The Madness of Scientists and a Peculiar Mission

Oh! Oh?! Whoa, whoa! That was close, too close!

Clutching the test tube that had nearly slipped from my grasp, I swallowed hard, steadying my nerves.

‘So this is Xiaobai’s body scent…’

‘If Ruka ever found out I was holding something this…delicate, would I be kneeling on a washboard?’

Unperturbed by my comical predicament, Mr. Liya continued his explanation.

“The one I hold was crudely extracted from the prisoner you witnessed in the second experiment, the one who was swallowed for so long.”

“Its effects are identical to the one you’re holding.”

“Identical?”

‘How unexpected. I had thought only that child was special; was I mistaken?’

“In terms of its monster-attracting effect alone, yes, they are identical.”

“In terms of alone?” ‘I sensed this was a crucial detail not to be overlooked.’

“Indeed.”

Having finished speaking, Mr. Liya walked towards the documents Liliya had left behind before departing.

He picked them up, holding them aloft for me to see.

“We meticulously compared the data from both individuals, but the differences were simply astronomical…”

‘Mr. Liya’s rare bitter smile suggested that they had hit a complete dead end in this particular line of inquiry, didn’t it?’

“Furthermore, after the monster regurgitated the prisoner, they had lost nearly a tenth of their blood.”

“What?! The monster feeds on blood?”

‘And why only nearly a tenth, not all of it? That’s quite perplexing.’

“Not only that, but all the bleeding wounds on the prisoner’s body had healed to such an extent that it was as if nothing had ever happened.”

“Huh?!”

‘What exactly is going on? It even possesses healing properties?’

“No extraneous bacteria, viruses, or parasites were detected on that prisoner’s body.”

“Moreover, an adult losing such a quantity of blood at once would not only avoid discomfort but actually benefit their health, much like donating blood.”

“It’s quite fascinating, really.”

As he spoke, a faint smile played on Mr. Liya’s lips.

Self-deprecation, curiosity, and excitement—these were the emotions reflected in Mr. Liya’s eyes at that moment, the unique madness of a true scientist.

Incidentally, Liliya, who was currently resting, was far crazier than Mr. Liya.

“But what exactly is this thing?” I asked Mr. Liya, utterly bewildered.

‘This entire situation is simply baffling…’

“Liliya and I would certainly like to know as well.”

“Unfortunately, it’s not a robot, or we’d simply dismantle it.”

“Have you uncovered any other useful information regarding this monster?”

‘It was inconceivable that Liliya and Mr. Liya would have only conducted this single experiment.’

“See for yourself; the records aren’t overly complicated.”

With that, Mr. Liya selected several dozen pages from the files he held and handed them to me.

I gazed intently at the myriad experiment records, and for a time, the only sound in the quiet room was the soft rustle of turning pages.

The conclusions drawn from these detailed records revealed that, apart from variations in size, these monsters exhibited no individual differences.

The monster possessed an organ akin to a ‘receiver’ and lacked a mouth and sight.

However, it was noteworthy that its sense of smell was no less acute than that of a monarch butterfly.

Its primary mode of locomotion was slow, deliberate wriggling.

Instances of it using tentacles to coil around objects and rapidly pull itself forward were rare.

Its attack methods were limited to four: stabbing (effectively small-area impact), coiling, slamming, and whipping.

The peculiar ‘swallowing’ behavior was merely a means of restraint, not an offensive action.

It showed no reaction whatsoever to ‘The Gate’ or ‘Strength’.

It exhibited no aggressive or blood-sucking behavior towards any creatures other than humans.

However, if attacked (regardless of species or method), it would actively retaliate.

Depending on the severity of its injuries, it might also attempt to flee.

The overall strength of its flesh was not particularly high; weapons more potent than a dagger were sufficient to inflict harm.

Wounds could heal on their own, but spraying ordinary human blood onto them would accelerate the process.

Conversely, spraying the blood of specific individuals, Xiaobai or Prisoner 9863, would prevent healing entirely…

The phenomenon of death was observed.

A phenomenon akin to ‘hunger’ was present, but during such times, an interesting behavior emerged: it would bury its entire body in the soil.

It would remain there until the ‘hunger’ subsided before resuming activity.

Additionally, injuries could also be recovered through this peculiar method.

Humans who had been swallowed by it lost their fear of the monster itself, showing traces of hypnosis and suggestive conditioning.

No monster fusion phenomenon, akin to ‘one plus one,’ was observed during the experiments.

“No matter how many times I see it, I’m truly impressed by your capabilities.”

“You’ve practically unearthed all of their secrets, haven’t you?”

Arranging the meticulously detailed papers, I returned them to Mr. Liya with a smile.

In moments like these, I invariably found myself feeling a profound reverence for Liliya and Mr. Liya.

Such achievements were truly beyond the grasp of ordinary individuals.

“You flatter us,” Mr. Liya replied, offering a modest smile, “but there remains much that we still don’t understand.”

He then continued,

“You must have noticed them too, haven’t you? Those suspicious elements within the experiment records.”

“Indeed. They feel like something we absolutely cannot ignore.”

‘The mere record of its ability to “hypnotize and suggest” to humans was enough to indicate that this thing was far from simple.’

“I genuinely wish I could sit down for a cup of tea with the ‘fellow’ who created these monsters,” Mr. Liya mused.

As he spoke, his eyes once again brimmed with excitement, but this time, it carried the distinct glint of a hunter locking onto their prey.

‘And to refer to them as a “fellow”… did that imply he was considering the possibility that they weren’t even human?’

“Tell me, what do you need me to do?”

‘Having been summoned all this way, I knew it couldn’t simply be for an experiment briefing.’

“Considering that these monsters react so strongly to Xiaobai’s body scent, why do you think they never attacked her over the past two months?”

‘Oh, right, I’d completely forgotten about that!’

‘However… my previous deduction was that they might have known about Ruka and lacked the confidence to defeat her, which is why they didn’t attack.’

“What are your thoughts?” I asked directly, hoping for a more logical answer.

“We have numerous hypotheses, but I won’t disclose them here, as that’s not why you were summoned.”

‘Ugh… I just realized I’d completely gone off-topic…’

“So? Am I to…?”

“The remaining eight thousand nine hundred and two monsters have all been fitted with specialized transmitters, and we need you to—”

“Release them all back in Japan.”

Before Mr. Liya could finish, Liliya, now clad in a fresh lab coat, pushed open the door and entered.

“Liliya, you’re done resting so quickly? It hasn’t even been an hour!”

‘Are scientists’ bodies specially constructed? Do they not need sleep?!’

“This is an alternate body; the tired one is still submerged in nutrient fluid.”

…

…

‘I shouldn’t have asked…’

“This time, I’ll accompany you to Japan.” With that, Liliya began gathering some items.

“Could you tell me why…?”

‘I have a really bad feeling about this…’

“Why, to have a good ‘chat’ with the ‘fellow’ who crafted these toys, of course~”

“…” ‘I suppose I should just keep quiet…’

The expression on Liliya’s face… it was pleasure… a truly spine-chilling pleasure!

‘That poor soul on the other side, you’re in for a world of trouble…’