Chapter 98

Episode 98. How to Kill a God (3)

****

I frowned.

The temperature in the Containment Wing dropped by 5 degrees in just 10 seconds. If it keeps dropping like this, everyone will freeze to death in a few minutes.

I opened my lab coat, but the Containment Wing had turned as cold as a winter blizzard in an instant. Frost began to form everywhere.

“Dr. Chae! What’s going on?”

“Reality Distortion Field levels are rising!”

“Evacuate immediately!”

Something big was clearly going wrong, though I didn’t know what.

“All non-essential personnel, evacuate!”

It’s common for temperatures to drop during an incantation, but… I’ve never seen it get so cold that frost forms. Dr. Chae leaned on the staff, probably showing signs of hypothermia.

“Dr. Chae! Retreat!”

Dr. Chae collapsed.

He’s going to die at this rate. I ran as fast as I could toward the Large-Scale Containment Department’s management room. Among the equipment, there should be a flamethrower—

Luckily, it was right there in plain sight.

But how do I use this…?

There must be a manual. Judging by the weight of the flamethrower, it seemed like it was fueled. I strapped it to my back.

The nozzle was shaped like a gun. Everything seemed connected. After strapping it on, I checked the firing mechanism. Press the fuel lever at the back, pull the trigger at the front, and it should ignite—

Whoosh.

Oh, damn.

The flamethrower spewed fire, and the management room desk caught fire. Not that the management room is important right now. I hit the fire alarm button and rushed back to the Containment Wing.

Someone will put out the fire… right?

Dr. Chae was still lying in front of the management room. Is he even alive? I fired the flamethrower over Dr. Chae.

“Dr. Chae! Wake up!”

“Why the hell are you shooting at me?!”

“If you’re awake, get up!”

Dr. Chae crawled to the side. The flames must have snapped him out of his daze.

I aimed the flamethrower back at the monster. Of course, this wouldn’t kill it, but maybe it could stop the temperature drop?

“That thing is still in the sealing process—”

“Just run already.”

Whether the flamethrower raised the temperature or someone turned on the heating, the temperature stabilized at around 7 degrees. I wasn’t cold thanks to the flamethrower.

The toxic gas was a bit concerning, though. I had a mask on, but… are polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons flammable? What about carbon tetrachloride?

The monster, which hadn’t budged against bullets, reacted to the flames. It didn’t die, but it hesitated. Black tentacles reached out but couldn’t pierce through the flames.

“Dr. Chae.”

Dr. Chae began another incantation.

A fierce wind blew around Niguras-1, as if a small tornado had formed inside the Containment Wing. The Security Team fired silver bullets at the monster from a distance unaffected by the frost.

“Go back to hell!”

Boom!

An explosion flipped the Containment Wing upside down. Snowflakes and glittering dust covered everything. I blinked. What the hell just happened…?

Ugh.

I looked around. It felt like I’d been thrown back quite a distance. My whole body hurt, and something like a desk was shattered behind me…

What happened to the monster? Through the fog, I could vaguely see a faint red sphere. The massive monster that had been rampaging was nowhere to be seen.

I set down the crumpled flamethrower. Is there a flare gun or a loudspeaker somewhere? There has to be a way to restore order.

“Dr. Chae!”

Dr. Chae was unconscious. I pulled the earpiece from his ear. He twitched, so he’s probably still alive.

Dr. Chae’s earpiece was still connected to the speaker. Ah, ah. I cleared my throat, and my voice echoed throughout the Containment Wing.

“Ah, ah. Mic test.”

[Ah, ah. Mic test!]

It’s still working.

[Cease evacuation!]

[Maintain formation! Supernatural Phenomenon Niguras-1 has been successfully contained. Maintain formation and retrieve Niguras-1!]

Ugh, I think my ribs are broken.

****

It seems mostly successful.

The massive Niguras-1 had shrunk to an egg about a meter in size. No movement was visible. A faint red light emanated from it, likely due to Dr. Chae’s sealing.

I kicked the egg. No reaction, just a clunk from the impact.

“Dr. Chae. Come here.”

“Yes.”

“Was this the goal?”

“No. I didn’t know.”

Dr. Chae pondered for a moment.

“Well… there’s a saying. An egg symbolizes an unrealized world. It might be the Egg of Abraxas.”

“The egg is the world of birds. Whoever wishes to be born must—”

Ah, that Abraxas.

“……”

“Someone secure this egg safely!”

Security in protective suits rushed over. A forklift and a stretcher moved toward us.

****

The Isolation Room was prepared surprisingly quickly. I thought it would take days.

There’s a standard procedure for containing high-risk artifacts like this. The High-Level Object Artifact Standard Containment Procedure Manual.

Just hang it from the ceiling with chains in an Isolation Room, keep it at sub-zero temperatures, and carve runes into the walls. The containment officer might add their own touches.

Depending on the supernatural phenomenon, a Reality Anchoring Device might be installed.

If it emits radiation, the walls might need lead lining. If it requires something mystical, there might be salt or sacred rope seals.

I crossed my arms and looked at the Isolation Room. Lee Se-ah was waiting beside me.

“Prepared it pretty quickly, huh?”

“It’s a pre-existing Isolation Room.”

“What was it used for?”

“Dragon egg.”

Wait, what?

“Where’s the dragon egg?”

“We made an omelet out of it.”

If it sounds like a joke, it’s probably not a joke.

That’s the thought I often have with Lee Se-ah. I need to check if anyone actually saw a giant omelet…

“We’re planning to install an Information Blocking Barrier in this Isolation Room.”

“Is there no way to kill it?”

The Research Department Head shook his head.

“We broke three chainsaws trying to crack that egg. Physically destroying it seems impossible. We’re considering soaking it in Memory Erasure Agent to kill it.”

“Got it. Have you tried X-rays, CT scans, or MRIs? It’d be good to see what’s inside.”

Lee Se-ah showed me a tablet.

“Right, I should’ve shown you this first. This is what’s inside the egg. The imaging results came out like this.”

I frowned.

“What’s this?”

“It’s an egg, so of course there’s a bird inside.”

The images from the three scans showed a crumpled chick-like form. The MRI showed what looked like a bird’s eye staring back at me.

“Can you figure out what it is?”

“Not sure. Any way to crack the egg open?”

I thought for a moment.

“Should we get Nanami’s sword? That should definitely cut through the shell.”

“Do you think that’s a good idea?”

Well.

That depends on whether cracking the egg open is a good idea or not. I don’t think it’s a good idea, but I can’t deny I’m a bit curious.

****

[Niguras-1 Standard Containment Procedure]

[Author: Lee Se-ah]

[Niguras-1 is currently in the form of an egg about the size of a beach ball. Containment procedures are being implemented to prevent it from reverting to its original form.]

[Contain it using the same method as the dragon egg.]

[Step 1. Niguras-1 is stored in a transparent acrylic box. This box is suspended from the Isolation Room ceiling with multiple chains.]

[Step 2. Maintain the Isolation Room temperature at sub-zero levels. Since Niguras-1 is a life-like supernatural phenomenon, lowering the temperature may reduce its life activity.]

[Step 3. Inscribe sealing runes around and inside the Isolation Room. These security runes are written in runic script by Foundation security experts.]

[Considerations.]

[The original dragon egg should also be contained similarly. Note that the dragon egg has been transported to Foundation Headquarters per request and is stored in a cryogenic tank.]

[Weak ionizing radiation has been detected from the egg. It’s not at dangerous levels, but personnel in frequent contact should exercise caution.]

****

[Disciplinary Request for Lee Se-ah]

[Author: Dr. Kim]

[Submitted to the Personnel Department.]

[This is not a joke. The Research Department Head really made an omelet out of the dragon egg. The dragon fetus—what should we call it?—was sent to the specimen room.]

[Check the Research Department Head’s fridge. There’s probably about 4 kilograms of omelet in there.]

****

[Disciplinary Request for Lee Se-ah. Reply.]

[Author: Lee Se-ah]

[Dr. Kim is under the influence of a Cognitive Disaster. I wouldn’t steal a supernatural phenomenon to make an omelet.]

[Who would do something like that?]