Manager's Office.
"Malkuth."
In the end, it was Angela who spoke up, cutting off the confrontation between X and Malkuth before it could escalate any further.
"This is work time. You may present your suggestions to the Manager, but please refrain from any attempt to make unilateral decisions."
"You are only the head of the Control Team."
"…I was merely making recommendations based on the action guidelines and employee regulations."
After Angela spoke, Malkuth's voice was noticeably weaker than when she had been arguing with X .
To her, offending the Manager's secretary seemed far more terrifying than offending the Manager himself.
"…Sigh."
Hearing Malkuth's almost mechanical justification, X still felt some lingering anger, but he couldn't help letting out a weary sigh.
If that was the case… then he could, in fact, understand her.
On his very first day in office, she had told him that she was careless by nature and prone to making mistakes.
And during that late-night meeting, X had come to realize that this always-energetic department head was simply doing her utmost to avoid being criticized again for errors—nothing more.
Besides, from the perspective of a Wing, her thinking was entirely normal.
The City might lack many things, but it never lacked people—
nor did it ever lack those desperate to enter a World Wing.
Just as X was calming himself, preparing to speak to Malkuth again in a gentler tone—
Beep.
A communication request interrupted him.
It was from Faust.
Connected.
"Manager, this is Faust."
Faust's voice came through the communicator.
"The flesh cocoon suspected to be Nothing There is about to complete incubation. I request termination of this work."
Her voice was so calm that, at first, X even thought the situation was still under control.
Only after a brief pause did he ask:
"Reason?"
"Faust suspects it will immediately breach containment."
Her wording was extremely cautious.
"Suspects…?"
"But with very high accuracy," Faust continued, her tone steady.
"It has already torn open a corner of the cocoon with one hand. Judging solely by the sense of danger radiating from that arm, it poses an enormous threat to all of us."
"Even while wearing the full Magic Bullet set, Faust's instinct is that it is 'completely impossible to resist.'"
At that point, no further justification was needed.
For a Level 5 employee like Faust, intuition could sometimes be more reliable than machines.
"Permission granted."
X made the decision instantly, terminating the work process for Nothing There's containment unit.
That would at least give his employee a precious chance to escape.
"Understood."
Faust replied briefly and, without hesitation, turned and ran toward the door behind her.
However, as if sensing that the human working on it was attempting to leave,
the arm tearing open the flesh cocoon suddenly exerted even greater force.
Rip—
Rrrip! Tear!!!
The cocoon, which looked thick and incredibly tough, proved as fragile as paper under the pull of that crimson arm.
In the brief span of time it took Faust to turn and head for the door, the cocoon's shell was nearly completely shredded, revealing the horrifying body within.
"…!"
Knowing how precious every second of escape time was, Faust still couldn't help glancing back when she heard that scalp-crawling tearing sound—
A massive, blood-red humanoid Abnormality stood where the cocoon had been.
It stood nearly three meters tall. Every inch of muscle forming its towering body was made of the same substance as the cocoon itself, brimming with nauseating vitality.
The pale human hand still rested atop its head, while its facial features were arranged more like a human's than in its first, canine stage.
Still, the constantly gaping mouth and exposed teeth made it impossible to completely erase the image of the monstrous dog.
Unlike before, two of the four eyes had shifted positions.
One sat slightly behind its shoulder.
Another was embedded in its chest, rolling restlessly.
Below that chest eye was a massive mouth, from which intestines spilled out, dangling like a grotesque tongue.
As for its arms—
One had become a heavy flesh hammer larger than a human head.
The other was a massive palm tipped with razor-sharp claws.
Just looking at it was enough to feel overwhelming pressure.
After that single glance, Faust did not hesitate again. She accelerated, sprinting for the exit.
And at the exact moment the door opened and her foot was about to cross into the safe corridor—
The third form of Nothing There raised its enormous clawed hand.
It almost looked like it was trying to give its "human companion" a friendly wave.
But in the center of its palm was a hole shaped like a mouth, packed with tiny teeth.
Then Nothing There extended its arm and dropped to one knee.
"…Hellow?"
A greeting that sounded like a grotesque fusion of several employees' voices echoed through the containment unit.
Whoosh!!!
At the same time, accompanied by a piercing shriek through the air, a razor-sharp bone spike shot out like an arrow from the gaping maw in its palm!
Thunk!!!
Faust had no time to react. The bone spike, too fast for the naked eye to follow, tore straight through her shoulder!
It didn't stop there—
carrying its remaining momentum, it embedded itself deep into the thick alloy wall of the containment unit!
"—Hiss!"
Faust let out a pained grunt.
In a single blow, the bone spike had blasted a bowl-sized hole through her shoulder, scalding blood pouring out in streams.
Yet her pace did not slow in the slightest. She forced herself onward and escaped the containment unit at top speed.
Beep—
Work Result: Poor.
As Faust fled the containment unit in a sorry state, the evaluation device dutifully flashed the red light of failure.
But no one cared anymore.
Beep!!! Beep!!!
The containment door, which had only just closed, opened once again.
From the dark corridor stepped out that towering crimson figure.
Nothing There has breached containment.
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