Chapter 72: The Abandoned Factory (１)

****

Nanami, Aide An, Aide Cha, and Administrator Lee. The staff of the Director’s Office sat gathered in one place. Without Dr. Geum.

“So, you’re saying Director Geum spent her doctoral years at the Foundation? With Miss Lee Seah?”

“With the Head of Research, yes.”

“I understood that part. But I don’t think that explains why her body changed to that extent.”

“Because it’s an anomaly. Isn’t that what we see every time? Unfortunately, if you expect a commonsense explanation, you’re bound to be disappointed.”

Nanami opened her mouth.

“Actually, there’s a fact we haven’t disclosed.”

“What is it?”

“This is confidential. Lee Seah — the Head of Research — actually performed an intracerebral electrode implantation test on the Director herself when she first joined. Alone.”

“What?”

The Director’s Office staff were horrified.

“While Dr. Geum was undergoing a sleep EEG — that is, while she was asleep — the Head of Research administered an anesthetic and performed the procedure as a surprise.”

“And the reason the Head of Research is still alive is…?”

Nanami let out another sigh.

“Well… because she found something. The official report said there was nothing wrong with Dr. Geum, but the Head of Research found a problem.”

“Reality-adjustment levels were detected in her brain. A Primrose field was found inside it.”

“What was a Primrose field again?”

“It’s an extended-physics concept detected in communications with other dimensions. I only heard about it orally from the Head of Research, so I don’t know the details.”

Aide An furrowed his brow.

“What does that mean?”

Nanami thought for a moment.

“I’m not an expert, but. The pineal gland is called the third eye. It’s the brain region governing sleep, and it’s also connected to nirvana in Buddhism.”

“Ah. So Dr. Geum is an anomalous?”

“It’s not that simple. How should I put it… it’s like an octopus. That’s how the Head of Research phrased it. The Dr. Geum we see is the tip of a tentacle of something enormous.”

“What?”

“At least, that’s the Head of Research’s opinion. A kind of inter-dimensional infection. An existence outside our dimension changed Dr. Geum — created her.”

“Hmm…”

“Do you think so too, Nanami?”

“No. I think the Head of Research is a crazy bitch who should be sent to the dissection room immediately. I’m just relaying her opinion.”

“So, is Dr. Geum a monster?”

“Well, let’s think of a flock of crows. Each crow is just an ordinary bird. But that doesn’t mean a flock of crows is the same as other birds.”

“What kind of nonsense is that.”

“I don’t know either.”

BANG! The door to the Director’s Office swung open.

“Think of it this way. An ant is just an ant, but unlike other insects, it can communicate with its own kind. That’s how they build nests and form civilizations. Dr. Geum is connected in some way to nodes that exist across dimensions. Even if that doesn’t exceed the bounds of humanity, there could be unpredictable emergent effects.”

Lee Seah looked into the Director’s Office.

“Who said you could barge in here?”

“I thought you were talking about me.”

“Get out.”

Lee Seah crossed her arms and leaned against the wall.

“I’m the one who knows best what Dr. Geum, the Director, really is. I’m also the only one who properly remembers Project Blue Rose.”

The Director’s Office staff looked at the Head of Research.

“If you had any sense, you’d have realized that’s the only reason the Head of Research is still alive.”

“Good thing I don’t have any sense, then.”

Lee Seah left the Director’s Office.

“You’re all making a grave mistake. Dr. Geum is stronger than any power, any personal force, anything in this country. And you’re just relying on its goodwill, aren’t you?”

****

Arriving at work. The Director’s Office was strangely quiet.

“Did something happen?”

Administrator Lee shook her head violently. Strong denial meant strong affirmation. Why are these people acting like this? Did they have a team dinner without me?

I tossed my bag onto the desk.

“Administrator Lee. I don’t know what it is, but if there’s something I need to know, you’ll tell me, right?”

“Yes. Of course.”

I decided I’d find out what happened on my own. I turned on my desk computer.

“Administrator Lee. Anything going on today? I thought I saw the Precognition Division folks pulling overtime yesterday.”

“Not sure, honestly. I heard the Precognition Division caught some new lead related to Group of Interest activity.”

Group of Interest.

After the Forgotten City Incident, the Foundation had been killing anyone from a Group of Interest and any humanoid anomaly on sight. But apparently, it wasn’t enough.

They were still running rampant all over the place.

“Is there an elimination plan?”

“Not yet. We’d need to send people out to search the area first before we can put together a proper elimination plan.”

I nodded.

If it’s just a search, it shouldn’t be hard.

****

I looked around.

The task force “Moon of Seoul” was accompanying me. This place was a ruin. Lots of stories about ghosts here, and devil worshippers supposedly showing up.

Whether that’s true, I don’t know.

“There’s nothing here? Just ruins.”

More precisely, an abandoned city. The whole city, looking decades old, had a ghastly shape like the corpse of a giant monster slowly rotting away, with rebar and concrete jutting out like bare bones.

[Let’s treat this as training.]

I don’t know about that.

“Do you really think an anomalous group’s base is in a place like this? Doesn’t seem very likely.”

I didn’t even know Korea had a place like this. As I looked around for a moment, the task force’s military dog suddenly started barking.

[Hold on. Let’s proceed carefully. According to Baekgu, there are people nearby besides us.]

“Ah, is that so?”

Baekgu? It’s black, so why Baekgu.

“Well… the ruins are interesting, but if there’s no evidence of an anomaly existing around here, I think it’s better to just head back.”

[Alright. Let’s search the building first.]

The building’s door wasn’t intact. We got inside without much trouble. Could’ve been a factory, I don’t really know.

[Should we split up and search?]

“Going alone is dangerous, so let’s move in pairs of two.”

****

When there’s no resistance, or when you can’t see the enemy, it’s important to secure the high ground. Though I doubted there even was an enemy in this area.

[We’ll search the eastern section.]

The task force soldiers dispersed. I followed the operative who’d brought the military dog. The inside of the abandoned building was darker than I expected.

“So. What do you think we’ll find in these ruins?”

[Don’t know. First—]

I looked around the building again. Inside the abandoned building, graffiti left behind by people covered the walls in every direction, dirtying them up.

It wasn’t ordinary graffiti.

Black pentagrams. All sorts of occult symbols. It could just be the scribbling of lunatics, but there was no evidence it was unrelated to anomalies either.

[Let’s just follow the dog’s lead for now.]

Only eight of us, having to search an abandoned factory the size of a small town. Probably no one else in this building but the two of us.

[Wait. There’s something nearby.]

A bat flew over our heads. The Precognition Division had said it, that there’d be something in this building.

I’d reorganized the Precognition Division to my liking a few days ago, but that didn’t mean I could fully trust them.

[Hold on…]

The task force operative pointed at something. The military dog also started barking again, staring at something on the wall. What is it?

“Huh.”

There was a symbol of the anomalous artists.

****

Those cockroaches. Who knows what kind of horrible monstrosity they’d installed in this dead city and called art this time.

What was it last time? They’d occupied a museum right before its opening and exhibited paintings drawn in blood and dolls made of bone and flesh, I think.

Disgusting things.

“Let’s notify Facility 82 and regroup with the others. We shouldn’t have split up… I didn’t know this mission would be this dangerous.”

[Well, it’s because we split up into teams that we were able to find this trace at all. Our choice wasn’t wrong.]

We arrived at the rooftop of the building, and I looked around once more. Ah… what is that.

“Up ahead… an exhibition hall.”

A sign reading “Digital Media Exhibition Hall of the Anomalous Artists” hung above a door, the lettering done in a shoddy neon sign that looked homemade. The lights had definitely been off just a moment ago. They must have turned on as we passed by.

– Digital Media Exhibition Hall of the Anomalous Artists

– In collaboration with Clockwork Devices

[Even at a glance, this looks way too dangerous.]

****

[Group of Interest Activity Observation]

[Filed by: Administrator Lee Jihye]

[Domestic Group of Interest activity has been intensifying around the time of the Forgotten City Incident, and there is no clear sign of improvement on the horizon.]

[I question whether the Foundation’s—and Facility 82’s—indiscriminate destruction and forceful suppression truly serve any purpose. The Foundation should seek ways to coexist peacefully with humanoid anomalies outside the Foundation as well.]

****

[Re: Group of Interest Activity Observation]

[Filed by: HR Section Chief]

[Rejected.]

[Administrator Lee denies having authored the document in question. Administrator Lee is currently being preemptively contained pending a deep investigation. Intrusion into the Foundation database is suspected.]

****

[Re: Re: Group of Interest Activity Observation]

[Filed by: Administrator Lee Jihye]

[The issue has been resolved. Thank you.]

****

[Re: Re: Re: Group of Interest Activity Observation]

[Filed by: HR Section Chief]

[Administrator Lee Jihye’s Foundation intranet account has been temporarily deleted. Administrator Lee Jihye herself is in containment. Human Resources Department has activated the code and requested a security team dispatch from Foundation headquarters.]