The underground warehouse of K39 never truly slept.
Even at night, the massive facility remained active beneath the mountains. Trucks continued arriving through the hidden entrance tunnels while guards moved in organized lines beneath rows of white industrial lights. The air smelled faintly of metal, fuel, damp concrete, and chemical disinfectant.
Aron worked silently among the workers unloading crates from transport vehicles.
One after another.
Heavy containers marked with research codes disappeared deeper into the facility through automated conveyor systems. Around him, nobody spoke much. K39 operated with mechanical discipline. Everyone knew their role. Everyone moved with purpose.
Aron adjusted the gloves on his hands before lifting another crate.
So I finally managed to enter this place.
His eyes moved quietly across the enormous warehouse sector.
Towering shelves. Armed guards. Security cameras. Sterile white walls hidden beneath industrial structures.
The true core of Ferk.
Because of Erina… everything worked perfectly.
He remembered her recommendation opening a path for him into K39's internal logistics division. Months of preparation had finally paid off.
I did exactly what they wanted.
And now I'm finally here.
A faint smile appeared across his face.
I should start working on it soon.
Suddenly—
A loud horn echoed across the warehouse entrance.
Several workers turned instinctively.
A dark four-wheeled vehicle slowly entered the loading sector through the massive steel gates.
The atmosphere shifted immediately.
Even before the driver stepped out, tension quietly spread among the guards.
Then the door opened.
Ragasa stepped out calmly wearing black glasses, his expression carrying the same cold confidence as always.
Nobody expected him to arrive at K39 personally.
The guards straightened automatically.
Workers lowered their eyes.
Even the warehouse noise itself seemed quieter for a moment.
Aron remained still while watching from a distance.
Then Ragasa opened the back door of the vehicle and lifted an unconscious body onto his shoulder.
Canta.
Dirty. Exhausted. His clothes stained with dust and dried blood.
Without saying anything, Ragasa carried him directly toward the main hall.
The interior corridors of K39 were overwhelmingly bright. Sterile white lights reflected across polished floors while cold damp air circulated endlessly through the ventilation systems.
As Ragasa entered the hall, Erina appeared from one of the connecting corridors.
At first, confusion crossed her face.
"Why are you—"
Then she noticed Canta immediately.
Her expression changed.
She understood the situation without needing explanation.
A few seconds later, Aron entered the hall after being called over by one of the guards.
Erina looked toward him calmly.
"Take him to Cell 002."
Aron nodded once.
"And I'll inform Sam."
Before anyone moved further, another voice entered the room.
Rodon.
He walked into the hall lazily, his hands inside his pockets before stopping near Ragasa.
"So this is the boy who caused everyone so much trouble."
He tilted his head slightly before looking up at Ragasa with an amused expression.
"Shouldn't you have killed him already, big guy?"
Ragasa answered calmly.
"No."
His eyes briefly shifted toward the unconscious Canta.
"I think he can still be useful for experimentation."
Then his voice became colder.
"And the people who create this much trouble don't deserve easy deaths."
Rodon smiled faintly.
"Fair enough."
Aron quietly took Canta from Ragasa before carrying him deeper into the facility.
So you escaped…
…and still didn't die back there.
The thought passed silently through his mind.
A few minutes later, Cell 002 opened with a metallic sound.
Inside, another prisoner lay sleeping quietly against the wall.
Aron placed Canta inside before the door shut behind him.
Elsewhere inside K39, Erina contacted Sam and informed him about Ragasa's arrival.
After hearing everything, Sam remained silent for several moments.
Then one thought crossed his mind quietly.
You really didn't deserve to be saved.
---
The laboratory remained silent except for the faint mechanical hum of the capsule systems.
White light reflected across the sterile walls, making the room feel colder than it actually was. Rows of sealed equipment stood motionless behind transparent glass panels while monitoring screens emitted dim blue light into the darkness.
Sam sat alone beside the black capsule.
A half-finished cup of coffee rested near his hand.
Inside the capsule, Louis remained unconscious.
For now.
Sam observed the motionless body quietly while reviewing the experiment in his mind once again. The black substance had entered the nervous system successfully. Initial rejection signs had been lower than expected. Even the pulse stabilization had occurred faster than earlier subjects.
Promising.
Very promising.
Yet his thoughts slowly drifted elsewhere.
To Ragasa.
Why did he bring Canta here?
Sam leaned back slightly in his chair.
Normally, Ragasa would have killed anyone who created that much operational trouble. Especially someone who escaped once already.
But instead, he brought him to K39 alive.
Sam already knew the explanation Ragasa would probably give.
He can still be useful for experiments.
A guinea pig shouldn't die too early.
Logical.
Practical.
Very Ragasa-like.
But something still felt wrong.
Because if this was truly about experimentation, then Ragasa already knew further human subjects were becoming unnecessary.
Louis was supposed to be the final vessel before the completed product.
Sam himself had explained that a while ago.
Which meant only one possibility remained.
A faint smile slowly appeared across Sam's face.
So he noticed it.
Back then, during the escape incident, Sam remembered speaking too calmly while Erina and Ragasa discussed the breach. At the time, he dismissed it as meaningless.
But Ragasa rarely ignored behavioral inconsistencies.
Maybe he suspects me now.
The thought didn't frighten Sam.
If anything, it interested him.
His fingers tapped lightly against the coffee cup.
Then perhaps…
…I should get rid of him soon.
Before the thought fully settled, movement suddenly appeared inside the capsule.
Sam's eyes shifted immediately.
Louis' fingers twitched.
Then his body moved again.
Slowly, Louis opened his eyes.
The dark liquid-like veins beneath his skin had faded almost completely now. His breathing remained stable. Calm.
Sam stood up silently and approached the capsule glass.
Inside, Louis slowly sat upright.
No screaming. No confusion. No panic.
Only quiet awareness.
Sam studied him carefully.
Is the experiment complete?
For several moments, neither of them spoke.
Then Sam finally asked calmly,
"Hey, boy. What's your name?"
Louis looked directly at him.
"My name is Louis Fernandez."
His voice sounded polite.
Normal.
Then unexpectedly, Louis smiled faintly.
"Can you let me leave?"
The question sounded strangely sincere.
Almost innocent.
Sam remained completely still.
Something about Louis' expression felt unnatural.
Too stable.
Too controlled.
Before Louis could speak again, Sam activated the communication terminal nearby.
Static crackled briefly.
Then a voice emerged from the speaker.
"Hello?"
Sam kept his eyes fixed on Louis.
"I made it," he said quietly.
A short silence followed.
Then the voice answered calmly,
"Good."
"You can control him once the chip is installed."
Another pause.
Then:
"So the purification will begin soon."
The transmission ended.
Inside the capsule, Louis continued smiling quietly beneath the sterile white light.
---
The cell remained silent except for the faint hum of ventilation somewhere beyond the walls.
Cold white light spilled through the bars, illuminating the narrow room in uneven patches. The place resembled an underground prison more than a research facility. Damp concrete. Steel bars. A faint chemical smell lingering constantly in the air.
Canta lay motionless against the floor.
For a while, nothing moved.
Then slowly—
his eyes opened.
The ceiling above him appeared blurry at first. The sterile light stung slightly against his vision before everything gradually settled into focus again.
Someone sat nearby.
A slender young man leaned against the opposite wall beside him. Around his early twenties. Rough grey hair. Slight beard. Thin frame. Tired eyes.
The stranger looked toward him calmly.
"So you finally woke up."
Canta stared at him quietly for a few seconds.
No fear. No confusion.
Then, unexpectedly—
he smiled.
It was hollow.
Empty enough to feel uncomfortable.
Yet his eyes still carried that same distant dead glimmer they always had.
The same look: during the beginning of everything, during the escape, during the vent, and even now.
As if some part of him had already detached itself from reality long ago.
Slowly, he pushed himself upward before sitting against the wall.
Silence returned.
Two minutes passed before the stranger spoke again.
"Hey. Canta Olivera."
Canta lifted his eyes slightly.
"How do you know me?"
The man gave a tired shrug.
"I'm a cop."
That answer alone already explained too much.
"Your uncle filed a missing report everywhere. Newspapers too."
Canta lowered his eyes quietly.
Then murmured:
"So now you're trapped too."
A pause.
"Sorry for that."
The stranger stared at him briefly before answering,
"You really think this place trapped me because of you?"
Canta didn't respond.
The man leaned his head back against the wall.
"My name's Luke Gram."
After that, neither of them spoke again.
Only silence remained between them.
Then—
footsteps echoed outside the corridor.
Multiple people.
The cell door area brightened slightly as several figures stopped outside the bars.
Erina. Ragasa. Rodon. Aron.
Canta half-looked toward them lazily.
But strangely—
their arrival meant almost nothing to him anymore.
Instead, his eyes drifted elsewhere.
Beside them—
words appeared briefly inside his vision.
The world rejects you.
The sentence floated there silently before fading again.
Canta blinked once.
Then looked away.
Erina observed him carefully for a moment before speaking.
"What time is it, Aron?"
Aron answered calmly from beside her.
"Three in the morning, ma'am."
Erina folded her arms slowly.
"You piece of work…"
Her voice remained controlled, but irritation lingered beneath it.
"Do you even realize what you've done?"
Canta said nothing.
"You made us work for almost seventeen hours straight."
She exhaled quietly.
"At first I thought you escaped outside the facility."
A faint pause followed.
"But apparently you didn't even make it that far."
Still nothing.
Canta simply stared blankly ahead.
Rodon tilted his head slightly while observing him.
His expression remained playful, but his eyes carefully analyzed every small reaction.
"So this is the guy?"
He looked toward Erina briefly.
"This piece of wood caused all that trouble?"
Then he looked back at Canta again.
"He honestly looks like nothing special."
Ragasa remained silent beside them.
Watching.
As always.
Meanwhile Aron stood quietly near the back without speaking.
Canta finally asked one question.
"Why are you here?"
Erina looked directly at him.
"Why? Were you expecting shock instead?"
Her voice sharpened slightly.
"I thought you'd react more after learning both me and Aron are involved with Ferk."
No response.
Canta's expression barely changed.
That irritated her more than fear would have.
She continued calmly:
"You remember that other boy who escaped with you?"
A brief pause.
"He's being experimented on right now."
Canta didn't even bother looking toward her anymore.
Instead, he slowly lay back down against the cold floor and closed his eyes.
As if the conversation itself no longer interested him.
Erina's jaw tightened slightly.
Rodon glanced toward her.
"Erina. Calm down."
"I am calm."
Her answer came immediately.
Then her eyes shifted back toward Canta.
"I won't do anything to him now."
Her voice lowered slightly.
"But honestly…"
"I'd like to see what expression he makes during experimentation."
A faint bitterness entered her tone.
"I want to see those lifeless eyes finally beg to survive."
Silence followed.
Then Ragasa turned away first.
The others slowly began leaving the corridor.
Before exiting completely, Aron briefly looked toward Luke.
Only for a second.
A strange look.
As if he was silently trying to communicate something.
Luke frowned slightly.
But he couldn't understand what it meant.
The footsteps eventually disappeared down the corridor.
The cell became quiet once again.
Luke slowly looked toward Canta lying on the floor.
"…You really don't react much."
Canta kept his eyes closed.
Then after several seconds, he answered quietly:
"I'm tired."
Nothing more followed.
—
Elsewhere—
A man sat alone inside a dim office illuminated only by computer screens.
Half of his hair was black.
The other half greyish-white.
Messy.
Uneven.
His name was Rey.
Documents covered the desk around him while multiple television screens displayed speeches from the so-called "truth speaker" movement spreading throughout the city.
From the outside, Rey appeared calm.
Supportive.
Loyal to the movement.
But recently—
something felt wrong.
Very wrong.
A voice continued speaking through the phone beside him.
"…we only need better control over public reaction."
Rey listened silently.
The words sounded normal.
Political even.
But the tone beneath them felt unnatural.
Manufactured.
Controlled.
His fingers slowly tightened around the pen in his hand.
Something isn't right.
The thought repeated itself constantly now.
He looked toward the city lights visible beyond the office window.
Then quietly muttered to himself:
"I have to find it quickly."