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[Translator – Seraph]
[Proofreader – Draxx]
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Chapter 491
There are no officially recognized unemployed people in the Star Union.
Every citizen receives cybernetic surgery and is then permanently assigned a profession. Until new orders co from above, that job becos their lifelong occupation.
Since all cyborgs work and rest at the sa hours, residential districts are always quiet.
At the usual working hour, when everyone had gone out, a group of figures was walking through the heart of the residential block. They stopped in front of a vacant apartnt.
“Unit 35, Third-Class Residence, Address 23. This is the place.”
“Begin the search.”
Ard androids and surveillance officers entered the apartnt. Among them was Surveillance Officer Richeulbi, the one who had drawn up this operation.
A few days earlier at the Beast Arena, he had noticed so suspicious Coldbloods. This was the apartnt where they lived.
The two Coldbloods differed only in the ti they had defected to the Star Union. Their workplace and residence happened to be the sa. In fact, the Biogas Plant at Unit 35 where both of them worked was known to employ many Coldbloods.
It was the perfect ground for a cult to spread its preaching.
‘Their personal files didn’t reveal anything unusual….’
That absence of anomalies had only made Richeulbi more suspicious. After all, his own cara footage had caught them ntioning Vortex-One.
The higher command had acknowledged this, authorizing the house-search operation.
‘If we search thoroughly, sothing is bound to turn up.’
The sector assigned to Richeulbi’s team was an old Coldblood’s residence.
The resident had only immigrated to the Star Union two weeks prior. As such, the narrow single-room space contained nothing but the standard governnt-issued furnishings.
“No irregularities detected.”
“Check the walls and flooring. Anything concealed?”
“asurents show no abnormalities.”
They even stripped away wallpaper and flooring, but it was all in vain.
The only discovery was a wire fra twisted into the shape of a pentagonal ring.
“This doesn’t make sense….”
Richeulbi stared down at the crude object in his hand.
Within the Star Union, it was illegal for an individual to own any unauthorized item. Yet what Richeulbi had been hoping to uncover was tangible proof of cultic activity not sothing this primitive.
‘Do I use this as leverage anyway?’
“Surveillance Officer Richeulbi,” reported one of the androids beside him. “Incoming report from another search unit.”
“What is it?”
“They uncovered large amounts of bloodstains, fragnts of flesh, and several bladed weapons.”
“What!? Then it wasn’t this guy, but the other one? Good. Notify the factory at once and move to arrest.”
“Understood.”
When his suspicions matched the report, Richeulbi’s face brightened. But the satisfaction didn’t last long.
“He’s disappeared?”
“Yes. After leaving work two days ago, there has been no record of his return.”
“Surveillance footage?”
“Checked by Officer Zenai. No footage exists of him after the disappearance.”
“…Not even the caras caught him?”
Richeulbi’s expression crumpled.
‘Could soone have leaked the operation? No… he vanished too quickly for that.’
Two days prior was only a day into the preliminary investigation. At that stage, even his own colleagues hadn’t known he was pursuing cult followers.
‘If the leak isn’t the cause, then there’s another reason….’
“And what of this room’s current owner? Has he also vanished?”
“Confird. He is still at work. Shall we proceed with arrest?”
“Not yet.”
Richeulbi thought back to the events at the Beast Arena.
Co to think of it, a sly-faced Coldblood like a serpent had seed to be drawing this room’s owner into the cult.
Whether or not the man had truly joined was irrelevant. The fact remained he now had contact with them.
If the missing cultist really had fled, then this room’s owner was the only lead left to pursue him.
‘If we arrest him now, the cult will surely learn of it….’
And once alerted, they would erase all remaining traces beyond recovery.
He needed a different, more discreet approach.
“Analyze his human connections. See if he has links to either Coldblood. I’ll assign that task to the Surveillance Officer Zenai.”
“Reply from Zenai confird. Accepted.”
“In the anti, I will take up another infiltration mission. Requesting a cover profession.”
“Orders transmitted. Permission granted.”
Fortunately, there was one easy way to draw close to this apartnt’s owner.
“If the owner applies to visit the Beast Arena, report to imdiately.”
“Confird.”
In that place, where everyone was too consud by violence and madness, he could make contact without arousing suspicion.
All that remained was for Richeulbi to wait for the day he’d been hoping for.
And that day arrived sooner than expected.
The very day the secret search operation was concluded, the old Coldblood submitted a request to visit the Beast Arena.
As soon as the news reached him, Richeulbi headed straight for the Arena.
｢Next match is….｣
Today, there was no famous bout scheduled, leaving the mood rather subdued. Nearly half the seats were empty.
‘There he is.’
During the intermission, Richeulbi spotted the old Coldblood.
He was surrounded by a group called Coldbloods in varied clothing. So looked like fellow workers from the Biogas Plant, while others seed to be employees from entirely different jobs.
‘Wait… what’s that?’
On the uniforms of the Biogas Plant workers, including the old Coldblood, there was a small scrawled marking.
A pentagon, ford by five dots connected together.
It was the exact sa shape as the object discovered during the raid.
I knew it. There’s sothing here.
Perhaps it was a profane symbol shared within the cult.
Cautiously, Richeulbi drew closer.
“…Does this paradise you speak of really exist?”
“To be honest, it’s not the paradise you might imagine. The climate is bitterly cold, and it’s filled with dangerous wild beasts.”
“But then, isn’t it dangerous? Why would we…?”
“Because there is freedom. Thanks to the care of the Great Ones, survival and freedom are assured there.”
“The Great Ones? What is that supposed to be so kind of divine providence cultists babble about?”
Unlike before, the old Coldblood was speaking in earnest, passionately describing sothing.
The others were listening intently, so absorbed in his words they didn’t even notice when Richeulbi approached.
“No, they are not empty idols like that… Oh? May I help you?”
The old man looked up, recognizing him or so it seed.
Richeulbi covered himself with a polite, feigned smile.
“Hello. I’ve just been assigned to the gas plant. I noticed many here seem to work there as well.”
“Is that so? Then welco.”
It appeared the old Coldblood didn’t recognize his face at all.
‘Perfect.’
Seeing how the man greeted him warmly, oblivious, Richeulbi thought: This was the perfect mont to extract information.
“May I ask you sothing?”
“Of course.”
“That symbol the one on your clothes. Is it so factory mark?”
“Oh, this? No. It’s the emblem of our faith.”
“Your faith?”
The old man revealed it without hesitation, as if it were no secret at all.
“Yes. It’s our token of gratitude to those who saved us.”
“Saved you, huh.”
Hah. Must be their way of referring to the cult.
Suppressing a mocking smile, Richeulbi pressed further.
“In that case, could I perhaps have one too?”
“Of course.”
“Ha, I knew it would be wait, what? Really!?”
“Certainly. If you wish, you may even attend one of our gatherings.”
The unexpected answer caught Richeulbi off guard.
And he wasn’t the only one. Other Coldbloods without the symbol also exchanged startled looks at the old man’s words.
“Elder… isn’t paradise ant only for us?”
“Not at all. The Great Ones do not divide people by race or usefulness. The opportunity is open to all.”
Among the cult, the ones who always took part were Coldbloods or outright cultists. He had never heard of any of them trying to recruit a cyborg before.
‘Did their policy change after crossing into the Star Union?’
If so, perhaps it was for the better. This might be the perfect chance to infiltrate the cult from within and expose its true nature.
“I truly appreciate the offer. I’d be honored to attend.”
“Excellent. There’s a gathering tomorrow. I’ll invite you then.”
The old Coldblood smiled and offered his hand.
‘Tomorrow, your cult cos to an end.’
Feigning the sa false smile, Richeulbi clasped it.
The next day, Richeulbi went to the Biogas Plant under his assud identity.
Outside, an android strike force stood by, ready to intervene the mont trouble arose. Confident in his preparations, he waited.
He crossed paths a few tis with those he had t the day before, but they showed no unusual reaction. He didn’t mind. After all, this was supposed to be a secret gathering such behavior was only to be expected.
｢Work shift completed. All employees…｣
As the day’s tasks ended, the old Coldblood approached him.
“Please, co with .”
“Eh? But there are surveillance androids monitoring us.”
“They won’t be an issue.”
Strangely, the androids seed not to register them at all.
The sa was true of the other Coldblood workers nearby. They chatted freely, sharing food that seed brought from ho, completely unconcerned.
“All of us here may belong to the sa race, but we co from many different howorlds. Being in such a foreign place can be difficult. These monts together are necessary.”
The old Coldblood spoke with a calm, almost gentle tone.
But to Richeulbi, the scene was alarming.
‘They already hacked the entire plant? Already?’
It was impossible for just a handful of cultists to seize control of an entire facility let alone right under his nose. This ant their influence reached far beyond the plant itself.
‘When in the world did this happen…?’
“This way.”
While he wrestled with his unease, they arrived at the organic-materials storage room. The old Coldblood shifted so of the stacked sacks aside, revealing a hidden door.
“Let’s head down.”
“…Down?”
“The gathering you’ve been waiting for lies below.”
The door opened onto a stairwell that sank into pitch‑black darkness.
Richeulbi hesitated. Should he issue the attack order to the androids now? Or wait a little longer and press in deeper?
Before he could decide, the old Coldblood had already started descending.
‘Tch!’
Grinding his teeth, Richeulbi hurried after, chasing the figure who seed to vanish into the blackness.
‘I can’t let him slip away.’
It was already clear this old cultist was no ordinary follower. Securing him and wringing out every detail was imperative.
But as Richeulbi descended, step after step, sothing felt wrong.
The man should have been just ahead of him, but the stairwell was empty. He saw no silhouette, no movent. Only the echo of his own footsteps resounded in the darkness.
It was as if he were walking the stairs alone.
‘Wait… this stairwell. How far does it even go?’
He had already descended so deep that the faint light from the storage room above had vanished completely. For such a long staircase to exist beneath a re Biogas Plant was absurd.
Or maybe he wasn’t really going down at all. The darkness was so absolute it bent his sense of direction.
Sothing was wrong. Very wrong. Cold sweat beaded his forehead as unease tightened his chest.
“This is Richeulbi. Android strike team, move in at once.”
｢chhhkrkkk｣
“Repeating: Android units, move in now damn it!”
For reasons unknown, his comms were dead.
He kept trying to send a signal, but just then, he noticed a faint glow flickering below.
“……”
From the black void that had filled the stairwell until now, light suddenly appeared, flaunting its presence.
Richeulbi swallowed hard and drew the laser pistol he had brought with him.
With each echoing step, the glow grew closer. The light leaked out from a chamber at the base of the staircase.
At last, he reached the doorway and peered carefully inside.
“Huh?”
The old Coldblood was nowhere to be seen.
Instead, a cult woman sat there with her eyes closed. Dressed in black, her body was shapeless, the only discernible features being her face and her horns.
Around her, lamps had been embedded into the floor in a ring, encircling her form. The arrangent resembled a ritual altar.
Imdiately, Richeulbi raised his gun and aid at her head.
“You! Don’t move!”
Slowly, she opened her eyes at his shout.
“If you try anything—”
But his warning tapered off. His voice faltered and then stopped altogether.
Her eyes weren’t like those of any other cultist. They weren’t eyes at all.
It was as if her eyeballs had been carved out, leaving only deep, ink-black voids.
The head of those empty black eyes rose higher as she lifted herself upright. But sothing was wrong.
Her face now lood three ters high. No ordinary cultist could ever stand at such a height.
And then, the so-called ‘lamps' began to shift. The glowing objects lifted up from the ground, hovering into the air to orbit her head.
Only then did Richeulbi realize.
What sat inside that chamber was not a re cultist.
“Your service is appreciated, elder.”
It was sothing wearing the cultist’s face. So inhuman presence.
“An officer of the police. Perfect timing...I had a need for one.”
“U… uuaaaghhh!”
The instant the thing spoke, Richeulbi broke. Terror overwheld him, and he pulled the trigger.
The shriek of a cyborg, the flash of laser fire the chamber was lit for but a second, spilling light into the corridor.
Monts later.
Richeulbi stepped out of the room.
He climbed back toward the storage area, switching on his communicator.
“This is Richeulbi. Abort the mission. The Biogas Plant at Unit 35 holds no cult presence. No questions will be taken.”
He stared blankly into nothing, repeating the sa words over and over.
“There is no cult here. I repeat. There is no problem here.”
No one in the factory paid him any mind.
Because by then, many of the cyborgs had already left, wearing the exact sa blank expression as Richeulbi.
They all knew what mission had been imprinted upon him.
And they all knew he would not be the last.
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[Translator – Seraph]
[Proofreader – Draxx]
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