This chapter is broken. Please report this on discord.
paperwork is truly the strongest enemy
on another note, penacony arc in honkai star rail was peak (finished it the other day)
Lee Yoon-Seo is alive. Even in the original manga, Jung Ha-Yeon meets the surviving Lee Yoon-Seo.
Lee Yoon-Seo, who was thought to be dead, was actually being experimented on by Lames Jane.
It was an experiment to combine monsters and humans. In order to find a suitable candidate, Lames Jane needed to capture an Awakened, and Yoon-Seo, who was a hero two years ago, became the victim.
After being altered by the Monster Association, Yoon-Seo merged with a monster called the harpy. Later, she escaped from their laboratory and eventually became a villain, fighting against Jung Ha-Yeon.
In the end, she dies at Jung Ha-Yeon's hands.
This was supposed to be for the sake of Ha-Yeon's mental growth, but honestly, it was too much. She was capable of growing on her own and didn't need to be forced to kill her friend-turned-monster.
No matter how much I wanted her to grow so I could rely on her, I didn't want to make her do that.
So, I decided to save Yoon-Seo and help Ha-Yeon restore their friendship.
"Ms. Ha-Yeon, listen carefully."
Yoon-Seo hasn't completely become a monster yet. She's not at the point of becoming a villain.
She can still be saved.
"Lee Yoon-Seo is alive. She's in the basement of the Monster Association's headquarters."
"I-Is that true?"
"Yes."
A few days ago, I told Lee So-Young that I had found what I believed to be the headquarters of the Monster Association during my investigation to stop the terrorist attack. I asked her to raid the headquarters today, the day of the attack, along with the other Awakened Crime Division members.
I received a report from Lee So-Young on the way here. Sure enough, the location I provided was indeed the headquarters of the Monster Association, and they have been hunting down the remaining members.
She also said they found evidence of many human experiments in the basement, where Lee Yoon-Seo is.
"I'm heading there right now. Would you like to come with me, Ms. Ha-Yeon?"
"Yes, of course!"
Jung Ha-Yeon exclaims urgently, her eyes wide with excitement at the news that Lee Yoon-Seo is alive.
"Then, let's go."
I immediately flew off in the direction of the Monster Association headquarters. Jung Ha-Yeon took flight after me.
I left the rest of the Awakened Crime Division members to handle the aftermath of Lames Jane's operations. Over the phone, they confirmed that all three terrorist sites had been cleaned up.
The attacks were completely thwarted, and the headquarters had been ransacked. As of today, the Monster Association is finished.
"Team Leader, are you here?"
Lee So-Young ran up to me as soon as I arrived at the entrance of the headquarters.
"Yeah. Did you manage to catch all the remaining members?"
"Yes, we've already taken them into custody and are continuing the search."
Inside the building, disguised as an abandoned hospital, the members of the Awakeners' Association were bustling about. It was really over now.
"What's the status of the experimented victims in the basement?"
"Everyone's fine... for the most part. They seem to be in one piece, though they're all a little freaked out by the sight of their bodies."
They had been kidnapped by the Monster Association and experimented on while unconscious. Naturally, they were shocked to wake up and find parts of their bodies transformed into those of monsters.
"They're scum. They took normal people and experimented on them."
"They're done for now. Their leader is dead, and we stopped the terrorist attack without any damage. It's a complete victory for us."
"Hehe, I'm glad to hear that, and it's all thanks to you," Lee So-Young said, smiling brightly at my response.
"Well, I'll head inside. This lady behind me will come with me."
"Oh, this is..."
"Hello. I'm Jung Ha-Yeon, an A-ranked hero."
Jung Ha-Yeon, who had been silently standing behind me, greeted Lee So-Young. She had been standing still since earlier, but it was obvious that she wanted to go inside as soon as possible to check on Lee Yoon-Seo.
"Her friend is in there."
"Oh..."
Realizing the significance of my words, Lee So-Young immediately looked pensive.
I walked into the building without saying a word, and Jung Ha-Yeon followed right behind. We left the Association members who greeted us and went inside, heading down the stairs.
As we descended into the basement, I could clearly hear voices from inside.
"Are you okay?!"
"We're from the Awakened Association; we're here to save you."
"Open the rest of the test tubes!"
"Are there more people in there?!"
Urgent voices were asking about people's safety, and occasional screams could be heard. The screams likely came from the victims of the Monster Association experiments, shocked to see their transformed bodies.
"......"
"Jung Ha-Yeon's expression hardened as we approached the basement. She clenched her teeth and broke out in a cold sweat.
I held her hand tightly.
"I know what you're worried about."
"...Ms. Hye-Rim."
"Ms. Ha-Yeon's friend will be fine. Don't worry too much."
She's finally going to meet the friend she thought was dead. That's good, but now she has to face the reality that her friend has been subjected to human experimentation by the Monster Association.
How do you keep your composure in front of your friend? How should you look at her? Will she be okay?
Her worries were clearly visible on her face.
"You're meeting a friend you haven't seen in a long time. Don't look so stern."
"......"
"Your friend is probably embarrassed by the situation she's in. Don't you think you should cheer up?"
"...Haha, that's true."
She managed to squeeze out a faint, bitter smile. Her face was still dark, but it was better than before.
"Then, shall we go?"
I squeezed her slightly trembling hand, and we headed downstairs. Once inside the basement, the scene was chaotic.
"No! W-why do I have dog ears on my head?!"
"That's probably because the Monster Association experimented with merging dogs and monsters..."
"Why do I have a tail?!"
"P-please calm down. I know you're surprised, but you need to calm down first..."
The Association's staff were waking up the people imprisoned in the Monster Association's test tubes. These people had been unconscious while being experimented on and were now seeing themselves for the first time.
One had dog ears and a wagging tail. The room was filled with people in various altered forms.
Fortunately, they all retained their human forms. In the original manga, after stopping the terrorist attack, the remaining members of the group continued their experiments and turned the victims into complete monsters.
But now they retain their human forms and personalities.
"Yoon-Seo... Where is Yoon-Seo?"
Releasing my hand, Jung Ha-Yeon frantically scanned the room, her gaze fixating on a woman emerging from a test tube.
"Are you all right? Can you speak?"
The woman, drenched in the tube's liquid, had arms covered with bird-like feathers.
There she was. She found Lee Yoon-Seo.
Despite the Association's inquiries, Yoon-Seo remained silent, her eyes cast downward.
"Y-Yoon-Seo!"
Spotting her, Jung Ha-Yeon dashed over.
"...Huh?"
Lee Yoon-Seo, who had just opened her eyes, slowly raised her head. Her eyes were soulless, but when the sight of Jung Ha-Yeon shone into them, they slowly began to come alive.
"Yoon-Seo, are you okay? Do you recognize me?"
"You... are... Jung Ha-Yeon...? Are you Ha-Yeon...?"
"Yes, it's me, Jung Ha-Yeon!"
Kneeling before Lee Yoon-Seo, Jung Ha-Yeon locked eyes with her, tears welling up.
Finally reunited with her long-lost friend, Yoon-Seo's recognition overwhelmed her. She had persisted, believing Yoon-Seo to be dead, but now, facing her alive, emotions surged.
"I-I came to see you, Yoon-Seo. You.....you're safe now. You're safe..."
Sobbing, Jung Ha-Yeon embraced Lee Yoon-Seo tightly, tears streaming down her face.
In response, Yoon-Seo lifted her arms and returned the hug.
"What's wrong... why are you crying as soon as we meet... I'm confused about the situation, so can you explain firs—"
"Huk...! Hiicck..!!."
Jung Ha-Yeon continued to weep, holding her cherished friend tightly.
Leaving Jung Ha-Yeon and Lee Yoon-Seo behind, I stepped out of the basement and leaned against the building's wall. Their reunion was precious, and I didn't want to intrude.
As I rested there, Lee So-Young approached me.
"Team Leader, did everything turn out okay?" She asked, eager for news about the friends inside.
I smiled and nodded. "It went well. That was a very touching result."
It was exactly what I wanted. Everything went according to plan.
There were no victims of terrorism, and the Monster Association was eradicated. I had succeeded in removing an unnecessary and disturbing event from my heroine's life.
I feel so good that I want to blow out a bottle of beer right now.
"I'd like to light a cigarette for a change."
I missed the taste of a cigarette after this long ordeal. Normally, this would be the perfect time to light one.
"Team Leader, do you smoke?"
"Back in the day. I don't smoke anymore."
I have quit smoking since I arrived in this world. Being underage when I entered the manga, I couldn't buy cigarettes, so I was forced to quit. In a way, it was a good thing.
"Whatever. We're done now, so let's take a break for a while. We've been overworked lately, so we deserve some vacation."
"Sorry? What are you talking about?"
Just as I began to relax at the thought of a break, Lee So-Young dashed my hopes.
"The team leader has to write a report now."
"...Huh?"
"You're the one who planned this, and you're the one who defeated Lames Jane, right?"
"T-that's true?"
It was Jung Ha-Yeon who killed him, but he was killed because of my plan anyway.
"You're also the one who found the headquarters of this Association, so you must have a lot to report, right?"
"You've been posting those reports intermittently, though."
"Those were when I was in a hurry, but now that it's over, you need to write it properly. From the looks of it, it's going to take you a few nights to write it, no?"
"......"
I had been doing so little paperwork that I had forgotten my duties as team leader.
Usually, I didn't have to deal with anything this big, so I had been doing very simple paperwork. But this time was different. The situation was so big that I couldn't rely on my usual light workload.
"This is probably going to be the biggest report you've ever written since you've been here."
Everything up to this point in the ordeal wasn't considered work. The real work has started now.
"So-Young."
"Yes?"
"Please help me."
"What?"
"Save me."
A fear that I hadn't felt even when facing a thousand monsters washed over me.