Chapter 270: Ch 270: Make Equipment
Our plan was simple.
"Recruit a Security Team personnel, infiltrate the annex, and then..."
Assistant Manager Eun Haje raised her thumb.
"Make equipment."
For reference, the agents’ reactions were as follows.
"...Couldn’t you explain how to put an elephant into a refrigerator with the
same line of logic?"
"Bronze-ah, shh. This sounds fun."
"Ha..."
Seeing that, Assistant Manager Eun Haje grinned.
"For now, Disaster Management Bureau agents, please step out. This is
something we employees of an evil capitalist company will handle
ourselves."
"Aigoo, what a shame."
And then we moved on to detailed planning.
The most important point here was this.
Assistant Manager Lee Seonghae’s access.
"Hm, is the issue how I get in?"
"It does seem like there’d be some trial and error the first time using a
wheelchair."
But surprisingly, after seeing Assistant Manager Lee Seonghae maneuver
the wheelchair quite skillfully, everyone nodded.
"At this level, there shouldn’t be a problem with escape speed on flat
ground. If it comes to it, our section chief can just pick up the wheelchair
and run. Right?"
"Yes."
"Good. Then let’s think based on that..."
At that point, Baek Saheon saw his chance.
"I think I might be able to help too..."
"We know you’re after the scraps. What, you want to cut off a perfectly
good arm and replace it?"
And he sank back down.
As expected, the instincts of Assistant Manager Eun Haje, a former reporter
who had casually infiltrated the second floor of the company housing, were
impressive...
However.
Companion recommendation : Goat
"...!"
"Oh."
’You have to throw him some scraps if you want to keep using him.’
Baek Saheon’s eye was clearly useful in Sekwang City, so it was better to
manage him in a way that kept him cooperative.
’Since he values his own life, he probably won’t troll during infiltration.’
As long as Ho Yoowon’s project remained intact, there was also no need to
worry too much about sudden rogue actions.
Of course, if you indulged him too much, he’d still push his luck...
Reason : Surveillance
"Okay."
"...?"
Baek Saheon looked at me as though he was being very, very wronged, but
I ignored him.
Fortunately, approval was given without fuss.
"And..."
Assistant Manager Eun Haje grinned at me.
"Roe, since you’re currently part of the Security Team’s Special Division,
there’s an endless number of roles you can play."
Affirmative
"Then is the roster finalized?"
"Yes."
The equipment heist crew, which was composed of Daydream Inc.
personnel, had finished all their mental preparations.
And so...
"...R-Roe. What is all this?"
We arrived at the point of meeting a very flustered Supervisor Park
Minseong...
’Supervisor...’
If he was so bewildered that he was asking a nonhuman employee with
horns who communicated via smoke to explain things instead of the
perfectly fine Section Chief Lee Jaheon, just how shocked must he be...
Well, in this case, the section chief was a reptilian alien too.
I tried to handle the smoke as delicately as possible as I conveyed it.
Objective : Manufacture custom equipment to replace body parts
"Replace body parts?"
At that moment.
"Hmm."
The door to the Security Team break room opened, and a familiar figure
entered.
A scrawny Guard Team member with slumped shoulders, looking as if
everything was a hassle.
J3.
As if he had already noticed from outside the door that someone had snuck
into the break room, he showed no reaction at all to the presence of people.
But when he saw me, he lifted his head.
"...Ah."
Long time no see, Sergeant...
"Um, are you... back for good...?"
Negative
"I see..."
Question : How have you been
"I’m... the same as ever..."
But his faded pupils sharpened for a moment as they landed on my legs.
"Your legs... what happened?"
Injured during a mission
"..."
It’s fine. That’s why we’re here.
I explained the situation to the sergeant once more through smoke, and
Assistant Manager Eun Haje followed up verbally.
We were planning to steal some equipment from the annex, and could he
cooperate.
And of course, he didn’t disappoint.
"Sure, I guess..."
"...That’s it?"
"Yes..."
"Ah, this isn’t illegal. It’s something Director Ho is carrying out discreetly."
"I don’t really care... umm."
"..."
Assistant Manager Eun Haje looked at me with an expression that clearly
said, ’Is this guy always like this?’
Even if you look at me like that, I’m wearing a gas mask, so I can’t answer
with facial expressions...
Anyway, with the sergeant’s enthusiastic cooperation, the foundation was
laid.
’Good.’
However, the sergeant did quietly approach me and say this.
"You know... The thing you asked me for, I did it, but... can I talk about it
a bit later..."
Ah.
Affirmative
Yes, that’s right.
"Okay..."
Thank you, Sergeant...
And then we each took seats on the sofa and floor, and finally began to go
into detail about the annex.
"Please state the current situation of the annex. If it is a personal judgment,
you must specify that it is an opinion."
"Yesyes. So..."
And then a rather chilling explanation followed.
"There was a failed containment."
"...!"
Darkness had escaped from the annex.
Of course, it wasn’t such a shockingly rare occurrence.
"Of course, that’s why the Security Team exists, so it’s practically an annual
event. But the problem is..."
I heard Supervisor Park Minseong let out a quiet sigh.
"That Darkness is difficult to fully re-contain, so the entire storage area in
basement level 2 has been sealed off and placed under control."
And.
"But all the Twilight-grade Darknesses that we want to use for equipment
manufacturing are stored there."
"Yes..."
Supervisor Park Minseong looked like he was holding back another sigh,
then gave us a bitter smile.
"I don’t know when it’ll end. Rather than me... Sergeant?"
The sergeant blinked slowly and spoke.
"At least two months... I think we’ll need to plan for that long. Is that
okay...?"
"Two whole months?"
"Yeah... On that floor... there are even employees who went missing..."
Sharp inhales escaped from here and there.
It was said to be such a difficult situation that Security Team personnel were
being rotated in every night.
"Huu. Still, with this many people... it does feel like we could at least
endure long enough to go in and pull out some equipment."
The sergeant didn’t deny Assistant Manager Eun Haje’s words.
However.
"But... on that floor... before worrying about moving around... have you
decided how you’re even going to get into the annex...?"
He’s right.
Getting into the annex in the first place was the problem.
Leaving a record that we entered would be bad, and Assistant Manager Eun
Haje had already been processed as resigned.
In the end...
"We’ll enter under a different identity."
"A different identity?"
"Yes."
An identity that wouldn’t seem strange asking for access to either the first
or third level of the annex.
And...
A combination that would pass naturally anywhere, simply because no one
would dare pick a fight with it.
"Minseong-ah."
"Yes."
"We’re going to pretend to be the elite A-squad."
"...!!"
Daydream Inc. Annex.
In the dead of the night, crossing into dawn.
"Huu."
A rookie from this year of the Field Exploration Team was just finishing up
the management of a darkness he’d received earlier that day and heading
out.
In his hands was an F-grade Dream Essence, but he was exhausted...
’Let’s leave and head to bed already.’
The fear that had finally settled and the tension that had loosened only made
him drowsier.
But just as he was about to step outside through the entrance, he froze as if
struck by lightning when he saw three figures entering through the door.
The appearance of the employee at the very front was far too recognizable.
A black ponytail, tall and slender build, sharp and flashy nails, and... two
pupils gleaming viciously.
It was Assistant Manager Jin Nasol.
’The elite team...!’
The rookie swallowed hard.
There were two fellow ’supplementary hires’ who had followed the A-squad
on an exploration, and stories of what happened then had already spread far
and wide...
All the more so because one was still in a coma at a company-affiliated
hospital.
"This way, Squad Leader."
And behind her followed A-squad’s leader, known for the teal duck mask,
and a supervisor with a somewhat stiff but composed expression.
That supervisor had reportedly been assigned to the A-squad recently.
’...I’m jealous.’
People close to Wish Tickets.
Especially when looking at A-squad’s leader, who had already obtained a
Wish Ticket once, the rookie swallowed again.
He even wanted to strike up a conversation.
’Wouldn’t it help to build connections?’
It was the misconception of someone who had yet to experience firsthand
the brutally ability-centric nature of the elite members of the Field
Exploration Team.
So the rookie cleared his throat and cautiously approached the entrance...
Then stopped the moment he saw what the three were ’transporting’ behind
them.
Something shrouded in black smoke.
Bound atop a wheelchair, it was wearing a gas mask, with yellow eyes
flashing in all directions...
’That...!’
That was the monster he had seen during onboarding.
The strange and overwhelming being that lived on the annex’s thirteenth
basement level.
Now he knew it was a special Security Team employee, but even so, the
rookie froze reflexively.
Drrrk...
That Special Division employee was being dragged along, bound to
something like a wheelchair...
"..."
Swallowing, the rookie hesitated for a moment about running away, but in
the end couldn’t overcome his curiosity and stepped closer to speak to the
A-squad.
’It’s good material for conversation, too!’
Of course, to the highest-ranking one.
"Hello, Section Chief...!"
"..."
"I-I’m a rookie from the Q-squad, Lee Seungjo."
"..."
"Section Chief?"
No answer came back.
But it didn’t feel like he was being ignored either.
Somehow, A-squad’s section chief was just staring blankly at him...!
’H-Huh??’
"Move."
"...!"
At that moment, Assistant Manager Jin Nasol shoved him lightly aside and
strode straight into the entrance.
"Section Chief, let’s go in."
"Yes."
Only then did A-squad’s section chief avert her gaze and start moving.
And the supervisor passed by without even looking at him.
’...??’
No, wait...
Rather than feeling sad or chilled at being ignored, wasn’t that reaction...
kind of strange...?
"An access pass for Basement 3, please."
"Yes. Which Darknesses are you accessing?"
"Code 1575, the cuckoo ghost story."
"Please wait a moment."
As the brown-haired Security Team staffer at the counter finished
responding, the rookie employee mustered his courage once more and
spoke up again.
"Um, are you sending this one to the annex’s Basement 13, by any chance?"
"...What?"
"I actually met that employee during orientation. I almost died, but I
survived."
He was about to draw interest with a boastful story, something like how he
even rode the elevator together with that employee yet he showcased his
quick wit, when...
"I see."
A-squad’s leader answered like that.
"..."
"..."
...??
At that moment.
"So?"
"...Pardon?"
"So what."
A voice cutting in sounded like it was holding back irritation.
"Move. The ones who can’t do their jobs are always the ones who just get
in the way... Ha."
Assistant Manager Jin Nasol shot him an annoyed glance, then snatched the
access pass the Security Team counter was holding out and walked off
down the annex corridor.
The other members of the A-squad did the same.
"..."
The rookie employee stood frozen, blankly watching the scene.
Of course, he had no idea that behind him, Park Minseong at the Security
Team counter was letting out a scream of relief...
’Aaaagh!’
And after the ’A-squad’ entered the annex’s Basement 3 corridor.
"Huu."
The three of them released the illusion.
Then, figures familiar to Kim Soleum emerged from within.
The Sekwang City exploration team.
Having ingested Daydream potions for disguise that Ho Yoowon had given
them, they safely passed through the entrance and entered the annex.
– If you drink these, you’ll be perceived as the A-squad.
Assistant Manager Eun Haje, who had been playing the role of Jin Nasol,
rotated her wrist.
"No, Section Chief, why did you answer him...! We agreed not to respond
if outsiders talked to us. My heart almost stopped."
"I see. However, I followed your statement from three days ago, Assistant
Manager Falcon, when you said ’Sure. If it seems like a conversation where
we can extract information, let’s casually listen and play along’."
"...That excludes you, Section Chief."
"? Yes."
Assistant Manager Eun Haje let out a deep sigh.
’I miss you, Minseong-ah...’
At times like this, it’d be fun if there were a hoobae who was great at
playing along, but right now their maknae could only communicate by
writing, and the one they brought along was this shady little Goat punk.
Siiigh.
Still, the maknae, seated in the wheelchair, was meticulously checking the
progress of the heist.
CCTV Confirmation : Operations disabled
The CCTV on Basement 3 was in a state of ’just happened to be broken and
turned off’ due to Director Ho’s maneuvering, and Supervisor Park
Minseong at the counter was scheduled to testify that ’somehow or another,
I heard nothing’.
And as for the A-squad they were impersonating...
"I heard they went into a Darkness today."
That’s right.
Following Ho Yoowon’s instructions, the A-squad had been ’secretly and
quietly’ deployed into a project-based ghost story, and this apparently had
not been announced to any company staff...
In the end, even if they appeared at the annex as the A-squad, the risk of
someone asking ’why are you here’ had been successfully avoided.
"The A-squad being on Director Ho’s line made it perfect. Otherwise, that
squad leader would never do something that benefits our Section Chief."
Saying she got to imitate the incredible figure that was Jin Nasol, Assistant
Manager Eun Haje just shrugged.
Then she looked back at her former squad leader, who would now be
extremely reliable.
"We’ll conduct a headcount and then proceed upstairs."
"Yes. Then... Roe?"
At that moment.
From Kim Soleum, who bore the form of 130666 seated in the wheelchair,
the smoke wavered in a strangely unnatural way.
"You okay?"
...
Affirmative
"...Alright."
Assistant Manager Eun Haje didn’t know the exact circumstances, but her
hoobae had been stuck for half a year in an identical corridor to this one,
trapped deep on the annex’s Basement 3.
However, trauma was a symptom common to nearly all members of the
Field Exploration Team, so after taking a mental note of it, she moved on.
"Good. That guy J3 is Basement 3’s manager today, so we’ll see him once
we’re inside."
Affirmative
Then all checks were complete.
All that remained was execution.
Recommendation : Communicate with Assistant Manager Dolphin.
"Yes. You may proceed."
Then.
130666, who had seemed bound to the wheelchair, appeared as if melting
out behind it, without any trouble at all.
And.
"Just a moment, please."
Creak.
From inside the bulky wheelchair that 130666 had been pretending to sit in,
Assistant Manager Lee Seonghae peeked her head out.
She had been successfully concealed and brought in thanks to 130666’s
dark uniform and black smoke.
"Huu. Thank you very muuch."
"Not at all."
And.
"Alright, then let’s choose."
[ Toy Maker of the Cheerful Institute / Qterw-E-07]
[Kind Seed Kit / Qterw-E-99]
[I Offer a Rite / Qterw-E-404]
"From here on, we’ll have to explore Basement 2 while avoiding the
Darkness that escaped containment, and some areas may be completely
inaccessible. So..."
They needed to decide the order.
Question : Equipment-crafting Darkness should be checked first
"Hm..."
Assistant Manager Lee Seonghae soon pointed to one spot.
"Bring me here."
[ Toy Maker of the Cheerful Institute / Qterw-E-07]
"...!"
Also known as the abandoned toy store.
It was the equipment-crafting Darkness most frequently used by the
Research Team.