“We are the first species to take evolution into our own hands. But whether we are wise enough to handle that responsibility has yet to be proven.” — Carl Sagan, Cosmos

  “How is Yonic?”

  Chancellor Rolf Vansk asked irritably. In the face of this unprecedented disaster, no one at the meeting table dared to speak. The Minister of Public Health finally managed to open his lips.

  “So far, the number of victims has exceeded 400,000. And that is limited only to those who have come to the hospitals for diagnosis.”

  “And the response?”

  “Since the cause has not yet been identified...”

  The Health Minister’s voice trailed off.

  “Is it a plague?”

  “That remains unknown as well. However, the symptoms are mostly vomiting and hair loss. Internal bleeding occurs frequently, and it is happening regardless of the area of residence.”

  Rolf sighed as he looked at the piles of reports laid out before him.

  “Provide the maximum possible support to Yonic. Deploy all public medical service units. Form a government emergency response team centered on the Mayor of Yonic and pour every available resource into it.”

  After issuing the orders to the Health Minister, Rolf called for the Director of Central Intelligence and Ha Jin-ru, the Director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. They had been waiting in front of the conference room and entered the office immediately upon being summoned.

  As soon as Ha Jin-ru entered the office, he pulled a document from his bag. It was the Mahaten Project accident report.

  “There is one piece of good news. First, the experiment is judged to be a success.”

  Rolf wore an expression of disbelief.

  “According to the investigation, the formula was correct. The problem is that the amount of energy generated by it is at a level we cannot control.”

  “So, can I assume the accident occurred because the experiment went too well?”

  Ha Jin-ru nodded silently. Then, after taking a breath, he continued.

  “The problem is that the core research personnel died in the accident. We are in a position where we must restart the project from the very beginning.”

  Rolf frowned at those words. The face of Rilke, who had pursued academic achievement without political greed, flickered in his mind.

  “And there is one more thing I must report.”

  Rolf returned from his recollection at Ha Jin-ru’s words.

  “During the investigation, there was one final request Rilke made to the investigator.”

  “What was it?”

  “He told us to close the water supply.”

  Rolf’s brow furrowed.

  “What is the reporting line for this?”

  “This is delivered only to you, Chancellor, through me. The investigation was conducted by the Provost Marshal’s Office, but it is a separate reporting line from the Minister of Defense.”

  Rolf bit his lip. Then he turned to the Intelligence Director.

  “What do you think... regarding the connection between this report and the situation in Yonic?”

  The Intelligence Director, despite his large frame, spoke with a slimy smile.

  “I believe it is a bio-chemical attack by the enemy.”

  Ha Jin-ru stared at the Director with a look of bewilderment. Rolf nodded as if he understood.

  This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

  “Then what about Rilke’s statement?”

  “It is common for bio-chemical attacks to utilize the water supply. In war, anything is done.”

  Ha Jin-ru spoke in a flustered tone.

  “You cannot cover it up like this. Even if it were a bio-chemical attack, traces must remain.”

  Rolf asked, puzzled.

  “What do you mean by that?”

  “Looking at the researchers caught in the accident, they suffered thermal burns on the surface, but they were not fatal. The problem is that they do not heal.”

  “Then can't we just claim it was a powerful bacteria?”

  “No bacteria will be cultured. We cannot silence the mouths of the medical staff. There are too many of them for that.”

  Rolf turned back to the Intelligence Director.

  “We can just say it was a toxin. A bio-chemical attack doesn't necessarily have to be bacterial,” the Director answered simply.

  “An unprecedented toxin... how long will it take?”

  “Two days should be enough. We have been watching individuals who infiltrated from the Alliance side three weeks ago,” the Director said, as if he had already prepared for this. Rolf nodded.

  “Try to raise the public support for this war to the maximum,” Rolf said, looking at the Director.

  “We might miss something more important,” Ha Jin-ru pleaded again, hoping that even if the truth was concealed, a proper response could be made.

  “The water supply will be closed, so do not worry. By emergency decree of the Chancellor,” Rolf said, staring at Ha Jin-ru.

  “How shall we label this situation? Damage caused by something unknowable and unmeasurable? Or a vicious poison attack by the enemy! Which do you think will be easier to manage?”

  Ha Jin-ru was so stunned by the implications that he couldn't find his words.

  “Uncontrolled fear turns into panic. We are at war. Do you want to drive the entire nation into a state of panic?” Rolf said emphatically.

  “The truth is buried with the dead Rilke. Now, all that remains is the 'method to win' that we have created.”

  Ha Jin-ru could say nothing more. The Intelligence Director smiled thinly. And Rolf turned the page to the next item on the agenda.

  Tirn looked down at Karen’s body, left alone in the safe house. She couldn't leave it as it was. It was certain that a report would be made soon due to the smell. However, abandoning the safe house risked exposing other information. Therefore, she had to send Karen somewhere.

  Tirn thought of a way to dispose of Karen’s remains. First, she removed every identification mark from him.

  The worn military service certificate, several forged IDs, and belongings engraved with the Trusen crest for disguise were engulfed in flames within the fireplace and turned to ash. Finally, there was the old photograph clutched in his hand. Tirn hesitated, about to throw it into the fire. After staring at the brightly smiling faces in the photo for a long time, she folded the picture and tucked it deep into the front page of the codebook.

  The path to the rendezvous point felt like ice. During the bright daylight, wearing an ordinary coat, Tirn watched the print shop—the regular meeting place—from a corner café in a crowded building.

  The rendezvous method was more complex, but since they were personnel she had met once before, she planned to wait in the café, drink her beverage, and act as if she knew them when a familiar face passed by. She waited for about 10 cells and was about to approach the agent she had seen during the infiltration. However, the moment she reached out to call the contact, she realized other individuals were watching him. She could tell that at least eight people were suspiciously looking around, staying in the same place.

  She immediately stood up, paid for her drink, and, to signal that there was an ambush, acted as if she almost tripped over the door hinge while walking out. It was a very natural performance, but it was enough to draw the contact's attention. The contact scanned the surroundings once and, without looking awkward, fumbled to take coins out of his pocket and dropped them. When one of those coins rolled in front of a man who looked like an ambush hunter, he quickly took him hostage and pulled out a weapon.

  While the contact drew everyone's eyes, Tirn walked around the corner at a pace that was neither rushed nor slow. A moment later, the sounds of gunshots and police sirens mixed together. She suppressed the urge to look back, gritted her teeth, and walked forward.

  She felt guilt once again over her comrades being caught. Regret washed over her, thinking that if she hadn't truly been obsessed with the discs, neither Karen nor that agent would have died. She swallowed her tears as much as she could.

  Composing her emotions again on the way back to the safe house, she passed the main gate of a massive municipal hospital. The hospital seen from a distance was no longer a hospital. It was so chaotic in front that one couldn't even enter the gate. Everyone entering was either an emergency case or being carried by someone. The identification numbers of several internal combustion vehicles were from Yonic. Yonic was an hour away from here, yet people had come all this way. The moment she saw that chaos, a chilling calculation flashed through Tirn’s mind.

  In a place like that... no one will be suspicious. She returned to the safe house and pulled Karen to his feet. She draped his arm, already turning stiff, over her shoulder and covered him with a thick coat. From the outside, she looked like a woman supporting a severely ill patient who couldn't steady himself.

  Tirn headed back to the hospital, practically dragging Karen. The hospital lobby was the height of pandemonium. Tirn desperately pushed through people crawling on the floor while vomiting black filth. No one stopped her, and no one checked to see if the man beside her had already drawn his last breath. The agony of the living was far louder than the silence of the dead.

  She shoved Karen toward an old bed in a corner of the emergency room, where three or four bodies were already tangled together and neglected without name tags.

  “I’m sorry, Colonel. I’m truly sorry.”

  Tirn squeezed his cold hand one last time before letting it go. She hurried to pull her hat down and vanished into the crowd. When she looked back while exiting the hallway, she saw a nurse pass by the bed where Karen lay. But instead of checking Karen’s face, she rushed to another patient having a seizure nearby.

  Karen was buried in the chaos of Yonic in that way. Now, he would be recorded as one of the nameless victims of the poison terror attack.