Someone has infiltrated.
I instinctively realized that fact and immediately quickened my pace.
Even though it hadn't been long since I injected the enhancement serum, I could feel my body had become noticeably lighter.
'Did you check?'
My question was met with Esther's hesitant voice.
["...You knew?"]
'You would have noticed anyway.'
["Are you sure you're not some kind of mind reader...? Anyway, it's not a monster or a beast."]
'So, it's human then.'
Esther shook her head.
["Well, yes... but it doesn't feel like just a human. It's... something's off."]
'What do you mean?'
["I don't know... I feel like I've seen something like that before, but I can't quite place it."]
If Esther, who had worked as a scout and informant for the Shadow Clan, couldn't identify it clearly, it meant it was something truly unusual.
'Did the intruder kill Ganesha Tripathi and take the HSB-A001 Enhancement Serum?'
From what I knew, when I visited the underground bunker of Heshbon in the mid-stage, all I found was Ganesha Tripathi's corpse and his ID card.
The HSB-A001 Enhancement Serum was never found.
Of course, it might have been that the power supply to the bunker was cut off, rendering the serum unusable.
But from my memory, the steel box where the serum should have been didn't exist.
In other words, if I could identify the intruder's identity now, I might figure out what would happen next in this place.
'I won't be too late, right?'
Whether Ganesha Tripathi died or not didn't matter much to me, but having my choices reduced by external factors left a sour taste.
If he had to die, I preferred it to be by my own hands.
Just then—
Bang! Bang-bang—!
Gunshots echoed from the direction ahead.
I recognized the sound.
Following the sound, I finally arrived at the elevator area on the 42nd basement floor.
There, I saw Ganesha Tripathi being held by the neck, suspended in the air by someone.
"Guh! Gghhh...!"
Ganesha flailed desperately, firing his gun and striking with it, but the thick arm gripping his neck didn't budge an inch.
I laid my eyes on the mysterious assailant.
He was dressed in something resembling a Heshbon military uniform.
A hulking figure, at least 2 meters tall.
His face was concealed by a gas mask.
At a glance, he looked human, but just as Esther said, the aura around him was far from normal.
Despite visible bullet marks scattered across his uniform, the bullets seemed embedded in his skin rather than penetrating.
An ordinary human could never withstand that.
'An enhanced soldier.'
If Ark has Ether Soldiers, Mechanized Soldiers, and Skull Knights, then Heshbon has Enhanced Soldiers.
Technically, Ark also had enhanced soldiers, but purely in terms of physical reinforcement, Heshbon's were a step above.
Still, something was off.
The Omega-Type enhancement serum I knew didn't grant bulletproof abilities.
If it had, Esther would have recognized him right away.
Also, his military uniform didn't seem to be some special armor from Ark.
Heshbon's technology might excel in bioengineering, but it was significantly lacking in other areas.
"Let... go..."
The hulking figure seemed to be searching for something.
Even though he could have snapped Ganesha's neck right away, he didn't, which meant he had a different purpose.
"What are you looking for?"
When I called out, the brute turned his gaze to me.
His eyes were wild and unfocused.
"WHAT... ARE... YOU...?"
I raised the empty serum vial in front of him.
"Is this what you're looking for?"
The brute's eyes widened.
"TH-THAT'S...MINE!"
A thunderous roar shook the air.
With a deafening shout, he threw Ganesha Tripathi aside and charged at me.
"Gah!"
Ganesha hit the floor and collapsed, his head bleeding.
Leaving him unattended would likely lead to a bad outcome.
But I didn't have the luxury of paying attention to him.
The enormous figure was barreling toward me.
Boom! Boom!
His massive frame, almost 2 meters tall, pounded the bunker floor with each step.
'Should I shoot?'
I fiddled with my Ark-15 automatic conversion rifle.
He was human.
With armor-piercing and explosive rounds, I could blow him to bits, regardless of how tough his skin was.
But—
'I can't kill him right away. I need to know more.'
Why did an enhanced soldier come to this place?
I needed to figure that out before making a move.
I lowered my rifle and drew my Smel Workshop Type 7 Machete from my waist.
Ever since I obtained Janus, I hadn't used it much as a weapon, but it was the most suitable choice now.
"Come."
"GRAAAAAAAAH!"
His massive fist hurtled toward me.
I didn't bother dodging.
I raised my machete to cleave his fist in half.
Screech—!
'It didn't cut?'
The blow, which should have bisected his fist, merely scratched his thick skin.
The bullet marks on his uniform weren't just for show.
"AAAaAAaaaGRH—!"
Though I didn't manage to sever the flesh, pain was still pain, and the brute howled like a wild beast.
I succeeded in provoking him, but failed to inflict real damage.
Woosh—
Whoosh!
The massive fist barely grazed my skin as I dodged.
Had it connected, even with Janus's protection, the impact would have been severe.
Of course, that was only if I got hit.
I sidestepped his charge and swung my machete at his abdomen.
A blow that should have spilled his guts merely grazed his skin and uniform.
"KRAAAaaHHh!"
Even though he was nearly a head taller than me, I didn't feel overwhelmed in close combat.
My base stats were already well above average, enhanced by [Steel Body], Janus's physical support, and the enhancement serum I had just injected.
'I can take him down without much trouble.'
Though his toughness was undeniably abnormal, that was all there was to it.
If he had pulled out a gun and started shooting, it would have been a hassle, but I don't see any other weapons on him.
Amidst the brute's frantic struggles, the Type 7 machete in my hand moved like it was dancing.
Slash, slash—
Like butchering a beast, the machete's blade carved through the brute's flesh.
Finally, his body could no longer withstand the relentless attacks and collapsed.
It was because I had focused my strikes on his legs.
'Janus.'
[Kiiit!]
Janus responded to my will, and bone tendrils wrapped around the brute's right knee from within his protective suit.
Without hesitation, I drove my knee into his face.
Smack!
Shiiiik, shiiiiik...
Even though I hit him hard enough to cave in a normal person's face, he still held on.
Maybe it was the gas mask, or just his freakish toughness.
Of course, if one hit didn't do it, I just had to keep hitting.
Smack—!
Bam!
I gripped his head and kneed his face repeatedly.
By the time I had struck him over a dozen times, the tough brute finally crumpled to the ground.
Thud!
'That should do it.'
An ordinary person would have died a hundred times over, but I trusted in the brute's stubborn vitality.
Sure enough, he was still gasping through his broken gas mask.
"What's your purpose here?"
I questioned him, but he didn't respond, merely reaching out weakly.
There was no hostility left in that motion, just a feeble grasping.
"Where do you think you're going?"
I stomped on his outstretched hand.
"GrAAAaaaHh!"
He screamed in pain, but I just pressed down harder with my boot.
"I'll ask again. Why are you here? Did you come to find the HSB-A001 Enhancement Serum?"
I shook the empty vial in front of his face, and his eyes flickered with recognition.
"TH-that... is MINE... I... wiLL beCOME... COMplete..."
His condition didn't seem normal.
Well, considering how thoroughly I had beaten him, it wasn't surprising.
"Not planning to answer properly, huh?"
"GiVE... it... baCK..."
"Sigh."
I let out a deep breath and began wiping the machete clean with a nearby rag.
Then—
Squirm—
My eyes instinctively locked onto the blood smeared on the machete.
What's this?
A strange sensation washed over me.
It was as if the blood within me was longing for the brute's blood.
What the hell...
At that moment—
[Sigma-type enhancement serum detected.]
[Absorb the Sigma-type enhancement serum.]
A message popped up, and I couldn't help but pause in surprise.
'Huh.'
So, the serum's power was present in the brute's blood.
'Does that mean I just need to drink his blood?'
The idea of absorbing the power of another person's enhancement serum through their blood was unheard of.
'I was wondering how to obtain different serum types since Heshbon is already in ruins, but if it works like this, it might be doable.'
Even though Heshbon had fallen, it didn't mean all survivors were gone.
Especially since enhanced soldiers—being exceptionally strong and durable—could still be out there.
'Most of Heshbon's enhanced soldiers became part of the Kronos Union.'
As I pondered, the image of certain special forces units within Chronos popped into my mind.
'So they weren't just soldiers enhanced with the Omega-Type serum.'
The Sigma-type serum likely granted the brute's unique resilience and vitality.
But there was a problem—an extremely personal one.
'I'm not thrilled about this.'
Judging by the brute's state, something was clearly off.
He seemed to retain some reason, but his speech was slow and his actions were primal.
'There's a slim chance... but this might be a side effect of the serum.'
Even though I had injected the Alpha-type serum without any ill effects, there was no guarantee that the Sigma-Type would be as safe.
I didn't want to risk turning into a monster just to gain power.
'Keeping the blood stored separately is also tricky.'
Even if I preserved it, there was no telling whether the serum's properties would remain intact.
Serum like this needed to be kept at a precise temperature to maintain its potency.
'What should I do...'
As I was contemplating, an idea crossed my mind.
'Right... there's that option.'
When creating medicines, the most crucial process is clinical testing.
Of course, in a place like this, conducting a full-fledged trial was impossible.
But there was one way.
I shifted my gaze to Ganesha Tripathi, who was lying unconscious.
Given the bleeding from his head, it wouldn't be long before he succumbed.
And with the limited medical supplies available here, it was questionable whether I could even save him.
So, I decided to take a gamble.
'I doubt an ordinary person would turn into an enhanced soldier just from drinking that blood... but at the very least, I can find out whether there are any side effects.'
Even if the enhancement effect didn't work, it would help me determine whether it was safe or not.
And if Ganesha Tripathi managed to survive as a result, that would be an added bonus.
'There's nothing to lose.'
Having made my decision, I grabbed a blood-soaked rag and approached the collapsed Ganesha Tripathi.