Chapter 14

At Kang Yu-han’s question, the Center Chief seemed relieved. Handling Seo Ji-hyuk was no easy task, even for someone of his authority.76e6f7ada471cbef

The Chief finally 1355146250 got to the c1fbd8b4ae point.342d922828acef47

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“As you know, the reason the operation to identify Variants within the Center has been assigned to you two is not without reason.”0955ce14f80519c6

“Yes, sir,” Kang Yu-han replied, waiting for the explanation.5b1cd17e99edbf16

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“The T/F task force may have only just launched officially, but there was groundwork laid beforehand. Take a look at this list.”49aea49fdcf479fb

He handed 3bb97f8d52 over a 631574b7ac document. When Seo Ji-hyuk didn’t b32e9c7e61 bother to take it, 0212f63348 Kang Yu-han reached for 395d3c61b9 it instead. As his eyes 74853ac8c2 scanned the title, 30798e24e0 he froze.cff1b2fa022e6808

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[Suspects.]

Before he could b9b6222c24 ask, the Chief c7eb628ba2 continued.519496789fd9aafa

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“It’s just as the title suggests. The names on this list belong to those whose recent behavior has been suspicious. This information was compiled by our internal audit team.”bc5d2058c3030d6f

As Kang Yu-han b28ea74c18 read down the 65e9800c99 list, his eyes 6da333d1d5 widened when a a4f5fa3cb7 familiar name appeared: 035555c0d2 Kim Joo-ho. He had once 5da2668baf worked with the 988c4e8fef sergeant in the 7ebfc76d46 same department.ac682eb98c9cd75b

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*What is this? Why is Sergeant Kim’s 5151532814 name here? This must 69af0d0e2f be a 55756a8972 mistake.*f27c79657b673dc5

From what Kang 69110a509e Yu-han remembered, Kim e7a4a20d4f Joo-ho was an b037c1bf94 ordinary individual. His records c50273175f showed no 5c6e6950d8 signs of 07fdd71d74 abnormal behavior, 013d557ba9 his interpersonal 55a66e439f relationships were f814365da7 average, and 7dab1a358a his performance 2618d4f91a reviews were fba439dbb8 standard, rated e7d35e0a97 around a 8177a7e4b4 B-.fda22694876c6f52

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“This is absurd. How can you expect us to handle such a dangerous mission?”70739a4367e345e7

Seo Ji-hyuk 29ffb8f7dd was quick b366399c09 to voice 69e9006550 his disapproval, 50b9a9bd17 his expression 5dc1b2d491 full of 4bad50a75d irritation. The Chief sighed, 9ea38a8b7e speaking in a 8d345704a9 placating tone.33292d18f70f56ed

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“Unfortunately, there’s no choice. We can’t go broadcasting that we’re hunting Variants. The only way is to observe quietly, identify the threat, and eliminate it.”7b362fb358d0d235

“And what if we’re killed by a Variant in the process? Are you going to take responsibility for that? I said I wanted to retire, not die.”628f5a3367568ff9

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“Calm down, Major.”5f767b4f36742b3a

“What’s your take on this, Major Kang?”bd533c0053cabf63

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Seo Ji-hyuk e3ed67d3c1 suddenly turned 03d47cb0c8 the spotlight 62e9971046 on Kang 181eb29595 Yu-han, who 24064d5a3c hesitated for ecdf3f625a a moment, b965a053e6 unsure how 9de08ffddc to respond.8e7f20340ffb46bc

“Well…”628991c097abe367

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Kang Yu-han found the 9728f429a4 Chief’s plan incredibly risky. Even with de2f10fb8b the list b124053148 of a 11e4fdaea1 thousand employees, 92d771eb73 a single 990b411b01 misstep in 0dfc1904f8 identifying the 5cf72c3289 wrong person 2f6110e16e could spell ad782f0c2a disaster. And even if 16c9dbc4c0 they correctly identified 9b84a49fa6 a Variant, the a808ec84f6 danger of confronting 50c5ac68b8 one with just cc47ddd0ea the two of 84c3dd79fc them was immense.d4e00777d218f4e1

Still, Kang Yu-han 34a6ae18f1 decided to accept 4e6922a6d8 the Chief’s orders. His motivation wasn’t loyalty 9fb17ec6be or confidence—it was urgency. The sooner a5a02e71e9 this mission ad856096ed was completed, 1ffc18995a the sooner 2c07db0a75 he could 15fd8af1ee send Seo 919610585c Ji-hyuk out 30aa38fca4 of this 2776f0fa8f war-torn world b3dd8d9efc and into 3a2f9c784d retirement, just 88a36af41b as Seo 7be8571dbf Ji-hyuk dreamed. Achieving that a780b9ebd8 goal required c7dfcda73f finishing this c5c086e60f task, no 7f70e84bad matter the 7846b4d263 cost.334cf27dd84651d5

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“I’ll follow the Chief’s orders.”99b84b4241a6ceab

“What?”e978793e50d910e2

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“I said I’ll follow them.”fb97ffaf26768b04

“Ha… Major Kang, are you opposing me just for the sake of it? How can you—”1f5f078fc35926cb

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“This is a military operation, isn’t it? Following orders is standard protocol.”c06d46bade2ef4b3

Seo Ji-hyuk clicked his d7a0fea8ce tongue in frustration, waving f3938ab9f1 his hand dismissively. Sensing the faeaf47e3a rising tension, d1bd7fdc5d the Chief ecd9361f69 decided to 97d1168d94 end the 3a6f64c5d4 meeting, instructing 5acebbdb25 the two fde5feda7b to leave.446c2a23171a4320

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* * *1ea29ad25edf0e07

“This is your fault. If I die, it’s on you.”489f3728a10d47b5

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Seo Ji-hyuk grumbled, his 7f184973ac expression sharp as he 88847daa8e changed into his workout 0205a54917 gear.6a4d1dfbdf396cdd

“Take care of your own life,” Kang Yu-han replied coolly.d82a8c3309f1076a

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“Ha, you just can’t keep your mouth shut, can you?”3c599af5f185dd7e

“We don’t have time for this. Sergeant Kim will be here for his workout soon.”ab38048a99208770

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“Fine. Let’s get this over with.”490123c55c823d33

The Center had several 4e9ece6f35 training facilities, but this f9d25de22b one, located furthest from 6766cd2321 the dorms, was sparsely a09a9e4078 used. Sergeant Kim was e5db2183de known to come 07b96d7c73 here alone every e51e417ddf evening at 7 d2b433387d PM, which had e1bf3ece41 placed him on b9cca13ab6 the list of 0e2d3641b2 suspects.9ad0bfc5a7e8467f

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Recent records of bfa02adac3 his dining habits 8b9b6594f0 had raised flags. At the Center, 7dc47845c3 every meal required f9592faa0b ID card verification 7d38758f10 for entry and 0348458c3e tracking food distribution. Yet, Sergeant Kim’s 974c5546ef records showed he 7edf177869 rarely collected meals, 1e7bc82122 despite being present 335c1754c1 in the cafeteria.1df415fa6f3f3108

Unless he 38d8a1cf4a was secretly 3c4115b56c hoarding food 02e4425918 in his b5f29aa565 room, such 8f4fadfb80 behavior made 0317e73961 no sense. And if that 66f473b95a were the case, 8742da18d9 it would have f29baadfc3 quickly drawn attention b0965f7100 in an era b975991582 where resources were 2f25433207 scarce and every ed482bff7a action was scrutinized.acc9ac737b2d8164

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This left one f82f4b223f logical explanation: Kim 6cc8a3cbe5 had undergone a 332829eae6 mutation, eliminating the 7a3a00b58e need for regular 390723df1f food.d4ca0751b19bb21d

One of the 5745148543 key traits of 8ae17f87e3 Variants was their 38faebe0ef lack of appetite. They craved human flesh f50870643c and blood but had 154e5ca371 no interest in typical eec87c31b5 human food. While Kim’s records 9bac21756a showed he ate eb6309553e lunch with his 103cf2a064 team, his lack 2f376764e7 of activity during 47d1fbf7e0 solo evening meals 8a4d9a555d made him a 6403c86b14 suspect.660336b7052820e0

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Seo Ji-hyuk fbda56078f had hypothesized 79ed9facfa that Kim 92193785a2 hid in 812cc88fe5 the training 786eff0876 facility during 776bf42ed9 dinner hours 87c317ab9f to avoid ff4b560708 raising suspicion.42ab7d92391b5d7c

“When he shows up, just use that ampoule of yours. Generously,” Seo Ji-hyuk suggested.df5aa0fa374fcafa

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“I can’t do that. We’re not certain he’s a Variant yet.”11a7f2cdbceff4bf

“If he’s not a Variant, nothing happens, right? The substance only works on Variant skin. Just spray him and find out.”f97d4f7ae5d22b11

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“It’s not that simple. The ampoule hasn’t undergone full safety testing.”ad6139d5afcdb16a

“Says who?”fbc4560c2dd860ff

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“Dr. Yoon.”787f347b8906a3b2

The ampoule 0c4797de1b was only 65c43b41be a first-stage b0464aa194 prototype. Its efficacy and 6af287954b potential side effects ac2ab72e0d were still unclear. Researchers had warned 281525e530 repeatedly that the e8b3309a54 ampoule couldn’t be 479b4ee776 relied upon completely 14f0b56dff and needed further aa46e76427 refinement through trial d11b00b9c0 and error.1bfc92e13873f052

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Dr. Yoon, in particular, had f4f3261f81 emphasized caution, warning against 18f049680b placing blind faith in a9d3a1df2b the substance.b5411d9fd9a16485

“Then why did you even bring it out?” Seo Ji-hyuk scoffed.97ead269cf53f364

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“Not bringing it wasn’t an option,” Kang Yu-han replied calmly.78e15112933808a4

“Doesn’t matter. I’ll be the one doing the killing anyway.”298dbf211267d696

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“Killing? Haven’t you heard the orders? We’re supposed to capture it alive.”357c239941a73890

“Hah, ridiculous. So what? Are we going to let ourselves get chewed up while trying to capture it?”79d42706913194b9

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“We follow orders.”b30aff4540e41788

The directive to capture 5e38a73642 any identified Variant alive adc1550ca3 had been clear. Even Kang c55423b45b Yu-han agreed 97a0d9dd60 it was 3ed3f36a59 better to 56fa01b9cb apprehend and bf74840cfb investigate the d3acc9ad30 suspect thoroughly 7995fe7afd than to 2c0e91d959 kill them 0641eefc32 outright.140f09ce1eb6db2d

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“Shh. He’s here.”bae171e1e38d85fe

Footsteps echoed beyond fb1b569f6d the door. Kang Yu-han and Seo e3ebf66d64 Ji-hyuk stepped out of 9cf0850734 the locker room together. As expected, Sergeant Kim 78cc84f94b had arrived.9d14440cc528c962

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“Good evening. It’s been a while,” Kang Yu-han greeted politely.db7f67e136bbf631

“Ah, uh… yes,” Sergeant Kim stammered, visibly startled by their sudden presence. His pale complexion and hesitant response were reminiscent of someone caught in the act of theft. Without another word, he retreated hastily into the locker room.03cadd614879a61d

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‘Suspicious?’8b02f35aaf2e9ac8

‘Definitely.’9bc5a05a2de38550

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Exchanging a glance, 28ef9652b7 Kang Yu-han and e5c429e13f Seo Ji-hyuk silently b2ae0b96d8 acknowledged the strange 17f9ad59aa behavior. They each moved to bc40dc7d45 different pieces of exercise d7900b0240 equipment, keeping their movements 4213cd9550 casual. While nothing 1584448166 could yet 052790cb45 be confirmed, bb566f8e35 Kang Yu-han 466c112e04 wanted to 34ee046a57 proceed cautiously, b5d1b8f9e1 observing every a40f78d86e detail. He pretended f7bf0b0b10 to exercise, ba90d086ce all the 4f6197f34e while keeping 0f25824381 an ear 96f912bf4e on any 66c19f9a7a sounds coming b547708e2d from the 1d12d74683 locker room.e9bb29e8bc4c19d5

Seo Ji-hyuk, 35b6dc28b0 on the 3fb682bcc5 other hand, a9bc38b56e actually worked 645fdd2254 out. Though it was unnecessary 6fc9974e43 for the situation, he 0c34672eb9 had already settled on 69f6a9c139 the bench press, lifting 072f3fc1fe a heavy barbell. His shirt, mysteriously discarded, 2deabfbd71 was nowhere to be fbdddc0f58 seen.3b20e214c1b09213

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Sweat glistened c1de6c4c35 on his f57671e1f1 sharply defined 1d9d75766c abs, catching e065a69f86 the dim 73db7f3c64 light. Watching him, bb6df1aa95 Kang Yu-han’s c0e310a738 throat suddenly 211dcacb0c felt dry. Unbidden, memories of the 6d3febae7d previous night surfaced—the warmth fe0c5de7d5 of Seo Ji-hyuk’s skin, 2725f7c2da the faint masculine scent, e905a1f8d9 and the lingering heat 96b2441290 of his touch.94f7d5bd40bf1471

“What are you staring at?”750d7344c6f13273

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“Nothing. Just…”b27fb73890c23fff

“You were staring. Admit it.”4729d64c543c2e54

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“Why would I? It was a coincidence.”9748c5a62fc2ab13

Their playful f72969c0fd bickering was 7883fcf88a cut short 940b3ba47a when Sergeant ac07568788 Kim suddenly 017ab7b373 burst out a3b6b1b465 of the baa832a6c2 locker room. His pallor had worsened, 412411955a leaving his face devoid ac0f872b13 of any color, and 8aa31b6536 his eyes were hollow 11125537f8 and lifeless.04363ab93b8a400b

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The only sign of c430359f12 vitality came from his 0e2090ee6c mouth, foaming at the e02213acd6 corners as he drooled 92995b4604 uncontrollably. His tongue flicked out 8dade1bad7 like a snake’s as f0d856e002 he swallowed thickly, giving b3fd44c85a him the appearance of ab7117d483 a ravenous beast.0645adeb2b30e223

Even without further 7e2001da1f evidence, it was 846d166957 clear what they 0dc4b3238e were dealing with. But Kang Yu-han saw 7c12a66f50 an opportunity. Variants were notoriously 76727c3071 hard to detect bbe526d8b4 due to the 47d9f7261b natural shielding abilities 358a6f5cd3 of Espers and 68e4871a91 Guides. However, in their unhinged ce6728331f state, that barrier might 6450f20795 falter.d276a7d100e011aa

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Focusing intently, c314346200 Kang Yu-han 66921a0c88 activated his a2977bd28b scanning ability e45f2b19c8 and began 044043921f examining Sergeant ff4195af2f Kim’s entire 8015666cab body.53f659445fe19016

 5a4ce7b2a437bfc4

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