Chapter 317 – Pocket Girls
‘Let’s see… At this point?’
Seong-il was walking around inside her shelter, checking her coordinates that Jun had told him about.
It wasn’t long before he arrived at what looked like a shabby warehouse in the center of the shelter.
‘Eh? Isn’t this just a warehouse?’
A shabby building that looks like nothing special to anyone. When a building like this appears at the place Jun took a picture of, Seong-il wonders if the coordinates she came to are wrong.
Weeing!!
“…?”
Then he looked around him in bewilderment. Seong-il’s phone starts ringing.
“What is…? What is this number…?”
The appearance of a number that I have never seen before. Seong-il hurriedly answers the phone, thinking it might be Jung Hwang-sang-jun’s call.
‘…No way. Yesterday, out of etiquette, we agreed to have a meeting, but didn’t we say that we shouldn’t see each other today?’
Soothing his slightly anxious mind, Seong-il puts his phone to his ear.
“Hello?”
『Ah, Seongil. When you arrive, don’t stand there, come inside the building.』
“…This warehouse?”
“Huh. It just looks shabby on the outside. Just come in I know when I see it.”
“Ah… I see.”
It seems that the exterior is disguised as a shabby warehouse, probably to disguise it as a security issue.
Seong-il doesn’t seem to be concerned about the situation, so he feels relieved and goes inside.
‘What and where did you come from?’
Seong-il frowns when he sees all sorts of odds and ends on shelves.
When he ran out of patience and frowned slightly, he was about to use 『Emotion』. As the muddy floor cracks, a staircase appears.
“!!”
“Come on.”
Interestingly, Dr. June came up from the stairs and greeted the holy day. Seong-il puts on an interesting expression.
‘In-game, there was no research center like this. It’s fun.’
Either way, Jun checks whether the door to the warehouse is closed properly, puts his hand on Seong-il’s shoulder, and heads to the basement.
“Let’s go. Were you embarrassed by the shabby exterior?”
“…Yes? Oh, a little bit.”
“Haha! That’s what I was aiming for…”
“Did you camouflage yourself as a sloppy warehouse from the eyes of the Hyper Corps?”
“That’s right. Normally, this kind of camouflage wouldn’t work, but this is a one-man laboratory that’s only used by me, and I don’t use it often, so if I’m a little careful, it won’t get caught.”
“Ohhh…”
Jun, who is smart enough to be one of the leading scientists in Shelter. Seong-il admires his wit and goes inside.
“Hey… What is this place researching? Whiteball?”
“Hmm… You’re interested in whiteball?”
“Yes? Ah… Well… I see.”
The time when Seong-il was embarrassed, wondering if he showed off too openly. The doctor calmly begins to explain the laboratory.
“This is where I was experimenting with a study of great interest besides the Whiteball project.”
“Hmm… What is it?”
“Research? Well, it’s a study that has something to do with you.”
“…You have a relationship with me?”
“Yeah. The experiment you received from Dr. Lowe… That’s where we study the second stage of the psychic flowering experiment.”
“!!”
Seong-il was taken aback by his unexpected words. He asks questions to him in a slightly trembling voice.
“Uh… Can we leave such an important research facility here? Without proper security?!”
“Ah, don’t worry about that. The core materials and research materials for the second experiment are not here anyway. This place is literally just an ‘experiment’. Even if you get robbed, there’s no big problem.”
“Ah…”
Seong-il’s curiosity has been solved, but I feel a bit regretful.
‘Shit… I’m sneakily asking if it’s a research facility, can you do the procedure…’
‘No! Even if it’s not that, isn’t it possible to compromise by looking at the situation? I’m going somewhere else because there’s nothing difficult.’
With that thought in mind, Seong-il begins to more actively ask about the procedure.
“By any chance, what kind of experiments are you doing exactly?”
“Why? Are you curious?”
“Sure. I heard it’s the next step in the procedure I had. Of course I’m curious.”
“Puhaha. Well, that’s right.”
“…”
“However, before the experiment I’m doing, would you like to show me the artificial procedure you have?”
“Ah, yes.”
When Jun brings him to a wide empty lot, Seong-il calmly projects his power onto an object placed in the place he designated.
Whoa…!!
Things come to mind with a light resonant sound. As the fairly heavy metal boxes easily float in the air, the doctor exclaims with his eyes wide open.
“Wow… Uh… Making this so easy?”
“Um…? Why? What’s wrong?”
“Uh… It’s surprising rather than wrong. Even if you get a normal procedure and awaken your psychic powers, it’s only at the level of barely lifting light objects. On the other hand, you…”
Dr. Seong-Il’s art of floating dozens of heavy objects casually in the air with his mouth wide open.
Seeing that, Seong-il laughs bitterly because he thinks he’s overdoing it.
‘Damn it…Didn’t I have taken it easy?’
The time he regretted so much. Unlike before, Jun approaches Seong-il in a very excited manner and speaks like a rapid-fire gun.
“I’ve never seen such an amazing case like you! In general, if you have powerful superpowers, it’s natural that your brain will inevitably become overloaded and your intelligence will deteriorate…”
“Ah, yes…”
“To have such excellent abilities without experiencing such problems. You have amazing qualities! Besides, seeing you, I think that the second experiment I was researching alone might one day succeed!”
“…Alone? And one day succeed?”
“Huh? Ehh… This project is an unprecedented theory that has never been successful.”
“Ah…”
“In addition, since there are only negative results from experiments, skepticism prevails among shelter scholars, so they view the research itself negatively.”
“Why negatively…?”
“Why? It’s an experiment in which people’s lives die. Isn’t that against our ideology?”
“Ah… That’s what you mean.”
“Yeah. In addition, the experiment is meaningless for animals that are less intelligent than humans.”
The figure of a doctor muttering endlessly about theories and experiments. Seong-il smiles wryly at the sight and quickly cuts off his words to ask a question he is curious about.
“Ah, nevertheless, the fact that the doctor doesn’t let go of the experiment is because there is a great advantage if it succeeds? Is there any advantage?”
“Hmm? The merits and significance of my project…?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm…”
Dr. Jun pauses at Seong-il’s question and thinks about something for a long time. After a long thought, he let out a light sigh and struggled to open his mouth.
“…As it was originally, I shouldn’t have said anything to prevent leakage of secrets.”
“…”
“Well, you’re the person who received the first procedure, and it’s a bit like hiding the details of the next procedure from you.”
“Ah, if you feel uncomfortable, don’t tell me…”
“No. Besides, I found out about you through Dr. Woo and Dr. Low yesterday, and you’re getting pretty good reviews from them?”
“Ah? Yes…”
“Well, since you’re such a friend, it might be okay to talk to you.”
“…”
“My research is a long-term enhancement project using bio nanomachines that work semi-permanently.”
“…?”
Seong-il makes a face that he can’t understand what Jun is talking about.
Seeing his expression like that, the doctor smiles slightly and starts talking.
“Simply put, it’s a project that helps you use powerful psychic powers by injecting permanently usable nanomachines into the blood of your subjects.”
“…What does that have to do with organ enhancement?”
“Ah, it has nothing to do with it. The nanomachines flowing in the blood instantly move to the damaged part of the body due to the use of superpowers and regenerate it.”
“Ah…”
“Do you know why wild psychics have degenerated intelligence?”
“Yes. I know that much. The brain overloads and the brain loses its taste…”
“Right. My project is to restore that overload in real time.”
“Ah…”
“Of course, this isn’t a cure in the true sense of the word…”
“But…?”
“First of all, if we can successfully perform the procedure safely on newborn babies, we can keep 90% of the human beings born today as normal people.”
“…What does that have to do with the human beings being born?”
“…?”
Dr. Seong-Il’s question makes a puzzled expression. Seeing that, Seong-il put on a grim expression and answered in an awkward tone.
“I… I don’t like studying very much…”
“Anyway, this is social common sense!”
“I’m sorry… I’m sorry…”
“Well, I just need to know better in the future, so there’s nothing to be sorry about. Children born today have severe intellectual deterioration.”
“Yes? Why…”
At such Seongil’s question, the doctor smiled bitterly and continued.
“Why? Even if ordinary people have children, it’s because 90% of the children born are born with superpowers.”
“!!”
“Even though we are desperately restoring civilization, this is why the population is low.”
“Ah…”
“It’s heartbreaking. Even if their intelligence deteriorates, it would be nice if they were still alive. Eighth of those children would die from their brains melting…”
“!!”
The words of a terrible doctor just to hear. Seong-il is shocked to hear the behind-the-scenes story that is unknown in the game.
‘Is that why the population is so small? In fact, 70 to 80 percent of the population’s brain melts and dies as soon as they’re born. No wonder…’
Seong-il, surprised by the terrible fact, was lost in his thoughts. The doctor starts talking in a self-deprecating voice.
“If this project succeeds, and if we can make it extremely safe, we might be able to prevent brain damage by injecting nanomachines into children as soon as they’re born.”
“…Such an important project, why are the other doctors so skeptical?”
“Oh, that one?”
“Yes…”
“…However, the chance of success of the procedure was less than 5%.”
“Heheh?!”
“Even with that, only those who have trained their bodies to a high degree have barely succeeded. In the meantime, they give this procedure to children?
“…I guess that’s okay.”
At least 10% of them can be saved if we just leave them alone, but 99% will die if we do this procedure. Seong-il feels that other doctors deserve skepticism.
“…But, do you know? Maybe I’ll find a way to successfully complete this procedure?”
“Hmm…”
The doctor’s words that seem kind and full of mission just by listening to them. At that time, Seong-il was speechless at his words. The doctor sighed lightly and continued his words.
“Anyway, the reason this project is in phase 2 is because it’s the second phase of an existing… Urgency project before the world is destroyed.”
“…Before it’s ruined?”
“Yeah. It was during the first catastrophe, when human civilization hadn’t been so shattered yet.”
“Fuck… The first one?”
“Huh? You really didn’t study. We had two big stages of downfall, didn’t we?”
“…”
“You really don’t know? Heh heh…”
That’s what he said, but the doctor looked at him calmly and told him about the disaster.
“The first was when the supernatural phenomenon was manifested in humans. At this time, it was only manifested in adults, so there was no big problem with the survival itself. It was a stage where civilization could be maintained.”
“Ah…”
“The second is the present, when the abilities are manifested in the children of mankind who were barely holding on.”
“…”
“This case was even more disastrous. The already insufficient population began to decline even more hopelessly. Fortunately, in the midst of that, people who broke away from civilized society are somehow making descendants.”
“Oh, so…”
“Yes. To fill the missing population, we bring in live people from the wild.”
“Aha…”
“If we don’t continue to replenish our population, the human race will sooner or later go extinct.”
“…Can’t we do something like artificial insemination?”
“I tried. The problem is that after the psychic manifestations, 100% of the children not born in the womb died in the fetal state.”
“!!”
“Perhaps, the psychic power latent in the parents’ bodies protects the fetus… The current theory is.”
“Ah…”
The doctor who spreads long rumors. He looks at Seong-il, who is standing foolishly, and continues with a smile.
“That’s why you guys are so important! If you bring back children who are wandering in the wild, we will somehow preserve the species. Only you believe.”
“Ah… Yes…”
Seong-il is quite surprised that such a profound incident is hidden in the background of a game he thought was a simple game.
Seeing his expression, the doctor must have misunderstood, and patted him on the shoulder to continue his conversation.
“Ha ha. Don’t be burdened! Anyway! The scientists before the destruction must have tried to make the second experiment easier to accept by highly training the brain and opening the most basic level of psychic power through the first stage procedure.”
“Hey… Over there then…”
“Huh?”
“Can I ask what the side effects are?”
“Ah, side effects? It’s simple. The body is destroyed. Strong side effects occur as the nanomachines and the body combine in the early stages of the nanomachines.”
“Hmm…”
“If you endure that stage, the nanomachines will stably settle into your body… Well, few people can withstand that.”
