By Zephyria 
“The NK Research Institute has yet to offer any explanation regarding the riot that occurred there. This is fueling growing anxiety among citizens. Furthermore, opinions are sharply divided on the issue of Infected experimentation. We’ll be discussing this with our panelists today.”
“This is the 22nd century. With the number of Infected significantly reduced and even a cure developed, is such a dangerous experiment truly necessary? I believe the losses outweigh any potential gains.”
“The cure isn’t perfect, is it? Its effectiveness diminishes over time.”
“Research must continue for the sake of the future. Has everyone forgotten that the initial outbreak was caused by a mutation? Though we’re in a period of stagnation, it could mutate again at any time and pose a new threat. Moreover, now that we’ve proven that their blood has therapeutic effects, couldn’t we develop new drugs?”
“We need to consider whether these experiments are ethically justifiable, even if they involve Infected.”
“Ethics apply to humans. Are they the same as us?”
“Why do we have laws against desecrating corpses?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Does a corpse attack people?”
Kim Ha-yoon watched the people on TV raising their voices with indifferent eyes. Kwon So-young will probably end up on there soon. She’s already on edge because the research institute’s budget was cut. That’ll be a sight to see.
He gave a bitter smile, rose from his seat, and headed to the bedroom. The bedroom, with all its new furniture, was soon to be Ire’s. No matter how much he controlled and manipulated the military, he knew that sending Ire back in this situation would be foolish.
He planned to keep Ire at the Intelligence Agency for a few days until his anger subsided, then bring him back and coax and persuade him. After all, he had a reason why Ire couldn’t escape him.
—You never treated us like people from the start! You just saw us as tools to satisfy your desires! Was it fun? Did you enjoy watching me? How did it feel to see me being fooled like an idiot? Weren’t you scared when we had sex? If I had known, I would have made you like Matteo! I should have, damn it, I… I was such an idiot… to you… to a bastard like you….
He felt like he could hear Ire’s desperate screams in his ears, and a bitter laugh escaped his lips.
“I know. You were unlucky. Why did you have to get caught by a bastard like me?”
Turning to look out at the city, his dark eyes resembled the darkness. Suddenly, he felt a subtle vibration beneath his feet. He checked the watch on his wrist, but no alarm sounded.
Was it his imagination?
He went to the living room, and the vibration intensified noticeably. The water in the teacup on the table rippled, and Yoo Min-joon, who had been working elsewhere, rushed in.
“Young Master. Just now—”
Before Yoo Min-joon could finish speaking, the ground beneath their feet began to shake violently. It was a strong earthquake, strong enough to make the large chandelier hanging from the ceiling swing from side to side. Kim Ha-yoon’s gaze turned to the buildings in the distance. He could see them shaking with his own eyes.
Then, with a bang, flames erupted from the west. Following the explosion, the surrounding lights flickered, and one side of the city was plunged into darkness. Hearing the commotion, cars stopped in the streets, and people poured out of the buildings.
Realizing that the flames were coming from the direction of the Intelligence Agency, he grabbed his coat without hesitation. He got into his car and drove outside, where the streets were crowded with people. The citizens looked anxious, holding their cell phones and trying to make calls.
Kim Ha-yoon also tried to call the Intelligence Agency manager, but he only received a message saying the call could not be connected. It was difficult to get through anywhere. Faced with this unexpected situation, his jaw tightened involuntarily. Damn it.
The scene in front of the Intelligence Agency, which he reached in haste, was utter chaos. Searchlights were shining everywhere, the military and police were rounding up escaped criminals, and ambulances and fire trucks were frantically putting out fires and transporting the injured.
Kim Ha-yoon got out of the car and stopped, his breath catching in his throat as he saw that half of the building had completely collapsed. He ran toward the collapsed building, but an Intelligence Agency official blocked his path.
“Entry is prohibited due to the risk of collapse.”
“Get out of my way. Don’t you know who I am?”
“I can’t. It’s an order from above.”
“Damn it! Who’s higher than me here!”
Kim Ha-yoon pushed past him and went inside. The air was thick with cement dust, and groans could be heard from all directions. Please. Please, please! He crawled through the narrow passage and found the entrance to the basement.
He turned on his flashlight in the darkness and searched for the room where Ire had been staying. Fortunately, that part of the building was intact. He breathed a sigh of relief and ran to the door, but his face froze as he reached it.
The door was open, and Ire, who should have been in the room, was gone. There were bloodstains on the floor, but the person had vanished without a trace. Upon closer inspection, he saw that the lock on the door had been deliberately damaged.
“Damn it….”
With an icy expression, he roughly swept back his fallen hair. He came outside to see Major Kim Seon-oh waiting for him, having heard the news.
“Hyung, are you crazy? How could you go in there? Are you trying to die?”
Kim Ha-yoon took a deep breath and looked around. Ire couldn’t have gone far. Or even if he had, he couldn’t have left District A. Then, he belatedly remembered the Pass he had given Ire, and he squeezed his eyes shut.
“The gate’s been sealed. He can’t get out of here alive.”
The quick-witted Kim Seon-oh knew why Kim Ha-yoon had rushed here so quickly. Despite Kim Seon-oh’s words, Kim Ha-yoon felt as if someone was pressing down on his chest with their foot. Even with the Pass, the gate wouldn’t open once it was sealed. The problem was the tunnel in front of the gate, known as the kill zone.
When the defense system was activated, anything entering the tunnel was considered an enemy and attacked. In fact, decades before Kim Ha-yoon was born, a group of rebels had reached the tunnel but were unable to pass through it and were all killed.
Damn it….
Kim Ha-yoon clenched his teeth and fell into thought. And Kim Seon-oh couldn’t believe his ears when he heard what Kim Ha-yoon said next.
“Lift the blockade.”
“Are you kidding me…?”
Despite Kim Seon-oh’s hopes, Kim Ha-yoon’s expression was resolute.
“Lift it. Send a pursuit team to the gate and catch him before he gets out. And get a helicopter ready for me.”
Kim Seon-oh, who had been about to dissuade him, closed his mouth. He had been by Kim Ha-yoon’s side his whole life, but he had never seen him like this before. Wasn’t Kim Ha-yoon the one who was always so heartlessly calm and terrifying? What could have made him so anxious? He reluctantly gave the order over the radio, adding that they were never to kill Ire, but to capture him alive.
—1 year and 6 months later
A transport truck was leaving District A and heading to Gold City. Gold City was a new project being promoted by District A, with the goal of creating a new city in a safer location. However, opinions were sharply divided within District A due to the exorbitant relocation costs.
The man behind the wheel was from District B and felt proud of his job. The pay was good, and he was envied by others just for being able to enter District A. Of course, the work was demanding and difficult.
As his heavy eyelids fluttered, the man in the passenger seat called out to him.
“Hyung. Should I drive?”
“Forget it. What if we stop here and get into trouble?”
“What trouble? The Goblin Corps or whatever they were called, they’ve been gone for over a year. The military wiped them out completely.”
That was true, but when one thing disappears, another tends to take its place. As if to prove that, rebel forces were forming in small groups here and there. They were still insignificant and not yet a target of the military’s surveillance.
Suddenly, they heard a roaring sound from somewhere. The man turned around and frowned. An old truck was speeding toward them at an unbelievable pace. The man cocked his gun and watched the truck closely.
“What the hell is that….”
In an instant, the truck cut in front of them. In the back of the truck, there was a woman with her hair tied in pigtails, standing by the railing and waving her hand.
“Is she waving at us?”
As they waved back, the woman began to fold down her fingers one by one. The two men tilted their heads in confusion. Was she crazy? And when there were only two fingers left, they felt a sense of unease and their eyes widened.
As she folded down the last finger, there was a bang! and an explosion from the back of their vehicle, and the truck flipped over and crashed onto its side. Screech—as the overturned truck dug into the sand, the man in the driver’s seat frantically fumbled under the steering wheel, trying to find his gun, but unfortunately, his opponent was one step ahead.
“Hey, hey. If you want to keep your hands, don’t take that out.”
The person pointing a gun at them was a masked man with particularly sharp eyes.
“Who are you! You, you’re the Goblin Corps!”
At those words, the man chuckled and laughed, calling out to someone.
“Seol-ah! They’re asking if we’re the Goblin Corps!”
Then, the woman who had been waving earlier jumped onto the top of the vehicle. She leaned down and peered inside, her eyes full of curiosity.
“We’re not goblins?”
“Then what are you….”
Instead of answering, the woman whistled. Immediately, the sand around them began to stir, and the remaining members of their group, who had been hiding, jumped out. Seeing the sudden increase in numbers, the faces of the employees in charge of transportation turned pale.
“Bring, bring your boss! I want to talk to your boss, cough!”
Before he could finish speaking, the end of a gun pressed against his throat.
Looking at the terrified man, the masked man finally revealed his face and grinned.
“Our boss can’t come. He’s too busy rolling around with a woman.”