Chapter 341

“The moment Alpha becomes known to the world, people will reject them, won’t they?”

At Siron’s question, a shadow fell across Isaac’s face as he watched the rear of the car through the rearview mirror.

“People will reject Trait Holders, but eventually they’ll come to envy them.”

Siron felt as though he vaguely understood, yet the thought still refused to arrange itself clearly.

“Why do you think that?”

“The regenerative ability of an Alpha — enough to recover even from paralysis — and their overwhelming physical condition will appear almost miraculous to humans. That alone is more than enough reason for humans to envy Alpha. Above all, no one chooses to become an Alpha. The only options are to die, or to become an Alpha and survive. Because humans cannot endure loss, Alpha will continue to reproduce endlessly. In the end, the Designer will achieve half a success.”

Siron recalled the faces of Choi Baekhui and Anna, who had turned Baekgyeong and Lewis into Alpha, and his heart grew unbearably heavy. All the Alpha who died trapped in the underground drainage tunnels must have been someone’s precious family member, lover, or friend — people who could not endure loss. Suppressing the urge to judge Isaac too quickly, Siron asked:

“Half a success? What happens if the Designer achieves complete success?”

“The number of Omega will increase as well, until the numbers of the two traits become roughly equal.”

“That’s horrifying.”

Siron, who had been leaning forward between the driver’s and passenger’s seats, leaned back. With visible disgust, he spoke as if driving a nail into Isaac.

“Don’t ever reveal the method for creating Omega to the world.”

Baekgyeong suddenly cut in.

“Yoon Siron, do you want to be the only Omega in this world?”

Siron turned around and glared at Baekgyeong, who was staring at him.

“Why the hell would I want something like that?”

“Or do you want to spend the rest of your life being hunted by people like Hybris?”

“Don’t talk nonsense.”

“Then just keep quiet. This world needs a lot more Omega.”

Siron thought he understood why Baekgyeong was saying that. The bastard was clearly afraid Siron might be kidnapped again.

If the number of Alpha increased, second and third Hybris would inevitably appear. Just as Hybris had once conceived the insane idea of combining genetic material from Alpha with tissue harvested from Omega to create embryos and implant them into surrogate mothers, there was no guarantee that another group obsessed with reproduction would not emerge.

“Who in their right mind would want to become an Omega?”

“Dr. Yuri Berek.”

Baekgyeong kept his eyes forward and said arrogantly.

“That man turned himself into an Omega. There are people in the world who would become Omega because they love someone.”

“No. The only crazy person like that is Yuri Berek. Alpha bastards would just kidnap someone living a perfectly normal life and turn them into Omega.”

Siron glared at the back of Isaac’s head, anger flaring hot inside him again. Baekgyeong spoke bluntly:

“What do I care if it’s dangerous for you? If it makes your life easier, I wouldn’t mind if tens of thousands of people ended up becoming Omega.”

But the argument between Baekgyeong and Siron meant nothing. Isaac was the only person in the world who knew how to manifest Omega from an ordinary man. If he carried that secret to his grave, then unless someone literally cloned Yoon Siron, a second Omega could never appear.

“I care. I’ve lived as an Omega, and it’s fucking miserable. I don’t want anyone else ruining their life like I did.”

“Hah, you heard him?”

Baekgyeong sneered at Isaac.

“Yoon Siron’s just that self-sacrificing.”

Siron quietly stared at the back of Isaac’s head. He was facing forward, so Siron could not see his expression, but Siron felt certain Isaac was thinking the same thing he was. Isaac had said he wanted Siron to live even after his own death, yet in the end those words were nothing more than polite lies. If Isaac refused to bend his convictions, the price he would have to pay for Siron was clear. More Alpha would have to be eliminated from the world.

Baekgyeong spoke in a gloomy voice.

“Yoon Siron, think about the worst case. If the Imprint fails, you’ll have to live in hiding for the rest of your life. Your pheromones will inevitably make you a target for Alpha.”

“Right. So I’ll just Imprint. I’ll make sure to have lots of outdoor sex every full moon.”

Siron replied sarcastically. Baekgyeong looked caught off guard for a moment but quickly recovered and spoke as if offering advice.

“I’ll help you. I will help you... but Omega are still necessary.”

If Baekgyeong had not been holding the steering wheel, Siron would have grabbed his hair and shaken him.

Frustration gripped Siron so strongly he felt like tearing at his own chest. If he failed to Imprint, then Yoon Siron — someone who wanted recognition and affection from others more than anyone — would have to live the rest of his life in seclusion, hiding from people’s eyes.

But if he succeeded in Imprinting, would all the dangers of living as an Omega truly disappear? Would he be able to hide behind the colorless anonymity of ordinary humans who had no pheromones?

At that moment a chill ran down Siron’s spine. His mouth went dry as he spoke.

“I just remembered something I forgot to tell you.”

“What?”

“The Designer knows my real name.”

Baekgyeong slammed on the brakes. Baekgyeong and Isaac turned back with stunned expressions as the car screeched to a sudden halt and Siron toppled forward onto the floor. Struggling back up, Siron saw their shocked faces and realized that the fact his name had been discovered was a far more serious problem than he had thought.

But the three of them could not immediately discuss the issue. From the darkness came the sound of a man’s suppressed scream, cutting through the stillness of the night and stealing their attention.

Anna entered the destination into the navigation system, but the device froze without loading a route. Her phone battery had only eleven percent left, and the call quality came and went beneath heavy static like a rural radio signal.

Lowering the phone’s brightness to the minimum, Anna asked anxiously:

“We just crossed a narrow bridge like you said. ...What? We weren’t supposed to cross it? Damn it! Rachel, reverse.”

“R-Reverse?”

“Yes. Reverse and then go straight.”

“This road feels really strange.”

Rachel nodded at Anna’s words, gripping the steering wheel with tight lips. Staring into the night road illuminated by the high beams, the two women relied entirely on the voice of the man on the phone to guide them.

Their destination was Ward 3 of Stonecreek Psychiatric Hospital. The ward where Baekgyeong had once been hospitalized stood on a remote plot separated by twelve kilometers from the main complex of Wards 1 and 2. It was an isolated place at the edge of the Adirondack Mountains, where the Hudson River originates, reachable only after passing through dense conifer forests and winding mountain roads.

“Yes, I see it. The flag on the flagpole — that’s right. I see it.”

Fortunately, before the battery died completely, the bus carrying Anna, Rachel, Lewis, and the rescued captives reached its destination. When they stopped the bus before the gate and signaled through the intercom beside the unmanned guard booth, the heavy iron doors slowly parted to either side.

After passing through the neatly paved road, they stopped before a modern building. The structure looked refined and impressive, almost as though a block of a big city had been cut out and transplanted into the quiet countryside.

In front of the building stood an elderly white man in a suit. He seemed to be the hospital director who had guided Anna over the phone. Beside him, a small-framed Asian young man waved toward the bus.

After parking, Anna stepped outside first and approached the two men. She shook hands with the director, who greeted her with an expressionless face, then turned her gaze toward the young man who looked up at her nervously.

“Daniel?”

“Yes. I’m Daniel. And you are... Anna McCarthy?”

“Yeah.”

Anna smiled and shook Daniel’s hand firmly. Daniel, however, did not smile. Instead he looked at Anna with a timid gaze. She was easily a full hand taller than him and, unlike his thin frame, she was powerfully muscular.

“Thanks for coming all the way here, Daniel. Nice to finally meet you.”

“Yes, nice to meet you too, Anna.”

Daniel was a very cute-looking young man. Round glasses made his already round face appear even rounder. His fashion sense was unusual as well: a snapback cap worn loosely on his head, an oversized black T-shirt with a large wolf face printed on it paired with skinny jeans, and high-top sneakers with thick soles and wing-like decorations on the heels.

“Is your younger brother okay?”

Anna nodded bitterly, believing that Lewis — unconscious for two days — was simply sleeping deeply as part of his recovery.

“Yes. He’s recovering.”

“...He’s the actor, right? Lewis McCarthy from Return to Bunker.”

Seeing Daniel’s eyes light up at the mention of Lewis, Anna asked teasingly:

“Yes. But that’s the first thing you wanted to ask after meeting me?”

“Huh? ...Ah... haha.”

Daniel scratched his head awkwardly with a laugh. Smiling broadly, Anna turned toward the hospital director.

“Can the people get off the bus now?”

“Of course.”

“Baekgyeong didn’t give me detailed instructions, but... do we have to stay in the closed ward from now on?”

Anna was worried about that situation. The rescued captives had been locked in small concrete rooms; another confined environment like before would be difficult for them.

“We’ve prepared rooms in the staff housing. They can stay there.”

Reassured by the director’s words, Anna returned to the bus. Turning on the interior lights, she informed everyone that they had reached their destination.

People stretched their stiff bodies and looked outside the bus windows while preparing to disembark. The two days spent on the bus had been exhausting, and everyone wanted to step outside immediately.