## Chapter 146 – Distance (2)
NO. 2, having received the absurd, unilateral declaration that she would work for me forever, couldn’t even offer a small retort, sinking into the depths of her hazy consciousness, only able to let out a small moan.
It’s a shame I had to give up on the data regarding the purple fruit, which was my original goal, but I gained more than I lost at the Busan branch, a tremendous harvest.
First of all, the fact that there are several individuals like Chanwoo is a great achievement in itself.
The mass production of bioweapons, something I failed at. And the research data for it.
Of course, losing Minjung was a painful loss, but NO. 2 will be a force to make up for that.
First, I need to set up a temporary lab in a safe place and then refine the bioweapon mass production device a bit more.
The one I made here was just for testing and hastily made, so it didn’t come out with the quality I wanted.
“…You’ll be the first test subject for the completed device. Congratulations.”
“…Huh…? Ahhee…?”
Thanks to the sonic wave generator, NO. 2, deprived of her intelligence and motor functions, is crawling on the floor, groaning.
I watch her occasionally convulsing limbs and her crotch, soaking in a liquid that I can’t tell if it’s urine.
…I need to escape from this place as soon as possible, but with my current body, it’s impossible to escape with her.
At least after the anesthesia takes effect on my broken arm, I need to assess the situation and proceed carefully.
Except for me, the only human in this lab, everyone else is a monster.
If I mistakenly catch their eye, I’ll probably be reduced to dust without even leaving a trace.
“Well, it’ll take a little while for the drug to take effect… so, can I tie you up a bit?
If the effect wears off while I’m taking you, you might attack me again.”
I gather the experimental waste in the corner of the lab and remove the cloth placed on top of it.
I block the dust rising like fog with my sleeve and then shake off the dust on the cloth.
Then, I bite the cloth with my good left arm and teeth to tear it, and tie NO. 2’s arms and legs.
Her body-hugging shirt is already tightening due to the cloth, emphasizing her figure.
I didn’t intend it, but it’s nice to look at. I’ll just think of it as eye candy.
You might think that cloth is too flimsy, right? Of course, it is.
If the effect of the special sonic waves wears off and she regains her original physical abilities,
I’ll be turned into pieces of meat during the escape. That’s why I prepared this headset.
“It’s so nice of you to stay still, isn’t it?”
“…Huh…?”
I plan to continuously bombard her head with special sonic waves using this headset.
…If she had been this obedient from the beginning, I wouldn’t have had to use the syringe-type device, even if it meant breaking my arm.
Now that she’s in this state, she has no means of escaping from me.
And since one of my arms is in this shape, it’s best to carry her on my back, right?
“Haa, if Minjung was here at times like this, it would have been easier, right?”
Thinking about it again, losing Minjung is still a heartbreaking loss.
I told myself it couldn’t be helped, but her absence feels too great…
…Still, Chanwoo took her, so I’ll be able to meet her again someday.
If I bring Minjung back then, that’s the end of the problem. More than that, right now…
I take out the most valuable item I got from this lab, a small test tube.
A colorless liquid sloshing in a small, finger-sized glass bottle. It’s ‘Lee Jiye’s DNA sample.’
It was worth the trouble of finding her hidden experimental records while avoiding surveillance.
After escaping from this place, the sample I need to research first, once some safety is secured.
If I do it right, I might not only be able to uncover the power of Lee Jiye or Chanwoo,
but also artificially create their power.
“…But to do that, I need to get out alive first.”
Okay, I have almost no sensation in my right arm now. Just a throbbing feeling when I touch it?
The surrounding situation is still chaotic and unsettled, and if I want to escape, now is the only time.
I put a sturdy iron rod on my fractured arm and wrap it with the remaining cloth to make a temporary cast.
I grit my teeth and endure the pain of pressing down on the bruise, and carry the collapsed NO. 2 on my back.
It might look a bit awkward, but it can’t be helped. This is the best I can do.
“…Then, shall we go now…”
——————————————————-
The gray dust, with finely crushed concrete scattering, blurs the vision.
A sharp fragment from the broken machine was embedded in my shoulder, and I pull it out with my hand.
I sent Seohui and Nabi ahead because I thought my father was in danger,
but I regretted sending them, even if only a little. No matter how many times I punch him, this man gets back up.
Does he have the power to regenerate wounds like Minjung, who I fought before?
No, that doesn’t seem to be the case. The man’s figure is visible behind the clearing gray dust.
His white shirt is stained with blood, and the places where I hit him are swollen and blue.
“…I can’t go to that child.”
“…The skinny guy who was up there earlier said something similar, did something happen to her?”
“You’re the ones who have been affected. You have a habit of being drawn to beings like Lee Jiye, right?
Think about it. Doesn’t that man see you as mere outlets for his desires?
You’re also drawn to that man because of your instincts as living beings, is that really your will?”
“What are you talking about? If you’re scared, you can just say, ‘I’m sorry for acting up. Please pass.’ and step aside,
but you’re beating around the bush. I don’t like that.”
“…Poor things who have been bewitched by that man and lost their human hearts.”
After a short conversation, the man takes his stance again, a pool of blood gathering under his feet.
He’s probably barely able to stand. But it’s the same for me.
If I get hit one more time, I’ll collapse. These guys… they’re definitely not the same species, so what kind of power is it?
The aura I feel is close to human, so are you saying that ordinary humans are beating us with strength?
…
I can ask Iran about that later after I kill this guy.
There was no time to think about other things. A nerve-wracking battle where we only have enough strength to land one more blow.
Who will rush in first, should I block? Should I attack? I’m holding onto the tension during a short 1 second…
‘Fwoosh’
With the sound of air escaping, the man knelt down in front of me.
…What? I didn’t do this, what the hell… I turned my head in the direction of the air sound.
A man in a white coat carrying a woman on his back throws away his broken glasses on the floor,
and lets out a big sigh, dropping the hand holding the gun powerlessly towards his knees.
“Haa, I thought I was going to die. Why are you here? I thought you were with Lee Jiye.
But I’m glad you were dying. You’re so exhausted that you couldn’t even dodge a simple tranquilizer dart?”
“…Jeong, Ahun…!”
Jeong Ahun? A familiar name I’ve heard somewhere, and a familiar, cheeky face.
He was definitely the man I vaguely saw in my fading consciousness when I fought Minjung in the middle of Seoul.
He was definitely the man the others called a psycho. This is bad, I can’t move properly right now…!
I was gathering strength in my legs to escape with the last of my strength.
I raised my eyes at Jeong Ahun’s voice calling me, noticing me.
“…Oh? We’ve met before, right?”
“…..”
“Don’t ignore me, you’re with Chanwoo, right? Then there’s no way you don’t know me.”
I roughly examine the man’s appearance. His right arm is in a cast, whether it’s broken or not,
and judging by the bandage wrapped around his head being stained with red liquid, he’s seriously injured.
And for some reason, he’s even carrying a woman on his back.
He knows his condition better than anyone, so he won’t try to fight me.
I can’t say for sure, but that’s the feeling I get.
“Don’t be so frozen. You, who look like you’ll die if I poke you, are also an attractive test subject,
but unfortunately, I’ve run out of all the ammunition I prepared. The one I shot at that man earlier was the last one.”
What? He’s out of ammo? Then he has no weapon to protect himself.
I don’t know why he’s giving me that information. It’s confusing.
He’s revealing his entire strength to the enemy? If he has no weapon, it’s easy to kill him as he is.
That big guy who was fighting me can’t move either, and killing a human with my remaining strength is a piece of cake.
“…What are you thinking?”
“…You’re cautious. Are all of Chanwoo’s group the type to test the waters before crossing?
I like that. You have to think things through and make careful decisions.”
The man smiles at me, spouting incomprehensible words.
Jeong Ahun held up a small blue bottle to me.
“This is a recovery potion made using the data from the blue fruit.
It only works on test subjects, that is, the petals.
If you had attacked me, I was going to shoot this at that man.”
“…Ha, then you and I would both die to that man?”
“Wouldn’t you die to me otherwise? It’s either way, isn’t it?”
…Chaeyun and the others. I think I know why they call this man a psycho.
It’s unpleasant just to have a conversation. It feels like I’m not talking to a person right now.
“Even if I fight you, it’s not a bad development for me. I might lose an arm or a leg,
but it’s an opportunity to get a high-quality test subject who has been by Chanwoo’s side and has been greatly influenced.
But I decided it’s better for my limbs to be intact for the future.
How about it? You can fight me if you want, but don’t think you’ll definitely win.”
————————————
“…So you didn’t fight and let him go?”
“No, more than that, why are you telling me so late?!”
“I thought you guys knew?!”
“…What are you guys talking about?”
As I opened the door to the room where I could hear loud shouts coming from the hallway of the hotel,
I could see Seohui and Iran lying on the bed, screaming.
What on earth is going on that they don’t even know I’m here and are making such a fuss…
