Chapter 296 ·Turning point(59)

Turning ‍​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍󠄂󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄂‍​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌‌​‌‍󠄂󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄂point(59)

"Why aren't you answering? Is it because there's just too many reasons to pick from?"

I thought it had only been once or twice, but when I reflected on it, I realized there were actually a lot of times I'd found Licorice annoying. That was true even before I got to know her personality, and even after I did. Counting on my fingers wasn't enough.

'I've never told anyone else about that.'

I mean, it's not like I'd gossip about Licorice to other people. I only had one life, after all. I vaguely remembered making an offhand comment recently, but I didn't think that was the reason for all this. Or maybe there was a reason she brought it up now.

"Licorice, it's just that..."

Drawing out my words, I quickly scanned my surroundings, hoping for an escape route. I cast glances everywhere, seeking help, but everyone just cleared their throats and looked away.

To begin with, the Beta Series was essentially under Licorice's control, so I didn't expect anything from them. But having the rest ignore me was a shock. They had been glancing this way just moments earlier.

All I needed was for someone to distract her for a second, that'd be enough. Yet, as if they'd all made a pact, nobody even looked my way. It was obviously intentional.

"Lee Hyun-woo, you..."

Flustered, I struggled to respond, and Licorice's face faded a bit. Almost simultaneously, I locked eyes with Nadia, who was still in the power loader cockpit.

She was my last stronghold, so I'd planned to try talking to her no matter what. But I didn't. No, I couldn't. The truth was, my instincts told me she was the true cause of this mess.

That realization hit just as I noticed the apologetic look on Nadia's face, who was just as flustered as I was.

Since Licorice was no longer watching the holographic screen, the work was obviously done. I'd thought Nadia was still inside because she had something left to do, but now I saw she too was idle.

'She's intentionally staying inside.'

Could it be she'd anticipated this would happen when she went inside for the integrity check? Nadia avoided my gaze, bringing her fluffy tail forward to hide her face with it. Maybe she thought if she hid behind her tail, people would pretend she wasn't there.

'How could you...'

Realizing Nadia was the cause, I was left in disbelief. Of all people, I never expected this from Nadia.

Just as Licorice's unwavering gaze pinned me down and I began to turn my head stiffly, my bracelet notified me of an incoming external message.

- Hyun-woo, I think I'll be able to return soon.

I wondered if Nadia had sent a message to excuse herself. But no, it was genuinely important. Celestia, at the robot production facility, had sent it.

"Oh? Licorice, look at this."

"I thought you were just stalling to say something—but trying to redirect my attention is a cheap trick, you know? I was willing to play along, but—"

"No, that's not it. Really."

I shared the message from Celestia with Licorice, who was eyeing me suspiciously.

"Celestia contacted us. She says she'll be able to return soon."

"What, it's real."

"I told you—see, it's real."

"Hmph, no need to act so wronged. Just reply to her. If you don't, she'll start thinking about locking you up."

"Reply? ... Oh."

I realized there were more messages after the first one. They ranged from asking how I was doing to urging me to respond, all piling up in rapid succession. She must have held back her urge to contact me until after the operation and now she had a lot to say.

- Sorry, I just saw your messages while catching up on things. Everything alright on your end?

If something had happened, I would have heard from her, but still, I asked just in case. There could have been problems not worth contacting me over.

I replied simply, glancing at Licorice. Licorice, having given up her pursuit and telling me to reply instead, had already turned away and was issuing instructions to others in the storage bay. She said they needed to prepare for additional production before Celestia's group returned from the robot production facility.

Licorice had already returned to her usual self, as if her stern expression had never existed. Luckily, she didn't seem genuinely upset.

I sighed in relief and glared at Nadia, who peeked at me from behind her tail. Nadia let out a startled yelp and pretended to busy herself with something non-existent in the cockpit.

Her flustered act made me laugh, but regardless, she would pay the price later. Tonight, my hands would not be idle.

- Hmm, not everything was smooth. The spread of infection completely overtook the refinery near the facility, so a new mutant type emerged. No, actually, the infection that started at the refinery eventually covered the robot production facility too.

As soon as I read that message, I requested a switch to live video communication. After a brief hesitation and a few beeps, the holographic window popped up.

On the screen was Celestia, awkwardly scratching her cheek as she smiled, as if she hadn't expected a video call so soon.

Although she spoke as if it was no big deal, her face bore clear signs of a rough ordeal. She hardly looked like the dignified head of the megacorp Myosotis. Occasional bursts of static hinted the situation wasn't fully resolved yet.

"Were you hurt?"

- I'm not hurt. Really.

Celestia explained she'd just gotten covered in soot from setting a bigger fire to clear out the infection. She turned around to show her body, emphasizing her suit wasn't damaged.

- There were frequent skirmishes, but I only provided support fire from the rear, so there was no way I could get injured. Plus, I had veteran fighters with me. Roxy was there, as well as Orca. With their help, we could handle any infected enemy that appeared.

"... That's a relief. I was worried."

The news that only some of the Beta Series units were damaged, while the rest were fine, eased my mind.

Even though Carrot had recovered, he insisted I remain onboard for a while to rest, and there was nothing I could do inside either, so my anxiety had been building up without me realizing it.

I didn't even want to imagine how I'd have felt if word had come that Celestia or any of the external ops team had been injured.

Celestia chuckled, clearly noticing how my tension dissipated.

"So what happened? You said a new mutant type appeared?"

- Oh, right. I'm not sure it qualifies as 'new,' but it was a mutant I'd never seen before. Hyun-woo, remember when we escaped from the refinery?

"Of course."

I could never forget. The refinery was where the security protocol had been initiated, and it was also where we'd first encountered Cystus, the pureblood supremacist commander. Nadia had suffered a severe injury there as well. Even now, the memory still haunted me when I closed my eyes.

- Then this will be quick to explain. Remember how we flipped over all the chambers back then and spilled all the refined Blue Crystal onto the floor?

"Yes."

That's right. We'd dumped boiling liquid Blue Crystal and acid to incinerate the creep and eradicate the parasitic Lampreys within.

Looking back, at the time it seemed like the best choice, but now I questioned whether it really benefitted us. After all, Blue Crystal doesn't stay boiling forever.

We hadn't considered what would happen once the Blue Crystal cooled and turned into crystals again. The truth is, we had no time to worry about that. Back then, we had neither the physical prowess nor the supernatural power we now possessed.

Blue Crystal was the mutant's core and the material for further mutations. Once it crystallized all over the floor, ready to be absorbed, it must have been like a party for the mutants.

'If only we had wiped out all the mutants there...'

We had neither the ability nor the intention to go back, so with all that surplus resource, they must have proliferated like crazy. The infection must have spread at a frightening speed.

'And...'

Suddenly, I remembered a specific mutant. The one that acted as if it possessed intelligence—the Stalker. When Nadia got hurt, my shouting had driven it to escape with a group of surviving mutants back to its nest.

Assuming it hadn't died since then, it was easily imaginable that it would have survived and undergone mutation after mutation. Celestia's next words confirmed it.

- The nest had expanded beyond all predictions, using the massive amount of Blue Crystal from the refinery. The one overseeing it was the creepy mutant we temporarily called the Stalker. Or rather, it was a mutated Stalker.

"A Stalker... So it didn't mutate into a special mutant, a Bud?"

- There didn't seem to be any strange letters inscribed on it, so I don't think so. I even checked hard-to-reach places after dealing with it, but found nothing.

Celestia explained that the Stalker had morphed into an entirely new form and sent me some photos. The images showed a huge cavity composed of bio-tissue—specifically, a nest occupying what used to be the refinery.

Although it was hard to spot any remnants of the refinery, I could make out a central pillar, multiple tentacles spreading out, and dozens or even hundreds of cocoons below.

The mutated Stalker's appearance was drastically altered from what I'd seen originally, but it was obvious why Celestia pegged it as a further evolution of the Stalker. Its characteristic features were now embodied in the pillar made of organic material.

Suspicious liquid was being sprayed from the tentacles onto the cocoons, which eagerly absorbed the fluid as if ready to burst open any second. The central pillar was performing the same function as the Stalker once did. If not directly, then at least indirectly, it had to be related.

From beyond the stretched, thinning membrane, I could see black silhouettes squirming. Nearby, what appeared to be ghouls and mimics that had emerged from the cocoons were wandering about.

'But that's not what's important.'

No matter how threatening it seemed after multiple mutations, it never crossed past being classified as a ghoul. Once in a while, I'd see variants that looked like Dreadnought subspecies, but that was it.

Our firepower at the robot production facility wasn't trivial, so brute force could overwhelm them. If Orca swept through with a Reef Rifle, everything would be wiped out in one go.

That's why rather than focusing on the writhing cocoons, I concentrated on the overall form of the mutated Stalker. Looking at the silhouette, it reminded me of only one thing.

"... Celestia, this looks..."

- Yes, it's similar, isn't it? To that being which blocked our escape.

Celestia finished my sentence, agreeing. She sent a few more images, saying they were taken by Orca from high altitude.

The holographic window displayed an infection at the refinery that now resembled the Invasion Tree— that colossal being whose name we dared not even utter.

I understood now why Celestia hesitated to definitively label this as a new mutant although she'd never seen anything like it before.

"That thing was at the refinery?"

- Uh, Hyun-woo, your face looks scary.

I couldn't help but scowl. The Invasion Tree I'd seen before was so overwhelming, it crushed my fighting spirit just by being there. Wanting to fight it—wasn't because I thought I could win, but because there was no other way to survive.

To see a mutant mimicking such a being at the refinery—how could I possibly remain unaffected?

Celestia waved her hands hurriedly, seeing how grim my expression had become.

- It wasn't anything as dangerous as you think. I told you, there was no real problem. Aside from the appearance, it strangely showed almost no aggression.

"... It wasn't aggressive?"

- That's right. While the creatures born from the cocoons attacked us, the central pillar itself showed no intent to attack. It just seemed preoccupied with its own business. Since there's not much data, I don't know if it was always like this or if it lost some functions during the plant-ification process.

She said that, even as they were attacked, the central pillar never stopped tending to the cocoons. Until it malfunctioned, its tentacles kept injecting nutrients into the cocoons, making them grow.

She theorized at first that the mutated organic pillar might attack, but ultimately, its lack of reaction was odd.

- The tentacles were incredibly tough. If it wanted to use them as defensive weapons, it easily could have, but there was no sign of that, which was confusing.

Even though it could have attacked, it didn't. That reminded me of something— when I'd yelled at the creatures back then.

Could it be that, because I'd shouted at them to leave, the clearly external Celestia's group wasn't attacked? That thought didn't last long; I shook my head to reject it.

'... That's too much of a stretch.'

What happened that time was still a mystery. The idea that those creatures would meekly obey just because I shouted at them didn't make sense.

Some of them did seem to display intelligence. At the time, I'd wanted nothing more than to clear all obstacles, and with the battle already swinging out of control, it made sense that they wouldn't want to spill more blood among themselves.

Still, there were some nagging doubts, but I forced myself to ignore them. No matter how much I thought about it, there was no answer.

"Did Orca say anything? Seems like the type who'd know something."

- He said there's nothing in his database. Just that it's an unregistered entity in the Archive.

So, like the Sprout I carry around, this was a new entity appearing for the first time. As I mulled it over, Celestia continued.

- I did come up with one guess: If they have enough energy and space to contain it, the monsters' ultimate mutation could be to mimic the Invasion Tree. In other words, they're trying to become the same kind of being.

"Their final mutation is the Invasion Tree... That's terrifying."

No matter how much they try to imitate the original, they'll never equal the real thing. But just seeing them look like that was enough to make me uneasy. That's how overwhelming the Invasion Tree felt to me.

- We'll have to wait and see whether it's just functioning as a plant or whether it's mutating further to become another Invasion Tree. Once we return to the Albatross, we'll talk in more detail. I'm bringing lots of presents.

Celestia had successfully recovered a large number of security robots in good condition from the facility, and she had a surprise for us.

- I found something hidden in a corner of the facility. I'll tell you what it is when I get back!

From the moment she called it a surprise present, I wondered if it could really be considered a surprise anymore, but she just grinned and waved from the other side of the holographic window.

- I'll see you soon. And once I'm back, I'll make up for all the time we missed—no, twice as much!

"Okay."

I relaxed and waved back, and Celestia chuckled. Soon after, the live video communication ended.

The moment the call was over, I hurried over to Licorice, who was still in the midst of giving orders in the storage bay.

RelatedRelatedRelated