"This world is shallow. The deeper you look, the more you realize that everything you see is just a facade—carefully built to hide its true ugliness."
Alicia White stared at the metal plaque hanging from the iron gates and exhaled slowly.
"What kind of person hangs something like this at his own entrance…" she muttered.
Beyond the gates stood an immaculate mansion framed by trimmed hedges and white stone pathways. Warm lights glowed from inside. Peaceful. Refined. Almost too perfect.
To outsiders, it was the private estate of a reclusive genius.
To those inside, it was RED Research Lab.
And the man who wrote those words?
Rex.
The gates slid open automatically as she approached.
Alicia stepped through without hesitation.
She moved with quiet precision. Tall. Athletic. Her black suit was tailored for function rather than fashion. Shoulder-length white hair rested neatly against her pale skin, and sharp blue eyes scanned her surroundings with habitual vigilance.
She was beautiful.
But her face rarely showed it.
Head of security. Protector of secrets.
The mansion's interior was spotless as always. The air smelled faintly of disinfectant beneath the artificial fragrance of polished wood. Everything was in place. Controlled. Measured.
Too controlled.
"Morning, Alice!"
Alicia turned toward the familiar voice.
Nana Hoshino approached with light steps, her lab coat unbuttoned, sleeves slightly rolled up. Despite being the lead of the biology department, she still carried an almost childlike energy. Soft features. Bright eyes. A smile that refused to dim even during sleepless weeks.
"I am well, Miss Hoshino," Alicia replied.
Nana's lips curved into a dramatic pout. "You do this on purpose, don't you? Just call me Nana. 'Miss Hoshino' makes me feel ancient."
Alicia paused. "Understood… Nana."
"Better." Nana beamed. Then lowered her voice slightly. "He's been locked in the lab since last night."
"That is not unusual."
"No," Nana agreed. "But this time feels different."
Alicia studied her for a moment. "Different how?"
Nana hesitated. "Excited. Not stressed. Just… focused."
That was unusual.
As Alicia continued down the hall, she passed the bioinformatics office. Inside, Erika sat surrounded by three glowing monitors, eyes locked on cascading lines of code.
"Miss Erika," Alicia said calmly. "Are you unwell?"
Erika flinched before turning around. Dark circles rested beneath her eyes.
"Oh. Alice." She rubbed her temple. "Your boss is insane."
Alicia did not react.
Erika continued. "He asked for compatibility modeling across all recorded genetic profiles in the database. And then cross-referenced metabolic tolerances. And then neural plasticity thresholds. Do you know how long that takes?"
"You completed it," Alicia said.
"Of course I did," Erika muttered. "But he didn't explain why."
That caught Alicia's attention.
"He didn't share his objective?"
"Just said he needed confirmation." Erika leaned back in her chair. "Whatever he's building… it's not small."
Alicia reached into her pocket and placed a wrapped candy on Erika's desk.
Erika blinked. "You carry those for stress distribution or something?"
"Low blood sugar impairs cognition," Alicia replied.
Erika smiled faintly. "If you're going to see him, tell him I expect an explanation."
Alicia gave a slight nod and continued forward.
The deeper she moved into the facility, the quieter it became.
She stopped before the reinforced door marked:
ANTI-MICROBIAL ISOLATION CHAMBER
After full decontamination, the inner doors opened.
The lab beyond was pristine. Instruments aligned. Surfaces gleaming. The kind of cleanliness that bordered on obsession.
Alicia stepped inside.
"Sir?"
For a moment, there was no response.
Then hurried footsteps echoed from the far end of the room.
A figure in a quarantine suit rushed toward her.
"Alicia!"
He tore off the mask before reaching her.
Black sclera. Deep red irises. Eyes that always looked like they were thinking three steps ahead.
Rex.
He rarely showed emotion openly.
But right now—
He was smiling.
Not manic.
Not unstable.
Genuinely excited.
"It's done," he said, breath uneven from movement. "We finally did it."
Alicia held his gaze. "Define 'it.'"
He let out a quiet laugh. "Synthetic blood. Stable. Adaptive. Universal compatibility across tested models."
She did not respond immediately.
"That would disrupt multiple global systems," she said calmly.
"Yes."
"Governments will intervene."
"Let them try."
There was no arrogance in his tone.
Only certainty.
Alicia studied him carefully.
There was something else beneath his excitement.
Not pride.
Not relief.
Resolve.
"We'll talk tonight," he said. "All of you. I want everyone present."
She nodded once.
As she turned to leave, his voice stopped her.
"Alicia."
She looked back.
"For what it's worth," he said quietly, "I trust you."
It was an unusual statement.
She inclined her head slightly. "Understood."
As she exited the chamber, the words on the front gate echoed faintly in her mind.
This world is shallow.
For the first time, she wondered what he truly meant by that.
And whether he was planning to prove it.