"Graww!"
The thing that leapt out of the iron cage could no longer be called human.
Even while hunched over, it still stood two meters tall. Its arms were far too long, hands dragging across the ground, and its feet were wide and splayed like flippers.
Its ribcage was sunken, each bone jutting out, its waist so thin it looked as though it could snap at any moment. It seemed to have no internal organs, only a single spine running down its body.
Yet what made it even more hideous and nauseating was its skin—sickly green, oozing pus, bubbling with blisters, as if it might evaporate into nothing at any second. It looked like a creature born from some cruel experiment.
But no. This was merely a human who had been injected with an overdose of narcotics and was now under investigation.
Louis had no idea how something could turn a human into a monster, yet still be dismissed by some fool as just a "drug," Louis had no idea.
He cursed under his breath, scrambled to his feet, and bolted toward the massive gate—while the two guards struggled against the abomination.
The monster's broad, webbed foot came crashing down on them both, its terrible weight pinning them to the ground.
"You damned thing—die already!"
"Bang! Boom!"
One of the guards roared, his arm instantly transforming into a massive gun that fired straight at the monster!
The creature was blasted through, shrieking in agony. Its grotesquely large mouth gaped open, lined with jagged fangs that reeked of foul stench. Thick black blood poured out.
It raised a hand, each finger sharp as an arrow, and thrust straight toward the guard's skull beneath its foot.
Louis ignored the chaos behind him.
He had no idea how long the two guards could hold out. If he didn't hurry, he too might be swallowed whole in a matter of moments.
And worse—his body hadn't been mechanized. If he fell into that monster's maw, nothing'd be left of him but scraps!
"Beep—identity confirmed!"
Even while fighting, one of the guards froze at the sound, his hand flying to his pocket—only to find his employee card gone.
"You bastard! When the hell did you take it?!"
He cursed furiously, but there was nothing he could do. Right now, their only option was to deal with the monster first!
Louis slipped quickly into the prison chamber.
Though called a prison cell, the place was nothing like the others.
A stark whiteness filled his vision, dark-gray cables snaking along the walls—massive and unnatural.
Monitors lined the room, tracking something, colorful graphs fluctuating wildly across the screens.
But what caught Louis's eye most was the enormous biological capsule at the chamber's center. A double capsule, two meters tall and three meters long, lay two figures inside.
Whether they could still be called human was another matter. Even at a glance, their limbs revealed exposed joints at the arms and legs. Only their torsos and necks remained without mechanical seams.
As if in deliberate display, one of their arms wasn't even disguised in synthetic flesh, its mechanical structure laid bare for all to see.
They were twins. In the original novel Original Sin, they were known as The Demonic Twins.
The older brother's name was Lucas, the younger sister's name was Luna.
The sister had long hair, the brother had short hair—yet both were black. Moreover, Louis knew that if they were to open their eyes right now, two identical pairs of violet eyes would be staring straight at him.
They were only about one meter fifty tall, strangely identical despite being of opposite genders, leaning more toward a delicate beauty so striking it was hard to tell them apart.
The novel never revealed their origins. All that was known was that they were special entities once noticed by the Zone 6 Research Institute. However, after rounds of examination and study, it was concluded that nothing was remarkable about them, so they were handed off to the Silver Mansion for use however they wished.
They had only just been transferred here from the research institute, so their holding chamber was secured with such tight layers of protection.
No doubt the Silver Mansion intended to treat them like dolls, playthings for its guests.
But in the original novel, the twins awakened on the day that the strange drug spread throughout the mansion. They encountered Aboli by chance and chose to follow her—the first bond they ever formed.
The novel never even explained why they suddenly awoke. Regardless, Louis had to give it a try.
He needed these twins if he wanted to escape this cursed place alive.
"Let's see…"
Louis glanced at the massive computer beside him, fingers dancing rapidly across the keys. He was trying to crack the code, to unlock the biological capsule.
Sylus, it's finally time for me to reap the rewards of all those days of flattering you.
The computer seemed to freeze momentarily, then streams of code and data began flashing across the screen.
Beep!
The red light on the capsule turned green. A hiss of vapor burst outward as the protective glass covering slowly slid open!
"Hey, stop right there!"
The guard's booming voice came from the doorway. Louis turned, but he didn't notice that faint streams of light were beginning to flow beneath the mechanical plating of Luna and Lucas—like puppets suddenly infused with souls.
Oh… lord is calling to us. The Lord is calling to us!
Louis narrowed his eyes. Only one guard had come in. Looking past him, Louis saw the monster collapsed on the floor, its weight crushing a pile of mangled flesh beneath it.
The guard now held an electric baton in his hands.
Anything that could subdue that grotesque abomination was surely no simple weapon. Either way, Louis had no intention of finding out the hard way.
He smiled, raising both hands with a weary yet harmless expression:
"Don't be so angry, I was just taking a little stroll."
The guard sneered coldly, his face smeared with fresh blood and black fluid, looking all the more ferocious:
"Turn around!"
He roared. He glanced at Louis—no visible mechanization. Usually, people like that were knowledgeable, high-ranking citizens or those with brain-embedded mechanization, which made them even sharper.
The guard didn't want to risk falling for another of Louis's tricks.
Louis obediently turned his back to him.
"Step back toward me!" the guard ordered again.
Louis stepped backward, his eyes lifting slightly. He arched a brow, suddenly chuckling:
"Brother, stop staring at me like that. I'm really not the dangerous one here."
The guard, convinced the monster was already dead, snapped:
"Cut the crap! You think I'll fall for your bait? Hurry up!"
Though the guard couldn't see his face, Louis bowed his head with feigned regret and stopped moving.
The guard frowned, but by now Louis had already drawn close. He strode forward aggressively.
And in that very instant—Louis suddenly bolted straight ahead!
"Darling, save me!"
He cried out in panic, desperate and helpless.
"This guy's insane…"
The guard muttered, his body reacting with lightning speed as he lunged forward.
But then—
A flash of violet light streaked past, little more than an afterimage, so fleeting it never even registered in the guard's eyes.
He could no longer take a single step forward when he realized it.
His chest had been pierced clean through!
In front of him floated a youth—so beautiful it was nearly impossible to distinguish boy from girl. Suspended in midair, clad in the distinctive garments of an experimental subject, the youth's figure seemed otherworldly.
One of the youth's arms had transformed into a spear, its base nearly twenty centimeters thick, tapering into a razor-sharp tip—the very weapon that had skewered the guard's chest!
"Thwack!"
"Urgh—gghk!"
The youth darted forward, pressing closer, driving the spear even deeper.
The guard was already writhing in agony, his entire body drenched in blood, his twisted face drenched in cold sweat.
The youth tilted his head slightly, raising one hand to cradle the guard's head.
The guard's eyes went wide. As if realizing something, his lips trembled… but the plea he wanted to voice would never leave his mouth.
Boom!
His head burst like a water balloon, crushed with ease.
Blood splattered across the wall. A headless corpse was tossed to the floor, the room falling into utter silence.