Inside the sealed square room, the atmosphere had fallen into a bizarre standoff.
If Ren Yi's current mood could be converted into electronic symbols, the screen would be filled with flashing question marks.
Even as a prisoner, in the eyes of this containment organization, he was considered a top-tier Anomaly that could require a "neutralization procedure" at any moment.
Having shifted his form into a roiling cloud of gray mist that emanated an inexplicable chill, he looked like anything but a proper guest one could sit down and have tea with.
Yet, this boy named Evans refused to play by the rules.
Within Ren Yi's perception network, he could clearly capture the boy's gaze, which flickered like a candle in a gale.
Deep within those pupils, there wasn't much of the weakness that usually accompanied a plea for mercy.
Instead, Ren Yi saw surprise, wonder, and disbelief, along with a cautious sense of testing and longing.
It was a gaze almost entirely devoid of malice, the kind of look one might give a long-lost relative upon returning home.
"Is this kid a bit too into novels? Does he want to sign some kind of demon contract with me?" Ren Yi wondered to himself.
Ren Yi couldn't stand the sentimental atmosphere, so he planned to show a small amount of malice.
For instance, he could expand his volume slightly or release a bit of cold energy to suppress the boy, scaring him into carrying out the Doctor's task immediately.
In his mind, the next part of the script should be the boy, pressured by the organization, reluctantly performing the task of retrieving the Beacon.
Ren Yi would then respond by showcasing his unique nature, providing those doctors and staff members with some material for their research reports.
It was common knowledge that in any research institution, the safest thing wasn't the researchers themselves, but the subjects of their research.
This included, but was not limited to, petri dishes in incubators, code currently running, fruit on trees, radishes in fields, and Anomalies in sealed boxes...
As long as they believed he was a "good research topic," he would be safe.
However, just as Ren Yi began to pull in his scattered mist, preparing to give this bold youth a formal "response"...
He watched as Evans, like a startled yet curious cub, tiptoed another small step forward.
The boy's Adam's apple bobbed violently as he opened his mouth, seemingly trying to squeeze out some world-shaking line.
Ren Yi's heart stirred.
Perhaps this was an opportunity to learn more about the social structure of this world.
So, he held back his movement, intending to listen patiently to what the boy had to say.
But at that moment, Evans suddenly clutched his forehead—which was covered in blood from his earlier fall during the base's tremors—and his entire body went rigid like a piece of dead wood.
Then, his eyes rolled back like light bulbs losing power.
Thud!
With a sickening sound, the boy slammed straight onto the cold, hard metal floor.
The movement was swift and decisive. The moment his forehead hit the ground, blood splattered, instantly blooming into a piercing red stain on the stark white floor.
Ren Yi froze completely in mid-air.
Wait, hey! I haven't even done anything yet!
He hadn't even released the slightest bit of pressure. In fact, fearing this fragile "Consumable" might drop dead on the spot, he had specifically retracted his energy fluctuations toward his core.
And yet, you just collapsed?
This isn't even about acting anymore; you're pulling a staged accident! Is anyone going to do something about this extortion?!
In the command hall next door.
"What happened?"
The Doctor's voice rang out. Her nerves, already frayed by S-099's activity, were suddenly jolted by this new development.
"Did B-013-A attack? Report the energy monitoring status!"
Staff B-117's fingers moved like a blur across the keyboard, beads of sweat forming on her forehead.
"Reporting, Doctor. The monitors haven't captured any wave anomalies. No energy pulses, and not even the basic bio-static field has shown a waveform shift!"
"Then how did that Consumable collapse?"
"Vitals monitoring shows... he has fallen into a deep coma." B-117 swallowed hard, her tone strange.
"He isn't dead, but his brainwave activity... suddenly plummeted. It seems he lost consciousness instantly."
"Could it be a bio-electric attack or some kind of neurological influence?"
Ren Yi rolled his eyes hard internally.
That is slander! Absolute slander!
If I really wanted to pull his plug, he wouldn't have any vital signs left at all.
While he did have the ability to influence minds, he was not taking the fall for this!
On the large surveillance screen, Ren Yi's cloud of mist even recoiled slightly, as if trying to stay as far away as possible from the boy lying in a pool of blood.
This illusion of having his "innocence ruined" gave the Alliance examinee a deep sense of malice from the universe.
The Doctor stared at the screen, the lenses of her glasses reflecting a cold light.
She was certain that Evans wasn't dead, but as a "Consumable," the boy had completely lost his utility in probing B-013-A's limits.
"This sample is too fragile. His resilience is completely substandard."
The Doctor took a deep breath, calming the anxiety brought by S-099. Her voice became as precise as a scalpel once more.
"Activate the backup plan. We need a... more 'durable' Consumable."
B-406, who was sitting nearby, paused before standing up. "Understood. Should I go back to the Tide-Followers and pick a physically sturdy one?"
"No."
The Doctor pondered for a moment before speaking slowly.
"Use a higher-grade Consumable. Ordinary Consumables cannot provide us with any appropriate feedback."
B-406 froze, turning back with a hint of hesitation in his voice.
"Doctor, we don't have any high-value Consumables in stock at the moment. Unless..."
"Send in Staff B-050," the Doctor said indifferently, her eyes never leaving the monitor.
B-406 was visibly stunned for several seconds. As a senior staff member of the base, he knew exactly what that designation represented.
"...Understood," he whispered, then quickly walked out.
Ren Yi listened from next door.
However, his thought at the moment was... Who is this now?
This organization's pure code-based naming system was starting to cause him some trouble.
Aside from the female operator B-117 who talked about neutralization procedures constantly and the errand boy B-406, now there was a B-050.
"...Seriously, you lab coats, can't you put a little more effort into naming people?"
This pile of letters and numbers was enough to make an Anomaly's head spin. There was no way to distinguish them at all.
Does this containment organization rank its employees by their factory serial numbers?
But soon, as a figure appeared in his perception, Ren Yi realized that this so-called "B-050" wasn't a complete stranger.
With a series of extremely heavy metallic grinding sounds, the outer hatch of the sealed room Ren Yi was in began to open again.
Clang—creak.
Whir—
It was the sound of triple-sealed chambers opening in sequence.
Accompanied by the white steam venting from the pressure valves, the sound of footsteps filled with the scent of rust and slaughter approached from a distance.
Ren Yi soon saw him in his perception.
It was the lead guard he had seen earlier in the corridor—the one who had looked like an iron statue while overseeing the hundreds of Tide-Followers.
He wore a suit of power combat armor that looked like an iron barrel. Due to the built-in hydraulic augmentation system, every step he took made the floor groan under the weight.
The black armor glinted with a cold, inhuman texture under the dim emergency lights.
He entered the sealed room where Ren Yi, the Beacon, and the unconscious Evans were located.
Facing the anomalous cloud of gray-white mist, B-050 appeared exceptionally calm—at least on the surface.
This calm didn't stem from bravery, but from an extreme numbness that had completely integrated death into his daily routine.
He did not disarm. His right hand held an electromagnetic rifle that flickered with a faint blue glow, while his left hand hung near a vibro-blade at his waist.
Ren Yi observed this "new Consumable" with curiosity.
Just how ruthless was this containment organization?
A fully armed guard with high-level clearance could be labeled a "Consumable" and thrown in here to die at any moment?
"Your HR department must have a really hard time recruiting people," Ren Yi thought mischievously.
At that moment, Ren Yi's perception in the command hall and his monitoring of the headset on the armored guard both captured the Doctor's voice.
It was the final ultimatum from the surveillance hall.
The Doctor's voice, transmitted through electronic components, sounded somewhat distorted due to interference:
"B-050, the experiment enters Phase Two. No contact needed, no observation needed."
Ren Yi was slightly taken aback.
Then, through his perception, he simultaneously heard the cruel and mad command the Doctor issued to the entire surveillance hall and to B-050:
"Confirm B-013-A's physical existence strength."
"B-050, fire at will."
In that instant, B-050 didn't hesitate for a second. The barrel of the electromagnetic rifle lit up with a lethal arc of plasma within a tenth of a second.
Ren Yi: ...
Wait, you people! Can you let me explain first?
That kid earlier was really just faking it!
Rate on N.U.
