Chapter 20 : IF-401 ‘Eastern Ghost’ Part 4

“So, what was that really? 769-1, wasn’t its fur originally like metal wire? Even though I tried, it’s truly mind-blowing that it was cut.”

“I thought it might have been silver-plated on the knife, but if it was silver, the cut surface should have been corroded, yet it wasn’t. This is the first time I’ve seen that wolf bastard die from getting hit by silver or something else.”

The area around them was noisy with talk about the different operational environment.

Elena Miller, a member of the IF-769 Special Mobile Strike Force ‘Marijan Ballet,’ couldn’t focus despite the lively atmosphere.

“It feels weird…”

The team members questioned Elena, who had been serious throughout.

“Ellie, what’s with that look? Did you get infected or something? Heh heh.”

“Well, I feel uneasy… but it’s a different branch’s issue, right? One branch blowing up isn’t that unusual. Considering my Foundation days, this level of suspicion was an everyday thing.”

Indeed.

The destruction of one high-risk entity would hardly concern them, as they belonged to a different branch.

IF-684 alone had a history of destroying entire labs, causing containment failures six times.

Of course, IF-684 was particularly exceptional in that sense, but there were other dangerous entities who had wiped out entire branches.

The reason the newly established FPL could manage 27 branches was because of that.

Even if one or two labs got wiped out, they could be quickly rebuilt as other branches would handle the fallout.

At least now, compared to the hostile ‘Foundation’ days, FPL missions were less mentally taxing.

However…

The real problem was that something had occurred that hadn’t even happened in the Foundation days.

“About that survivor, it keeps bothering me.”

“Are you talking about the girl? Well, she wasn’t injured or anything. She was just a well-found case, wasn’t she?”

“She was found well, too well, and that’s the problem.”

Elena Miller, a veteran who had been killing werewolves in the hundreds since she was in her teens, when the unit was still called the Mobile ‘Special Forces.’

Thanks to her skills, her words carried weight in ‘Marijan Ballet.’

If it had been an ordinary mobile strike unit, saving one survivor wouldn’t have been a big deal.

It was odd that a single survivor had them on edge.

But this didn’t apply to Elena.

“Well. She was the first survivor we’ve ever rescued since joining ‘Marijan Ballet.’ If those wolves were greedy enough, she wouldn’t have survived.”

This was the first survivor ‘Marijan Ballet’ had rescued after taking on the unknown phenomenon IF-769.

The predatory nature of IF-769-1 prioritized devouring humans even as it was dying.

Yet, its relatively high intelligence made it sneak around and set traps to kill people.

Even if someone barely survived, IF-769’s ability to infect others like a zombie through spores made it dangerous.

These three traits combined made it hard to find any intact survivors even after killing IF-769-1.

That’s why the first survivor they rescued was unforgettable.

“Ellie, you’ve really got a thing for her? That’s pretty creepy, you know, pedophilia is a crime.”

“Shut up.”

Elena thought about the situation again.

It was a few minutes’ distance from where the body of 769-1 had been, yet the vending machines had been destroyed in a way that signified something catastrophic had been happening.

The high-risk entities were essentially roaming the whole lab, and it was obvious that the 4th Lab would be destroyed and rebuilt soon.

Elena propped her chin up, thinking.

Then, she thought about the girl they’d rescued.

Despite being a venomous creature capable of killing, IF-098 was calm, clinging to her without realizing how dangerous it was.

‘Maybe that was why—she appeared to have a pure view of the world.’

‘Was it right to return a child with such a bright future to a place crawling with high-risk entities?’

Elena sighed deeply, pondering whether her decision would affect the girl’s future.

Elena took out her tablet from her tactical bag.

The live CCTV feed showed the girl lying with her eyes closed, resting her head on the IF-098 ‘Tsuchinoko’ creature.

‘She hasn’t run away? I knew she was calm, but this is… surprising.’

Elena was considering letting her go if there were no venom.

Suddenly, the girl jerked awake.

It seemed she had recovered from being unconscious very quickly, looking confused and unaware of what had happened.

‘She’s waving her hands in the air, eating something, sharing it with IF-098… what is she doing?’

Elena thought maybe she had slightly hurt her head earlier.

Standing up, she prepared to leave.

“Where are you going?”

“Going to check on the survivor. She just woke up, I need to verify her identity and send her back…”

Elena’s thoughts were scattered, and she almost spoke without realizing it.

But her teammate didn’t notice and happily responded.

“I’ll go. This is my job, right?”

“David, are you really going to shove your scarred face at a just-woken-up child? You’re going to make her faint again?”

“Hey, come on! Why do you gotta say it like that?”

“Well, looking at your face, I’m the only right one for this.”

“Quiet, everyone.”

Elena checked the CCTV feed again.

“… I guess we’ll have to wait.”

Elena stood still by the door.

The girl on the screen was reacting violently to something in midair.

Elena had a rough idea of what was going on, so she just watched.

‘It’s probably IF-401-1 or -2.’

IF-401-1 and IF-401-2 were intangible entities, and they couldn’t be caught on camera.

So, it made sense that the girl appeared to be looking at something that wasn’t visible.

If they were talking to her, it’d be better to wait a little longer.

Strangely, though…

It was odd that the girl was cuddling and petting IF-098, a creature that was known to be quite fearful of human touch.

‘They said 098 is a timid, venomous entity…’

‘Is there a big difference between individuals? It still seems dangerous.’

Elena nervously watched the scene unfold.

And, as expected, something went wrong.

When she saw the girl grabbing something from the floor earlier, Elena had a bad feeling.

She was trying to eat something from IF-098’s mouth when she got bitten on her hand and neck.

IF-098 was a venomous snake.

And it could easily kill someone.

“Damn it, I knew this was gonna happen!”

Elena rushed out into the hallway, ignoring her teammates’ stares.

Her teammates didn’t understand what had happened, and the chatter continued.

But Elena wasn’t thinking about that.

Because a snake had just bitten her wrist!

‘Focus! No distractions!’

She nervously thought, sending an apology to the creature, but it seemed that the creature didn’t quite believe her.

“I sent a thought, asking if I was really that hated.”

Then, the chubby snake’s eyes wavered for a moment before returning to its firm gaze.

“… Denial.”

“Hate.”

“Not.”

“Bad.”

“Correct.”

‘So, I’m bad, but not hated, huh?’

The pure, chubby snake indeed.

‘Well then, this should work, right?’

It didn’t work on the high priest, but it worked on Shim cheong before.

“Hehe.”

I made a face, looking like I was about to cry, and sent a desperate thought.

“Please don’t hate me. Someone like me is… no, a failure as an ancestor.”

I pretended to wipe away a tear with my opposite hand.

The bite loosened immediately.

As expected.

“Me, hate.”

“Not!”

“Denial!”

“Denial!”

***

Taking advantage of the moment, I quickly responded to the thoughts coming my way.

“Denial means bad, right? A life that can’t even get positivity is useless. Don’t search for someone like me anymore.”

I sent this message with a single tear running down, hoping it would get through.

Then, with a soft thud, it let go!

“Hehe.”

“Ancestor.”

“Life.”

“Useful!”

“Positive!”

“Positive!”

The chubby snake approached, rubbing its face against my hand.

“Hmmm.”

‘I was curious about what would happen if I acted like the bite still hurt.’

‘Should I try it?’

‘…Nah.’

The goal had already been achieved, no need to go that far.

I wiped away the fake tear at the corner of my eye and smiled, acting like everything was fine.

When I petted its plump body, the chubby snake, as if it had never been upset, smiled contentedly.

“Hehe.”

Silly chubby snake.

Since I’ve already said this, it will be hard for it to deny that I’ll be lying down and resting soon.

I smiled back at it, hugging the chubby snake.

***

At that moment:

Bam!

“Finally, I’ve found it…!

Tsuchinoko poison antidote!”

The woman in the black vest, who had been behind the wall earlier, kicked open the door.

‘What?’

‘Isn’t she supposed to be the janitor?’

‘Why is the janitor suddenly barging in now…?’

No.

I was planning to make the moment really stick in the chubby snake’s memory, setting the tone for the atmosphere!

But the chubby snake, making a squeak, had already buried itself deep in my arms.

This can’t be happening.

My grand plan was shattered in an instant.

Sniff sniff.

“Why… Why are you holding the Tsuchinoko again?! No, this isn’t the time. Could you extend your arm, please? It’s going to sting for a moment, but don’t worry, it’s not bad.”

Right…

It’s some kind of mysterious offering again, I guess.

The smell seems like a toxin that’s been processed into something similar to poison.

‘Is it like mercury or something?’

“I’m fine, but you humans would die if you ate that.”

“Why do you keep bringing that kind of weird stuff, calling it some kind of magical good thing?”

“…Whatever.”

“Do whatever you want.”

I’m in my pajamas, so if I give my permission, they could probably do anything with that needle.

“Do as you please.”

Sigh.

Having my grand plan fall apart in an instant, I gave my arm up willingly.