episode_0140

Space is collapsing.

The Foundation’s new researcher barely managed to grab hold of the pillar of the medical tray before falling.

The experiment failed.

For some unknown reason, the attempt to strengthen the binding of the fifth apostle failed.

Their attempts had quite the opposite effect.

Everything trembled with fear.

Even the soulless walls and floors.

Failure at the Foundation means someone’s death.

No matter how many people there are, someone is definitely going to die.

But not a single scream was heard in the lab. The only things making noise were objects.

Two senior researchers conducting the experiment are having a calm conversation.

“The results of the experiment are as follows. The chains that were binding the fifth apostle were completely released. ”

“What are the five positions now?”

“Can’t figure it out.”

In this place, the only human voices were those of two people.

The two people soon fell silent. No one dared to speak, unable to take their eyes off the freshly created disaster.

“That’s ridiculous… … .”

The newbie barely opened his mouth, muttered, and started running.

“I’ve only been here for three months.”

The newbie kept muttering.

I felt like I couldn’t bear it any other way.

“But I have to die here?”

Everyone is crazy.

The fellow researchers I was working with just stood there silently, looking at it.

Everyone had the same expression as usual.

“You’re all crazy.”

The newbie stormed down the hallway.

She remembered when she was a young girl, lost and wandering around in an unfamiliar place.

Why am I recalling a memory from more than 10 years ago now?

Only the sound of his own footsteps and the sound of the space shaking could be heard.

After running breathlessly, I finally arrived in front of the office.

[Office]

The door is firmly closed as usual.

In a situation like this, that was exactly the problem.

The one who led and directed all these experiments is irresponsibly still behind these doors.

“Professor.”

The newbie unconsciously called his name.

One of the Foundation’s leaders.

A member of the ‘Council’ that has the greatest influence on the direction of the Foundation.

A human who has solved numerous difficult problems with ease, resolved countless crises, and saved humanity.

Like other members of the Council, his real name is kept secret.

Instead, there are those called ‘professors’.

The new president needed him.

Right now.

I grabbed the doorknob and turned it roughly.

Contrary to expectations, the door opened smoothly and without a single noise.

“Okay. We’re almost there.”

A fancy hat rack and a coat hanging on it. A velvet hat. A paper boat floating in the air nearby.

The ‘professor’ is sitting at the desk far back in the room.

The newcomer didn’t move any further. Instead, he stood there and started shouting wildly.

“The experiment failed. Five will be released soon. No. They should have been released by now. Don’t you know that!”

The situation is getting worse.

The newbie spoke almost as if he was cursing.

“Now is not the time to be here!”

Even as I spoke, I could still taste the metallic taste in my mouth.

That taste seemed like it would never leave me.

“Lethe. This way.”

The professor quietly gestured toward the newcomer.

“Calm down and listen to me. Everything is going very well.”

Lete. The new recruit who was called by name couldn’t help but feel quite flustered.

The excitement that had been ignited in the extreme situation seemed to subside in an instant after hearing a few words from him.

The professor continues speaking.

“You might not understand it intuitively. I did at first too.”

“What is this… … . What the… … .”

The distance between new recruits and ‘professors’ is gradually narrowing.

One step.

One step.

There was a moment when the distance between the two became close enough.

A document caught the newcomer’s eye.

It was a paper document that had been sitting on the professor’s desk all along.

“What the… … . Why… … .”

The newcomer couldn’t take his eyes off the document.

Just as my seniors looked at it completely released.

“So I wrote and distributed a very easy reference document for all researchers and staff. It seems like it’s missing in your case.”

The professor’s words are now hardly heard by the newcomers.

Instead, letters in the document, symbols, and images with a mysterious feel keep flowing into my head.

“Lethe. You’ve only been here for 3 months, but you’re excellent. I believe that with the skills you’ve shown, you’ll be able to understand the content of the document.”

– The purpose of the experiment is to restore and strengthen the chains that bind the fifth apostle //False

– The purpose of the experiment is to liberate the fifth apostle.

– Wipe out all humanity.

The newbie could read a few more lines of sentences.

***

Seven swallows the story and makes it disappear.

Seven is a formless, anomalous entity close to a concept.

Seven appears as the biggest obstacle in the story of his hunt.

A tragic situation.

A conflict that cannot be resolved.

A powerful enemy.

A fate that cannot be overcome.

And if the protagonist is defeated, the Seven swallows the story and disappears.

[Draft report written by Dr. Chen]

***

There was nothing in the ‘Professor’s’ lab.

It’s as if no one was there from the beginning, there’s not a single sound.

what.

Why is there no one?

I stopped the panicked people.

“Wait. I’ll check to see if there’s anything.”

It’s not that there’s no one there, it’s that they might be hiding for a surprise attack.

They may have used anomalous objects in the process. Things that make people invisible or completely invisible, making them unrecognizable.

Anyone with a position like ‘professor’ will be able to use it without difficulty.

“… … .”

But what if there really is nothing?

I’ve considered all the possibilities, but nothing stands out.

“There’s nothing here. I’ll check as I go in.”

“Ms. Dabin. Is it true that there is really nothing?”

Robin asks again, seemingly embarrassed.

“Yes. Not yet.”

Slowly, I walked into the lab.

“Mr. Robin, if you see anything suspicious, don’t touch it and let me know. I’ll check it out. ”

“Okay.”

“Other people are the same.”

“Yes, brother.”

“Yeah.”

Next to him are Da-ju and Se-rim.

“Dabin. Does this mean we’ve all withdrawn?”

“I’m not sure yet.”

I bent down and checked the floor.

There is not a speck of dust on the white floor. There is not even a trace of human footsteps.

“But at least if he withdrew on his own, he wouldn’t have disappeared without a trace like this.”

There is no trace of moving heavy loads or shredding of data.

It just looks like a new building.

“Then maybe you moved the lab.”

Sister Se-rim makes a sharp point.

“They knew we were coming in advance, so they set up a fake lab here and moved it somewhere else.”

“Wouldn’t there still be a trace?”

“Ah. So, instead of physically withdrawing, you changed some coordinates or something? You’re the foundation’s leadership. Isn’t that possible? ”

“I guess so.”

That is a credible statement.

“What Serim said. What does Robin think?”

“That’s not completely nonsense. Since the ‘professor’ can see the future, he might have predicted everything.”

“But at this point, you probably can’t see the future.”

Robin shakes his head.

“The way the ‘Professor’ sees the future may be different from the way Dabin sees the future. I don’t know exactly how it works, but just because Dabin can’t, we can’t assume that the ‘Professor’ can’t see the future either.”

“Then what Serim said is true?”

“I don’t know either. I guess I’ll have to check it out more to find out.”

At that moment.

“Sister! What’s over there!”

Jeong Hae-won found something.

“What?”

“It’s like a cassette tape.”

Heo Yun and Seok Hyeon-min tilt their heads toward the direction the guy is pointing.

“That’s right. Cassette tape.”

I bent down and carefully examined the tape.

It’s a black cassette tape. There’s no creases in the film, and the outer surface is as clean as new.

The moment I bent down even further to take a closer look.

Yoon Da-ju’s urgent scream was heard from behind.

“Brother!!!”

I quickly stepped back.

Bam.

A drop of blood falls and leaves a mark on the floor.

It’s not like anything happened despite being surprised?

The next moment.

Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo.

Blood falls like red rain.

From the point where the cassette tape is to the other side of the lab.

Thankfully, thanks to listening to Dazhu’s words and stepping back, the disaster of blood dripping down on my head did not occur.

A drop of blood from a pool of blood splashed onto his face.

“… … This is a surprise.”

He raised his hand and wiped away the drops of blood.

“Are you guys doing well too?”

“Yes.”

“I’m okay too.”

Yoon Da-joo and Jeong Hae-won, who were nearby, also seemed to be fine.

If there’s anything that bothers me, it’s the information I got from the bloodstains.

It’s all blood taken from someone’s body.

That just happened.

“Sister. Please help me out.”

“Yeah. Dabin.”

With the support of Sister Se-rim, I looked a little more closely at the bloodstains on the floor.

When I use the librarian’s insight, the familiar dizziness suddenly comes rushing back.

“Ugh… … .”

“Are you okay?”

“Just a little more.”

What spilled on the floor was the researchers’ blood.

All the researchers who were here just a moment ago are dead.

And the one who was leading the researchers was… … .

professor.

I found the name.

So, could that cassette tape be a clue to finding the ‘Professor’?

I closed my eyes tightly, catching my breath.

“Ugh… … . Phew… … . I found it.”

Sister Se-rim. Da-ju. Robin… … .

Everyone is waiting for my next words.

“This is the professor’s lab.”

I tried to walk forward and almost fell.

Sister Se-rim quickly grabbed my body and stood me up.

“Thank you, sis.”

“Be careful, Dabin.”

“Yes. And that cassette tape.”

Leaning against Se-rim’s body, he raised his hand and pointed to the end of the hallway.

“If you go over there, you can check the contents of the tape.”

“Over there? Where?”

“Office. There’s a cassette player there.”

Office.

Maybe it’s where the professor stays.

Judging by the reactions, everyone seems to have noticed it.

“So do I have to go to the office? Are there any other risks?”

Heo Yoon came over to me and helped support me.

“I don’t know. Not yet.”

On one side is Se-rim. On the other side is Heo-yoon.

Thanks to the support of two people, I was barely able to stand without falling.

“Let’s take a break.”

When Heo Yoon turns to Robin and makes a suggestion, Robin nods as well.

“That’s right. Dabin looks like she’s having a hard time.”

Then Heo Yoon asks me in an affectionate voice.

“Want to sit down and rest?”

“It’s okay. I’m a little dizzy… … . I’ll be okay soon.”

“Then that’s good.”

As you catch your breath, your breathing quickly returns to normal.

Just a few lines. It took a lot of physical strain to find out this much information.

This means that what is in front of you is a dangerous entity.

After a while.

I stepped forward first.

“Let’s go now. To the office.”

He held a cassette tape in his hand.

Thin blood flowed down my palm, but I didn’t care.

Rather, it felt refreshing.

What really concerns me is the professor’s intentions.

I wonder if the professor is after me.

In the other world line, I was so corrupted that I ended up killing all the other characters.

It may be that things went as the professor intended.

If so, the information contained in this tape will play a decisive role.

Before I knew it, my footsteps had arrived right in front of the office.

“Dajuya.”

“Yes, brother.”

“If I ever get weird, just break the cassette. Okay?”

“Not anyone else. Are you my brother?”

“Yeah. What’s in here is probably after me.”

“Then you don’t have to check it yourself, oppa.”

“No. I have to check as much as I can.”

Daju tilts her head for a moment, but then answers coolly.

“Okay, I’ll break it right away.”

“Yeah. Do it as soon as I say it. Got it? ”

“Yes.”

Then he grabbed the doorknob and twisted it down.

The door slides open without making any noise.

“Okay, I’ll go right in.”

A luxurious room with no one in it.

Paper boats float in the air, and fancy coats hang on hat racks.

And on the sofa in one corner of the room sits a completely mismatched cassette player.

“… … .”

Take a deep breath.

I inserted the cassette and held down the play button.

The first thing that came out was a conversation between two men.

“Experiment results. How did it turn out?”

“The chain was successfully created. It is still necessary to check whether it is suitable for tying five.”

“Let’s go straight to the next experiment.”

… …

“The results of the experiment are as follows. The chains that were binding the fifth apostle were completely released. ”

“What are the five positions now?”

“Can’t figure it out.”

***

– The purpose of the experiment is to restore and strengthen the chains that bind the fifth apostle.

– The sentence above is false./////

– The purpose of the experiment is to liberate the fifth apostle.

– Wipe out all humanity.

The newbie could read a few more lines of sentences.

-The Foundation is wiping out all humanity.

We will not be defeated.

Lethe, the Foundation’s new researcher, soon returned to her seat.

Her face was filled with enthusiasm.

The professor was left alone.

He, in the guise of an old gentleman, recalled the ending once again.

There is nothing in the world.

There will be no Foundation, no humanity, no intelligent life forms left.

That is, there is no subject of defeat.

“Then why?”

The professor, who had been lost in thought, raised his head.

The new researcher from earlier hasn’t left his seat yet.

“Why can’t I lose? Why do I have to do this?”

“Lethe. Please read the document again.”

The professor replied briefly and placed a piece of paper in her arms.

“It will help you understand the current situation.”

Chook.

Blood is spurting-

***

-A scream rang out.

I don’t feel any pain or despair.

It was a woman’s voice, as if she was forcing it out reluctantly.

It’s a voice that sounds like it’s from someone who’s terrible at acting, portraying their pain.

“Ah …

“Aaak.”

“Ah.”

I kept listening to the tape.