Chapter 96

Episode 96. How to Kill a God (1)

****

I sat at the Director’s desk, sipping coffee. I thought the hostile groups would back off and things would calm down, but some damn annoying things popped up.

There’s no special way to kill them. Just contain the supernatural phenomena, kill the followers, and suppress related information.

So, here’s the thing.

“Paper Yang.”

“Yes.”

“I have to fight some god, and the way to do it is by destroying the supernatural phenomena that form the worldview of that religion.”

“Yes.”

“Is it right to kill the prisoners?”

The Longinus Protocol. It’s a protocol on how to kill a god. The content is as I just explained. Kill the troublesome god’s followers and destroy or contain the related supernatural phenomena.

It’s common sense.

“Uh, are you talking about Hasti?”

“Yes.”

“Well, first of all, what kind of god is it?”

I pondered for a moment.

“The King of Darkness is a plague. A monster that has killed or driven hundreds of thousands to madness over the past 40 years.”

“What’s the benefit of killing the prisoners?”

“At best, it’s uncertain.”

Paper thought for a moment.

“Then you shouldn’t kill them.”

“Even if it’s according to protocol?”

“There needs to be a reason to kill, right?”

“Protocol.”

“Uh, but considering the characteristics of the prisoners, isn’t there room for reconsideration? Even if it’s according to protocol.”

“Hmm.”

“Hasti hasn’t caused any problems. And prisoners are people under the Foundation’s control, right? Killing them seems a bit harsh.”

I thought for a moment.

“So, that’s the normal way, right?”

“Yes.”

“Understood.”

“You’re not going to kill them?”

In the end, it turned into a war against the King of Darkness. According to protocol, we should destroy all related supernatural phenomena, but…

Killing is on hold.

“Please prepare a document. Hasti is still alive and has research value, so killing or destroying her is on hold.”

Paper nodded.

I thought a lot about it too. Not killing Hasti was a decision I made the moment I saw her. But now that it’s revealed she’s a follower of the King of Darkness, can we really just let her live?

I don’t know what’s right.

****

The black flower arrived at Facility 82. Temporarily named Niguras-3, the black flower made everyone uncomfortable, so Bishop Oh took charge of its containment.

Because of this, a cross and a bottle of holy water were placed next to the pot containing the black flower. Whether it actually works is anyone’s guess.

Honestly, most of Bishop Oh’s methods were like that.

Last time too.

‘Don’t worry! My shotgun is blessed by God through my prayers.’

He said that. Whether the blessing actually works or if it’s just the shotgun’s firepower… I’m a bit skeptical.

But there’s definitely something there.

Come to think of it. Dr. Lee said that gods are a collection of supernatural phenomena. Since Christian supernatural phenomena are quite common, does that mean the Christian god actually exists?

Anyway.

“Bishop Oh. How’s the state of this supernatural phenomenon? Is it dangerous?”

“See for yourself. I touched it, and as long as you have a cross on you, it seems fine.”

“I get that, but has any supernatural characteristic of that flower been confirmed?”

Bishop Oh shook his head.

“The employees who moved the flower had disturbed dreams. We’ll conduct psychological evaluations on those under Niguras-4’s influence.”

“Yes. Anything else?”

“Not yet. Honestly, we only forcibly connected it to the epicenter and the King of Darkness. Other than looking strange, there’s no evidence it has supernatural characteristics.”

I nodded.

“Understood.”

“We’re continuing the investigation into the King of Darkness. Preliminary documents and reports will be sent to the Director’s Office soon.”

“Do that.”

****

Today’s last task.

“Dr. Chae. Can we kill that thing?”

Niguras-1. We need to find a way to kill the King of Darkness’s avatar, currently in containment. It didn’t die even from a nuclear bomb in Yulje-myeon.

“I don’t know.”

“What’s the method you’re thinking of?”

“First, I plan to spray carbon tetrachloride to dissolve polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. After that, seal it using magical means and throw it into the deep sea…”

“So, no clear plan?”

“It didn’t die from a nuclear bomb in Yulje-myeon, right? So, to kill the King of Darkness…”

“Something that can kill?”

“Borrowing divine power that can output firepower is also strange. I think the best option is to seal it tightly and throw it into the sea.”

Dr. Chae looked at the Large-Scale Containment Room.

“Can’t you think more about it?”

“It seems to dislike sunlight, so I’m considering using that. Honestly, I’m not sure about carbon tetrachloride either.”

I chuckled.

“Ask Bishop Oh.”

“He’ll probably try to kill it with holy water and silver bullets. Honestly, I think he’s a quack.”

“Oh, really?”

“Have you ever seen Bishop Oh use proper magic? I haven’t. Even if it’s because of religion.”

“I don’t know about that.”

“Look at the cases Bishop Oh handles.”

“Does he only handle relatively simple ones?”

“No, I’m wrestling with a truck-sized octopus in the Large-Scale Containment Room. A flower that doesn’t move? Popo? He only manages safe things. I don’t consider him on the same level as a mage.”

I nodded.

“Hmm. Keep up the good work today.”

“Director. Can you raise my salary?”

“Salaries are handled by HR, not me. I’ll instruct them to double your bonus.”

“What about the salary, not the bonus?”

Increasing fixed expenses is a no-go. HR’s stance is that while a 10 million won annual bonus increase is possible, a 500,000 won monthly salary raise isn’t.

If you don’t work hard, nothing’s guaranteed.

***

[Supernatural Phenomenon P-3124]

[The King of Darkness]

[P-3124 is a supernatural phenomenon that includes the short story ‘The King of Darkness’ and events surrounding it.]

[The work affected by this phenomenon must contain the phrase ‘The King of Darkness.’ The format of the work is irrelevant.]

[Works influenced by this phenomenon will always feature a character driven to madness and a medium of the King of Darkness.]

[All recorded cases have been contained, and most information about the works has been designated as a cognitive disaster. Currently, cooperation with major IT companies is being sought to suppress it.]

——

[Case 1. The Endless Nightmare]

[A short story of about 50,000 words published in Korea in the 1980s. The author committed suicide a month after publication, and the fact that the author killed themselves made headlines, nearly making the story famous.]

[The Foundation persuaded the publisher to discontinue the book. Follow-up investigations revealed that about half of the people who bought the book died, committed suicide, or were injured within 10 years.]

——–

[Case 2. Pathfinder: City of Darkness]

[A mobile urban fantasy game from the 2010s.]

[After an update, the story suddenly turned dark. It received dramatic responses from some users and developers, nearly becoming hugely popular, but the Foundation intervened to prevent the worst.]

[A god with a specific name that cannot be recorded in Foundation documents appeared. This was the first time this name appeared in mass-market computer media.]

[Within a year of the problematic update, about 10% of the game’s development team died or were injured. The extent of damage among users is unknown.]

——–

[Case 3. Aria of Sorrow]

[A play. It’s unclear when it started, but the Foundation began attempts to control it around 2010.]

[A rarely performed play, each performance caused increasing distortions in reality. Additionally, each performance involved dozens to hundreds of civilians held hostage, making forceful suppression difficult.]

[In one case, the venue was raided, and a fire was used as a pretext to evacuate people. The theater was closed that day, and those evacuated were lured into watching the performance.]

[Three goats and a person with bound limbs were found in the theater. They were likely killed during the performance.]

[The Foundation, deeming the situation critical, forcefully suppressed the actors and distributors, indiscriminately closed theaters, and worked to reduce the play’s popularity.]

[Ultimately, the numbers were reduced, but containment failed. Evidence suggests the play is still being performed. Estimated casualties are in the tens of thousands.]

——–

[Case 4.]

[Case 5.]

[Case 6.]

[……]

[Omitted.]

[This is their essence. A plague threatening humanity.]