# Chapter 34
Breaking through the floor was easy. You just had to draw a large circle.
After Iyeon took out a marker and squatted down for a minute, the floor soon began to cave in according to the misshapen square he had drawn. It wasn’t a pretty circle, but being able to see through it was what mattered.
Mungchi approached Iyeon’s side, avoiding the widening hole. After petting Mungchi, who seemed to be seeking praise with its cute behavior, Iyeon leaned his body over the hole.
It was so dark below that nothing could be distinguished. Iyeon reached behind for his bag and rummaged through it.
“Just a moment.”
When the three people simultaneously shined their crudely drawn ugly flashlights downward, a small sharp sound was heard. Found it.
The first thing that came into view was a grid-patterned iron cage.
The mutant storage room had a structure that looked like several small iron cages connected together. Among the numerous cages, only four were occupied. There were also four mutants.
It was a small number of specimens compared to not only the size of the research institute but also the imprisoned superhumans. It was clearly a case of misplaced priorities.
The space, with its dense iron bars and reinforced glass, was perfectly sealed. Though I’ve never heard that mutants need oxygen, so they probably wouldn’t die from being in a sealed space, but still, it’s too harsh. Iyeon clicked his tongue.
The size was just enough that when a lower-grade mutant lay down, it would take up half the space. All the mutants were slumped down, but they probably weren’t just taking peaceful naps. Though for rescue purposes, it was better if they were drained of energy rather than hostile.
Iyeon turned to look at Jaekyung. They couldn’t just pull the mutants up from here. It was obvious they would go wild as soon as they saw the two superhumans.
“Do you have a way to take them with us?”
“Wait a moment.”
Jaekyung ran to the computer and immediately activated something. The lights turned on in the laboratory beyond the glass.
“If what I saw in the report is simply a matter of gi-ryeok depletion, I think I might be able to do something about it.”
“Really?”
Iyeon’s expression brightened. If Jaekyung could restore them to their original state, there would be no problem.
“Yeah. Let me try.”
With those words, Jaekyung brought the mutants into the laboratory and stared intently at the monitor, inputting something. After blankly watching the sea of professional knowledge he couldn’t understand, Iyeon soon lost interest and turned his head, only to make eye contact with an imprisoned researcher.
The researcher was glaring at him, with the knuckles of his hands gripping the bars turning white with tension. Without hesitation, Iyeon’s feet moved towards him.
“Excuse me.”
“…”
The researcher didn’t answer. Does he not want to provide information?
“You shouldn’t be doing this kind of thing. There’s something called ethics, you know.”
Iyeon sighed.
“I don’t understand why everyone gets so obsessed with these issues. Didn’t they teach you in school not to be unnecessarily greedy?”
The researcher’s gaze turned menacing at the lecturing tone, but there wasn’t much an ordinary person could do with just a look. After observing his state with a slightly cooled gaze, Iyeon was about to speak again when:
“Humans grow through greed.”
At the unfamiliar voice, his head whipped around. A group of people was gathered at the entrance. I forgot to ask Hyegang to lock the door. Iyeon belatedly clicked his tongue.
A middle-aged researcher in a white coat and armed security guards. It clearly wasn’t a small number.
As Iyeon stepped forward to protect Jaekyung, Mungchi approached Iyeon’s side, growling. Jaekyung’s face paled as he turned around at the intruder’s voice, and the previously quiet researcher finally spoke.
“Dr. Kim!”
“Do you know him?”
The answer came from Jaekyung.
“He’s the chief director of our research institute.”
It was an unexpected final boss.
Looking at the computer, Jaekyung was no longer visible. Judging by the keyboard still being pressed, he seemed to be working in an invisible state. Quick judgment indeed.
Anyway, since Jaekyung not only had a superpower unsuitable for combat but was also a patient, Iyeon hadn’t expected any help from him. Even my ability isn’t combat-oriented, but… Iyeon grumbled as he adjusted his grip on Mungchi’s toy. Though he had incurred an external injury, it was fortunate that he had visited D.S recently. With Mungchi doing its part here, they wouldn’t be at too much of a disadvantage.
“How could you burst open the door like that? You scared me.”
The middle-aged researcher’s gaze fixed on Iyeon at his words. There was a pervasive air of contempt.
“Are you more surprised than me finding intruders in my research institute?”
“What’s the reason for creating a place like this?”
“What business does an illegal trespasser have knowing that?”
“Since we’ve both committed illegal acts, let’s call it even and share some information.”
Instead of an answer, the security guards rushed in. How petty. Iyeon clicked his tongue and swung Mungchi’s toy. As he aimed to attack a guard’s ankle, he saw the guard’s body momentarily float up. He was a superhuman.
“Wow… This place must be loaded.”
A superhuman security guard, that’s cheating. Even if their superhuman abilities were limited to Tier 1 or 2, if they had the physical capabilities to work as security guards, they would naturally be expensive.
Moreover, this wasn’t even a legal facility. Being able to mobilize multiple superhumans in a place like this, they must have earned quite a lot from so-called mutant “education.”
In a Tier 2 versus Tier 2 fight, considering the specificity of abilities, Iyeon would be at a disadvantage.
Kheung!
Of course, that would be the case if Mungchi wasn’t around. Mungchi roared and leaped among the security guards. Despite looking like some kind of puppy due to its reduced size, it was still a proper Level 2 mutant.
Even 100 Tier 2 superhumans wouldn’t stand a chance.
Zhing.
As Mungchi rampaged about, Iyeon swung Mungchi’s toy. Where the red laser passed, leaving a line, a guard’s baton that was about to kick Mungchi had been cut in half. Though he had no intention of cutting human bodies, he needed to instill some fear to make them cautious.
“I’m quite wealthy too, you know.”
As Iyeon casually told this lie with a bright smile, the security guards hesitated. The middle-aged researcher shouted as if frustrated.
“It’s just one person and a lower-grade mutant. Kill them quickly and be done with it!”
“That’s a scary thing to say.”
Iyeon exaggeratedly stuck out his tongue. The intensity of the security guards rushing in again was quite fierce.
The fight, which involved narrowly avoiding physical confrontations while keeping them at bay with the laser, was quite boisterous. Iyeon stirred up papers he had taken out while searching various places earlier. The paper rain from all directions was useful in blocking the opponents’ vision.
Amidst the chaotic scene, furniture cut by the laser came crashing down, and fragments of broken objects flew about. Part of the ceiling was torn off, sending dust flying. Mungchi weaved through it all, attacking from all directions. They made a good team.
After wielding the toy like an extension of his own limbs for a while, Iyeon realized that the laser was gradually weakening.
What’s this? When he deliberately swung it with more force, Mungchi’s toy finally left only a faint line before the laser cut off completely. Iyeon tapped the toy with bewildered eyes, but there was no response. Is this… rechargeable? What a pain. He would demand free after-sales service from D.S.
If the toy could no longer be used, the strategy had to change. Iyeon, after putting away the toy, took advantage of Mungchi drawing significant attention and crawled under a desk. It had been quite a while since he was separated from Sano. By this time, the hacking should have been completed too.
When Iyeon called for Hyegang, a response came immediately.
– Oh, hyung.
“Did you open the database? The chief director doctor came here, do you know who he is?”
– Let me see…
Just as a security guard peered under the desk and made eye contact with Iyeon, Iyeon kicked the guard’s shin as he reached out. With a cry of “Aak,” the guard stumbled back, and after kicking him away, Hyegang’s voice was heard again.
– It seems to be this person. Real name Kim Cheoljae. 49 years old. He has a doctoral degree in Mutant Studies. Given that his security clearance is at the highest level, it seems he is indeed the chief researcher.
“So he’s Kim Cheoljae-ssi.”
– He was fired from a national research institute for embezzlement a few years ago and got divorced as a result. After wandering around, he was scouted a few years ago and entered the current research institute on recommendation. He has a young daughter who apparently goes around badmouthing her dad every day.
His mind was fuzzy with the parade of useless information suddenly stuck in his head. Shaking his head, Iyeon changed the subject.
“All the security guards here are superhumans. Could you also check their personal information…”
As his eyes unconsciously shifted to the front view, they blinked slowly. The surroundings were strangely cool. There were several legs standing around the desk where Iyeon was hiding.
And all the tips of the shoes were pointing at Iyeon.
