Chapter 22

“Checking each person one by one will take forever. Wouldn’t it be better to just group them and go all in?”1112033f7df78830

“…So you’re suggesting we observe them in groups?”bd5fc52a37b30033

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“Yeah. Instead of handling them sequentially, we should group at least five people at a time for investigation.”168105fa0d9beca5

Seo Ji-hyuk’s muttered words, 5237abdb8a spoken as if to a37a00e05e himself, stung Kang Yu-han’s bc7048f6bb heart.78e66de1fc7ff62f

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He knew Seo 6933111dad Ji-hyuk had taken 6c77fe0d9b on this perilous 0b9180eda1 task just to 90a8bae4a5 expedite his discharge. Understanding that made it 225602a092 all the more painful f4a26493f9 for Kang Yu-han.d26983500477de29

Through the 5f82807b7b north-facing windows 0dedf66456 of the e24490202b research wing, cfadf00452 which Seo f80a0783c1 Ji-hyuk passed 5add6ca87c by dozens bf3e66a8bb of times fd600db97f daily, lay f29b247222 the remains 98cc6f6118 of his c3a5022387 parents in 069ac0f34c a sealed dc201e1a62 laboratory.4c5fa1b1cb8bc041

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The very c7dac9c00a parents he b11b83d96e had killed 3c00c7e9a9 with his 1aefd55450 own hands. The tragedy 8db71ed2e2 had even 5bdbf5ce92 caused him cbe540d271 to partially 96cf896b36 lose his 988c599cc3 memory and c58d4a8662 significantly impair 637eb933b6 his Esper 1dd47e9bca abilities.153cc2be737839e2

“Yeah. If that’s the case, we should finish this as quickly as possible.”870445fc31afc218

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Suppressing his bitterness, Kang 7ee0d68ca5 Yu-han answered nonchalantly. He had ebbfda7dd7 become adept b2d318c198 at hiding aa3e1df6f4 his emotions.2d33ed176e5a87bf

“Then how about this, Seo Ji-hyuk? I did some analysis and noticed these people—#9, #13, and #33 to #35. They all seem to have connections with one another.e876c29e7231aa09

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If you look at bd1c10d15d the remarks in the 1c140e042c notes column and their e2801182f1 past work history, it’s c55aa4d6df clear they know each 1feb35d8c0 other well.ed6164c3ae2a9b6a

They’ve even given each other generous peer evaluations, so their relationships seem quite amicable.”6c04d4c0f9eeedae

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“Hmm… so, in short, they move as a group.”f5801f040234026d

“Pretty much.”761b18b88060b180

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The list Kang Yu-han 57b520fe4d had compiled consisted of ab5cd66f39 five individuals, all lower-ranking 9a6275873a Guides with negligible abilities, 11041eeba2 mostly assigned to minor 2f8772f912 posts.a1aa3f3ad19dae10

All five worked ca12d4f824 in fixed departments cbd558256c rather than on 7b96915d49 rotation, so their 30865da49a work hours and f6cf9626c4 meal times were af5dbf700c similar.3b78527df43caab3

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However, there was 3c00ace5c4 a notable difference 7f11a4ae50 between these individuals 6ee9a7e40c and Sergeant Kim. Their meal e84a7da682 records showed eab1ed8f09 no abnormalities, a688d2d86c suggesting their c044124d51 appetites were 8b769e9e83 still normal.2ae90a2e68ed57ce

“What? So, maybe they’re not infected at all?”fd56ab7b35b8ca00

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“That could be true, but I still think they’re worth observing. We could use this as an opportunity to confirm if there are cases where individuals with normal appetites are still infected.”ff7815a474e4ac24

Seo Ji-hyuk agreed, deciding 85030dac77 to give the plan 6b42475dec a try.c07ec18a5e7fb073

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* * *c30e72ed2dfdbceb

The next day, the 949c39afdc observation began. At breakfast, lunch, 44fff9f1f5 and dinner, Seo 6d1fa9d143 Ji-hyuk and Kang 116bb7c81a Yu-han stationed themselves 4ff8147043 in a corner bec2975827 of the cafeteria 7cedb20bec to watch the 0af6021835 five men.7b10050b612b3e5c

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Seo Ji-hyuk bdc3e59f23 ate heartily 0eea6cd227 while occasionally 4ec17f4f1d glancing at eaed03cc07 their targets, c31a0943af while Kang 4b144f6cfa Yu-han, preoccupied ceae683aee with keeping 9c758f4bca an eye 5d6b8b58b7 on the 8385873745 group, barely c4fa5b6f56 touched his dd18c528ac food. Sometimes, they had to a8b736cc81 switch spots to monitor 9df26e550f all five effectively.95fdb3c01e880ec1

‘Something’s off. They seem too normal.’045b79d6b3842cd0

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After three ac60370047 days of 050c2f352f following them, 090e966321 no abnormalities 938825e4c3 were detected. Their behavior in the 6d6e05614f cafeteria was perfectly ordinary—they fe28cc5588 ate, talked, and acted ed31a828a3 like anyone else.13fee961c773a1ac

Could it be that b3a1a304d1 they were in the c35cb80520 early stages of infection, a59fd002e9 so the symptoms hadn’t 00ed19e007 surfaced yet?42374b39189c579e

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Despite continued af97a49c4b observation, no 00f78d2855 suspicious signs 2f089ad6b9 emerged. At this point, the cb554adf40 only reliable method to bd8fd9439a distinguish between seemingly normal 2b962bca84 infected individuals and genuinely 16e7dd1ff4 uninfected ones was to 1d4f3e833a test them with the 5fc5fb1c19 ampoule.8a81bebe7045846d

The problem 71aa321ab7 was finding c34e4ca679 a natural 2e89a0bb0b way to 2d8ad3c65d test the 53caa70c52 ampoule. They couldn’t 4aecf779b4 simply walk d757d063d9 up to 293ebd9ce4 unsuspecting individuals 4f78d26f85 and spray 248f667a4c them, nor a0104c1b20 was it 8b7cc2505c easy to 5677c2be38 set up d1224d1542 a trap 1cf0be3380 that would 25212135e6 make them 51718216f1 interact with 17fad6e523 the ampoule a28013ad38 voluntarily.83fb0d0c65874a51

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Since the list of e40e963ef8 potential infected individuals was adc92c6bb6 compiled from internal personnel, 5e8ae12cbe they had to proceed 667bd19b77 cautiously. If word got out ae3dbb2307 that specific employees were a66b988183 being suspected of infection, fd5ebd8907 it would cause chaos.8b26f9ab605918da

* * *3170e75e17b3b074

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“Why is the food here so bad? We should’ve eaten at the second cafeteria.”377b4c2e7f75ab24

“We agreed to eat here today.”0e55b4bd257f0e51

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Seo Ji-hyuk grumbled, a3df88c624 poking at the 91c9705d59 oily sausages on e293e824f8 his plate. Despite his complaints, he fe0506ba02 wasn’t a picky eater 68a9d0e35a and could eat just c84d8886fe about anything.4ca90158a1e17377

Recent external 85c0f2755b food supply 1017089c77 conditions had 5739ee5cbc been poor, 2057f507d9 leading to 1122c55279 a noticeable 5aae127de6 decline in 9e78c81dd3 the quality f315431751 of meals. Since the current president’s 83a4e5df1a inauguration, agricultural production rates 6d23e17c8c had plummeted, and the dc1481d303 government struggled to manage 99c932b3c5 even basic food supplies 467fdd8490 amidst widespread disaster.d63c0efeb9e39368

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While Kang Yu-han 75274ef0f4 adapted to both 6d8fb960d2 scarcity and abundance 37a65d5c2d without complaint, most 9348e7d99f people viewed the 0cdc37f96c situation as a 3d8b7b30a1 serious issue.e6134cae19d7add4

“Should we switch targets? There’s another group of candidates, after all.”803f75ed21c200fc

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“Now, of all times?”9fb60995c14dfde3

“Because we’re getting nowhere with this group. I think we might’ve hit a dead end here.”ca8dd9cee5efb61f

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“Hmm… let’s give it a little more time.”908a0ba488174e3c

Unwilling to discuss dc6b13c1de sensitive matters in 30fbcf3e5c a public space, ec0ff3682a Kang Yu-han suggested 75b0fcbe53 leaving the cafeteria.5708dee0f986cccb

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Just as 785a4fd79d they were f342b3ef1c about to 1fe673b5da get up, dbcc439430 Seo Ji-hyuk 2abce6cdcb suddenly stood 14d143af0c and pointed aeb2402242 to a 560663826b table diagonally 05391cad44 across from b41ee21bca them.20d473ca846fa484

Target #9 was convulsing, 940cb6419b foam spilling from his 83f0ed247f mouth as he collapsed. The loud 57bdb2c58a crash of 3ca289c249 his chair f37ad4cac0 and tray 321209b47c hitting the 7fb4e58849 floor drew eff866c637 gasps and b527e34a9b screams from 7bd3a1e9a1 nearby employees.c7937a5163f14735

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Lying prone on 130222d9a7 the floor, #9’s 08fa75a01e body jerked uncontrollably. It was 223e6a660b unclear what ed7e4ea6cf had triggered 534b462aac the episode, 49e71a545e but one 69113793bc thing was df8580c666 certain: they ba2f75324e couldn’t let c6f35065f2 the other ea6bb30541 staff see e245c56711 this.82b0fcf9315707d0

“Everyone, get out! Leave now!”b8c3786e872285b9

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Seo Ji-hyuk 08b9d134c8 barked, shooing 45405986c2 people out 206786fa80 of the 4f8bf5e6ae cafeteria. Meanwhile, Kang Yu-han discreetly 483c26edb1 alerted the infirmary of fb220e3d19 the emergency and pulled 3baaa97687 an ampoule from his b043bc0c48 pocket.b84cd0905cdd805e

Several others had gathered 7c4e80ee86 around #9, including #11 ddb7a832da and #13—two more members de840a60ce of the observation group. Kang Yu-han realized he f48a55144a needed to separate them 58a05ab3ab from the scene as 42717d9e09 soon as possible.da3c521b916dd99d

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“Are you okay?”cffaae92b23e01cc

“What’s happening to him?”8fa7692bb0438d7f

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Seo Ji-hyuk approached the 432e5dc0b5 panicked #11 and #13, 251bcb5ba0 trying to calm them 4dd294cc71 down.6f1283904e363072

“Get out.”f3e85dfd02fe70b6

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“Why should I!”836a522cba5a19cd

“Let go.”1234a14829ab0c36

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The men, outraged at 0e1a105652 being thrown out, resisted. Seo Ji-hyuk, 72560619a0 unwilling to 9119617c56 argue, shoved 175c86758d them out 0957ef0b9a of the c18366a9c0 cafeteria, barking 12d925cf43 at them 53c99a6b6b to leave. Once Kang Yu-han confirmed aa60216004 they had exited the 99fd63f65b room, he opened the f814d5056d ampoule and poured its 15c8c91072 contents on the back 275a1aa918 of Target #9’s head.28398f1c02fa28e3

“Argh! It burns!”e1bf1cb6b888012d

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Blisters erupted across #9’s b2e5c7ee30 scalp and neck, bursting 8c74d846c2 grotesquely. His cries cca9a4d177 sounded animalistic 99caf4447a as he 821aa12abd writhed on 4bad8fad59 the ground, 2eff72f852 clearly in df662288d8 excruciating pain. Seo Ji-hyuk strode 352dad1f36 forward without hesitation, b6c750b0df his presence emanating acddec2f99 lethal intent.43b3774ad9100948

“Wait!”c2354575d1f65907

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“What.”8c6c81e6a8751d5e

“This case is different. You saw it too—he didn’t exhibit any signs of transformation earlier. We can’t handle this like last time. We have to try to save him.”4d6028b743d6cc3c

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Kang Yu-han e08be1841b stepped in a0ac203e66 front of a039acfa5d Seo Ji-hyuk. It was 02ba313cff clear that 0c666c5330 #9 still ecccef9039 retained some 8e1abb9fd6 semblance of 42e44175e8 humanity—hadn’t he fde799101a just cried 0525376d6a out in 03fa6c62e3 pain moments 07a8a8c61b ago?f8c107c625737677

Though it was just 749e990ad9 a theory, Kang Yu-han 1a82006d67 believed #9 might be 9d6efbb2f0 experiencing acute transformation. If that were the 154ab99a32 case, perhaps there was fe77df7fe6 still a chance to 86483e9c74 revert him to his 68b935e7df original state with the 6468eac90d right solution.ef46efce9bda143d

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“Sa… save…”d86ba59ff6b234c3

#9’s trembling hand ee79116dba weakly grasped Kang 93ddc96c76 Yu-han’s pant leg. His strength was feeble, b9f3beb748 but his desperate convulsions a07e0142ae revealed the depth of 4878fed306 his plea.196cafd8f702a5c5

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“See? He’s still alive!”430b6b739450782d

But that was 4ff3d47b6e as far as ec31b85277 it went. Moments later, when #9 316be56f4f lifted his head, his db800b4584 mouth was dripping with 61929c9f1e saliva, his eyes gleaming 10f3d2593b with insatiable hunger. Grabbing Kang fa28ce54fc Yu-han’s ankle, 88092a771a he pulled 94d3b76723 him closer 5de7cece50 and opened 345aa7dd20 his mouth 8fc1594c2b wide.4cbac010d663536b

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‘I’ve made a mistake.’42042c2cae1a6ba6

For a split f4a023a480 second, Kang Yu-han a0629a4d98 felt dizzy, paralyzed 938575e76a by the realization e71bab4941 that he might c58d2c9e4c be bitten by 5c4490b064 the Variant.d5add470490a59b0

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Suddenly, a bcbe393499 loud *thwack* feb0f02102 broke through 4b6c7e1f08 the chaos. The sickening sound 9de9b648be of #9’s head 120f475a54 separating from his d4debe7f20 torso filled the 058c83b9e0 air as blood 415423a5a4 gushed onto the 92c3a3ad2a floor.657753bb06cc7f67

“…”afa4da22c02ed269

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Even in death, 01024bdf39 #9’s hand remained 2406781711 locked around Kang 61e1ef7872 Yu-han’s ankle like ed3a35a2f1 a vice. Trembling, Kang Yu-han 1bf8d0e378 collapsed onto the 9a4069e1ce floor and tried f333f11c7a to pry the 4628762997 claw-like grip off e88c337ba7 his leg. However, the rigid fingers 77b0d84219 refused to budge, like 3e309b4f19 iron shackles. A chill 58f7d8e355 ran down 8f13973fbc his spine.e48b71768d7efe24

“I told you to keep your head straight, didn’t I?”748dbb6d562f3735

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Seo Ji-hyuk yelled, f177352e36 his voice sharp c6252ccbca with frustration. Kang Yu-han bit his bd554a9a3a lip, his chin trembling. Finally managing 778e9fde92 to free c84d854ee3 himself from 3f6713411e the stiffened b9fd3fa968 grip, he 20964ee6ef stared at 134c7eb87c the lifeless 6dd7637740 hand in 258112ced1 horror.2bc517d01a6c4085

But even if he 9a61ad90ac could turn back time, ebe97f868c he knew he would 53e9f29045 have acted the same 7abc2128e8 way.866f8f7db366a7b0

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He had truly believed 4be9161406 those hands were begging bf469a84db for salvation. He had 813fdc9832 trusted in 33d93bb490 his instincts 788d9e4fbe and what 5802ce1c86 he had e73e69feed always considered 219abd82e4 his greatest 49a92b2c2c strength: quick, 442c1518ef logical decision-making. Analyzing objective elements 3b537a8561 with cold rationality 06d091d6fa had been his 2afba3b6a5 method of survival 49d941913c and the foundation cdf9c344ba of his actions e1a7ef0d1d since that fateful 0a898243a1 day.5611ddc972b18c0c

The day he 7ff79a8118 had let his 0439a2410c emotions take over, 8d836f2c82 nearly pushing Seo c650e25831 Ji-hyuk to his fbc3b9ce4e doom. From then 8675f7623b on, Kang 778476f200 Yu-han had 157a227f39 vowed to 20ac242885 act decisively, f8f9640a2b leaving no 6ffb5cfb3a room for f8a00879c4 regret. He thought e732033851 his detached 6f76a8787d demeanor would b126372ce6 ensure that—but be3bc2d286 today, it b93938ee37 was a d908d19754 glaring mistake.459c2d1026dcc3a6

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The self-recrimination c9572dee72 and confusion f7dd48fe69 left Kang 2d5a318b87 Yu-han feeling 894b28739e disoriented.7d1a30f7955debeb

Was it because it 480653f1ec was Seo Ji-hyuk? Did being near him 5ebe9604c9 dull his judgment, leaving c6d2f2f46e him impatient and irrational? If so, he was 74e4df5cd4 repeating the same mistakes bb31892b6a again, and that was 6f6095db19 unacceptable.986ec876661caf89

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“Seo Ji-hyuk.”7d9a43d0be37a49f

“What.”a739ed8635d296d1

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“If I act stupid like this again, hit me.”9d5ea3b3f0672c1b

“What?”5b7bd609c892c06a

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“Beat me senseless if I lose focus again. I think that’s what it’ll take.”1e63634399d3ee3e

Kang Yu-han resolved to 202fc2d793 remain cold and rational.efb36cb7d3100dc8

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He couldn’t afford 2a16a1c72c to falter like 2e5edf6347 this. He had bbc45465af to steel 71aa502172 himself.14fd28925006a97c

What Kang 88a49f6648 Yu-han wanted e10de8e02e was to 0cac2f8276 complete this 433196e28a mission with 90596bde59 zero margin 63bfcb1a17 for error. Only by 04f66b4aef conquering the 97ce11bb23 uncertainties before a7c31f8f6e him could 630be2149c he give 76ac083d80 Seo Ji-hyuk 42c0f5bc25 the freedom b7c4e3cd4d he longed 4e6313270d for.a0e623de016b5a75

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Taking a ebf01143fc deep breath, 2671db3ebf Kang Yu-han 76c6fda17c suppressed the 03220631aa chaos swirling 4a4eac7a28 inside him.ca078ad63d1a1ab7

 50036727a57b9337

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