Chapter 24

Episode 24. The Returnee (1)

***

“Chief Researcher! Emergency situation!”

Advisor An burst into my office. Since there was no alarm or emergency code siren, it didn’t seem like a wartime or equivalent situation.

But this was the first time Advisor An had come running herself. Usually, if there was something urgent, Administrator Lee, who’s 20 years younger, would be the one running around.

It seemed like there was something seriously wrong.

I stood up from my seat.

“I’ll be right there. What’s going on?”

“No, Chief Researcher. You should hear what’s happening before deciding whether to go or not.”

“Ah, right.”

I pretended to think for a moment.

“What’s going on?”

“We’ve detected spacetime distortion and tachyon reactions. But the location is in downtown Seoul, so if things go wrong, the aftermath will be quite troublesome.”

“Got it. What should I do?”

“A team is already moving on-site.”

A team on-site, huh? It seems I don’t need to go personally this time, but I should still check what’s happening there.

“I’ll listen while heading to a place with communication.”

“The Command Center is ready.”

I ran to the Command Center as fast as I could. Advisor An was struggling to keep up.

Just bear with it a little, old man.

***

A moment later.

I was seated in the Command Center.

Advisor An was standing beside me, waiting, and an engineer from the Mechanical Division was checking the communication equipment.

“This is Dr. Kim from the Director’s Office. Sorry for the delay. Who’s the field commander right now?”

“It’s Kang Cheon, Head of the Humanoid Research Department.”

“Thank you. Can you brief me on the situation?”

“Yes. We’re currently monitoring the target. The target is inside an apartment, and there are many people around, so our options are limited.”

“What’s the target right now?”

“The current target is a humanoid supernatural phenomenon that crossed over from another dimension. We’re still confirming which dimension it came from, but there’s no hostile behavior yet.”

I pondered for a moment.

“What are the current options?”

“Hunter-Killer drones are observing the target. But if we open fire, we can’t guarantee no one in the apartment will get hurt. The retrieval team is on standby.”

“Why not breach in?”

“Again, we can’t guarantee safety. If a firefight breaks out with the retrieval team, there could be casualties and collateral damage.”

“One last question, Department Head. Naturally, as the field commander, the decision is yours. Do you want me to make the call now?”

“No. I’ll take responsibility. Ending communication—”

It seemed like he wanted to cut the call.

“Department Head. I know you’re not the type to waste time in situations like this. You have a way to communicate with the target, right?”

Since the target is a humanoid supernatural phenomenon, the Humanoid Research Department is commanding the field.

The fact that the department is stalling means there’s a chance to resolve this peacefully.

“……Yes. The target has already communicated with us. They don’t seem to fully understand their situation, but they’ve asked for the highest-ranking person to come. Immediate elimination—”

I shook my head.

We don’t need to go that far yet.

“I won’t waste any more time. Send me all the files related to this incident. I’ll be on-site within 10 minutes.”

“Are you sure you won’t change your mind? There’s no need to negotiate with a terrorist. We’ll eliminate them. We’ll handle the collateral damage.”

“I’m putting on my protective suit now, Department Head.”

“Understood. Ending communication.”

Department Head Kang cut the communication.

***

Unfortunately, no matter how many times I hear it, the sound of helicopter rotors never gets easier. My head hurts.

I opened the files.

The target is a humanoid supernatural phenomenon, presumed to be Korean. It’s believed they visited another dimension and returned through some means.

The target is human but has the power to open spacetime singularities, even coordinating up to the apartment floor. Their abilities are considered quite formidable.

The target has already realized they’re being monitored. It’s believed they’re holding a powerful weapon.

It’s unclear how much communication has happened with the Foundation, but ultimately, the target is holding an apartment hostage and protesting in front of the Foundation.

Negotiation is necessary.

At least, that’s what Department Head Kang thinks.

I pulled out the Crystal Clock from my pocket.

[What’s the situation this time?]

“The target is a returnee from another dimension. They’re holding a protest against the Foundation in a densely populated area and have demanded the highest-ranking person to come.”

[We don’t negotiate with terrorists.]

“This isn’t negotiation. We’re just considering the best way to neutralize the threat.”

[Is this definitely a hostage situation? Or are you treating it as one because it’s in a densely populated area?]

“They called for us, but they don’t seem to understand their situation. They haven’t directly threatened to kill anyone.”

The Crystal Clock ticked a bit more.

[This is a sight we see every day. A mentally unstable supernatural human, arrogant enough to think they can solve any problem by smashing it with their powers.]

“Do you think immediate elimination is the right call?]

[Yes.]

“Well…… Whether we deploy the Special Forces to fight, accept collateral damage and proceed, or let me attempt dialogue first, it seems like we can handle it.”

[Isn’t that too risky?]

“Don’t worry. I’m strong.”

Tap tap.

I knocked on the pressure container I brought from the lab with the stock of my submachine gun. I should be able to handle one humanoid supernatural phenomenon.

***

Most Korean apartments have facilities on the rooftop for helicopters to land. Of course, the chances of a helicopter landing are slim.

“Chief Researcher from the Director’s Office has arrived!”

The helicopter landed on the rooftop without issue. The retrieval team rushed over as soon as they saw me. Science Officer Min, whom I saw in the garden last time, was on standby.

“We don’t have time to waste. When can we breach the target’s location?”

“Are you going in personally?”

“I’ll go in alone.”

“Huh, why?”

“They want to negotiate with the Foundation, right? I’ll do my best to resolve the situation.”

Science Officer Min sighed.

“The target is holding a powerful supernatural weapon. Considering they opened a dimensional portal, destroying an apartment building would be trivial.”

“The negotiation team is on standby in the Command Center. I’ll breach the site personally.”

“If you insist, we can breach immediately. The target is on the 16th floor, and the rooftop is on the 30th. If you want to go directly, you’ll have to rappel down.”

Sigh.

“……”

I’m starting to develop a fear of heights I never had before.

“Are you still going alone?”

***

Sssssssss. I grabbed the rappel line and descended along the building wall. The target is on the 16th floor, they said. One window, two windows, three windows……

I reached the target point. I secured my footing on the window ledge, then grabbed the glass breaker—

“Ahhhhhh!”

I accidentally made eye contact with a random person.

“Ah. Sorry.”

The 14th window from the rooftop is the 17th floor. I gestured an apology to the civilian, then grabbed the rappel line and descended one more floor.

Sorry about that, civilian.

Crash!

I broke the 16th-floor window and breached the target area. The target wasn’t visible. The first thing to do was assess my situation.

I shook off the glass shards from my boots.

Let’s see.

I came wearing a protective suit following the protocol for someone from another dimension. Disinfectant canister, input container, submachine gun, radio, and headset.

Everything’s functioning normally.

[Dr. Kim. Can you hear me?]

“Loud and clear.”

[This is insane.]

“If I do this right, the retrieval team and the apartment residents might all make it out alive. Isn’t that enough?”

[Sigh. First, find the target. Once you start communicating with the target, reconnect.]

“The target. They’re Korean, right?”

[They’re Korean. If you want, we can dig up everything from their internet search history to their kindergarten records. There’s a gap from their time in another dimension, though.]

“Got it.”

[Should I send it now?]

“I’ll check it when I get back to the facility.”

A sobbing sound came from somewhere in the house. I carefully opened the closed door.

“Is anyone in here?”

“Go away. I’ll really kill you.”

A trembling voice. In this situation, it’s probably okay to be a bit forceful.

I leaned against the door.

Our target, the Returnee, was sitting in the corner of the room, clutching a sword. Aside from the sword, she looked like an ordinary high school girl.

“Ma’am. Please listen to me calmly. We’re here to help you.”

“Who are you?”

“I’m the highest-ranking person who can come to you directly. Dr. Kim, Director of the Foundation. Tell me your demands.”

The Returnee looked at me. Before meeting her, I was a bit scared, but as I saw earlier, she didn’t seem to understand the situation.

“Demands?”