Chapter 7

Episode 7. Supernatural Space – Garden (2)

***

It was a creature I had never seen before.

A centipede larger than a human lay dead, sprawled out after being shot. Its color was a dark red, but it had a strange, pearly sheen. But it was definitely a centipede.

I had to say something. I couldn’t just brush it off with, “Oh, it’s a freaking huge bug, right?” So, I racked my brain.

“For now, it seems to be a manageable supernatural entity. We’ve identified the presence of dangerous hostile entities and have a rough understanding of the internal characteristics of this supernatural space. I suggest we check where the Geiger Counter is pointing and then withdraw.”

The leader of Recovery Team 1, the Alpha Team Leader, looked at me.

“Let’s do that.”

The soldiers lowered their guns from all directions.

“For now, let’s halt our advance. Secure samples of the supernatural creature, take a short break, and then we’ll proceed toward the center of the supernatural space again.”

The team leader declared.

The soldiers scattered to secure the perimeter.

***

The size of the supernatural space observed from outside the mountain was within 1 square kilometer. Assuming there’s no spatial distortion, an hour should be enough to survey this area.

I looked down at the centipede monster’s corpse sprawled at my feet. Is this really a supernatural creature? It doesn’t seem like it’s not from Earth. Sure, it’s a bit big, but it’s still recognizable as a centipede.

“Chief Researcher. Let’s talk for a moment.”

As I crouched on the ground, the Science Officer from Recovery Team 1 approached me. I nodded slightly.

“Yes.”

“I brought a Tachyon Detector and a Graviton Detector to detect spacetime distortions, but the electromagnetic interference in this space is causing the advanced electronic equipment to malfunction.”

“This is an analog Geiger Counter. It’s a simple machine, so there’s little chance of malfunction.”

A small sigh of admiration.

“Ah. Do you have anything else to add?”

“Considering that the sun and other celestial bodies appear normal in the sky, and my watch is functioning normally, I don’t think there’s severe spacetime distortion.”

“Hmm, how do you know the celestial bodies are normal?”

I pulled out a protractor from my pocket.

The Science Officer followed my gaze and looked up at the sky. Of course, I don’t have all the celestial positions memorized, but…

The crescent moon and Jupiter I saw earlier in the evening were still there. Even with just a protractor, I could confirm that the sky inside the supernatural space wasn’t much different from the sky before we entered.

“You’re quite sharp.”

The Science Officer turned his head back to the ground.

“Do you have any thoughts on the centipede?”

I’m not sure. Why is this Science Officer asking for my opinion instead of sharing his own? Is it because he doesn’t know, or is he trying to give me a chance to explain?

“It’s very large and has an unusual color, but this supernatural entity still retains the characteristics of a centipede. It seems to be a variant of an existing Earth creature.”

“That seems to be the case.”

Science Officer Min Taesik pondered for a moment.

“Let’s finish collecting the centipede samples and move quickly. We can debrief later.”

I nodded again this time.

***

Visibility was gradually decreasing. To the point where the front of the long line of the large formation was no longer visible.

“Dr. Lee. What do you think?”

[About what?]

“I know you’ve been listening to what I’ve been saying. Have you ever heard of this kind of supernatural phenomenon?”

[Yeah. A supernatural space discovered in the mountains, localized abnormal high temperatures and high pressure near the supernatural space, and the appearance of supernatural creatures, right?]

“That’s correct.”

The Crystal Clock ticked again this time.

[Are there any dinosaurs?]

“Dinosaurs… It wouldn’t be strange if they were here, but I haven’t seen any today. Earlier, a giant centipede attacked the soldiers.”

[I hate bugs the most.]

The Crystal Clock didn’t seem to be of much help this time. I gripped my submachine gun again.

[Wait, hold on.]

“Go ahead.”

[There was a supernatural phenomenon called the Garden before. It was related to a supernatural space. I don’t remember the details exactly, but check it out when we get back to the Foundation facility.]

“Understood.”

It seemed the conversation was over. I put the Crystal Clock back in my pocket and looked around again.

The vegetation around us was becoming more bizarre as we approached our target. Red ferns were sparsely growing among the trees, and the cries of unknown birds echoed from all directions.

Bang!

The birds flapped their wings and flew into the sky all at once. I quickly turned my head toward the direction of the gunshot.

A gunshot… No, not quite.

Someone at the front of the formation fired a flare gun. In a situation where we don’t even know what hostile entities are in this space, firing a flare gun is a significant protocol violation.

Is the situation that serious?

I gripped my submachine gun and ran forward. The other soldiers from Recovery Team 1 also advanced. The weight of the steel was palpable in my hands.

Stop.

The Alpha Team Leader raised a hand. It was a hand signal to halt. The leader’s raised hand pointed forward with two fingers. It meant to aim our weapons.

I raised the muzzle of my submachine gun.

What is that?

I squinted.

A kind of altar stood before a canyon-like terrain. That must be the center of the supernatural space.

I checked the Geiger Counter again.

The radiation level in the area was about 0.5 millirems per hour. It’s not yet at a dangerous level, but it’s not normal either.

We had reached our target.

“Advance.”

A short command.

The Foundation soldiers rushed forward. First, secure the visible target—the altar. The soldiers quickly surrounded the small artificial structure.

The team leader gestured to me, and I quickly ran over to inspect the artificial structure.

It was a horrifying sight.

I fought back the urge to vomit. I had to proceed with the task at hand.

It seemed someone had conducted some kind of ritual here. This supernatural space itself might have been created because of the ritual.

An altar made of marble and wood.

On top of the altar was a meticulously butchered human corpse, and around the flower-decorated altar lay quite a number of human corpses.

Their limbs were bent at unnatural angles, as if someone had thrown them. It seemed those who conducted the ritual didn’t survive. It might have been some kind of human sacrifice. Perhaps suicide was part of the ritual.

“……”

I couldn’t figure it out immediately. For now, my shoulder-mounted body cam was recording everything.

“Secure the area.”

The soldiers moved busily again.

***

Recovery Team 1’s Alpha Team successfully secured the area within a few minutes. Although a few strange creatures were killed.

I leaned against the altar.

The oddly shaped altar had some human blood on it, but I was too tired to care about that now.

We had secured samples of the strange creatures inside the supernatural space and collected hair samples from the human corpses on the altar.

A moment later.

A soldier walked over to me.

“This is Team Leader Lee of Alpha Team. As you understand, Doctor, could you briefly explain the situation?”

I nodded. The situation as I understood it… It’s complicated to explain.

“We’ve identified the center of the supernatural phenomenon, so it seems best to withdraw now.”

“Understood.”

“The radiation level in the area is within safe limits. Based on the positions of the celestial bodies in the sky, there’s no spacetime distortion. The abnormal temperature and pressure originate from within this cave.”

“If you have more to say, please continue.”

I did. I continued speaking.

“The supernatural entities also seem to have been created due to its influence. They appear to be mutations of Earth creatures and don’t seem fundamentally different. The supernatural space seems to have been created because of the ritual, and it seems several people died during the ritual.”

There’s a lot of information to convey. Summarizing it concisely was harder than I thought. The team leader raised the optical equipment on his helmet.

“Science Officer, do you agree?”

“I’ve already exchanged opinions with the Doctor.”

Science Officer Min nodded, and the team leader turned his gaze back to me.

“We are Foundation soldiers. We are not in a position to take orders from Dr. Kim or other researchers. Especially in the field.”

“I understand.”

“But regardless, Dr. Kim’s abilities are quite impressive. Thank you for sharing your opinion. We’ll take it into account and proceed with the operation.”

The leader of Recovery Team 1, Alpha Team, returned to the soldiers. The Alpha Team soldiers began packing up their equipment one by one.

“Prepare to withdraw.”