WeTried Translations

Translator: Coughing Baby

Editor: Coughing Baby

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 185: Under Black Water (3)

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The restricted area shown on the security room monitors was perfectly still. If not for the elapsed time marker in the corner of the screen, Gyeoul might have thought the image had frozen. Just in case, he powered on the microphone and tapped it with his fingertips. Tuk, tuk. If there was a mutant, it would react.

Joanna, who was working at the console, tilted her head.

"It is hard to check the contents right now, but there are records that have not been deleted. Did they think it did not matter since they were going to burn the ship itself anyway?"

They did not have time to go through countless surveillance videos one by one. Some of them were password-protected too. She toyed with the memory stick she had brought, then put it away again and shut off the console. Then she disassembled the main unit and pulled out the hard disk. It was just barely small enough to fit into the pocket on her thigh.

The other documents they found were minor things, like duty logs. Even so, they were evidence that could confirm the identities of the people involved. Joanna took out a small camera and photographed every page.

Last, she sprayed fingerprint collection fluid and preserved the prints with transparent film. With photos alone, they might still insist it was fabricated, but fingerprints would make that hard.

"How does it look inside? Is there anything?"

At her question, Gyeoul shook his head.

"There does not seem to be any major threat, but it is hard to be sure. If it is something like a ghoul, it may have learned the concept of speakers. More than anything, there is no guarantee a mutant that went through experiments will be the same as other ordinary mutants..."

"Do you mean the mutants may have been weaponized?"

"Even if not exactly that, I mean they could be dangerous because they are different from what we know."

A low probability could not be ignored. In fact, there had been worlds like that in Gyeoul's past.

'There were people who wanted to teach them language and try talking to them.'

What do you feel? How much pain are you in? What do you want? Do you feel God's providence?

The last question sounded bizarre, but that world had an atmosphere where such a question was necessary. The political situation had been thrown into chaos by people who accepted the Great Plague as God's judgment. With the country on the brink of becoming a theocracy, rational people had wanted to find proof of the opposite. To persuade people in panic. Also to reassure themselves.

By the time a ghoul reached the gamma level, there was more than enough room for it to accept systematic learning.

But it had been a poor choice. Language meant the capacity for linguistic thought. Even if intelligence stayed the same, a creature that could use language had far greater intellectual ability than one that could not.

From the moment the test subject escaped, that world's destruction had accelerated even more.

"That is a reasonable judgment. Ignorance is dangerous in itself."

Joanna thought for a moment.

"Hmm. What should we do? Originally, I thought one of us should stay here and guard the escape route, but going in alone may be dangerous. What do you think, Gyeoul?"

If their retreat was cut off, it was over. The security room monitors even showed the corridor outside the door, so if one person stayed here, they could avoid being ambushed or having their retreat blocked.

'No response from 「Insight」...'

It was not a light decision, but even the time spent hesitating here was another risk.

"It would be better if both of us went in. If one of us goes alone, it will take longer too."

"Understood. As before, I will take six o'clock."

Gyeoul stood in front, and the agent stood in the rear. It was a rhythm they had grown used to since April Pacific.

After passing through the powerless sterilization room, Gyeoul opened the thick door to the restricted area.

They moved quickly, thanks to having learned the rough layout through the closed-circuit system. But whenever they passed through blind spots in the surveillance, they slowed down a little. He measured the distance to obstacles based on reaction speed, judging whether they could respond if something came out from there.

"This is a horrible sight."

Joanna's voice. While she collected evidence, Gyeoul watched every direction.

Click. The camera captured body parts preserved in test tubes. Various altered organs. A dissected arm. A leg with its skin peeled away, exposing muscle. Fingers twitching with wires connected to the nervous system. Even if these were not enough as proof of human experimentation, at the very least, they would be enough to prove that some activity outside official operations had taken place at Pequod.

Every time they found another computer, they pulled out its storage device. The problem was where to put them, but luckily, they were able to grab an empty bag. It had a sports brand printed on it, which felt oddly out of place.

Clang! Kyaaaaaak!

Tatata-tang! Startled by the sudden noise, the agent reflexively pulled the trigger of her rifle. Sparks flew from the iron bars. Gyeoul, who had also aimed to the rear and had been moments from firing, lowered his aim. The cloth covering the wire mesh slid down, revealing a grotesque ghoul trapped in a narrow space.

'Is that really a ghoul?'

Aside from skin that had overcome immune rejection, it had more differences than similarities. Its flesh was swollen beyond recognition, as if tumors had spread across its whole body. Its face was so swollen that one eye could not even open.

The monster backed into the wall and slid down it. A smear of contaminated blood remained on the wall it had leaned against. Its hand dropped limply, splashing in a puddle of blood. Thanks to Joanna's accurate return fire, all three gunshot wounds were fatal.

As if that were a signal, screams began ringing out from every direction. Each time a curtain hiding a cage was pulled away, the inhuman prisoners reacted in a frenzy. Rotten hands reached through the bars and thrashed at empty air.

Not every specimen had that much frenzy left. Many already looked dead.

"My God. They even captured a Trickster."

Joanna was shocked. The most cunning mutant had its limbs bound, with thick electrodes driven into both shoulder blades. A pair of wires ran through the floor and continued somewhere unknown.

The gagged Trickster lay on the floor, rolling its yellowed eyes. Primal hunger and hatred showed in those bloodshot eyes. From time to time, it squirmed as if trying to exert itself, but the discharge sound that followed was extremely quiet. So quiet that even Gyeoul, with sensory correction, could barely hear it.

Countless injection marks remained on the monster's arm. Looking at a nearby trash can, he saw a biological waste warning label on it. When he kicked it, empty ampoules and syringes spilled out. There was also a handful of blood-soaked gauze and decayed biological tissue samples.

'Surely it is not dangerous to have these thrown away like this.'

Gyeoul lowered the vigilance that had spiked for an instant. He had wondered if they had tested something like cholera on mutants, but that sort of experiment would have been conducted under much stricter conditions. To begin with, since 「Survival Instinct」 had given no warning, the possibility was low.

Joanna, who was inspecting the wires, said,

"It seems this is the safety device. It looks like they were draining away the current the Trickster produces. If they do this, it would not even be able to self-destruct."

According to what the Department of Defense's Quarantine Strategy Institute had discovered, a Trickster's self-destruction took the form of overloading itself until it burst. So if electrodes were inserted and used to discharge it like this, self-destruction would be blocked at the source.

There was no need to kill each one individually. The two resumed searching. The chorus of screams receded behind them.

The restricted area was so large it seemed to take up half the deck.

After passing through partitions made of hanging vinyl and turning a corner, the stench of blood filled the air. It came from a shaded area where no light reached. He felt along the wall and searched for a switch. Click. The lights came on. Under the whining glow of fluorescent lights near the end of their lives, the horror was revealed.

"Anne, over here for a moment."

Joanna, who had been aiming behind them from the corner, came over quickly.

"Oh, God."

The agent covered her mouth with one hand. Anger filled her eyes after she squeezed them shut and opened them again.

"Those sons of bitches. How can people do this..."

Corpses filled their vision, laid out in rows with their hands bound, shot dead. Men and women, the old and children, all had through-and-through wounds in their heads. The holes in the backs of their heads were small, and the holes that had shattered their foreheads or noses were large. Decay had not begun. Even the blood had not fully hardened yet. Somewhere, liquid fell with a drip, drip. Without looking, it was obvious what color it was.

After examining several bodies, Joanna clenched her fist.

"There are sores on their skin, but no trace of immune rejection. They were not infected."

Gyeoul nodded.

"They must have been people captured to be used as lab rats."

Following the corpses kneeling and bent forward in rows led to a hole in the wall used to throw away garbage. The lower half of a corpse was sticking out of the hole. Gyeoul approached, grabbed the stiff legs, and tried pushing. It would not go in. The passage seemed to be blocked.

There was not the slightest trace of human dignity in how they had been treated.

Click, click. The shutter sounded softly. Joanna took photos with a face full of self-loathing.

"They left without killing the mutants, but they killed the people."

"Maybe that was the mercy of those True Patriots in their own way. At least it would hurt less than burning alive."

Gyeoul's words carried his disgust. Joanna closed her eyes again and muttered a curse.

It was after they finished collecting evidence.

[Hoo-]

The FBI agent, who had been praying for the dead, sprang to her feet. The sound was of someone blowing into a microphone. Joanna's shocked gaze turned toward the speaker. Gyeoul also frowned in the same direction.

'I knew 「Crisis Detection」 was reacting for some reason...'

But unless it was a direct threat, sensory correction's warning could only be weak. At most, he had expected one or two freed mutants.

Should one of them have stayed in the security room after all?

Regret was meaningless now. Gyeoul felt his mind freeze cold.

Beep. After the sharp electronic tone cut off, a familiar voice spoke from the other side of the speaker.

[Hah, hah. Supervisor Gibson. And Lieutenant Han Gyeoul. What are you doing there?]

"Chadwick! You bastard!"

Joanna shouted in fury. Ziiing. The closed-circuit camera moved.

[Oh, excuse me. I did not turn on your microphone, so I cannot hear what you are saying, Supervisor. Whew. Though even without hearing it, I can guess.]

Compared to the FBI agent's breathing, which had roughened with emotion, Team Leader Chadwick's cheerful calm had roughened for a different reason.

[You two really are impressive. Hoo, coming down without being caught by the people above was no easy thing. I suppose my body cannot keep up because it has been quite a long time since I last ran around in the field myself... Anyway, do not move. Moving now will be useless. Hahaha.]

Gyeoul's eyes narrowed. If Chadwick had needed to avoid the situation room's surveillance, that meant at least some of the CIA agents were not members of the 「True Patriots」.

'Now I understand why he only arrived now.'

Judging by the claim that moving would be useless, the door had already been sealed. At the very least, Joanna's key card would no longer be valid.

Click. Through the speaker's static came the sound of a switch being flipped.

[Now, let us have a conversation.]

It seemed he had activated the closed-circuit microphone.

"What do you want?"

The FBI agent asked, anger still burning in her voice. Her reason was colder than her emotion. In any case, the situation was the worst. The CIA branch director could let the supervisor and the boy officer live, or he could kill them.

[Why do you think I want something?]

"If you did not, you would have just locked the door and left."

At that, Chadwick burst out laughing.

[So confident. I did not have any particular business. I simply wanted to say goodbye.]

Then his cheerful laughter continued again. Joanna ground her teeth.

[Well, enough teasing...]

Chadwick's tone changed.

[Yes, there is something I want. Not from you, Supervisor. From Lieutenant Han Gyeoul.]

Joanna's gaze turned toward Gyeoul. A brief exchange of looks. Gyeoul faced the lens adjusting its angle straight on. Then he raised his voice.

"If you have something to say, say it. I will listen."

[It is nothing special. I want you to kill Miss Gibson there.]

"..."

[Lieutenant, do you not want to live?]

Chadwick's question had lost all trace of laughter.

============================ Author’s Note ============================

#Q&A

Q. Calpis: @Within the Intelligence Agency, a private faction... It feels like Hanahoe.

A. Intelligence organizations with many secretive corners do tend to be environments where independent action can emerge easily. To begin with, flexible counterintelligence work would be difficult unless individual discretion was guaranteed.

Q. CrAuS: @Author... Please become Eternal City's scenario writer T_T

A. I do want to try handling a game scenario or planning at least once... but that is just wishful thinking.

Footnotes:

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