Chapter 8 - Outbreak [2]

(Pov - Emily Parker)

Emily Parker had always been driven by an insatiable curiosity since she could remember. In childhood, her voracious appetite for knowledge earned her the affectionate nickname of "book devourer." Her eagerness to understand how the world worked seemed limitless, which probably led her to accept the invitation to join the anomaly organization.

Emily never imagined a world like this could exist, where creatures and inexplicable phenomena are studied. The more she learned about these anomalies, the more her interest grew. It has been about eight years since Emily joined the organization.

Although it might not seem like it, eight years is a significant amount of time, and Emily took pride in that. After all, surviving a year was already a point of pride; three years was usually the limit for most. Though she was reluctant to admit it, only the insane enjoyed this kind of work.

Anyway, Emily was already a respected veteran in the organization, having seen countless, perhaps even hundreds, of anomalies with varied abilities. However, despite all her experience, she could not comprehend the small anomaly before her.

Among all the humanoid anomalies she had encountered, this one was by far the closest to a human, which made it even more intriguing in Emily's eyes.

"So, you found her in the forest?"

Emily's eyes sparkled with curiosity as she asked Laura. Though her interest had waned over time, the organization's scientists still held a desire to understand the origin and creator of the anomalies, a topic that had been extensively debated at various times.

While some believed that anomalies suddenly emerged from another dimension, others argued that these creatures were, in fact, the materialization of humanity's greatest fears, with the most powerful anomalies representing the deepest terrors of humankind.

Despite differing views, both groups shared the belief that all anomalies have a creator. They believe that all originate from a primordial entity referred to by scientists as "the Anomaly of the Beginning".

"Yes, she appeared out of nowhere when we were cornered by the forest anomalies and saved us!"

Emily had trouble believing Laura's words. In all her years with the organization, she had never encountered a friendly anomaly. Although some anomalies were harmless, it was usually because they were objects without the direct ability to cause harm or had a specific activation method that made them "harmless" to humans.

"I'm telling you, Emily, she's friendly with humans. I'm sure of it. If she wanted, she could have killed us when the monsters fled from her, but instead, she seemed even attached to me"

Of all that Laura had said, one word in particular captured Emily's attention.

"Wait, what do you mean by "they fled"?"

"Oh! I forgot to tell you. When she first appeared, one of the anomalies tried to attack her but was killed almost instantly. It was so fast that I couldn't even see what happened. After that, the other anomalies fled, probably out of fear or something like that"

Emily was completely incredulous at Laura's words. The forest anomalies were generally crude and instinctively aggressive, attacking anything that crossed their path. They were often more primitive than wild animals, making it hard to believe they had the capacity to feel fear.

However, Emily did not consider it entirely impossible. For a forest anomaly to understand it had no chance of winning, something truly terrifying would be needed, something capable of overcoming its instinctive aggressiveness and making it recognize its own helplessness.

With that thought, Emily watched the anomaly inside the aquarium. Her golden, curious eyes examined the surroundings while her hand rested near her mouth, as if trying to understand what was happening. No matter how Emily looked at it, it was hard to believe that such an apparently innocent anomaly could make such a deep impression.

"No matter how much I observe, this anomaly doesn't seem dangerous at all. In fact, I'd say its appearance is quite cute and friendly. Are you sure it was the one who actually killed the other anomaly?"

Laura remained silent for a few seconds, reflecting on what had happened. No matter how she recalled it, the anomaly was dead, while the seemingly friendly one held the first one's heart in her hands. From that perspective, it was impossible not to conclude that it had been responsible.

"As I mentioned, it was too quick to perceive anything. Even Victor couldn't keep up. One moment she was already holding the anomaly's heart in her hand... Oh, I remember seeing her eyes glowing in rainbow colors a few seconds before the other anomaly died"

Though Emily knew this information might be the most important, she chose not to comment. She was more interested in the anomaly itself. Emily was sure that the creature's eyes, glowing in rainbow colors, were somehow linked to its anomalous abilities.

"So, what do we do with her? Can we keep her?"

Lost in her thoughts, Emily blinked when she heard Laura's request. She was stunned by how Laura was treating the anomaly like a pet, something that, ironically, would hardly try to rip out her heart.

"Let's take her with us. I want to study her more closely to understand why she resembles a human so much. Maybe this will bring us closer to discovering more about anomalies in general... Also, redo the mental test, just in case"

Upon hearing her superior's words, Laura puffed her cheeks slightly, frustrated. No matter what she did, everyone always assumed she had some kind of mental breakdown. Why couldn't she just say something was cute? From Laura's perspective, it was the others who were strange for not admitting that the anomaly was, in fact, cute.

However, at that moment, a relatively loud noise echoed through the room, catching Laura and Emily's attention, who immediately turned their gazes to the source of the noise—the computer. When Emily approached, her expression quickly turned strange.

"What happened?"

"I don't know either... The forest readings suddenly became abnormal. Something must have happened from the moment you came back from the forest until now; some change must have occurred..."

Emily and Laura's eyes automatically shifted to the aquarium. Inside it, the anomaly seemed oblivious to its surroundings. Noticing Emily and Laura's attention, the anomaly briefly stared at them before tilting its head to the side in an adorable manner.