If you want to help me financially, you can do it on
https://ko-fi.com/neverluckysmile
Unlike any VR game, everything around here is completely frozen in place.
Arthur and Dr. Skirth were both sitting on chairs, yet everything around them was arranged clearly and precisely.
Including the gruesome wounds on the corpses.
Dr. Skirth stared in shock at everything around her. "What kind of technology is this?"
"Hm... I don't know either," Arthur said. "We have experts related to this."
While speaking, he was carefully observing the corpses around him. The position of each corpse was fixed; with a subtle tug of his hand, the entire scene changed accordingly.
One corpse suddenly appeared right in front of the two of them.
Dr. Skirth jumped in fright, but when she saw the corpse, her expression turned sad. "She's wearing our company's uniform."
Arthur didn't speak. After scanning the scene with his gaze, he suddenly furrowed his brow.
Next to this corpse, there was a position marked with a note: Suspected!
It was an elderly woman with gray hair. The label 'suspected' was mainly because the person who simulated the scene couldn't confirm if this person was really there at the time.
Everything now was based on either data simulation or judgment from nearby surveillance equipment to determine who was present at the scene...
While Arthur was pondering, a communication came in.
"I'm integrating the scene based on our information modules," Natasha's voice said. "Found something interesting: there should have been one more person present, but this person... is missing."
"Missing."
Arthur was silent for a moment. His fingers gently tapped the steering wheel as the surrounding images shattered. "If they're missing, that explains everything. All the fragmented corpses have been tidied up?"
"Yes, even J.A.R.V.I.S. hates this task," Natasha said. "You have to understand, searching through a massive database for matching DNA is a job humans simply cannot complete. And among all the DNA sequences, we didn't find the corpse of this elderly woman. Right now, we can't tell if she was never actually there... or if there's another possibility?"
"I understand." Arthur smiled. "Thanks for your hard work."
"...Hearing you say 'thanks for your hard work' feels a bit weird," Natasha replied. "The task you gave me is progressing well, just waiting on the other side's contact."
"In a few days," Arthur said. "What you found this time might be very serious."
"My intuition is always sharp."
"Incredible intuition," Arthur said. "I have guests here, so let's end this for now."
The communication ended. Arthur looked at Dr. Skirth.
Dr. Skirth looked back at Arthur, confused and uncertain.
"Based on the current data we have, we can conclude... First, the alien life forms you found, well, or you could call them Symbiotes, they have parasitic traits! They can attach themselves to humans. One person went missing during the car accident, and through basic reasoning, I can roughly determine that she was possessed by a Symbiote and then... appeared on the street we just saw, going on a murderous rampage. In the end, she took away another person who was supposed to be at the scene... that elderly woman."
Arthur lightly rubbed his forehead. "Do you know what this means?"
"It means... Drake's experiment was correct?" Dr. Skirth asked nervously. "Symbiotes really can coexist peacefully with humans?"
"Coexist peacefully?" Arthur sighed helplessly. "The autopsy report of your company employee's corpse shows multiple organ failures throughout her body. What do you think caused that? She just walked around and digested herself? When parasites attach to a human body, what do they consume? Do you think they plant crops inside the human body?"
"…gulp!"
Dr. Skirth' face turned pale. The sound of her swallowing was clearly audible.
"You know, right?" Arthur looked at her. "That person was eaten!"
Dr. Skirth' jaw trembled, then she took a deep breath and said, "So… then…"
"So, the Symbiote found another person, possessed them, parasitized them, and then left the crime scene," Arthur explained.
"So, what we're facing now," Arthur continued, "is that these things you brought not only kill in the Life Gene Foundation but also have a free, vigorous, murderous, and violent individual roaming our world. We don't even know what it wants to do."
Dr. Skirth shivered at Arthur's words. "What… what should we do?"
"The next matters have nothing to do with you," Arthur breathed out gently and then initiated a communication.
"Wait for me downstairs."
After the connection was established, Arthur said this sentence, then cut off the communication and said to Dr. Skirth, "Next, I plan to take you somewhere else where your safety can be guaranteed."
"What… what will happen to me?"
"The person you found is named Brock," Arthur said. "He was discovered at that time. You don't really think such a big Life Gene Foundation couldn't find out, right? He's evidence that you brought him in. If you go back now, you definitely… won't see tomorrow's sun again."
Dr. Skirth nearly cried. "Then… what should I do?"
"Don't worry, a safe place is waiting for you." Arthur started the car.
Tears streamed down Dr. Skirth' face. "How many years will I be in prison?"
She thought the place waiting for her was a prison.
Arthur said nothing, letting her worry.
…
…
Driving the black car, Arthur arrived at the place where the Quinjet had landed before. Bucky was already waiting there.
Bucky was sitting on a rock, idly pondering life.
When Arthur got out of the car with Dr. Skirth, Bucky's eyeballs nearly popped out.
What the heck is this… a real-life transformation!
He came here as an Iron Man straight man, and in the blink of an eye, turned into Natasha?
What kind of magic is this? How did this happen?
When the communication came in earlier, it already felt off. It was supposed to be a meeting between two men, but the voice speaking was a woman's. Now, looking at it, not only the voice but the person changed too!