## Chapter 182 – Preparation (3)
“…Long time no see, but you don’t look so good?”
“Haha, you’re right. I’ve shown my friend a sorry sight after all this time.”
“Hold on, who’s your friend? Don’t go deluding yourself.”
In the lobby of the research lab, where not a soul could be felt, a research room was reached following the guidance voice.
The path there was twisted like a maze, and one had to go beyond hidden walls—truly a Jeong Ah-un-esque space.
As I slowly stepped inside, looking around the still maniacal lab, Jeong Ah-un’s figure finally came into view…
He didn’t look good at all. Pale skin, dark circles reaching down to his cheekbones,
and an overall haggard face. He looked like he was on the verge of death.
Even a cursory glance revealed serious injuries here and there.
Something must have happened, but that’s not my concern.
What I need to find out from him is the truth about what happened in this country.
I don’t care if that not-quite-human man lives or dies,
but I can’t let him die until he spills what he’s hiding.
“I apologize for treating a patient this way,
but you know why I’m here, don’t you?”
I approach Jeong Ah-un, who is using the reclined chair as a bed.
And the moment I place my hand on the chair he’s sitting in with a forceful attitude,
“…..”
Before I knew it, a cold blade was right under my neck.
A woman who had appeared out of nowhere next to Jeong Ah-un.
Her head was covered in strange machinery,
and she aimed the knife at my neck with an unwavering expression. He’s definitely been messed with by Jeong Ah-un.
“Stop, NO. 2. He’s a guest.”
“…Yes.”
The woman removes the knife from me and steps back when Jeong Ah-un stops her in a light tone.
“…How is it? The report might have gone to the research council, but
that’s the ‘biological weapon’ we created through the Flower Petals this time.
It’s not quite to the level that the higher-ups in the research council are satisfied with, but this is quite…”
“Hey, do you think I’m joking around?”
I started to get annoyed at his attitude of constantly smiling and deflecting while dry coughing.
What? ‘We created’? The corpses of the guards outside, the empty research lab flashed through my mind.
This guy is killing his own friends who are in the same boat and pretending it’s all for the greater good.
“I guess you didn’t understand when I beat around the bush, so I’ll be blunt.
What the hell have you been doing here?
Where did all the researchers who should be outside go? Where’s the head of this place? Why are you the only one here?”
“….”
“…What are you hiding here? Depending on your answer, I can kill you right now.”
I take out a pistol from my coat and aim it at his forehead.
I release the safety and put my finger on the cold trigger.
“I’ll give you five seconds to answer. 5, 4, 3, 2….”
“Isn’t it really a pathetic hypocrisy? It’s selfish. Why does everyone only know about themselves…”
“…What?”
“I did it. The Busan branch was more than I expected, but
I’m the one who killed the ‘remaining employees’ here. That’s what you wanted to hear, right?”
I was momentarily enraged. I let go of the finger that was about to pull the trigger without realizing it.
Jeong Ah-un, who was talking while tapping the gun in front of his eyes with his hand.
“Let’s put away this meaningless hunk of metal and talk, shall we? It’s distracting.”
Jeong Ah-un smiles unpleasantly again and coughs dryly.
He takes out a cigarette pack from his pocket and hands me a cigarette.
“Do you still smoke?”
“…I quit.”
“Oh, congratulations.”
Jeong Ah-un, who puts the cigarette he handed me in his mouth and lights it, exhales smoke.
Hazy and musty-smelling cigarette smoke, ash falling onto his gown.
“Didn’t you say you quit smoking?”
“Yes, I did. But I thought it was all meaningless.
…You asked what I was doing here earlier, right? Would you like to see this?”
“…This is…”
“It’s a biological sample of a woman who was an experimental subject in the Busan branch.
She maintained her ego even after taking in the Flower Petals, and she’s an experimental subject who consumed a power source.”
He shows me a huge amount of documents on the computer right in front of me.
Data that is similar to the human DNA structure but somehow different… data that I have never seen before.
A human who maintained their reason even after taking in the Flower Petals… he figured all this out by himself?
“The lost property of a being that is the same as a human but cozily transcends that human.
How on earth can such a human be born? A mutation?
No, what are the odds of that? Then another experiment? That’s not it either.
At least I couldn’t find such experimental results in the research council’s data I found.”
“…Why are you showing me this? No, what do you want to say to me?”
“…The huge tree growing in the center of the research council, the ‘power sources’ that bloomed from there…
The problem was that they focused on the Flower Petals and the beings who gained the power of the Flower Petals in the first place.
The real secret is hidden by the higher-ups you guys believe in so blindly.”
He puts out the cigarette he had smoked halfway by rubbing it on the table, then scrolls down.
Then, a photo contained in the revealed document.
“……”
A huge, brilliantly shining tree growing in the center of the research council,
the shape of a human visible at the end of its roots… is that a ‘woman’… ?
“I should ask this time. What on earth is the research council plotting?
What is that woman that she’s being hidden so carefully? Mr. Hanbit.”
——————————
Hmm… that man, he’s quite clever for a human, isn’t he?
He figured out that the seed that bloomed the ‘tree’ and ‘flower’ was Iria’s body.
If I keep him alive, he might be useful someday…
‘Kin, how’s it going on your end? Did you find anything?’
‘No, not yet. I thought there would be traces of power left since they made my prison like this,
but there’s nothing left. Is this kind of trickery Rapius…? No, that woman has no power.’
‘Then the only ones who could break your prison are… Hirna Gorezne, Idel, right?’
‘The fruit that sealed Gorezne or Idel is still blooming in ‘this place’.
Hir, that damn bastard, is already dead, so it can’t be him… then it must be…’
‘That’s right. The ‘new creator’ is the culprit who made your prison like that.
The rumors of a male individual circulating among the researchers seem to be related.’
‘…Damn it. How did he know that Iria was trapped here?
Theresa, don’t you think it’s about time we woke up Niggum?’
‘No. Not Niggum yet. We haven’t found a suitable vessel yet,
and it’s not time yet. The newly born creator might not be an enemy, right?’
‘…Should we even distinguish between enemy and ally when Phiadel fell?’
‘Since Phiadel fell, we need a new ally even more desperately.
If they think the same way as us, we don’t need to fight unnecessarily, which is good, right?
And we shouldn’t release Niggum yet in case they are the enemy.
We’re exposing our strategy without knowing their power yet.’
‘…Okay. I’ll keep tracking Iria and the guy who broke the prison,
so you quickly find a useful human and bring them in. It’s okay to use Flower Petals if it’s a woman.’
‘Yeah, yeah. Don’t worry, there are quite a few useful humans here anyway.’
The thoughts in my head quiet down, and Kin seems to have continued the pursuit.
Then should I start moving too… ‘This body’ is losing its value,
and to use that man named ‘Jeong Ah-un’… I guess…
“…Ms. Won… Ms. Chaewon. What’s wrong? Why aren’t you answering? Come quickly and retrieve the data.
And after sending it to the research council, transfer Dr. Jeong Ah-un as is.”
“…Yesss…♡”
The ‘Doctor’s’ body that I had been saving would be the best.
Pretending to follow the doctor’s orders, I slowly approach the computer.
And I turn to look at the doctor, who is standing next to the computer and staring at the man named Jeong Ah-un.
“…Why? Why are you staring so intently? Is there something on my face?”
“…That’s right, it’s on your face…”
Pretending to put my hand on the doctor’s pure white cheek, I grab the doctor’s hair and pull it hard towards me.
“Ugh?! Chae, Ms. Chaewon, what on earth…!”
“Ah, this moment has finally come. But I really cherished you, human.
It’s true, this body called ‘Chaewon’ was pretty good too, but it’s useless now…”
“Yo, you!! Who the hell are you! You’re not Chaewon…!!”
“That’s right, I want that smart head and sharp intuition.
So, are you going to give me your body and the knowledge and experience you’ve accumulated, now?”
It seems that she finally realized that I wasn’t ‘Chaewon’ at the end, but it was too late.
Unfortunately, you’re going to be ‘me’ now.
“Ugh?!”
At the same time as kissing Dr. Hanbit, I pour ‘me’ into her.
A strange sensation that becomes more and more clear while the consciousness becomes blurred.
My vision starts to get higher and higher. The sensation that the body feels is a little different.
‘Chaewon’s’ hands no longer move as I want,
and my ‘new hand’ is slowly supporting Chaewon’s falling body.
“…Ahem, um… ah, ah… good, my voice is coming out properly.”
Me holding Chaewon’s completely limp body.
I had become ‘Hanbit’ Park. It’s a good body after all.
It’s a little older than the previous body,
but the amount of knowledge and experience accumulated in the body is incomparable to other bodies.
‘…Uh, what, what is this…! What’s going on?! My body… won’t move…?’
“Ah, are you still there, Doctor? I have to acknowledge your mental strength.”
The owner of the same voice as me that echoes in my head seems to be embarrassed by this situation.
That’s understandable, even if your consciousness is clear, your body won’t move as you please.
But that awkward feeling is only temporary…♡
“I’ll take good care of your body. Thank you for the good gift♡”
‘Chaewon… no, you. What on earth are you thinking? When did you start targeting me?’
“Ah, are you calmly analyzing the situation even in this situation? Oh my, you’re so complicated…
Well, that’s only temporary. Please enjoy the last moment of your life.”
‘…What? What does that mean…’
“Soon, even what’s left of you will melt away and become completely mine.
Then this body will be completely mine too. Like the empty body of ‘Chaewon’ here.”
‘…Huh? Wait… then I’m… dying…?’
“…In human terms, that’s what it would be. Haa, it’s annoying to listen to everything one by one.
I’ll block your voice. When you open your eyes again, you’ll be one with me. Then…♡”
‘Ah, no…! Wait a minute! I, I don’t want to disappear like this-!’
The voice of the real Hanbit Park, which has become completely inaudible.
Ah, it’s a pity that I couldn’t hear the screams when the mind slowly melted away,
but there’s something more important than that right now…
“…You’re not surprised at all even after seeing something like this in front of you?”
“Hahaha, when you do this kind of work, you see all kinds of things.
…So, were you sent by Mr. Chanwoo?”
“…Mr. Chanwoo…? Hmmm…”
As expected, this man was a man with many secrets.
Even though they don’t seem close, he doesn’t even bat an eye when an acquaintance’s body is taken over by a monster.
I’m intrigued because he seems to be a human who has ‘fallen’ somewhere…
“Okay, you… tell me more about that man named Chanwoo…?”
“Hahaha, what do I get for it?”
Ah, really… this man is my type…♡
