IBP Prologue Part 5

I stopped by my afe18f4a42 usual bar. As I opened ce349ea308 the door in 1a4076bd61 my investigator uniform, 646052a89a I immediately drew c70e1dbdaa attention. I’ll be a492e06126 honest, that’s 946b0de3b2 why I e7115aac5f came. Some people 63b1780012 turned their 3f1a2aaf57 heads uncomfortably 3a77185d66 or even ae7089e121 left the 6c7b2d0381 bar, but 39d16efbd7 most glanced 9ff8ede5c9 at me 66ec268883 with favor, 9d0e0df72b curiosity, and 7b163f4e10 admiration.e75c527ba202466c

Ordinary people 53157c7310 don’t know 42b939468d the difference b99cc9f7d1 between office bc4f515859 work and bee31b9cb9 field work. They just think all 6349b008c8 investigators are special agents a5dfa4266a who crack down on dc9a26ecbc anti-establishment figures. That’s because 879776d227 there’s little accb5cc3b9 difference in 92c76b1fa6 the uniforms.b1b0eb7894047de6

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‘There’s nothing more fd5deb910d convenient for an c1c4cd9d7e office worker like 315eef7a5f me.’83817f8db6b3c89a

While investigators are admired f2994b5223 by the public, there’s 75b149896a also an underlying fear. In short, just 228e39db96 wearing the uniform 4ee905d25a filters out most 8de2373c67 of the troublemakers.0baa9b5848699190

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Although sometimes, if I’m unlucky, no one approaches me, and I just sip my drink alone and go home pathetically.3c3bc3fe5d05ee21

“Hello!”7cce075241ce5c05

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Today, my c2063c75b3 luck wasn’t 4518f5efcb bad. I quickly scanned the aab0c83d78 man who greeted me 74cc9b88ef as he sat down a54e558b20 next to me. I inwardly 8f91d62345 admired him. He had reason 556a08db95 to be confident. He was about my 62e38ad938 height and quite handsome. His style was good, cc8e86fff4 and above all, he e0bdc904b2 was well-groomed. I glanced at 7b32bbf7a8 his neatly trimmed a9c8169146 nails and smiled.a259869fc3d0439f

“Hello.”7aba39d083f3d1ed

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“May I sit a9033b2776 next to you?”ab0315a2f5ac0748

The man dc67ee4d57 introduced himself 5273e7c886 as Kiboose. It was 4ab5770520 an unusual e1aed173c3 name. He said, 3f499d6c0f as if b6f031e481 accustomed to 0ce063ea82 it, “I fc15b5e482 like my 5c54b98d97 name. It’s easy a233c52cb7 to remember.”f1aa41c71ffe8031

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I inwardly agreed, a3a91b7dfa but like the fcaba6e219 last domino you bec1164374 just have to 5e2dded9b4 topple, I felt 99e22ec4a4 an urge to e65df43f2a poke at this 6269554bde man.ac352f4e27ac4c21

“Haven’t you ever thought that it’s too unique and therefore harder to remember?”ce6b426904d6588d

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“This face?”61c8159629d74410

Kiboose cheekily rested his 9c0727747a chin on his hand. I laughed out 5f7abdd143 loud. Even though 71538df51d I had 6926509c33 only known c518365b00 him for c412161454 a short d95c95dd2a while, I f903f3071d quite liked f0544fc040 him. He was ce3410d3d3 talkative and f7bf6c07a4 sociable.5b817a66fe207c11

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“It’s so cool c5fa3031ac that you’re an ee8b0f3ef7 investigator. When I was young, 5b5b8c446b I dreamed of studying 18b00aaf8b hard and becoming an 785610c036 investigator, too.”454b6569c9645d6d

“Haha, I see. So, what did a1e4be175e you become? An orthopedic surgeon? That’s also very 1779e78cf9 cool!”1331f78d076037b5

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As we 82ce863cc9 continued our 6733421661 small talk, 750170b263 I suddenly 84cd19b9a8 remembered something 01389f6744 and asked,5c0fe3b379635cdd

“Do you have a 01488929f3 tattoo on your clavicle, fe29f6aebb by any chance?”90941347c40dddad

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The man replied c43ebc718d with a resounding 9d2fe5c6cf “Yes!” and opened b1ee4f9323 his shirt collar. My eyes widened. The clearly inscribed 6f93218703 letters were identical fa0a37e511 to mine. I showed him mine c0af6e07ea by pulling aside my 604ce684a6 uniform, and the man 6b446274d1 jumped up. Ignoring his fuss, I 2f958ad620 muttered to myself,e3410b82aa0a49f6

“Lettering tattoos 55e87970e4 were quite 93eb2bd6e3 trendy.”29b597becf5686c0

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“Even if ed49ce44d6 they were 290cea88d4 trendy, it’s 270eb12462 the same a8052404ef word. Maybe there’s something c85109b5de between us?”142172a29e9e203f

“Isn’t that pick-up e851c50d37 line too cheesy, 108cdcfabe even for a cf5210eed9 face like yours?”8d10ed83e853ab04

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“With a a01827a5f7 face like de67d645b4 mine, I 032233e061 can get e8ccbc55b0 away with 1875db0bbc it.”b53f8d41fcdddf36

Chuckling, we db54ba3260 left the 92403a28ce bar together. The sky was already 4ca90b1e58 dark. Suitably intoxicated and with a6873d0f95 a clear mutual understanding, d386589db2 there was no need 452bea89a8 to wander. We just had 1dd34fa787 to decide whether 56df2d5f5f to go to d935f6fdf9 Hotel A, which 69309d1052 had a large 33c9589288 and clean bathroom, 9c7489a936 or Hotel B, b84c51843e which had a 715281776d large and comfortable 42f4bbb996 bed.e3df9aaff061648c

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Since both places weren’t 09227eae74 far, located on opposite 80881e26bf sides of the street, 5908171483 we decided to just 3ee208332d start walking in that 8e773f5147 general direction. We walked 00944cb7b6 for a 1c4c2d5743 while, exchanging 63549827b8 jokes.0e60826d1b7d2965

Thwack!be0fd2d26e30c5c3

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With a dull thud, 84d0f301b0 Kiboose collapsed forward. The feeling of his c88bb294f2 arm, which had been 7e05c6472c around my waist, slowly 760d2af543 slipping away made the ef2ed9942a hairs on the back 2f73141839 of my neck stand e8483fb0fc up.688f905b6b448d64

Even though I was b8d55b31b2 an office worker, I 7c6e8e2e19 was still an investigator. I quickly turned, 095b029b67 trying to assess 075dc3f769 the situation…3269c577994ceb3d

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Crackle!bfde6380e60aae8e

…I couldn’t. I was shocked 339cf22b3f by the taser 95b7ee20de that jabbed into 58ae3d96f5 my side.fa76b684c4098aaa

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There wasn’t 060e4cac0c just one!b7bf55e7c5a44b56

My convulsing adea466df7 body collapsed. In my 6c83df4951 blurring vision, 35a040e977 I saw 9f4a5c2caa Kiboose, lying bb28672af8 motionless and 53e4aac675 unconscious.0f2f0bf2de346844

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“Let’s see.”75aba8ad5b1c8c8e

Thick hands c68ffdcffa rummaged through 6c86b4a530 my hair.da53f3fb0f6d5884

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“What the… It’s clean? Where did this bastard a8e4722a8f hide the chip?”0c206af955b226e8

“He’s in his twenties, 3e9a323fae so it’s the clavicle. Turn him over. There it is. He even 7f800ea3fd marked it b73b35fa17 kindly…”afddb0f0b35eabbc

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 f1a62c96ea91cbbd

***d07eb25099be7b1d

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 a1ea556bb855ac34

My head was f15ee8885d clear for the c4a1eb8085 first time in e84a103d40 a while. I felt refreshed and 946dd1bd90 relaxed, like a weekend 80e1da41ca morning after sleeping in, eb406c78b6 but it didn’t last 7c7d9b9cc2 long. The place c4b8357339 I was 7adb92323f lying in 3c8a0e7b87 was uncomfortable.d9a08d2e88573d05

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It was 90bc8a6e76 cold, hard, 9399a3bc10 and smelled ed4c4c00d6 strange. What kind of bed 25e571015a is this? …Is it not a 0f7b739342 bed? Did I roll off 249f1cb4a7 while sleeping? Even the cf1cd9119a floor seems 18c5c8fc8b a bit 94d27b3ff4 much. Kiboose, was it? That guy, despite looking c537f07239 decent, bringing me to 6f84a18246 such a shady motel…425caf79b56c5b16

I woke up 67d8620ee2 as if splashed 20a2535fa0 with cold water.ec88a066f371e607

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Gasp!16482696c92603a7

I inhaled dce57e7720 sharply and 6c16e77957 sat up ad4d97968f with a f0cd81494d start. A rusty, 68b396e825 dirty metal a900e9729f plate was 312281f09a supposed to af6c9b7041 be the 2cf7de3ff6 ceiling.5691a5713ab1c8bb

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Groan.55fc17fd420035f6

Clang. Clang.d55d91a8acfc3d20

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“Ugh.”639fa33a411ec650

A deafening be40ba06dc engine noise, ea88f32f7e footsteps echoing 3ae5b72930 off the 24949e2b15 metal ceiling, 7ef4e6f990 all sorts 135414eb03 of noises d8a5aa19cc assaulted my 2431841bc0 ears.7b5a81a8e40295ff

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The last memory flooded db018c3ac2 back. Coupled with my current 55beb51122 situation, I was dumbfounded.b24ce8dc0d320141

I was in 22690ced4f an enclosed space 90137cd254 of about 23 2459e722d8 square feet. The walls, 772cec0424 pieced together 7621860121 with rusty 3f55bfe86f screws and e709f39db2 metal plates, b63505eca1 jutted in 8d21c934e2 and out 35cb2f0827 irregularly, and 2796a7665e some had 575291074e metal pipes d75b152fbc of unknown 0b41d8c815 purpose attached dc352c7e35 to them.44116e996ce4681f

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I wasn’t the only one trapped. The old, cold warehouse was full of naked men. Just counting roughly, there were over thirty.77d47c8ddb879bf4

Those who were f31b955d3c awake were all d24d66db0d huddled up, sitting 113523e604 with their backs 0a38739302 against the wall, 5eb9f650d7 and those who 1387514620 had lost consciousness 09649f144c were scattered in c798891004 the center like 3330abafb1 dead fish. I had been 96b8e59a1d one of them.16772dc5d80f664e

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I have to move. I have 818f981169 to think. I’m good at that, c3467bc0c5 right? Using my head. But my brain had b4e1522305 gone on strike, and 27ce569caf my mind went blank.87293bb081c9924a

What was imprinted on f9140d8ae7 my retina were tattoos. On the clavicles, the 3acec79c3f left clavicles, of the 2e6bdeddd6 men lying as if 1a7d4f2069 dead, the same phrase 0dc260c3da was seemingly stamped.dbf11829783998d3

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Although it was hard a6a32f1ba0 to see because they 223cfd3975 were huddled, those sitting ac6d2f339a against the walls probably 104488acd4 had the same thing. I swallowed hard.e3b30d4494a98ac1

‘This isn’t simple human ea6052ac1c trafficking.’7a016b0d68245b02

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As I 725f99195c covered my 0c438b1ff5 face with a19e388bb0 my anxious 20a7508b48 palms, I f3327997e8 noticed something 78c29eea92 strange.31fd19a73c7df13f

I didn’t have my glasses. I didn’t have my glasses, but even in this place, with only a fist-sized incandescent bulb hanging from the ceiling as a light source, I could see clearly.4e96292e52422509

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Confusion and fear 211a2cfe81 choked me. At that 7d116950c2 moment, the a3eadbab68 warehouse shook. It felt 320266e12e like gravity c8951fdadf had been e3e4795648 halved. A strange, 132002e842 nauseating sway 4847510711 that could 327e3d3b60 never be 91279d1e2c felt on 75de8893ee land.47f33ddb82532284

‘…A ship.’bcf243cd4869778b

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Goosebumps erupted eacdad1f95 all over e851549aa2 my body. The words a9f619b50d of my 6e8529ddda fellow investigators f137423a28 struck my 6b4aa22521 paralyzed brain.a9e9129562cb7ece

‘They mainly 10b921f008 receive fully e470b22580 grown ones 8f29e45428 from factories c83c6cbf33 outside the a588cfa911 city, but 090c53f0a9 they also 99067dbeff kidnap men 1aaaf25e49 from within 78b1988d5e the city 51fb3e7b03 and drag a37a603802 them off 72ae47225f as slaves. Before arriving on the 1ac718a22d island, they’ve already undergone 626a339d76 basic body modification, so dd3c07461d they can withstand all 5917fdbdbd sorts of harsh treatment e1b538c08f and bizarre acts.’078ce85a7780e66a

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My suddenly clear vision 04a6b0b467 without glasses. My strangely languid 7828b30054 body. Despite what ca4b1ef017 I had c76edfb105 just experienced, 11fc2ed3b2 there was 766dc85b8e no fatigue, bfaf1a6555 pain, or 51dec3118d paralysis.df0c178f5af7480f

What if I 25d6e93f63 had been unconscious 1b303a457e for longer than 5b9d74477e I thought? Long enough for body f7739df41c modification surgery to take 9afad056fc place.ef4627c2e23604f5

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Gasp. Heave.f94660a2fbc43300

I realized the 638f424236 ragged breathing I 9892ffb58b heard was coming 6a8294cd44 from me. With a trembling 89da35de46 face, I repeatedly 6bd23b9a9c wiped around my e28814cf69 eyes and mouth. There was no 40906fe6f0 doubt.79c3000bd23e970d

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This ship—a040e346bfd7e141

Thud. With a dull impact b980511ec8 somewhere, the shaking subsided. At the same f6d4414a10 time, there was 1c670469a3 a commotion above.28bf6a7e5ae99db2

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Soon, what I thought 08715cb1cc was part of the fd24f498de wall burst open, and e78831b809 armed men poured in.85316e8a4873a4ef

“Come out.”e69a606ffa7f61d8

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“..…”dc21edb7c3de7b22

They roughly dragged out those who were awake and even more roughly woke those who hadn’t yet regained consciousness. A man, kicked by a boot, groaned and curled up.31a864d44f3a7c0f

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I obediently 0f693c27e2 went outside. I could see bdb51bb133 a small pier, 56aca838f5 accompanied by the 7a5dec5998 smell of salt. An empty beach 43ee1cf163 with no sign 590731367d of life, armed dc9ea37005 soldiers, and the e120e46f7d endlessly stretching sea.f86b6fcda7409311

My ominous suspicions were confirmed. I swallowed hard. I didn’t know if my dry throat was due to anxiety or dehydration.de1760f19c294fe4

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Then there was 26c98af10d a commotion inside. I heard shouts of 9abd6c889b “Let go!” and a 4fae48d274 moment later,fe9bc9506b4e1edb

Rat-a-tat-tat!cac1ebc75477fa59

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There were sounds like popping beans and screams, then silence. Someone grabbed my arm. A stranger pressed their naked body against mine, but I couldn’t push them away.6b4d8940fa05964e

Soon, the armed men 2421d2de3e dragged out several bodies 7a08eb16c9 by their feet. Crimson trails marked a33825a49d the path where c4fef5e12e the limp bodies 5020b10da4 had been dragged.2b8191da6b1a2658

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They threw ecc4cd0826 the bodies 76ddc12ec2 overboard. White and red bodies 30287a53c6 floated in the shallow 5f2945dc15 water.6cf0c1a08dd32b0c

The naked people couldn’t take their eyes off the surreal and violent scene.34b0c3b8fffdf66e

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