NOVEL WEB Chapter 84
Blanca, now smaller, wore a look that screamed reluctance. But it seemed she begrudgingly acknowledged that this was the only choice and slowly started moving forward.
“Whoever made this… or whatever it is, I’m going to hunt them down and end them!”
Her fierce attitude sent chills down my spine, but thankfully, it didn’t seem like she had any intention of directing that intensity at me.
I had no clue what this place was or its purpose. But one thing was for sure—Blanca’s past was tied to it.
This must be the research facility that the status window mentioned. Given it was called inhumane experimentation, I dreaded what kind of horrors awaited us…
But I had to confirm it.
Without a word, I turned the doorknob and stepped into the chamber labeled “The Room of Truth.” A long, dark corridor stretched out before us.
“…Blanca, can you check if someone’s inside?”
The setup looked like something could spring out at us at any moment, so I asked Blanca to put her abilities to good use.
“I’m already on it. There’s nothing inside. At least… for now.”
“For now… huh? That sounds ominously suspicious.”
I had doubts about Blanca, but still felt a tiny bit relieved by her words.
While I harbored suspicion, I also trusted her enough that it felt comical as we made our way down the dim corridor.
When I suggested we hold hands just in case we fell, she surprisingly agreed without hesitation.
However, rather than feeling happy, it was a bit awkward.
Her grasp was more rigid than soft, and rather than excitement, it felt rather pitiful.
How could she have grown so tall with such a frail body? Not even like a dried seaweed!
“Why so silent? Are you thinking something weird because we’re holding hands?”
“No, it’s not like that.”
“…Hmm, okay.”
It felt like her words pricked a bubble, but it wasn’t unpleasant. Why was that?
“More importantly, we’ve been walking for a while… but there’s nothing in sight. Are we heading to somewhere other than the corridor?”
When I questioned Blanca, she replied that if that were the case, we wouldn’t be hearing echoes bouncing off the walls. Fair point.
But just mindlessly walking felt unsettling too.
If anything, this situation wasn’t even part of the original narrative. No wonder I felt uneasy.
Moreover, my companion was Blanca, whose reliability was a huge question mark. It almost compounded my anxiety.
Suddenly, lights turned on in the hallway, revealing hidden windows that had been shrouded in darkness.
“Is that it?”
Could that be the truth? Still gripping Blanca’s hand tightly, I decided to check the leftmost window first.
It had the number #1 attached, surely indicating it’s the first record.
Behind the first window, I saw Blanca trapped in a cage. The one behind the glass looked exactly like her—except for missing one arm and one leg.
“Hah…”
Blanca’s expression wasn’t what you’d call okay. It was only natural, considering memories she’d want to forget were resurfacing.
As I leaned in closer to see, reaching for the glass, the still image beyond shifted to life, like someone hitting play on a frozen video.
Only then could I grasp what those trapped alongside her were enduring.
Some had bones protruding from their bodies, others were engulfed in flames, or worse—a head sprouting from their chest.
Just witnessing those scenes was enough to churn my stomach.
What experiments could possibly lead to such grotesque outcomes? The sight struck terror within me.
And merging with that horror were horrible howls, screams, and cries that lacked coherent language; manic laughter was also audible.
Yet, amid that hellscape, Blanca remained eerily silent.
If I hadn’t seen her chest expand slightly before contracting again, I might have doubted if she was alive at all.
Instead of questioning her about what that was, I moved to touch the second window on the right.
There she was again, but this time restrained not in a cage but on something resembling an operating table.
Now, her limbs had returned, leaving me baffled, but the ensuing dialogue confirmed the time sequence was correct.
“The regeneration recovery medicine works, but the anesthetic doesn’t? What does that mean? Did you inject something else?”
“No, I swear I injected it correctly! I used enough for an overdose, yet she’s not in a coma nor even snoring!”
“That’s odd. She didn’t react that way before the serum was injected. But now it’s not working? Hmm… if that’s the case…”
“That means her abilities might have manifested properly… like, drug resistance…?”
“Hey, call the director. Also, gather an emergency meeting. If what you’re saying is true… this could be our first success story.”
“Yes, yes!!”
Only Blanca was visible on the screen, so I had no clue who was having that conversation. But I could tell Blanca was trembling in that frame.
Then, a tray filled with gruesome surgical instruments was placed beside her, and the video cut off.
“…Serum? Success…?”
I couldn’t comprehend what they were talking about. Hence, I turned to Blanca and asked what the serum was.
“…It’s a secret project by Heros Company. Utilizing unknown components, it’s a prototype drug designed to grant abilities to the powerless.”
“So, Heros Company has been doing things like this…? If that means your idea of success is…”
“Didn’t you see? The state of those trapped subjects. Everything that couldn’t handle it… they’re all dead.”
Her demeanor as she said that gave off a chilling vibe.
…Maybe the next video would reveal something more.
I again moved to the right and tapped the next window. This one showed light flickering intensely, almost like someone’s viewpoint, creating an illusion of blinding brilliance.
Then, a girl’s scream pierced through the air. It sounded so gut-wrenching that I feared blood might burst from her throat.
There seemed to be faint mumblings from the surroundings, but they drowned in the girl’s agonizing cries.
Throughout the video, only erratic flashes of light and that girl’s scream echoed on.
Completely lost on what the video was about, I looked at Blanca, hoping for an explanation, only to find her hair had turned white.
“Blanca, what in the world is this…”
“It’s an autopsy.”
Her voice was eerily flat yet sent a chill down my spine. The way she talked about it as if it were someone else’s story made her seem utterly unhinged.
“An… autopsy?”
“It’s the only success case. We need to check for changes in bodily structures or compositions.”
“What—”
“To look inside, we had to cut open her chest or abdomen. But since the anesthetic wasn’t working, it literally had to be done while she was fully immobilized. Back then, I didn’t know if I could control my abilities, so I couldn’t isolate the anesthetic’s effects. I was awake and conscious while my insides were being ripped and sliced apart. Do you understand?”
Blanca was looking at me with a smile, but it was a look that I couldn’t interpret as amusement.
That smile resembled someone who didn’t know what expression to make and ended up awkwardly laughing, a creepy and unnatural visage at its core.
“…You wouldn’t understand. Not ever.”
[Blanca Relationship Material Stage 3 Unlocked!]
[Skilled at hiding, capable of speaking lies as if they’re truth while wearing a smile, yet plotting murder in her heart. While she opens her heart to no one else, she always carries a knife at the ready behind her back. Her original disposition wasn’t too pleasant either, but extreme experiences have ruined her beyond repair. A natural born monster, but more like a man-made monster. If someone is indifferent to living or dying, she’d prefer to kill. A flower with ten thousand lies and hundreds of thousands of poisons. Approach with caution.]
—
Even when vivid memories of that time flashed before my eyes, maintaining an odd sense of calm wasn’t as challenging as one would think.
Extreme anxiety combined with a raging anger towards whatever created this space helped me keep my composure.
Suppressing fear formed a peculiar equilibrium with the rising tide of rage and unease.
Minho’s gaze towards me morphed into something strange, but that was no surprise.
Anyone would wear that expression.
“You really don’t need to see the next video. After I fully grasp my abilities, I’m coming back to wipe out everyone in that facility.”
“…So you killed them all?”
Minho seemed somewhat shocked. Instead of heeding my warning, though, he played the video. And sat there, gaping like a fool until the end.
“I told you; no need to watch.”
At least I was grateful Minho could keep his wits about him. Unlike Jinhyeon, he wouldn’t question me about why I killed anyone.
“So after you killed them all… you just left?”
“Yep.”
That was a lie. And the space itself seemed to challenge that as if it wanted to argue back with new windows forming, until once again the corridor’s lights flicked off.
Figures. This place had to feed on fear to keep existing.
So now that my fear had waned, perhaps it couldn’t create more.
If I blocked out fear, naturally, a realm built on it would halt.
Now this place would rely solely on the fear Minho held.
“Minho, what is it that scares you?”
In other words, as long as I could handle Minho’s fears, this rift wouldn’t hold up.