For weeks, the newest subject had been the only thing anyone in the facility seemed capable of talking about.

Not openly, of course. Researchers stopped conversations when someone walked into the room. Guards lowered their voices whenever Unit Alpha passed by. Entire files disappeared from terminals the second anyone got too curious. Nobody would explain what was happening, but everyone knew something had changed.

The first successful integration in years.

The number attached to the subject alone was enough to make people uneasy. The gap between Subject #031 and Subject #111 represented decades of failed attempts, failed experiments, and people who had never survived the process. Yet somehow, someone finally had.

The facility should have been celebrating.

Instead, it felt nervous.

That was what bothered Hongjoong most.

Scientists were afraid of a lot of things, but usually not their own creations.

When the order came for Unit Alpha to report to Observation Chamber Four, nobody was particularly surprised. They had been waiting for this. Whatever game the facility had been playing, it was finally reaching its conclusion.

The chamber itself was larger than most testing rooms, brightly lit and lined with reinforced walls. Observation windows overlooked the room from above, crowded with researchers pretending they weren’t staring. More guards than usual stood near every entrance and exit, their hands never straying far from their equipment.

The atmosphere was tense enough to taste.

The eight men sat together on one side of the room, suppressors and monitoring devices attached according to protocol. Even then, nobody missed the way the guards kept glancing toward the door.

Waiting.

The heavy metal entrance finally slid open.

Every head turned.

Several security personnel entered first, spreading throughout the room before stepping aside. Then you were escorted inside.

Immediately, the chamber seemed to grow quieter.

The door sealed shut behind you with a mechanical hiss.

Above, researchers shifted behind the observation glass.

Someone dropped a clipboard.

Nobody acknowledged it.

The intercom crackled overhead.

“Unit Alpha. This is Subject #111. The first successful integration since Subject #031.”

The scientist paused briefly.

“Interaction will be monitored and recorded. Subjects are expected to remain cooperative.”

The transmission ended.

For a few moments, nobody moved.

The silence stretched long enough to become uncomfortable.

You could practically feel dozens of eyes watching from above, waiting to see what would happen. Waiting to see how the facility’s prized survivors would react to the newest addition.

Seonghwa offered a small, reassuring smile and said, “Welcome to Unit Alpha.”