It was a massive explosion.From a single point of light visible even tens of kilometers away,a tremendous shockwave and deafening roar erupted.Even those who had been calmly observing the scene instinctively curled up at the impact.Yet Benjamin spoke without a hint of disturbance despite the chaos.“Situation terminated.”The slightly dry tone carried a subtle anger.Those around him—the squad leader and Eli—shared the same mood.“A Transhuman?”“Yes, Miss Eli. Likely a Special Forces unit from Central Command.”At Benjamin’s reply, Eli ground her teeth.Without hesitation, she approached him and drew the pistol at his waist.“Just borrowing this for a moment.”“Miss Eli.”“Those security bastards were working with them, weren’t they?”Using the testimony of the young man who had been observing the situation, they identified the security guards.Eli approached them without pause…Bang—!She pulled the trigger without hesitation.“Eek!”Before her eyes, someone died. Despite this being her first kill, there was no emotional fluctuation in Eli’s gaze.No—her red eyes glinted with a murderous intent.Bang!Bang!“P-please…!”The continued gunfire ended with all of them dead—except one who appeared to be their leader.Just as she prepared to fire the final shot at the leader,Click—clickHer magazine emptied, only the mechanical sound echoing.The one who had sensed imminent death didn’t even realize they had survived, trembling in fear and wetting their pants.“H-hhh…!”“I won’t ask twice.”Perhaps this was exactly what Eli intended.“Tell me everything related to the so-called Head of security. Do that, and I’ll spare your life.”Her emotionless voice induced even greater terror.“Y-yes?!”The terrified man asked again, not realizing it was a mistake—and it didn’t take long for him to comprehend.“Howard, any extra ammo?”“Here you go.”Seeing Benjamin hand over the magazine, the security personnel pleaded desperately.“I-I’ll tell you everything I know!”Only then did Eli stop, and hope sparked in the survivors, prompting one of them to begin revealing what they knew.“I-I don’t know everything, but I’ve seen the head of security using a communicator often! I even know the locations he goes when he leaves his post!”“We’ll check the communicator as soon as the explosion’s aftermath settles. Where exactly?”“Easthead… Easthead! He often went that way.”“And?”“Yes?”Bang—!A delayed scream followed the gunshot.“Ahhh!”The security member clutched his bleeding thigh, face contorted in fear and pain.“And what else?”“P-please spare me!”Bang—!“Ughhh!!”“More.”“Th-they… they might know! The tongueless women! They might…!!”Bang!The gunfire silenced the once noisy voices.“Bring them here.”“Miss Eli.”Benjamin tried briefly to stop Eli in the sudden chaos, but seeing her expression, he could only remain silent.Still, as the acting commander in Kyle’s absence, he continued in a calm, authoritative tone.“Our team members will conduct the interrogation.”“…”After a brief silence, Eli returned the pistol to Benjamin.“We don’t know when they’ll strike again. Better to deal with this quickly.”“No, the operation against them hasn’t started yet.”“Because of Kyle’s orders?”“Yes. I’ll follow the commander’s orders above all else.”“Ha…”Eli sighed lightly and pressed her forehead, passing by Benjamin.No one attempted to stop her, knowing where she was heading.The soldiers, swallowing their astonishment at her sudden outburst, instinctively understood why she left without further argument: Benjamin’s gaze mirrored hers.“Until the commander awakens, we do our jobs. So that after everyone returns, we can accelerate the mission.”“Yes—!!!”***From the outside, Kyle’s condition appeared severe.Hence, the medics’ flustered expressions.“No serious issues?”“Well… yes, no major injuries worse than what you see.”“Even with potential ruptured organs or broken ribs… there’s nothing?”“Correct.”Eli exhaled with relief and sat beside the bed where Kyle lay.“Incredible.”Kyle had single-handedly blocked the entrance before the ARK unit arrived.How was it even possible?Even if three people could pass side by side through the narrow terrain,the amount of debris made it impossible to gauge how intense the battle had been.“Any infections from external wounds?”“No, fortunately, no trace of contaminated blood from the mutants.”“Then he should wake up soon.”“About that…”The medics hesitated, and Eli shot them a probing glance.One medic answered reluctantly:“Though there are no major injuries, he remains unconscious from the shock, so we cannot estimate when he’ll wake.”“Hmm…”“Once the researchers arrive, their specialists should be able to give a clearer answer.''Eli accepted the vague answer silently, merely watching Kyle.“By the way…”“Yes?”“Out of curiosity… do you know if the commander might be some kind of Transhuman or enhanced human?”“Transhuman?”Eli hesitated.“I mean, I’ve heard rumors—secret projects to strengthen human bodies, that kind of thing.”It sounded like something straight out of an urban legend, and Eli could only nod vaguely.Could there really be something so abnormal that it needed such an explanation?“I wouldn’t know. Why do you ask?”“Yes. The test results were shocking.”“Shocking?”“Kyle’s physical abilities… cannot be considered human.”The medics handed her a record sheet.Strength, endurance, flexibility, balance—dozens of categories all recorded absurdly high values.Yet one thing stood out: his vision.Eli couldn’t help but chuckle.It was abnormally poor.Eli let out a small laugh.“How odd… a man like him, and he has bad eyesight?”“Not just that. Look here - his immune system is exceptionally weak,” explained the medic.“What?”“Even a cold could be dangerous. Makes you wonder what he really is.”“Hm…”It was strange indeed.Only his immunity and eyesight were abnormal.As Eli pondered the inconsistency—“And if you look here, you’ll see a rather unique structure—”“This is…”Perhaps it was a clue.A hint to understanding just what kind of being Kyle truly was.***Though Kyle’s injuries were minor, he remained unconscious.Fortunately, operations were progressing smoothly.Civilians and researchers sent into the ant cave returned safely,and initial work on power lines and the substation was underway.“Shouldn’t take too long.”“We’ll speed up, so when the commander wakes, the power plant can be activated immediately. How frequent are the mutant appearances?”“Fewer than expected.”“The subway bombings must have wiped out most of them.”“Yes. A few are crossing in from the outskirts, but nothing too serious.”Benjamin’s gaze remained cold as he surveyed the landscape.“They said winter’s coming.”“Winter, sir? Now that you mention it, the weather’s been…”Every morning, the chill was getting sharper.Perhaps aware of that, Benjamin’s eyes turned toward the distant nuclear power plant.“It’ll get harsher from here. We’ll finish all operations before then—and return.”“Yes, sir.”“Has there been any contact from Tyron?”“He seems to be making some progress with the recruitment operation. They’ve secured sixty-three new troops so far.”“That’s all?”“Ah, well…”At the hesitation, Benjamin turned his gaze toward the newly appointed platoon leader.Receiving that look, the young officer spoke in a heavy tone.“Sub-Commander Tyron seems to be… feeling guilty.”“As expected. The incident happened not long after he was deployed.”“Yes, sir. It seems that way…”Benjamin pulled out a cigarette, his expression bitter.Ssst—“Sigh… It’s not like he had a choice. Radio communication was impossible. I’m sure he knows that, but people’s hearts don’t always follow logic.”There had been no other way.And since the outcome hadn’t been the worst possible, Benjamin himself didn’t feel much resentment—But for Tyron, it must have been different.Benjamin exhaled a puff of smoke and fell deep into thought.“If the Sub-Commander contacts us…”Just as he murmured those words, lost in contemplation—“Chief of Staff!”A soldier’s urgent voice called out to him.“What is it?”“An unidentified individual is approaching.”“Unidentified?”“Yes, sir. We’ve already blocked their approach, but they’re asking to see the person in charge.”“The person in charge, huh…”With Kyle still unconscious, Benjamin was effectively that person.He flicked the ash from his cigarette and immediately began walking.“Let’s go see.”But—“Uh, sir?”“What now?”The soldier hesitated, fidgeting as if unsure how to continue.“Speak.”“They said… they came here looking for Captain Kyle.”“For the Captain?”For a moment, Benjamin felt his blood rush to his head.“Did they look like a soldier?”“Yes, sir. They did.”A soldier—coming here specifically for Kyle.It wasn’t confirmed yet, but Benjamin’s mind instantly went to one possibility: a Transhuman.The anger he had been suppressing flared up again.“Platoon leader.”“Yes, Chief of Staff!”“Arm the troops. Now.”“Understood!”If the visitor was a Transhuman, then why had they come here?Maybe that question didn’t even matter.What mattered was that they had dared to come on their own.As Benjamin walked, his face twisted with hostility, a murderous aura seemed to leak from him.If they’re one of those Special Forces bastards—there will be no negotiation.The further he walked, the more soldiers fell in step behind him.They already seemed to have an idea of what was happening, grim determination written across their faces.It wasn’t just about their loyalty to Kyle.The people who had driven their commanding officer into danger—They had made enemies of the entire Ark unit.And none of them were foolish enough to forgive those who had raised their guns against their own.Finally, they reached the one who had caused the commotion.A woman with vivid red hair was standing there, gazing around with an expression of mild admiration.Emblazoned on her military uniform was a silver wolf insignia.The Special Forces.Recognizing it, Benjamin’s ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) teeth ground together with a sharp grit.

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