Chapter 14

Episode 14. Virgin Birth (2)

***

“Take this?”

I glanced at the monster again. The grotesque creature, just extracted from the womb, was a messy tangle of human flesh, teeth, hair, nails, and muscles. Its single eye stared piercingly at me.

Extremely unpleasant.

But there was no other choice.

Dr. Lee handed me the horrifying fetus. I frowned in disgust but had no choice but to accept the cursed monster into my hands.

Blood and amniotic fluid stained my hands.

An insult to humanity.

Today’s surgery borrowed the form of birth, but the result was not new life—it was a terrible desecration of all that is sacred.

I wanted to throw it away immediately.

“Run.”

Holding the monster, I dashed out of the operating room as fast as I could. Outside, the doctor who had left earlier was waiting with a bucket of steaming white liquid.

I showed the monster to the doctor.

“This is liquid nitrogen, right?”

The doctor nodded.

Carefully, I dropped the fetal monster into the bucket. The surgery had been long, but this should be the end of it.

Probably. I let out a sigh.

The monster twitched in the liquid nitrogen, its movements gradually slowing until it stopped completely. The doctor holding the bucket also sighed in relief. I felt the same.

“Good work, Chief Researcher.”

“What will happen to the monster?”

“It will be preserved in formaldehyde. Then, it’ll be moved to the Research Department’s specimen room or storage.”

“It looks dangerous.”

“This facility already stores 24 specimens. As far as we know, they’re not dangerous. Even if it’s the spawn of a demon, it’s just a frozen fetus.”

The more I heard, the more uncomfortable I felt.

The Foundation’s doctor bowed to me and left with the bucket containing the specimen. I was exhausted. I slumped down in the hallway outside the operating room.

***

I felt like throwing up.

It wasn’t just nausea or pity for the subject of the surgery. I’ve killed plenty of rats and dogs in the lab.

It wasn’t that. It was an unbearable, physiological disgust—something unnatural and wrong.

The Antichrist specimen, frozen in liquid nitrogen, was taken by the Humanoid Research Department. I just crouched there in front of the operating room.

“Are you okay?”

I looked up at the sound.

Dr. Lee Min-sik was looking down at me. Being looked down on wasn’t a pleasant experience, but I didn’t have the strength to get up.

With my height and build, being looked down on is pretty much the norm anyway. Even if I stood up, it’d be the same.

“I’m fine.”

Dr. Lee’s expression softened. The surgery was over, and the tension seemed to have faded. He looked at me, still crouched.

“The supernatural can sometimes be unbearably unpleasant. I understand—it’s your first time seeing something like this. I was the same during my student days.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

I tore off the disposable gown and set it aside.

“Did the surgery go well?”

“Yes. She should recover in a day or two.”

That’s a relief.

“Dr. Kim, do you believe in God?”

A strange question. Hmm. Surrounded by supernatural phenomena, does believing in God even matter?

If God exists, who allowed that horrifying monster to exist? If there’s truly a benevolent God, how could the evils the Foundation fights against even exist?

“Me? I don’t go to church. Do you believe, Dr. Lee? Even while working at the Foundation?”

Dr. Lee nodded this time.

“I believe in God. Didn’t we just witness a demon? If demons exist, doesn’t it make sense that God exists too?”

“I’m not sure if that’s logical.”

Maybe it’s just a messed-up world where only demons exist. You can’t judge based on that alone.

“This is the Foundation’s work. Didn’t you see it? Those horrifying monsters harming the innocent, preying on the lambs. We fight against an endless, unknowable evil. I believe what we do is God’s work.”

God’s work. It wasn’t what I expected.

I thought Dr. Lee was a scary person. But his convictions are firm, it seems. Not a conviction I understand, though. I nodded slowly.

“Yes.”

“I know how you see us. We requested a background check on you when you were hired, so you probably don’t think highly of us. But… please consider our position. You’ve seen what we fight against, what we worry about.”

I looked straight at Dr. Lee’s face.

People can have different opinions. Others’ methodologies might not make sense. But we should respect those differences.

I stood up.

“Good work, Dr. Lee Min-sik.”

“Oh, by the way, would you like to participate in the molecular biology research on the specimen you saw earlier? Dr. Kim might find it interesting.”

“I’ll do it tomorrow.”

I can respect someone with clear convictions.

***

Anyway. I left the Humanoid Research Department as quickly as possible. Today wasn’t about human experimentation, but it was still unpleasant.

When I got out, Nanami was waiting outside the Humanoid Department’s iron door. This person… said they were busy, but I guess they just didn’t want to step into the Humanoid Department.

“Hello, Diiiiirector.”

“Dr. Lee Min-sik must’ve been annoyed. He can’t keep saying ‘Chief Researcher of the Director’s Office’ every time.”

Nanami laughed.

“That doctor? The one who calls his students ‘bastards’ and ‘brats’? He wouldn’t make that kind of mistake. He must’ve been impressed by you.”

“Well, that’s good then.”

“How was the Humanoid Department?”

I thought for a moment.

“Nanami, do you dislike the Humanoid Department? To me, they’re just people, so I don’t think you need to worry too much.”

“That’s your perspective. Mine’s different. I’m scared of the Humanoid Department. They hate me.”

“Hate you?”

What’s there to hate? Nanami started walking toward the Director’s Office. I hurried to catch up.

“It’s complicated to explain.”

“The Humanoid Research Department dislikes beings like me. Specifically, they dislike that I’m not under their control.”

Nanami fell silent for a while after that.

“Enough of the dark talk. Let’s head back to the Director’s Office. Take a break today. I’ll buy you coffee.”

“Okay.”

Nanami.

Let me think for a moment.

Probably a Foundation experiment. Not entirely sure, but judging by the reactions, it seems they were created by the Foundation’s hands.

I sat back down in my office.

A few minutes later. The door to my office opened again. Nanami poked their head in.

“Doctor. I brought coffee.”

“Ah, thank you.”

Nanami set the mug on my desk.

I took a sip. Coffee. They said they’d buy it, but it seems Nanami made it themselves. Tastes awful.

I should probably hang Plato’s window from the isolation room in my office too. Maybe seeing sunlight in the office would make work easier.

***

[Specimen Test Results]

[Author: Research Department, Molecular Biology Division]

[We received the specimen. Quite an interesting one. Using the tissue samples you provided, we completed the requested tests and confirmed a few additional things.]

[First, genetically, the specimen is human. It appears to be a teratoma, but it’s composed of human cells with human genes.]

[Half of the specimen’s genome is confirmed to originate from the patient, but the other half is completely unknown. All we know is that it’s human.]

[And. Disgustingly, there’s a cluster of nerves at the specimen’s core. As horrifying as it is, we can’t rule out the possibility that the specimen has consciousness.]

***

[Supernatural Phenomenon P-3030]

[Antichrist]

[Threat Level: Extremely Dangerous]

[Classification: Phenomenon-Type Supernatural]

[Supernatural Phenomenon P-3030 is a monster resembling a teratoma. Its size ranges from that of a ping-pong ball to a soccer ball, though larger specimens have been observed.]

[From 1950 to 2015, 31 instances of this phenomenon were discovered in South Korea. Refer to the attached documents for details on each specimen.]

[This phenomenon primarily manifests in females aged 9 to 18. Fortunately, if discovered and treated within 8 months of manifestation, there are no long-term health risks.]

[Treatment is also possible at civilian hospitals. The best treatment methods are surgical removal via cesarean section or total hysterectomy.]

[It’s not a phenomenon that kills many people, nor is it particularly powerful or complex.]

[However, considering the demographic it targets, the means by which it achieves its goals, and what those goals are, it is one of the most horrifying supernatural phenomena.]