NOVEL WEB Chapter 163
“I can’t believe I’m still alive after all this…”
“Shut up.”
As the slime shot through and pierced the head, the branch manager quivered and went silent. It would take a bit of time to fully devour, so I tidied up the slightly messy room.
Just cleaning up this place won’t make the building spotless, but at least it should be comfortable for that person while they’re here.
While I was tidying up, that person and the executives entered the room one by one, casually taking in the surroundings.
“Nice view. So you’re telling me these things have been looking down on us while people were dying below…?”
Aileen clutched the nail and hammer she was holding in anger, but she kept it in check since it was in front of that person.
Jack was whining about being hungry, and Wei stubbornly refused to put down the phone in their hand.
Hanchō was wiping the blood off his knife and seemed relaxed, saying everything was going smoothly so far. That person was no different.
“I thought at least one or two things would go wrong, but it all went much better than expected. Good, good. All that preparation during that long time was worth it.”
“The first day can go well, but we can’t let our guard down. Whether people gather under our cause is a variable we can’t control.”
“Hey, do you have to throw a stone when everyone’s having a good time?”
Hanchō frowned at my words, telling me to match the mood, but that person raised my hand instead of Hanchō’s and chimed in.
“Exactly. If people don’t gather, our uprising will just end up being a riot or rebellion. We need to make sure people turn their backs on Heros Company and gather under us.”
“But still, we could at least toast for today, right? Boss, don’t you think? We just pulled off a ten-game win streak today, and I’d like a break.”
Hanchō must really want a break, as he whined and begged that person to let him rest a bit.
“Of course, when we take a break, we’ll take a proper one. Everyone, you really worked hard today. I’d love to throw a festival if I could… but we have no chef, no ingredients, so just make do with the cafeteria today.”
Finally, Hanchō darted off yelling about food, and even Aileen, who had a grudge against Heros Company, seemed hungry enough to leave for now, saying the torture could wait until after a meal.
Left in the room were that person, the branch manager who had fallen silent after being devoured, and me, just the three of us.
“Blanca, shouldn’t you eat something too? You haven’t had a meal since morning. It’s not good to starve during your growth phase. You need to eat something.”
That person spoke to me with concern, but I genuinely felt fine, so I replied honestly.
“I’m really okay. Go ahead and eat first. I’ll come down after I handle a few things.”
I had a lot to do. Extracting information from the slime-infested items, cleaning up, organizing various things, and instructing the subordinates on their action guidelines…
“Really? Maybe I’m crossing a line, but… to me, you don’t look okay at all.”
But that person brought over a chair and sat down, insisting I really didn’t seem fine at all.
Since I couldn’t look down on them, I slumped onto a nearby couch, waiting for that person to say something.
“Blanca. You still have lingering feelings, don’t you?”
“Lingering feelings? What do you mean?”
“About the Academy, I suppose. Or should I say friends? Anyway, you haven’t completely shaken it off, have you?”
That person perceptively pinpointed what I was trying to hide.
Knowing that denying it would only serve as a confirmation, I couldn’t help but ask how they figured it out.
“It’s written all over your face. The fact that you’ve suddenly become calm and composed, despite usually being playful, and most importantly, you’re not smiling at all.”
“That’s not true. I’m really fine. I’m okay. So, Boss, why don’t we focus on something else…”
“But you’ve been mingling too closely with those guys, pretending they’re friends. No need to hide it. It’s not something to be ashamed of. Even if the intention was impure, the process can still be beautiful.”
“…We were never friends.”
I insisted, denying it even though it wasn’t the reason.
“I understand. If friends are involved, no matter how much you try to hide it, your feelings will show. It’s just how people are.”
However, it seemed that that person had already figured out how I felt, or maybe had just assumed that it would go that way and kept pressing on.
“Are you doubting my loyalty right now?”
Could it be that they’re doubting my loyalty? I felt a mix of disappointment and disbelief, and my words came out a bit more pointed than intended.
“Whoa, calm down. How could I doubt your loyalty, Blanca? Look at what you’ve done for our organization. This is just… me trying to understand your feelings. There’s no ulterior motive.”
That person clarified it wasn’t anything of the sort, saying they understood me as a person before even being the head of the organization.
“I’ve betrayed friends too, just like you.”
Hearing something I’d never expected, my previously tense mood softened instantly.
“…Really?”
This made me completely forget about having denied we were friends just moments earlier, and I asked in disbelief.
“Of course. Do you think I worked somewhere without making at least one friend? When I was researching human evolution, I had a colleague.”
That person spoke with a reminiscent expression, gazing at the night view as if lost in memories.
At first, they were just colleagues from the same department, but as they got closer, they eventually became comfortable enough to share personal stories.
“If it weren’t for them, I would have quit and formed the Liberators five years earlier.”
They laughed as if it were amusing, then closed their eyes as if immersing themselves back in that memory.
“It was that intense. We were so close that I forced myself to endure things that went against my beliefs and nature. Then one day, I talked with that friend about what we were doing.”
“When you say ‘what we were doing’… you mean the biological experiments?”
“Well, we had the grand excuse of evolution. But at the end of the day, that’s what it really was. Anyway, I was incredibly negative about it. What is even going on? Do you really understand what you’re doing? It was more or less along those lines…”
They paused for a moment before the expression turned somber as they continued.
“That friend said, ‘Isn’t that okay, though? Do we really understand humanity fully, anyway?’
It was a reckless thing to say. But somehow, it didn’t sound entirely wrong.
Even with this absurd technology, we still didn’t have a solid grasp on how our bodies functioned.
But I didn’t voice that. That person was seeking understanding.
“We had a huge fight that day… and well, we drifted apart. I lost all attachment and formed the Liberators. To others, I might have sounded grandiose, but this was the real reason.”
Seeing me speechless, the person scratched the back of their head awkwardly and stated, “Of course, this isn’t a one-to-one comparison, but I should be able to understand your feelings to some extent.”
“What I want to say is, if you’re struggling, just say so. Bottling it up will only lead to breakdowns eventually. Let it all out before it festers, okay?”
“…Alright. But I really am okay.”
“You’re so stubborn… Just let me know if you’re having a hard time later. I’ll be here for you anytime. Got it? Oh, and keep this story a secret. It’s a bit embarrassing.”
Seeing me insist that I was fine, that person seemed to realize further persuasion wouldn’t work, leaving with a hint that they’d be there to support me later on.
But honestly, I’m alright. I am. I have to be.
I must be okay.
Really, it was just a game of pretend friendship. So I’m fine.
Swallowing this overflowing emotion, I searched for other tasks to keep myself occupied.
“I thought the branch manager would know a lot, but turns out there’s not much to it.”
To my surprise, the branch manager’s mind was almost empty of information, leaving me feeling like I’d struck out.
I tried to force myself to think of other chores, but having run out of things to do, I decided to check my phone instead.
Looking at others laughing it up would probably make my insides churn.
Even though my stomach felt like it was glued to my back, I figured I’d have to eat alone in the early morning when no one else was around.
The internet, as expected, was filled with stories about us and me.
People were wondering about my identity, calling it manipulation, and such, but most were horrified that Heros Company might be hiding such ugly truths.
My messenger was filled with messages from unknown people. I hadn’t read a single one. But I hated seeing a cluttered notification window, so I deleted all of it.
Talaria was similarly swarming with unknown people too. However, this time I didn’t delete it all in one go.
After all, I couldn’t let their contact information disappear.
…Speaking of which, I had received messages from the kids too.
But I didn’t have the courage to look at them.