The office was provocatively spacious, located in a large building on the "Third Island." The surrounding area was dotted with laboratories and structures from which employees and some teenagers—Espers participating in the island’s projects—emerged. The atmosphere outside was noisy, filled with the rumble of trucks transporting materials and the sound of explosions from one of the labs.

  In contrast to the outside, the interior was a world of luxurious silence and total sound isolation. The floor was covered in a thick crimson carpet that swallowed the sound of footsteps, and the walls were lined with dark mahogany wood.

  In the center sat a handsome man in his fifties, wearing a comfortable black velvet suit. His carefully combed black hair was interspersed with streaks of shining silver, lending him a deceptive dignity.

  He held a glass cup, slowly swirling juice that contained ice cubes, while his dark grey eyes contemplated the giant screen covering the wall in front of him.

  It did not display data or schematics, but rather a video call.

  "So, repeat what you said..." the man requested in a soft voice, a calm smile touching his lips.

  "I won't repeat," a young voice came from the screen.

  The screen displayed a young man of twenty-four, with soft features and wide, light purple eyes. His blonde hair, tinged with light touches of pink, was short and slightly unkempt. Unlike the man’s elegance, the young man wore a long white coat stained with machine oil and spots of blood, and black gloves. Around his neck hung an old necklace in the shape of a broken gear.

  "Even if you say that, why did you take this long to tell me?" the man asked, placing the juice glass on the table.

  "Is it not that you were busy with your project with that psycho?" the young man said in a monotone voice, leaning back to reveal a dismantled robotic arm on his table that he had been tinkering with. "You asked me to place tracking devices inside your assistants. The sensor results at the Power Island station say your assistant is there... he is coming here. While the tracking devices say he is in the Central Island... I thought you were paranoid."

  The man laughed lightly. "Paranoia... perhaps if I hadn't managed a Curriculum long before you." The man picked up the glass, swirling it. "I have conducted many projects, and numerous Espers have graduated under my Curriculum. The issue of being betrayed is possible. The issue of assistants being kidnapped is possible. And likewise, being replaced is possible."

  "Repeat what you said. I wasn't there," the young man requested, placing some metal parts on the table. "Or don't repeat it. Continue."

  "A youngster like you who wasn't present at 'The Incident' wouldn't understand," the man shook his head, finishing his juice.

  "You talk as if you were there. If what I heard is correct, you were running away from a boy in the Stable Star phase," the young man said, placing a magnifying lens over his right eye as he fitted pieces into the robotic hand.

  "Let's not deny the matter. I am not a fighter," the man answered, smiling. "I am a civilized scientist who only wants pleasure."

  "If that is what you say, enjoy yourself with your guest." The screen closed as the young man used a laser to weld a piece.

  "I will enjoy it... but from afar," the man whispered, lifting a remote control. With the click of a button, the large screen became a mosaic of moving feeds connected to drones scattered across the island.

  He then entered a request into the computer. Searching for Assistant Arno on the island.

  Then he took out his phone and began a call. Moments later, the line opened.

  "I will be leaving for a while regarding your project. I agree to support you... I will come soon." He hung up. He raised the empty glass. "Hold on tight, faker. You are going on a chaotic trip." The man smiled.

  At the same time, on the Power and Factory Island.

  The two headed to the main station, which contained four trains for the four scattered Restricted Islands. The scientist looked around; the scene was different from the previous station. There were not just scientists and workers, but also teenagers and children boarding trains.

  The scientist looked at Dr. Arno (Hengin). He wanted to ask him, but Hengin shook his head and remained silent.

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  They headed to the train leading to the Third Island. There was no inspection; they simply inserted their identification cards.

  The scientist sat opposite Hengin. There were no longer windows in the train; it was a metal tunnel, and the only light was the artificial lighting within the carriage.

  The train arrived at the final station on the "Third Island."

  The train stopped with a soft hydraulic hiss. The doors opened, but "Hengin" (in Arno's body) did not exit immediately.

  He turned to the terrified assistant sitting in front of him.

  "You... stay here," Hengin said sternly, in Dr. Arno's voice.

  "H-Here? In the station?" the assistant asked with a mix of astonishment and relief.

  "Yes. Sit on that bench and pretend you are reviewing data. Do not move until I return. If anyone asks you, tell them Dr. Arno is in the restroom. After a while, tell them he headed to a meeting with administration."

  "O-Okay!" The assistant nodded quickly, happy he wouldn't have to face "Elias."

  The assistant exited and sat in the waiting area.

  Hengin watched the assistant for a moment, then headed towards the restroom in the corner of the station.

  He entered and locked the door.

  He took out the second container from his pocket. He opened it and touched the piece of preserved flesh inside.

  "Part two..."

  Dr. Arno's body began to ripple. Bones cracked and rearranged themselves. Sagging skin tightened. Brown hair turned into short ash-blonde. His height increased by a few centimeters. The exhausted features of Arno faded, replaced by a sharper, more youthful face... the face of "Dr. Crass" (the second scientist).

  Within one minute, Arno had vanished.

  Hengin looked into the metal mirror and adjusted his coat collar.

  "Arno entered legitimately... and will remain clean in the records," Hengin smiled with Crass's new voice, which was slightly deeper. "As for you, Crass... you are the one who will burn the place down."

  "Crass" (Hengin) exited the restroom, ignoring the assistant who was waiting for "Arno" outside, and headed directly toward the exit leading to the laboratory complex, a sarcastic smile never leaving his face.

  "Let's see to what extent you are secure."

  Thus, Hengin became ready to storm the lab with the face of the "Killer," while leaving the face of the "Innocent" (Arno) safe... or so he thought.

  "Crass" (Hengin) exited the station into the streets of the "Third Island."

  The atmosphere here wasn't heavy with smoke like the Factory Island, but rather saturated with a strange smell... a mix of chemical sterilizers, static electricity, and something sweet and nauseating, resembling rotting fruit.

  On both sides of the wide road, laboratory buildings lined up like silent white concrete blocks, windowless, bearing only numbers and obscure symbols.

  From a distant building on the right, a flashing green light appeared, followed by a muffled whistling sound, as if something was screaming underground. From another building on the left, a swarm of small drones carrying red samples exited and sped towards the sky. Scientists were using scooters to commute.

  Hengin walked with confidence, his strides wider and more energetic than when he was "Arno."

  He passed a scientist followed by a group of children; neither greeted the other, both ignoring one another.

  He finally reached his destination.

  The "Chaos Curriculum" laboratory complex.

  It wasn't a single building, but an asymmetrical structure, its angles sharp and strange, as if designed to confuse the viewer.

  In front of the massive steel main gate stood two guards wearing black jackets, white trousers, and blue shirts, donning dark glasses and carrying heavy pulse weapons.

  Hengin advanced toward them, taking out "Dr. Crass’s" card.

  "Open the gate, I have an urgent report for Dr. Vandrome," Hengin said in Crass’s deep voice, attempting to pass.

  One of the guards moved and blocked his path with an armored arm.

  "Halt." The guard's voice came out metallic through the helmet.

  The guard passed an optical device over Crass’s card, then over his face.

  [Verification: Dr. Crass. Level: Senior Research Assistant.]

  "Access permitted," the guard said, but he did not open the main gate. Instead, he pointed with his hand toward a narrow side corridor winding around the building. "But not from here."

  "Excuse me?" Hengin raised an eyebrow in feigned indignation. "I am carrying samples from..."

  "The Main Gate is reserved for scientists participating in the New Project, or Class (A) visitors only," the guard interrupted coldly. "Due to the importance of the project, staff and assistants have been ordered to use Side Entrance (C)."

  Hengin was internally annoyed. (There was no mention of the project's importance being high enough to ban assistants. Also, I can't switch back to Arno now after Crass's presence has been confirmed. He didn't lie about his guarding, but he lied about the possibility of Crass entering. I should have chosen Crass from the start; entering as Arno would have meant a tougher inspection there, but I could have entered now.)

  "Understood," Hengin sighed with an annoyance that matched Crass and was closer to truth than acting. "Project scientists always get the red carpet... and we get the back door."

  "Move," the guard ordered with boredom.

  Hengin walked away from the main gate (and the potential trap behind it), heading toward the dark side corridor.

  (Elias Vandrome... it is a matter of time until I reach you. The road just became longer.) Hengin thought as he watched the surveillance camera above the main gate rotating slowly. (If the front door is for high-ranking scientists... then I just have to enter in the manner of the Number Four Ranked.)

  Hengin reached Side Door (C). He swiped Crass’s card, and the lock opened with an innocent green light.

  (...Let's see how long this lab can withstand me.)

  He pushed the door and entered.

  The heavy metal door (C) closed behind "Hengin" (Crass) with a tight sealing sound, cutting off the noise of the outside street.

  Hengin stood for a moment, his eyes scanning the place.

  The corridor before him was long, narrow, and lit by white fluorescent lamps, while the metal walls were full of exposed cooling pipes and electrical boxes. However, the floor was covered in practical gray linoleum.

  It was... a back hallway for staff.

  "This will take time..." Hengin muttered in frustration, looking at his hand. "I don't want to use my way right now."

  He began to walk down the corridor.

  He passed a room with an open door. He cast a quick, cautious glance inside.

  He found a small break room. An old coffee machine, a table dirty with food stains, and a small cleaning robot spinning slowly around itself as it polished the floor.

  (It does not match the blueprint from the file,) Hengin thought as he continued walking. (It seems the blueprint did not include staff areas. Also, I didn't simulate the memories of the scientists, I only relied on the files...)

  Hengin did not realize that at this very moment, on the other side of the building at the luxurious Main Gate, thermal sensors and psychic fields were operating at maximum capacity, waiting for an entry "signal" that never came. The traps designed specifically for the "Guest" were spinning in a void, while the guest walked boredly past a beverage vending machine in the back.

  Hengin reached the end of the corridor. He found another security door, but less guarded.

  He swiped "Crass's" card.

  [Access Accepted. Zone: Sub-Laboratories – Ground Floor.]

  The door opened.

  "Finally," Hengin muttered, adjusting his coat collar. "Let's find a way up to the main office and end this day."

  He entered the lab area, still believing he was "sneaking in," while in reality, he was just a late employee taking the long route to work.

  In the Upper Office (which Elias had just left), the screen displaying the Main Gate was still empty.

  "Strange..." muttered the guard who Elias had asked to monitor. "The intruder is late.”