Chapter 63: The Miraculous Transformation of a Sinner (Part 3)
Hearing his name called, the long-haired Frenchman looked at the brown head peeking out from behind the wall.
After seeing the boy's face clearly, Rimbaud casually placed his teacup on the platform and walked towards them.
"Prime Minister...? It's been a long time. I'm so glad to see you're still alive."
He hesitated and called out the boy's name like someone with a bad memory, and then said something that sounded completely off.
"Hey, does this guy really know you? Isn't the way he greets you a little weird?"
The orange-haired boy spoke to Dazai Osamu in a voice too low for Rimbaud to hear.
"Perhaps because I disappeared so completely before, he thought I was dead, right, Mr. Lantang?"
Dazai Osamu's voice was not restrained at all, ensuring that Rimbaud could hear it clearly.
“That was a truly devastating loss. Dr. Mori’s office was reduced to ruins. I never imagined you could survive under such circumstances.” The French man continued, following the boy’s words, “After all, you completely disappeared after that attack, and even Dr. Mori was driven away.”
Looking at Dazai Osamu, who was still clinging to the surface of the wall, Rimbaud couldn't stand it and suggested, "I'll open the gate for you. You can come in through the front."
The brown-haired boy politely declined Rimbaud's offer: "It's alright, Mr. Rimbaud."
As he spoke, he exerted a little force with his arms and sat steadily on the wall.
Seeing that the boy was already seated and there was no risk of him falling, Rimbaud naturally asked about Nakahara Chuuya's identity.
He looked at the "unfamiliar" boy who was floating slightly in mid-air beside him.
Who is this?
Rimbaud asked the question in a natural manner, as if he were just an ordinary person who would meddle in other people's business.
However, Dazai Osamu and he were not very familiar with each other. Rather than Rando chatting with him and casually asking the little guy's name, it would be more accurate to say that he was the one who did it incidentally. His real purpose was to get closer to Nakahara Chuuya.
"Hello, I am Zhongyuan..." Before he could finish speaking, he was drowned out by Dazai-kun's voice.
"Oh dear, he's just an ordinary little dwarf who happened to be passing by and got a burst of curiosity. He's not important. Mr. Lantang, who is this white-haired gentleman?"
Dazai Osamu chuckled and changed the subject away from Nakahara Chuuya, bringing it back to the white-haired man who looked exactly like his supervisor, whether he was a copy of the supervisor or a twin.
As Chuuya Nakahara looked at this bastard who kept interrupting him, his fist suddenly felt itchy, and he really wanted to gently press it against Dazai Osamu's face.
"This is Mr. Adam, he's very capable..."
Rimbaud, in a very good mood, began to introduce Adam, showing no displeasure at the change of topic.
X was facing away from him at the time. Rimbaud only knew that the two were related, but the black-haired youth turned around when he introduced Adam.
Rimbaud stared at the face that looked exactly like Adam's, and his words trailed off.
Could it be... that so-called destiny is Mr. Adam's twin brother?
The golden-green eyes, like those of a Persian cat, then looked at Angela, who was watching from the sidelines. This was the third pair of golden eyes present.
No... it could also be three siblings?
“…the doctor.” Rimbaud added the remaining half of the sentence as he thought about it.
"Hmph, have you become so lazy? Fine, I knew it all along. I've already done it for you..."
Adam resumed his sermon, unfazed by the unexpected turn of events.
Accidents are unavoidable; as long as he handles them promptly, they'll be fine.
Unlike Adam's positive attitude, the supervisor was in an awkward position.
Judging from his purpose for coming here, he should have come to cause trouble, but he overestimated his physical strength and in the end, the person he was looking for had to save him.
In a sense, a supervisor is also a special kind of clerical job.
Adam was there, speaking in a language no one could understand.
"...true power."
Because Adam talked so much nonsense, X, who only listened carefully to the end, was a little confused.
What power? Did he create another distortion? Or did he create another replica of a tool-type anomaly?
Wait, no way!
Thinking of the two culprits who were still out of contact before he left home, plus a newly hired employee, X asked:
"Did you really take Honglu and Li Xiang away?"
"Who is Honglu? I only took Jia Baoyu and Li Xiang with me."
Adam said it wasn't his fault and he wouldn't take the blame.
"Is Honglu Jia Baoyu?"
X felt like something was wrong.
Logically speaking, the sixth sinner should have a much higher level of self-acceptance for the name "Honglu" than for his original name.
How could he possibly use Jia Baoyu as his real name?
What did you do to them?
"I am simply returning power to humanity."
"You turned them into something twisted? Where are they?"
Adam suddenly smiled, and seeing this unusual expression, X had a bad feeling.
“They are here. Come, follow me, and I will guide you on your path.”
Then, the barefoot riddle-maker turned and walked toward another, slightly smaller, old house.
Seeing the three golden-eyed men leave, Rimbaud invited the two children who were still lingering on his wall:
"Mr. Adam has some things to discuss with them, which will probably take a while. Dazai-kun, would you like to come in for a cup of tea?"
Rimbaud behaved completely differently from a typical Mafia official; he was like an ordinary, kind-hearted man.
Even a normal person shouldn't have this attitude towards someone who illegally enters their home by climbing over a wall.
The honest young man, Chuuya Nakahara, felt a little embarrassed. As one of the intruders, he couldn't refuse Rimbaud's offer.
“Thank you for the invitation,” the orange-haired boy replied politely, then glanced at Dazai Osamu sitting against the wall and asked in a low voice, “Is it alright to leave Mr. X and the others alone with that man? Also, you’re actually a member of the Port Mafia?”
This time, Dazai Osamu chose the same volume as the orange-haired boy and responded in a low voice as well:
"That man wouldn't lay a hand on the supervisor, and I've always been a loyal employee of the supervisor. I have absolutely no connection with the Port Mafia."
Dazai Osamu stated that he only worked for his supervisor.
In this world, Mori Ōgai wouldn't have the opportunity to assassinate the old leader of the Port Mafia and then guide him into joining the Port Mafia.
He is now an innocent employee of Lobotomy Corporation, the kind who has never even changed jobs.
“Dazai came with the boss’s former personal doctor, so he’s not considered a member of the Port Mafia.”
Rimbaud, who had overheard the orange-haired boy's question, added with a touch of melancholy, "I wonder how Dr. Mori is doing now. I haven't seen him since he was expelled by the leader."
Never met Mr. Mori?
“Wait, Mr. Rando,” Dazai Osamu noticed something was amiss, “Didn’t Mr. Adam bring back three people?”
Rimbaud had thought of many questions he might ask, but he never expected him to ask this one; the doubt in his eyes seemed genuine.
His somewhat bewildered reply was:
“If I’m not mistaken, Mr. Adam only brought back two young men.”
That's strange. Could it be that Mr. Sen has run away?
Could it be that he simply ran away after his resignation failed last time?
"What's wrong, Dazai-kun?"
"It's alright, Mr. Lantang."
Dazai Osamu sat in the living room, which was completely undamaged and decorated. The antique-style furnishings and decorations proved the homeowner's good taste, but one thing was completely wrong.
It's so cool.
As the weather grows colder, the fireplace in the living room remains empty.
The temperature inside the room was even lower than outside, which was not unusual for them; it was just cool. But for Mr. Lantang, who wanted to wrap himself up like a ball, it was quite abnormal.
Mr. Lantang, who is extremely sensitive to the cold, seemed completely unaffected and showed no signs of being cold. Was this also the work of Mr. Adam?
Or is this simply a reflection of the world's unevenness?
Is this the variability of the world?
The missing sinner is indeed with Adam; both are still in human form, without any change, but...
Seeing the absurd scene before him, the bag on the supervisor's back slowly slipped off his shoulder, about to slide down.
The black-haired youth seemed oblivious, making no attempt to pull on the shoulder strap. In the end, Angela had to help support it to prevent the bag from falling to the ground.
X's mind has stopped working; what a chaotic scene this is!
Li Xiang sat in front of a red apple, looking extremely well-behaved; he was the more normal one.
And another one...
Black fur concealed the pale face of the long-haired youth, while gold patterns, resembling honeycomb, were drawn on the dark cloak.
This outfit looks so familiar.
It must be that Honglu and Binah suddenly decided to team up, which startled them.
No way, haha, we're doomed.
Actually, if you look closely, Li Xiang's clothes are a bit off. He's wearing glasses, a tie, and a white lab coat, like he just came from a laboratory or something.
Good news: The sinner wasn't punished.
Bad news: Adam extracted his personality behind his back.
So, the question is, which of these two shapes, which inexplicably give off an X vibe, are they counterparts?
Honglu is easy to guess; this look immediately identifies her as the leader.
This researcher, Li Xiang... could it be? Could it really be what I'm thinking?
A grown man stood frozen in the doorway, and the two people who had been sitting silently turned to look at him.
After seeing the black-haired youth behind Adam, Li Xiang, who was wearing glasses, slowly revealed a slightly shy smile, stood up and faced the somewhat stunned X.
"Teacher, you've arrived."
"I was laughing as Benjamin logged in from another location," Li Xiang said.
It's confirmed, it's Benjamin.
X's heart sank completely. Was this the power Adam spoke of?
A lower-level department from which there is no escape?
"Teacher? Teacher?"
The black-haired youth's lapse in consciousness was so obvious that Li Xiang tried to bring him back to his senses.
"Indeed, the qualified should possess the power that is rightfully theirs."
The culprit is still there, babbling on and on.
Should he thank Adam for only extracting their personalities instead of twisting them both?
Angela watched the black-haired youth remain silent, but then reached into the bag she had just helped, and slowly pulled out a cross that was almost half her height.
Looking at the miniature skull bound with withered thorns, Angela recognized the cross as a symbol of repentance.
Then, the fragile supervisor, who had just twisted his waist, expressionlessly swung the cross, aiming it at Adam, who was facing away from him and completely unprepared.
Seeing that a bloodbath was about to occur, Li Xiang, who had been smiling, suddenly froze on her face and nimbly grabbed the teacher who was trying to ambush another version of herself.
Adam looked at the cross that had almost struck him, tapped the small skull on it, and asked with a hint of doubt:
"I have given them qualifications they did not possess before, so why are you dissatisfied?"
X knew that Adam had always had his own set of logical theories, but he was still speechless upon hearing this.
His anger vanished instantly, as if doused with cold water. He simply asked Adam in a very calm voice, "Is this your employee?"
"I am also you."
The implication is that what's yours is mine, and your employees are my employees.
"...Li Xiang, let me go! Today I'll teach him what repentance truly means!"
Damn it, how come this Li Xiang is so strong? I can't break free at all.
"Teacher, please calm down. Teacher, that's you too."
The tuner put down his teacup and turned to watch the live sitcom with great interest.
Jia Baoyu knew that "himself" was probably one of the reasons why the black-haired youth was surprised.
Moreover, although the group over there appears to be engaged in a physical fight, it is ultimately just a playful squabble between acquaintances. It's too noisy, and it's time to end this farce.
"Hello, Mr. Manager of Company L."
His voice was different from the other Honglus; it was somewhat hoarse and tired, even giving X the illusion that this Honglu was much older.
Is this really Honglu's Binah personality?
Their company's Binah is not like that; I didn't ruin her like this.
So... is it Galion?
The leader's tuner slowly rose to his feet. He appeared to be taller than his own Honglu, and the black and gold fur cloak he wore made him seem even more imposing.
Jia Baoyu looked at the L company manager, who was being hugged around the waist by the somewhat inexperienced researcher and was holding a weapon that looked like a cross, and inexplicably felt like laughing.
Is this the reason I was summoned?
Not only was he frail and weak, but he also didn't seem very intelligent.
X looked at the somewhat amusing Jia Liweng with some confusion: "Honglu?"
“Who are you calling? My name is Jia Baoyu, or…you,” he emphasized the “you,” “you can also call me Binah.”
The black-haired youth opposite him, who was being hugged and looked somewhat comical, glanced at him and decisively denied it:
“You are not Binah, you are just the tuner of the chief.”
What a joke, it's true that his Binah now has a human body.
But under normal circumstances, Binah should be a metal box with mechanical limbs. What is a perfectly healthy person like him doing here?
"What are you trying to get out of me by pretending to be Binah?"
“I’ve only heard that a colleague seems to be willing to serve you, and I’m curious to know how you managed to get a tuner to tell you everything.”
"You... really want to know?"
Jia Baoyu noticed that X's tone was a bit strange, but what did it matter to him whether the tone was normal or not?
This was the first time X had ever received such a strange request.
It's not impossible. Once we get back to Lobotomy Corporation, if the CEO really wants to know, we can even let him experience it for himself.
At worst, we can treat it as another attack on the R&D department's core suppression, or simply let the two leaders clash?
The tuner, his eyes weary, ignored whether the black-haired youth had answered his question and continued:
“If I hadn’t been summoned here at the last minute, I was planning to go to a research institute in the suburbs. A young girl provided a clue that there were monsters there that shouldn’t exist in the city.”
At this moment, Li Xiang released X, who had clearly calmed down, and took away the confession that had almost become a murder weapon, thus eliminating the possibility of a teacher attacking another teacher at the source.
X heard something very familiar. You really are Jarion!
The long-haired man's eyelashes drooped, and his heterochromatic eyes glanced at the cross held in Li Xiang's hand with considerable interest.
"This...weapon?" He slowed his tone slightly, as if uncertain. "It doesn't seem to be from a workshop. Is this the Singularity Technology of your L Company?"
"We have already reported this to the head of state."
X thought that his biggest mistake this time was not bringing enough people. Who knew that Adam would quietly set up a big trap for him? Putting aside the Benjamin version of the suitcase for now, if this Jarion suddenly makes a move, they will definitely not be able to defeat him.
"I didn't say it was a prohibited item, don't be nervous, sir."
How strange, why is Honglu's verbal tic appearing here?
What is this familiar feeling of suffocation?
Fortunately, it wasn't Honglu and Binah who swapped bodies, otherwise he was afraid he would have fainted on the spot.
“I think I should have the honor of visiting my former colleague, Mr. Supervisor.” He winked at X, and whether it was X’s imagination or not, his bright blue eyes seemed to be clouded with shadows, appearing much darker.
"Of course, it would be our honor."
Once I get back to the company, I'll be in charge.
"It seems you still have something to say, so I won't disturb you any longer."
After he finished speaking, he walked behind X—where Angela was standing.
He looked the robot up and down, chuckled, but did nothing and walked straight out of the room.
These people are too noisy; they're driving him crazy.
"How exactly did you manage to get them here?"
After what had just happened, X looked much more haggard. He looked at Adam, who was sitting opposite him, casually holding the red apple that Li Xiang had been observing earlier, and asked...
At this moment, Li Xiang sat properly next to Adam, and the gloomy expression on her face was no longer the one she remembered. Instead, she had the cheerful and outgoing feeling of a college student.
This is so strange, it applies to both of them.
"I have restarted my exploration of the path here," the white-haired young man replied, seemingly ignoring the question, and continued speaking to himself: "Supernatural abilities are also a manifestation of the human heart."
"You mean, you used your special abilities on them?" the black-haired youth attempted to translate.
"right."
Can't we just talk normally? It's a superpower, why make such a fuss?
Li Xiang, who was observing from the shadows, noticed the barrier to communication between the two and took the initiative to explain:
"The teacher first used Mr. Rimbaud's special ability to cover me with my counterpart in this world, and then, through my mirror," he gestured to the mirror covered by cloth, "summoned the tuner as well."
Mirror technology is really useful... Wait! This isn't the time to marvel at mirror technology.
"Is Mr. Rimbaud the one from earlier?"
X abandoned communication with Adam and went directly to ask Li Xiang. Perhaps because the worlds were different, Li Xiang seemed more straightforward than his counterparts in other worlds.
"Yes, his ability is reading. He can read the corpses of people with superpowers and then control them. I was transformed by the superpower of one of the corpses."
"He...can control corpses?"
Isn't this the perfect civilian leader? Thinking about the bright future after recruiting him, when he would no longer have to worry about the Cultural Heritage Protection Association causing trouble, X shook off his previous fatigue and perked up again.
We'll only hire him, and use his special ability to read the corpses of the rest. That way, there won't be any living clerical staff from the start, and we won't have to waste execution bullets before the start of each workday!
"Has Mr. Rimbaud considered changing jobs?"
For example, joining a company like World Wings?
Do you yearn for new power?
Adam suddenly asked a question.
“His superpowers seem really useful,” X asked. “He’s currently working for the Port Mafia, right?”
It doesn't matter if he's currently employed; he has the financial power to poach people!
“Ah, teacher, Mr. Rimbaud’s power is limited; he can only control one corpse at a time.”
Seeing that X looked like he was about to rush out and undermine the Port Mafia, Li Xiang quickly reminded him.
Upon hearing that Rimbaud's abilities were not as expected, X sat back down before he could even stand up completely. If he could only control one corpse at a time, wouldn't that be completely useless?
Rimbaud was unaware that he was being disliked. He poured the tea and turned to get a snack when he saw Dazai Osamu clutching his throat in pain, looking like he was about to die on the spot.
Nakahara Chuuya stood awkwardly beside him, wanting to touch him but not daring to, afraid that he would die if he touched this annoying guy.
This child is very good at finding guardians. First, he has the leader's private doctor, who holds a special position within the organization, and then there is Mr. X, whom Mr. Adam calls his destiny.
If Dazai Osamu were to really die here, he would have no way of explaining himself even if he had a mouth full of mouths.
"Chuuya-kun, what happened to Dazai-kun?"
"He glanced out the window, then poured the tea directly into his mouth," Dazai Osamu was already sliding down, "Hey! Don't die!"
Rimbaud looked at the pot of tea he had just brewed on the table. Would a normal person really pour it directly into their mouth?
Thinking of Dazai Osamu's "criminal record," the long-haired aspiring executive looked at the kid who had caused him trouble and asked only one question:
"Is it fun, Dazai-kun?"
"Tch, boring."
The boy, who had just been struggling on the brink of life and death, suddenly sat back down as if nothing had happened.
"Hey, you!"
Having been tricked, Chuuya Nakahara could no longer hold back; if he continued to endure it, he would become a ninja.
The orange-haired boy glared at the annoying guy sprawled on the sofa like a salted fish, grabbed his collar fiercely, and tried to throw him off with force, but the fish remained motionless in his hand.
His superpowers disappeared.
Despite not being harmed at all, and even just a moment ago he was smiling, Dazai Osamu suddenly ducked back, covering the pink patch on his collar.
The short man's grip was too strong; he ripped one of his buttons open, revealing what he was wearing underneath... In the name of love and hate, he was being seen by the man, and he had no dignity left.
Just as he was halfway to his hiding place, the boy's pupils suddenly contracted. Was that person Hong Lu...?
Is this really Honglu?
Jia Baoyu sensed the boy's gaze and looked over. It was just a child, nothing to worry about.
The child slumped back onto the sofa, even bouncing slightly.
Does he recognize himself?
Perhaps it was the environment so different from the city, or perhaps the children's reactions were too amusing, that made the tuner who had come to this other world stop and change his mind.
"Let's go see the people of this world," he thought, and walked outside.
Unaware that his employees were experiencing the same shock as him, the manager had calmly sat down opposite Adam, ready to listen to his long-winded explanation.
"So, what exactly do you want?"
The farce is over. X looks at his white-haired self and asks.
“I am simply exploring this new world. Look, this world seems completely different from ours,” Adam said, looking directly at the black-haired youth opposite him. “How are the people in this world any different from those in the city? I am simply showing the world another path to salvation.”
“I gave strength to my believers, yet they brought about their own destruction because of their own selfishness. The hearts of people in this world are sick. I have seen that the indifferent live in their own self-interest, while the ardent are mired in the mire. Don’t you want to change this?”
"Neither I nor you should stop moving forward for Carmen's wish. Or do you still intend to be trapped in the past, sinking into oblivion, or do you intend to stand against me and fight against me?"
“This is no excuse for you to toy with people. Everyone has selfish desires, whether it’s you or me,” X said, taking the apple that Adam was tossing around and intending to use it as an example.
"Weren't you also moving forward because of Carmen's wish? She wouldn't want to see... what is this thing?"
Before he could finish speaking, the apple in X's hand seemed to sense that it had been handed over. It suddenly moved, slowly opened its large, empty eyes, and looked at the black-haired youth holding it with some curiosity.
Upon seeing those familiar golden eyes, Apple even swayed her round body shyly.
"You... sigh."
Adam recognized the apple in his hand; it was Snow White's Apple, a WAW-class anomaly that the company had not yet contained.
Because the destruction caused by His escape was too great, He is not a particularly powerful anomaly, but the aftereffects were unacceptable to X. He leaves behind vines that slow down the employees and will not disappear until the end of the day's work.
This negative effect also deterred X; after successfully obtaining the EGO, he returned it.
To his utter surprise, the alien that he had returned ended up back in Adam's hands.
"What, have you already forgotten about this poor fruit?"
The apple, with its big, dark eyes, also gave a timely look of sadness.
X didn't know how he could sense emotions in those two empty eye sockets, but he could tell that the apple was about to cry.
“I haven’t forgotten; I’ve always remembered Him.”
I remember it so well that every time I see Him I choose another anomaly and never Him. Isn't that a kind of remembering?
Poor Apple had no idea what the black-haired youth was thinking.
He was so happy that he wanted to stretch out branches, and that the apple was growing bigger and bigger at a visible speed, about to grow limbs and put on a skirt.
X urgently called a halt: "This size is perfect. This size is the most perfect apple. I'll take you away."
The apple eventually stopped growing to the size of a regular grapefruit, no longer the little apple that could be held in the palm of your hand.
Adam smiled as he looked at "Snow White's Pomelo," and then pulled out an apple from somewhere.
It was a round, plump, golden apple.
X looked at the big red apple he was holding, then at the golden apple, then at the red apple again, and asked:
"You golden apple, are you serious?"
Why does that apple look so familiar to him?
"In my view, these are all just fruits."
As expected, the apple Adam pulled out wasn't a real apple.
X couldn't help but think of a girl who had worked at a branch of Company L, who had managed to escape but ultimately still lost her life at the Golden Apple...
...I wonder how Gregor is doing. His insect limbs are probably even more conspicuous in this world.
The supervisor was worried and worried, and then he discovered a problem.
Does he have another employee who hasn't returned yet?
Where did Mori Ōgai go?
Adam disdained lying and concealment, and always spoke his mind, though perhaps in a slightly awkward way.
So, what about his employees?
Where are the employees wearing the EGO armor produced by Snow White's apple? Where are they?
The two people currently acting with him are obviously clueless about everything.
"Adam," the young man holding the apple asked, "have you seen an employee wearing a green branch uniform?"
He embarked on his journey home alone.
They went back?
He went to see Angela, who said with certainty, "Mori Ougai has not returned to the company."
Mori Ougai, who was being watched by his supervisor, choked on the dust and sneezed violently. He looked at the middle-aged gentleman beside him, wearing a small round hat and with disheveled hair, and said somewhat dejectedly:
"Teacher, why did you bring me here?"
He has to go back to the company and find his supervisor. If it gets too late... he shouldn't think about it anymore.
"Ougai, look at these things."
Natsume Soseki raised his walking stick and pointed to the messy and broken pile of debris not far away.
These fragments are... a culture chamber?
These tall jars were all broken and lay crookedly overturned in one place, with only one intact jar remaining.
The sole survivor was covered in dust and cobwebs.
Following his teacher's instructions, Mori Ougai approached and casually picked up a piece of cloth of indeterminate color from the back of a three-legged chair, using it to roughly wipe the surface of the can.
Although the surface was still covered in stains, the contents inside were finally barely visible...
Inside was a surprisingly living creature, resembling a bizarre creation pieced together by an abstract artist, taking parts of humans, wild animals, and insects.
Looking at the creatures inside, Mori Ōgai fell silent.
This familiar, bizarre style of art looks exactly like it came from their company. Was it stolen? Or did it simply run away?
Given his manager's personality, he wouldn't allow company assets to be transferred out without his knowledge.
Whether they are aliens or employees, they are all considered valuable assets of the company and are treated equally by the supervisor.
"Teacher, this strange idea...where did the monster come from?"
Natsume Soseki observed his disciple's expression: "Ougai, do you know where this monster came from?"
Before his strangely dressed disciple could say anything, he continued, "This monster has already assisted the hound in completing many missions. As long as it suffers even the slightest damage, the person on the other side will die. That's what the hound's report to the authorities stated."
“However, I have learned something unexpected,” the old sage said, picking up a piece of iron embedded in the glass from among the broken containers, brushing off the dust, and showing it to Mori Ōgai.
The nameplate clearly reads "Ichiro Nakamura," so it's not hard to guess what was originally inside the culture chamber.
"As you can see, those incubation chambers were originally filled with people, criminals sentenced to death, whose crimes were unforgivable."
“They would periodically throw this monster into those people’s incubation pods,” he said, then showed Mori Ougai the daggers in each broken incubation pod, their sharpness still visible even when covered in dust.
"If you were someone in the incubation chamber and saw a monster like that walking towards you, what would you do?"
"I will use that dagger to kill that monster."
"That's right, they did that, but the moment the blade touches the monster, they become the new monster, and the original monster dies."
"Why did you tell me all this, Natsume-sensei?"
The middle-aged man with medium-length hair tied into a small bun looked at his teacher, his tone somewhat ambiguous.
"Ougai, you seem to be in a very dangerous organization right now."
When Mori Ougai heard his teacher say this, he turned around but could only see his teacher with his back to him, seemingly lost in thought.
“This is the abandoned experimental base of the hounds,” Natsume Soseki said in a low voice, looking at the broken bases scattered all over the ground.
"They discovered that when the monster wasn't on missions, its mental state would deteriorate, eventually causing it to collapse and remain motionless. In order to keep the monster and to obtain healthier monsters, they needed these prisoners as 'monster consumables'."
"It seems I made a mistake in arranging the Port Mafia path for you back then. I thought you could perfectly control the night in Yokohama, but none of us expected this terrifying organization to appear out of nowhere."
"Judging from your appearance, there must be many monsters like you in that organization."
Mori Ougai remained silent for a while before saying, "Teacher, I can't get away now. Since you've said what you wanted to say, it's time for me to go back."
Before leaving the dusty, abandoned base, Mori Ougai looked at the calico cat crouching on the dirty ground:
“I know what you mean. Even if you didn’t tell me this, I would have reported it to the supervisor,” he paused, then continued reassuringly, “He’s not the kind of person you think he is. He doesn’t want to see the casualties caused by these monsters more than anyone else. Please leave here.”
"Do not touch this monster before the company sends someone over, otherwise, if something goes wrong, it could lead to another tragedy."
Mori Ōgai could only say this much; he had to leave.
Wait a minute, why would he leave? He's been at Lobotomy Corporation for too long, his life has become so primitive. He has a cell phone!
The calico cat made no sound, leaving only a small trail of plum blossom-shaped footprints on the ground. It looked up at its disciple who was on the phone.
"Minister, please tell the supervisor that there are anomalies here... The supervisor isn't here?" Mori Ou listened for a while, then looked at the calico cat far away from his pants. "Teacher, why don't you go first? They're in Yokohama, they'll be here soon."
The cat seemed not to understand, stretched in place, and lay there motionless.
Having understood Natsume Soseki's meaning, Mori Ougai decided to pretend it didn't exist; it was just an ordinary little cat, not someone behind the scenes.
Instead of the supervisor he expected, who was accompanied by fully armed staff, Mori Ougai was met by the very strange "Honglu".
"You know me too."
The tuner, who always chose to take secluded paths, was just strolling aimlessly when he came to a place that looked like an abandoned laboratory. Before he had gone far, he saw this middle-aged man wearing strange armor.
Their reactions were exactly the same as that child's. Were they both from Company L?
“Honglu…kun?” Mori Ougai hesitated before saying the name he usually used for Honglu. “Did the supervisor send you?” Given the timing, he couldn’t help but wonder.
He now strongly suspects that the manager in the "White Night" version is one of them playing a trick on him; otherwise, why wouldn't the manager be at the company?
“That’s right, the supervisor told me to come here first,” Jia Baoyu said, as if this was his original destination.
"Just you?" Mori Ougai asked in surprise. Normally, in order to stabilize the situation and prevent accidents, the supervisor would bring at least two employees with him.
However, Mori Ougai had no idea what a leader was. After his initial surprise, he thought it was a newly developed EGO, since the head of the research and development department wore clothes that were very similar to this.
Thinking of this, he decided not to ask any more questions. He was already in the wrong for wandering around outside instead of returning to the company, so he should resolve this quickly and go back.
“This way, there’s a monster that looks like an anomaly. I’ve never officially worked with them, so I need you to confirm it.” The middle-aged man in the pink trench coat said as he walked towards the basement.
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