“I can’t believe they disguised the entrance with the floor…”
The inside was deeper than imagined.
I could feel the air flowing into the pit, like a sinkhole.
“Isn’t this a little too deep?”
As Detective Lim finished speaking, she confidently exhaled.
“It won’t be that deep once you get in!”
‘It won’t be that deep?’ Her confident attitude only made me feel uneasy.
“Sigh… I guess I have no choice but to go in.”
“Then, you go first~ I’ll let you!”
I didn’t trust her claim, but what could I do?
“One… two… three…!”
[Thud!]
…
My knees hurt.
I’ll kill Doyun later, but not enough to actually die.
Still, it wasn’t as deep as it looked from above.
“Phew… you can come down!”
When Detective Lim confirmed I was okay, he started preparing to land.
“Phew… well, I’ve given you the information, so now…”
[Swoosh-]
“Eh…”
[Whoosh-]
Detective Lim hugged her and jumped, and I heard a short scream.
And then.
[Thud-]
“…Why are you so desperate to not let me die…”
“You said you’ve been here before, right? I still need you.”
At those words, she grumbled for a moment, then seemed resigned.
“Ugh… Okay…”
“You talk fast. Lead the way and explain the building’s structure.”
…
[Step… Step…]
“The building’s structure is like a complex entanglement of circles, squares, and triangles.”
“Even the building’s structure has been consumed by the concept… pretty crazy, right?”
Her words made me imagine rings of shapes intertwined.
…Even the building’s structure was like a game.
“How many people are inside?”
“From my experience… at least several dozen?”
“Don’t worry, you won’t die if you get caught!”
Won’t die…
Are they doing human experiments or something?
“What happens if you get caught?”
“Um… you become like me and orgasm multiple times, I guess?”
…
That was a much worse torture than death.
As we walked and talked, we saw a vent that a grown man could barely fit into.
“Be careful, we have to crawl from here!”
She went into the vent first and started crawling.
Detective Lim followed, and when I entered the vent, it felt like my body was squeezed tight.
Because of that, I kept bumping into something, but strangely, no sound came out.
“Anyway, I’ll explain as we go.”
If it was a vent, we must have already entered the building…
“Wait… isn’t it a little dangerous to talk here?”
“Strangely, the staff doesn’t move around when the lights are off.”
For a criminal organization with next-generation technology, they were very sloppy.
You’re telling me the security can be breached with just this…?
As we continued to move, there were windows on the floor every so often.
Thanks to the windows, I could roughly understand the shape and structure of the building.
The inside of the facility was quite clean and had a slightly futuristic feel.
Then.
“Ah…! A gun!”
Suddenly, she screamed as she looked down.
And.
[Click]
[Thud-]
“What is this… it opens?”
She opened the window and landed on the floor, and I was momentarily flustered.
More than that… even if it was lights out, shouting like that and going into the hallway…
I crawled over and looked down, and there was a strangely shaped gun near the door.
From the start, it was more like a toy because of its unique pink color.
“Hey… isn’t this too dangerous?”
“It’s okay…! It was like this in the past, and I didn’t get caught!”
It was even an experience…
Even if there was no worry of getting caught, she seemed quite bold.
…She picked up the gun, and I thought I should slowly go into the hallway too.
At that moment.
[Step… Step…]
“Uh…?”
I started hearing footsteps from the end of the hallway.
“What… what is it…? There wasn’t a night guard in the past…”
“Shh…”
My signal stopped her words.
The air suddenly became heavy.
[Swoosh…]
I tried to raise my hands and use sign language, but she didn’t seem to have learned it.
I even pointed to the door behind her, but… she seemed quite nervous.
[Step. Step.]
Even at this moment, the footsteps were getting closer, so I had no choice.
[Thud…]
I landed on the floor and tried to minimize the noise, but the sound echoed throughout the hallway.
It was certain that the guard far away would come because of this sound.
When I looked to the left hallway, the direction of the flashlight was pointing towards us.
I quickly approached her, hugged her, and put my hand on the doorknob.
[Click…]
Fortunately, the door wasn’t locked.
[Bang…]
“Phew…”
[Thump-]
When I entered the room, I saw her legs give way and she collapsed.
Fortunately, the footsteps outside the door weren’t heard, probably because it was soundproof.
“Things have changed a lot from the past… Hehe.”
She was the reason this happened, but she was carefree.
Come to think of it, there was a sound…
There was a possibility of breaking into the door.
Just in case, I took out the pistol from my pocket and aimed it at the door.
And.
[Click]
“Whoa, whoa! Calm down! It’s me…”
It was Detective Lim who opened the door and came in.
“What about the guard?”
“He doesn’t seem to have passed this hallway.”
Then, I felt relieved, and my arms lowered on their own.
“Haa…”
I looked around the room for a moment, and it was cleaner than I thought, and all the furniture necessary for living was there.
Was it the room of a high-ranking member of the organization…?
Above all, the most heterogeneous thing was the uniquely shaped pink outfit on the floor.
“Oh…! These are the masks and clothes of this place…?”
Masks…?
“What are the masks?”
“Ah… when I participated in the game, most of the staff here wore this and a mask.”
“Oh…! I don’t know why, but there’s even a mask…!”
When she held up the mask, there was a black mask with a circle in the middle.
I don’t know the details, but if there were clothes and masks, it was perfect for pretending to be an agent here.
“Then… there are about two sets of masks and clothes… so let’s do me and Detective Lim.”
“Then what about me…?”
What should I do with Doyun…
Come to think of it, she lived locked up in her house.
“You just stay locked up in bed.”
“Yay…!!”
I knew she would like it.
“First, let’s live here for a while and gather information?”
At Detective Lim’s words, I slowly started to put on the clothes.
It was quite… a strange feeling.
[Swoosh-]
After putting on all the clothes, it felt a little loose.
Was it an intentional design…? It looked tacky because the color was bright.
“Ah…! And if we’re going to live a spy life, we should be apart for a while.”
I nodded at Detective Lim’s words.
Having three people in one room was very likely to be discovered.
“Then… should I go out?”
“Ah, it’s okay. I’ll go out.”
[Swoosh-]
At the same time as Detective Lim finished speaking, he handed over a walkie-talkie and a USB.
“The USB is 2 terabytes, so it’ll be enough to collect data.”
“Let’s make the walkie-talkie number… 7.”
When I received the USB and walkie-talkie at his words, it seemed to be quite an expensive product.
Was he really serious about this case from the beginning…?
“Then I have something to give you too…”
When I handed over the pistol in my pocket, Detective Lim seemed quite surprised.
“Are you sure?”
“Haha… I know what that gun I got earlier is.”
I roughly knew what that gun was through Kongyu.
The shape and color were similar, so it was likely to be the same type as the gender reassignment gun.
Above all, if Detective Lim, who is the main force of this investigation, is in danger, we will be in danger too.
“Um… I understand. Then I’ll go to an empty room.”
He received the pistol and covered his face with the mask.
[Click-]
“Yes. Let’s meet safely next time.”
✦✦✦
About a day had passed since then.
Living here with a mask on, the welfare here was better than I thought.
The room was at the level of a decent motel, and there was no CCTV installed for privacy.
Above all, a buffet that rivals a decent hotel, a comfortable resting space, and freedom to do whatever you want except for work hours…
…If it wasn’t for my philosophy, I would have definitely gotten a job here.
But if I continued to live a spy life here like this, I would be discovered anyway.
Rather, that would be much more risky…
I had to quickly extract information and get out of here, but… when I turned on the computer, the operating system was Linux, not Windows.
Honestly, I had never properly handled the Linux operating system, so I had no idea how to extract information.
But after extracting the information, where should I go?
Should I go abroad?
Or should I make it public with reality in mind?
My head was confused, but there was no way.
At least, now that the information that there is a game room has been confirmed, I had to take out the related data.
And that data… may be the trigger for an important incident in the future.
[Rustle…]
Then I saw someone coming out of the bed.
…It was Kim Doyun.
“Hoo… I’m locked up all day, so I’m lacking dopamine…”
“…Doesn’t matter if you’re hungry?”
She tried to make a voice while staggering, but there was no way.
“I don’t care if I’m hungry, dopamine…”
Was she a dopamine addict…?
“Come to think of it, have you ever used Linux?”
“Linux… you mean the operating system?”
The possibility was low, but…
“I mainly use it, how did you know…”
…It was unexpected that she used Linux.
But rather, it was an opportunity to quickly extract information, so I slowly started to take off the pink clothes.
“Eh…? Even so, it’s impossible here…!”
“…What are you talking about.”
It felt like the stuffy feeling was released because I was wearing layers of clothes.
[Swoosh-]
When I handed her the clothes and the USB, she looked flustered.
“You know the computer room, right? Go there and extract all the images and videos that can be evidence.”
“I… I don’t want to…! Why would I do such a dangerous thing…”
“If you don’t, your trauma might happen again?”
When I touched her trauma once again, she seemed tired and seemed to agree.
“Haa…”
It was a bit of a trashy thing to do to her, who even gave me money, but… there was no way to collect data.
[“Ah, ah. Can you hear me?”]
When I turned on the walkie-talkie for a moment, the signal seemed normal.
[“What’s going on at this late hour?”]
[“I’m going to collect data and get out soon, so wait around Area 11.”]
Area 11 was next to the computer room and was relatively narrow, so it was advantageous no matter what happened.
[“… I understand.”]
When the walkie-talkie was cut off, I started checking the equipment again.
[Lights out]
[All employees, please go to your rooms]
It was lights out, so it was advantageous to start the operation.
There was a guard, but it would be quite easy to move around if it was lights out…
Even if they noticed, it would take time for the masks to arrive.
When I took out the toy-like gun in my pocket, it was quite unique.
Do I not have to load it…?
[Whoosh…]
I gently pulled the trigger, and smoke leaked from the gun barrel.
…It seemed quite dangerous to shoot in this room, so I thought it best to stop.
“Are you dressed? Let’s go.”
“Just a moment… I’ll be done in a bit…”
Does she take a while to get dressed?
While she was changing, I turned on my phone and saw that it was March 24th.
It had only been five days since I took on the case, but the trial and error felt like a month’s worth.
And ironically, I recovered my exhausted strength here after all that trial and error.
I never thought I’d be eating food provided by a criminal organization and regaining my strength…
But either way, I couldn’t forget my duty.
“Let’s just do it until today…”
I had to switch to positive thinking in situations like this.
“Phew… I’m all dressed. Let’s go…”
[Screeeeeech-!]
As she was speaking, a sudden, ear-splitting, unpleasant noise erupted from the speaker.
And…
[We will now begin the special game.]
[The special game is ‘Tag’.]
[Eliminate three people inside the building to pass.]
… !
I came out of the room after hearing the announcement and saw warning lights flashing everywhere in the hallway.
[Thud… Thud…]
At the same time, masked figures began to emerge from the rooms on both sides.
Was this a trap from the beginning…?
The fact that they accurately counted the number of people meant they already knew our information.
…It definitely seemed reckless for two detectives to enter this place.
At this rate, we were going to be surrounded.
“Phew…”
I covered my ears and aimed the toy-like gun at the ceiling.
Honestly, I didn’t know how well it would perform… but there was no other way.
Then.
[Bang!]
As she said, a considerable amount of smoke poured out.
The surroundings were enveloped in smoke, and thankfully, I could hear the masked figures stumbling into each other.
[Thump. Thump.]
“Why did you shoot it right in front of me…!”
“…Let’s split up here.”
“After you collect the data, come to area 11, which is right to the right of the computer room.”
[Thump! Thump!]
Now, after collecting the data, we had to gather together and escape to the town above ground.
And to do that… I had to meet Detective Lim.
[“Hello, hello. Detective Lim, can you hear me?”]
…When I didn’t hear anything from the walkie-talkie, I became uneasy.
Had he already been caught? Or was the walkie-talkie broken…?
Which one would I prefer…?
[Thud-]
“Who’s there…!”
“It’s me. It’s me.”
As the smoke cleared a little with the voice, I could see it was Detective Lim.
“I didn’t expect you to be nearby…”
“I was quite confused myself.”
[Thud… Thud…]
Just then, I began to hear the sound of many people running around.
Indeed… it was a trap.
“Here…!”
Detective Lim pointed to the side, and there was a door.
I was uneasy in many ways… but there seemed to be no other choice but to enter.
[Click-]
I entered the room with Detective Lim, and it was quite dark inside.
Perhaps because it was soundproofed, I couldn’t hear any noise from outside.
Then.
[Thwack-]
As the ceiling light turned on, the entire room was brightly lit.
The room was larger than I expected, but other than the sofa in front, there wasn’t much to see.
[Whirr-]
At that moment, the sofa rotated towards us…
“Was the game fun?”
A high-quality black mask and a black suit…
The atmosphere was different from the masks I had seen so far.
Judging by the delicate voice… was it a woman?
It seemed that this person was the commander who had planned everything.
I roughly knew that even the room would be a trap, but I didn’t expect the commander to come in person…
“You…”
Just then, I saw Detective Lim aiming his gun at her.
“Even so, you shouldn’t be so hasty…”
[Whoosh-]
At the strange sound, I looked at Detective Lim’s face and saw a red targeting line on his forehead.
“It’s dangerous if you resist rashly, you know?”
Was there only one sniper?
I looked around, but I couldn’t figure out where they were.
“Let’s go.”
Detective Lim said, aiming at her, but I hesitated a little.
I had been experiencing Detective Lim’s experience since a while ago, but this was too much.
If I left this room, Detective Lim would…
“Even so…”
“Go!!”
His words reminded me of the philosophy I had gained from him.
His eyes didn’t waver at all.
He clearly distinguished between public and private matters… there seemed to be no hesitation.
“…Detective. Stay healthy.”
And.
“Yujun.”
“How do you know my name…”
“It was on Naver Wiki.”
“Anyway… I was a huge fan of yours.”
I hadn’t been able to say it until now… but I wanted to say it in front of him at least once.
His expression… thankfully, seemed satisfied.
[Thump. Thump.]
No matter what happens to him, I’ll continue to be his fan…
[Click-]
Fortunately, they didn’t shoot Detective Lim or me while moving.
But when I came out of the room, I could hear the sound of masked figures walking in the hallways everywhere.
I couldn’t let my guard down yet.
Now, I had to go to area 11 as promised.
Looking at the top of the wall, I could see that it was marked ’09’.
If it’s area 11…
[Thump. Thump.]
“There’s an intrud-!”
[Bang!]
I saw a masked figure for a moment, but it was an opportunity.
Thanks to him being shot, the surrounding visibility was obscured.
Since this was area 9… I had to go straight ahead.
…
[Thump! Thump!]
“Haa… Haa…”
I kept shooting and creating smoke screens, and somehow I managed to shake them off.
Looking at the wall… it was area 11.
“Come over here…!”
I heard a voice along with a wave from afar, so I ran towards it again.
“…You’re late?”
There were many twists and turns in the process of coming here, so it couldn’t be helped.
Looking ahead, there was a large iron door.
“Phew… More importantly, why did you tell me to come here?”
“There’s a reason why I told you to come here.”
I don’t know what the reason is, but is she going to bring up another strange joke?
Fortunately, there were no signs of masked figures coming.
“Can you pull that lever over there?”
Looking at the left wall of the door, there was a fairly large lever as she said.
[Thud…]
I tried to pull the lever as much as possible, but it was quite heavy, so it didn’t pull properly.
I work out quite a bit too… it seemed to be for multiple people.
“Phew…”
After taking a deep breath for a moment.
“One… Two… Three!”
[Thud-]
[Bang!]
As the lever was fully pulled, the door in the center began to open.
