My current situation could only be described as bizarre: there was a man, relatively equipped with a suit and a gun pointed directly at my head. However, despite his aggressive demeanor, his legs trembled so much that I felt he might fall at any moment.

Putting the man aside, I directed my attention to the scientists observing me through the mirror, focusing especially on the man standing between Laura and Emily. For some reason, I felt he was important. Moreover, during my outings, I couldn't remember having seen him before.

However, it wasn’t as if I had no clue who he was. If I wasn’t mistaken, the director was arriving at the facility today. Although I had never seen him in person, Emily and Laura—who, incredibly, held a relatively high authority here—seemed different around him. My guess was that he was the director. Of course, there was a good chance I was wrong.

As my imagination ran wild, trying to decipher what was really happening, I noticed Emily talking to who I presumed was the director. At one point, she made an expression of discontent and turned her gaze toward me. In the end, Emily merely nodded at the man, but her eyes revealed visible tension as she stared at me.

I turned my gaze back to the man, who wore a smirk. Then, he pressed a button in the room he was in and began to speak. To my surprise, his voice echoed inside my room. I honestly didn’t know that place had this function. However, the words he uttered made me question whether I had really heard correctly.

“You are authorized to open fire”

At that moment, as the orders were given, the man trembled so much that I genuinely thought he might wet himself. But why, all of a sudden, did they want to shoot me? Honestly, I didn’t remember doing anything that warranted such a drastic measure. However, seeing Laura and Emily’s expressions, it became clear that the orders didn’t come from them, but rather from the man I was now certain was the director.

Still, I had another question: why did they suddenly decide to sacrifice someone from the team? My first thought was that this director had some pretty radical methods. After all, I was technically a threat. Did they expect me to just take a shot and do nothing? Well, not that I was actually going to do anything since, anyway, I didn’t feel pain, and any injury healed within seconds.

At that moment, I had already gotten out of bed and was standing next to it, watching the man pointing a gun at me with my head tilted. That’s when it happened.

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“Bang!!!”

While I was lost in thought, a loud noise echoed, making my eyes turn to the man in front of me. As soon as he noticed my gaze, he dropped the gun and fell to the floor, his legs trembling. By the way, he had really wet himself. Was this guy really from security? Maybe Victor was just the odd one out. Honestly, I didn’t know many people from the security team to be sure.

Anyway, the fact is that he had actually shot me. My chest displayed a small round hole, but as soon as it appeared, it began to close and disappear. My healing powers were activated.

When my injury healed completely, I looked back at the man. His legs trembled more than ever, and he was crying. I won’t lie; even without having done anything, seeing him like that made me feel pity. So, I ignored him and turned back to my bed.

Meanwhile, the man quickly got up and ran toward the door of my room, banging on it desperately, pleading to be let out. To my surprise, his plea was answered, as seconds later, the door actually opened. However, a question still lingered in the air.

(What did they expect me to do with this? Kill the man?)

***

(POV - Emily Parker)

Though Emily appeared relatively calm on the outside, it didn’t reflect how she truly felt on the inside. In short, she knew everything was lost. While the test for the anomaly was simple, intended to assess whether she would display any kind of aggression, it had only served to intensify Graham’s interest in the anomaly even further.

“Interesting. Even under threat, she displayed no signs of aggression. However, it’s still early to draw conclusions about her true relationship with humans”

At that moment, Emily realized there would be no more escape routes. The testing session was about to escalate to an abnormal level, even for an anomaly like the little one. She could only pray for everyone’s safety, but the director's next words completely contradicted her common sense.

“I’m coming in. Researchers Emily and Laura, please accompany me”

As he said this, the man turned and began to walk, not waiting for any response from Emily or Laura. Emily noticed Laura’s anxious gaze on her, but all she could do was muster a forced smile. She was reluctant to admit it, but she had grown attached to the anomaly more than a researcher like her should. Additionally, a possibility lingered in her mind, leading her to seriously ponder whether or not she should carry out more extreme tests.

(I really hope there’s no chance she becomes aggressive with us after the tests, but honestly, I have no way of knowing that)

***

(POV – Protagonist)

I really thought no one else would enter my room, but that assumption was quickly dispelled when Laura, Emily, and the director left the observation room and, seconds later, came through the door.

Was entering the anomaly containment area standard practice, or was this only happening to me? Putting that aside, as I looked at the man now just a few steps away from me, a single thought crossed my mind, intensified even more when I met his eyes fixed on me.

(This old man is up to something, isn’t he?)