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.2a88cb7553e466e6

The Chief abe3842b3d finally got 4d65f7e86a to the 2ec8050bdf point.2349c6f9cdf80361

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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.”9c165af5ea0094a3

“Yes, sir,” Kang Yu-han replied, waiting for the explanation.e98fd50e889738db

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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.”978d02ebd009078c

He handed over 5029aa17c7 a document. When Seo Ji-hyuk e52e6c25ad didn’t bother to f82c2736b8 take it, Kang a15a8803cf Yu-han reached for ec06b17194 it instead. As his bdbebb8de9 eyes scanned b40fda021b the title, ca5dba44c4 he froze.b3278652e56809a5

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[Suspects.]

Before he 0705db4874 could ask, f4df09367f the Chief 785e820b28 continued.dbc1c34778b1b95b

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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.”aa56a41e6c4ce4e6

As Kang Yu-han 058cdf6299 read down the fff212e5fd list, his eyes 866369a194 widened when a b337658ff3 familiar name appeared: 4585f0c8ac Kim Joo-ho. He had 2b3030cc69 once worked c0ac01df72 with the 1fb39fed4c sergeant in 49953918ff the same 38f1bafd05 department.f126155d1fdf1ea5

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*What is this? Why is fe1c883691 Sergeant Kim’s be8f7ce718 name here? This must be 4764cad3ea a mistake.*c15a2a2436f1a669

From what Kang Yu-han f559236aaf remembered, Kim Joo-ho was 0ce4b78bd3 an ordinary individual. His records bedef3dffb showed no 35ebd05057 signs of da89373628 abnormal behavior, 591f382c6c his interpersonal 20c0dd5461 relationships were c5be27f9e3 average, and 4f1c980bed his performance 18f1c18951 reviews were 8a93e451bd standard, rated 5c4ba42a14 around a 0375dc34ae B-.3dc5170762d7e95d

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“This is absurd. How can you expect us to handle such a dangerous mission?”b31824ffe3ea9630

Seo Ji-hyuk was quick b4134e3a99 to voice his disapproval, fbb61cfe4b his expression full of 2cd8ac1db1 irritation. The Chief db5b679406 sighed, speaking ba2b979a60 in a dc7412a3a1 placating tone.111df58f29ad7177

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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.”bb0304e7803a28eb

“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.”1146589151727115

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“Calm down, Major.”bb45fbb026500ffa

“What’s your take on this, Major Kang?”89c53e79501dc774

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Seo Ji-hyuk ab40139b7f suddenly turned bb119651f9 the spotlight 24dc7c16aa on Kang c825c33b96 Yu-han, who 3ccca68ead hesitated for c61898d916 a moment, 5a30d5447b unsure how 7afb13f65b to respond.7a6298c984a6dd6e

“Well…”f2a1c2155cd68235

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Kang Yu-han found the 2a0f2ac3ef Chief’s plan incredibly risky. Even with the list 1e88d7e2dd of a thousand employees, 91b542a74d a single misstep in da6ccb2bdb identifying the wrong person ae7ce14128 could spell disaster. And even 3bdb7b6f3a if they 02466bae99 correctly identified 707eacfdf8 a Variant, 90a7c8eb91 the danger 50d4a6e795 of confronting 36863343b1 one with 60b04040f8 just the 9ef8ba545c two of 2ce096a6d6 them was fafd385d21 immense.34a52ce4b5ee5aa6

Still, Kang Yu-han decided f6b09b6643 to accept the Chief’s 78a18f9fe7 orders. His motivation wasn’t loyalty ab6bd150e3 or confidence—it was urgency. The sooner this 54f8e7a45a mission was completed, 4e72d656e7 the sooner he 28135e29cb could send Seo 0be655feee Ji-hyuk out of 907efbc478 this war-torn world f2e8114c32 and into retirement, 790bb380a3 just as Seo fc6133ef94 Ji-hyuk dreamed. Achieving that goal required 54f6c1d749 finishing this task, no 0bc99b03a3 matter the cost.667fa7df9f77c487

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“I’ll follow the Chief’s orders.”df216dd663cf7817

“What?”d166a8911112f53b

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“I said I’ll follow them.”55bce7d028221490

“Ha… Major Kang, are you opposing me just for the sake of it? How can you—”70ec8b33b53f8c92

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“This is a military operation, isn’t it? Following orders is standard protocol.”942b20bbb4cc3660

Seo Ji-hyuk clicked his a507b508ce tongue in frustration, waving f73b228f2a his hand dismissively. Sensing the rising tension, 2341736f1e the Chief decided to 3fa9a050e8 end the meeting, instructing 2522a112a3 the two to leave.01583f28e8f8b1b4

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* * *9bae8d392b8a9ce5

“This is your fault. If I die, it’s on you.”96cc197dc3452f1b

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Seo Ji-hyuk 445ac29313 grumbled, his 09a1f7dc55 expression sharp c6dcbc271d as he 5237b66141 changed into fcd8fe6729 his workout 816227c094 gear.a1f178444eb3da6f

“Take care of your own life,” Kang Yu-han replied coolly.9e46222e74c156c4

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“Ha, you just can’t keep your mouth shut, can you?”a72cad509dd6e0eb

“We don’t have time for this. Sergeant Kim will be here for his workout soon.”1aa33f106a6de4cc

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“Fine. Let’s get this over with.”bb6b558df63c6086

The Center had several fcf693a282 training facilities, but this 7ba02cd160 one, located furthest from 30b696e1a7 the dorms, was sparsely 17e6e1b939 used. Sergeant Kim was b63498dcba known to come 6b3e24bdb3 here alone every 1b723de257 evening at 7 0ccc248162 PM, which had dbdc31bd24 placed him on d48a3377c4 the list of 5eb917503b suspects.a389806416e240b4

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Recent records of 0b6ecf7e5e his dining habits 9a927ba4d6 had raised flags. At the 7c0dbed6d7 Center, every 2057fb964f meal required 6f9dd0684e ID card 3d72caaec4 verification for d96acce2ac entry and feb2ca58ab tracking food 3caa2287de distribution. Yet, Sergeant 6097dfc65c Kim’s records 97deae4ec2 showed he 37632e868b rarely collected 2ca5dfe47a meals, despite c4136ebd7d being present 7979b283bb in the 4401063dab cafeteria.33e2e96b05d56b2f

Unless he ab9adb4161 was secretly 0db35eab3a hoarding food c5a148e4d5 in his 55399c229e room, such cac9aa961e behavior made f57d81828c no sense. And if that a9a70a4e1c were the case, b8822031ad it would have 6e3d57fef8 quickly drawn attention c60dafde9c in an era d7fca4155f where resources were 1955940655 scarce and every ce33597ad7 action was scrutinized.b6a5782ff505eacf

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This left one b4f67edf8c logical explanation: Kim 8bd464cc89 had undergone a bbd81af8a6 mutation, eliminating the 78a0647379 need for regular 65e848fc08 food.c4f2d6b6859f3525

One of the 02d85d27d5 key traits of 82e4350b75 Variants was their 1744b68f77 lack of appetite. They craved 2d4e7e1771 human flesh 1f40126885 and blood c0866ee583 but had b88d707157 no interest 52ef01c309 in typical 473d0ecbcd human food. While Kim’s a48854350a records showed 27639cd79f he ate 50db7b0117 lunch with 3e415caf43 his team, a4bbbcea66 his lack 72b7633356 of activity eaf218302d during solo b339363d0b evening meals 6d95897cbe made him e01fa043e8 a suspect.bc01a8ebe467b2eb

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Seo Ji-hyuk had hypothesized 32bd08552d that Kim hid in f0acb424cf the training facility during c4f6b08833 dinner hours to avoid 0b84a5ea7e raising suspicion.501fba6fd0a93b39

“When he shows up, just use that ampoule of yours. Generously,” Seo Ji-hyuk suggested.1697f3d9f324c9bb

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“I can’t do that. We’re not certain he’s a Variant yet.”98271967081b59f7

“If he’s not a Variant, nothing happens, right? The substance only works on Variant skin. Just spray him and find out.”7613140e066a7f1b

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“It’s not that simple. The ampoule hasn’t undergone full safety testing.”4ba1f6a30e0a3cc1

“Says who?”2c452dbffafcc961

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“Dr. Yoon.”36ec438454628d7f

The ampoule f34e9313ef was only 3ae6e38cc8 a first-stage d1734df819 prototype. Its efficacy c1fa7dd368 and potential 2dceef2323 side effects 4f90f09c80 were still 1409163dd1 unclear. Researchers had warned repeatedly 6afd122dfa that the ampoule couldn’t c2220afed0 be relied upon completely b4afab9914 and needed further refinement 2c0e20e2a6 through trial and error.8a709c50aa4c7e70

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Dr. Yoon, in 893bfdd546 particular, had 9c6827de3a emphasized caution, 23d5c30971 warning against 7b4bf8e8b9 placing blind a46ea3a3f9 faith in ab15d153b2 the substance.ae4425ae2fc1793e

“Then why did you even bring it out?” Seo Ji-hyuk scoffed.0a51eb26a56a6067

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“Not bringing it wasn’t an option,” Kang Yu-han replied calmly.6f0d6639acdcd696

“Doesn’t matter. I’ll be the one doing the killing anyway.”10c23f37aae46956

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“Killing? Haven’t you heard the orders? We’re supposed to capture it alive.”d1afa2d62cb01146

“Hah, ridiculous. So what? Are we going to let ourselves get chewed up while trying to capture it?”aea6bcf95b9756b3

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“We follow orders.”5bccd762b6fec697

The directive 452e025a5b to capture 553ae8d557 any identified f3c31c11a8 Variant alive 425fe1ff7b had been 63119de81e clear. Even Kang Yu-han 31093d3a47 agreed it was 57611c1028 better to apprehend c64c1610c7 and investigate the 2a0a84ae3f suspect thoroughly than 962824b8d2 to kill them cc5589a9da outright.6a461167bd51ad70

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“Shh. He’s here.”74e8c273333b0e95

Footsteps echoed beyond the ff324b3a91 door. Kang Yu-han 9e24746d1e and Seo 6f56265c30 Ji-hyuk stepped bb780a1dd8 out of 96f962d695 the locker feb314d1ef room together. As expected, Sergeant Kim 9e5bd3d07a had arrived.8a4c0391c6387695

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“Good evening. It’s been a while,” Kang Yu-han greeted politely.433ff02517bab3be

“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.91cf58dc079ea04c

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‘Suspicious?’9559d0550632f5b1

‘Definitely.’fa24df908a54e858

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Exchanging a glance, 428e7d916e Kang Yu-han and 75d41d9f48 Seo Ji-hyuk silently f5e8c5c796 acknowledged the strange 4825a8f766 behavior. They each moved a307cf0821 to different pieces b509c9b2bf of exercise equipment, 5918a45e3d keeping their movements 80ea7d3fb8 casual. While nothing df75725c32 could yet de80536af9 be confirmed, c4e2723316 Kang Yu-han b7e7307afa wanted to 038dd9b9d0 proceed cautiously, eec1aedb74 observing every 0a78990f69 detail. He pretended to 487e469b7d exercise, all the c9efdb044d while keeping an 5d444c28a1 ear on any 5214c45f8c sounds coming from dee62e942c the locker room.a4fb947c1dad0ed3

Seo Ji-hyuk, on the f930ebbd3c other hand, actually worked 2fe20c55fc out. Though it was unnecessary ac24999971 for the situation, he bfd7949834 had already settled on 840be79e8d the bench press, lifting 374ec5f4a1 a heavy barbell. His shirt, mysteriously discarded, c4db1977b0 was nowhere to be 5a460d7326 seen.099804bfcb9e4c80

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Sweat glistened on his b1fe4db35f sharply defined abs, catching b684b77a2e the dim light. Watching him, 0bbaaa3226 Kang Yu-han’s 7e47f20666 throat suddenly 8c3e648672 felt dry. Unbidden, memories of the aedcb1de47 previous night surfaced—the warmth 40b44867a2 of Seo Ji-hyuk’s skin, e6ef95d310 the faint masculine scent, a4772fb948 and the lingering heat 2502d30e00 of his touch.dc4f4e0e0b1c8432

“What are you staring at?”944f151eda388bbd

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“Nothing. Just…”86cc7095f496c37a

“You were staring. Admit it.”257ccb5f4d53fb01

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“Why would I? It was a coincidence.”dce59ae93ef2a0db

Their playful bickering 13b0c956b8 was cut short 9fe72f7525 when Sergeant Kim e570ebfc43 suddenly burst out a140ecd52e of the locker d2d4e229b4 room. His pallor had worsened, 6e0fb67ff9 leaving his face devoid 10899e5cfe of any color, and 36ab524294 his eyes were hollow 7c8e4e489d and lifeless.c0b9455a99bb136c

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The only sign 9c1acc2f01 of vitality came 04c2cbc3fc from his mouth, cb7db8e14c foaming at the d544a117e4 corners as he 4ba061e8e9 drooled uncontrollably. His tongue 6f948b48a2 flicked out ea17d58811 like a 649f1e5d21 snake’s as ddf887c4da he swallowed b8b534cec8 thickly, giving 107ed4976f him the a08716780e appearance of a1cd2e4f87 a ravenous 5598a4ce87 beast.2d8ecb062b969212

Even without further da9677514f evidence, it was f256e13fb3 clear what they 10be65530a were dealing with. But Kang Yu-han 80fc373cf6 saw an opportunity. Variants were notoriously hard 82cd6303d7 to detect due to 46312ded69 the natural shielding abilities 740937d609 of Espers and Guides. However, in 7e85926e07 their unhinged ce203bee9d state, that 778aa7c7f4 barrier might e498d989c0 falter.79a3f6a0c9ac35e9

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Focusing intently, Kang Yu-han 25ca706d3f activated his scanning ability a1b9aa5ad7 and began examining Sergeant eaae869213 Kim’s entire body.096df920a148767c

 de17405b84902a20

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