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『 Is there really a bastard who existed when the Earth was created? Is that my Creator? 』

『 What if our research has made no progress? What if it’s just a waste of time? If what we thought was a clue turns out to be utterly useless? 』

『 That reality doesn’t exist! 』

The desperation and madness visible in every note.

The scribbled writings of those frustrated with the stagnation of their research.

It was the kind of content one would expect from those whose research had hit a wall.

But.

『 Isn’t the material the problem? 』

『 Even if the material isn’t an issue, I think we need more samples. 』

『 It’s not just general samples; we might need something a bit more diverse. 』

『 Can’t those dealing with energy bring in samples? 』

『 Tom from the lab below took one and tried it out. 』

The problem was that the note contained very significant content.

And considering that this note was casually thrown into a dumpster, it was even more unsettling.

A dumpster where corpses hang, blood splattered, and skeletons, gnawed on by fish, pile like a mountain. And then this note.

‘It has become normalized.’

If they had felt any sense of crisis, these notes shouldn’t have been tossed into the trash.

If they were even slightly aware that their actions were ethically and morally questionable, it should be normal to ponder what grave implications the significant content of these notes could carry.

But they did not.

They simply tossed it away like trash, and that trash probably fell without any inspection.

Why?

Because it’s trash.

It’s worthless, and there’s no need to care anymore.

This significant yet banal note was truly telling of the madness within this research institute.

‘How come everyone working in this secret research institute is like this? The world is vast, and there are many types of people, but gathering these kinds of people is a talent in itself…’

Park Jinseong thought as he moved forward.

But this time, he wasn’t heading toward the dumpster.

He was heading toward a small hole stuck to the upper part of the dumpster.

A small passageway presumed to be where the institute’s waste falls.

Of course, that passage was also prepared.

Thick bars forming a dense mesh were in place, and the hole created was only barely big enough to allow liquids to flow. It seemed to open whenever larger trash passed through, but that narrow passage was indeed suspicious.

It’s presumed that some device was installed to contract and expand the passage…

Then it’s rare for it to get big enough for a person to pass through, and even if it expanded enough for a person to squeeze in, there was bound to be another measure at that passage.

‘It’s like intestines.’

It resembles intestines.

And if it’s considered a person’s intestines, this hole belongs to the lower intestine—specifically the anus and rectum. And thinking of himself as a parasite trying to invade through such intestines made Park Jinseong chuckle.

Well. It’s not strange.

Isn’t it their skill to squeeze their bodies into any hole and lay eggs as parasites?

If you have a great skill, you should learn it instead of ignoring it.

Even if it’s just a lowly creature.

Park Jinseong thought that way and pressed his body against the mesh.

Suuuuush.

And he passed through the mesh like a cloud.

It was like ice melting instantly in contact with a heated mesh.

But even as he melted, once he passed through the mesh, he became solidified, maintaining his form, creating a truly spectacular sight.

And this sight repeated several times.

As expected, the passage inside had several dense walls like the exterior bars.

Thus, Park Jinseong successfully infiltrated the research institute.

[ Grrrrrrrr… ]

Of course, there was a slight change, as the water ghosts he had brought for battle were now making dying sounds, unlike when they were stronger earlier… but it wasn’t a big problem.

He hadn’t brought them for combat; he just needed them to move the dolls.

Whether they were staggered or not, as long as the dolls moved well, that was all that mattered.

‘As long as I can hold out until I explore this research institute…’

But it seemed it might be a bit dicey.

The size of the institute seemed larger than he had thought.

‘I had a rough guess from the size of the dumpster, but this is quite serious.’

The first thing that caught Park Jinseong’s eye was a scene resembling the secret base of a villain from a movie.

The walls made of white metal presumed to be an alloy glimmered softly under the light, maintaining a bright atmosphere, and the long, curved passageway hinted that the facility was cylindrical in shape.

Also, it was likely that in the center encircled by this donut-shaped passage, there would be a laboratory.

‘Hmm. It’s not clean.’

However, it wasn’t without its flaws.

It wasn’t completely pristine.

In corners where cleaning seemed difficult, there was dust and stains, and there were scribbles and signs of human touch scattered around, showcasing that someone had indeed stayed here.

But what mattered wasn’t those ‘traces of life.’

It was the traces that, while very common, could never appear in a normal life that were the problem.

‘This is a trace of being dragged.’

A trace left when a person was dragged down, limp.

‘There’s blood spattered up to the ceiling… they must have been wounded in the neck or head.’

A faint trace of a blood pool made by someone who had been beaten until they bled.

A mark left by someone who was abused to such an extent that their blood shot up to the ceiling.

‘This is fingernails.’

The mark left from clawing at the wall to avoid being dragged away.

Skin flayed and scraped off, leaving behind fragments like dust.

Tiny pieces of torn clothing melded into dust.

Those traces.

This passageway held that horrific resonance.

Contrary to the fresh lights, contrary to the spotlessly white walls…

‘If I follow these traces, I’ll find them.’

Park Jinseong thought as he followed the traces.

Since it was evident that the place reached by people desperately trying not to be dragged would be the same place where Park Jinseong wanted to find something out.

‘This way.’

The traces led to a certain wall.

An extremely ordinary wall, indistinguishable from that of the passage he had seen before.

But clearly, the traces continued beyond that wall.

Park Jinseong instinctively sensed that what lay before him was a secret door and began to inspect the area.

However, how thoroughly secured this facility was! There was not a hint of an ID card or iris recognition device typically used, and it was hard to find even a little gap suggesting a door was present here.

Park Jinseong extracted the energy from the water ghosts again and began to change the doll’s body once more.

Into a liquid form.

Into the form of contaminated water.

Unseen, but to break in through some gap in the wall.

But.

‘Hmm. The level of security is…’

Surprisingly enough, even after changing into liquid and seeping around the walls, there was not a single place he could enter.

The security system far surpassed any secret research institute he had seen before.

To be so meticulous about even these details.

While he hadn’t completely surveyed everything, this research institute was likely among the top tier of all the institutes he had encountered.

‘Hoh. What kind of great secret is being so well hidden?’

Park Jinseong sighed and connected his consciousness to the spirit of the water ghost.

It was the moment when what had been treated like a mere servant or battery became elevated in status through his CCTV.

‘Tsk. This magic has a high cost.’

The cost was pretty significant, so he had avoided using it.

But it couldn’t be helped.

Park Jinseong lamented what could possibly be within that required him to use this magic and slowly moved the ghost.

Suush.

The ethereal ghost glided through the wall.

The ghost easily passed through the densely packed solid metal and reached a massive rectangular space directly connected to the wall.

And moving through that space, devoid of any presence, it entered a room marked ‘Dr. Tom,’ discovering a stack of papers on a desk that resembled an ordinary university professor’s research lab.

『 …If the mechanism of faith is comprised of fear and awe, we can control it. Unlike our primitive ancestors, who believed that a person’s mind came from the spiritual, we clearly recognize that any emotions or responses arise from organs like the brain and spinal cord, and we possess sufficient means and methods to control them… 』

『 …There hasn’t been much research on the formation of faith, but we can speculate about its materials through countless data. In Japan, they realized this mechanism and controlled it using primitive methods, channeling awe and fear to it as a transcendent existence called ‘God.’ If we consider how they utilize the energy they call ‘Divine Power’… 』

『 …Human emotion is amplified by disparity. The longer and wider the gap between things, the greater the impact it produces, which is demonstrated through modern marketing means and various cultural contents…

…

…

…Thus, we must discover the formula for efficiently cultivating emotions through this disparity… 』

What lay on the desk was a report on the mechanisms of faith.

Recognizing awe and fear as ‘resources,’ and attempting to control them.

And….

「 We need an efficient torture device. 」

Another piece of paper with chilling content written on it.

 

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