Ch.11Department Store (4)

Chiiik-

Sleep gas slowly sprays from the ceiling. The eyes of the people who were making a commotion just moments ago are now glazed over.

“Let’s get out quickly.”

-Huh?

-Wait. What are you doing!

Bang!

The door closes behind us, and the lock activates. Park Sungjin picks up a crowbar with a tense expression. Wailing sounds can be heard from a distance.

In the food court where all the lights have now gone out, we run between display stands trying to stay out of sight. Just as the stairs come into view, Park Sungjin stops and raises his hand.

“Shh.”

– Alpha team. We’ve arrived at Zone A.

– ……Arrived at Zone B. Waiting until the target ……

People moving in perfect coordination while communicating via radio. Helmets, bulletproof vests, and each armed with a rifle.

“Are they soldiers?”

“No. They’re even more dangerous. From what I’ve seen……”

Park Sungjin abruptly stops speaking. A flashlight beam shines from beyond the display stand. A soldier is standing just one display stand away from us.

Thump. Thump. The footsteps gradually get closer, and now we can almost see the shape of the face behind the helmet.

“Hey you!!!”

“Yes?”

“Why are you shining your light over there!!! Do you want to die?”

“I’m sorry!”

The soldier hurriedly turns around and rejoins the formation.

“What? They just left?”

“Probably because of the rules.”

[2. If you sense something watching you from behind the food stacked on the stands, do not investigate. Our staff will assist you.]

Step. Step.

The soldiers continue coming down the stairs. Fortunately, their formation is far from us, but we need to wait to leave without being spotted.

“That story you were telling earlier, continue.”

“They are soldiers, that’s correct. If I explained in detail, it would get extremely complicated.”

The soldiers keep coming in. We still have a lot of time before the right moment arrives.

“…I told you the people here aren’t real.”

“Yes. You said that when we were going down the stairs.”

“Last time I came to this floor, it was different. It wasn’t such a large department store, and the situation was completely different. There was a fire incident then.”

“So there’s always some kind of accident at the department store.”

“Right. But back then, guys who looked just like these came too. Not with firefighting equipment, but armed exactly like this.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Don’t you know about the fire accident at Lucky Department Store a long time ago?”

Lucky Department Store. Once the largest department store in the country, but it collapsed instantly after a fire accident. The Lucky Department Store fire, called the greatest disaster in 20th century South Korea. Hundreds of people lost their lives or were disabled. The cause of the fire was vaguely assumed to be an electrical short, but ultimately remained unknown…

“But why…”

“And seven years ago, people died in a department store due to freezer gas leakage.”

Now I remember seeing it on the news. Hansung Department Store gas leak accident. A weird-looking mascot standing in front of the freezer storage.

“That probably ended as an unknown cause too.”

Park Sungjin summarized clearly but quietly.

“There have been monsters causing these accidents since long ago. There was also a group in reality that handled these incidents. But those bastards treated human lives like trash and fabricated the causes.”

“……”

“That’s what I think. And what you mentioned earlier about isolation can be interpreted that way too.”

The last soldier leaves the stairs.

Bang! Bang!

The sound of something pounding on the storage room door echoes throughout the floor.

– Target entering the storage room.

– Stand by.

A massive figure raises its front legs and strikes the metal door several times. The soldiers just watch without doing anything. Everyone’s eyes are fixed on the creature.

“Should we run now?”

“No. A little longer.”

Crack-!

The metal door crumples and then tears apart.

– Aah…

– No!!!

Cutting through the desperate voices of people, someone shouts.

– There are soldiers outside!

– People have come!

The moment of hope is brief.

– What? Why aren’t they doing anything?

– Help us! There are people in here!!! Save us!!!

Only the monster entered.

Crunch-

The hunt continues for a while. The soldiers only move after the creature finishes its meal.

– Prepare to enter.

– Team Alpha ready to enter.

– Special Unit 2 ready to enter.

– Each squad leader will enter after the signal. Over.

Ratatatatat-

Ratatat-

The dark freezer storage. Gunfire erupts with flashes.

“Let’s go.”

“We’re running now?”

“Yes.”

– Keep pushing forward!

The sound of two people running is easily masked by the gunfire.

“Phew…”

“We made it. Now don’t be surprised.”

“What? Why again…”

Back to the first floor.

The department store scenery is gone, and only one electronic device sits in the dark space from before.

[Order List]

– Internet Network

– Power Facilities (Ordered)

– Reality Generator, requires periodic anomalous fuel supply. (Ordered)

You can order one of these facilities.

Each facility can only be used once.

Tap.

Park Sungjin touches the touchscreen.

Drrrrrrrr-

The floor shakes, and a computer server appears.

“Now let’s move this.”

“That was easier than I expected. I didn’t think we’d get it for free.”

“What were you imagining?”

“I thought we might have to offer a heart or something. Maybe one lung.”

“…You’re saying some unlucky things.”

The elevator arrives, and the first exploration ends in success.

[Management Manual – Partially Edited]

– This document is for Mobile Task Force and Special Operations personnel responsible for containing CREEP-431.

– This document is educational material reconstructed by editing the CREEP-431 document. Citations from other documents are prohibited.

[CREEP-431 (Pink Microfiber Plush Toy)]

– Pink microfiber plush toy (in dormant state)

– School bus-sized bipedal reptile (in active state).

[Appearance in plush form]

[Appearance in active state]

– CREEP-431 appears as a plush toy for sale in department store toy sections. Its appearance is randomly determined each time, but it is always pink, made of microfiber, and in the form of an animal.

– Normally it’s an ordinary plush toy, but it becomes active in the following two cases:

When it feels it has left the department store.

When exposed to excessive noise or impact.

– CREEP-431 in active state hunts and eats nearby humans, then enters dormant state. If the surroundings are not a department store, it reappears in the toy section of a random department store.

[Containment Procedures]

– An appropriate level of noise and stimulation must be maintained in the surroundings. All attempts to recreate this outside of department stores have failed. Use announcements to caution customers against making excessive noise.

– If CREEP-431 becomes active, place 30 to 40 people in a confined space such as a storage room to lure it. Experiments have confirmed that CREEP-431 shows more interest in areas with large concentrations of prey.

– CREEP-431 becomes sluggish when full and more likely to enter dormant state. Creating a cold environment or inflicting wounds on active CREEP-431 can induce dormancy.

– Deploy appropriately armed personnel to recover it. The recovered plush toy should be placed back in the department store’s toy section.

– All attempts to kill or destroy CREEP-431 have failed. Personnel should focus on recovery.