Chapter 25: Prelude to Catastrophe

Following the investigation of the mysterious incident by the Schwaiger operative team and Shakuya, the victim's remains were recovered and transported to the laboratory at Schwaiger’s underground headquarters for analysis.

That day, the operative team stood outside the isolation glass, watching the medical examiners analyze the corpse. With the other operatives having been dismissed, only the veteran Operative K and Shakuya remained, waiting for the results.

"Hey, Old K... why do I have to stay?" Shakuya asked, stifling a yawn and tapping her foot impatiently.

"Well, as Schwaiger’s top combat asset, you’re essentially the head of your own department," Operative K said with a smile. "The other operatives can get the lab reports from me, but you have to come and get yours yourself."

"Ugh... fine." Shakuya couldn't help but wish there were more companions in her department. "I'm going to go buy a coffee..."

"Mm..." It looked like the analysis would take a while. Shakuya told Old K to call her once it was finished and headed off to find a place to rest.

According to the preliminary findings, the victim’s body had been neatly—removed. It wasn't a clean cut or a tear; it was as if those parts had simply ceased to exist, as if they had been devoured. There wasn't even much blood left. The victim had died instantly only because the sudden disappearance of their limbs and torso had destroyed the biological basis for life. Furthermore, a viscous, gelatinous substance remained at the edges of the wounds, sealing them shut. The medical examiners were baffled, having no idea what it was, and could only preserve a small sample. It certainly wasn't the work of a human.

"K, where’s Shakuya?" It was Shion. She had arrived at the lab but didn't see Shakuya.

"Oh, she went to the hallway to grab a coffee from the vending machine." Shion was just as concerned about the analysis. According to the Director's hypothesis, this incident was almost certainly the work of those monsters—the Familiars. Had a new Familiar arrived?

"Ms. Shion, have you ever seen such strange wounds?" Operative K asked, gesturing toward the mysterious gelatinous substance.

"Never. I suspect this is the work of a Familiar." That was enough to put Shion on high alert.

"I see... so that means the thing that attacked that shop is a new monster—or rather, a Familiar?" K’s expression grew grave.

"I’m afraid so..." Shion felt this incident had to be treated with the utmost seriousness.

After all, this was the first time a human-sized Familiar had appeared, and figuring out how to handle it would be a new challenge.

"Man, this is a headache..." Operative K said with a wry smile.

Just as the two were talking, a sudden anomaly occurred in the lab! The gelatinous substance covering the wounds on the corpse suddenly erupted, piercing through the body of one of the medical examiners! It then surged toward the isolation glass, aiming for Shion and Operative K. Fortunately, the reinforced glass held, leaving the substance splattered against it in a black, viscous mess.

"!!" Shion nearly stumbled, but K caught her just in time. The other medical examiner in the lab reacted immediately and triggered the alarm.

"!?!" Shakuya, drinking her coffee in the hallway, was startled by the sudden siren. She spun around and sprinted back toward the lab. At the same time, the members of K’s squad, who had been on standby in the lounge next door, rushed toward the lab alongside her.

"Ms. Shakuya! What’s happening?" Operative J asked, but he was met only with Shakuya’s bewildered expression.

As they burst into the laboratory area, they discovered that the victim’s corpse and the pierced medical examiner had been transformed into something akin to the living dead. The strange gelatinous substance had become part of their bodies, forcing them to stand in twisted, unnatural ways as they attacked the remaining medical examiner. They were no different from zombies.

"Shion!? What is this!?" Shakuya asked upon seeing Shion arrive.

"Exactly as I thought—the gel is the Familiar!" Shion declared. "Containment breach! Engage combat protocols!"

Following Shion’s command, the operatives drew their weapons. "Hurry! Save that examiner!" Shakuya shouted, watching as the surviving doctor desperately threw equipment at the zombies to slow them down, though it clearly wouldn't last long.

Operative J and K exchanged a look. J ordered the other operatives to stand by and prepare to cover Shion and Shakuya’s retreat, while he and K snuck toward the isolation doors while the zombies were distracted by the medical examiner.

"J and K are..." Shakuya watched them enter the isolation lab, filled with worry.

"Don't worry, Ms. Shakuya," Operative H said, nodding at her. "Among us, J and K are the experts in dealing with these sorts of things."

Once J and K entered the room, the three zombies seemed to detect new prey and turned toward them. Fortunately, these creatures were not particularly agile. J and K drew their handguns and opened fire. As expected, standard handgun rounds had little effect on the zombies, especially the gelatinous parts. However, this was merely a distraction; the surviving medical examiner seized the opportunity to rush for the exit, where he was quickly secured by the other operatives.

"J, remember what I taught you?"

"K, don't joke around. I'm better at using this than you are."

J and K seemed completely at ease. They triggered a hidden mechanism on their handguns, and the weapons began to shift and transform. The barrels of their guns elongated, and glowing patterns emerged along the frames, turning the standard pistols into high-tech weaponry.

"Gaaaaah!" One of the zombies lunged at J, but a blade of glowing energy extended from J’s weapon. With a swift swing, he sliced through the gelatinous mass, the high-energy particles causing the substance to vaporize instantly.

"Not bad! But this is more efficient!" K pulled the trigger on his own weapon, firing two beams of energy that homed in on the remaining two zombies, vaporizing them completely.

"Incredible..." Shakuya watched in awe; the technology looked exactly like the weapon systems of her own mecha, the Traum. "This is..." She realized Shion must have known where this tech came from, and she looked toward her.

"This is the result of reverse-engineering the weapon systems from the Traum," Shion confirmed.

No wonder these operatives had been so confident. By now, the security forces had arrived to seal off the lab and begin the cleanup, and the surviving medical examiner was under their protection. Shakuya and Shion left the scene with the rest of the team.

"I had no idea you possessed weapons like these..." Shakuya said to Operative K, genuinely impressed.

"It’s nothing, really. We owe it all to you," K said, patting Shakuya on the shoulder.