Chapter 129

Episode 129. Blue Roses (4)

****

Operation Name: ‘Dachshund.’

For those who don’t know what a Dachshund is, it’s a breed of hunting dog specifically bred for hunting weasels.

Their legs are very short.

Anyway. This time, it’s a large-scale operation. Not for any other reason, but because both me and Nanami are being deployed simultaneously.

The operation proceeded smoothly.

We only had a few minutes. Every second counted to minimize enemy preparation time and casualties.

[Ah, ah. Can you hear me?]

It’s hard to hear. I checked the radio.

“I can hear you now. Go ahead.”

It’s the voice of the Recovery Department Head from the Headquarters Command Center.

[Dr. Kim. If you move away from the installed beacon, communication with headquarters might be cut off. Communication with other team members inside the facility will remain intact.]

I nodded.

[You must always wear your gas mask underground. And, in case of emergency, you can also attach a small oxygen tank to your bag.]

I thought the oxygen tank was a bit overkill, but you never know when you might need it.

We’re at Sogong-dong Station.

Six people are being deployed for this operation.

Me, Nanami, and four Special Forces members. This is… City Hall Station, very deep underground. A place where even facility maintenance personnel don’t come.

A heavy iron door loomed over us. It opened by turning, like a bunker door, but it was so rusted that I doubted it would open.

“Sigh.”

I already feel uneasy.

Nanami turned the mechanical device on the bunker door, and it slowly creaked open, shedding rust flakes. Still, it’s convenient traveling with Nanami since we don’t need many tools.

[Entering.]

We walked into a tunnel that looked like it hadn’t been used in years. Nanami, holding a shield, led the way.

“So… are we sure this leads to Sogong-dong Station? Is this the right path?”

[From here, it’s a labyrinth. A space without maps, common sense, or sunlight. Nothing is certain.]

Ooooooooh.

The sound of a subway train echoed from afar. Like the heartbeat of a massive underground monster, beating only once every few minutes. My imagination is running wild again.

I need to clear my mind and focus on what’s in front of me. Things to check.

“Radon levels are high in this area. Reality distortion levels are mostly normal. Maintaining gas mask.”

[Confirmed.]

The situation is different from usual.

If we were somewhere with a view of the sky, Foundation helicopters and fighters could reach us within an hour. But here, deep underground…

If something goes wrong, there’s no telling how long it would take for help to reach us.

[Sogong-dong Station. Entering.]

The abandoned subway station, viewed through night vision goggles, was eerie. The small open space was… both reassuring and terrifying.

Who knows what could be hiding here.

I scanned the surroundings with the augmented reality of the night vision goggles. Nothing was moving around us, except for the team members who entered with me.

“Nothing here, huh?”

Yeah.

[Search.]

If people were here recently, there should be traces. The Remote Viewing Department and Precognition Department were certain that enemies were at Sogong-dong Station.

Was the search insufficient?

“Over here. Soot on the wall.”

I touched the dust on the wall with my gloved hand. It was hard to tell with the night vision goggles, but the color was different. Maybe soot marks… though there were no traces of a campfire left.

Nanami turned her head toward me.

[They relied on magic. Magic is flashy and highly artificial. You should know that any magic used to conceal something is suspicious.]

Right.

There were two bags behind a pillar. They probably tried to hide them with Perception Hindrance.

“Let’s not touch them. They’re probably just useless items left behind, or worst case, they could be booby-trapped.”

Nanami immediately opened the bags and dumped their contents on the floor. She had no intention of listening to me… I moved behind the pillar.

[Canned food, wet wipes. Just junk.]

No booby traps.

We searched the remaining parts of the abandoned station.

All that was left in the station was dust and concrete.

Sogong-dong Station was abandoned before it was even completed. There weren’t even the usual chairs or tiles inside.

[Ahead. Something behind the pillar.]

“Take cover.”

We took cover in a suitable spot and listened to the footsteps coming from ahead. Nanami, holding her shield, walked in that direction.

“Do you see anything?”

[Looks like a monster.]

Nanami stopped.

[Open fire!]

A mass of tentacles and eyeballs charged at Nanami, and she dodged backward. Gunfire echoed from all directions—

Bang!

The heavy explosion of a grenade. Did someone on our team bring a grenade launcher?

Silver bullets. Where are the silver bullets? Those horrifying things usually die easily to silver bullets.

Like extra damage to undead or something.

Click. Reload complete.

I aimed the Foundation-Made Rifle forward and emptied the magazine. The tentacle monster bled out and collapsed to the ground.

[Dr. Kim. Take a look at this.]

Nanami raised her shield, and the Special Forces formed a protective perimeter around the monster’s corpse. I drew Niguras-5 and ran toward the target.

Every time I see something like this.

“Ugh, it’s a monster, right? A mass of tentacles, right?”

“It looks horrifying, right?”

—I feel the urge to say that. But I get it. It’s a Supernatural Phenomenon. By definition, they’re entities that can’t be fully understood.

I touched the corpse with my sword.

“Hmm… the structure of the tentacles isn’t from any known creature. It’s more like an arm than a tentacle, with a bizarre bone structure. The eye structure is mammalian, and the size is large, but the pupil is relatively round—”

As I spoke, I realized.

I don’t need to say it. By now, you probably know what I’m going to say. This is also a person, or something made from a person.

I tore into the monster’s corpse with my sword. Sure enough, a human-like skeleton emerged from the center of the monster’s body.

[Yeah, well. Another person. Probably made to buy time, with only the bones left—]

We’ll think about the dead later.

[We’ll talk later. Load silver bullets. More undead slimes are coming.]

****

Hostile groups are humanity’s enemies. There are no exceptions. Seeing scenes like this, it’s hard not to side with the Foundation.

Disgusting things.

I fished out what looked like a human skull from the now blood-soaked monster corpse with the tip of my sword and crushed it under my boot.

I hope this ends their suffering.

“Advancing.”

The most primal fear is the fear of the unknown. We’re fighting that fear with night vision goggles and exploration equipment, but…

The essence remains the same. Without night vision, the thick darkness and dust make it impossible to see beyond your elbow. An unknown enemy that can turn people into tentacle slimes to buy time.

We know nothing. We’re just monkeys holding machine guns, reassuring ourselves with rules and formulas.

We don’t even fully understand the underground labyrinth of Seoul, our own creation, nor can we control the Blue Rose entities, also our creation. That’s all.

After pouring out countless bullets, seven bloody lumps were scattered around.

[Everyone, halt.]

Nanami drew her sword—

Flicker.

The subway station ahead blinked for a moment.

“What… is that?”

[I don’t know. Someone cast magic beyond this line. It could be an enemy trap, or just something set up to mess with us… or it might be a non-existent section.]

“Ah.”

[I recommend not crossing this line.]

Nanami drew a line on the ground with her sword. The subway station beyond the line… upon closer inspection, something was off.

****

Two Blue Roses decided to stay at Sogong-dong Station.

Blue Rose-4. Silver.

Blue Rose-5. Paint.

Blue Rose-1, Contrabass, ordered them to flee to Dongmajang Station and fight, but…

Silver and Paint decided to ignore that order. There was no special reason. They just decided to do it.

“Wow… those blood lumps can’t last a few seconds. Weren’t those things supposed to be unkillable twice?”

“They die to silver bullets.”

Silver sighed.

“Do you think those humans will enter the Phase Space? We can kill them inside.”

“Who knows. Should we lure them in?”

Silver shook her head.

“Either way, to get to Dongmajang Station through the underground tunnel, they have to pass through this section. If the enemies enter our Phase Space, we’ll kill them then.”

Click. Silver reloaded her pistol.

“We’re also creations of the Foundation. We know their capabilities well. We’ll kill them like this.”

Paint put on a gas mask borrowed from the subway station warehouse. The two Humanoid Supernatural Phenomena waited for the Foundation soldiers. Footsteps and murmurs could be heard, but—

Sticking their heads out would mean bullets flying.

“What are they doing?”

“Looks like they’re admiring my artwork.”