Became a Dragon kidnapped by Humans

“…At this rate, it’s going to overload and explode. Are we still measuring?”

Leader of the IF-684 dedicated mobile strike force ‘Siegfried’, Long Weilan, was pacing around, tapping his foot.

“Ah, yes. The anti-entropy values are so high that the measuring equipment keeps breaking down. We’re almost done though.”

“I hope it finishes soon. Whatever you imagine, this hunk of metal is far more precious.”

Weilan kept flicking the mechanical fingers of his prosthetic arm.

Ting, ting. It was a nervous habit he had whenever he was anxious.

The mechanical arm’s surface kept changing and reassembling itself like rippling waves.

The arm couldn’t be covered with the outer garment for fear of damaging it.

Weilan turned his head to avoid the hot steam coming from the face of the apparatus.

After a moment:

“Ah, the results are out.”

A radar detection screen unfolded above the team member’s wristwatch.

On the black background, there were a few white masses.

These showed what was happening far below that deep hole through the anti-entropy measurements.

“Here, this large white mass is IF-684. This is the third time; 684 barely turned out right, but IF-017 couldn’t be measured at all.”

“That’s fine. As long as we’ve got our little lizard, that’s all that matters.”

Though slightly puzzled, Weilan smiled.

“What is this, then?”

The screen seemed different from what he’d usually seen.

“That’s IF-684.”

The team member pointed at the white mass.

Weilan frowned as he looked at it. There were more than a few white masses on the screen.

“One, two, three… There are six objects. Which one is IF-684?”

As Weilan squinted at the screen, the team member stretched out an arm and pointed somewhere.

In the distance along Weilan’s line of sight, there was a large, scale-covered wing embedded in the wall.

“That wing you see embedded in that side of the wall, it looks like this on the radar screen. In other words… all of these are 684.”

Then, Weilan immediately understood the meaning of the radar screen.

It was understandable he couldn’t recognize it right away since this was the first time he’d seen how ‘IF-684’s severed body parts’ appeared on the radar screen.

In short, IF-684 had been cut into six pieces.

“IF-017 must’ve completely obliterated that lizard bastard.”

Weilan clenched his fist and smirked with satisfaction.

Though IF-017 wasn’t entirely to his liking and was closer to an object of dislike if compared, since it had taken care of IF-684, there was no reason to dislike it today.

“It might regenerate…”

The team member expressed concern, but Weilan, who knew better than anyone else about the limits of IF-684’s regeneration, shook his head.

“With six pieces, regeneration? Unless someone sets up a banquet for that guy, it’ll likely rot for a month even if we leave it alone.”

The incident was resolved.

From now on, whatever happened would no longer be the responsibility of the ‘Siegfried’ unit.

It ended quietly without the expected level of threat for a situation akin to Code Dark. Weiran casually leaned back in the chair.

The mechanical arm extended anomalously into the air.

Weilan muttered softly.

“Level 3 ‘Gram,’ deactivate.”

With various mechanical sounds, the arm transformed into a shape that barely resembled an arm.

Eventually, a cylinder detached.

The stabilized mechanical arm reassembled itself, and Weilan picked up the cylinder before it could fall to the floor.

“Now, this…”

The ultimate countermeasure against IF-684, Level 3 ‘Gram.’

The small cylinder in Weilan’s hand was more dangerous than a hydrogen bomb.

Curious team members approached as Weiran handled the cylinder.

“Is that ‘Gram’? We’ve never seen it in real life.”

“Do we store it like regular explosives?”

Weiran shook his head at the team members who were offering to dispose of it, thinking since they’d captured 684, there was no need for unnecessary fuss.

“Get out of here. This contains phase annihilation factors, so without Level 1 security clearance, touching it would kill you. Hopefully, no fool believes using tongs would make it safe.”

At his words, a couple of team members quietly returned tongs and gloves to their pockets.

Weiran chuckled wryly as he slowly turned the cylinder, lost in thought.

“In principle, this should be handed over to the research director of that lab or someone else from the Alpha Class… Tch, not quite.”

No matter how much he thought about it, handing this thing over to…

No, to ‘that,’ felt uneasy.

So Weilan decided to securely hold onto it and personally carry it back to HQ for return.

Nevertheless:

— Thud, thud.

The problem was that this gray-coated figure had surprisingly acute hearing.

If it weren’t for Gram, Weiran, the Siegfried team leader, would not have come himself, so why was a director-level figure still not evacuated?

Upon seeing the face, Weiran sighed deeply.

E Research Director.

“Yeah, I called you, right?”

She was smiling innocently as she approached Weiran.

“Alpha Class…?”

“Isn’t the director of Lab 4 someone else?”

Even though Long Weiran was relatively young, E Research Director looked even younger.

A few ‘Siegfried’ team members, who hadn’t seen E Research Director, began whispering among themselves.

Weiran frowned and clicked his tongue.

“… Get lost. I’ll take care of it myself.”

“Take care and go where? This is a Code Dark incident concerning IF-684, and you’re just walking away without cleaning up?”

It was a valid point.

For unknown phenomena involving dedicated mobile strike forces, it was standard for the team leader to also serve as the security officer to ensure smooth command.

So E Research Director stretched her hand out with a cheerful smile.

“Back at HQ? Hand it over. Hurry.”

The childish tone of voice, yet it was a command that could not be ignored.

“Appearing out of nowhere and…”

It was exasperating for Weiran, who wanted to deploy the armaments on his mechanical arm and beat her up but knew he couldn’t.

As Weiran hesitated.

E Research Director shrugged her shoulders, came close enough to touch noses, and snatched the ‘Gram’ from his hand.

Weiran, looking at his empty hand, clenched his teeth.

“If only you’d gotten thoroughly involved and perished.”

“That’s too harsh…”

E Research Director theatrically wiped away a corner of her eye.

As Weiran stared at her with disdain,

An unexpected comment came from E Research Director, who had her head bowed deeply.

“…Tell me nicely. Remember, I’m not even four years old?”

Weiran doubted his ears.

It wasn’t something he didn’t know, but it was a fact that shouldn’t have been mentioned in the presence of several Beta-Rank personnel.

What was the reason for saying that now?

“… That’s something you shouldn’t say.”

It was unsettling.

Before checking the reactions around him, Weiran reflexively blurted out a sentence.

“No, it’s fine to say it…”

At the moment of that deep underground explosion.

An instant later, the world turned pure white.

!!!

A piercing beam of light erupted, passing through Lab 4, piercing the heavens, and splitting the clouds up to the highest skies. There was no shadow remaining anywhere in Lab 4.

Inside the blinding light that could scorch the retina.

Through the deafening explosion that could rupture eardrums.

Weiran struggled to comprehend the situation with the help of the mechanical senses independent of sight.

Below that deep hole where IF-684 had broken through, and IF-017 had descended, a distant blaze was rising.

Could IF-684 do something like this?

Impossible.

If it could, the creature would have wiped out humanity long ago.

Weiran vaguely understood what this light was.

In the past, he’d seen something similar, though on a much smaller scale.

It was from IF-017-1.

“Ascension… and失控!”

Gwangcheol-i was still burning.

With a far more relaxed expression.

Within Gwangcheol-i’s heart,

The broken thousand Buddhas rotating noisily were completely overshadowed by the inner thousand Buddhas and lost their presence.

Once the flames consuming Gwangcheol-i’s body cooled off, there would be no more using his body as firewood to ignite once again.

So…

There’s no need to keep shooting.

Since stability has been achieved, continuing to fire isn’t education, but torment.

Ugh.

Why isn’t this listening?

“Kyaa!”

Even with his mouth tightly shut, the thousand Buddhas flowed through the gaps between his teeth.

Coughing to expel the oppression caused his flames to spill out.

As if indicating that there was much more buildup.

As if questioning whether more wretched things remained to be struck with heavenly punishment.

Though it was rare for this much heat to accumulate in a short period, Gwangcheol-i hadn’t expected to absorb so much heat.

Once begun, it was excruciating to try to stop midway.

If he kept vomiting flames, everything inside might collapse completely.

It can’t be…

“Kyaa…”

A sudden memory from his human days surfaced. It had been said that running ends the moment you stop.

Why does this come to mind?

Is it saying to let go and explode everything? That’s completely useless.

Rather, something like meditative deep breathing to calm the heart would better suit the situation.

Though it was irritating that Tongtong-i, referred to as the snake by Gwangcheol-i, called him ‘Progenitor.’

He didn’t have the physical state to care about that now.

I can’t bear to stay in this state for even one more second.

No matter.

I’m going to lie down.

Gwangcheol-i can stay here. I’m going to go see Tongtong-i.

Unlike Gwangcheol-i, Tongtong-i holds the true thousand Buddhas. Even lying down in my current state should be fine, right?

It’s a bit cold, but please understand.

All this is for you at such times.

“Kyao…”

Leaving the quietly burning Gwangcheol-i behind, he ascended upward.

This guy is so peaceful while burning.

Why am I uncomfortable?

It feels unfair…

If anyone touches me…

I have no idea what might happen.

The thousand Buddhas surged up from inside.

[!– Slider main container –]

---