“Just how strong am I now?”
Makoto had to admit, this was a topic worth exploring.
He knew he still couldn’t directly confront a modern military force.
What he wondered was whether his current self was stronger than the Psychokinesis-enhanced humans in the “The Witch” world.
…
Location: “The Witch” movie world, South Korea.
Time: A certain day in a certain month, 2017.
“This world’s year is similar to the main world.
On the surface, technology seems similar too…
it’s just pharmacology and biotechnology are a bit too…
orky.”
A certain high-ranking official’s residence still reeked of the acrid gunpowder smell from bomb explosions and the even stronger scent of fresh blood.
Entering “The Witch” world for the first time, Makoto, of course, had to avenge his other self.
Those special forces and security personnel who ambushed him were now reduced to broken corpses.
Sitting comfortably on a luxurious chair in the hall, Makoto crossed his legs.
He flipped through the documents in his hand, reading one, discarding one, completely indifferent to how top-secret these materials were.
The scattered papers featured carvings of primitive humans, bas-reliefs of Mayan pyramids, murals from Egyptian pyramids, excerpts from Dante’s “Divine Comedy,” passages from the Bible, and then some human experimentation data starting from the WWII Nazi era.
These things seemed to illustrate humanity’s exploration process of gene editing and modification.
In 1980, a parent company named “Gene Editing” was established, setting up seven subsidiary research institutes globally, beginning a thirty-seven-year exploration.
In 1997, the company performed gene editing on adult brains, producing the first batch of genetically modified humans.
Many side effects appeared, with the representative product being…
“Oh, Mr.
Choi, you seem to be a first-generation modified human?”
Glancing at the scar-faced man he had underfoot, Makoto showed a mocking smile, “Your military and our company have always had a loving, cooperative relationship.
As the general’s representative, you’ve always been so high and mighty.
How could you possibly prostrate yourself before a lowly company grunt like me?
This won’t do, Mr.
Choi.”
Mr.
Choi’s arms trembled, his face contorted as he tried to get up.
But no matter how hard he tried, he remained firmly pinned underfoot.
For him, a military representative, this was a profound humiliation.
“Shi…
shibal…”
Blood mixed with fragments of internal organs spilled from his mouth.
His bloodshot eyes were filled with rage and disbelief.
Recently, the rift between the military generals and the Gene Editing Company had deepened.
Though not openly hostile yet, both sides were secretly competing.
Starting this April, the company dispatched the Bat Squad, successively eliminating several biology experts, and now began assassinating factional officials.
That general felt fear and finally made a decision.
This also meant that upon entering this world, Makoto “had no choice” but to kill all these people.
“You…”
Mr.
Choi could accept defeat and death.
But he didn’t understand, “How could you…
be this strong?”
The company’s Bat Squad was just a bunch of flawed modified humans.
How could a mere glance from one inflict near-fatal injuries?
He didn’t understand!
And refused to accept it!
Makoto ignored him, continuing to read the documents: “In 1999, Mother Zero gave birth to Subject One.
The company used Subject One’s genes to replicate a batch of modified humans.
This batch shared a common trait: violent and homicidal, but with a defect: requiring regular medication to suppress brain overclocking.”
“Mother Zero…”
That mother only appeared briefly at the beginning of the second movie.
Makoto only knew she was the birth mother of both generations of witches, imprisoned somewhere in slumber.
But the exact location, he didn’t know, and the movie didn’t explain.
As for Subject One…
He was quite sure it was the protagonist of the movie “The Witch,” the first-generation witch, Gu Ziyun.
Also the punching bag he sought on this trip.
To gauge his own strength, naturally, he needed to find a master for some “friendly sparring,” though that cunning woman probably had no interest in sparring with him.
However, as the saying goes: since we’re here!
“In 2007, on Subject One’s eighth birthday, Dr.
Baek received orders from headquarters and initiated a purge of the modified children.
Except for a few survivors, all died.
In the chaos, Subject One escaped the laboratory and remains missing to this day.”
“Ten years later, 2017, October 7th, at the final audition of ‘Produce 101,’ eighteen-year-old girl Gu Ziyun, champion of the South Chungcheong Province region, advanced to the top 16 with her singing and magic performance…
Her onstage microphone levitation trick was suspected to be Psychokinesis.”
“Based on comprehensive investigation, preliminary judgment—”
“The probability that Gu Ziyun and Subject One are the same person is as high as ninety-eight percent…”
“Headquarters wants to reclaim the ‘asset’ they lost ten years ago, and your military has also set sights on her.
Ah, poor Miss Gu Ziyun.
Barely managing ten years of stable life with an ordinary family, only to be dragged back into cruel slaughter and conflict.”
Makoto rolled the documents in his hand into a tube and smacked Mr.
Choi’s head hard, “You idiots, you stinking jarheads!
It’s 2017 already!
How can there still be such moronic plots like [living in hiding for ten years then accidentally exposing one’s whereabouts]?
Do you really think she’s that stupid?
Use your pig brain and think properly!”
Choi couldn’t think properly.
Because he was already dead, crushed to death.
“Oops!”
Makoto moved the foot that had crushed the man, saying apologetically, “Oh dear, didn’t notice…”
His purpose in coming to this world was simple.
First, friendly sparring to confirm his current combat power.
Second, academic exchange, to see which of this world’s green-skinned black technologies are useful to me.
Third, after staying too long in the land of tenderness, I want to vent my desire to kill and torture.
The main world is where Makoto resides.
Most of the time, he unconsciously maintains restraint.
Only in a movie world like this, where he won’t stay long, can he completely let go of all psychological shackles, do whatever he wants, and freely pour out the dark desires accumulated in his heart!
It’s useless to find Gu Ja-yoon now.
That woman, in order to lure out the company and Dr.
Baek, is pretending to be an ordinary girl with amnesia.
After she deliberately gets caught by Dr.
Baek and then tears off her disguise, I’ll go find her for a spar.
Before that…
“Since things have come to this, let’s go talk to that general first.”
Makoto is neither a battle maniac nor an ascetic.
Unless it’s a special situation like the Sengoku era of Demon Slayer, he never mistreats himself no matter which world he goes to; he demands the best in food, clothing, and lodging, and he also needs lackeys and women.
Enjoy!
And he wants the best!
He plans to throw a big party.
There must be petite Japanese girls, voluptuous Western women, and local girl groups!
…
Night.
In October, Seoul had entered the dry season of the year, with less rainfall and drier, cooler autumn air.
In a certain manor on the outskirts.
The noisy and hot girl group dance had ended.
A musical prodigy from an ancient country, with long hair like a waterfall, her slender fingers pressing strings and plucking, streaming out soul-stirring heavenly sounds from between her fair fingers.
The beautiful woman playing the instrument wore a translucent, thin silk dress.
Clearly, playing the zither is an elegant activity, yet she dressed so cheaply, so this rendition of “Guangling San” carried a hint of resentment.
What should have been played in the Jiao mode suddenly turned high-pitched, shifting to the Gong mode.
Not far away, Makoto’s eyes lit up.
He matched the tragic melody, and the speed of his thrusts became rapid.
On the table in front of him lay a short-haired girl.
She was the one among the girl group dancers who smiled the sweetest and danced the most lively.
…She was still lively now.
Her body trembled, her voice hoarse.
Maybe it’s not a big deal now… maybe it will be later.
“And If you’re enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!”