Chapter 147

Episode 147. Special Forces Science Officer Scope (4)

****

The science officer looked around inside the submarine.

The nuclear submarine was cramped. It didn’t feel too small for one person, or even two. By the way, the second person was referring to the water bottle.

There were no people inside the submarine, nor any corpses. There was some food, and the electricity was on, though he didn’t know how.

He couldn’t tell how old the submarine was, but the last date written in what seemed to be the officer’s notebook was almost 30 years ago.

The food wasn’t 30 years old, though.

Either the submarine had been caught up in some kind of spacetime-related supernatural phenomenon, or Scope had traveled to the past.

It had to be one of the two.

But even for the Foundation, he had never seen a time machine that could go to the past. It was probably the former. The Foundation’s stance was that time machines to the past didn’t exist, and even if they did, they wouldn’t use them.

Scope resumed his exploration.

“Minji, think about it too. What kind of things might we find in a submarine? Now that I think about it, there might be a submachine gun.”

He hadn’t seen any hostile entities on the way.

He hadn’t seen anything moving in the cave either. He wasn’t sure if he’d need a submachine gun, but having a weapon was better than nothing. The science officer had barely brought any ammunition.

After making a round, there was nothing special.

“It seems like the submarine’s crew packed up and left. There’s only one submachine gun left, and only canned food remains. But we’ve secured drinking water, food, and even sleeping bags, so we could survive for a month.”

But what would he do with that survival? Scope pondered. There seemed to be no way to escape, so what should he aim for? There was nothing to do.

“Well, having a goal is necessary for survival. Let’s gather debris from the abandoned ship, secure communication equipment, and try to contact the outside of the subspace. Then maybe we can escape or pass on what I’ve discovered to someone.”

Scope let out a deep sigh.

“It’s a pretty humble goal. I don’t need to please my superiors anymore, or provide for my family. There’s nothing left.”

****

Today, the Foundation’s mages gathered again.

Hasti, wearing a choker for power suppression—not a collar. Director Kwon from the Precognition Department, looking tired. Dr. Kim from the Remote Viewing Department, and Dr. Chae, holding a staff.

Other Foundation staff stood at the back of the meeting room, but only these were seated.

I spoke as everyone gathered.

“Does anyone have any opinions?”

The first to raise a hand was Dr. Chae.

“There’s no way to find a nuclear submarine that’s already submerged. I mean, it’s a nuclear submarine. Even with magic. How are we supposed to find a nuclear submarine buried kilometers deep in the ocean?”

Is that so? Well, the Foundation Headquarters does seem to really like nuclear submarines.

“There’s no evidence it’s in the deep sea. The Precognition Department’s results suggest there’s a clue near Seoul. What do you think?”

“That’s just a record of the signal relay at Poi Station. We need to separate the root of the problem from the nuclear submarine.”

“Hmm.”

Let’s hear what they have to say.

“Yes.”

“Let’s go to Poi Station and find out what the signal relay was, and trace the origin of this communication. Without relying on magic.”

Yeah, I’m not going back to Poi Station.

“Any other opinions?”

“Honestly, you don’t plan to set foot in Poi Station, do you? That’s why you’re brushing me off, right?”

“Dr. Chae, please be quiet.”

Unnecessarily sharp.

This time, Director Kwon looked at me.

“Uh, Director Kwon from the Precognition Department. The target, I mean, the nuclear submarine in question, seems to be in a subspace. If it’s not in a specific location but in a subspace, then teleportation using supernatural phenomena might be possible.”

As he said, there aren’t many supernatural phenomena that allow teleportation. Even if they exist, the cost of using them wouldn’t be small.

But there are exceptions.

There are Foundation assets that utilize teleportation, and more than that. Teleportation might be influenced by spacetime anomalies. It might be easier to move to specific locations.

The most representative examples are the Librarians’ library or the maze of doors in supernatural spaces. If the current location of our target, the Komsomolets ship, is a subspace accompanied by spacetime distortion—

“Someone used psychometry to see the Komsomolets ship. How was it?”

This time, it was the Remote Viewing Department.

“It was damp.”

Are you crazy?

“Please elaborate.”

“Ah, yes. It was inside a cave, and there were two people in the submarine. Most of the submarine’s functions were still operational.”

A cave, huh.

Dr. Chae looked at me from the side of the meeting room. As if to say, wasn’t I right? Do we really have to go to Poi Station?

This time, Hasti raised her hand.

“Um, I have a solution.”

“What is it?”

“There must be a magical path our target moved through, right? If we follow that path, we can find it. Use same-type magic, track the magical path…”

“So, with that method, we can move to where the Komsomolets ship is?”

“Yes.”

It sounds possible, but since I’m not a mage, I can’t be entirely sure.

“Dr. Chae. Is it possible?”

“Theoretically, yes. But right now, we have no information about the Komsomolets ship, nor any clues to follow.”

Clues are everywhere.

“Hmm. Then let’s do as Hasti suggests. Dr. Chae, please provide as much support as possible.”

“No, Director.”

The decision had already been made. Dr. Chae looked a bit dissatisfied, but that was her problem. If Hasti delivers results, there’s no reason to stop her.

****

Safe Object Management Department.

“I heard there’s a door.”

Dr. Chae pondered a bit. How much should she tell Hasti? Should she give her the opportunity to use supernatural phenomena?

Even if she asked the Director, the answer would be to handle it herself. That’s what the earlier look implied.

On the other hand, this was an opportunity. It might be a chance for Hasti to escape or cause trouble.

But it was also a chance for Hasti to prove herself as a Foundation employee or asset. Dr. Chae concluded that she had to allow it.

“You’re talking about the Mahogany Door, right?”

“The door that leads to the library.”

That’s correct.

The Mahogany Door is a supernatural phenomenon recovered from a library in Yulje-myeon. It’s presumed to be used by the hostile group ‘Librarians’ and is a kind of portal leading to the library subspace.

The Foundation is currently just storing it. As long as the door isn’t opened, nothing happens. Just leaving it as is.

“We’ll use it to open a door. We’ll need to adjust where it opens, though.”

Dr. Chae nodded.

This was definitely a feasible method from a sorcery perspective. The problem was that it might give Hasti a means to escape.

But we have to trust her once, right?

****

Hasti’s plan was this.

Three types of magic were needed.

Same-type magic to establish a connection with the target, tracking magic to confirm the target’s location, and spatial magic to open a gate toward the target.

The first would use an object related to the target, the second would use magic, and the third would use the Mahogany Door as a medium to open the door.

“Can you perform a three-stage incantation?”

“I can.”

“I’ll support the first stage. The Precognition and Remote Viewing Departments will support the second. The third should be fine with the Mahogany Door.”

Hasti pondered.

“Who will cross the door?”

“It depends on the situation. The Director might go, or the Special Forces. Or we might just close the door…”

Dr. Chae trailed off. It’s unlikely only the Special Forces would go. If Foundation employees need to be on-site, the Director would probably go too.

****

[Regarding Hasti]

[Author: Personnel Department Director Min]

[Let’s see.]

[We’ve thoroughly reviewed Hasti. The psychological evaluation suggests a low likelihood of betraying the Foundation. But…]

[How should I put it? Handing over the Foundation’s core functions to a humanoid supernatural phenomenon seems problematic. For the sake of what other Foundation employees see, treating her as a full human is opposed.]

[Yes. I have no intention of revoking the safety protocols for Hasti. The risks haven’t disappeared, after all.]

[Above all, the issue of her connection to the Followers of the King of Darkness remains unresolved. Whether that connection can be severed, or if it affects Hasti’s actions, is still unknown.]

****

[Regarding Hasti. Reply.]

[Author: Research Department Head Lee Se-ah]

[Thank you for your opinion. We mostly agree with your points.]

[However, let me note one thing. One of the keywords for supernatural phenomena related to the King of Darkness is change and evolution. What do I mean?]

[I believe you understand what I mean.]

[Change, evolution, transition.]

[Think about it. Niguras-1 was an octopus-like monster, and an egg came out of it, with a dragon sleeping inside. The black flower found at the epicenter is similar.]

[People aren’t meant to be fixed, but I don’t consider Hasti a person.]