Apocalypse Hunter

Chapter 29: Prototype (Part 3)

“About thirty-seven years ago, the BMCP fortress in the southernmost area of the Korean Peninsula was destroyed. The whole MCP ceased its activities, so HQ decided to send an investigation team. However, the Central Asia division insisted on taking care of the matter. But HQ wasn’t about to do nothing after witnessing an MCP going dormant, and they ignored the request by sending the investigation team.”

Charl remembered exactly how it all started. However, after their headquarters dispatched an investigation team, the Busan fortress was completely sealed off.

The Central Asia division reported that the monster experiments taking place in the BMCP fortress had gone out of control, the MCP stopped operations, and the fortress bunker was completely sealed off because of the dangerous amount of CP. The only way to enter the sealed fortress was by destroying it completely, but the Central Asia division refused to allow this because it would expose the whole continent to CP and radiation.

The Central Asia division explained that the fortress had to be sealed off in a hurry, but their actions were suspicious.

“Busan was in direct control of the Central Asia division, and HQ had limited influence. The investigation was pretty much cut short because of pressure from the Central Asia division.”

The investigation team was not able to find the root cause, and without ever getting into the Busan fortress, they were forced to head back. They had to report based on the reports issued by the Central Asia division which was probably fabricated.

Ever since then, friction between their headquarters and the Central Asia division started to escalate. The Central Asia division was trying to hide some secret and their headquarters was trying to uncover it.

Wargrave had a powerful army, but it was split across the world. They had no luxury to attack each other. As the friction worsened, many years of silence had passed.

“My responsibility was to find out what the Central Asia division was up to. I had to hide my identity as an investigator. I was chosen by the Wargrave and received training for the executor role.”

Therefore, Charl was dispatched from their headquarters, but she spent more time in Asia. In fact, Charl received the Gigaframe procedure at the Central Asia division.

“Hmm… Then, couldn’t you have come directly to Busan? Why go through the whole hassle of going undercover?”

“In the past twenty years or so, all the executors dispatched to the East Asia region from HQ went MIA (missing in action). Have to think that they got murdered. Europe and East Asia is too far apart. The Central Asia division would spot one on the way.”

So their headquarters decided to utilize an undercover unit as the executor of Central Asia division to investigate the BMCP incident. Charl took the role of executor and slowly carried out missions in the Korean Peninsula.

“One of Central Asia division’s rules was not to go to the Korean Peninsula unless under direct orders. They didn’t explain why. The executors received warnings if they tried to go near the peninsula. And in reality, most of the executors cannot go to the Korean Peninsula.”

And at the time, the attack against the Wargrave transportation unit gave a good reason for Charl to enter the Korean Peninsula.

“I was quite respected as an executor. So they granted me permission to enter the Korean Peninsula to track the Reavers.”

So, she stopped by the Seoul fortress to verify the mission and then headed south. She headed down slowly to take on the real mission.

And then she heard from Zin and Leona about the sudden unidentified collapse of Zado.

“I was under the impression that a problem had started, and there was no time to waste. The headquarters had also guessed at the possible artificial creation of the devil.”

“So what was the result?”

“They succeeded.”

“… That’s the worst.”

The fortress of Busan appeared closed but in fact they were conducting secret experiments. They kept it a secret from HQ, and the fortress was left looking as if it were abandoned.

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“It appeared to be completely concealed, but they closed it from the inside. When I forced my way inside, there were tons of researchers…”

Charl explained about the situation when she entered the Busan fortress.

“After that, I overpowered the research facility by force and learned about the research project.”

The power of the Gigaframe that the Wargrave executor displayed was unmatched for the fortress’s researchers and ordinary soldiers. But Charl had mixed emotions.

“The devil itself was completed 37 years ago. BMCP went inactive because the devil’s power had gone out of control.”

Zin couldn’t imagine how many people would have been killed.

“The devil converted the Mass Confusion Point into an inactive state?”

“Yes.”

“Then what did the researchers do for 37 years?”

“They were conducting experiments to augment and control the devil they had created.”

The people conducted such experiments in the fortress to control the power of the devil.

“If they can control the devil completely… They could mass produce the devils and utilize their power. Whether it was destroying the headquarters or solidifying their command line. There is no harm in having more power.”

This meant that the freed prototype was a devil built by the Wargrave. Charl covered her face with both hands and started trembling.

“But, ultimately, the devil got away because of me.”

“What do you mean?”

“In these circumstances, the executor would get rid of the personnel… That’s a given. As soon as they learned that I was an investigator from headquarters, it meant that they were going to be executed.”

As a last resort, the leader of the Busan fortress made a bold move. They overestimated the accomplishments of their 37-year-long research.

“They released the prototype to kill me.”

“Mmm… and they weren’t able to control it. You were beat up pretty bad, and all the researchers ended up killed. Is that so?”

“Yes.”

Charl was in agony. She was able to figure out the plot of the Central Asia division, but as she witnessed the existence of the devil, she triggered the release of the devil into the wilderness.

Charl felt powerless as she remembered her defeat with the power of the Gigaframe. However, there was something Zin didn’t understand so he asked a question.

“Wait, so that specimen… was the prototype trapped inside here all this time? Then, how did Zado collapse?”

“I don’t know.”

Charl stood up as if she remembered something.

“If I scan through the database, I might be able to find something.”

Zin and Charl headed to the data room where all the data was stored. The bunker was full of blood and dead bodies.

“It must have had some real grudge.”

The specimen ripped apart all the researchers into pieces, and it was a display of extreme rage. The researchers were lucky to be swiftly put to death by the devil which they’d treated as a specimen for several years.

Charl went through the database to extract the data. As she scanned the database, she stored the massive amount of data.

“They wanted to capture the power of the devil, especially the witch’s power to control the monsters’ minds. The built most of the prototypes based on the characteristics of a witch.”

“Is that so… I suppose that’s easier.”

“Easy?”

“Ah, never mind. Keep on with what you’re doing.”

Zin nodded. Charl couldn’t understand his words, but she continued to download the data. Charl gnashed her teeth.

“This was a Chimera experiment.”

“I see.”

It was an experiment to fuse the devil’s power into a human body. The specimen was not a complete devil, but a human who inherited the devil’s power. And the specimen that escaped not only had the power of the witch, it possessed additional powers as well. As more shocking facts were revealed, Charl spoke with a hardened face:

“Now I see… There were two completed specimens.”

“Two?”

“Yes. Prototype-One and Two. 37 years ago, Prototype-One’s rage must have interfered with MCP’s energy. As a result, BMCP created monsters at the rate of a hundred times more than usual. The fortress dispatched their forces to the MCP to take out the monsters. As their defenses weakened, Prototype-One destroyed the defense walls, and while the guards were occupied, Prototype-Two escaped… But… Prototype-Two ended up killed by the pursuing forces…”

“Whatever the motive, it’s likely that this was a false report.”

“Yes… I do think that Prototype-Two is still alive… And Zado’s destruction was probably caused by Prototype-Two.”

“Two devils… but why did they appear after 37 years?”

“I don’t know.”

The MCP became completely dormant because a large amount of energy had been drained. And, as Charl kept on downloading the data, she twitched slightly.

“This…”

“What’s that?”

“These are the pictures of Prototype-One and Two…”

Charl’s eyes widened in disbelief. Both Prototype-One and Two were female. It was likely the researchers experimented on females to implant the power of the witch. But that wasn’t the important point.

The first picture looked ordinary, but the second picture took Zin and Charl by surprise.

“This… resembles Leona… too much…”

Charl looked at Zin.

“… It appears so.”

The Prototype-Two looked like Leona in her adulthood.

Charl couldn’t understand. Leona whom she met was a small kid, and although she was a brat with a unique personality, she was nothing like a witch.

“Is this… possible? Can devils easily change their appearance?”

Zin replied to Charl who was confused.

“Leona’s mom was probably a witch.”

“… What? A devil giving birth to a child? A monster and a human cannot bear a child. That’s impos—”

Zin cut Charl off.

“You’re mistaken.”

“What?”

“Witches are not monsters.”

Looking as if he didn’t want to remember some dark past, Zin gave a bitter smile.

“Witches were originally humans.”

“What… does that mean…?”

“It’s probably the reason why there were human experiments happening in this fortress.”

Charl couldn’t believe Zin’s words.

Zin spoke again.

“The power of the witch is just a supernatural power.”

Witches were born with powers that ordinary humans could not gain. Devils were referred to the seven types of monsters. Witches were the only humans who were considered as devils.

Charl couldn’t speak for a while.

And there were many things that Zin couldn’t understand.

He could not understand why Leona’s mother, a witch, had died without a fight.