CHAPTER 65: CHAPTER 64: THE REAL F.O.R.C.E.

Twelve minutes.

That’s how long it took for the team sent from HQ to clear the base inside out. They even managed to kill the Brood Mother in that time. Zaen wasn’t happy to learn that, since he was hoping to add her to his sinner collection.

The moment the Brood Mother died, everyone who was possessed collapsed. Those who had been under the anomaly’s control for a long time, like Johann, died instantly.

They didn’t have any organs left inside their bodies, and without the worms, they turned into husks. Zoey and Jenna were the only survivors, even so, both of them would need rigorous rehabilitation before they would ever be able to resume their ’normal’ lives.

Just like that... one anomaly wiped out an entire base of thousands of capable agents. It was the greatest setback the organization had faced in over a century.

They also helped Ann get back and the moment she walked out of the room, she jumped into Zaen’s arms. He was taken aback by her sudden fragile demeanor, but hugged her back anyway.

After all, for him, the agents were nothing more than strangers, but for Ann, they were her family, one she had known for thirty-six years. He couldn’t even start to imagine what she was going through.

Despite their emotional entanglement, they needed to be questioned and hence were separated by the HQ reps and were asked various questions. Unlike before, the interrogation didn’t involve strange fetishized suits, but it felt normal.

That’s how the actual organization operated.

While most things Zaen learned from the possessed agents were true, naturally, a few things were different, like their offer for him to join.

"Your agreement matters to us," the burly man who had saved him said. "If you agree, you’ll be sent away to the training facility for a year for beginner training. If you’re capable, you might be asked to take more courses after the first year."

"And if I disagree?" Zaen asked.

"Then your memories will be wiped clean and you’ll be dropped off at your home," he replied. "However, in that event, the organization won’t make any efforts to help you in the upcoming rounds since we’re already short-staffed enough to not give a damn about those who don’t belong to us."

The meaning was clear. If Zaen joined them, his safety within the games was more or less ensured. He’d get proper training and intel before each level to help him.

If he didn’t, he would be on his own. The chances of his survival would drop greatly, but that would be the least of his concerns.

The cult wouldn’t be so kind as F.O.R.C.E.. They won’t take no for an answer, and instead of erasing his memory, they’d erase everything and everyone around him just to ensure their identities didn’t leak.

"I’ll join."

"Very well then," the man replied, patting his shoulder. "I have the documents ready. You just need to read... I’m sorry, would you like to get an interpreter or support?"

"I’ll do it," Ann said, walking into the room.

"Miss Tepes, I’m afraid I can’t allow you to accompany him into the training facility."

"I’ve been reassigned to the training facility as a warden. There won’t be any issues, Agent Rhino."

Ann smiled, handed Rhino a letter, and sat beside Zaen, holding his hand. Zaen was a bit taken aback by her continuous shifting behavior. But he knew that if there was one person who wouldn’t lie to him anymore, it was Ann.

"I’ll have her if there are no issues," Zaen said, clutching her hand even tighter.

***

On the other side of the facility...

A group of individuals in white hazmat suits was collecting the remains of agents and broods. The brood samples would be studied to prevent a similar incident from unfolding and to create new protocols if necessary.

As for the agent’s samples, those would be used to match with their database and give compensation to their families. No matter if they were infected due to their own negligence or not, it was the organization’s responsibility to take care of their families now.

Meanwhile, a man dressed in a black trench coat stood there. His face was concealed behind a plain gold mask with only slits for his eyes and nostrils on it.

He was the one who found and killed the brood mother and was also one of the lucky few to be chosen by Beep-Boop in the first round. Although the person back then and the chunk of metal now were two different people entirely.

"What do you think, Kourai?" the woman with the bangs asked. "Is he... special?"

Kourai didn’t reply, just looked over his shoulder in the direction Zaen was being interrogated. After a brief moment, he nodded.

"I thought so," the woman replied.

The level of carnage Zaen had unleashed without any formal training was... commendable.

The moment they received the call, they headed over, fearing there would be no survivors at all. But the reality was different.

They only saw Zaen drenched in blood from head to toe, standing in a field of corpses. He single-handedly stopped the anomalies from attacking the restriction room, although it wasn’t needed.

The woman glanced at the file in her hand, and the more she read, the more formidable Zaen seemed.

"He even took down the Endless in the first stage," she said.

Kourai’s head snapped towards her. Even a soulless robot was taken aback by the deeds of a human. It went to show the extent of Zaen’s talent.

"He only killed it once before passing out and then lost his eyes at the hands of that monster," the woman continued. "It’s a shame. One can’t help but wonder what he would’ve been capable of with his eyes intact."

Kourai grunted, clearly disapproving of the woman’s stance.

"Just because you sacrificed your organs willingly for strength, doesn’t mean the rest can do the same."

Kourai didn’t reply.

However, he was interested in learning how Zaen could fight so well.