Chapter 155

Episode 155. The Strongest Hero (5)

****

This is the Soviet nuclear submarine Komsomolets.

I, the hero, and the Special Forces Science Officer were gathered in the submarine’s bridge.

This world is sometimes so bizarre that it’s hard to comprehend. Sometimes, it’s better not to think too deeply.

Ahn Yuri was dozing off, probably tired from fighting. The Special Forces Science Officer still had a suspicious look in his eyes.

“Director. Are we heading back now?”

“That’s the plan.”

“I won’t be returning to the Special Forces.”

“You asked to be made a KAIST professor.”

I shook my head.

“Will you grant that request?”

“No. Not because it’s impossible or difficult, but because it’s just a bit annoying. Just go back.”

“I see.”

*Fizzle.* The old lights of the Komsomolets flickered. It must have been decades, but they still work fine.

“Anyway, let’s head back to the Foundation together. You must have family, friends, and colleagues waiting for you outside, right, Ms. Yang?”

“Do I?”

“Yes, you do.”

“Will they reclaim my death benefits if I go back?”

“Just go.”

The Science Officer nodded.

This person’s mental state is completely shattered.

“Director. What was that snake we were fighting earlier?”

“It’s a pet I’ve been raising lately.”

“I can’t tell if you’re joking or serious.”

“Mr. Yang. What good would it do to explain to someone who won’t even work at the Foundation?”

“You’re being petty.”

“Curious, aren’t you?”

For scientists, it’s like a drug. How many people have risked their lives out of curiosity?

Like the person who licked a chemical compound off their hand and discovered artificial sugar, or the one who relied on a single screwdriver to reach the critical point of a plutonium core and died from radiation exposure.

Not to mention, the chance to see and study something beyond the natural order. Once a scientist gets a taste, they can’t turn back.

“What about the knight in the cloak?”

“He’s a hero from another world.”

“Director, it seems you have no intention of telling me anything. I understand.”

“This one’s actually true.”

This is unfair.

I beat Jörmungandr into submission, so it counts as a pet, and I beat Ahn Yuri into submission—no, wait, that’s not it. Ahn Yuri is also a hero from another world, which is true.

“Fine. If it’s classified, I understand.”

“Sure.”

“When are you heading back?”

“As soon as the door opens.”

“When does the door open?”

Hasti has to open it from the other side.

****

The door opened. It was similar to when we entered this subspace. A black, rectangular teleportation door at a reasonable distance from the nuclear submarine.

“Hey, hero. Wake up.”

“Huh?”

I nudged the hero sitting on the floor with my foot. The hero, probably tired from fighting, groggily got up. What a fool. Even though we captured Jörmungandr.

From setting up a guard for a superior, to sprawling out to sleep on the battlefield, to lying down and sleeping right in front of someone you just threatened. Totally amateur.

How did you even capture the Demon King?

“Science Officer, you’re coming back too, right?”

“I have to.”

We passed through the teleportation door. There must be some sterilization protocol or something. They’re probably waiting busily.

“The door is opening! They’re returning!”

The blaring siren, loud enough to tear your ears, and bright fluorescent lights greeted us.

The mahogany door inside the decontamination bubble in the isolation room. As soon as we passed through the door, Foundation staff in hazmat suits rushed over.

“Decontaminate! Decontaminate! Decontaminate!”

What did I do wrong?

It seems they’re being thorough with decontamination since we’re inside the Foundation facility. I handed over my gear and clothes to the decontamination team, and white disinfectant obscured my vision.

Ah, can you tone it down a bit?

“Did they come back from over there too?”

The decontamination team asked.

I nodded, and the decontamination staff sprayed white disinfectant on Popo with serious expressions. Popo shook its body.

“Ah, good work.”

Weapons, bulletproof plates, helmets. I walked out of the large-scale containment room, wrapped in a blanket provided by the decontamination team.

Ugh, my hair is damp from the disinfectant. More than that, why do they love this crinkly foil blanket so much?

****

I tidied up a bit and returned to the Director’s office.

This time, instead of the foil blanket, I wrapped myself in a proper microfiber blanket. As I quietly sipped hot chocolate, Nanami looked at me.

“Do you like the hot chocolate?”

“Yes.”

“You managed to come back alive.”

“Nanami. That foil blanket we use when returning from missions, can’t we change it?”

“I just stay cold as it is.”

“I see.”

“I know you hate the foil blanket, but when people are soaked in blood or sweat, wrapping them in a water-absorbent blanket just makes them colder.”

That makes sense.

“More importantly, what did you do?”

“We retrieved the Special Forces Science Officer.”

Nanami sighed.

“Sorry, Dr. Kim. Did you know they were there? Who interfered with the tarot card results to call you there? Why did Popo fire three boxes of ammo and an anti-tank rocket?”

It’s complicated to explain.

Nanami isn’t usually the type to ask questions. Normally, she’d just say “I see” or “Got it,” but this time, she seemed genuinely curious. I pondered my answer.

“The one who interfered with the tarot card results is one of the abyssal gods called Jörmungandr. The anti-tank rocket was also fired at this entity.”

“Did it die?”

“I knocked it out for a bit.”

“What about the other ammo?”

“Humanoid Supernatural Phenomena. Their identities are unknown.”

“Your explanation is vague, so I guess you didn’t learn much.”

“Yeah. Nothing concrete.”

We retrieved the missing Special Forces Science Officer, successfully utilized the Humanoid Supernatural Phenomena, and even managed to repel the abyss a bit.

But the problems left are not few.

A few missing Blue Roses, the increasing and intensifying supernatural phenomena, and the cracks and chaos starting to show in hostile groups.

“Let’s do our best, Nanami.”

Nanami nodded. Let’s wrap up the operation we just succeeded in first.

****

[Operation Record. Tuna Slayer. Report. Reply.]

[Author: Support Department Head]

[I’ve read the operation record. There are quite a few issues we need to discuss.]

[First, let’s discuss the subspace itself. I thought it was the abyss, but others seem to think differently.]

[Dr. Yang fell into the pit and was teleported into the abyss, so we should consider that.]

[We need to think about the physical location of the subspace. It’s probably somewhere underground in Seoul, right? There must be a physical medium for the space.]

[Whether it’s the hole in the center of Poi Station or a deep underground cave. How should I explain it? I talked to the Expansion Physics Department, and they said this.]

[Think of it as a kind of magnet.]

[Something that pulls beings attempting teleportation like a black hole. That’s why teleportation is extremely difficult.]

[It’s possible to intercept teleportation using spacetime singularities. If you attempt teleportation carelessly, you could be pulled into such a place.]

[Second. Regarding the Humanoid Beings Dr. Kim mentioned. Dr. Kim seems to think they’re ancient non-human species hiding underground, but that’s also strange.]

[They live in a supernatural space and handle supernatural phenomena, so shouldn’t they be considered something supernatural? Like Mimics.]

[Thinking again, Mimics might be a type of ancient non-human species. Even if they only have half a physical form?]

[Let’s move on.]

[The most important third point.]

[Jörmungandr.]

[The entity that activates the subspace, pulls ships there, and is worshipped by those beings. An ancient god, right?]

[But when you put the information together, there are some suspicious points.]

[First, the mention that Jörmungandr is trapped in this subspace. Why is that? The temple wasn’t binding Jörmungandr, was it?]

[Or should we consider that the ancient god escaped when the Director cleared the facility?]

[It doesn’t seem to be a pitch-black category supernatural phenomenon. No polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were detected. It’s hard to add more since no related myths come to mind.]

[We checked the scales and blood you brought. We conducted genetic analysis, and while we couldn’t clearly identify the creature, we confirmed it’s a type of snake.]

[It’s not a known species of snake.]

[It might just be something completely incomprehensible. A civilization kilometers underground, and an ancient god bound by that civilization, with no name or records to be found.]

****

[Operation Record. Tuna Slayer. Report. Reply. Reply.]

[Author: Dr. Chae.]

[Well.]

[I feel like I’ve seen something like this before, so I’ll try to recall as much as I can. A black snake with feathers on its head…]