Chapter 67: Old Dog
Ego silently complied, sealing the ramp shut. Zack watched, his face unreadable, as the helicopter rose into the sky, carrying them all away.
"If you're so keen on using people for experiments..." Zack muttered, his tone calm but cutting. "Then you should experience it yourself... what it feels like to be a guinea pig."
With the hatch secured, the helicopter began to rise under Ego's control, heading toward the Mansion as planned. Zack, however, didn't leave immediately. Instead, he sought out the dancer. "What's your plan now?" he asked, his voice steady, almost indifferent.
"I..." The dancer hesitated, her voice trembling slightly. Then, cautiously, she asked, "Can I... follow you?" The words were barely out of her mouth before she regretted them.
"No," Zack replied flatly, his answer exactly what she had expected. He didn't sugarcoat it. "You should know your situation. Honestly, I'm not even sure myself if you're still human."
His bluntness was like a knife cutting through any lingering hope. He gestured toward the survivors in the lab. "Even if I wanted to take you in, look at them. Do you think you can ever be part of human society again?"
The survivors stared at the dancer with wide, fearful eyes. To them, she was no different from the monsters they had barely escaped. The dancer lowered her head, her hands trembling. "I... I understand," she whispered.
The weight of Zack's words crushed her spirit. She had survived Dr. Samson's experiments and accepted her warped reality, stubbornly clinging to the belief that she was still human—not a monster. But now, that belief felt fragile. "Even though I can't take you in," Zack said suddenly, his tone softening just enough to catch her attention, "I can offer you a job."
Her head snapped up, hope igniting in her eyes. "Really? I'll do anything you ask!"