Chapter 144

Episode 144. Special Forces Science Officer Scope (1)

****

Spade and Contrabass had returned to the basement once again. The attempt to retrieve Dr. Chloe had failed.

The security level was too high, and Black’s group had died fighting in the abandoned factory. Well, they didn’t even know if it was a Foundation facility or not.

To be honest, they didn’t even try properly.

“Impossible is impossible.”

“True. What’s the plan?”

The plan was already in shambles.

Contrabass gazed at the distant mountains.

“We’ll just lay low. If we try anything, we’ll just end up getting screwed by the Foundation and dying horribly.”

“What caused this change of heart?”

Blue Rose-1 looked at Spade.

The reason was obvious.

“Paint died. Silver practically died and miraculously came back. Black not only died but got crushed. And the abandoned factory wasn’t even a Foundation facility—it was just two high-level Foundation entities sitting there.”

“That’s true.”

“We’re stopping the weird stuff. Hostile groups don’t keep throwing themselves at the Foundation’s strong enemies. We’ll lay low for now.”

Spade nodded.

“That’s what I was going to say. If we don’t directly antagonize the Foundation, hiding within their wartime measures isn’t impossible.”

“There’s no way to hide from the Foundation. You can only claim you’re not worth hunting.”

“I was the one saying that, but… wow, you’ve become quite the obedient dog after getting hit. Why don’t you put on a collar and go beg Director Kim?”

Contrabass sighed.

“I’ve lost seven of my kin. I don’t want to suffer more. There’s nothing we can do.”

“Right. Let’s just survive. We could even go to a country where the Foundation’s reach doesn’t extend…”

Who knows how long the world will last? The current order the Foundation is barely maintaining is likely to collapse before the four Blue Roses die.

No, it definitely will. The Blue Roses undergo a different aging process than normal humans. We just need to survive until then.

“Dr. Chloe isn’t absolutely necessary. You know that, right? Dr. Chloe is an outsider’s spawn. She’s not someone we can trust.”

A hybrid.

Unlike the stitched-together Blue Rose entities, she’s different. Someone succeeded in a summoning ritual, and to put it delicately… she’s a being that reached the pinnacle of existence through a connection with something. It’s no wonder even the Foundation can’t fully grasp her true nature. There’s only one of her.

If you believe the legends.

“If she wanted to come out, she would’ve. No need to sacrifice anything to contact her.”

Though it seems his words have changed compared to a few days ago. Contrabass was embodying the law of the new grapevine.

****

It took a while, but there were some results. We collected bone fragments from Black’s remains. About 300 pieces.

We also recovered pathologically classifiable organ fragments—lungs, stomach, brain, etc. Dr. Kang carefully collected the brain fragments.

“You did this last time too. What do you use the brain fragments for? Is there a practical use?”

When we subdued the Reality Adjuster, the Research Department Head was obsessively fixated on the brain of the Humanoid Supernatural Phenomenon. Is there a reason?

Dr. Kang looked at me with a very serious expression. It gave me chills.

“Sometimes there are unique neural structures. Sometimes there are supernatural neurotransmitters that act like drugs. In terms of sorcery, psychometry or soul sealing…”

Dr. Kang trailed off.

“It’s very important. I’m not sure exactly where it’ll be used, but there are probably many departments that’ll need it.”

I felt a bit uncomfortable.

No matter how terrible the villain, there’s no rest. Even the corpse is picked clean and recycled.

“Do you feel sorry for them?”

“No, not really.”

“They weren’t just trying to kill the Director. They melted civilians alive to use as fodder for time-wasting. They should be grateful we allowed them to die.”

I nodded.

“I know.”

Is there anything new you’ve discovered?

****

[Blue Rose-4, Black. Remains Analysis]

[Author: Dr. Kang]

[I’ll record in order.]

[First.]

[The sword used by this Blue Rose entity appears to be a modified version of the standard sword used by UN Peacekeeping Forces during the Korean War.]

[At first, I thought it was a Foundation tactical longsword, but upon closer inspection, it wasn’t. It seems to be a decades-old item that was modified. The reason is unclear.]

[It’s a real mystery. I have no idea where they got this… It’s the standard sword used by units handling anomalous phenomena within the Peacekeeping Forces.]

[It’s also a mystery how relics from the Korean War-era Peacekeeping Forces still exist. Could we even find one if we looked?]

[But much of the records from the Great War era have been erased from the Foundation’s history. It’s hard to say anything definitive.]

[Second. The head.]

[A significant amount of brain fragments were recovered. Skull fragments were in a similar state. No evidence was found that Black’s brain was different from a normal human’s.]

[At least structurally.]

[Large amounts of psilocybin and psilocybin metabolites were found in Black’s brain. To put it metaphorically… it was like the brain was soaked in LSD.]

[Cognitive disasters probably wouldn’t have worked well. How Black’s brain functioned in this state is a complete mystery.]

[It’s probably because it’s far from human. It wasn’t easy.]

[Third, and finally.]

[The heart.]

[Heart fragments were easier to find than expected. It’s the toughest organ, after all—bones break, but the heart doesn’t.]

[It was recovered in relatively intact condition.]

[Um… the notable thing is that we found fragments of three hearts in Black’s remains. Specifically, three aortic valves. One intact heart, two aortic valves.]

[Again, the reason is unclear, but it’s possible there were three hearts. Or perhaps organs supplying nutrients to the tentacles on its back.]

[A significant portion of the additional organs were composed of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, making analysis difficult. They’ll probably melt soon.]

[In summary.]

[Not as much as Dr. Chloe, but it was quite far from human. The fragments have been cryogenically preserved and will be used for research.]

****

[※ This record is protected by the highest level of cognitive disaster, as per the Administrator Council’s orders. Turn back now. ※]

[※ Unauthorized access cannot guarantee the safety of the reader or any related intelligent entities. The Foundation is not responsible for incidents resulting from ignoring this warning. ※]

[Administrator Council Meeting Minutes]

[Author: The 1st Administrator]

[Participants:]

[The 1st Administrator, Veritas.]

[The 2nd Administrator, Libertas.]

[The 8th Administrator, Yustitia.]

[The 9th Administrator, Patreus.]

[Note: In this record, individual Administrators’ speech quirks have been removed. Standardized language and tone have been applied.]

[Recording begins.]

[Libertas: What’s this, Kim? Where did all those so-called masterpieces of the Blue Roses go? They’ve all gone into hiding without doing anything.]

[Veritas: It’s the limit of the lab.]

[Libertas: Where are all those who were trying to counter Director Kim? They can’t do anything, just cockroaches that hate sunlight.]

[Yustitia: It’s about completing in solitude. Kill the other pests, and the one that survives is the strongest.]

[Patreus: I can’t shake this unease. There’s something different about this Blue Rose entity. What exactly is it?]

[Veritas: Patreus. Have you ever met the 11th Administrator, Corax?]

[Patreus: No.]

[Veritas: Pathetic. Anyway, Corax is something that exists across multiple dimensions. It can seek advice from versions of itself in other dimensions.]

[Patreus: That thing’s an Administrator? What a joke.]

[Veritas: We haven’t found a way to kill Corax. Anyone with ideas, speak up.]

[Yustitia: What kind of cat talks like that, you idiot? By that logic, we should’ve killed the cat first.]

[Veritas: Anyway, I’m considering that the power it possesses might be similar. We’d know if we could kill it, but we haven’t even scratched its face.]

****

[Communication Request]

[Soviet Navy]

[K-278 ‘Komsomolets’]

[This record has not been translated and is the original audio recording. It is presumed to be in Korean.]

[Ah, ah. Is anyone listening on the other side? I want to go home.]