From insects to humans, every living creature possesses the desire to survive.
When faced with starvation, they seek food.
When on the verge of freezing, they seek warmth.
And when close to burning alive, they seek the coolness that will soothe their bodies. Such is the essence of all life.
Because of this, my prison escape plan went more smoothly than I had expected.
By gradually spreading the information I had obtained from Mina throughout the camp and adding a bit of emotional appeal, people started to come around one by one.
It didn’t take long to coax and persuade all 321 members of the camp to join this escape operation.
And then… the most critical part was securing the cooperation of one key individual.
“Mina, your ability… it’s to steal other people’s vision, isn’t it?”
“…How did you know?”
Mina looked at me with startled eyes as she asked.
“I’ve heard of people with that kind of ability, and besides, the way you spoke about the outside made it seem like you’d seen it yourself.”
“…You’re right.”
“I, no, we need that ability. If your power combines with the telepaths, we can take revenge on these researchers and escape.”
Three telepaths, each possessing a rare and fairly capable level of skill.
And finally… a large number of test subjects who could participate in the fight.
To be blunt, nearly two-thirds of them were non-combatants, but even they could be useful if their abilities were properly utilized.
There was even someone whose ability could cut through iron bars. Though it was limited to just a single finger.
“…You’re more impressive than I thought, mister.”
“Well, these people just needed someone to take the lead.”
Take the lead.
In reality, that was the most critical part.
Their numbers far exceeded the researchers and cleaning units, and since many of them were ability users, organizing them well was the key to staging a rebellion.
Based on Mina’s periodic examination of the lab using her ability, the number of researchers and cleaning units didn’t surpass the number of people trapped in the camp.
The real problem was that most of them were either stuck in a state of apathy or, like chained elephants, they got dragged along helplessly unless they were hot-headed enough to resist.
Armed cleaning units capable of easily overpowering most ability users, combined with the uncertainty of what lay beyond the camp, made it nearly impossible for anyone to take action.
Even if someone managed to escape the camp, without knowing the layout of the lab, there was no way to figure out how to get out completely.
In that sense, I once again realized just how absurdly powerful Seeker’s ability was.
Being able to steal someone’s vision simply by looking into their eyes and then using that stolen vision over a considerable distance made the ability incredibly versatile.
Especially when paired with another mental-type ability user, the synergy it created could only be described as insane.
“…My head hurts.”
“You did well.”
Mina collapsed onto the bed. She was completely drained after pushing her brain to its limits today.
As usual, when the researcher appeared, she let out a sound, briefly made eye contact, and then maintained her ability for an extended period of time. It was no surprise she was exhausted.
Today, Mina had pushed her vision-stealing ability with the researcher to its limit.
In that state, the telepathy ability user shared Mina’s stolen sight through a mental connection.
From there, they bit their finger to draw blood, flipped a pillow over, and used the blood to draw a map of the lab.
Tomorrow, they planned to steal a guard’s vision, and once they mapped out the areas the guard frequented, they would finally have a rough draft of the lab’s layout.
It was a bit disappointing that Mina couldn’t hear conversations since it was only possible to steal someone’s vision, but… even that was a huge advantage.
Just from observing what they could see, we could gather plenty of valuable information.
“…You’re quite impressive. To come up with a plan like that…”
“If you want to survive, you have to wring out every last idea. If the conditions were better and we had more resources, I could’ve come up with something even better.”
“What you’ve done is already remarkable. You’re someone destined for great things.”
“I’m just an ordinary citizen.”
“Ordinary citizens don’t take charge, nor do they devise plans like this.”
…Though all of this was thanks to the knowledge from the original story.
It was only possible because I knew how Seeker had used her ability in the source material.
I was also lucky that a telepathy ability user happened to be among the people trapped in the camp.
I wondered if Quaker, in the original story, had also pieced together an escape strategy like this.
I snapped out of my thoughts and regretfully shoved another spoonful of energy drink-flavored porridge into my mouth. This was a taste I had become disturbingly accustomed to.
It was disgusting, but without it, I’d starve to death.
“Well… let’s just call it luck.”
“There’s no need to be humble. You’re an extraordinary man. When we get out of here… your name might soon be on everyone’s lips.”
“As an infamous criminal, no doubt.”
It seemed like we would become escapees fleeing from a secret government research facility, so once we escaped, they would no doubt make a fuss. We would be branded as fugitives and criminals.
That’s why, as soon as we took over the facility and secured the supplies needed for the escape, we would have to immediately disappear into the underworld, beyond the government’s reach.
If possible, another option might be to expose the whole affair to the public, and thus ruin them completely.
No matter how corrupt this world might be, a scandal of this magnitude would be catastrophic for those in power.
“What’s the point of something like that in a world where strength comes before the law?”
Well, that was true.
I looked at the bowl floating on my palm and chuckled.
***
“Number 81! Number 50! Number 235!”
Three people again today.
Why was it always three?
Was it because only three could be processed at a time, or did they have some other reason?
Questions kept surfacing in my mind, but figuring them out wasn’t as important as continuing the operation right now.
I glanced at the chest of my lab coat, where the number 11 was written, and then turned my eyes toward the three being dragged away.
One had a face full of despair,
Another seethed with hatred,
And yet another… simply looked at me with burning eyes.
…I would make sure to deliver proper revenge.
Seeker rolled across the floor while pretending to fall out of bed.
“What was that?”
“Looked like she fell because she was too weak.”
“Let’s go. Let’s finish this quickly and get some rest…”
“Ah.”
“What is it?”
“My eyes sting a bit. Ugh. I haven’t been sleeping much.”
The guards who were chatting idly disappeared with the researcher outside the camp.
What a carefree bunch.
They had no idea we were stealing their vision to gather intel.
Well, it wasn’t surprising. Seeker’s ability was extremely rare, and there was no way they could suspect we were preparing for a collective rebellion.
Actual communication was handled using the telepath’s power, after all.
“Mina, did it work?”
“…Yes.”
Mina climbed back onto the bed before curling up in silence.
I could only hope she had pinpointed the location of the storage room this time.
Our top priority was to strike the weapon’s storage room during a time when their security was weak.
Once we secured the firearms, taking down the researchers would be easy, and we could even hold our own against the cleanup units.
No matter how skilled those guards were as enhanced soldiers, if we pour out our firepower, we should be able to deal with everyone except the head guard.
…In the end, the head guard was the real problem.
I recalled the head guard who had come to subdue the man who had recently taken a researcher hostage.
Judging by his large build and the fact that he had overpowered someone who was presumed to have physical enhancement abilities in one breath, his skills were clearly formidable.
Given the layout of the research facility, it would be difficult to find a wide-open corridor. Depending on the circumstances, we might be cornered like rats in a trap, or the head guard might end up in that position instead.
To prevent that, we absolutely had to locate the storage room where the weapons were kept.
And then…
I pressed the bowl, which had been floating above my palm, back onto my hand and flipped it over.
The bowl clung to my palm as if it were magnetized. It refused to budge.
I flipped my hand over again and attached the rim of the bowl to my palm instead of its bottom.
Then I began generating both attraction and repulsion forces at the same time.
Pulling with attraction, pushing with repulsion.
When the two forces achieved a perfect balance, the bowl stuck vertically to my palm without the slightest movement.
Finally, I turned my palm toward the pillow.
After making the final adjustments to my aim, I released the attraction force holding the bowl in place.
…This should be good enough to make it work somehow.
I thought as I pulled the bowl out from where it had sunk into the pillowcase.
[I found the weapons storage!]
Found it.
The final puzzle piece.
***
“Hey, now that you mention it, hasn’t the atmosphere in the camp been a little weird?”
“As if those pests could actually change.”
“Still, it’s bothering me.”
“Stop chatting and let’s finish this quickly. We’ve got more experiments to run today.”
“Understood, Researcher Kim Hae-young.”
The researcher and the guards quietly crossed the hallway and arrived in front of the camp’s door.
As always, they used a keycard to unlock the door and stepped inside the camp.
The silent, dreary atmosphere enveloped them, and all three frowned in discomfort.
This smell always gives me a headache.
The huge concentration camp had almost no ventilation, so the stench of unwashed experimental test subjects and the reek of filth clung to the air and hurt their noses. It was only natural.
Researcher Kim Hae-young didn’t spare the test subjects a single glance as she strode forward.
She was desperate to finish the task as quickly as possible.
The guards shared her sentiment, and their lax attitude prevented them from noticing one crucial detail.
The killing intent brimming in the eyes of the test subjects.
“Number 11, Number 145, Number 269.”
So, they’ve finally decided to use that test subject.
The one the director had repeatedly emphasized as an invaluable sample.
A young man with unique white hair and brown skin.
The test subject personally brought in by the director was finally about to become a guinea pig for their grand experiment.
“Step out!”
The iron bars of the cage creaked open.
“Hurry—ahhh!”
And at that moment, the guards clutched their heads and staggered back in pain.
A telepathic bomb filled with intense and raw emotions.
The moment the guards were incapacitated by the wave of mental attack tearing through their minds, Number 11 dashed across the cell.
“Wh-What is this—”
The one remaining guard caught off guard, was struck by the full force of Number 11’s blow and collapsed helplessly. His head hit the ground with a sickening thud and a pool of blood began to form, but none of that mattered to them.
Compared to the sins they had committed, this was an endlessly merciful death.
After confirming the researcher’s death, Number 11 quickly moved before the guards could recover. He stomped on one guard’s head with a psychically enhanced foot and seized the assault rifle from his grasp.
It was a somewhat unfamiliar type of rifle that he had never touched before.
But all that mattered was that pulling the trigger would fire bullets.
Two shots rang out, piercing the guard’s skull.
Once he confirmed the three of them were completely silent, Number 11 aimed at the CCTV camera and shot it down before making his declaration.
“From this moment forward, it is time for revenge.”
Leave a Reply