Chapter 101

Episode 101. There Is No Line 10 in Seoul (1)

****

The dispatched team from the Foundation’s Anomalous Phenomena Response Bureau arrived at the Bureau headquarters via a vertical takeoff and landing transport aircraft to suppress the situation.

The terminology is a bit heavy.

Administrator Lee Ji-hye and her team disembarked from the transport. As expected, they were dressed in black suits, coats, and sunglasses—full Men in Black attire—to suppress the situation.

“Hello. We are the support team dispatched from the Foundation for this operation. I am Administrator Lee Ji-hye from the Director’s Office. Please take care of us.”

The Director nodded.

***

The dawn of the promised day broke.

I was sitting in the command center at the Foundation headquarters. Including the outsourced tasks, we had to investigate 15 locations and capture 135 people.

How successful we would be was still unknown.

Operation start. The Foundation’s enemies were about to face the powerful hammer of South Korea’s public authority.

Incheon Mudangpa Base, Musu Construction.

-“We have a warrant. This is the National Tax Service. If you don’t open this door, we’ll seize the entire building!”

Kim Gwang-chun’s Second Coming Collective Farm.

-“We have a warrant for systematic child abuse at this facility. Come out now. If you don’t open the door, we’ll break in!”

Mujin-ri Ghost Village, Gyeonggi Province.

-“Entering the operation zone.”

Abandoned Hospital on the Outskirts of Ajin City, Chungcheong Province.

-“All clear. Entering the operation zone.”

Gwangjin University Physics Department Research Lab.

-“This is an on-site investigation by the Ministry of Environment. We’re here for violations of safety laws related to radioactive materials. Open the door now, or we’ll break in!”

Abandoned Factory on the Outskirts of Gyeonggi Province.

-“This is the police team conducting a raid. We’ve detained several suspicious individuals on-site.”

Library of the Abandoned School Outside Gyeongju.

-“Uh……”

Busan Gaoripa Base.

-“This is the Health Insurance Service Collection Committee conducting an on-site investigation. We’re here for unpaid health insurance premiums. If you don’t pay, we’ll freeze your accounts and seize your assets.”

Fortunately, things seemed to be going smoothly. Foundation helicopters were patrolling near the operation zones, just in case.

I picked up my phone.

“Director of the Anomalous Phenomena Response Bureau. Are you there?”

[Yes.]

“Didn’t you go to the field?”

[No. I’m currently directing the operation at the abandoned school outside Gyeongju.]

“It’s 7 AM, so an hour has passed since the operation started. Please report the results.”

[Yes. Most of the investigations at the eight anomalous sites are complete. Dozens of suspicious individuals have been arrested, and most of the 51 people on the list you provided should be in custody by today.]

“Good.”

Now, all that’s left is to enter the abandoned subway station on the outskirts of Seoul. By now, civilian control and entrance inspections should be complete, right?

“I’ll head to the subway station. Please continue directing the operation.”

I grabbed my coat and stood up.

****

Seoul Line 11, Poi Station.

Strictly speaking, it’s not Poi Station, but a place a few minutes away from it. It’s one of the abandoned stations on a forgotten line, located roughly at the southernmost part of Seoul.

There are probably more than a few forgotten underground facilities. The Poi Station underground bunker is just one of the larger abandoned facilities beneath Seoul.

If our information is correct, this abandoned subway station is a type of bunker built during the Cold War. It was abandoned after the Cold War ended.

Since then, it has been maintained as a difficult-to-manage cave.

Now, rumors of something inside causing trouble have led to another investigation.

The helicopter I was on landed in the clearing at the destination. Recovery Department staff had been inspecting the site for hours. I looked around.

“Section 1 Manager.”

“Ah, Director. Hello.”

“How’s the site?”

“There’s definitely movement inside the building, but it’s underground, so it’s hard to confirm. We’re sending in as many drones as possible.”

“Any results?”

“Not yet. It seems like we’ll need to send people in to get a response from the other side……”

“Understood. What about the general internal structure?”

“We’ve confirmed the bunker goes down to Basement Level 8. We haven’t been able to go down to Level 8 yet. We’ve also confirmed connections to other underground structures in various places.”

“……”

“What kind of underground structures?”

“We couldn’t confirm exactly. General subway, water supply, power grid, and so on. Anyway, it seems like there are a lot.”

This is a much more complicated problem than I thought.

“Why would they build something like this?”

“Probably because they thought the North Korean army might occupy Seoul or that fallout might cover the area. In that case, it makes sense.”

I nodded.

“What’s the specific entry plan?”

“We have a wall-breaking machine, but I can’t guarantee its effectiveness. We’ll probably just proceed as usual, breaking through doors with thermite.”

At least the entrance is secured.

****

I checked the radio, gun, and observation equipment. Everything was working normally. The night vision goggles were also functioning properly. There’s no guarantee there will be lights underground.

Even if there are, we’ll probably turn them off as we proceed. No matter who the enemy is, we’ll have the advantage in the dark with high-grade night vision goggles.

[This is Moon-1. Special Forces ‘Moon of Seoul.’ Ready to go. We’ll enter as soon as we’re in contact with headquarters.]

[This is the command center. Entry is permitted.]

We stepped into the pitch-black darkness of the abandoned underground bunker. The interior of the bunker exhaled air like the maw of a giant beast. Is there a heat source inside……?

This was unpleasant.

Entering Basement Level 1.

“I’ll take the lead.”

Hand signals. I took the energy shield Lee Se-ah used and the Gauss Musket Dr. Chae handed me last time, standing at the front of the formation.

The Special Forces followed behind me.

[We don’t know what’s coming, Director.]

The underground bunker was oddly lively. The sound of mice or insects moving, water flowing in the sewers, the distant sound of a subway passing by.

I scanned the surroundings with my night vision goggles.

“Please install wall-mounted recorders. I want to analyze any sounds we hear.”

[Understood.]

This is similar to the deep sea. Water and soil are excellent mediums for sound. So, we need to review the sounds from the site first.

[This is on-site support. We’ll install the wall-mounted recorders as quickly as possible.]

“Is there no sound equipment on-site?”

[Sorry. No.]

“Alright, please hurry.”

****

We finished scanning Basement Level 1, but there was nothing special. Up to this point, it was just a normal subway. Of course, all the important areas were sealed with thick bunker doors.

[How did the Korean government at the time even afford to build something like this?]

“There might have been hostile groups wanting the survival of humanity or the nation. The Foundation, Pluto Limited Company, or the Peacekeeping Force might have supported it.”

[Hmm, maybe.]

[This is Moon-1. After looking around, although there were no people or supernatural phenomena, it doesn’t seem like this facility has been closed for the past 30 years.]

I nodded.

“There were quite a few small animals, and based on the air composition, it doesn’t seem like the air has been sealed for a long time. The radon levels are unusually high, so I’m thinking it might be due to some unique terrain.”

[Noted.]

“Excluding the abnormal radon levels, no reality distortions or spacetime anomalies have been detected. Also, whether it’s due to iron ore or rebar in the area, communication will likely get more difficult as we go deeper.”

[Understood.]

“Already, communication with on-site support is a bit spotty, right? We probably won’t reach Basement Level 8.”

The Special Forces team leader nodded.

[We’ll have to decide before that.]

****

Entering Basement Level 2.

Basement Level 2 seemed to be designed as a kind of residential space for subway or government employees. A space maintained like a hotel.

Unlike before, the repetitive spaces added another layer of discomfort to the already dark and maze-like underground environment. But……

“If people were living here, it would be here.”

[Right? They wouldn’t leave a hotel and go further down. Director, should we check each door, or just pass through?]

“Let’s check one first.”

A Special Forces member took out an axe and broke down a wooden door. Bang! We quickly broke through the door and entered the hotel room.

“……”

There was nothing special in the room.

Just a few old, decaying pieces of furniture. The only unusual thing was a large landscape painting hanging where a window should be. For some reason, it gave me the creeps.

[Director. You need to see this.]

The Special Forces team leader brought over the lock mechanism from the now-shattered door. I tilted my head.

“Look. There are traces of recent oiling, right? If this facility had been closed without ever being properly opened, there wouldn’t have been time for dust to accumulate on these hinges.”

True.

[And. There’s not much dust on the floor, right? It seems like someone has been here recently. I don’t know what, though.]

I pondered for a moment.

But, what is this dust made of? Most dust in ordinary homes comes from human particles—skin cells, dandruff, etc. It doesn’t seem like people have been living here, so where did the dust come from?

Is it just decades of accumulated time? Fungal spores? Or is this also some kind of supernatural phenomenon?

“Let’s look around some more.”

We resumed our steps into the darkness.