Ch.133Closer Than Me

# “Beep-beep-beep beep-beep-beep beep beep-beep-beep~”

In a closed-off area near W City, behind a building positioned where only my tail could be seen from W City.

While I was focusing my mind on something in my head, Sa Gu-gu was playing with a Pipi-kung doll on top of me.

“Huaaaa~ so fluffy~”

And beside her, Gu Seo-ryong, who had climbed onto my mane near my neck, was digging into my fur, moving her arms as if gathering it up.

Lost in thought, I pressed down on Gu Seo-ryong with my front paw, telling her to take it easy.

“Oh my my? This feels nice! So soft and fluffy.”

“Nyaaa! Sa Gu-gu wants to do that too!”

[Don’t enjoy it so much.]

Sa Gu-gu climbed down from my back and clung to my paw pads.

My pinkish paw pads when monsterized apparently feel like soft cushions.

“Sa Gu-gu likes these paw pads. Today they will be Sa Gu-gu’s bed.”

“Good idea, then can I use the opposite paw?”

[Stop bothering me.]

I told them to keep their playfulness in check, then focused on my head again.

The new core that appeared in my head after becoming Annihilation-rank.

I still haven’t figured out what it is.

Even the monster that’s eating away at me won’t teach me how to use it, saying it’s the one thing it won’t allow me.

The fact that it’s going this far means this must be something extremely important to Annihilation-rank monsters.

Perhaps the presence or absence of this is what differentiates Annihilation-rank from Despair-rank monsters.

If I don’t know how to use it, I can’t become a proper Annihilation-rank monster.

So I want to figure out how to use it, but how exactly…

“Beep-beep-beep beep-beep-beep~ beep-beep-beep-beep~”

[That’s noisy.]

“Uwnyaaaa!”

When I squashed Sa Gu-gu with my front paw, she pulled her hands out from between my toes and moved the Pipi-kung doll.

[What’s with all this beep-beep-beep noise?]

“That’s the Pipi-kung anime song.”

[Pipi-kung anime?]

“While looking for the next laboratory and creating accounts to access other cities… I found that Pipi-kung broadcasts are free in B City. I’ve been showing it during every mealtime.”

[Didn’t you say you didn’t want to show Pipi-kung?]

“Thanks to someone, I’ve already seen it. If I can’t prevent it, I might as well use it. Thanks to that, mealtimes have become a bit more peaceful.”

“Beep-beep-beep~ beep-beep-beep~”

“Though it’s become much noisier at other times…”

[Just hearing it gives me a headache.]

I used my ability to manipulate air to create an invisible barrier around Sa Gu-gu.

Freed from the beep-beep noise, Gu Seo-ryong’s vertically slit, tense pupils slowly rounded.

“Oh my, that’s right, you have this ability too.”

[So, have you found the next laboratory?]

“The most suspicious place is B City for now.”

[The city of Pipi-kung.]

Among modern cities, it’s the wealthiest and one where the boundary between villains and heroes is blurred.

Despite being in the monster era, it’s famous for creating Pipi-kung while various industries grow and disappear repeatedly.

“It’s also the place with the highest energy consumption and many illegal industries. They say if you want to hide a tree, hide it in a forest, right? There’s no better place than B City to run a laboratory.”

According to the researcher’s memories, it’s a place where many illegal human experiments are conducted, so sudden disappearances or deaths wouldn’t seem unusual.

With as many superhumans to fight monsters as A City, thanks to villains contracted with major corporations.

In other words, they can obtain all the materials they need for experiments.

[Are we going right away?]

“No, this time we don’t need to go investigate like before. We have the master code, right? We can find out everything we need to know from here, and when we narrow down the candidates, then we’ll go.”

[That’s useful.]

“Actually, I think it would be faster to go to B City directly to investigate…”

Previously, when we went to A City to find information inside the city, we needed to contact government people, but now that Gu Seo-ryong has obtained a high-ranking master code, that’s no longer necessary.

The access permissions held by A City’s master code are substantial.

If we wait, we’ll find it.

Just then, Sa Gu-gu came over the transparent barrier holding a Pipi-kung doll that had been crushed by her grip.

“Pipi-kung broke.”

“Haah… here, a new Pipi-kung.”

“This is Pipi-kung number 82!”

When Gu Seo-ryong pulled out a Pipi-kung from between her breasts, Sa Gu-gu excitedly returned to her original spot.

“We can’t go to B City because of that.”

[Because of Pipi-kung?]

“That’s right. B City has Pipi-kung parks everywhere, and B City itself appears in the Pipi-kung anime… if we go to such a place, I don’t think I could control Sa Gu-gu.”

Sa Gu-gu is a weapon that compensates for Gu Seo-ryong’s lack of combat power.

If that weapon doesn’t listen and chases after Pipi-kungs all over the city, I can clearly see what would happen without even looking.

Chasing after Sa Gu-gu running around, spending time trying to detach Sa Gu-gu when she clings to Pipi-kung, and if she gets too excited and accidentally transforms into a monster, the laboratory would respond preemptively.

“We’ve already revealed ourselves in A City, right? The laboratory must be on alert because of that, so I want to move more discreetly. If we bring Sa Gu-gu, that would be difficult.”

[Can’t I just go alone?]

My size is too conspicuous, and since my core isn’t completely suppressed, other monsters might detect my approach.

But whether they detect me or not, can’t I just smash everything?

“Well, I wish it were that easy… but don’t you find it strange? The laboratory releasing five Despair-rank monsters in A City.”

Gu Seo-ryong countered my thoughts.

“Even if they were useless failures, they used too many. It’s too conspicuous… five Despair-rank monsters appearing in one city at once, even a fool would find it suspicious, right?”

[What are you trying to say?]

“Isn’t it too excessive to be just a desperate attempt because they were being chased by Cage? So…”

[There’s another meaning.]

Either they thought it was fine to sacrifice about five Despair-rank monsters, or they needed to throw away that many Despair-rank monsters.

Yeo Un-jae and the monsters were enough to kill Cage, Electris, and Baskerville.

Even if S-rank heroes had come for support afterward, they couldn’t have avoided significant damage.

“Considering A City’s forces, the power the laboratory deployed was overkill by anyone’s standards. Especially Yeo Un-jae, who was like a joker created to target Cage. No matter how you look at it, it’s excessive. They didn’t need to throw that much. Yet they did it anyway.”

[So they didn’t mind using them.]

A situation where Despair-rank monsters are no longer precious.

There’s only one possibility.

[Does that mean they’ve already created an Annihilation-rank monster?]

“Or even if not an Annihilation-rank, they’ve created a successful specimen that meets their purpose.”

The reason they didn’t care if people found the A City commotion suspicious.

The laboratory has already accomplished its goal.

“So I think we should be careful.”

[I don’t think they can control an Annihilation-rank monster.]

“I agree. If the laboratory’s goal wasn’t an Annihilation-rank monster but a special Despair-rank monster… they’d hide even more thoroughly the moment you showed up, right? Do you think you can find that?”

[Hmm.]

No.

It’s easy for a monster to find another monster, but finding humans is as difficult as finding an ant in a sandbox.

Once found, you can discover them all at once, but finding them initially isn’t easy.

Especially if it’s like finding a special type of ant.

“So Deun-deun should wait patiently, big sis will find them for you.”

I’ll have to leave it to Gu Seo-ryong, who’s good at finding such things.

Thinking that I wouldn’t be leaving W City for a while until Gu Seo-ryong finished her investigation, I suddenly remembered something and asked her.

[Will it take long?]

“Well, why? Would you prefer it to be quick?”

[If tracking the laboratory takes a long time, I’d like to visit some cities unrelated to the laboratory before that.]

“Hmm? Why suddenly?”

I briefly told Gu Seo-ryong about the refugees and operatives.

[I need to sort things out at least once if I want to eat in peace.]

“You want to go show them that they’re wrong to think they can keep bothering you with the belief they might be able to take you away from W City?”

The refugees and operatives believe that if they do well, they can extract me from W City and have me settle in their city.

What if I go near their city and do as I please to show them that’s not the case?

“That’s foolish. Don’t do something so unnecessary.”

[Why not?]

“Doing that would be like pouring oil on fire.”

Gu Seo-ryong completely rejected my idea and explained her thoughts.

“The current number of operatives and refugees in W City is very small considering you’re an Annihilation-rank monster. The cities are still not fully convinced and are exploring. Whether you’re really an Annihilation-rank monster, whether safe zones are really being created… citizens especially will be suspicious. But if you go directly and show them that you can create safe zones, do you think they’ll just stay put?”

[You mean everyone will flock to W City.]

“Do you think the residential areas and food factories in W City could handle that in the current state? It’s already hard enough paying for Sa Gu-gu’s food, I’d rather not have food costs rise even more.”

Realizing that my movement could cause greater chaos, I abandoned the idea of visiting other cities.

[Good thing I asked.]

“…Well, I’m smarter than you, so.”

[That’s not what I meant.]

The reason I asked Gu Seo-ryong was because I thought she might come up with a better answer than me.

[You’re closer to humans, so I thought you’d give an answer closer to a human perspective.]

Gu Seo-ryong’s eyes twitched at my words.

“…What are you saying? I’m a monster, you know? Both you and I are monsters. You know that, right?”

Neither Gu Seo-ryong nor I can return to being human.

Even if they replaced our hearts like in monsterization surgery, the monster cells already spread throughout our bodies would devour the heart.

[How many monsters were you mixed with?]

“About 10, why?”

[I stopped counting after exceeding 100. So compared to me, you’re human.]

Gu Seo-ryong emitted a sweet and salty dual emotion in response to my answer.

“You know, a good man should know when to lose an argument to a woman. I’d prefer if you only overwhelm me like that in bed, not in verbal fights.”

[I’m just stating facts. Even now, you understood better than me how humans would move.]

“Isn’t it just a socialization issue? You haven’t been out of the laboratory for long, while I’ve been out much longer.”

[It will remain the same even as time passes.]

Now that I’ve become an Annihilation-rank monster, I can tell with my expanded senses.

Gu Seo-ryong has been eaten less than me.

She said she’s resisting her instincts with drugs, but using those drugs is Gu Seo-ryong’s own will.

The reason Gu Seo-ryong is resisting even while using drugs.

“Hmm, I don’t really like you looking so deeply into me.”

[Is that so.]

Gu Seo-ryong, who read part of my thoughts from my gaze, extended her hand in refusal, telling me to stop.

“As I said before, if you want to have such deep conversations with me, it has to be after mating. Trying to do so without any intention of following through is against the rules. It’s cheating.”

[What rules am I violating?]

“The rules between men and women, males and females, set by nature?”

[Does a monster need to follow such things?]

“Oh my, that’s too much. You want to cheat all by yourself? Of course, that forceful aspect of yours is charming, but…”

“Mom, give me a new Pipi-kung.”

“How many do you break in a day?”

“This is Pipi-kung number 83!”

Gu Seo-ryong, who had been flicking her tongue and stickily stroking my fur, sighed and took out a new Pipi-kung.

Finding this curious, I looked at Gu Seo-ryong’s chest and asked.

[How many Pipi-kungs fit in there?]

“Curious? Want me to show you behind that building?”

[Not many fit in there, I see.]

“Oh my? Peeking again? Such a perverted cat.”

Having seen the three Pipi-kungs tucked between her underwear and chest, on the side, below, and in the center with my ability, I lost interest.

Gu Seo-ryong also quietly looked at Sa Gu-gu instead of me, no longer clinging to me.

Just then, the smell of cooking wafted from far away.

[It’s almost mealtime, I guess.]

“Shall we go eat? We should also go shopping.”

“Beep-beep-beep-beep~ beep-beep-beep-beep~”

[So noisy.]

“Beep-nyaak!”

I pressed down on the noisy Sa Gu-gu, who was playing with her Pipi-kung, with my front paw and got up.