Chapter 10: Chameleon (1)

The company-provided accommodation was a neat officetel located in Incheon.

It was spacious and pleasant—unlike the old, shabby studio I used to live in.

I began to adjust to my new home.

Rahee said she was also assigned to a different officetel nearby.

The actual fieldwork of the exploration team turned out to be—surprisingly simple.

As Team Leader Park Chul-woo had said, Team 15’s main job was to “manage” anomalies that had already been fully explored and categorized as low-risk, with established protocols.

We would come to work, get a briefing, move to the containment facility, take out our smartphones, observe the anomaly according to the manual, feed it something specific, or clean the containment room.

I gradually became familiar with my team members as well.

Team Leader Park Chul-woo still stuttered slightly and was shy, but when it came to work, he was more thorough and cautious than anyone.

Seo Ji-hyun, despite her cold first impression, would clearly explain anything I didn’t know without showing the slightest annoyance—like a dependable senior.

Han Sora remained cheerful as ever, setting the tone and looking after me, the newcomer.

“…This is strange.”

Life was far more peaceful than I had expected, but something felt uneasy.

It was like the calm before the storm.

Given that the world I had possessed wasn’t normal, I felt I couldn’t afford to let my guard down.

There was, however, one disappointing aspect of this peaceful routine—the item distribution policy.

New team members were not eligible to borrow official company items until they had completed a full month of employment.

In other words, I had to endure about three more weeks before I could get one.

After some relatively calm days had passed, our team received its first “field assignment.”

“Alright, everyone, please pay attention.”

Standing before us in the meeting room with a more tense expression than usual, Team Leader Park Chul-woo spoke.

The tablet in his hand displayed a photo of a secluded pension on the outskirts of Incheon.

“It is currently presumed that an anomaly called ‘Chameleon’ is hiding out in Neulpureun Pension in the Incheon region.”

“Chameleon…?”

The next screen showed information about the anomaly.

[Chameleon]

Risk Level: Low

Feeds on the corpses of living beings and can transform into them.

Gains the memory and knowledge of the transformed subject.

However, it can only access memories from the past year.

Older memories remain unknown.

Alongside this information were records of previous incidents.

One instance involved it taking the form of a notorious cult leader, leading to a mass suicide event.

In another case, it became a soldier on leave, returned to base, and triggered a mass shooting.

“…Its direct combat ability isn’t high, but it’s the type that grows by stealing the knowledge and memories of its prey.

As you can see from past cases, leaving it unchecked can lead to unpredictable consequences.

We must track it down and eliminate it.”

I swallowed dryly without meaning to.

Its combat ability may have been low, but the nature of its power was devious and dangerous.

I raised my hand to ask a question.

“…Can’t we locate it with a detection-type item?”

“Low-level detection items won’t work, and high-grade ones… unfortunately, are restricted to upper-tier teams. Also, for this mission, bringing offensive or defensive items is prohibited—as a precaution.”

The team leader gave a wry smile.

By “precaution,” he probably meant: if we’re taken down and the anomaly gets hold of an item.

An anomaly that could use items—Just imagining it was horrifying.

“At present, the pension is isolated due to access roads being washed out by heavy rain.

There are a total of six individuals inside—or rather, five people and one creature.”

The screen showed grainy CCTV images presumably from inside the pension, along with brief information about those staying there: A middle-aged man who seems to enjoy fishing.

An elderly man, the pension owner.

A young child, presumably the elderly man’s grandson.

A medium-sized dog believed to be kept by the elderly man.

A young couple on vacation.

“One of these is the Chameleon. The problem is, we don’t know who. And unless we pose a direct threat, it’s unlikely the creature will reveal itself first.”

“…Could the medium-sized dog be the Chameleon?”

“There are no exceptions.”

Team Leader Park continued, “Therefore, this mission will proceed as an undercover infiltration.
If we barge in, the anomaly may hide or attack the others. Except for me, the three of you will approach the pension naturally, as if you’re vacationing guests.”

At that, Han Sora whistled.

“Wow! It’s an outdoor op, so we get hazard pay, right? Sweet deal!”

“…We’ll see about that.”

Seo Ji-hyun adjusted her glasses, clearly skeptical, but said nothing further.

“The objective is to blend in as naturally as possible and determine who the anomaly is. If we find clear evidence, or the anomaly tries to escape, I’ll provide backup from the outside.”

Team Leader Park looked at me.

“Min-jun, I know this is your first field mission, so you must be nervous… but observation and analysis are more important than combat this time. Work closely with your two seniors.”

“…Yes, understood.”

My first field mission.

And it was an infiltration op to identify a disguised anomaly.

A far cry from just collecting anomaly tears in the containment room.

‘…If only it could be resolved through force instead…’

Honestly, I wasn’t confident.

We quickly began preparing for the operation.

Instead of the standard-issue uniforms, we changed into regular casual clothes we’d brought ourselves.

Seo Ji-hyun sent satellite images, a map of the pension’s interior, and basic profiles of the suspects to our smartphones.

Han Sora packed props like a large suitcase and a neck pillow from her car trunk, fully transforming into a vacationer.

A little while later, we boarded a plain black van and headed toward the rain-drenched pension on the outskirts of Incheon.

The car eventually stopped at the entrance of a forest trail near the pension.

“We’ll walk from here. Act as naturally as possible. Use this for communication.”

Team Leader Park handed us compact radios.

“We have to find it.”

We got out of the car, each grabbing our luggage, and walked toward the pension under the pouring rain.

In the distance, we could see the “Neulpureun Pension” perched on top of a hill.

Seen through the wind and rain, it had a certain charm, though it also gave off an eerie vibe.

According to the information we had, the first floor of the pension was a shared space, and the second floor was a private area with bedrooms.

“Come on, let’s hurry!”

“Uh… yeah…”

Hansora came up to me, put her arm around my shoulder, and smiled brightly.

Seojihyun remained expressionless, but her eyes scanned the surroundings sharply.

I forced a smile and walked toward the pension entrance with the two of them.

Clunk.

As we opened the door and stepped inside, the musty smell of rain mixed with the warm indoor air greeted us.

“Oh dear, you must’ve had a hard time in this rain! Come in, come in!”

An elderly woman with white hair, sitting on a chair in the living room, welcomed us with a kind smile.

At her feet, a fluffy white medium-sized dog wagged its tail and looked up at us, and next to her, a young boy sitting at a small table stopped drawing and stared at us with curious eyes.

The pension owner, her young grandson, and the dog.

We had just met half the suspects all at once.

“Excuse me! I’m Kim Sora — I made a reservation earlier! Wow, this rain is no joke!”

Hansora spoke to the elderly woman in her usual cheerful and friendly tone.

Her acting was perfect.

I played the role of a shy, reserved man, lowering my head slightly behind her, and Seojihyun pretended to fidget awkwardly with her smartphone, as if unfamiliar with the place.

Of course, in reality, she was likely reviewing information on the suspects and the layout of the pension on her phone screen.

Even now, she snuck glances at the old woman and the child.

“Ha ha, no kidding. It just started pouring all of a sudden. Looks like our guests are stuck here for now.”

The old woman clicked her tongue and pointed to one side of the living room.

There, a young couple and a middle-aged man were sitting on separate sofas, staring blankly out the window.

The couple leaned on each other with annoyed expressions, while the middle-aged man in fishing gear looked bored and yawned repeatedly.

They were the remaining suspects.

All the suspects were now gathered in this small space.

I bit my lip quietly.

When I pulled up the mental map in my head, sure enough, a faint red dot was blinking near the center of the living room.

The problem was, the pension was smaller than expected, and everyone was too close together — it was impossible to pinpoint exactly who that red dot represented.

Was it the old woman?

The grandson?

The dog?

One of the couple?

Or the fisherman?

What was certain was that the chameleon-like entity we were chasing was a far better actor than we had anticipated.

From facial expressions alone, everyone looked like a real human.

“Head to the room marked ‘4’ on the second floor, got it?”

“Got it~!”

We took the key and went upstairs.

The pension was cozier than we expected.

The first floor had a living room and a dining area, along with the stairs leading to the second floor.

Naturally, the bedrooms were upstairs.

Once in the room, we began unpacking and shared our first impressions of the suspects.

“I’ve got it…! It’s gotta be the fisherman, right?”

“Huh? Why do you think so?”

Hansora smiled as she asked.

“Well, the old lady, her grandson, and the dog have lived here together — they’d surely recognize each other if something were off. The couple would definitely recognize each other too! That only leaves the fisherman!”

“…Well, when you put it that way…”

It wasn’t a completely baseless argument.

Then Seojihyun added a comment.

“Regardless of suspicions, I think we should be wary of the pension owner.”

“Huh? Why the old woman…?”

“Because she’s the one who prepares all the meals. She’d have easy access to kitchen knives and such. If the chameleon were to obtain a weapon in this pension, the kitchen is the most likely place.”

“Th-that’s true…”

Her chilling statement made me involuntarily feel a bit nervous.

But at the same time, another thought crossed my mind.

‘If they attacked us first… maybe things would actually get easier.’

As soon as that thought came, I shook my head to dispel it.