24

Beyond the Veil: Kiran's Supernatural Hunt

Chapter 24: The Report

Kiran revved his motorcycle along the lonely roads, the wind whipping against his face as he headed to the café where the meeting would take place. The purr of the engine resonated in his ears, but his mind was filled with thoughts and uncertainties. He wondered if it had been a good idea to tell his friend about the dark entities he had been investigating. He knew his friend had unique skills and knowledge that could be valuable for his mission to eliminate these strange dark entities, and how things were going, it's very likely to be announced to the whole world soon.

However, he was also worried about involving someone else in this dangerous organization. The dark entities were unpredictable and could pose a significant risk to those attempting to confront them. Kiran had been through perilous situations and had seen firsthand the devastating effects of dark entities on people's behavior following incursions.

As he rode, Kiran recalled the conversations he had with his friend about his research. He felt an immediate connection, sharing the same passion for figuring out the best way to eliminate the dark entities.

But now, as he approached the café, he had doubts. Had it been imprudent to involve Noah in this dangerous pursuit? Would he be able to protect him from the dangers they would face together?

These questions crowded Kiran's mind as he parked his motorcycle in front of the café. He adjusted his jacket and walked into the place, searching for the man amidst the crowd of people enjoying their afternoon coffee.

Entering the café, Kiran looked at Gabriel, sitting in a corner. "Your mind seems to be elsewhere; you should pay more attention to your surroundings, Director."

Kiran sat down absentmindedly without looking around.

"I see you're doing well; the serum seems to have healed all your wounds," Gabriel said as he placed two large files in front of Kiran.

"Have they found anything about the girl from that day?" Kiran didn't directly ask about the content of the two files.

Gabriel shook his head, his weary expression looking towards the documents, and said, "We couldn't find that girl, nor do we have reports of any dark entity on the loose now that the Light Association has taken control."

"Lately, the corporeal dark entities that awaken in the human body are like dormant eggs—an infection, maybe a virus that rests in any living being and then mutates into monstrous creatures," Gabriel said slowly while sipping his second cup of coffee.

Listening to Gabriel's words, Kiran remembered everything he knew about the anomalies. Since he was a captain of the special forces against dark entities, he could detect that sometimes the monsters were humans mutated in a very special way.

The mutation that transforms the human body into monsters was unknown to him, but he knew one thing: the human body knew it was undergoing a metamorphosis and slowly losing control of its body.

"Are you saying there's a corporeal dark entity in its early metamorphosis stage that hasn't changed completely?" Kiran asked, unable to believe it.

Even with his limited experience, he never found a dark entity in such a confused state. According to the files he could find, the transformation is the ideal time to eliminate a dark entity without major problems.

However, Kiran could never understand how a human could mutate in that way. Some kind of virus? Radiation? If so, how could a normal civilian end up in that state?

Then, how do we explain the exponential mutation of animals into their frenzy state? Kiran couldn't imagine anything so strange for now. Even different organizations and other nations are unaware of where dark entities come from and how they mutate.

Kiran had read reports by scientists, but these were mere speculations. A possible explanation could be through the interaction of genetic and environmental factors. The report sets a scenario in which certain individuals possess a unique and exceptionally complex genetic combination. These genes could contain encoded information that, under certain specific circumstances, would trigger the manifestation of anomalies in their bodies.

These circumstances could be related to exposure to radiation, chemicals, or unknown energies. Imagine that unusual exposure or an anomalous reaction to these environmental factors would trigger a series of events within the organism.

These events could include accelerated or uncontrolled genetic mutations, the activation of "latent" genes that are normally inactive in humans, or even the integration of extraterrestrial genetic material or of unknown origin.

These mutations and genetic changes could drastically alter the structure and function of the human body, giving rise to the appearance of monstrous or anomalous characteristics. These beings could present physical deformities, superhuman abilities, or extraordinary sensory capabilities.

Moreover, in this hypothetical scenario, these anomalies could be linked to the activation of parts of the human genome that are more related to primitive or ancestral life forms, which have remained inactive throughout human evolution.

Gabriel smiled strangely and said, "It's the only explanation we can find... Most of the dark entities identified around the country are always related to the brutal deaths of police officers or civilians. If we're lucky in identifying something out of the ordinary, we might find the corporeal dark entity before it makes contact with civilians."

Kiran understood this, but unlike those incorporeal entities, the physical ones are not tracked with special equipment. Werewolves, fully incarnated demons, or vampires cannot be pursued because the process of finding them is through investigations.

"That would be impossible if it's still in its mutation process; there's no guarantee that it can be contained completely, and most likely it already has victims." Kiran ordered a coffee and looked at the files on the table.

"You're curious, aren't you?" Gabriel, who understood much more about it, said, "The first folder contains the new program that the country will implement in the coming weeks."

"Is it the new program?" Kiran took the folder and started reading the information.

"A new distribution of the organization; you should know that the S.C.G. won't be under NIS for your luck."

After mentioning the name of the organization that the government approved to be officially integrated into the army's plans and any department involving the security and well-being of the people, Gabriel explained in detail, "The government, seeing the inefficient work we've done due to our poor organization, approved this new command group that will be entirely responsible for everything related to corporeal dark entities, working with the Light Association. I believe it was explained to you before."

"Cleaning departments, logistics, research, immediate response command, and even something as simple as special investigation agents will be the new departments that will deal solely with dark entities." Gabriel sighed in frustration while lighting a cigarette in this place, disregarding everything.

"Perhaps Colonel Edmund briefly told you about this new government plan to face the continuous outbreak of dark entities and our inefficiency in eliminating them."

"Metropolitan cities and provinces will initially only have a special base for this organization that will mainly deal with corporeal dark entities. While more bases are created around each city only for immediate response, military bases will provide support only in the event of a disaster. But from now on, the infantry of the army will focus on securing the area with the help of counter-terrorism police to give S.G.C. time to eliminate the threat."

Kiran listened silently to what Gabriel explained, looking at the information sheets; he found a special section.

"[Metropolitan City Seoul]"

"[Designated General Captain at the central S.G.C. base in Seoul: Kiran Jones.]"

"[Total authority to deploy the containment power of the S.G.C. base and its personnel. Each general captain has total authority to communicate directly with the Commander General of the Armed Forces. Has total authority to communicate directly with the interim president in situations of extreme emergency. Also, they have total authority to speak under the same conditions as a Guardian Bishop of the Light Association. "

"The city to which you were assigned and the one I proposed—not only me but many high-ranking officials who know about your new potential—decided to grant you the special Metropolitan City of Seoul; many consider that Seoul must be protected in a special way." Gabriel said it with evident disgust in his voice. Taking a sip of coffee, he looked at the time on his watch and waited for Kiran to express his opinion.

"I'm glad they can still trust me to be assigned a complete base under my command. It must have been difficult even for you due to my previous failure."

Leaving the folder on the table, Kiran showed a pained expression as he remembered the past. Even if he had been prepared beforehand to have losses in his team, losing so many men under his command caused a sharp pain in his heart.

After being able to recover his memories, Kiran couldn't rest without thinking about that horrifying night.

"Kiran, you can't say that. All the high-ranking officials appreciate your services to the country and fully trust your future decisions."

Kiran shook his head and said, "I still can't and never believe I can avoid blaming myself for what happened that day. I'm comforted by the fact that we all fought for our loved ones, and that's what accompanies me to move forward even with my disastrous performance."

He had to come to terms with his failure so that he never underestimated the power and intelligence of an anomaly.

He swore that he would continue to fight to protect the country and the peace of all the relatives of the soldiers who fell because of anomalies.

"We all carry that burden on our shoulders, Kiran; all those who know about anomalies and work so that civilians don't experience that world carry that pain in their days." Gabriel expressed his thoughts.

"What's in that other file?"

Stopping talking about topics that still prevent him from completely controlling his emotions, Kiran looked at the other folder on his right.

"This is a brief report on the state of your body and all the potential that can develop due to the HDW-37 serum running through your veins." Gabriel said it in a calm voice.

Kiran looked at this and nodded with interest. Upon opening the folder, he could see the content and the information neatly explained.

Indeed, the HDW-37 super-soldier serum, which was integrated into his body with difficulty, is not a serum that turns people into monsters. On the contrary, its effects are much more superior than everyone's expectations.

From Kiran's experience, he knew that the HDW-37 serum unlocked a great capacity to analyze, learn, observe, understand, and solve problems in his mind; it was as if a door had opened. Any stimulant used for studying, everything that improves concentration and memory, pales in comparison to what Kiran can do now.

Without any obstruction, all the immense power that spread through his body originated from his brain. A vast power arose in Kiran's body with unimaginable evolution possibilities!

Kiran was reading the summary report of the information that Ha Dong-gyun gave him. Now he knew that his conjectures and understanding were not far from the truth.

The success of undergoing this process is less than 1%, considering that everyone had died in the attempt. It made not only Kiran think that there was something special in his body.

For now, his power in terms of physical abilities has reached the human limit in some aspects. A strength capable of lifting more than five hundred kilograms with enormous effort. Accelerated vision, superhuman agility, superhuman speed, and much superior healing than anyone.

Kiran believed he could run constantly without getting tired at speeds that only an Olympic athlete could reach.

'According to what is said in this report, my abilities could keep growing and obtain unique benefits.' Kiran thought to himself as he closed the file.

"Well, what do you think?" Gabriel asked while looking at Kiran.

"It would be a great shame if I didn't use my abilities to eliminate dark entities. All my future potential can be used as long as I can."

Kiran smiled ironically. "However, most likely, they will now resume the investigation into the HDW-37 serum due to the success of my body. I want reports on that. My only request about it is that, and I also thank everyone for giving me the opportunity to keep fighting." Kiran was not foolish about it; he knew that Gabriel would find it impossible for him to fulfill the words that he said that day in the hospital.

"I'll make an exception; later, someone will contact you about what you mentioned. I'll be discreet and forget that you said that; I don't want it to happen again." Gabriel responded with a serious expression. It seemed as if he didn't want to talk about it, which showed many answers with just the expression on his face.

"All right then, stay alert; I'm sure there are dozens of new dark entities in Seoul." Kiran stood up and left the café after that.

"It's a great honor to keep seeing you on the battlefield. I apologize for not being able to resolve all your questions for now. Everything is for a better future; not everyone is qualified to obtain the benefits of the HDW-37 serum; that's why we lied about its new abilities." Gabriel thought with a cold expression.