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.b14baa52fa68dcb3

The Chief 465fca3a0c finally got 8ce8255113 to the 835e4d53ef point.4a618b28411652b3

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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.”112189822527e7c2

“Yes, sir,” Kang Yu-han replied, waiting for the explanation.5add4a2a23b3121c

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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.”77e65d29a3a80f5e

He handed ff16026618 over a bac4da286d document. When Seo Ji-hyuk didn’t f09cf4f94b bother to take it, f163fe8ca1 Kang Yu-han reached for c152b90e71 it instead. As his aefe535e51 eyes scanned d03669358c the title, f0f0238e3a he froze.901a52639fc01f31

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[Suspects.]

Before he could ask, 00378837a2 the Chief continued.c778762ced363471

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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.”8cbc06dacae67753

As Kang Yu-han ac7dd59cf7 read down the 80496c98f0 list, his eyes 812346d4da widened when a f4d29aa2ff familiar name appeared: a1c66e28b0 Kim Joo-ho. He had once worked 8d9e8ed5bb with the sergeant in d95afb01ab the same department.0a264bf15c096b38

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*What is this? Why is Sergeant Kim’s 5d736d1f78 name here? This must be a a9164d4f39 mistake.*dc5460cd93715168

From what 3097e6324a Kang Yu-han 78b3807ed7 remembered, Kim f06e31aeaf Joo-ho was 6e7c2d0a81 an ordinary 1cc9943838 individual. His records 01325668be showed no 0413f4a15f signs of 6f447b2f4f abnormal behavior, 989468f4bc his interpersonal 0be461b1cf relationships were af810ccb64 average, and 1db5880f20 his performance 36a4843354 reviews were 4b2c2ad025 standard, rated 02b68424e7 around a a8d1b9705b B-.f32f39537097a873

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“This is absurd. How can you expect us to handle such a dangerous mission?”c432eadf294ee582

Seo Ji-hyuk was 9fda131b6e quick to voice 625f78c186 his disapproval, his a7a748af4a expression full of 2fe7ec5088 irritation. The Chief sighed, speaking 93aa1ba5ac in a placating tone.0c6117d50653f1a8

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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.”358343b6e20b5173

“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.”296d7809e90744e4

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“Calm down, Major.”0adf2540adc60fd9

“What’s your take on this, Major Kang?”dca8695787b1ffbc

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Seo Ji-hyuk suddenly turned 23d058d747 the spotlight on Kang 9debca32ce Yu-han, who hesitated for 1d9e431e28 a moment, unsure how 0ac71851c2 to respond.994be73cd2dfb308

“Well…”28f90687755b62ce

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Kang Yu-han found cfe0db0090 the Chief’s plan f916508cde incredibly risky. Even with the list 33ef64b67b of a thousand employees, b6f2b6372f a single misstep in bcf1e9e8d4 identifying the wrong person ec11ccb568 could spell disaster. And even d5fdd3bc62 if they fea69422bd correctly identified bdc60119d3 a Variant, c7ab7a87e2 the danger 04d5becd21 of confronting 31b6cb435d one with 49a62d7a0e just the c84394b3da two of 19b2a3cd3a them was b7bf462a5b immense.156dcebfeadc8cea

Still, Kang Yu-han decided 7106b57f89 to accept the Chief’s 62b27fe836 orders. His motivation wasn’t e76c62619f loyalty or confidence—it 95eb41b6b0 was urgency. The sooner e6ac76f97d this mission c3ad111c14 was completed, df88d513e6 the sooner a64c33cf2b he could 2b02d55739 send Seo daf515bd3f Ji-hyuk out 6c11449f48 of this 1d60e7f83a war-torn world e1cb5dab6a and into 803f1c05d0 retirement, just 3d5b2aac9c as Seo 34206912cb Ji-hyuk dreamed. Achieving that goal required 7f3def8a05 finishing this task, no 10c2858b3b matter the cost.bcbd8e84d4cd0709

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“I’ll follow the Chief’s orders.”99df1cc6f250d139

“What?”50fdd1360ce604bc

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“I said I’ll follow them.”bcd950985ca35d86

“Ha… Major Kang, are you opposing me just for the sake of it? How can you—”6fa72cc243d89a52

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“This is a military operation, isn’t it? Following orders is standard protocol.”8ef781007e0f22a4

Seo Ji-hyuk 93bf4906b7 clicked his e7885562b5 tongue in a08f15dd6e frustration, waving 636cefb904 his hand ea6cc1ba82 dismissively. Sensing the f36540504e rising tension, 0544191064 the Chief eb389fd1da decided to 92fc12b857 end the f9a26aaba0 meeting, instructing 16652d1172 the two dd26b8b961 to leave.ee1f64a06fe3cdb5

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* * *907abc9bcc78a9c5

“This is your fault. If I die, it’s on you.”5c1dcbc5b0830211

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Seo Ji-hyuk 9684387de8 grumbled, his 72524d8839 expression sharp 6195cc5115 as he 5b1022f521 changed into 0c631bd526 his workout 75d47b4d07 gear.ea9f637999b02c8f

“Take care of your own life,” Kang Yu-han replied coolly.66c74fdfa7263772

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“Ha, you just can’t keep your mouth shut, can you?”02423aca5bebfde9

“We don’t have time for this. Sergeant Kim will be here for his workout soon.”55c5045014b74066

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“Fine. Let’s get this over with.”241550b10c021cad

The Center 28735c0fb6 had several 853e68b256 training facilities, edc2268733 but this fbb7b6063a one, located 1ea52bda5f furthest from 984b5bed3b the dorms, 144b5e87e1 was sparsely e56ee92e76 used. Sergeant Kim was 920c4bea92 known to come 6d5f315bc6 here alone every 62e9401287 evening at 7 add5173d44 PM, which had 9a6799a283 placed him on 7a9076cd9a the list of 2c208d90d8 suspects.8f97c315096b570c

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Recent records 885f05a81d of his 660817f306 dining habits 372f4932f3 had raised 2efe631855 flags. At the Center, e8c3449f13 every meal required 36c4c32584 ID card verification b551b7646a for entry and ba0239e028 tracking food distribution. Yet, Sergeant Kim’s f5ac00c9f6 records showed he 81ede7fe40 rarely collected meals, bdf111ee17 despite being present 5ddf3290e1 in the cafeteria.ea58484e7fccc415

Unless he 091d2eb825 was secretly 50086dfbbb hoarding food e9946cdafe in his 012afa27a8 room, such 1acef6ddce behavior made f7a0ebca4a no sense. And if that a2924b5c30 were the case, 9f81588807 it would have e5d108fc88 quickly drawn attention 1834358e3b in an era 0e4e90fc0d where resources were bd51d225df scarce and every f5974dedbe action was scrutinized.ec215041ddf40877

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This left one ddfcc68f7a logical explanation: Kim f90e202eef had undergone a 65c0aef07e mutation, eliminating the 9219bea18e need for regular fdbcd1734d food.0dfae9afe555af01

One of the c3a8b13c30 key traits of 474f17b70d Variants was their 9278221245 lack of appetite. They craved 3f87f05572 human flesh 3250b16717 and blood 3faca8a6dd but had c48438628b no interest 3ec40e42fb in typical 22ccb8b370 human food. While Kim’s e42965712e records showed 0516611955 he ate 46ac2097dd lunch with f5e1e9d1d3 his team, 4ba0dc727a his lack 85594b49de of activity 27c78e6f15 during solo 5953932207 evening meals 8a30e1611b made him 11c00add66 a suspect.0d160b84d70dc7c4

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Seo Ji-hyuk had ca855202fe hypothesized that Kim 0c989f9f27 hid in the 828a815fb2 training facility during f20cdfd0a3 dinner hours to 3552b03ddf avoid raising suspicion.2ae3b3ea68c869a7

“When he shows up, just use that ampoule of yours. Generously,” Seo Ji-hyuk suggested.a2267f2806ffc823

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“I can’t do that. We’re not certain he’s a Variant yet.”8bb9d9ce0ab30893

“If he’s not a Variant, nothing happens, right? The substance only works on Variant skin. Just spray him and find out.”e25e7964e74c44da

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“It’s not that simple. The ampoule hasn’t undergone full safety testing.”f3155d58dd3dc2ab

“Says who?”88689f8a6b9bb106

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“Dr. Yoon.”b3cccdcad67da6ea

The ampoule was only b0fcf720ba a first-stage prototype. Its efficacy and potential dfb5c9e589 side effects were still 1a4839f17b unclear. Researchers had 00996df5c9 warned repeatedly c5a059fc91 that the c2acbe12a2 ampoule couldn’t 7e9cc842c6 be relied 15a1eb4d7b upon completely 3b34cb1138 and needed db67ca7478 further refinement 9e80b104f9 through trial 516dfbd2fa and error.675fc99032e398f7

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Dr. Yoon, in 1fe7e5ca1c particular, had 62c186d864 emphasized caution, 0d18fdd80a warning against b6fbead40b placing blind ecfefa3e6f faith in 6fcf5bdc0d the substance.f4bfa82173c3a09a

“Then why did you even bring it out?” Seo Ji-hyuk scoffed.787ba9a8d16a9c52

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“Not bringing it wasn’t an option,” Kang Yu-han replied calmly.ad7ab7dc870f46bf

“Doesn’t matter. I’ll be the one doing the killing anyway.”799e5faec5c23890

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“Killing? Haven’t you heard the orders? We’re supposed to capture it alive.”05d2dc0c9ab2d20f

“Hah, ridiculous. So what? Are we going to let ourselves get chewed up while trying to capture it?”c6dff20497d3c438

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“We follow orders.”e099d28db99639c9

The directive to 321a770d0e capture any identified e368f775a9 Variant alive had edd5ac8be1 been clear. Even Kang Yu-han agreed a4b4b4da4a it was better to 7bf5e208fc apprehend and investigate the f3c0580cf8 suspect thoroughly than to 9ac3747b0b kill them outright.526d1d824998f4b8

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“Shh. He’s here.”ed32df46cbe97c19

Footsteps echoed beyond the 7fbbd2f1f6 door. Kang Yu-han and bdfa7f8704 Seo Ji-hyuk stepped 5ed4bc7fd1 out of the fcdc44d1e1 locker room together. As expected, 1a429372f5 Sergeant Kim 14b706fd97 had arrived.52e5cf47dbd6fea0

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“Good evening. It’s been a while,” Kang Yu-han greeted politely.f46125228197ca16

“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.d026445320951816

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‘Suspicious?’86f90a4d2be6c9a5

‘Definitely.’1f38b56b7280caa4

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Exchanging a 7330900e11 glance, Kang fc173d8d93 Yu-han and 340d1621e7 Seo Ji-hyuk 40b6cde1cf silently acknowledged 95b6f5b0af the strange 342b8545a9 behavior. They each moved to d72acfa332 different pieces of exercise 543ec4b1a1 equipment, keeping their movements 9a0858feb8 casual. While nothing 3f98c32758 could yet 7062500aae be confirmed, 033f4d8b31 Kang Yu-han 7b080cc8ea wanted to 713a29dcb2 proceed cautiously, f4452e4799 observing every 89be005dd0 detail. He pretended c746992e55 to exercise, d2355bcb39 all the 64ad50aab4 while keeping 1a5b6fdc0e an ear 8c0c692fcc on any 47aa72db90 sounds coming e8e80c9ebe from the 7550d152d6 locker room.15ba63b893f561c4

Seo Ji-hyuk, 7e20693894 on the e6aee321b6 other hand, 19995ea6ca actually worked 957799ab38 out. Though it was ac54a944f7 unnecessary for the 5cdfc71217 situation, he had f38894e800 already settled on 2f486efb90 the bench press, ddd4da22b3 lifting a heavy 2f80906e95 barbell. His shirt, e71cd59d8b mysteriously discarded, c4ed0eef3c was nowhere faef96efdf to be 1241541b10 seen.0d4eb544afe69194

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Sweat glistened on 5ce04aaa8d his sharply defined 387eb1209d abs, catching the c5ec80a2a0 dim light. Watching him, Kang cc414c441d Yu-han’s throat suddenly 81cf0b02f2 felt dry. Unbidden, memories 80f146cacb of the e8db13e5d4 previous night ee8b6d780a surfaced—the warmth 61a60cb59b of Seo 053c5bed92 Ji-hyuk’s skin, 2eda8da68b the faint efcf3450ce masculine scent, cc0cc7139b and the dcf8735d23 lingering heat 43f5f9b85b of his f1df1e40f1 touch.5984471b5f747537

“What are you staring at?”40c0f1aed1890884

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“Nothing. Just…”95022ab78c234fb2

“You were staring. Admit it.”283d6c8859bfc060

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“Why would I? It was a coincidence.”4054ff9828763d9f

Their playful bickering was d669540d29 cut short when Sergeant 2c7973876d Kim suddenly burst out 0db2e29ef5 of the locker room. His pallor had e75c49f022 worsened, leaving his 24896c3c29 face devoid of 1083eee8af any color, and 8fba71c694 his eyes were 6d35e8654f hollow and lifeless.5eadb3fa405ce8d9

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The only 3e10b1bbcd sign of 9a6d03e82e vitality came c976b08c7c from his 473f175a63 mouth, foaming 371eae0514 at the ad57e581e9 corners as 9602ab2742 he drooled 49d93faadd uncontrollably. His tongue flicked 95d768fb51 out like a e18b150b01 snake’s as he 8d2d54423c swallowed thickly, giving 7650864996 him the appearance c6264aa63a of a ravenous 9d2a167466 beast.eb60edaec8615102

Even without d8a8338eff further evidence, 3624726afe it was 4d2811ab4d clear what 59ba5692bf they were 1cba07d6eb dealing with. But Kang Yu-han saw c231dd2686 an opportunity. Variants were eec4fb64b7 notoriously hard feae628a2d to detect f77fd713e1 due to 52d8f4a20c the natural 2f32a99f84 shielding abilities 4608011ee4 of Espers c98725de90 and Guides. However, in their d521c2f4a5 unhinged state, that 580694cfb8 barrier might falter.12fc2519eb923d05

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Focusing intently, Kang Yu-han 994ef0cc21 activated his scanning ability 605a7257eb and began examining Sergeant 3a635b8982 Kim’s entire body.bc52fe8c9da34233

 bbfb7cd6919bfc9c

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