Anomaly Chapter 88 – Storm [4]

While Laura, Emily, and the unknown man were still trying to process the situation, I reached out and took Emily’s hand before getting up from the bed. She seed surprised for a mont, but her expression quickly changed, as if she understood my intention. Or at least, that’s what I hoped.

(Nekra, I’m going out for a bit. I’ll be back soon) I transmitted my ssage telepathically, and the next second, Nekra turned her gaze toward , picking up my words without needing further explanation.

(Can... I go too?... I want to stay... with the... white) Nekra replied, her voice hesitant but carrying a sincere tone. With an innocent look, she tilted her head slightly to the side, as if waiting for an answer.

Honestly, having Nekra by my side would be comforting. I an, she’s a Conceptual Virtue, definitely far more powerful than I am. However, there are two reasons why I can’t take her with , at least for now. First, Nekra is an anomaly classified as Nihilum Class.

Normally, this type of anomaly should be under absolute confinent, with all its movents and actions completely restricted. And second, for so reason, Nekra is unable to access most of her powers, making her less useful than she could be in a situation like this.

To be honest, aside from making dolls move in so way, Nekra isn’t much different from an ordinary ten-year-old child. In other words, taking her with would be way too risky.

By the way, I tried asking Nekra why her powers were like this, but she only said it was because of . Obviously, I have no idea what she ant. I an, when we held hands in the village a few days ago, the sa thing happened as always when I absorb powers.

However, since then, I haven’t felt any changes in —nothing that indicates an increase in strength or any other kind of alteration. In other words, aside from the physical transformation, I haven’t gotten any stronger or anything like that.

(You don’t have your powers. I’m going to a dangerous place, so stay here and wait for )

As soon as my words reached her ears, Nekra’s cheeks puffed up in protest—so cute that I almost ran over to hug her.

I’m not exactly sure why, but lately, I feel like I’ve grown extraordinarily close to Nekra. There’s sothing about her presence that sparks a protective feeling in , like an older brother looking after his little sister.

(When I get back, I’ll play with you as much as you want. But for now, just wait here for , okay?)

After my words, Nekra’s pout quickly turned into a smile, and with a confirming nod, she went back to playing with her dolls. My Alter Ego, which had manifested earlier, returned inside right after Emily, Laura, and the strange man entered my room.

After that, guided by Emily, we left my room and started walking through the facility’s hallways. As we moved forward, so scientists and guards appeared, and without exception, they all looked visibly uncomfortable seeing pass by.

Well, although the atmosphere was tense, it was a relief compared to how things were at first—when everyone seed so terrified that they might faint at any mont. The fear was still there, but in a more controlled way, like my re presence was enough to paralyze them.

As I got lost in my thoughts, the man—whose identity I still didn’t know—made a comnt to Emily, who was still holding my hand: “Ma’am, are you sure this is safe? Taking an anomaly on a mission?”

I could understand why he thought that way—most people probably shared the sa opinion. Even though I was friendly, there was one undeniable fact: I was an anomaly.

And beyond that, they had no idea about the extent of my powers, let alone my goals—if I even had any. In short, I was as enigmatic to them as the depths of the ocean, sothing impenetrable and full of mysteries.

As I was lost in thought, I felt a gaze on . Turning my head, I noticed Emily watching . Her expression was thoughtful, but that mont of reflection lasted only a second. With a faint smile at the corner of her lips, she answered the man’s question: “Don’t worry, Angel of Death is reliable, and that’s what I believe... Well, you and your team will be spending the most ti with her. Soon enough, you’ll see it for yourself”

Hearing Emily’s words, the man was montarily pensive before nodding in acknowledgnt. However, he didn’t seem fully convinced—his eyes still held a noticeable caution.

Well, I could always prove that I was soone they could trust, and that would probably help Emily and Laura in so way. After all, making it seem like they had so kind of bond with an anomaly could be a useful advantage.

“Haaa... but, now that I think about it, it’d be nice if she stopped running away all the ti. It always gets in trouble with the higher-ups” Emily remarked, shaking her head.

(Sorry, Emily, but that’s sothing I definitely won’t give up on... I just get bored) I thought, silently apologizing for the trouble I’d surely cause her in the future.

After walking for a few minutes, we arrived in front of an elevator. I knew this area well, so I was aware that the elevators were used to move between floors. It might sound strange, but this place has underground levels. We were currently on Level 3, and the facility had a total of five levels.

I’m not exactly sure what’s on Level 5. I an, I’ve been down there before, and to be honest, I even got scolded by Emily and Laura—both of them telling to stay away from that place at all costs because it’s extrely dangerous.

To be honest, what I found down there was, at most, a few curious things. For example, a room containing nothing but a single chair. In another, a table with a book on top.

I activated my eyes as a precaution, not expecting anything unusual, but I was surprised to realize that those seemingly trivial objects were, in fact, anomalies.

Simple objects, like a chair and a book, were anomalies, but the most disturbing part was the fact that they were on Level 5—where only the most dangerous anomalies were supposed to be found. Honestly, that doesn't make any sense.

However, I can't say for sure what they actually do to determine whether they're dangerous or not. Unfortunately, my eyes don’t have that kind of analytical capability.

As soon as we stepped into the elevator, Emily pressed the button for the surface, and it began to ascend slowly. As we moved upward at a steady pace, I glanced to the side. My eyes settled, for a brief mont, on the man beside . He still had a serious expression, his gaze fixed on the panel in front of him, not wavering for even a second.

Now that we were rising, the sounds of the storm beca increasingly intense. Before, deep underground, we could barely hear anything. But as the elevator continued to climb, the roar of the wind beca impossible to ignore. The threatening noise made it feel like, at any mont, sothing could co crashing toward us.

We ascended in near-deafening silence inside the elevator. I couldn't speak to everyone at once, and, to be honest, using telepathy caused a certain ntal discomfort. It wasn’t painful, but the sensation was unsettling—like my mind was being pulled in a strange way. Because of that, I decided that, at least for now, I would only resort to telepathy when absolutely necessary.

When the elevator finally reached the top floor, the doors opened, revealing the unknown before us. Guided by Emily, we walked through a long hallway until we reached a spacious area that looked more like a warehouse.

It was my first ti in this place—I rarely ca this high up, and even when I did, I never got this close to the facility. In other words, I had no idea where we were. Normally, I moved through the darkness, relying only on my anomalous ability to guide .

Regardless, I was deeply surprised to realize we were beneath a warehouse. Was that really safe? Any anomaly could destroy this place if it wanted to, right? Even with all these doubts, Laura, Emily, and the man kept walking without hesitation, and I, still lost in thought, simply followed them.

When we reached the warehouse entrance, Emily placed her hand on a device next to the door. After the words "Permission Granted" appeared on the screen, the door slowly slid open. As it did, the sounds outside grew louder, and by the ti the door was fully open, I couldn’t help but feel a wave of shock. What I saw was far worse than I had imagined.

The mont the door opened, water surged into the room with force, like an unpredictable wave, pushing Laura, Emily, and the man back a few steps. The sound of the water, almost like a roar, echoed off the walls, and I saw Emily’s expression darken—a heavy shadow settling over her face.

If I were human, I think my reaction would have been the sa, but I wasn’t sure I could bear the weight of that feeling. It was as if sothing even worse was about to happen.

Outside, the scene was completely different from what I had expected. What stretched before was a vast desert, surrounded by multiple barriers that marked the boundaries of the area. The sight had a futuristic feel, yet at the sa ti, it looked like sothing that could exist in the present day. It was a strange mix, but sohow, fascinating.

"This isn’t good. It's getting worse much faster than expected" Emily said, her voice tense as she kept a firm grip on my hand.

I had to agree with Emily. The way things were unfolding, in just a few hours, there might be enough water to flood the entire city... or rather, was there even a city nearby? No matter how much I looked, all I could see was the desert stretching out around us.

Where the hell was the base I lived in now? I rembered that the old one had been in a canned at factory, or sothing like that. But this one… unlike the other, it looked like it was built inside a military facility in the middle of the desert.

As I got lost in thought, the man spoke again, his voice deep and firm: "I think we need to speed things up. I’ll gather my team and get the vehicles ready"

With those words, the man took off running toward the warehouse exit, heading sowhere I couldn’t quite make out. I stood still next to Emily and Laura, watching him go. Only then did I turn my gaze to the sky. The clouds that day looked especially dark and nacing, as if sothing was about to happen.

I glanced outside again, where only the darkness of the storm clouds and the howling winds echoed around us.

The warehouse continued to flood, but given how advanced this place seed, they probably had so kind of drainage system. Still, I doubted it would be enough if the storm completely overtook the area.

Honestly, I had no idea when the rain had started. The others were probably just as clueless. At first, everyone—including —thought it was just an ordinary rainstorm.

Of course, I realized sooner than the others that sothing was off, that the rain was actually an anomalous phenonon. But even then, I never imagined things would escalate to the point where an entire city could be subrged in just a few hours.