"Am I not alone down here?" Yuta muttered, half-expecting the corpse slumping against the fissure wall to suddenly leap up and attack him. Its eyes were closed, giving off the eerie illusion of someone merely pretending to sleep.
But nothing happened. It was just a cold, lifeless body—dead for who knows how long.
Yuta carefully inspected the remains. The decayed, faded uniform looked like the official attire of a specialized research crew. Searching the body, he recovered a wrist watch and a small metal key. Clearing away a thick layer of grime on the fabric, he spotted an emblem—the distinct logo of a renowned galactic research firm.
Recognizing the symbol sent a shockwave through Yuta. Panicking, he stumbled backward and landed flat on his rear. "Ugh, what kind of life am I living?! First that corporate stock fraud, and now M.O.L?!"
M.O.L was an infamous genetic fluid research megacorporation specializing in bio-gene enhancement. Finding a researcher's corpse deep inside an underground abyss could only mean one thing: a clandestine black-ops laboratory had operated here in secret.
Yuta hastily searched the body once more, but found nothing else beyond the wrist watch and the key. Is this key even useful? Initially tempted to toss it aside, Yuta felt a surge of curiosity. How did a top researcher from a galactic megacorporation end up dead in a subterranean chasm on a prison colony planet—with only a key and a watch to his name?
Hours crept by as Yuta waited in the abyss. He sat on the stone ledge, waiting for the prison extraction squad to locate him. Strict as the colony rules were, retrieving missing prisoners was a protocol the guards couldn't ignore.
Yuta remembered that his wrist monitor doubled as a planetary GPS tracker, transmitting his precise coordinates and vital signs. If he attempted to tamper with or remove the tracker, the explosive collar around his neck would detonate, and the police would immediately abort any rescue mission.
Turning his attention back to the researcher's watch, Yuta hesitated before powering it on. Driven by an overwhelming urge to uncover the truth, he finally hit the power button.
The M.O.L corporate logo flashed across the screen, which Yuta promptly skipped like an annoying advertisement. Navigating to the storage drive, he searched for video logs or encrypted data.
The memory was almost entirely wiped, save for a single video recorded during the researcher's final hours. "Let's see what you left behind," Yuta muttered, playing the video file.
The screen lit up to reveal a pale, gasping man. "Ah... I don't have much time left. I only hope this final transmission reaches the right hands—though I suppose that's up to fate now. My name is Mora, senior researcher at the M.O.L facility. We were conducting black-budget experiments on gene performance modification down here."
"We toyed with countless human lives. It wasn't something we wanted to do—we were forced into it. Forgive me, I'm rambling... After years of illegal experimentation, we synthesized a breakthrough genetic fluid: the A.Z Genes Medicine. Its purpose was to unlock the absolute peak genetic form of any species."
"It fundamentally amplifies spiritual resonance and latent soul potential. While many species train their souls through magic or specialized cultivation, the A.Z Fluid achieves this biologically. To put it simply: think of a seed. It sprouts into a seedling, then matures into a massive tree. The A.Z Fluid accelerates and branches this growth pattern into limitless possibilities."
"A typical gene-user is bound to a single affinity—fire gene users manipulate only fire, water gene users only water. But the A.Z Fluid alters gene structures, allowing a fire user to harness water attributes simultaneously. It all depends on how much raw power the host's physical body can withstand. Rather than a single tree, it creates a multi-branched ecosystem within one vessel."
"Our original goal was merely to create a fluid that allowed dual-gene compatibility. But by accident, we created an instrument of absolute destruction—a power that, in the wrong hands, could incinerate entire star sectors. Granting a seed instantaneous, fully-matured growth... it was far too dangerous."
"I stole the serum and fled, sabotaging our orbital research vessel and forcing it to crash. Many died in the impact, but I escaped aboard a short-range shuttle. They pursued me mercilessly. Planet Noon was the closest world in range."
"To throw them off my trail, I rigged my shuttle to detonate and ejected onto this planet via an emergency pod. I landed near an abandoned graveyard. That was when an idea struck me: instead of destroying the fluid, I would hide it where no one would ever think to look."
"I interred a sealed box containing the A.Z Fluid inside the grave of an ordinary human named Ronaljes. Then I kept running, knowing M.O.L enforcers were closing in. I sought refuge inside these abandoned mining tunnels."
"Colony guards were sweeping the area, so I retreated deeper into sectors no one dared enter. The miners had set demolition charges across the rock face. I was caught in the blast radius of an unfinished tunnel charge. The detonation opened up a deep subterranean fissure, and I plunged into this abyss. I've been trapped here for three days... without aid, escape is impossible. This is my final message."
Has Yuta stumbled upon a legendary galactic treasure, or is he about to get dragged into a dangerous interstellar conspiracy?
Stay tuned for the next chapter of... The Unemployed CEO!