"I told you not to trust anyone… so how can you be sure that anything I'm about to say is the truth?"
Alicia tested him, her sharp gaze cutting straight into Edward's eyes. He looked different now, composed and resolute, nothing like the boy who had stood trembling on that rooftop.
"I never said I'd believe every word."
Edward replied evenly.
"The truth usually comes wrapped in lies… but even lies tend to carry fragments of truth."
Alicia let out a faint smile, clearly pleased with his answer.
"Then listen carefully to what I'm about to tell you…"
She fell silent for a moment, as if gathering the pieces of a bitter memory.
"Not long ago… in a cold, sterile laboratory, a researcher devoted himself to finding a way for humans to survive the hostile conditions outside. He always told us, and the world beyond, that it was all for restoring the environment, making it livable again."
She paused, her eyes drifting down to her own hands.
"I've heard that part before."
Edward cut in, his tone flat.
"Oh? You've heard it before… but did you ever hear the whole story?"
Alicia shot back, narrowing her eyes. When the boy fell silent, she continued.
"What that researcher discovered wasn't just about environmental restoration or creating a new breed of humanity… he realized that this world is heading toward its end."
"What do you mean… heading toward its end?"
Edward interrupted again, a trace of unease creeping into his voice.
"The story's not over yet. Just listen."
She said quietly, before moving into something far deeper.
"That researcher proposed reviving the space program, but not to send people off to colonize new worlds… his plan was to dump Earth's pollution onto other planets instead. Of course, that insane idea was rejected immediately. After that, his work was shelved for years, until another researcher picked it up."
She crossed her arms, shifting slightly on the bed.
"The difference is, the new researcher didn't care about pollution at all. All he wanted was to create a new breed of humans to replace the original race. He kept running experiments over and over, using countless test subjects… and as you probably already know, this project cost thousands of lives. In the end, they managed to produce thirty-seven individuals who were stronger than ordinary humans… wow, now it's getting interesting, isn't it?"
Alicia smiled coldly, watching Edward's reaction as he began to realize what that number truly meant, and the brutality hidden behind the existence of people like them.
"The real secret behind the experiment is that it all began with a single test subject, someone who mutated faster than the rest…"
Alicia spoke in a chilling tone that seemed to drain the warmth from the room.
"That subject was designated Project 01, the original source that passed this mutation on to the others. The remaining thirty-six didn't receive any kind of miracle drug or serum… what they got was what you would call… parasites."
The moment she finished, Edward's eyes widened in shock. His body went rigid as the horrifying truth began to fall into place.
"Then that means you…"
"That's right…"
The young woman formed a faint smile, one that carried an oddly quiet sorrow.
"I'm Alicia Barnes, Project 01. The origin of this entire nightmare."
She raised her hand, staring down at her own palm.
"The truth about my ability is that I use parasites to trigger mutation in humans. It's not about controlling their bodies as you think. But after three or four days, if the host can't handle it or fails to respond… the result is death."
Alicia explained calmly, watching the boy's reaction.
"And what about memories? What exactly did you do to them?"
Edward asked, his suspicion deepening.
"That part is just a side effect. I can erase memories, but I can't add or alter them."
She paused, her eyes narrowing slightly.
"More importantly… I can see who they were, what kind of memories they had."
She stepped closer to the glass until her reflection stared back at her.
"Let me tell you something… I know what your nineteen years have been like. Your family, the people you knew, the one you had a crush on… even the things you thought no one would ever see. I've seen all of it."
"You're insane!"
Edward snapped immediately, his face flushed with embarrassment and anger, as if he wanted to disappear on the spot.
"But once the researcher figured it out, he created a serum to temporarily block the test subjects' memories, so I wouldn't be able to see them."
Alicia said, her eyes dimming.
"And once their bodies are fully adapted, he will remove the parasites connected to me. That's why I barely know who those thirty-six people used to be… who they were before all of this."
She lowered her gaze to her hands, trembling slightly.
"And more importantly… it wasn't just them. There were countless others who were dragged into the experiments and died when they failed. In the end, I'm not that different from a murderer."
"Damn it… so you were created from the start to be nothing more than a tool?"
Edward asked, his voice caught between sympathy and suspicion.
"I told you already… don't trust me. Did you forget?"
Alicia replied, a cold smile forming at the corner of her lips. For a brief moment, something flickered in her eyes, as if reminding him that beneath that pitiful exterior, there was still a monster waiting to tear him apart.
"And this story… it doesn't end there."
Alicia continued, her voice so cold it sent a chill straight through him.
"After the chaos, nineteen test subjects managed to escape. One has already been eliminated. Another is in the hands of Out Law. Two more are here."
She paused, her unreadable gaze fixed on Edward.
"As for the remaining fifteen… they're scattered across the Outlands, without a trace."
She crossed her arms, leaning back against the wall of the containment room.
"And those reports you received about eleven subjects who failed to escape… the truth is, they're not dead. They're being held, waiting for the next phase of experimentation in a hidden government lab. I don't even know what that researcher is after anymore… and that's where this story ends."
"Then why did you infect me with a parasite, knowing I might die?"
Edward asked, his voice laced with suspicion and confusion toward the woman standing before him.
"Because I've already uncovered the truth behind my own power…"
Alicia replied calmly, her gaze locking deep into his.
"I know the condition for using the parasite without killing the host… and instead granting them the mutation."
The moment she finished speaking, silence swallowed the observation room. Edward's expression shifted instantly, his eyes clouded with confusion and alarm. Something deep within him screamed that what she had just said was a filthy truth… one without a single lie mixed in.
Beep… Beep… Beep…
The alarm blared throughout the underground base. Edward flinched and pulled himself away from the containment glass at once. His feet moved on instinct, rushing toward the meeting room as his heart pounded in his chest.
"Remember this, kid! Don't trust anyone!"
Alicia's voice chased after him, half warning, half taunt, clinging to his senses for just a moment.
Inside the tense briefing room, Kelly's fingers flew across the control panel as she explained the situation displayed on the massive monitor.
"We've picked up an alarm signal about four miles out. Looks like there's heavy combat happening in that area."
"Out Law and P-Type?"
Connor asked, his tone serious.
"Not confirmed yet… but the system is detecting unusually massive seismic activity at those coordinates."
Kelly replied, zooming in on the tactical map.
"Alright! Let's move!"
Drago ordered sharply, his eyes steady with a warrior's instinct fully awakened.
"Yeah… stay sharp. This might not be as simple as it looks."
Connor added, his voice carrying a note of concern.
Drago, Chloe, Jenkins, and Darius jumped into the pickup and sped off immediately, with Edward close behind on his new Rocket Bike. It was a jet-powered motorcycle Murray had just finished modifying, its frame redesigned into a fully aerodynamic form to minimize air resistance, equipped with a lower stabilization system that increased downforce and kept the bike firmly planted even at extreme speeds, flames bursting from the rear as the engine roared.
…..
Amid the swirling dust of the Outlands, Peacekeeping Substation 42 had turned into a living hell. More than a dozen armed officers were unleashing everything they had against a single intruder. Heavy machine gun fire and explosions thundered across the area without pause.
"Alert… alert! Substation 42 is under attack! I repeat… we are under attack!"
The communications officer shouted into the microphone in panic, desperately trying to send a distress signal back to Biotope 5 before it was too late.
But the relentless barrage of bullets and heavy weapons aimed at the mysterious man had no effect whatsoever. He raised a massive shield etched with strange patterns, absorbing the overwhelming impact without so much as a tremor. Then he began to advance, calm and steady, pushing through the storm of gunfire before flicking up the handgun in his grip and returning fire with inhuman precision.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
One by one, the peacekeeping officers dropped. Each body was pierced clean through with a single fatal shot, until only the trembling communications officer remained, standing alone in front of the transmitter.
"Alert… alert! Send anyone! We can't hold them off any longer!"
The communications officer's voice rang out through the microphone one last time, filled with desperation, before a single shot tore clean through the back of his knee. He collapsed instantly, screaming in agony.
Amid the wreckage and the metallic scent of blood, the mysterious man advanced at an unhurried pace, stepping over lifeless bodies one after another. A handgun rested firmly in his grip as he methodically fired into the visors of the fallen, each shot delivered with ruthless precision. Every bullet was meant to ensure that none of these survivors would ever rise again to stand in his way.
As the looming figure drew closer to the trembling communications officer, the dim light revealed his mask… a scarred steel faceplate marked by distinct scratches.
Zenos.
"W… What do you want…?"
The unfortunate officer forced the words out, clinging to the last fragments of his life.
No answer came. The cold-blooded mercenary ended the conversation by unloading several more rounds into the man's body until it finally went still. He holstered his weapon and swept his gaze across the peacekeeping station, now nothing more than a silent graveyard.
"Listen up, P-Type… the name's Zenos, Out Law. Last time, you hit me where it hurt. Now I'm taking back every last credit you cost me."
His voice, cold and razor-sharp, carried through the communication channel still linked to the command center inside the dome. He tightened his grip on the gun, his final words dripping with hostility.
"And tell Pierce this… if he's got a problem, he can come out and face me himself."
Bang!
He pulled the trigger and blew the communicator to pieces before walking out as if nothing had happened. Yet with every step he took, Zenos pulled out small rectangular devices lined with intricate circuitry, planting them along the walls and structural pillars with swift precision. The moment his foot touched the ground beyond the building's shadow, bathed in dim light, he flicked up a remote and pressed the detonation switch without hesitation.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The devices erupted in a chain of thunderous explosions, collapsing the entire structure of Peacekeeping Substation 42 in an instant. A massive cloud of dust surged into the sky, burying the bodies of dozens of officers beneath the wreckage. All that remained were smoldering ruins, flames still flickering in scattered pockets amid the silence of the Outlands.
Zenos's silhouette slowly faded into the smoke. He climbed into a waiting pickup truck, the engine roaring to life before it tore away from the ruins of Substation 42, leaving the burning wreckage blazing against the darkness behind him.
No one knew where the mercenary was headed next. The declaration of revenge he had broadcast over the radio was only the beginning of a psychological war he was about to unleash upon P-Type and Colonel Pierce. The pickup vanished into an unpredictable path, leaving behind nothing but tire tracks carved into the dust and a challenge still echoing within the government's recorded transmissions.