Chapter 16: Crocodiles and Imposters

"What's wrong? Keep moving." Serge said.

The smell of stale underground water filled the air. To Daubeny's disgust, who was in the lead, had already sensed that the floor below had begun to submerge when it took the group to descend three flights of stairs. A film of water flowed down and down the descending staircase. As his footsteps began to splash in the shallow water, the spiraling turn of the stairs finally broke off. Then, this floor must be the lowest level of the Beta Section. The floor had long since been flooded. Almost the entire floor reflected the haze from the emergency lights. But considering the number of stairs up to that point, the water shouldn't be too deep.

"The water seems to be leveling out."

Daubeny descended the remaining steps one by one, checking the water level with the axe handle in Daubeny's hand. When Daubeny reached the end of the descent, he found the surface of the water about two flights of stairs or roughly below his knees. He was afraid that if the flooding was too severe, the gate to the all-important Gamma Section might not open.

"Dustin, can you point me in the direction of the gate?" Daubeny asked behind him.

"I'm sorry, I don't know, I don't use this route all the time."

So, which way should Daubeny proceed? It would be pretty daunting to try to weave through the vast floor space, even if it was only one floor at this water level. But he was sure that he would be able to find his way eventually.

"Since we don't know, I guess I'll just have to keep going."

Daubeny moved along the floor, the water splashing around him. Similar sounds of disrupted water soon increased as Frederick followed, as one by one the rest of the group pushed on, the noise echoing through the corridors of the floor in unusual layers. And so Daubeny walked for a while, looking for the gate without any guesses.

In no time at all, a feeling of resistance came from his feet. Lifting and stepping out against the water pressure, Daubeny's legs felt several times heavier than usual. They say that just walking in a pool is good for weight loss, and this was exactly what he was doing, albeit to a harder degree. If he did not take a strong first step, the water pressure might cause his legs to tangle and sweep out from under him.

When Daubeny looked behind him, he could see only three of the seven people who were supposed to be standing in line, except for himself and Frederick. He could hear the occasional shout as if they had fallen down, and the splashing of water was especially loud, so they must be following him. But the distance between Viidia and Serge, who was coming next, was now completely open as if to say that Serge was the third leader.

"Frederick! Daubeny! Wait a minute! There's a floor map on the wall!" Serge's voice came from the rear.

Daubeny and Frederick turned around to see Serge coming out of the T-junction that Frederick had just passed, signaling to him. Daubeny was so focused on moving forward and looking for what looked like a gate that he didn't notice the map, but Daubeny was honestly impressed that Serge had managed to notice it in the dark.

"Serge! Which way to the gate?" Frederick asked.

"Keep going straight for now, then take the next T-junction at…."

Daubeny stopped while waiting for Serge's guidance. The sound of the water that had been stirring up until then suddenly stopped, perhaps because everyone else stopped as well. But it was not complete silence.

"The water stopped. Huh..?"

Suddenly, Daubeny's hearing caught a sound.

It was a watery sound, quite different from that made by human footsteps. And on top of that, it was coming from beneath him.

Tension rose rapidly, and Daubeny felt his heart begin to beat harder in his chest. Looking down, Daubeny saw ripples of water hitting his feet.

Moving his head towards Frederick's, Daubeny scoffed at him while leaning on his axe's handle. "Frederick now is not the time to be making waves."

"I'm not doing anything. If this is a joke, it's terrible." Frederick tapped one of his feet to prove his point, but he became cautious when he noticed Daubeny was not moving his feet either. Frederick saw ripples of water hitting Daubeny's feet. 

"But what in the world was making these ripples?" 

Daubeny looked a little pale as he pointed in the direction of where the ripples came from, behind the two, who had turned around to wait for the others, from the direction they had been walking towards until now.

Fearfully, Frederick looked over his shoulder to the surface of the water behind him. That's when it happened.

"Oh Shit…. Is that a crocodile?!" 

Suddenly, the screams of the office staff echoed from the back of the line. Daubeny heard what sounded like the rumble of some beast, and the water rushed around violently. He looked forward again, and saw that at a far corner, just under an emergency light at a break in the path they had come through, the last worker had fallen unnaturally and was struggling.

"What the hell is this thing!"

The thrashing form of the worker then disappeared around the curve of the staircase as if being dragged in.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!"

A desperate scream echoed through the air. The murky surface of the water illuminated by the emergency lights now flowed dark with blood. The staff who had been dragged off was no more.

"Attacked? You've got to be kidding me after we've come this far…" Viidia's voice trembled at the sight before her eyes.

Immediately after, the water's surface rumbled once more, this time violently behind Daubeny. Not a moment later, Daubeny turned at the sound and saw the creature's mouth.

"Another one?!"

A long, vertical maw, lined with an outlandish number of fangs, loomed right before him.

"GUUUUUOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!"

Reflexively, Daubeny swung his axe just in time. The monster let out a horrifying scream, and Daubeny felt the axe rip through its flesh. The axe lodged deeply into it, which reeled backwards in the aftermath of the blow, taking the axe with it. During this time, Frederick had been dealing with his own crocodile; He brought the emergency axe above his head and smashed it onto the monster's head.

The slicing of more flesh could be heard as the monster retreated further; Frederick let go of the axe, which was being pulled, and immediately shouted.

"Run! There's something in the water!"

He then started running and pushed Viidia's back.

"What is it?"

"It's a monster! They're attacking from both sides!"

After a moment of confusion, Frederick pulled away from her and ran as fast as he could, and Daubeny followed closely behind the pair.

Another way to go was the T-junction where Serge had been and the one Daubeny had yet to go to earlier. Even if the group went that way, they might be attacked again by a monster lurking in the water. And since they had lost the last of their emergency axes, they would no longer be able to resist. But the situation was urgent. Clutching at straws, Daubeny turned at a T-junction.

"This way! Hurry!"

Serge and Dustin were already on the path ahead of him.

"Let's get out of the water first! There's a staircase this way!"

By the time Dustin shouted, the two men who would have been at the end of the line had also fled and joined Frederick, Daubeny, and the others who had run the other way. And so, the group ran on, the water rumbling violently. Driven by the fear of being unable to see, they pushed forward single-mindedly. Every time Daubeny glanced backward, every time he turned, he saw something round floating on the surface of the water.

"How many are there?!"

The round things in the water had a square tile-like pattern. It was probably the back of the same monster as before, but it was coming after them like a swiftly flowing stream. Moreover, one by one, the floats were coming together as they advanced. If they lost sight of the back of Serge ahead of them here, or if they stopped, they were sure to be attacked again. However….

"If only we could get out of the water!"

With this in mind, Daubeny kept running. But, perhaps at the limit of his physical strength, one of the staff members running alongside him tripped over his feet.

"Damn!"

Daubeny quickly stretched out his arm to support the off-balance worker. The weight of the man's body caused Daubeny to involuntarily fall to his knees.

"I'm sorry!"

"Don't stop! Get back up!"

He shouted and pushed the staff member back. Now, Daubeny was last. Quickly, he got up and started to run after the staff member, but the monster he had glimpsed on the surface of the water was almost upon him.

"Left! Right! Next left! And I see stairs!" Viidia's voice could be heard up ahead, guiding the staff to the next step, but Daubeny had lost sight of her. 

Given the speed difference between them and the monster, Daubeny would at least catch up with the lead one. Just as Daubeny was thinking this, he looked behind him, and with a loud splash, a large mouth with fangs protruded once again from the surface of the water.

"No!"

Daubeny managed to dodge just in time, and he saw the creature's figure this time. It was a crocodile. But as it turned out, the situation was worse. The back of the crocodile that had just passed by Daubeny's side turned around and blocked his escape route. Daubeny had to stop again, but it was clear that if he continued to dawdle, the crocodiles behind him would catch up and be entirely at a loss for what to do. A moment's hesitation could be fatal. Therefore, he had to make a quick decision.

Daubeny summoned all his courage once again and chose to cross the crocodile in front of him. If the crocodile had reacted just a little later, he could have passed through safely. Daubeny ran on the third beat of his heart, feeling hopeful. At that moment, however, something unexpected happened. A sudden explosion occurred right behind Daubeny.

"What the hell?!"

A large column of water blasted upward. The impact of the explosion hit Daubeny, who had only enough time to turn his back and brace against it.

"Guh!"

His feet left the floor, and his body was blown away by the roaring wind and water. So Daubeny was unintentionally sent flying over the head of the crocodile in front of him, and his body slammed hard into the wall around the bend of the hallway. The collision with the wall was such a shock that he thought every bone in his body was broken, again, but fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, Daubeny's body, was still moving despite the pain.

"Saved?! No, not yet!"

Daubeny sat up dizzy, but it was still too early to feel relief. The explosion came from below the floor. Although this floor was the lowest level of the Beta Section, there was a large hole in the corridor, as if there was a plumbing system or something underneath. As if sucked into that large hole, the water, which had pooled up to Daubeny's knees, was swirling violently. He saw several crocodiles that were closing in on him being sucked into the vortex and falling down into the hole. But Daubeny himself was no exception. If he, too, was swallowed by the vortex, there would be a large number of crocodiles in the water ahead of him. If that were to happen, he would certainly not survive.

"Left, right, and left!"

Remembering Viidia's guide earlier, Daubeny paced with his hands on the wall, resisting the violent force of the water current. However, a sudden wobble in his step horrified him.

"Huh?! This is bad!"

Was it the aftermath of the explosion or the effect of the water flow? The hole that had just formed in the corridor gradually widened, and the entire floor was about to collapse.

"Shit! Hurry! Hurry! Hurry!"

Daubeny put all his strength into both feet and managed to run against the current. The floor he stepped on sank rapidly, and he almost lost his balance. In a panic, he put his next foot forward, and the floor sank again. There was no telling how far this floor collapse would go, so he couldn't stop running. And if the step he took now was delayed even for a moment, he would fall into the hole.

"AAAARGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

Daubeny moved his feet with a single effort, screaming. He kept running to escape the water current and the collapse. After turning left, right, and left down the hallway, he finally saw the stairs.

"Almost there. I can't stop yet. I cannot rest."

Daubeny was finally close to the staircase when it began to break, and he felt the weight under his feet vanish. He was falling into the merky depths that would end his life, until a hand gripped Daubeny's arm.

"Hold on, Daubeny, like hell I'm letting you die. Now pull with me!"

With their combined strength, Frederick pulled Daubeny to solid ground again. Both fell backward toward the metal floor as Daubeny got up and helped Frederick say. "Thanks." Before they continued onward.

They ran up to the landing on the upper floor, and then Daubeny turned around and looked back the way he came. He was so intent on running that he did not notice that the floor had collapsed. Still, it had stopped somewhere along the way, and only the pooled water was flowing like a river in the direction of the hole. After confirming that much, Daubeny finally breathed; if it wasn't for Frederick, he would have died.

"It looks like we're safe…"

Really, it was a close call. Daubeny and Frederick propped themselves up with their hands on their knees, and sighing in relief.

"Oh, thank God you're alright."

Viidia's voice made Daubeny look around, and he saw that the staff who had preceded him were breathing heavily, their shoulders swaying up and down. With the earlier attack, they were down another man, seven in total.

"I guess we made it," he said. "Your guidance saved my life. Thank you."

"Yeah? I'm glad I could help. What happened?"

"I don't understand it at all, your guess is as good as mine."

"Oh, no, I can't…keep going. I simply can't…."

Dustin flopped down and fell over in a heap. Taking this as a cue, each member of the group sat down on the stairs or sat on the floor and leaned against the wall to catch their breath. But now that this had happened, even though he had been saved, he could not settle down as before. 

There were many crocodile monsters and even an explosion-caused collapse. It would be impossible to get to the gate on the lower floor, so of course, they would have to find another way.

"How's it going up there? Can we go on?" Frederick asked Serge, who was the first to go to the top of the stairs, to check on the situation. But as Serge came down the stairs, his expression was gloomy.

"I'm afraid not," he said. "We can go up one more step, but it's just another pile of rubble."

"I see."

Frederick was hoping to get to the other gate, which was at least five floors up, but that was impossible, so he had to say they were blocked in all directions. They couldn't enter the Gamma Section. They couldn't go toward it. In other words, no escape. The thought of being in such an impasse cast a dark shadow over the group, and they gradually began to show signs of giving up.

"What are we going to do? We've come all this way!"

"Are we going to die here after all?"

"I'm not going to die of hunger! I don't want to die! I don't want to die!"

"I don't want to die either! I don't want to die! If monsters are roaming around on this floor, then…one day they might…. I don't want to die!"

Daubeny was involuntarily caught off guard by Dustin and the staff's negative questions and answers. Daubeny wanted to scream like that, too. Instead, everybody looked towards Daubeny as he punched the wall once.

"Don't make a fuss. Everyone is anxious in a situation like this, but it's too early to give up," Viidia said.

Yes, it was still early. Give up only after you have done all you can do. You can only give up once you've exhausted all possibilities. There were still at least two things Frederick had doubts about.

"I have a question, Viidia." Frederick sighed heavily saying, "If you've got a better way out of this, you've got to share it with us."

"Huh? What's wrong, Frederick, you suddenly look scared."

"I have a feeling that you know something about all this that you aren't sharing with us."

It was a question that had been nagging at Frederick ever since he had met her. Frederick had thought that if he could escape, that would be fine, and that there was no need to disturb the harmony of the group, but now that he was stuck in this situation, he felt that he had no choice but to pursue that possibility.

"I'm sure it's nothing but, tell me, Viidia. Who are you? What are you hiding?"

"Uh, yeah? Huh? What's with this interrogation? I'm not hiding anything…."

Viidia tried to cover it up with a bland tone but failed.

"Hey Frederick, what did you mean by that? I don't understand. Explain it to me!"

"I just thought there might be a possibility. Because…," While everyone was paying attention, Frederick continued, "Because, unlike us, Viidia doesn't work here."

As soon as Frederick asserted this, the eyes of everyone gathered on the staircase landing focused on Viidia. Daubeny's expression was amused as he rubbed a nonexistent moustache. "What a twist!"

The only one with a half-smile on their face was Viidia herself.

"No, Frederick, what are you two talking about? I work here just like everyone else." She tried to cover it up, but Frederick continued from before once she started.

"The explosion before I woke up set off the evacuation alarm, so I didn't see many strangers after I left the lab. Of course, everyone had already evacuated, just like when we met in front of the elevator hall. And yet I ran into you."

"So it was just a matter of being trapped, is all."

"What were you doing in an empty lab?"

Now to get to the bottom of Viidia's true identity.

"There is more to the story. The scientists here basically don't get enough exercise," Frederick continued determinedly. "You look like you've had some kind of training, don't you?"

But, above all, Frederick had already secretly confirmed suspicions with his first test. He didn't dare mention it at this stage, considering he could use it again if he had to.

Daubeny put his hands inside his destroyed pockets. "Now, how will this go?"

Convinced, Frederick quickly continued. "I think you are connected to the people causing all this trouble. What's the real story?"

"I can tell you for sure that's not the case…." When Viidia immediately denied Frederick's suspicions, she looked thoughtful momentarily and sighed loudly.

"Oh, God," she said, "I've got it now, I get it. I understand, so don't look at me like you're looking at the real suspect in an important case, okay?"

Viidia raised her hands in a pose of surrender.

"So, Viidia, are you really...?" Dustin interrupted her fearfully, and Viidia put her hand on his shoulder.

"No, I don't work here."

Daubeny had expected her to be a bit more deceptive, but he was surprised at how easily she admitted the truth.

"Even I don't have the luxury of time anymore. I just decided that if I got into trouble because of suspicion, it would be better to prove my innocence by revealing my story."

"Then I'd like to…request a more detailed explanation?" Asked Frederick.

Viidia then pulled out a board-type terminal for personal use from the pocket of her lab coat. The personal possession of devices like that was forbidden to the staff of the facility for the purpose of information management control. The light emitted from the terminal's screen illuminated its surroundings like a small flashlight. While operating the terminal, Viidia began to speak.

"I belong to the Central Intelligence Agency. I've been undercover here as an intelligence officer for three days now, and I'm involved in this situation today, just like everyone else."

"Central Intelligence Agency…CIA? What's someone like that doing here?"

"I'm here on a top-secret internal investigation."

Viidia showed everyone the terminal screen in response to Serge's question. What was displayed there was one of the monstrous owls that attacked the group in front of the elevator and…. No, that wasn't all. As she scrolled down the screen, the next thing she showed was the hound that Frederick had first encountered. Then, the crocodile they had just seen was also listed.

"Wait a minute, why is that monster's data on…?" Frederick was speechless, and Dustin was surprised almost simultaneously. Daubeny was chuckling, trying to hold on to his laughter.

"The investigation was about the diversion of Gear cell research to weapons." Viidia's answer gave Frederick goosebumps.

"The CIA had been concerned for some time that the military was out of control, but there was no decisive step to take to actually go undercover. Because of this leak, someone sent me through a certain person so that the undercover investigation could begin. If this is true, the country absolutely has to stop it. So, it's my mission to find out what's happening and support the leak."

"When I met with Frederick, he was looking for a large terminal that could be used to contact the outside world for a situation report. I knew immediately that the worst-case scenario had been set in motion much sooner than I had expected at the start of this whole mess."

"What's the worst-case scenario…?" Dustin asked fearfully, and Viidia sighed.

"Can't you imagine that the 'experimental individuals' I was looking for turned out to be the ones attacking and killing lab personnel?"

Frederick was immediately at a loss for words. "You're going to go that far? Really…?"

"There is only one possible escape route…that is blocked by the unfortunate explosion." Viidia gave the answer to Frederick, who was still in disbelief.

"This is a military coup to keep the diversion of Gear cells to weapons a secret. It's a big cover-up against the Next Generation Medical Research Institute. From what Dustin has told me, they're likely going to take all the important data and personnel out in an escape craft, then blow up the facility."

"That's…insane…."

"It's not possible that they would go that far…."

The station staff were puzzled by Viidia's prediction.

"But what about Frederick and Daubeny? Does that mean they are both products of military research?" Perhaps he did not mean to offend, but Dustin's words completely changed the game.

"Yes, that's right! It's funny how they're wounds heal!"

"So you're saying these guys are spys for the military?"

The suspicion turned on Frederick and Daubeny as Viidia's true identity was almost uncovered. The suspicion that they were traitors.

Duabeny raised his hands in the air for surrender. "You got me-."

"Shut the hell up! We're not-!"

"Don't worry. I don't think Frederick and Daubeny have anything to do with it, okay?" Surprisingly, Viidia offered to help them out of this.

"I doubted Frederick at first, too. Daubeny as well. After all, they were involved in the Gear Project. But I had my suspicions when it comes to a person with superhuman abilities such as healing wounds, strength, and good hearing."

With that said, Viidia went behind Frederick and put her hand on his shoulder.

"But if either of them is a runaway military officials, there should be no reason for them to take the initiative to help us out, just to make us disappear later. You should remember that."

"Yes, I agree."

The person who said this was the same person Frederick had saved when the elevator shaft collapsed. Regardless of what the others thought of Frederick's previous actions, he was the only one who clearly witnessed that Frederick had risked his life to save him. Looking back on it now, Frederick thought he had done something quite reckless, but he never imagined that his actions would return to him this way.

"They're both victims, too. Just a little different from us and have some special abilities, sure."

As Daubeny and Frederick's suspicions began to move toward being cleared, Viidia said, "As an intelligence officer, I think it's about time, Daubeny, that you told us. You know something none of us know about. So, any comments, Daubeny?"

"Hahaha... It's nothing special, trust me. But if we're all playing detective, I want in on it as well." When Daubeny began to answer, Viidia whispered something in Frederick's ear, and Daubeny spoke abruptly.

"Hey Serge, what time is it?"

"Right now....?"

Serge looked at the watch in his hand and replied nonchalantly.

"It's just past 1500."

"Case closed."

"Hey?"

"What?"

"...Pfft....?

Daubeny chuckled while pointing dramatically at Serge, but Frederick's, Dustin's, and the two staff's reactions were exactly the same.

Daubeny narrowed his eyes at Serge for his response. "I guess I was right after all."

"What is it? Daubeny, what do you and the others mean by…?"

Serge looked around at everyone with a puzzled look on his face. But now he was looking at Viidia, Daubeny, and Frederick with the same skepticism that he had been looking at them with earlier. The fact that these two facility personnel were said to be innocent before this turn of events only deepened his suspicions.

"The answer is simple. You don't work here either."

"Oh, come on, you've got to be kidding me in a situation like this."

"No. No. I'm serious, see, there's this little local rule among the staff in here. It was to judge the other party's affiliation by checking the time. When asked what time it was, they simply responded, "Ten minutes before the hour." Besides, you were on my radar when you said the time was military time. Military man."

"So... Serge, Viidia already came clean. Why don't you tell us who you really are." Frederick asked uncertainly.

When observing the accused man in a calm environment, Frederick noticed Serge was physically strong and fit. Looking back, it was confirmed that he, too, was different from the institute's scientists. He didn't think Daubeny would prove it, but now, at least, Frederick's suspicions were confirmed. 

"Hm…." Frederick waited for his next words. But it was Viidia who spoke first.

"Can you tell me about it? How can I avoid being attacked by that monster that has Gear cells implanted in it, and where can I go to escape?"

"What nonsense. What makes you think I know that?" On this point, Frederick agreed with Serge. Viidia, however, was confident and did not stop her pursuit.

"I have a lot on my mind," she said. "Why did you go all the way into the potentially dangerous ducts in the elevator shaft in the first place? Did you know at the time that there would be an explosion?"

"That's a wild guess. It was just a coincidence." Serge shook his head in disgust.

"It's strange to be brave enough to patrol outside the break room alone when you don't know where the monster might be. But if there is a way to avoid being attacked, I want to know about it," she continued.

"Viidia, I'm just trying to…for God's sake."

"I think you were in that position because you knew the crocodiles were going to pin us from the front and back at the flooded bottom level earlier. I suspected as much, and I'm sorry, Frederick and Daubeny, but I thought it would be safest between the two of you. And, in fact, it was."

At this moment, for Daubeny, it was like watching a really good TV show, interrogation and thought. "If only I had a bag of popcorn to eat, but I should be ready. Suspects never go quietly."

"Damn, I don't think you're going to believe me no matter what I say."

"Yes, that's right. Well, actually, there are a lot of holes in my hypothesis. 

If it's not my worst imagination, I'd like you to come clean here. So, Serge, who are you?"

"Okay, I'm in trouble, Viidia…." Serge sighed slowly.

"Here's your answer." And in no time at all, he was in the pocket of his lab coat….

Immediately after, a sound Frederick would never get used to hearing reverberated through the hallway and staircase. But it was a sound he still knew. It was the sound of two gunshots. He would not have been able to react if he had not been alerted in advance. Frederick had immediately pushed Viidia away from him as soon as he heard the gunshots.

"Guh!" A bullet pierced Frederick's outstretched second arm. But there were two gunshots. At that moment, the other shot that remained was....

"Okay, shows over."

"Oh, my God!"

The remaining staff members began to scream once it sank in what had just happened.

"Tsk…."

Serge clicked his tongue, perhaps because he had failed to finish off anyone and at the fact his wrist was being restrained. 

"Stay calm, anomaly."

"You're right, I should, but I don't want to." Daubeny reinfroced the strength in Serge's wrist and with his momentum he twisted with all of his strength.

"Tch! Let go of me!"

Almost simultaneously, Serge's free hand's fingers jammed into one of Daubeny's eyes, but that didn't stop him.

"UOOOOOAAAAGHHHHHHHH!"

He endured the dull pain and leaned forward with his remaining hand on Serge's left shoulder, slowly feeling the bones start to bend.

"Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! You monster!"

Daubeny's body was overwhelmed by the sensation that his thoughts were being overtaken and controlled. Gasping, he put all his strength into his left hand, which gripped Serge's wrist, and with a dull recoil, snapped the wrist that tried to grip the nearby gun with ease.

"Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

Serge screamed and suffered in agony. Daubeny involuntarily smiled and, on impulse, raised his freed fist. Then he swung it towards Serge's face with all of his strength….

"Don't kill him!" Viidia shouted.

Daubeny's fist, redirected just in time, shattered the corridor floor. But what if this fist had struck Serge, who was powerless beneath him, in the face?

Strangely he didn't care, but he was worried about Frederick, so he turned his head with bloodshot eyes that were healing. Thankfully, the damage Frederick received had already healed, nodding in appreciation for the help, but turned towards Viidia angrily.

"Why the hell did you tell him to stop himself from killing this bastard?"

"We need more information, somethings changed... from what I thought. We'll interrogate him for answers, Serge must know something".

"Someone give us something to tie him down." And within a few seconds, she received the materials needed. But right now, something else was happening.

-

The sixth special laboratory was the lowest level of the special laboratories in the lowest level of the Gamma Section. Even Asuka, the project chief of the Gear Project in that classified section, had never been to that place before. The laboratory, too large to be called a room and with a high ceiling, was like a hall. The large hole surrounded by fences in the center of the laboratory, whether for experiments or not, was so deep that the bottom could not be seen, even though this was the lowest level of the laboratory.

Surrounding such a large hole were several huge cylindrical capsules. The capsules, set up in a circular pattern, contained nothing but green liquid, except for one that was currently empty. However, it was easy to imagine what had been in the capsules by looking at the one capsule with something other than fluid inside it.

"When did this happen?"

There was a vast body floating in the capsule. It was probably an experimental animal from the special laboratory and appeared like a giant bear. Still, of course, this could not be just any bear. At the very least, it was undoubtedly the same as the other experimental animals that Asuka had seen so far, and it was certainly the same body in which Gear cells had been implanted. This bear looked very similar to the one that attacked Daubeny but stronger.

"No, this is already a step beyond that…." Asuka pinched his eyes tightly with his fingers to hide his pain.

"As expected, the doctor seemed surprised. This is our laboratory."

Behind Asuka, a large man with a gun proudly stated, "That's a state-of-the-art experimental weapon. Unfortunately, we will have to destroy it here."

"Destroy? Does that mean it's a failure?"

"It is still difficult to control. However, since the doctor will join the research from now on, this problem will likely be solved soon."

"And the Gear cells will be our trump card in the military." Asuka responded to that word, "military," with only a cold shrug. Asuka had never dreamed that there was such a large-scale laboratory so close by. He also did not expect their military research to be so advanced. 

The situation was much worse than he had expected. Asuka regretted that he had not anticipated the sudden change in the situation today. He had already regretted his actions since he first allowed the military to intervene. Still, the sudden change in the situation today made him feel it even more strongly.

"Now, doctor, go to the escape boat. This laboratory will be blown up immediately, and the whole place will collapse."

Asuka walked out from in front of the capsule at the urging of the large man. On the far wall of the special laboratory, an airlock as wide as an aircraft had been opened. The frozen capsule in which Aria slept through the door was carried ahead of him to the escape boat.

"There is no turning back now…."

Already, Gear cell research was beginning to leave Asuka's hands. If this continued, the future would eventually go through the worst possible scenario he had imagined.

"But not yet."

Asuka shook his head lightly, knowing that not all the outcomes were in place yet. He had taken the steps he could take, even amid today's sudden change in circumstances.

"I hope I get some answers before I leave here…."

It turned out to be a gamble, but only if those "seeds" would sprout. If only it would bear fruit.

Asuka could still believe in it. The worst-case scenario could always be avoided no matter how long it took.