"Hoo…"I let out a soft sigh and straightened my posture. It was then that I realized the arm wrapped around my waist was surprisingly loose.Why?Considering the speed of the Black Wing, a loose grip could be dangerous. Especially now, when danger could strike at any moment."Eli, please hold on a little tighter. It's dangerous.""I-I am holding on tight, though?"Was she always this shy?There was no need to force her if she found it difficult. My attention naturally shifted away from such trivialities.Instead, what captivated my vision was the landscape of a city showing signs of its impending doom.Not much time left before the mutants appear.I knew it without even looking at the time. The mutants would emerge soon."Eli, do you see?""…Yes.""It's about to begin. It would be best to prepare yourself, even if just a little."Countless people lay collapsed on the ground. Among them, a few stood vacantly. Seen through my [Hawk's Eye] Trait, their appearance was nothing short of bizarre.Red pupils and bodies that showed no sign of movement, as if paralyzed. They stood their ground like wooden statues, but their red pupils, in stark contrast to their still bodies, were frantically scanning their surroundings. And the drool dribbling from their mouths… It was like watching the physiological response of a starving beast.It was exactly as the prologue had described."We need to go faster.""Even… faster than this?"A weary voice burst out, but I yanked hard on the Black Wing's throttle.WHOOOOSH-!Even for the Black Wing, which moved via air-jet propulsion without propellers, accelerating produced a thunderous roar. The explosive sound immediately battered my ears.Amidst the noise, I heard Eli's urgent voice."But! How are you going to persuade those people?!""That!"The 5th Defense Force Base. A group called the [Trash Can] by the city and the [Moths] by the players."I have something else in mind!"What were they doing right about now?They're probably at each other's throats.If you looked closely, you wouldn't find survivors in a more pitiful situation. From the very beginning, they would be forced to make a choice so terrible it could only be described as hopeless. The first of which was…Undercover.The damn undercover operation. It was a vicious move by the military, planting fake unclassified soldiers among them to prevent their own comrades from uniting.Inside the 5th Defense Force Base.In this suffocating place, completely cut off from the outside world by a single wall, a strange tension was flowing."So… you're saying we, the unclassified soldiers, should divide ourselves up again?""Yes. We absolutely need to sort out the personnel."Where did it all go wrong? Benjamin couldn't help but doubt his own ears."That's right. If we move with the loose screws in the bunch, an accident is bound to happen.""All I'm hearing is that you want to split us apart.""It's about being cautious.""I-I agree.""Hoo…"An unexpected proposal. Benjamin heaved a deep sigh. It might have sounded like a rational conversation, but the atmosphere was thick with tension. In the way they looked at each other, there was no sense of camaraderie."Is that really your only intention?""I have no intention of forcing you, Ben. It's not like you have command authority anyway."Just as I thought.The mood had changed drastically. It hadn't even been a few hours since the orders arrived from the Central Control Center, yet the situation was already spiraling towards disaster."You're being too much, we're all in the same boat.""We never wanted to move with a bunch of criminals like you in the first place.""What did you say, you son of a bitch?""ENOUGH-!!"Perhaps this was inevitable. Weren't these the same unclassified soldiers who were always implicitly looking down on each other? In fact, it would be stranger if they came to their senses so late in the game.Still.Benjamin couldn't ignore the sense of unease, tinged with a faint feeling of déjá vu. Of course, this wasn't the first or second time he'd seen a situation like this. The reason he felt uneasy was because of the timing. The very people who had shown no prior signs of dissent were now, at this specific moment, starting to raise their voices."Beng, I agree with this.""Philip?""It's the same fuckers pulling the same shit all over again. Nothing good will come from keeping them around.""…"Why? It felt as if they were tearing into each other, as if they'd been waiting for this moment. And it was the key individuals, the ones who usually had good conduct and relationships, leading the charge. The fact that Philip was among them came as a great shock to Benjamin."You're not ignorant of what it means to divide ourselves now, are you?"It meant schism. If they started dividing the personnel based on the mentally unstable, would it really end there? This group wasn't that clean-cut. It was a cesspool of every kind of human imaginable. It was obvious they would shatter into factions based on their pent-up grievances."Ben, I don't think you need to be so negative.""Philip…!!"In the brief moment he was speaking with Philip, the argument was escalating. The soldiers were already flocking to those they had friendships or connections with. Only a small minority tried to stop them. As expected, it took no time at all for cliques to form.Watching this, Benjamin finally felt a wave of anger and helplessness."If we stay like this…"He could do nothing. They wouldn't listen even if he spoke. An order had been delivered and the time to move had come, yet they couldn't care less.Why now, of all times?In the end, does nothing ever change?Doubt. Despair. Between those two emotions, a subtle feeling reared its head. It was a lingering attachment.I can't let it end here.He couldn't just stand by like an idiot. An opportunity to do something was finally within reach."Stop… STOP-!!"Just as he could no longer hold back and was about to step forward—KSHHHK—"…?!"[Alert from Sentry Zone 1. Unidentified small aircraft approaching at high speed. Repeat, unidentified small aircraft approaching at high speed.]"Unidentified aircraft…?""What aircraft?""Is a combat helicopter approaching?""No way, they said it was small."The moment the military comms crackled to life, the soldiers' faces filled with bewilderment. Another layer of noise was plastered over the chaotic interior."Out of the way!"Could it be? Had they arrived?Benjamin ran faster than anyone else. Sentry Zone 1 wasn't far away to begin with. The 5th Defense Force Base itself was isolated from the outside. The sentry zones, too, existed within the base, their only unique feature being their ability to observe the exterior."Where is it? Where is it coming from?""Yes, it just attempted to land. The aircraft is a hoverbike… Currently, two unidentified individuals are approaching, one of whom is equipped with a powered suit."From the adjacent sentry zones, soldiers yelled at the trespassers. Things like 'Identify your affiliation!' and 'Who are you!'.They ignored the questions completely, approaching in silence. And when they finally reached the entrance…[Verifying Access Authority][Master Key Recognized][Opening Shield Wall]An incomprehensible phenomenon occurred.GIIIIIIIIING—The main gate of the 5th Defense Force Base, which had seemed like it would never open, the very shield wall that had made this place a prison, was opening far too easily."Master… key?""What the hell is a master key?""You could open a military base from the outside?"The shield wall ascended as the main gate split open to the sides. Revealed in the gap was a pair, a man and a woman. The black-haired man wearing glasses walked past the soldiers with a stoic expression."Excuse me."Perhaps because their entrance was so spectacular, no one blocked their path. Instead, they just stepped back with wary eyes, like animals avoiding a fire. For some unknown reason, he stopped right in front of Benjamin.Thump.Was it the overwhelming atmosphere? Benjamin reflexively raised his hand into a salute."Benjamin.""Sir!"For some reason, this unidentified man knew his name. Benjamin felt the sweat trickling down his back turn cold.The man smirked. At the same time, his gaze shifted to Benjamin's side. Benjamin's own eyes followed. At the end of his line of sight was Philip Kim.And then."Uh…?"In a single instant, the unbelievable happened.SHIIIIIIING—!He had to doubt his own eyes. Philip Kim's head was gone in a flash."PH-PHILIP!!!"What happened? The cause and effect were so mismatched that Benjamin momentarily wondered if he was dreaming. But the more shocking sight was the cross-section where the head had been. It revealed exactly what Philip's true identity was.Countless wires and circuits. Complex machinery hidden beneath an outer skin."An…droid?"Why? By law, androids had to be clearly distinguishable from humans. It was the most basic law to prevent societal chaos. But Philip Kim, who ate food and had biological functions, was an android? It was a situation he couldn't comprehend, nor did he want to.Even though the head of Philip, whom he had considered a friend, was gone, Benjamin didn't have time to feel anger. He should have lost his mind and gone berserk, but his mouth hung open, and his head was hazy as if drugged. The words he managed to force out were, even to himself, incredibly stupid."Philip… was an android?"As if in response, the black-haired man readjusted his grip on the sword that had decapitated Philip."To prevent discord, I will begin by eliminating the illegal androids."As Benjamin looked up, he saw familiar faces. The very people who ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) had just been arguing for a division of the forces. For some unknown reason, they were now charging at the man. Their speed and flexibility were beyond human capability. And yet…KRK-K-KRAK—The sight of the man slaughtering them was even further outside the realm of humanity. What the hell was happening? The man advanced, killing… no, decommissioning the attackers one by one. The unclassified soldiers who had been close to them tried to block his path, but he simply subdued them non-lethally each time."Is that man… an android, too?"There was no other explanation. But just as that thought solidified, a weary voice from somewhere refuted it head-on."No. He isn't.""You are…?""You must be someone important if Mr. Han knows your name."The platinum-blonde girl spouted words he couldn't understand. Benjamin knew who she was, at least."Eli Wayless?""Wow, it's been a while since I met someone who knows me.""Why are you here…"He realized it in a flash. Who was important enough to be able to send an official order from the Central Control Center."It was you?""What was?""Don't play dumb and stop him right now. Even if they're androids… that's…""I think you have a misunderstanding."She let out a sigh that was close to a complaint. Her next words easily went against all of Benjamin's expectations."That person over there is the one who sent the message from the Central Control Center. Not me."Her expression then took on a look of pity."That aside… I didn't know the 5th Defense Force was being treated like this.""What does that…?""Don't you get it? The fact that such an absurdly advanced android was hiding its identity among you means…"Her words, following a beat later, made him realize the source of the strange unease he had been feeling all this time."…it means you were being controlled in a deeply inhumane way."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.