episode_0029

Robin sat down at the mahogany desk and clasped his hands. When you twist your fingers with force, you realize that from now on you have to solve something important and serious.

It has been 146 years, 3 months, and 21 days since I should have died a long time ago. Many things left her. Family, friends. Other human relationships. Longing for parents and love and thoughts for children that seemed to last forever. ideology. And even his identity, including his name. However, this habit survived tenaciously.

The foundation’s leadership has a job to do. always. It was never something that wasn’t important and serious.

Robin accessed a laptop at the Foundation that only she could use.

[Authentication begins. Please wait without moving for a moment.]

[Check for memetic contamination of the user.]

[Check whether the reality value – Hume – has changed.]

[Check whether there are any anomalies in the device.]

Green letters flash across the black screen, and soon a familiar desktop appears.

[welcome.]

[Council – #8 Robin]

[Automatic language translation meme -babel- in action]

A total of five people participated in the video conference, which ensured the highest level of security. This is the minimum number of people needed to make ‘not-so-key’ decisions.

Other council members were unable to attend, citing reasons such as research schedules and poor health.

“Council members. Hello.”

Robin gave the usual greetings, but few people responded. Since factional organizations and personal meetings between council members are taboo, meetings always go like this.

“Let’s start the meeting. Information about the date and number of participants is automatically recorded, and meeting minutes are registered in the Foundation’s Grade A secure database.”

As soon as Robin finished his greeting, a dry voice spoke.

#29. ale. Like most of the council members, this is a man I have never met in person.

“Robin. First, please explain once again the reason for hosting the meeting.”

“Okay. The meeting agenda is…”

I calmly lay out the prepared agenda and check the corner of the screen.

#16. #29. #72… The code of the member speaking flashes white and then returns to gray.

There was only one person who never spoke.

#4. professor.

He is one of the few council members she has met in person.

“Professor.”

Robin couldn’t hold back and spoke.

“Where on earth are you and what are you doing right now?”

***

An old apartment full of anomalies.

Pieces of corpses and monsters. Even strange murals. It’s an extremely filthy place, but even in places like this, there’s at least one place worth setting foot on and living in.

A neat hallway. In front of the ‘professor’s’ office, the man in white took off his hat and cleared his voice. Soon, a voice is heard from inside the room.

“Come in.”

The man did as he was told.

As he entered the room filled with the scent of old books, he was greeted by the back of an old man he had always seen. One of the members of the Council, the highest leadership of the Foundation. This is a man called ‘Professor’.

“Professor. I just finished securing the restorative. The number of people sacrificed is 13.”

“I know.”

“We are also tracking the location of the woman you mentioned. You will be able to secure it soon.”

“We will be able to secure it in the evening two days later.”

The man closed his mouth and lowered his head.

Professors are always looking to the future. The Foundation exists to protect humanity from anomalous and supernatural beings, and to this end, the Foundation’s leadership is also equipped with superhuman abilities.

There are times when he makes decisions so cruel that everyone under his command is shocked. Even though the same council sometimes makes incomprehensible claims, there is no doubt that his ultimate goal is the well-being of humanity.

***

I quickly returned to the 7th floor. I hurriedly took my belongings to the warehouse and decided to tell everyone about my new findings.

The threat to the apartment isn’t just anomalous objects. A group is conducting an experiment. It is highly likely that they also killed the previous owner of room 704.

Room 701 is used as a conference room.

Choi Se-rim met at the warehouse and came here together, but the other two are nowhere to be seen. I knock on the door of the house, but there is no answer.

“I’m glad you’re safe though.”

“Yes… But I don’t know what will happen in the future, so I think everyone should be aware of it. Do you know where everyone else is?”

“Well. I don’t think it went outside this floor. I’m not sure what you’re doing? Maybe we’ll be together?”

As soon as Choi Se-rim answers, Da-ju storms out and prepares to leave.

“Oppa is here for a moment.”

“Huh? Why?”

“I have a place to go.”

“If we just go together…”

Daju runs down the hallway without any time to reply.

I followed him and found him banging on the door of the house in the middle of the hallway.

Thump thump thump!

“Sister! Are you with Seok Hyun-min?”

“Yes! Wait a minute!”

“Hey. How can you not call me oppa at least once? do do what? Seok Hyeon-min?”

“Just die, you old man.”

“What? You’re not crazy.”

After a while.

Sigh-

The door opened and Heo Yoon came out.

“Ah. Are you back from Daju? Dabin is there too.”

Her hair is disheveled, and she has a toothbrush in her mouth.

“Sister, what were you doing?”

“You. Why are you yelling? I was tired for a while, so I took a nap, and so on. It was just there.”

“Why is my sister with that guy?”

“Um…just? He’s a patient. Even if you don’t like it, you have to look at the situation.”

“Then why do you brush your teeth?”

“Huh? Is there a reason to brush your teeth? My mouth feels a bit dry…”

Kekkek.

Yoon runs to the bathroom, gurgling.

An irritated voice is heard.

“Ah, Daju Yoon! Don’t keep making me talk!”

“……”

Meanwhile, Da-ju’s eyes are completely cold as she looks at Seok Hyun-min outside the house.

“Die.”

“H.”

Seok Hyeon-min smiles while looking down at Da-ju. He has the face of a winner in life who has everything in the world.

“Thank you, Daju Yoon.”

“I’ll kill you!!!”

I have a rough idea of what the situation is. Daju Yoon, why does he do that?

The more I look at him, the more strange he seems.

Serim quietly grabs my sleeve from next to me.

“Dabin.”

“Yes, sister.”

“Let’s go.”

As I was walking away from the scene of the incident, Choi Se-rim suddenly called me.

“Dabin.”

“Yes?”

“Do you remember what I said before?”

“Which one?”

……ah.

I remembered.

Room 701 where everyone is gathered. As always, Heo Yoon is leading the meeting.

“So, what Davin is saying is, there is a mural on the 13A1 floor, and it looks 3D and you can go into the space inside, but in the end, it is 2D. If you fall into the trap, the painting will return to 2D, and the person inside the mural will be flattened. Is this right?”

“Yes.”

“And another thing, beware of crazy people. I found traces near the mechanical device, and it looks like they are sacrificing people to make a healing potion… The people here are probably from the Foundation. They are the only people other than us. I’ve known this for a while, but hearing this makes me nervous again.”

Heo Yoon sighs and strokes his hair. This is also a scene I see often.

What’s different from usual?

Seok Hyun-min is not lying face down on his desk.

“Then what about 13A1? Should I not go for a while?”

“Well. I’m also worried about getting new supplies. What should I do?”

Heo Yoon and I didn’t even fight together.

Da-ju Yoon is muttering something next to her, but I don’t think she should touch it. Se-rim Choi is just tapping on her laptop as usual.

So I am the only one who has an opinion.

“I guess I just have to be as careful as possible. I said it because I was worried, but the traces I saw there were also old. Wouldn’t it be okay if I just avoided it?”

Heo Yoon shakes his head with his arms crossed.

“Know what to avoid. What if I run into someone while walking around?”

“We have to fight. Did you run away? It’s the same as when I met a monster. Just because you might run into a monster doesn’t mean you won’t walk around the apartment, right?”

“No. People are more dangerous. They talk about thinking.”

It was Seok Hyeon-min who expressed his opinion this time.

“Or should we all go together when we go down to 13A1? At least I’ll go with the people I’m fighting with. Let’s all take our weapons and go.”

“Hmm. That’s not bad either. What do you think, Serim?”

“I think it’s okay too.”

“Daju…”

I tapped Daju, who was dazing next to me.

“Daju Yoon?”

“Do whatever you want.”

“Okay. So, let’s be as careful as possible and quickly gather supplies little by little and come up. Also, it would be a good idea to set different times each day and find a safe time. okay. Now go and rest.”

I returned to room 704 feeling uneasy.

I lay in bed basking in the morning sunlight, but the terrible image never left my mind.

The sack that Seongjin Park brought with him.

Flesh writhing inside…

What on earth is going on here?

***

[Council meeting minutes dated ■■■■/■/■]

[Number of participants]

Host: #8 Robin

– #4 Professor

– #16 Ale

– #29 Rememberer

– #72 Colonel

#8: Professor. We respect your judgment, but we also have the right to know what future you see.

#29: I agree with Robin. What on earth are you looking at, acting alone without any consultation?”

#4: It’s just research. This is an investigation that requires large-scale, high-quality personnel and the highest level of security. Dozens or hundreds of independent anomalous objects are gathered in one space. Even within it, the reality values fluctuate depending on the location, and the space-time coordinates fluctuate. No anomalous object in the Foundation’s possession has ever been this unstable.

[There is a moment of silence.]

#4: And aren’t interim research results continuously updated?

#72: Isn’t this a problem that will end with intermediate research? Professor, do you think it is right to drag in high-quality human resources without sharing the overall research purpose? This is a problem that has been pointed out since the last time. Just because you can see the future doesn’t mean you move alone without sharing anything…!

#16: Kernel. calm down.

#8: I will ask the professor again. I would like you to tell me properly this time what is it about that apartment that requires such a large-scale investigation.

#4: Yes. I can basically see the future, but it’s only a fragmentary image. We are aware that there are other restrictions and that we will need the cooperation of other council members. The apartment in question. What’s unique about the temporary number CREEP-200-t is that it’s associated with a future I can’t quite see. When I went to the location, I couldn’t see what the apartment looked like.

#16: Then, it could be related to ‘multiple dimensions’, or the ‘uninterpretable’ itself could be an anomaly of the object itself.

#4: No. It’s not that simple.

[REDACTED]

#4: As of now, it’s all just speculation. I didn’t want to throw the foundation into chaos before conducting a proper investigation. This may not resolve all misunderstandings, but I hope it at least prevents the foundation from splitting. Robin.

#8: Yes. Thank you for your words. This concludes the meeting. That is all.