Chapter 129: Observation

Chapter 29: Observation

“Thump... thump...”

Within his chest, his heart was pounding with an unfamiliar violence.

With every beat, vigorous blood surged through his vessels and veins, spreading to every part of his body.

His temperature gradually rose, and his breathing grew slightly faster.

Fine beads of sweat seeped from his pores.

Bert held the firearm tightly before him. The cold touch of the trigger brought him a measure of comfort.

The security squad of the Nightmare Spirit Society’s underground base continued walking through the dark passageway.

Only now, every step had become increasingly cautious.

The light from the laboratory ahead grew clearer, and more and more members of the security team began to discover the grisly crimson hidden within it.

The pungent smell of disinfectant that had filled the passage was gradually replaced by another odor—far fouler and more nauseating.

Bert’s Adam’s apple bobbed faintly as his thoughts drifted.

The scent permeating the air at that moment reminded him of the faint metallic tang he had tasted after accidentally cutting his finger while slicing fruit the day before.

It was the scent of life.

The smell of blood.

The laboratory’s bright lights stood out starkly in the darkness of the passage, like an exit leading away from an abyss. Yet the closer one drew with hopeful anticipation, the more clearly one could glimpse the blood-soaked hell beyond that abyss.

As the security squad approached, the scene inside the laboratory grew ever clearer before their eyes.

Viscous blood, now lukewarm, flowed silently across the floor, like a small pond stained with scarlet pigment, adding a splash of red to the immaculate operating room.

Human corpses lay scattered through the pools of blood, broken apart like discarded toys.

Here and there, droplets of sprayed blood stained the white walls, forming a grisly masterpiece painted by some deranged artist.

“Ugh!”

Dry-heaving sounded one after another throughout the security team.

Even Bert, their captain, could not suppress the roiling sensation rising from his stomach.

Three years of uneventful guard duty had made them accustomed to an ordinary, peaceful existence.

This sudden and brutal sight was more than even the few veterans among them—men who had once lived by the edge of a blade—could endure at first.

As for the inexperienced guards, they were even less prepared.

His dry lips looked pale. Bert’s protruding belly rose and fell as he took several deep breaths.

He tried to calm himself, but each breath drew the acrid smell of blood into his nostrils, stirring an even stronger urge to vomit.

After exchanging a glance with the squad’s core members, Bert hardened his gaze.

Within the frozen atmosphere, he spoke softly.

“You three, search the scene with me. Look for clues.”

His fingers trembling slightly, Bert pointed to several people at random.

“The rest of you keep watch.”

At the laboratory entrance, Seviper coiled its thick yet slender body like a guardian deity at the gate.

Its pink tongue flickered in and out, tasting the air for traces of danger, while its cold eyes stared into the darkness at the far end of the passage, alert for any enemies that might be approaching from behind.

Houndoom followed Bert and the others into the ruined laboratory, searching for clues amid the devastation.

A look of disgust flickered in Bert’s eyes as he carefully picked up a human arm.

Knowledge he had learned during specialized training at headquarters gradually resurfaced in his mind.

“The arm bone has been crushed. Was it caused by some kind of blunt weapon? Or...”

“The wound is torn apart. It should have been ripped directly from the body by some powerful force from outside.”

“...”

Bert pondered in silence. The turmoil in his heart gradually settled, and even his nausea weakened somewhat.

“The culprit behind this incident should be a particularly powerful Pokemon.”

“But that shouldn’t be possible.”

Deep confusion rose within Bert.

He knew that special experiments involving Pokemon as test subjects were being conducted in the laboratory where he worked.

He also knew that some Pokemon possessed the terrifying strength to crush a human with ease, even immediately after hatching from an egg.

But surely the researchers had considered that possibility as well.

To ensure their own safety, they had naturally made thorough preparations.

The Pokemon used in the experiments were clones born in culture vessels.

Although their bodies were no different from those of ordinary newborn Pokemon, their aggression had been reduced to a minimum through adjustments made at birth.

It was almost like brainwashing: a command forbidding resistance had been engraved into their subconscious.

Any specimens that might potentially cause an accident had also been fitted with high-voltage collars, allowing them to be subdued instantly.

With so many safeguards in place, the experiments’ security should have been fully guaranteed.

In the three years since Bert had entered the base, not even a single accident had occurred.

And yet now...

“Grrr!”

A deep growl sounded beside him, interrupting Bert’s thoughts.

He turned his head and shifted his gaze.

Houndoom was baring its sharp fangs, growling at another door inside the laboratory.

Bert’s eyes narrowed. Tightening his grip on his firearm, he signaled to several squad members and cautiously moved forward.

Beneath the dim lights, a headless corpse leaned against the wall. Blood had splattered across the corridor, leaving behind reddish-brown coagulated stains.

Broken chunks of stone lay scattered across the solid floor, which was covered in web-like cracks.

At the center, a mangled, bloody figure lay motionless.

It could just barely be identified as a Pokemon known as Sandslash.

Bert’s expression grew grave.

The underground base contained very few Pokemon, and there were almost never two of the same species.

Now that Sandslash had appeared, the identity of the corpse beside it was naturally clear as well.

The worst possible outcome had occurred.

The person whose status and authority could be said to rank highest in the entire underground base was dead.

Bert clenched his teeth.

The primary responsibility for this incident could be placed squarely on the shoulders of their security squad.

Even if they dealt with the culprit behind the incident, the death of a highly respected doctor within the organization would be enough to declare the career advancement of every member of their security force permanently over.

But that was not what worried Bert.

Having long since entered middle age, he valued a quiet and comfortable life far more than promotion or advancement.

As far as he knew, the organization’s punishment for negligent personnel like them was to send them to dangerous regions with exceptionally high mortality rates.

At the thought of the nerve-racking life he might face in the future, Bert’s hair stood on end.

“Phew...”

After letting out a long breath, Bert tightened his grip on the gun.

Their immediate priority was to find the source of everything that had happened—the Pokemon that had escaped.

What Bert did not know was that, even as they examined the corpses, a pair of crimson eyes was watching them in secret from the pitch-black shadows of the passageway.