Six. The Hidden Sanctuary

previous chapter excerpt:

"That 'lump' is your walking paycheck," Intan shot back, already prepping the stretcher.

"There's a river nearby. Should we toss him in before he causes more trouble?" Bagas offered.

"Whose head should I chop first?" I said flatly, raising the butcher knife Intan had asked about earlier.

~~~~

After enduring yesterday's hellish ordeal, Vinnie had made a firm decision—she would not return to Xevana Laboratory. Instead, she sent Bagas and Intan to smooth things over with security, instructing them to report that she was injured and undergoing treatment.

As for Ben, he was tasked with a fabricated mission: to chase after Kav, who had "escaped after a brutal assault." It was the perfect excuse—one that gave Vinnie time to calm Kav down and reevaluate her research.

The shoulder-length-haired girl never imagined that the life she dreamed of would be drenched in suffering. Sure, she wasn't the one being tortured—but she was the cause of so many others' pain.

Perhaps now that Kav had failed this mission, she would move on to experimenting on another, more vicious and terrifying creature. Why were these researchers so obsessed with creating new organisms by slaughtering their own kind?

"I don't understand, Ben. What do they gain from this research? Are those creatures... being sold?" Vinnie asked quietly.

"You're not wrong. But more accurately, the entities they create are meant to be used as shields in warfare," Ben replied, his voice equally grim. "I still don't know the full picture. Your father keeps everything about Level 3 on lockdown."

Vinnie sighed deeply. If only she had the means to expose this to the world's media, her grandfather's laboratory would be shut down for good. Kav was just one of the thirty successful creations currently in stable condition.

Yes—thirty survivors... out of thousands who perished.

Those who failed to become monsters lived as hollow shells—no thoughts, no recognition of their former selves. With destroyed nerves and damaged cells, how could they possibly live normal lives?

"We're here. Bring Kav inside," Vinnie ordered the guards.

Ben paused as he took in the sight of the massive mansion nestled deep in the forest. Was this... Vinnie's private estate? "She's even richer than I thought," he muttered to himself.

He followed behind her, still stunned. A luxurious mansion—owned by someone as young as Vinnie? Incredible.

"Keep your questions to yourself. I hope you can keep your mouth shut, too. No one else knows this place exists."

Ben merely nodded. Maybe this was her own private lab, hidden behind the facade of a mansion. No one would suspect a thing.

Once inside, the truth became obvious—this was a laboratory. But unlike Xevana, which thrived on bloodshed, Vinnie built this one to save victims.

She remembered the first time she brought in a cold, broken body—a girl, barely eight years old. Her arm was crushed, her legs boneless, her pulse barely there. Who in Level 5 and 6 authorized such merging experiments, let alone on a child?

"Vinnie... aren't these all discarded subjects?" Ben asked, observing the residents who now moved and spoke like normal people.

Vinnie smiled faintly and nodded. "I brought them here because I believe they deserve to live."

"I've been studying this for over twenty years. So you don't need to worry," she added calmly.

"Twenty years? You're only twenty-five," Ben blinked in disbelief.

Vinnie chuckled. "Let's just say... time works differently for people like me."

Very few knew the truth about Vinnie. Hannah was one of them—she knew about Vinnie's origins, her hellish childhood, and her broken family.

Vinnie had grown up without a mother. Even now, she didn't know who her father's wife was—her face, her voice, anything. She had been raised inside that inferno—Xevana.

"Agent N1, take Kav to his room. Make sure to suppress the wolf cell inside him. I still haven't figured out how to extract it."

At her lab, codenamed New World or NWorld, all researchers used code names. It was a way to protect their identities and ensure their freedom beyond the lab.

In the past ten years, Vinnie had saved more than 100 near-death subjects. She refused to let them die. Life was a right, not a privilege.

"I'll be in my room, Ben. If you want to rest, ask the guards to take you to the dorm."

"Why are you still working at Xevana? You're more talented than your father or any Level 5 researcher," Ben asked, confused.

Vinnie exhaled. "Because if I leave that hell, this place will collapse. I have no choice."

Still trying to process everything, Ben made his way to the dorm. He decided he would ask Hannah about all the questions now swirling in his mind.

He recalled when he first joined Xevana. Vinnie had already been a researcher—at just thirteen years old. How could someone so young work in a place so merciless?

He had been hired as an expedition courier. A courier... for monsters destined for eternal suffering.

"Rest well, Mr. Ben. Let us know if you need anything," said one of the guards.

"Thank you, Guard S44," Ben replied, reading the nametag.

"Need anything? This place is too nice to be called a 'dorm.' Did she install full-on apartments in her lab?" Ben muttered, shaking his head in disbelief.

He collapsed onto the soft mattress. It had been so long since he slept in a real bed. But before he could fall asleep, a ringing sound startled him.

He looked around. "Wait... I didn't bring my phone."

The sound came from the large screen in front of him. Confused, Ben approached and pressed the button to answer. On the screen appeared Vinnie, Hannah, and Bagas.

"Finally! What took you so long to answer?" Hannah scolded.

"How was I supposed to know this screen could take calls?!" Ben shot back.

"Enough. I already got chewed out by Mr. Vred. You're lucky you followed Vinnie today," Bagas grumbled, rubbing his temples.

Vinnie laughed. She knew exactly how her father reacted when she suddenly disappeared. And with Kav missing too, she could only imagine how furious he must be.

"It's not like I ran away. If we'd brought Kav back, it wouldn't just be the werewolf facing punishment. Would you rather be stuck in the suffocating reflection room?" Vinnie said casually.

Silence fell between them. They all knew what happened when a mission failed. Maybe it was better to be scolded than imprisoned.

"Anyway, we don't have time to whine. What's the situation over there?" Vinnie asked, cutting to the chase.

"I'm not sure, but Mr. Vred and three Level 5 scientists brought in another subject. Do you remember Subject 0067? He arrived last night," Hannah explained, and Bagas nodded in agreement.

"He said he plans to make him fight Kav. It looks like Kav's experiment will be replaced with a battle between subjects," Bagas added.

Vinnie pressed her pen against her forehead. "Huff... then Ben and I will have to stay here for the next three days. If Kav faces 0067 in his current state, he's likely to lose."

"Don't worry, Vinnie. We'll watch over this hell for you. You're our last hope, so please hang in there," Bagas said with conviction.

"Thank you. I'm ending the call now."

The screen went dark, but the burden only grew heavier. Vinnie could do nothing but prepare for the next storm.

"Is it not enough to torture them? Now they want the subjects to kill each other?" she whispered, disheartened.