257 – Nymphs and the Escaped Inmates of Hell #5
Three hours after the jailbreak situation erupted.
S-ranker Cha Yura and Seo Ye-rim arrived and completely regained control of Namsan Prison.
“They say that 5 out of the 35 animal-people incarcerated on the 50th floor are missing. Three of the prison team leaders are also nowhere to be seen. We can only conclude that the guards were complicit in this incident…”
Having grasped the general situation, Cha Yura speculated reasonably.
There wasn’t much else to think other than that the three prison team leaders caused this jailbreak and escaped through some method with several inmates.
Whirr-! Whirr-!
Entering the 51st floor, Seo Ye-rim spread her palms as if indifferent to such stories and incinerated the organisms that were remnants of the Truth Group.
Amidst the somewhat organized situation, Seo Ye-rim spoke to the man Kang Cheol-Min, who was quietly caged.
“So, what exactly happened? That was your doing, Kang Cheol-Min?”
It seemed Seo Ye-rim thought Kang Cheol-Min was significantly involved in all this. However, Kang Cheol-Min frowned and scolded her.
“Seo Ye-rim, your words are still short. Do you really want to show that attitude to your senior?”
“Senior, my foot. You get treated like one only when you’re flourishing. Have you forgotten what you did to me? You should be grateful I’m not hitting you.”
Seo Ye-rim seemed to dislike Kang Cheol-Min.
Considering how she was trapped on a deserted island, bitten by snakes, starved, and suffering because of that guy, it must have taken a lot of patience not to hit him just as she said.
Soon, Kang Cheol-Min spoke.
“I’ve already told Haildo the situation. There’s nothing more to say.”
Earlier, I had heard just enough from Kang Cheol-Min about the overall situation.
It was a tale from when the incident occurred in this prison.
“Nymph-Bing, blabbering away!”
Blabber-blabber, anemone-!
Without needing to recall the nymph-hating past, I firmly explained only the key points to Seo Ye-rim and Cha Yura.
With the nymph-friendly Core Seo Ye-rim and the honorary nymph herself Cha Yura, they would understand my explanation.
Cha Yura was the most shocked.
“While the prisoners on the 50th floor were rampaging, someone entered the 51st floor and escaped with a level 0 prisoner? Is that really true?”
“Yes, it is. From what I heard from Cheol-Min, the person who entered the 51st floor was a woman, though I couldn’t see her face as she was wearing a helmet.”
The mysterious woman supposedly released all the prisoners on the 51st floor and asked them, “Don’t you want to come with me?”
Kang Cheol-Min and the Truth Group refused, but one other level 0 prisoner held hands with the intruder and escaped from the great prison on the 51st floor.
Hearing this, Cha Yura clicked her tongue.
“Perhaps she aimed for the ‘Blinking Teleporter’ right from the start. Another criminal trapped here had teleportation abilities.”
Teleportation abilities?
Did such a thing really exist in this world?
Back in the day, I would often debate with friends on the topic “Teleportation vs. Invisibility” while playing.
If I could have one superpower, would it be ‘teleportation’ or ‘invisibility’? We would share our opinions.
Many friends would say, “Invisibility is better. If you’re invisible, you can steal money freely! You can do amazing things without being caught!”
In contrast, I had always firmly sided with “teleportation.”
I could shorten my commute and travel abroad at will.
However, even in the era of the Fifth Industrial Revolution when superhumans actually appeared, I thought ‘teleportation’ was still a notion from science fiction…
To think there was really a teleportation superhuman.
If they had such abilities, they would have become famous in an instant—why had I not known?
I hadn’t seen anything on the news or YouTube.
“Wasn’t she a famous Awakened?”
In response to my question, Cha Yura explained.
“When Awakened ones first started appearing in the world, the last government collaborated with the Osa Group to conduct various experiments, right? The teleporting individual was one of those test subjects.”
Biological experiments based on Awakened persons.
This was an experiment conducted by governments worldwide under the name of the “Enhanced Human Project.”
At that time, the world was suffering from nearly catastrophic damage due to rifts, so there really wasn’t room for discussions of laws, morals, and ethics.
After all, here I was, along with Kang Cheol-Min and Seo Ye-rim, conscripted as child soldiers.
Conscripting child soldiers was an illegal act according to international treaties, but no one was judging such things back then.
Rumor had it they conducted inhumane experiments to see how much physical pain Awakened could endure, their level of resistance to flames, and whether Awakened offspring inherited those qualities…
Since no one could definitively testify, the rumors only circulated like that.
However, this level 0 prisoner, “Blinking Teleporter,” was a subject of various experiments carried out in secrecy.
How the subject ended up imprisoned is unknown, but they likely weren’t a good person.
Cha Yura said.
“The Blinking Teleporter was someone managed in utmost secrecy. But considering this incident, it seems likely they planned everything with his abilities in mind. And that means…”
“Heh heh heh, the mastermind might be an accomplice of the previous government. The change of regime might not have gone as smoothly as one would think. Perhaps the woman in the helmet was also a subject harboring resentment against the government and social structures.”
Kang Cheol-Min closed his mouth after finishing that statement.
The enhanced Awakened ones from the inhumane experiments of the last government…
It was a moment that led to deep contemplation.
Seo Ye-rim asked.
“Yura, do you have any information on those experiments? Like people involved?”
“I don’t know much either. Most of the important data were destroyed, and the last government figures fled to South America. South America is now a lawless land with no government at all. They will not cooperate with us.”
# # #
“Ahhh~”
The sounds of inmates screaming filled the 50th floor.
It was also the sound of the nymphs’ fists crying out.
“Heh heh, the punches of this Inoi have evolved further…! It truly means that the nymph power is increasing…! The chances of striking vital points have risen…”
Inoi seemed to have grasped something while hitting many inmates today.
The increase in nymph power.
That meant making a nymph even more nymph-like.
“Perhaps Sister Inoi might evolve into the nymph of combat…! The nymph of combat would truly be the strongest nymph ever…”
“This Coris has also heard tales of the nymphs of combat…! Supposedly so powerful that their punches flatten mountains and crush rocks like pebbles…”
What is this nymph of combat?
The evolution of nymphs was truly perplexing but intriguing.
However, the criminals disliked it.
“I’ll let the human rights organization know!”
“Is it okay to hit prisoners like this? Huh!?”
“Um… stop! Don’t come near me! Don’t make me look so helpless!”
The nymphs took turns hitting the prisoners for rehabilitation, but every time a prisoner came closer to their turn, they trembled in fear and screamed for their rights.
They acted like victims seeking rights when they had just escaped and ran amok.
While the police and Awakened frowned in disgust, Illinois spoke.
“That Illinois person has spoken early on to Georg Washington and Abraham Lincoln, but human rights is a concept of mutual respect…! For a notorious escaped convict, human rights are useless…!”
The nymphs mercilessly beat the inmates.
According to Illinois, the concept of nymph rights was greater than the human rights established in the international law agreed upon when George Washington declared independence from England, making the nymph’s beatings not a crime.
Honestly, I didn’t understand what that meant.
Anyway.
The massive riot shaking Namsan Prison had somewhat calmed down.
If it weren’t for the swift response and cooperation of various Awakened and officials, a greater disaster would have ensued.
However, not all problems ended happily.
One escaped from level 0.
Five from the 50th floor.
And three missing team leaders.
An enigmatic woman who might be the mastermind behind it all.
I felt like I was left with a significant assignment.
Before that, should I check the online situation?
“Title: Did you see the Honey Ant Knights? LOL
Content: The Honey Ant Knights took control down to the 50th floor in an instant ㄷㄷ So strong.”
└ I saw it tooㅋㅋ
└ I heard each government major agency is dispatching ant knights?
└ I’m a Haildo affiliate, and this is true.
The responses regarding the exploits of the Honey Ant Knights were quite heated.
Moreover, the story of dispatching ant knights as permanent staff to government facilities was also news to me.
Who on earth is this person claiming to be affiliated with Haildo?
So this is how internet rumors spread.
I decided to comment as well.
└ I’m a person with ties to Haildo, and I’ve never heard such a thing.
└ Huh? What are you talking about? I’m connected with Haildo and said they would dispatch knights.
└ I’m also connected to Haildo, and the above commenter is right.
└ What the hell, why are there so many people claiming to be Haildo affiliates? Have they deployed a comment army again?
└ If there are that many affiliates, whoa…
In an instant, the comments surpassed 30 and broke through 50.
I couldn’t correct anything.
Writing “I’m Haildo. Verified.” on the internet could create a tremendous dark history in the future.
As the first D-ranker, I am well aware of how multiple dark histories unfolded on the internet.
Since then, I decided never to indicate “I am Haildo” online.
“Um…”
However, thinking about it, dispatching the ant knights to each government agency seems like a pretty good idea.
As terrorism threats keep rising, utilizing the ants’ communication would quickly facilitate troop deployment.
Anyway.
Before evening set in, I successfully returned to the well house with the nymph Inoi and Kkungkkungi.
“Hey, kid, did you behave nicely?”
The kid Lee Ji-hoo should have been waiting quietly.
I thought so, but my expression twisted at the sight of the house in disarray.
“What on earth is happening?”
Feathers of Kalilnoi scattered all over the house, and claw marks were clearly imprinted.
It seemed Kalilnoi had started a fierce battle with someone.
And those traces… led to the well!
“No way, did the T-class rift go berserk and unleash the demons inside? Wasn’t it supposed to take at least another week for it to explode…?”
