The room was stark white, the walls padded like something out of a psychiatric ward. In the corner, 018 sat crouched with her hands clamped over her head, looking every bit like a psychiatric patient. The sight set the mood instantly.
016 turned his head toward the door behind him. It had already sealed shut. His thoughts slipped back to the silver-haired man. He had a few guesses about his identity, but one thing was clear the man was a big shot. Even a V-, those on the edge of being classified as waste, would've recognized the weight of his presence.
When 016 looked back, 018's gaze was already fixed on him. Her eyes were swollen, red, streaked with tears. Then she began to murmur, her voice just loud enough for him to hear.
"Why hide your feelings? I know you love me. You held me… kissed me… Last night you tried to save me from being cut up, but then you told me you despised me all of a sudden… 016, why? Why, why, why…"
The words circled endlessly until they blurred into incoherent noise.
016 regarded her flatly, expression impassive. He knew the cause. The perfume she had stolen wasn't perfume, it was hallucinogenic spray. Ordinary fragrances weren't allowed here for obvious reasons: they could agitate unstable subjects, stir unwanted responses, or worse. Which left only one explanation.
It wasn't smuggled in. That was impossible under the institution's security. Which meant it had been handed to her deliberately for an experiment.
The spray was designed to manipulate desires, to calm or control. It could also become addictive with repeated use. She must've known at some point, but still forced herself to keep using it, clinging to the illusions until her mind fractured.
016 had been spared only because of the surgery he'd undergone at the time. One of the injections he'd received had countered the spray's effects. He was certain 018 realized that too, yet she still tried to use it on him.
His gaze lingered on her only a moment longer before drifting away. This wasn't his problem. She'd lost her sanity, fine. But then why was he here?
Because this… didn't feel like punishment....
---
The silver-haired man walked into a room not far from where 016 had entered. Inside, several doctors were already at work, their eyes fixed on glowing monitors and data streams.
His gaze swept the room once, settling on a woman seated with her legs crossed and arms folded tightly across her chest. She looked tense, weighed down by stress. The silver-haired man recognized her instantly.
With an easy, almost lazy stride, he approached and sat down across from her. "Madam Anderson," he said lightly, his tone smooth, almost teasing, "what a long time it's been."
The instant his voice touched the air, the atmosphere in the room shifted. The doctors froze, then stiffened as if an electric current had run through them. One of them turned his head, and upon seeing the man, immediately pushed back his chair and bowed deeply.
Professor Li spared them a glance, his expression detached, almost bored. "Forget it," he said, dismissing their panic without care.
Across the room, Madam Anderson finally looked up. Originally she was beautiful, short black hair with darker tips, a figure that usually drew every eye.. but now her face told a different story. Pale, weary, and lined with stress, she looked as though twenty years had been carved onto her in a single night.
Li's gaze sharpened. Something wasn't right.
"Out," he ordered flatly. The doctors exchanged nervous glances, but no one hesitated. In moments, the room emptied, leaving only the two of them.
The door shut with a heavy click. Li's casual mask fell away, replaced with a hard seriousness. His deep black eyes fixed on her.
"The Madam Anderson I know...," he said slowly, "...wouldn't look shaken even with a gun to her head. What happened?" His voice was low, magnetic, carrying no trace of playfulness now.
Anderson's lips trembled. "It… it found us," she whispered, the words broken as her hands clutched at her head. Her body began to shake violently, as if she could no longer hold herself together.
Li froze, the words hitting him like ice water down his spine. His brows tightened, shadows darkening his expression.
"…Are you certain?" he asked, his tone full of doubt
She snatched up her phone, hands trembling as she unlocked it and shoved the screen toward him.
On it was an image the world ahead, familiar yet wrong. A fissure ran across the space, jagged like a shattered mirror forced into reality, bleeding into the rest of the scene.
Professor Li's pupils contracted. Slowly, he rose to his feet.
"…How?" he murmured under his breath.
But Madam Anderson lurched forward, her composure breaking. "I told you…" Her voice cracked, rising until it became a scream. "I TOLD YOU! The corruption of the world would lead them straight to us!"
Her hands shook violently as she clutched her chest. "I have a family now! I have ties, relationships! I cannot lose everything, not again!" Her voice splintered into panic. "Li Chang, fix this! You have to fix this!"
"I… will," Li Chang said at last, his voice stripped of its usual authority. He looked defeated. "And don't forget… I have a family too."
Madam Anderson went quiet, studying him as she steadied her breath. "Th–this happened in one of my new resorts in Asia. No one saw it except me and two staff… but I've silenced them."
"It's good you killed them," Li Chang muttered, exhaling in relief as he pressed his fingers against his temples.
"…I didn't kill them," she admitted, leaning back and covering her face with one hand.
His head snapped toward her, eyes wide. "What?" His voice cracked with disbelief. "No one can know about this! What if they break and expose everything? The world cannot—"
"Don't you dare yell at me!" she cut him off, her voice sharp, fraying at the edges. "Unlike you, I don't kill anyone on a whim! I made them sign contracts of silence."
Li Chang froze, torn between anger and exhaustion. Right or wrong blurred together. He finally pushed himself up to his feet, towering over her. "Take me to the crack. And call Yu Seok and Ivan… we need to deal with this before it spreads."
He turned and strode out, Madam Anderson exhaling a shaky sigh before rising to follow.
The door opened to reveal a hallway full of anxious doctors. Panic flickered in their eyes. One, braver than the rest, stepped forward nervously. "P–Professor Li, the punishment… what about—"
Madam Anderson's mouth opened, ready to lash out and vent her stress, but Li Chang moved first. His hand shot out, gripping the man's throat. With a single motion, he lifted him clean off the ground.
"Don't ever waste my time with useless matters again!" Li Chang roared, his voice thunderous. He hurled the doctor aside like trash, the man crumpling against the wall.
Li Chang turned to Madam Anderson, his tone dropping low and urgent. "Taylor…"
Hearing her name spoken so directly made her stiffen, but she quickly adjusted her stride, hurrying to match his pace.