Chapter 94: Evolution, Not Corruption (2)
‘Where is the Continental Council?’
Kang Do-yeon, who had been extremely tense, was now walking through the city streets, casually looking around.
Contrary to her open prejudice of this uncivilized world, the people were rational and polite by Earth’s standards, and the streets lit by sparkling luminescent stones were both antique and beautiful compared to those on Earth.
She absentmindedly tapped her foot on the neatly paved brick ground.
Thinking back, being among so many humans like this was her first experience since she joined the Legion.
However, there was one thing that bothered her.
“Exotic and beautiful lady. Have you perhaps lost your way?”
“…Excuse me?”
“Your beautiful red eyes resemble the perfect ruby of fire… cough.”
The young man, who had suddenly approached her reeking of alcohol, was knocked out cold by a colleague who seemed familiar with him.
“I apologize. A man with a young child at home can’t help but act foolishly when he drinks around beautiful women.”
His friend, supporting the unconscious man, apologized as he looked her up and down. Embarrassed, she nodded in response.
“But… do you really need any help?”
“May I ask you something?”
Calming her mind, Kang Do-yeon seized the opportunity to confirm a few things.
“Do you happen to know anything about the events happening in the southwest right now?”
Dressed simply, he was literally a model of an ordinary citizen. That meant if he knew, others would probably know too.
Wiping her expression clean and putting on a fake smile, she directly asked him about the Legion.
“I’ve heard something.”
He nodded his head in agreement.
“Something came out of that old pit, right? Apparently, a few people died in the outskirts because of it. So they sent an army, I heard?”
“…Is that all? Any news about the army being defeated?”
“The army lost…? I didn’t know that. Well, the higher-ups will handle it, I guess.”
Kang Do-yeon spoke with a slightly stiff tone, but he scratched his head, oblivious to the seriousness of the situation.
‘Fools.’
In her mind, she could hear Eve’s sneer, who was sharing this entire scene with her.
Kang Do-yeon felt a sense of denial. For instance, the hope and expectations she had about humans still lingering within her. She never thought it would be like this. At least, she expected them to be somewhat informed.
“By the way, miss. You seem like you came from outside, so it wouldn’t be wise to wander around alone at this late hour.”
“…Is it because of drunks?”
“No? The world has changed a lot these days. If someone like us lays a finger on a girl the wrong way, it’ll be game over for him.”
He chuckled while looking at his friend who was still swaying.
“But there’s always someone above us. The investigators, who reign over the law like the heavens. Be careful. If you get on the bad side of one of those investigators for no reason, you’ll find yourself in trouble, even if you’re innocent. There are many investigators who treat women carelessly, believing they can act however they want. Especially if you’re as young and beautiful as you are.”
As he moved away, he left her with that sincere advice. She stared blankly at his retreating figure.
She didn’t take his advice to heart. Rather, she quickly concluded that it would be better to use it.
“If he’s that high-ranking, he must know more. Like what decisions the Continental Council has made.”
After glancing around, she wandered deeper into the streets. Of course, she had heard his frightening advice, but the situation wasn’t that dire.
There were no crazies suddenly picking fights with her just because she was roaming about.
But making justifications was easy.
In her line of sight, she saw a man walking unsteadily with his colleagues after having a drink. He was clad in a uniform, and people were gradually avoiding him due to the authority he carried.
He was the investigator she was looking for.
‘Really going to do this?’
“There’s no reason to drag this out.”
With a sudden surge of motivation that even surprised Eve, Kang Do-yeon sprinted toward them with all her might.
Directly toward them.
“What the… cough!”
As the sound of footsteps suddenly grew louder from behind, the man, whose face was flushed red from alcohol, suddenly turned around, only to be knocked off his feet before he could understand what was happening.
“Chief Investigator!”
“Chief Investigator! Are you okay?!”
The investigators beside him panicked and rushed to his side.
Of course, he was fine, being someone who had trained in mana.
Fused with alcohol, he felt no pain as he got back up with a dazed expression.
“W-What happened?”
“This girl dared to attempt to insult the Chief Investigator!”
The rookie investigator seized her arm to restrain her and presented her before him.
He swallowed hard at that moment. The small white face beneath the rare dark hair, and those red eyes caught his attention.
“I-I’m sorry. I didn’t see where I was going and bumped into the honorable Chief Investigator…”
With a face that instantly turned pitiful, she bowed repeatedly while trembling. Just then, he was starting to smile at the realization of what had happened.
“I’ll apologize no matter what…”
“Oh, is that so? You will apologize, no matter what.”
In the end, he accepted her offer without a moment’s hesitation. Gently stroking her trembling cheek, he grinned as he took her from the rookie investigator.
“Ahem. You all can go now, and don’t be late for work tomorrow.”
He sent his subordinates away without hesitation.
And without a moment of doubt, he grabbed her arm and led her toward a nearby inn.
“Cough! Ugh…”
Of course, the moment he entered the well-soundproofed, upscale inn room, his hand was severed, and before he could even scream, he was caught by a dark, glistening claw.
“Thanks to you, my disdain for humans has deepened, trash. What are you doing to a girl who could be your daughter?”
Kang Do-yeon, who had thrown him down and was choking him, smiled bitterly. She had even prepared a backup plan in case this didn’t work, but the middle-aged investigator, overcome by lust, had fallen right into her trap.
“You…”
“Spit out everything you know.”
Kang Do-yeon’s eyes glowed red. The omnipotent cells within her transformed into infectious bacteria, creeping up his neck.
As the black veins spread progressively, he felt a level of pain that was beyond anything he had experienced before, more horrifying than being waterboarded, beaten, or even burned with a hot iron, making him spasm uncontrollably.
Of course, the infectious bacteria had taken over his body to the point where even screaming was forbidden, meaning he had to endure all that agony in silence.
‘Hmm, Roses? Austin? Reina?’
Throughout that process, Kang Do-yeon and Eve uncovered the whole truth. Of course, they didn’t know that Roses was a Player or that there were other existing units, but knowing the overall situation was enough for now.
‘What a disappointment.’
Naturally, Eve was angered.
Seeing humans showing signs of self-destruction through infighting meant there was nothing more to gain from them.
“So what now? Should we return?”
Kang Do-yeon rose from the corpse of the dead Chief Investigator. Eve had already made a decision, so there was no longer a reason to stay.
‘…That girl is going to be executed, isn’t she?’
“That Reina woman? Unfortunately.”
Kang Do-yeon muttered absently as she kicked the corpse of the dead Chief Investigator.
She felt no particular thrill. After all, Eve was planning to kill all humans, so whether they died now or later under the Legion’s hands made no difference.
‘What I wanted from humans was precisely that. An unwavering will, struggle, and spirit.’
“It’s funny that the target is fellow kin. Honestly, that girl is something else. Waterboarding? Being beaten upside down? The past me would have never endured such things. I heard she’s just turned 19.”
‘Does that girl resent her kin?’
“…Isn’t it obvious?”
The Chief Investigator described how he tortured Reina, how long she endured, and how much he laughed when he heard it from his colleague who was torturing her.
The horror was enough to make Kang Do-yeon’s face harden.
‘Commander, what is our strength?’
Suddenly, Eve shot a nonsensical question.
Not realizing how much time had passed while torturing and extracting information overnight, Kang Do-yeon was startled by the dawn creeping through the window.
“Absorb and evolve.”
‘Right. We can take the strengths of others and make them our own. The strengths of humans, that will and flexibility of thought. Though they may not have physical value, we might be able to utilize them.’
Watching the Chief Investigator slowly dissolve into nothingness under the infectious bacteria, Kang Do-yeon felt a chill at Eve’s words.
‘Hatred. One of the strongest emotions. What would happen if human will manifested toward humans fueled by that? It was something I had conceived beforehand, but a good experimental subject has finally appeared. Head straight to the execution ground. Let’s see her. I’ll judge for myself just by looking into those eyes. This will be a type of experiment.’
Eve issued her next order. Hence, Kang Do-yeon headed toward the corner of the city where criminals were being executed.
There, she met Reina. On the guillotine, she saw those deep, hollow eyes gazing at the people.
‘Seems… worth using. Definitely incomparable to those other humans.’
And Eve concluded that there was potential in those eyes.
With the command of the hive mind issued, there was no reason to hesitate. The moment the guillotine’s blade fell, Kang Do-yeon stopped hiding and gathered her power.
