novelraw Chapter 200
Chapter 200
Chapter 200
Time flowed faster in Honeycomb City.
They dispersed drugs that accelerated biological activity by hundreds—no, by thousands of times, while simultaneously paralyzing the instincts of the test subjects through continuous hypnosis and suggestion.
Through this method, Benedict had made “humans” live their lives like mice, with rapid life cycles.
While only a few days passed outside the laboratory, those inside were born, grew up, loved, reproduced, aged, and met their end.
“Ah… Aaron…”
I was still dazed from the shocking contents of the experiment when Ciel called out to me.
“W-would you take a look at this…?”
The data in the Director’s Office included videos and photographs. What Ciel showed me was one of them.
The title of the video was [Experiment Record No. 12852].
And the contents went as follows—
There was a young child, asleep on an operating table.
He was too young to even be called a boy. Far younger than Evangeline. And above him, countless mechanical arms hung from the ceiling.
One of them, moving with clinical precision, injected a large syringe into the infant’s forehead, shoulders, chest, and thighs.
In that instant, to my astonishment, the baby began to grow at an incredible rate. His height increased, his hair lengthened, his genitals enlarged, hair sprouted, and his upper-body muscles developed. In the blink of an eye, the baby had become an adult man.
But only for a moment—soon after, the man began to age. His hair fell out, wrinkles deepened, his muscles weakened, bones thinned, liver spots formed, and before long, he had turned into a white-haired old man, gasping for breath… until his life came to an end.
The entire process happened far too quickly.
Through the attached records, I could tell that it had taken only a few days for the test subject to die.
“Urgh!”
Ciel, who had not been feeling well for some time, began to gag as soon as she saw the footage. If her body had been human, she probably would have vomited on the spot. In a way, it was fortunate that she couldn’t.
I felt the same revulsion, but I couldn’t stop here. With grim determination, I went through the other records.
[Criteria for Alpha Class Determination.]
[Experiment Record No. 29624.]
[Honeycomb City Operation Budget.]
……
……
It took quite a long time, but I eventually managed to review them all. Of course, much of it was too technical for me to understand, so I had to skip several parts.
Even so, it wasn’t difficult to grasp the overall picture of this experimental facility—
and, more importantly, two crucial facts.
The first—
that I, Benedict, and Kallia, we three siblings, were all born as results of the research conducted in this facility.
And the second—
“I’ve found out who killed Benedict.”
Why had Benedict been found dead inside the Director’s Office?
And why was the experiment still continuing even after his death?
“……”
“Aaron?”
“We need to find Benedict.”
At first, I had planned to blow up the entire facility. But now, I had changed my mind. Acting recklessly could make things even worse.
Ciel, startled by my murmur, asked in disbelief,
“Huh? Are you saying… that body was fake?”
“No.”
I shook my head firmly.
And then, I gave my conclusion.
“The one who killed Benedict… was Benedict himself.”
Life was truly unpredictable.
Once, he had been the heir to Militech—a megacorp that rivaled even the royal Stingray Group.
To use an analogy, someone of noble birth who once ruled over New Valhalla City was now living as nothing more than a Beta Class citizen in a modest mid-sized city of just a million people.
And surprisingly, he didn’t dislike it.
Five years had already passed since he came to this city. Vladimir was living under the name “Beta,” having abandoned the surname “Kharitonov” inherited from his father.
Getting that name and class had been no easy task. He hadn’t been born in the Artificial Incubator but in the outside world—making him the first in history to ever become a citizen of Honeycomb City.
But that was all in the past.
Somehow, Vladimir had managed to overcome those obstacles and had come to be content with his current life.
The elite education he had received as Militech’s next chairman and his experience as a foundation director now shone through.
At the Socialization Center where he’d recently found work, he achieved results far beyond what any other Beta Class could manage, rising rapidly through the ranks—reaching the highest position a Beta could attain within just a few years.
Judging by ability alone, Vladimir was on par with the Alphas. However, elevating an outsider to Alpha Class could destabilize Honeycomb City’s hierarchy, so the City Council decided to keep him as a Beta.
Not that Vladimir himself had much ambition for Alpha status anyway. He had already experienced both the privileges and the burdens of being part of the upper class back in New Valhalla City.
He found it much more comfortable living as a Beta. Here, there was no fear of being tormented by Aaron Stingray, no need to wrestle with wolves wearing human faces.
And above all—
ever since he and Linda Beta had their “daughter,” everything else had ceased to matter.
“Daddy! Daddy!”
“Sasha, how many times have I told you not to call me that at the Center? What if someone hears you?”
“It’s fine! Nobody will notice!”
“Ha… You little rascal.”
In Honeycomb City, the concept of parents, children—or even family—was nearly nonexistent. New children were all born in Artificial Incubators, from the randomly combined sperm and eggs that citizens were required to donate. In such a society, the outdated notion of “family” could hardly take root.
The Alpha Class were merely prohibited from sexual activity, but those in the Beta Class and below were sterilized outright.
Yet somehow, Vladimir alone had been made an exception to those rules and restrictions. The City Council had granted him permission to marry Linda Beta—and even to have a child the old-fashioned way.
Linda, who had been infertile as a Beta, underwent surgery to regain her fertility. She vowed eternal love to Vladimir, became his wife, and gave birth to their daughter, “Sasha.”
Many citizens found the couple’s adherence to such “archaic” customs revolting, but Vladimir was talented enough to brush off such gazes without concern.
Who among them could oppose the man who had reached the top of the Beta Class in just a few years? He skillfully ensured that his family could integrate stably into society.
Thanks to that, he was happy.
He had a loving wife and an adorable daughter. He was respected at work and wanted for nothing in life. What greater happiness could a man ask for?
Of course, sometimes, this thought would creep in—
‘What am I really doing here?’
The fact that this place was, in truth, a secret research facility of the Stingray Group would, from time to time, resurface in his mind—piercing his consciousness like a needle, stirring his sense of alarm.
He still suffered from the strange amnesia and feelings of dissonance that had begun when he first arrived in this city.
But over five years, Vladimir had grown numb to it all. Whenever he looked at his beloved little girl standing before him, all that dissonance and unease simply faded away.
Whatever.
I would live here.
With my wife, and my daughter.
“Daddy, you’ll come pick me up this weekend, right?”
Sasha asked in a sweet, playful tone.
To that, Vladimir answered,
“If you behave well this week.”
“Geez. When have I ever not behaved?”
“You know your dad’s the highest-ranking Beta in the Center, right? I know you got warned yesterday for chatting during class with your friend.”
“Ugh…”
“So don’t try to fool your dad. I’d like you to behave properly while you’re at the Center. You’re special, unlike the other kids.”
“I know. But it’s important to get along with friends, too.”
“That doesn’t mean you have to talk during class to make friends.”
“…Fine. Got it.”
Sasha pouted, puffing her cheeks.
Perhaps because she was his daughter, she spoke far more fluently than other children, even though she was only five. She had learned to talk much faster than most kids.
Smiling fondly at his daughter, Vladimir gently patted her head.
Vladimir’s life was a happy one.
That didn’t mean it was without problems, however. From time to time, his happiness would be shaken by threats from within and without.
And at the center of it all was always his wife, Linda.
Ah, of course, not because she was lacking as a wife.
The problem lay elsewhere.
“...Ho—Honey. Are you listening?”
“Huh? W-what did you say?”
“Honestly. I’ll start over from the beginning, so listen carefully this time.”
Linda began talking again, but her words went in one ear and out the other. Vladimir’s attention was completely captured by her hair.
White hair…
The crown of Linda’s head had started to turn faintly gray. At only thirty years old, her body was already showing subtle signs of aging.
White strands of hair, skin losing its elasticity bit by bit. Of course, Vladimir loved her enough to still love her even as she aged—but that wasn’t the point.
There are no anti-aging surgeries here.
Honeycomb City didn’t have such things as anti-aging procedures. The majority of citizens naturally died around the age of fifty.
Given how advanced their medical technology was, it was a shockingly short lifespan.
What Vladimir feared most was that Linda might die before he did. Even without anti-aging treatment, as an Adaptee, his lifespan was destined to be longer than hers.
No—under certain circumstances, even his only daughter, Sasha, might die before he did.
The death of his loved ones.
That fear had lately begun to shake Vladimir’s heart.
If that was a recent concern, then the other problem had haunted him for far longer. A deep-rooted misfortune that had plagued both him and Linda since before their marriage.
“Linda, wait a moment. Let me see your face.”
“Huh? Why?”
“Your face… you’ve got a bruise.”
“…Ah, that. I fell. I tried treating it earlier with the Self-Treatment Device, but I guess it didn’t work properly. I’ll do it again.”
It was an obvious lie.
This was the work of that man again.
“Was it Bernard Alpha again?”
“N-no!”
“So that bastard came to the house and caused trouble again.”
“I told you it’s not like that!”
Linda denied it hastily, but it was far too obvious. She couldn’t lie to save her life.
Bernard Alpha.
He was an Alpha Class man—Linda’s superior at work. And a man whose personality made one question whether he truly deserved the title of Alpha at all.
He had been abusing Linda for a long time. Naturally, as someone of lower class, Linda had no choice but to endure it silently.
Even after Vladimir settled down in the city and began living with her, Bernard continued harassing her—sometimes even coming to their doorstep.
“I’ll have a word with him tomorrow.”
“Please don’t.”
“So you want me to just sit back and watch him hit you?”
“This is Honeycomb City, dear.”
Those words alone explained everything.
A Beta Class must never oppose an Alpha. Different rules applied here than in the outside world.
No matter how many privileges Vladimir enjoyed as a “special” Beta, defying an Alpha like Bernard was unacceptable.
“But still…”
“Please, dear. I’m fine. If I’m not hurt, why should you be angry?”
“That makes no damn sense—!”
“Please don’t. We could lose everything we’ve built together. We’re special in this city.”
“……”
“I’m happy with you. I don’t want to lose that. So please, just pretend you didn’t see anythi—”
[Linda Betaaaaaaa!]
At that very moment—
Someone shouted from outside the house.
Speak of the devil, and he shall appear.
It was Bernard Alpha’s voice.
Vladimir smirked and rose from his seat.
“It seems God is on my side today.”
“Dear!”
“Don’t worry. We’re just going to have a ‘conversation.’”
Saying that, Vladimir walked toward the front door. Blood was already seeping from his clenched fists.