Before leaving, Klaus checked the entire lab.
There was a lot of stuff lying around. Monster organs, chemical liquids, lab equipment, surgical tools, vial tubes, and other strange objects. On top of all this, Klaus found Miranda's handwritten notes.
It was a journal containing her research reports. Klaus discovered the shocking fact that Miranda had experimented on 200 children.
Klaus couldn't imagine how Sheila would read this journal.
"No wonder she can't survive the [Sinner's Gaze]." A sigh escaped Klaus' mouth.
The journal also wrote about Miranda's background. This woman was a former researcher working for the government long before conducting independent experiments. She joined a project called "Broken Myth".
It was a Pentagon-funded project. They injected genes from monsters into humans to create super ordinary-being that could rival the awakeners. The research took humans as guinea pigs, and none of the volunteers survived after receiving the monster gene injection.
As many people knew, the government saw the awakener as a potential threat. They could overthrow or take over the government if they intended, as the current military arsenal was not enough to match their power.
However, the project was leaked and created public outrage.
Many true and hoax news circulated. Some said the government used terrorists as guinea pigs, and some said the government deceived young soldiers. Of all the rumors, the most popular was that they turned humans into chimeras.
As a result, the public and activists held large demonstrations. The government then quickly washed its hands by putting everything on the Pentagon. Everyone involved in the project was removed, and the research data was erased.
Miranda, however, did not stop the project. She continued the research on her own. Creating orphanages, she raised funds through well-wishers or funding organizations and obtained guinea pigs.
Miranda did this for three years, and during that time, she made a lot of progress. There were hundreds of serums that she managed to create. One serum was close to perfection. It was called Serum MP33.
The previous serums always brought death to the user after 1 year. However, Serum MP33 did not cause death, although the recipient of the serum would have an ugly form.
"Well, at least her research wasn't in vain."
Klaus put the journal into the spatial ring. He then looked around, looking for where Miranda had placed the serums she had developed. In the corner of the lab, there was a refrigerator with vials in it.
Each vial was labeled with a sequence. Klaus went through them all and found a vial labeled "MP33".
"I found it."
After finding the serum, Klaus burned everything in the labs, destroying the research evidence.
The fire spread and engulfed everything. Klaus watched it until the fire was fully engulfed, ensuring no trace was left behind. He didn't want people to know about Miranda and her experiments.
As Klaus walked towards the exit, he heard snoring. The monsters were still fast asleep under the influence of [Sleep Waves]. Looking at them, he hesitated whether he should save them or not.
There was no explanation about the antidote serum in the journal. Klaus was unsure if Sylvia could restore them to their original state. The best option was to let them die.
However, Klaus changed his mind after remembering Sheila's struggle to save the orphans.
Klaus sighed. "Looks like I have no choice."
He stacked the four chimeras and hoisted them on his shoulders. Then, he moved towards the exit while carrying those four monsters at once.
...
Thirty minutes had passed since Sheila and the others had escaped from the lab, but her boss still hadn't come out. She looked at the abandoned building with a worried look on her face.
Sylvia had a similar expression. That red-haired woman could not take her eyes off the place that almost got her killed. Her knees could not stop moving as she bit her nails.
Only Izzy looked calm. She took care of her men and the orphans.
"Why can't they calm down a bit? They make me nervous too." Izzy sighed.
"Is one of them that guy's girlfriend?" One of the kids asked innocently.
"Maybe," Izzy replied.
Suddenly, the building emitted a puff of smoke. Sylvia and Sheila panicked instantly. The red-haired woman immediately took the initiative to enter the building, but the secretary held her back.
"Have you lost your mind? You want to go in there?" Sheila quipped.
"Take your hands off me. Can't you see? The building is on fire!"
"I know, but calm your mind. Boss is extremely powerful. I saw him take out eight awakeners by himself and come out of the Black Bulls' hideout without any scars. He can definitely defeat them."
Giving a reassuring look, Sheila tried to calm the red-haired woman down. Sylvia wrung her hands, wanting to jump right in, but she obeyed Sheila in the end.
They continued to wait even as the smoke grew thicker and the flames spread to the building. When anxiety engulfed them, Sheila saw a large shadowy figure inside the building. Her heart almost stopped beating momentarily, thinking Klaus was killed and the chimeras were out to hunt them down.
But she sighed after seeing Klaus come out with four chimeras piled on his back.
"Boss!"
"Kla—Mr. Morgan!"
Those two women ran over to Klaus as he threw the chimeras to the ground. Seeing the monsters piled up, they were surprised Klaus carried them like sacks. Izzy, who was busy taking care of her men, dropped her jaw.
Sylvia hugged Klaus immediately, while Klaus, slightly surprised, opened his eyes wide.
"Relax, red-headed lady, there are many people here. You can hug him all you want at home later," Sheila quipped.
Blushing, Sylvia pushed Klaus away. She then cleared her throat, pretending nothing had happened. "Sorry, I was too worried."
Klaus huffed. "It's okay. Anyway, we have to do something about them."
Instantly, the atmosphere changed. A gleam of sadness shone in their eyes as they looked at the children in chimera form.
The one who showed the most sadness was Sheila.
"There must be a way to save them."
"There is," Klaus replied. He then looked at Sylvia.
Without asking, the red-haired woman immediately knew what he meant.
Nodding, Sylvia said, "Leave it to me."
A smile bloomed on Sheila's face.
Before manipulating time, Klaus took [Potion] and [Ether] from the spatial ring, giving them to Sylvia to restore her condition.
The red-haired woman raised both her hands, then a green light emerged from her body. Bathed in shimmering mana, Sylvia channeled it to those four chimeras.
Sheila watched with expectant eyes.
While Sylvia broke out in cold sweat, the monsters distorted. Their bodies were undulated like the surface of the water. Not long after, they shrank, and their shapes returned to normal hemispherically.
The streaks of black blood vessels on the skin's surface disappeared, the swollen flesh became smaller, and their faces became clearly visible.
Until finally, they returned to complete normalcy. Sylvia fell from her knees.
"Good job," Klaus said. He caught her before she fell down. The woman smiled weakly for a moment, and then she lost consciousness.
On the other hand, Sheila smiled so wide that her lips almost touched her ears. She immediately knelt down and hugged them. Tears rolled down her face, crying happily to see the kids back to normal.
The other kids also looked happy to see their friends safe. They immediately ran over to them and swarmed around like flies on meat.
"Jojo!"
"Emma!"
"Denzel!"
Despite the happy atmosphere, Klaus only had a poker face. There was something he knew but chose to keep to himself.
Of the four of them, Emma opened her eyes. Her face looked pale and haggard, as if no more energy was left in her. The little girl touched Sheila's wet cheek.
"Is that you, Sheila? Why are you crying?" she said in a low tone.
Sheila wiped the tears and tried to keep her smile. "Haha, it's okay. I'm fine. I'm just too happy."
Emah smiled weakly. "That's good. But I feel sad."
"Why are you sad?"
"I dreamt that bad people were after Mama. I saw her in torment. And I could only do nothing."
Shaking her head, Sheila tried to contain her feelings. "It's okay. Everything is already fine. There are no more bad people."
"Really? Thank goodness. Now I can rest peacefully. My eyes were so heavy, Sheila."
Sheila teared up and bit her lip. "Are you sleepy? Then go to sleep."
Emma nodded her head. As she closed her eyes, her hands fell down. And then, Sheila buried her face in the little girl's tiny chest. No sound escaped her mouth, only tears.
"What's happened with Emma?" asked one of the kids.
Klaus held the kid's shoulder. "She's sleeping."
That night, everything ended quietly. There was no crying. There was no laughter. There was only the sound of the wind blowing in grief.
