Altered (Male Reader-Insert)

[3]

 As the door behind you closes, your body shivers again. You both explore the room even though the lights are flickering. As usual, you read anything you can in the room, starting with the yellow note on the wall, you check the back but don't see the skull signature.

 "There is a main circuit behind this wallboard. Once the power fails, the lighting circuit in the office area will be damaged. Please repair and replace the fuse in time."

 There's a sign to your left listing about various office rules. You skim over it since it's just your average office rules. Something bumps into your foot causing you to look down, you see a roomba and it appears to like you two very much.

 Looking behind you, you see Lin reading a clipboard beside a pile of boxes. You open it up and see it's full of garbage. There's nothing interesting about it and, as you close it, Lin hands you the clipboard while saying he's done reading it. Giving the room one final glance, you read the clipboard as there's nothing left to investigate.

 "I tried mixing animal genes into human genes. I've done many experiments, but until now there's no effective way. I heard that some governments in other countries shut down since too many people died from the plague.

 We're afraid that we already became carriers. If we're not human then the virus will do nothing to us... right?"

 While you place the clipboard on the boxes and head for the door, the roomba bumps into your ankle again. As you catch up with Lin, you try to look at what's in the distance. You stop in your tracks once you realize what's up ahead. The entirety of the room is full of black latex beasts. Since they outnumber you two it seems that sneaking by them is the only way through.

 In the corner of the room is a yellow note with a warning sign drawn above it. You read it hoping that it might have some advice.

 "It's me again, you must listen because I know black latex beasts best! Black beast can only see what moves. You have to go when light is off. I draw color where they can't see, go!"

 So they have movement based vision and the colored areas are safe. You were about to take a step until Lin grabs your arm. He whispers that you should cover your mouth to hide any breathing noise. You nod, and quietly move through the room while reading anything you can find.

 There's a note right next to an elevator. You read it quickly so as to not alert any beasts.

 "Please believe me, as long as you don't move they absolutely won't see you! Even if they walk in front of you, don't move, let alone run. They will hear your running sound, believe me please..."

 You hear a vent open up, making you look to your right while trying not to move your head. A pup exits the vents, looks around, and then enters it again shortly after. Lin then quickly enters the safe zone with you right behind him. There's a paper on the wall so you read it while taking a break.

 "Those black latex creatures aren't 'creatures' in the truest sense. What we see is nothing but a mimetic of their instinct. But their 'mimicry' can't allow the body to produce transparent lenses, and they can't simulate the visual system of normal organisms.

 So their perception can only rely on dynamic vision and hearing, they won't respond to things that are still and quiet. When slime dripped from them is touched, they can still perceive it. The slimes also have some basic metabolic capabilities.

 Because the appearance of these latex creatures are similar to that of wolves, and with their genes being part wolf, we call them latex beasts. The high level of intelligence recently demonstrated by these batches of biological samples surprised me. I had to wonder if these beasts are artificial.

 Unfortunately, I received a new order to quickly dispose of these 'failures', these latex beasts don't meet our needs. You can only encapsulate them in an office that's not used. There's a new research branch about a vaccine though, so I'm looking forward to that."

 Right next to the piece of paper is a group of photos, they aren't in the safe zone so you have to be careful with your movements, not to mention that there's slime puddles now. It shows a slime transforming into a goat after seeing some images on the TV. It then transformed into a TV and, when a scientist got near it, it transformed that person.

 You both finally made it to the end and, just like last time, a latex beast comes out. This time it's an adult and it came from the other room. It didn't leave the room so you both have to sneak around it. While doing so, you notice a note in the corner.

 "Will you come... are you still alive? I don't know anything. I've been waiting for you so long... are you strong human? Are you what I expected?"

 And with that, you finally leave the room and see another set of beasts again. There's a note in the corner again and a clipboard on a table. You two read both of them before setting off.

 "I've posted all the research found on the way and I also wrote all I could think of to help. I know I make many mistakes, but look at my key meaning, please please come, I can help you!"

 "This thing is self-conscious! After several experiments, we found that the behavior and thoughts of the subject were influenced by various things, greatly affecting them! Humans who have been assimilated or parasitized are immune to viruses, but their minds are changed and are no longer their original self.

 They remember everything and know who they are, it's just that they are no longer themselves. Their brains have completely merged with the latex beast."

 The entire room is like a maze. Some parts are like dead ends and others have branching paths. Since the room is a bit more crowded, you agree to split up momentarily so you won't knock into each other accidentally. You head for the papers on the wall to make sure you don't miss anything vital.

 "Black latex beasts have a mask-like 'crystal'. This 'crystal' is a vital organ. When they die, the 'crystal' will 'root' in place to form a crystalline column. The column looks transparent and hard, but is actually a compressed body composed of large amounts of black slime.

 When the time is right, the crystal column will burst and split into latex beast cubs. This serves as one of their breeding methods. To me, it seems the crystal is very similar to a wolf's skull, continuing their mimicking of the wolf's appearance."

 As you enter a safe zone, you wonder why the colored areas are now marked with green. Reading the note beside you, the red marker apparently ran out so they switched to green. Next are photos showing a person turning into a beast after being connected to an IV drip.

 You reunite with Lin and head to the next room with you at the lead. The following room is a bedroom with latex beasts sleeping on pillows. Thankfully, the exit isn't that far. There's a tape recorder near the door and Lin decides to play it at the lowest volume.

 "Report start.

 These black latex beasts were originally failed experiments. After the institute fell they escaped from their containers and built their own territories in the building. They even transformed this area into a bedroom. These black latex beasts have considerable intelligence. Fortunately, they have no interest in me.

 Report finish."

 You silently exit the room and make an audible sigh once you can't find any more latex beasts. You look back at Lin who's staring at something with a scared expression. Looking at where he's facing, your body tenses up as you see a cub on an overfilled container.

 When the cub notices you, it stares at you a bit before looking at something else. Lin realizes that it's harmless and begins to explore the room. You follow after him, starting with the metal box blocking the exit.

 Even though there's two of you, you doubt that you can push the box. And even if you could move it, the most you can probably do is tip it over which made a disaster last time. Considering that the previous room is a bedroom, you should definitely find other ways to move the box.