Became a Failed Experimental Subject-Chapter 62: Black Cat Protection Operation

“Taming monsters”—not even worth listening to.

But still, what Black Cat was showing couldn’t just be brushed off.

Cage tapped the armrest of his chair with his finger, lost in thought.

Tsk. His expression twisted as a bad memory surfaced.

[Back then, those researchers and pig bastards said this... That there was a chance monsters could make up for the lack of S-Class heroes. And if we studied a way to tame monsters, we might even end the monster era.]

If monsters could protect humans, if we could order them to devour other monsters, then humans wouldn’t need to fear them anymore.

In that case, monsters and heroes alike would just become powerful weapons for humanity.

[A delusional idea from idiots rotting in inferiority... But if I consider how abnormal Black Cat is, maybe—just maybe—it’s possible, but only with him.]

If he’s willing to set aside all instincts and prioritize humans, then maybe.

Cage agreed with Yu Anna’s claim that Black Cat might be a monster that can be tamed.

Even so, Cage chose opposition over support.

[Even if, by some miracle, we do manage to tame Black Cat—what then, when he undergoes Existential Evolution?]

Existential Evolution. While the monster rankings divided threat levels by the damage they caused, they also served as classifications of evolutionary stages.

If an ordinary animal adapted to monster cells, it became Kill-Class. If a Kill-Class evolved further, it became Break-Class.

In that evolutionary process, monsters didn’t just become more powerful—they could mutate into entirely new forms.

Like a sea-dwelling monster suddenly evolving into a pterosaur, Black Cat could also turn into something completely different.

[If the one who reaches Extermination-Class isn’t the Black Cat we know anymore, then you become the dumbass hero who let an Extermination-Class monster grow unchecked.]

That was also why Black Cat had to be hunted before he became Extermination-Class.

Even if what we saw now wasn’t an act, once he evolved to that level, he might not be Black Cat anymore.

There was still a chance he’d remain the same even as an Extermination-Class, but that was too optimistic.

“So, I’m going to do everything I can to keep him from reaching Extermination-Class. If I fail... I’ll need your support.”

[You’ve lost your mind.]

Frustrated, Cage pulled a cigarette from his pocket and lit it.

[What the hell made you start thinking this way? Is handling W-City alone that hard? You desperate enough to borrow a damn cat’s paw?]

“I’m not going to pretend that’s not part of it. But... after seeing Electrice, I started wondering if maybe Black Cat isn’t such a bad option.”

Maybe a monster that acts heroic even when left alone is better than a so-called hero doing things no better than a villain.

“Honestly, from where I stand, Electrice pisses me off more than Black Cat does. She causes more damage to civilians too.”

[Even so, Electrice is human. She doesn’t have some instinct to devour people.]

“I know. Black Cat’s still a monster, and Electrice is still human. I know trusting a monster is stupid. But Black Cat’s shown me enough that I’m willing to take a chance—just once.”

[That one chance might get a whole lot of civilians killed. What the hell are you even trusting in?]

“...My gut.”

Just trusting her instincts, her feelings, to try and tame Black Cat.

It was a reckless thing to say—but Cage flinched slightly and fell silent.

[The instincts of a superhuman can sometimes feel like foresight...]

Starlight had always had a weirdly sharp intuition—almost like a sixth sense.

She’d survived reckless missions, made impossible decisions in catastrophic situations, and managed to minimize damage more than once.

Even when things made no logical sense, Starlight always managed to produce results beyond expectations.

Looking at Yu Anna standing confidently, Cage started to believe—maybe she could tame Black Cat.

Maybe it really was possible.

As Cage let out a sigh, Yu Anna declared proudly:

“From now on, I’m in charge of all decisions regarding Black Cat, including whether S-Class hero support will be sent.”

[So you want me to back you publicly—to keep the government and other heroes from interfering, huh.]

“Exactly. With Electrice and now even you out of the way, I’m guessing other S-Class heroes might jump in for fame, right?”

[You're contacting me directly instead of through a government report because you don’t want the higher-ups finding out. The monster research division would have a field day.]

“They’d just scream about capturing and experimenting on him, making everything worse. Right now, there’s a rare chance we might actually tame Black Cat. I can’t let anyone screw that up.”

Through the haze of cigarette smoke, Cage narrowed his eyes and stared at her.

[You really think I’m going to agree to this nonsense?]

“Didn’t I save your life when you almost got killed by Black Cat? If you’ve got a conscience, how about doing as I ask?”

[I’ll repay that debt, sure—but I’m telling you now, monsters can never be tamed. Don’t go stirring up more chaos over something that’s already been decided.]

If there was one request Cage had no intention of ever granting, it was the plea to just leave a growing threat of a monster alone.

Yu Anna saw that conviction in his eyes, and with a bitter smile, replied:

“And who exactly decided monsters can’t be tamed? The researchers, right? Regular people. You think the conclusions of ordinary humans are absolute?”

The belief that monsters couldn’t be tamed had been decided by the researchers in the monster department.

But those researchers were nothing more than ordinary humans.

Cage, hit with the same words he often threw at others, quietly closed his mouth.

A superhuman must always surpass a regular human.

What’s impossible for regular people must be possible for a superhuman.

Superhumans are the ones who break common sense.

They’re the ones who do what normal humans can’t.

They’re the ones who walk ahead and make the impossible real.

[Kgh... Keh-heh... What a dirty trick you used to persuade me.]

Cage couldn’t deny his own logic.

He never denied it.

After a long silence, Cage muttered in a voice laced with laughter:

[Fine. I’ll put my name on it. I’ll make sure no more S-Class heroes are sent to W-City. Even if someone from another city tries, I’ll stop them.]

Cage had the power to do that.

Unlike Yu Anna, who simply wanted to protect civilians, Cage had spent years positioning himself above others.

And once he made a promise to another superhuman, he kept it no matter what.

That was Cage’s superhuman supremacy—his belief that superhumans must come first.

With that, Yu Anna felt a heavy burden lifted. She no longer had to worry about another meaningless fight with Black Cat.

[But I can only stop the heroes.]

Then Cage dropped a far less welcome bombshell.

[I can’t stop the government research division. You’ll have to handle them yourself.]

“Stopping the heroes is the top priority—but personally, I wish you’d try a little harder to stop them too.”

[If you’d gone along with extermination and accepted their support, maybe. But now that you’ve chosen ‘taming,’ it’s out of the question.]

“...You’re kidding. Don’t tell me they’re gonna restart that damn monster weaponization research?”

The lunatics at the monster research department—always poking their heads out whenever things seemed to calm down.

Was that why Cage was so insistent on exterminating Black Cat quickly? Because he sensed what was coming—and wanted to destroy a prime research subject before they could get to him?

[I was planning to show you this as a counter to your objections about extermination...]

Cage pulled up a screen, displaying materials Yu Anna had never seen before.

The screen showed several photographs and a brief report.

At the top of the document, in bold letters, it read:

Monster Cult.

[You’ve heard the rumors, right? About something called the Monster Cult starting to make moves again?]

****

“Still not everyone here? Who’s missing?”

“Four C-Class heroes... two B-Class... and Iron Might from A-Class hasn’t arrived yet.”

“C-Class and B-Class I get—they’re probably late getting back from patrol—but what the hell is Iron Might doing when he’s stationed at HQ?”

“Should I call him again?”

After the transmission ended, in the operations room.

Yu Anna, who had summoned all of W-City’s heroes, sat with her eyes closed, mentally reviewing the situation Cage had explained to her.

Monster Cult.

A cult that calls monsters divine messengers, hails their leader as a savior and prophet. A pseudo-religion.

In City D—worse off than W-City in terms of hero strength, public safety, and even food—civilians reportedly rely more on the cult than on the government.

This lunatic group had existed for quite a while, but recently, they were rapidly expanding their influence in City D.

“...Sorry I’m late.”

“Senior, Iron Might just arrived.”

“All B-Class are here too. As for C-Class, we can relay things later—should be fine to start the meeting now.”

“Huuuh...”

Hearing that all A-Class and B-Class heroes—W-City’s key forces—were gathered, Yu Anna opened her eyes.

Sound Waver sealed off the room’s audio from the outside.

Yu Anna stood and walked to the whiteboard. She gripped the marker tightly and began writing out the words, one by one.

“...Huh?”

“What...?”

“Mm...?”

The heroes began to murmur as the sentences took shape.

As she wrote, Yu Anna recalled her conversation with Cage.

[Those Monster Cult bastards, even if just once, managed to tame a Kill-Class monster. They used that monster to attack the hero who was cracking down on their illegal activity... and then got wiped out along with it.]

[That event was the spark for the monster weaponization project.]

[And now those same freaks have their eyes on W-City.]

[Makes sense, doesn’t it? A Despair-Class monster—Black Cat—saving people.]

They were worshiping Black Cat as a divine messenger.

A literal, materialized “messenger of god.” The cult’s sudden expansion had been fueled by Black Cat’s actions.

The research division, too, was eyeing Black Cat, since the ones who started the weaponization project had also shown interest in him.

[My first instinct was to say we should eliminate him before something happens... but whatever. Try taming him.]

[If you can do it before they do, that is.]

Cage’s mocking voice echoed in her ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) mind.

Screek, screek, skrk— the board marker squealed under the pressure of her hand, emotions seeping into her grip as the sentence came to its end.

What she wrote on the board was the mission objective for this meeting... and the name of the operation every hero in W-City would now be part of:

Black Cat Protection Operation.

Below that, she listed the specific rules that all W-City heroes were to follow when encountering Black Cat.

Compliment him: Tell him he’s pretty or cute.

Thank him for helping to defeat monsters.

Give him tasty food every time you meet him.

THWACK! Yu Anna set the pen down forcefully, then looked at the heroes with dead-serious eyes.

“From now on, every hero must prepare snacks for Black Cat.”

The heroes glanced sideways at each other, murmuring softly.

“...So we’re not even pretending to hide it anymore?”