Ch.150Waoong

The rectangular crowd stretched out in formation, with trucks and soldiers holding guns positioned on both sides, along with superhumans.

As I started walking, whistles sounded around me, signaling to the citizens.

To prevent anyone from falling behind or the formation from getting tangled.

“Reminds me of childhood. Like going for a walk following the teacher.”

“Instead of whistling, should we add a chant?”

“Cat!”

“Meow meow!”

“Kitty!”

“Meow meow!”

“Black Cat!”

“Waoong waoong!”

The citizens, excited about going to W City, walked while saying silly things.

They showed no signs of tension whatsoever.

Better than being anxious, I suppose.

“Wow, look over there! That.”

“What? The tail?”

“No, that…”

“Wow…”

“That’s a huge peanut…”

“Woooah!”

I warned the citizens following behind me not to look, then lowered my tail.

“Hey, Black Cat’s getting angry. Stop looking.”

“But… the royal peanut is so cute.”

“I wonder if W City citizens have witnessed Black Cat’s royal peanut?”

“Stop it, they say Black Cat understands what we’re saying.”

“Black Cat! Don’t be too embarrassed! Your royal peanut is very cute!”

“So Black Cat is male… I’m a bit disappointed…”

[Everyone! Please stop staring at Black Cat’s peanut!]

Maybe I should just leave them be.

Just as my mood was souring, Cage spoke up from the lead vehicle running alongside me.

“By the way, so the rumors were true that you can actually speak. Not that I’m surprised at this point.”

The rumor he’s referring to must be about when I opened my mouth in W City.

Judging by the communication antenna on the bus and the tablet in his hand, Cage seems to be reading up on everything that happened after he lost consciousness.

“If you don’t mind, shall we chat as we go? It might help alleviate the boredom of the journey.”

From now on, we’ll be walking at normal human pace for about 8 hours, a slow, tedious walk.

Having no particular reason to refuse, I vibrated the air to answer Cage.

[Do you have something you want to talk about?]

“Many things, actually. Too many, in fact.”

[If you have that many questions, go ask Meister.]

“He said it would be better to ask you directly about yourself. Hmm? But wait, you knew about Meister? From when you went to W City? I don’t recall any reports of you two conversing then?”

From his response, it seems Meister hasn’t told others about me.

Cage muttered “well, it doesn’t matter” and continued with his questions.

“Did you gain the ability to speak after becoming Annihilation-rank? Or was it from before that…?”

[Does it matter when I started speaking?]

“It does. Actually, let me ask you directly without beating around the bush.”

Cage looked up at me with sharp eyes.

In a quiet voice, at a whisper level that other heroes couldn’t overhear given the bus’s position.

“Were you human?”

“Grrrr…”

Was I a monster who learned human language, or was I originally human and therefore could still speak after becoming a monster?

I growled in response to Cage’s question, acknowledging that I expected such a question.

The researcher’s memories—Cage had been pursuing manufactured monsters and the laboratory.

For someone like Cage, nothing would be more suspicious than a monster that helps humans and speaks their language.

The reason I’ve hidden the fact that I was human until now was because I didn’t want to be hunted down by heroes and used as research material for the laboratory.

Now that I’ve become Annihilation-rank, there’s no need to hide it anymore.

[I was human.]

“Phew…”

When I confirmed his question, Cage exhaled with complex emotions.

Then, rumbling, he began pouring out his curiosity.

“Are you on humanity’s side? What is your purpose—yours and theirs?”

[Theirs?]

“You and those who made you.”

[I’m not on their side.]

Suspicion toward me, anger about to sprout, instinctive fear.

Cage’s brow furrowed at my words as he sensed the emotions floating on the surface.

“Right, if you were, you would have killed me already.”

Having sorted out his thoughts and calmed down, Cage lay back on the bed in a comfortable position.

“I apologize for doubting you. If you were just Black Cat the mutant monster, that would be one thing, but hearing you were once human makes it hard to believe.”

[So you can trust a monster but not a human?]

“Please don’t take offense. I don’t trust any humans, period. I only trust superhumans. Weak humans might change their minds at any moment to protect themselves.”

Despite saying this, I don’t sense any blame toward humans in his emotions.

“Besides, if we’re talking about a monster who was once human, it’s worth being suspicious even if I trusted you once. I wanted to be certain before we go deeper into the closed zone.”

[Not trusting monsters is a good habit.]

“Thank you for understanding. Then… may I ask a few more questions?”

[Do as you please.]

“Were you just created by them, with no knowledge of anything?”

[I know some things.]

“Did you eat researchers to read their memories?”

I nodded, and felt a strange sense of discomfort.

How does Cage know that monsters can read memories by eating humans?

“Why were you in A City that day?”

[I was trying to destroy the laboratory in A City.]

“Out of vengeance? Do you still have human feelings of revenge?”

[I just thought it wouldn’t be good to leave them alone.]

“Not revenge, but because they might continue taking humans for experiments? That sounds like Black Cat.”

Another feeling of discomfort—his question about whether I still had human feelings of revenge bothered me.

I raised my whiskers and examined Cage carefully.

Monster cells that hadn’t yet taken over Cage’s heart, parts of his flesh already infiltrated and beginning to mutate.

Cage was awkwardly moving the parts that had become monster cores.

A body neither fully monster nor still human.

The reason he knows about digesting human memories and monster cells consuming human memories and emotions is because of this.

[You’re feeling the monster’s senses.]

“As expected of an Annihilation-rank monster, you can easily tell that much.”

[What are you?]

“What do I look like to you?”

When I asked which side held dominance in his mind, since the infiltration seemed higher than expected, Cage spread his arms as if to show me.

I lowered my head and brought my eyes close to the window to examine Cage carefully.

The dissonance of the monster core, the sound of the human heart covering it, the scent of emotions.

[You’re still human.]

“Still, you say…”

Cage sighed, seemingly relieved to hear that he was still human.

“Hearing it from a monster makes it more believable. Thanks for the reassurance.”

[Did you think you had already become a monster?]

“This sensation is too alien.”

The monster core I had examined in Cage made his infiltrated heart beat slightly.

A weak pulse barely at Homicide-rank, but the infrasonic resonance was definitely characteristic of monsters.

Excitement entangled in the reflected waves, senses expanding to smell the citizens’ anticipation.

Slurp—Cage swallowed the saliva pooling in his mouth after tasting human emotions.

“It’s a very strange feeling, being able to taste thoughts and emotions.”

Unlike the keen senses possessed by superhumans, Cage’s expression wasn’t pleasant as he gained new senses like growing a tail or wings.

His hand trembled like an addict’s as his mental appetite was stimulated.

“I understand why monsters hunt humans now.”

[It’s bearable if you try.]

“Yes, it’s not unbearable. But the feeling that I might become a monster if I lose my grip on reason is quite terrifying.”

With those words, Cage took out a cigarette from his pocket and lit it.

His intention to calm the appetite created by the citizens’ emotions was obvious.

“However… being able to sense the degree of emotion in someone’s words makes it very easy to distinguish truth from lies.”

The same applies when sensing the emotions in my words as a monster.

“I’m glad. You seem to be the Black Cat everyone knows.”

[Did you mistake me for something else?]

“I’ve been wondering. What if Black Cat had other motives?”

After taking a moment to smoke his cigarette, Cage revealed his thoughts.

“I was the only one pursuing them in A City. I didn’t tell even my close associates, not knowing who might be in league with them. If they wanted to kill me, Yeo Un-jae turned into a monster would have been enough. Although Black Cat did appear as a variable…”

There were too many Despair-rank monsters for killing Cage to be the only objective.

Similarly, it was excessive even if the goal was to destroy A City.

Even with Black Cat as a variable, it was enough to completely devastate A City and more.

“Despair-rank monsters must have been precious resources even for them. It doesn’t make sense that they would send them just to kill me alone.”

Cage made a similar point to what Gu Seo-ryong had said before, turning his gaze from the window toward me.

“And you evolved into Annihilation-rank after eating the monsters rampaging in A City.”

[Are you saying they released monsters in A City to make me Annihilation-rank?]

“If you were a monster created by them, I thought that possibility was high.”

Because they’re the ones who created monster weapons.

They would want to make their obedient monster even stronger.

“But surely they wouldn’t deliberately raise a hostile monster to Annihilation-rank.”

Having confessed his suspicions, Cage apologized for what he’d said.

“I’m sorry. It’s all just speculation. When the situation doesn’t make sense, I force reasons that are convenient for me to understand.”

As he said, Cage’s reasoning is full of holes.

But why?

I feel like I’ve grasped the edge of something previously invisible.

“Fortunately, the weather is good today.”

When I remained silent, Cage awkwardly cleared his throat and spoke, perhaps thinking I was upset because he had doubted me.

I looked up at the sky as I continued walking.

As he said, today’s weather was good.

Sunny but not too hot—perfect weather for citizens to walk for a long time.

Perhaps Meister had consulted his ability to determine the best day for a long journey.

#

Another day in W City with no incidents under Black Cat’s protection.

Or rather, Black Cat Central Park in W City, which feels like nothing ever happens.

Under a gloomy sky that threatened rain.

“…Hmm.”

In one corner of the playground now occupied by refugee children, amid the shantytown created by the growing number of refugees, a young boy leaned against a tree making strange hand gestures.

Movements like stroking a non-existent beard, an expression and gaze too worn by fatigue for a child.

“She’s late.”

The boy, blinking a couple of times as his gaze grew stronger, muttered to himself.

“She must be deliberating. Whether it’s okay to come to the park with Sa Gu-gu, or if it would be better not to come today.”

Blink again—the boy’s expression changed to one full of irritation as he opened his eyes and cracked his neck from side to side.

“If it weren’t for Gu Seo-ryong, I would have had more time to contact Unus.”

“I don’t think more contact would have changed anything.”

“Perhaps a single human’s mental strength isn’t enough to handle the domain.”

The boy continued nodding his head, sighing, and clicking his tongue, muttering.

As if conversing with someone, all alone.

Just then, sensing something in the distance, the boy blinked and opened his eyes wider.

“Here they come. Sa Gu-gu is already much stronger than Gu Seo-yul. She couldn’t have stopped her from coming.”

“Gu Seo-ryong, your expression is priceless. Were you that reluctant to come?”

The boy, who had been grinning, composed his expression as they drew closer.

Soon Gu Seo-ryong and Sa Gu-gu would be close enough to sense him.

“Even though they already know Unus isn’t in W City right now.”

As Ui waved with a bright smile, Sa Gu-gu spotted him from afar and climbed down from Gu Seo-ryong’s head.

Sa Gu-gu, who had been forcing a piggyback ride by gripping Gu Seo-ryong’s head, jumped up by forcefully kicking her shoulder, making Gu Seo-ryong’s already displeased expression even more contorted.

Whoosh! Pitter-patter! Sa Gu-gu ran like an animal, zigzagging through the crowd, and leaped toward Ui.

“Ui! Did you sleep well?! Sa Gu-gu slept well! Did Sa Gu-gu eat today? Did Ui eat too?”

“I barely slept. And I haven’t eaten yet.”

“You haven’t eaten yet?! That’s terrible! Big brother said you must eat!”

While Ui, who had effortlessly caught Sa Gu-gu’s charge with his small body, was responding, Gu Seo-ryong approached, massaging her shoulder.

“Mommy! Ui is hungry! Sa Gu-gu wants snacks too!”

Ui looked quietly at Gu Seo-ryong while being shaken around by Sa Gu-gu.

Though trying not to show it, Gu Seo-ryong was extremely tense.

“I see, let’s go buy some food.”

Gu Seo-ryong glared at Ui without saying anything.

Different from usual.