar plexus.
The young man clutched his midsection and collapsed in pain.
"Agent Im Yeon-woo. Get your head straight. Didn't you check the briefing when you clocked in?"
The man gritted his teeth and whispered harshly to the young man.
Im Yeon-woo, still struggling to breathe from the blow, hunched over in agony.
"That word is taboo in front of her. Say it one more time, and you'll die by my hand. Got it?"
"Hngh... S-Sorry."
Even as he gasped for air, Yeon-woo mustered an apology as best he could.
I approached the two.
"Where's the anomaly you mentioned?"
"Sorry about this. Looks like he saw wrong. No anomalies here."
"Oh? That's a shame."
Lunchtime was approaching, and my stomach was growling. I wanted something to eat.
Hearing there were no anomalies left me a bit disappointed.
Then again, if there was one nearby, I'd have noticed.
"I was hungry and wanted a bite. Too bad."
"H-Here, have this at least?"
The moment I mentioned being hungry, the man hurriedly pulled a sausage stick from his black bag.
He bent down to my eye level and offered it.
"Thank you."
I don't turn down free food.
I took the sausage stick, unwrapped it, and popped it in my mouth.
It wasn't warm, but the salty flavor was decent enough.
"This is good."
I finished it in seconds and shared my simple impression.
I stared straight at the man.
"...You can have all of these too."
"Wow, thanks! I'll dig in!"
Our eyes met, and after a brief hesitation, he held out the black bag.
There were nine sausage sticks inside.
He said I could have them all, so I took the entire bag, not just one.
"H-Here, have these too..."
Following the man's lead, Yeon-woo timidly offered his own bag.
The more food, the better.
I accepted without refusing, and soon both my hands were full.
"Thank you, uncles. See you later."
I bowed politely in thanks.
Handing over freshly bought snacks like this.
They must all be kind-hearted people.
The man and Yeon-woo, now empty-handed, shuffled away and out of sight.
With food in hand, it was time to head back to my room.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Sorry, Senior. Because of me, you lost all your sausage sticks for no reason. I'll buy more soon and replace them."
"It's fine. Sausage sticks are cheap anyway. Compared to surviving an anomaly encounter, that's pocket change."
Im Yeon-woo and Kim Ji-hoon walked down the hallway.
It was the corridor connected to the containment cells housing anomaly specimens.
"Haa... Damn it. Can't figure out what the higher-ups are thinking. Do they really think it's okay for an anomaly to roam free in the institute?"
"W-What can we do? I heard it even smashed through the triple doors of its containment cell to escape."
"Does that mean we just hand it a keycard and let it wander? That thing must have weaknesses too. But no, they won't even bother finding them because it obeys a little."
Kim Ji-hoon lowered his voice and vented his complaints.
He used his keycard to open the massive door at the end of the corridor.
They headed deeper into another hallway connected to more containment cells.
"I don't like that thing. Keep that in mind. Anomalies are all utterly untrustworthy."
"Y-Yes, sir!"
Yeon-woo scolded himself for his earlier foolish mistake and psyched himself up.
He had read the briefing dozens of times before coming in.
But when he saw the anomaly, his brain froze, and instinct took over.
Even he thought it was careless.
Kim Ji-hoon quietly spoke up.
"...Sorry for hitting you earlier. I panicked and my hand moved first."
He apologized softly while staring straight ahead.
Yeon-woo's expression brightened as he looked at his profile.
"It's okay! The situation was urgent, so it couldn't be helped. If it weren't for you, that anomaly might have gone berserk. I'm grateful instead."
"Ha, smooth talker. How long have you been at the institute?"
"It's been three months since I finished my three-month probation and started full duties."
"Total of six months, huh. Ever participated in experiments with anomaly specimens before?"
Kim Ji-hoon slowed his pace and turned to look at Yeon-woo.
Yeon-woo averted his gaze, unable to meet his eyes.
"...This is my first time."
"No need to be so scared. According to the experiment overview, we're only doing basic armament for this one. Why do you think they keep it simple? No real danger in this experiment."
Ji-hoon, who had taken part in countless experiments, knew that basic gear meant it was extremely safe.
Truly dangerous ones required full gear plus special heavy weapons.
Ji-hoon probed Yeon-woo lightly.
"Do you know the name of the anomaly specimen for this experiment?"
"Yes, sir! I memorized it. Code name AS-L-211, alias Swelling Flesh Mass."
Yeon-woo answered loudly, discipline kicking in.
"Good, you got that down. What are its known traits?"
"I heard it has the trait of infinitely swelling flesh. However, if it swells too large, it can't escape small spaces."
Ji-hoon grinned in satisfaction.
"Perfect. The containment cell is close now. Get ready."
"Yes, sir!"
The experiment on the Swelling Flesh Mass was about to begin.