Chapter 163: Humans and Monsters |
Even though he had accepted the task of investigating the Directional Reconstructor from A Piao and boasted that he could handle it alone, having A Piao's backing meant no one in the Ascension Society would likely pry into the exact nature of his Anomalous Effect. Shi Rang could act with a free hand.
However, a full half-month had passed. It was already late June, and Shi Rang had made almost no progress.
For a while, Shi Rang settled into a nine-to-five routine, focusing entirely on diving into the Database the moment he arrived at the office. Occasionally, he would step away from the purchasing department, which did not require his constant supervision, and stay in his residence to eavesdrop on and employ Mounting on the employees' communication devices.
Yet, all signs indicated that near the Charity Foundation headquarters, aside from the heavily fortified Facility 009
there were absolutely no other containment facilities.
Since the Directional Reconstructor was also a component of The Ark, why was the Head known as The Prism so certain that it was not in Facility 009, but rather contained separately?
Unable to find any viable clues, Shi Rang expressed this doubt to A Piao. The latter did not reply until that evening via the Ascension Society Communication Device.
"The Prism says that thing is definitely not in Facility 009. There are too many eyes and ears there.
"The Directional Reconstructor is the private property of The Bureau's Supreme Council, just like the Fountain of Youth, so it's impossible for it to be stored in a facility with a large staff. You can try looking for traces of the 'Right Hand of Order' near the Foundation headquarters. That is a Mobile Task Force acting exclusively as the private army of The Bureau's council."
He tried shifting his perspective.
'If Facility 009 is the only one nearby, and this device isn't in the facility... could there be a Zone around here?'
However, given the scale of a Zone, plus the fact that there were no other towns nearby where employees could take their leave, it made no sense for Shi Rang not to have scanned it.
Putting those two possibilities aside, he was growing increasingly curious about this Head known as The Prism.
The other party was familiar with the internal financial operations of The Bureau and even knew the secrets of the Supreme Council. Their familiarity with The Bureau's inner workings far exceeded that of an ordinary employee.
'Could it be that the other party was once a department head in The Bureau, or even—' "Was The Prism previously part of The Bureau?" he sent this question directly to A Piao.
"Correct, and specifically a former Council Member. After bringing followers to abandon the darkness for the light and establishing the Ascension Society, their original position was probably replaced long ago. But it's impossible for them to completely change all the systems—this has provided a lot of help to the Society's operations."
Even though he had already guessed the answer, the moment he received confirmation, Shi Rang could not help but feel shocked.
If so, could the earliest iteration of the Ascension Society be considered a splinter faction of The Bureau?
The origins of the Anomalous Items and various Ascenders controlled by the Society now seemed quite intriguing. There was no telling what kind of core team The Prism had taken with them back then...
Of the three Heads, one was a former Council Member of The Bureau, and another was a formidable non-human entity. Who exactly was the remaining one?
Thoughts and judgments always require a standpoint. Unknowingly, Shi Rang was subconsciously thinking from the perspective of a member of the Ascension Society.
Although A Piao was not human, the entity had given him entirely too much help. Shi Rang could not help but feel grateful, and this sentiment naturally extended to the Ascension Society it commanded.
If only the other party, and indeed the entire Ascension Society, could be a bit more gentle in their methods...
The cruelty of the Ascension Society's actions was like a thorn constantly lodged in his heart. Whenever he tried to accept this organization, that thorn would twist in his chest, warning him that this was only a platform to borrow strength from, not his true home.
Now that Shi Rang was certain Fan Yingshang was inside The Bureau, he was no longer as desperate for answers as before.
It was mostly evasion, and partly fear. He did not want to plunge into an eternal search once again.
He was now more curious about how much longer this deliberately reconstructed world could survive.
The Ark set sail time and time again, and anomalies resurfaced time and time again. Life and death cycled endlessly, making the apocalypse feel as though it were right before their eyes.
'Was my peaceful life in the past merely a fluke?'
At that moment, A Piao sent another message.
"If you really can't find any clues, I can help you stall for more time. The Prism has been looking for that machine for decades anyway, so a little more time won't make a difference.
"Do you have any way to make the people from the Star Child Order make a move on the Eye of God? The Bureau's situation in the Second District has gradually stabilized, but they still show no intention of taking action. The longer this drags on, the more disadvantageous it is for us."
Sitting on the edge of the bed in his Bedroom, Shi Rang leaned back slightly.
'Is A Piao overestimating me? Or perhaps...'
"Why are you discussing this with me? I thought the Society had plenty of capable people."
"Intuition."
Shi Rang rapidly typed on the small keyboard at the bottom of the communication device, eager for an answer. "Can you tell me how much you know—about me?"
"Since you're asking... I can't see through your ability, but I know your capacity to infiltrate The Bureau is far greater than that of a titular Charity Foundation executive. Whenever we discussed Bureau-related matters before, you would activate your ability. Therefore, I deduce that your Anomalous Effect is directly connected to The Bureau."
Sure enough, as another entity possessing Sensing, A Piao had noticed.
Having his deepest secret practically laid bare, Shi Rang could not help but feel a sudden palpitation in his chest.
His relationship with A Piao was complex. It was friendly, carrying a bond akin to familial affection, yet Shi Rang understood that he was constantly walking a tightrope. And waiting beneath that tightrope was a monster with its bloody maw wide open.
In the past, he would have frantically thought of ways to cover it up or prevaricate, or nervously tried to gauge just how good their relationship was in hopes of extracting a useless promise.
But now, the very first thing that welled up in his heart was killing intent.
He had never been completely honest with A Piao. Driven by a sense of insecurity on the very night of their first meeting, Shi Rang had sought out a trump card to use against it.
The kind of kin A Piao had been searching for did indeed exist.
Wandering the world, it would naturally never find them, because its kin were locked away in The Bureau's Containment Rooms.
[CVA-B-139 - "Soul Snatcher"]
Special Precautionary Measures:
All B-139 instances (B-139-1 through B-139-4) have been stably contained. To maintain their vital signs, they must be provided with one death-row Class-D Personnel as a new host each week.
As it is not yet confirmed whether any escaped instances exist in the outside world, a normalized early-warning mechanism must be activated.
Any Class-C personnel or above employed by the Veil Project's Charity Foundation enterprise must promptly report any occurrences of catatonic stupor, brain death disguised as fatal trauma, or similar incidents within their jurisdiction. If such situations are discovered, Mu-12 "Celestial Master" will be deployed to the scene immediately.
Upon verifying the cause of death as B-139 feeding, Mu-12 is authorized to lock down the incident site and all surrounding residential areas that may fall within the transfer radius. They are permitted to requisition Reality Anchors that do not interfere with the operations of nearby facilities, as well as idle Class-D Personnel, to establish a cordon and execute entrapment protocols.
The Records naturally detailed methods to deal with A Piao. Shi Rang could not pull it off himself, but The Bureau certainly could.
Holding this trump card was the only thing that gave him the confidence to get close to A Piao. It was his ultimate insurance policy.
The only variable was that its Plunder ability had not been documented in the Records. After all, The Bureau would never allow a Containment Object to devour another Containment Object just for testing purposes, so they had never discovered this trait.
Even if A Piao's Plunder was different from Shi Rang's, he still could not be sure just how much the entity had grown after roaming free for so many years, nor could he guess what powerful Anomalous Effects it might harbor.
Clutching this card in his hand, Shi Rang pondered for a long time before deciding not to use it for now.
Once his killing intent subsided, he noticed new messages popping up on the communication device's screen.
"Did I scare you?
"I didn't mean to frighten you. I just wanted you to be careful from now on. I haven't seen anyone else possess Sensing, but one doesn't necessarily need Sensing to realize you're using an ability. You zone out, and it's very obvious.
"Moreover, some perceptive individuals will notice subtle sensations. They might not pinpoint it to you, but they'll likely feel a sense of discomfort.
"I just wanted to pass my experience onto you. I can't always be by your side."
Looking at the words on the screen that even conveyed a sense of grievance, Shi Rang felt a complex mix of emotions.
'Why do you have to be an Anomalous Creature, A Piao?'
'If you were human, we could have been great allies.'
'But you just had to be a monster that feeds on humans and can only sustain your life by preying on them. For every week you survive in this world, you must murder at least one person to maintain your existence.'
'Our paths are different; we are destined to walk separate ways...'
Sidestepping the other party's apology, Shi Rang gave A Piao a vague reply.
"I can't do that much."
After sending that sentence, his thoughts shifted, and he added:
"Is the Star Child Order closely connected to other secret societies that worship the Blood Red God?"
A Piao: "Very closely. These guys are birds of a feather. There isn't much conflict over heresy among them; their unity is almost touching."
Shi Rang: "I can try to think of a way."
A Piao: "Go all out. No one will pry into your affairs. They'll just think I'm omnipotent. ^"
'Were those last symbols an emoticon...?'
Shi Rang set down the communication device, fell back onto his bed, and let out a long sigh.
'Ying Shang, if you were here, what would you do?'
'Where on earth are you? What exactly did the people from The Bureau do?'
Deep down, Shi Rang still harbored a sliver of fantasy, thinking he might be able to change the Ascension Society's cruel methods through A Piao. But recalling The Bureau's kill on sight order against the Society, he abandoned that unrealistic notion.
This was a war, and right now, he stood on the side of the Ascension Society.
He had always been mentally prepared to evacuate at any moment, but for now, he was still in the same boat as the Ascension Society.
'Facility... facility... where the hell is that mysterious facility?'
'It's impossible for the facility staff to go an entire month without taking a break or rotating shifts, right?'
'Did the Council Members really not move the Directional Reconstructor? After all, a traitor emerged from the council. No matter how you look at it, they should have relocated something this important.'
Shi Rang truly had no clue. Tossing aside everything troubling him, he dove into the Terminal Station.
He had no intention of looking for communication devices or various transfer documents anymore; he was tired today.
At this hour, the nearby Bureau employees should be chatting, right? He could lurk and see what they were talking about.
[Charity Foundation Internal Employee Chat Channel #1]
[Veteran: Sending off another busload of kids tomorrow. So lucky. Even I can't get into the First District.]
[Jerry Monkey: Haha, if you were a Prefabricated Human fresh out of the cage, you'd have a one-in-ten chance too.]
[Magic Board: I'm so sick of fixing this Incinerator all day long. Is anyone willing to swap posts with me? I'd even be willing to go guard the Warehouse!]
[Star Meow: Warehouse security posts are exclusively for Prefabricated Humans. (Grins)]
'Incinerator? Warehouse?'
Shi Rang's sluggish spirit instantly jolted awake, and he immediately scrambled out of bed.
His gaze fixed on the chat nickname of the employee who spoke last.
Piercing through the surface data, he directly saw through to the other party's true Records.
He had seen this person before—the Bureau employee who had come to visit him alongside Agent Leah and that Duplicate. It was this "Star Meow"!