Chapter 127

Episode 127. Blue Roses (2)

****

Somewhere along the abandoned Line 10.

Six Blue Roses were gathered around a campfire. Dongmajang Station had been abandoned for a long time, and it was never fully completed to begin with…

But at least the concrete remained.

Silver brought a marshmallow skewer over the campfire. The fire, fueled by random debris, stained the white marshmallows with soot.

“Why are we staying in Seoul? If we’re planning to release Blue Rose-0 and grow our power, wouldn’t it be better to return to Jeju Island now? Or target Blue Rose-13.”

“There’s something we need to do first.”

“What is it?”

Contrabass let out a sigh.

“We have no choice. To survive, we need to make contact with hostile groups. And as you know, the king of those hostile groups is…”

The Colorless Orchestra.

Most hostile groups trying to survive outside the Foundation’s reach eventually cross paths with the Colorless Orchestra, one way or another.

Or perhaps the Colorless Orchestra crosses paths with them. Either way, it’s the same.

“Also, six of us are too big a target to slip past the Foundation’s surveillance. We should split into groups of three. At least above ground.”

Silver nodded.

Silver’s amber eyes scanned the surroundings. If anyone was hiding in the darkness, they would have seen the unnatural reflection in Silver’s eyes.

“Is there a hostile group stationed at this Dongmajang Station? Or do we need to keep searching?”

“We can’t be sure what’s happening underground. But if we keep searching, we’ll definitely find an underground organization. No need to rush.”

Spade glanced around nervously.

“All good, but let’s not go too deep. There’s something terrifying in the underground tunnel network. Something waiting in the depths…”

What is the Abyss?

Is the Abyss coiled beneath Seoul the base of the Colorless Orchestra, a forgotten ancient god, or something else entirely?

****

Another peaceful day.

The sunlight was warm, the grass was green, and several high-output humanoid supernatural phenomena, created by the Foundation from the corpse of an ancient god, were roaming the streets of Seoul.

I’m exhausted.

The Seoul Branch of the Foundation was on high alert again.

This time, the Foundation soldiers had called a war room meeting. I’m not sure what they’re planning. How are we supposed to fight an enemy we don’t even know yet?

Let’s just go in. I sat there indifferently while the department heads and managers engaged in heated discussions. Maybe a decent plan would come out of this.

“Let’s capture them.”

“How are we supposed to capture something underground?”

Good question.

“Support Department Head. Any way to track them?”

“We’re currently trying remote viewing and precognition. It seems they’re somewhere underground in Jamsil.”

“What are they doing?”

“We’re still figuring that out.”

“Support Department Head. Every time I ask, you say you don’t know, you’re looking into it, and you call a meeting before I can even wipe the coffee stains off the conference table. Can’t you look into it first and then call us?”

“Sorry.”

The Support Department Head bowed his head.

“Please continue. What’s the plan to find the missing Blue Rose entities?”

In short, the Support Department wanted to sweep the area.

They wanted to eliminate the underworld organizations in Seoul, control areas with active supernatural phenomena, and monitor the entire city.

The Retrieval Department wanted to enter the labyrinth.

They wanted to attempt control over Seoul’s underground and strike at the Blue Roses’ base. But this operation had several issues.

What if there’s no base?

Both the sweep and the underground entry assume that the Blue Roses have established a nest and gathered followers or collaborators.

If they’re really just six people operating underground, tracking them becomes tricky. The Foundation’s surveillance isn’t infinite.

“What if the Blue Roses aren’t trying to gather power or establish a base? What if they’re just trying to survive or hide?”

The Support Department Head nodded.

“That would make things much more difficult.”

“Let’s do this. For now, we’ll pursue the Blue Roses using magical means and investigate their goals as much as possible. We’ll leave tracking them to a specialized team for the time being.”

This time, most people in the meeting room nodded.

I’m against entering the labyrinth. I don’t see a good enough reason to make such sacrifices.

****

We returned to the Director’s Office with little to show. They said they’d assign a specialized team, but I’m not even sure who that is.

The important thing now is to monitor the missing Blue Roses without expending too much effort. But we still have work to do.

The key locations in Seoul’s underground labyrinth are as follows: Sogong-dong Station near City Hall, where Lines 10 and 11 intersect, and Dongmajang Station, where Lines 10 and 12 intersect.

In this way, the unfinished and abandoned Lines 10, 11, and 12 form the backbone of Seoul’s underground labyrinth.

The abandoned underground bunker we saw last time was near Poi Station, at the end of Line 11. We temporarily named it the Poi Station Underground Bunker.

Thinking about it a little more makes it even more complicated.

Nanami crossed her arms and stared at my computer screen. It’s more complicated than I thought.

“This is getting ridiculous.”

“It’s a city with at least a thousand years of history. The secrets of 30 generations who were born, lived, and died here are layered and hidden.”

“But they didn’t build subways for hundreds of years. That’s a recent development.”

Nanami tilted her head.

“Do you have proof of that?”

No.

Looking at the Catacombs of Paris, their tunnel network started from quarries during the Roman Empire. We have no idea when or where Seoul’s underground tunnel network began.

I kept my mouth shut.

“To enter the underground world, we have Poi Station, where we conducted the last sweep, Sogong-dong Station under City Hall, and Dongmajang Station near Dongdaemun District Office.”

“This is terrifying.”

“Just look at Seoul’s subway. It goes as deep as 80 meters underground. That’s like 16 basement floors in an apartment or commercial building. We mostly live on the surface.”

Nanami thought some more.

“Thinking about it… there’s no guarantee it’s only 16 floors deep. Who knows what’s under the ground and how deep it goes?”

It’s been a while since I felt this kind of fear.

A loneliness filled with nameless gods and monsters, alien spacecraft, angels, and parallel worlds that lure humans. But more than that…

The fact that beneath the space we live in, just a walk away, lies endless darkness and an abyss… is utterly unsettling.

“I don’t want to take the subway anymore.”

“Take a helicopter. Or call a driver.”

Nanami’s solution was clear.

“Anyway, we’ll investigate the three key points. We don’t know what problems the Blue Roses hiding underground might cause.”

****

The previously mentioned Poi Station, Dongmajang Station, and Sogong-dong Station all have their entrances buried or hidden. They’re hard to find.

It’s not like you can just go there if you want.

“So, we’re supposed to find these three hidden subway stations and explore their interiors? To see if any hostile groups are hiding there?”

Foundation Field Engineer Team 1. They enter dangerous sites, clean up if a fight breaks out, and retrieve supernatural phenomena for research.

Probably the worst job in the world. The Engineer Team Leader pondered for a while, and I nodded.

“What if we find something?”

“Retreat.”

“I don’t know much, but there’s always something underground. Whether it’s ghosts, mimics, or mole people.”

“……”

Ah, my head hurts.

“If you feel like you need to retreat, then retreat.”

I didn’t really want to, but… judging by the atmosphere, it seems we’ll have to go underground again. Let’s follow them to the site and decide whether to enter the underground when we get there.

****

[Rumors About the Omelette]

[Author: Research Department Head Lee Se-ah]

[I have never eaten Niguras-4 as an omelette. I have no idea how such a rumor started.]

[It seems the rumor spread because Niguras-4 is so well-sealed that people thought it disappeared. Don’t worry, it’s still here.]

[However. I have been thinking about ways to open Niguras-4. Aren’t you all curious? Don’t you want to open it?]

[First idea. Gas gun.]

[The Foundation research lab has a massive compressed hydrogen gas gun for studying satellite and space collisions.]

[This facility can accelerate a 50-caliber bullet to 10 kilometers per second. Wouldn’t that be enough to crack the dragon egg?]

[Second idea. Terawatt laser.]

[The Foundation has a research-grade ultra-high-power laser. Its output duration is only a few femtoseconds, but its maximum output is 100 terawatts.]

[Wouldn’t that be enough to crack the egg?]

[Third idea. Blooming ritual.]

[Let’s place the egg in the center and perform a blooming ritual. Maybe the egg will crack on its own.]

****

[Rumors About the Omelette. Reply.]

[Author: Advisor An]

[I’d like to remind Research Department Head Lee that the Foundation is currently conducting research to prevent the hatching of Niguras-4.]

[You damn bastard.]