Chapter 12
Translator: True Detective
Chapter 12
Different Circumstances
When an extreme situation hits, people always naturally want to blame someone.
Their behavior was illogical and irrational, but at least there was room for understanding.
Because in the end, everyone here was someone who had lost something.
At my words, the crowd sank into a deep silence.
They too had realized it now. That even if they got angry like this, nothing would return.
That no matter how much they got angry at the mutants... they were also just people in a similar situation.
"...Hah."
The man who had told me not to go let out a gasp.
It seemed he hadn't expected this situation at all.
I bowed to him and approached the area where the mutants were gathered.
From werewolves, to orcs, goblins... and even vampires who look closer to humans but give off a bizarre uncanny valley feeling. The mutants that were hard to see at the community center were huddled together here...
"H-eek...!"
...Ah, right.
I let out a groan at the terrified reaction of the werewolf as soon as I approached.
Actually, it wasn't just the werewolf who showed this reaction. The other mutants also showed a terrified reaction as soon as I approached.
...Come to think of it, Shin Ah-yoon had said that before.
She didn't know the reason, but she felt a strange fear.
'...Still, is it to the extent that they react this much.'
Oddly, emotional wounds accumulate.
Because it feels a bit like being ostracized.
But just like Shin Ah-yoon before, it was clearly a fear that could be overcome.
After a little time passed, they quickly escaped their fear.
The first to break free among them was a beastman with an appearance that looked like a mix of a bear and an owl.
He is truly huge. To the point where I have to look up quite a bit.
Do they call that an owlbear? I wonder if that violates copyright.
"...First, I would like to express my gratitude. And I want to make it clear that our reaction from a moment ago was not intentional."
"I understand."
"...Thank you."
I looked around.
The area where they were gathered was distinctly different from where the ordinary people were gathered.
It was darker, gloomier, and more despairing.
'They must feel doubly alienated.'
Losing their homes and their families. But not even being treated as humans.
"...Um, I have something to ask."
"Ask anything."
"Do you know anything about what's inside there?"
I spoke while pointing at the black cylinder.
The blackout phenomenon. The place that had practically stolen everything from the people gathered here.
The owlbear's expression darkened.
"...Not much, though."
"It's fine. Anything is good."
The owlbear hesitated for a moment, then began to speak.
"Actually... a few of us have tried to go inside."
"Is that true?"
To think they had already tried to go in first.
At the highly valuable information, my heart pounds without me realizing it.
"So? What happened?"
"Well... we were stopped."
"...You were stopped, you say?"
"The soldiers' guard was strict. They were blocking every path that could make contact with the blackout zone."
I let out a sigh at those words.
The military, the military. These are the ones I saw at the Sinsa Station intersection too.
How were they.
Just looking at their conversation with the taxi driver earlier, it was hard to have a very good impression of them.
But why did the soldiers act so threateningly and react like that?
At the very least, it's certain that they are also under a lot of stress.
I mean looking at it objectively, not out of sympathy for them.
At the very least, it was certain that something unusual was happening inside.
Because of that, I couldn't stay still even more.
"Then if I just avoid the eyes of the soldiers..."
"It would probably be impossible."
"......."
"Barricades, guard posts, patrols... they were doing 24-hour shifts. They are thoroughly searching every single alley."
...Fuck.
Listening to it, it really seems there are no openings.
"Was there really no one who managed to go in?"
"...I don't know. At least among us..."
That means they all failed.
Even if there were, since I can't know, it's no different from failing.
I fell into thought for a moment.
'...Is there no way?'
The soldiers' guard is thorough.
They thoroughly search even the alleys.
24-hour shifts.
'...It would be impossible head-on.'
It was around the time I was reaching a tentative conclusion inwardly.
The owlbear asked me with a hesitant voice.
"...Are you perhaps planning to go inside?"
"......."
"...I would like to stop you. No matter how much I think about it... going inside there really doesn't seem like a good idea."
"...Is that so?"
The owlbear's voice was trembling slightly.
It means everything he's saying is sincere.
"...Yes. Since last night, until just a moment ago, sounds have continuously been heard from that place."
"...What kind of sounds are you talking about?"
"...Screams."
The owlbear said that and shuddered.
Screams.
That single short word made the air sink even heavier.
"...I don't know. Whether they can even truly be called screams. Those sounds were... truly desperate, as if tearing something apart."
The owlbear's voice trembled finely.
As if just recalling those screams was sufficiently painful. It felt as if the fear he must have felt was being transmitted to me.
"It felt as if something representing humanity was being chipped away. As if the soul itself was wearing out..."
"......."
Just listening to it, I couldn't quite grasp what kind of feeling it was.
Screams that felt like the soul was wearing out?
Even so, there's no way anyone could remain sane after hearing that.
"...Should I say it's fortunate, but it seems only a few mutants have heard those sounds. Perhaps because their hearing isn't as good, it seems ordinary people haven't heard them at all."
It seems there was such a backstory.
I let out a deep sigh.
The more I heard, the more this didn't seem easy at all.
Why did that bitch have to go hang out in Gangnam of all places today, making me suffer like this.
"Thank you for letting me know. It was helpful."
"Are you... really planning to go? There must be a reason why the soldiers are blocking it. The inside is truly... not normal."
"Well. Let's see how the situation unfolds first."
I gave a vague excuse and left the mutant area.
The fear-mixed gazes of numerous mutants felt piercing on my back, but I didn't have the luxury to care about that right now.
Rumble—.
It was then. Along with the heavy sound of engines shaking the ground, several two-and-a-half-ton trucks stormed into the camp plaza.
"W-what is it?"
"Why are the soldiers acting like this!"
People started murmuring in panic. The soldiers who jumped out of the trucks instantly formed ranks and pressured the people with their muzzles pointing diagonally downwards.
Their faces were covered by gas masks and helmets, and even their nametags were hidden.
Bzzzz— Bzzzz—!
At that moment, the pockets of the numerous people gathered in the plaza vibrated simultaneously.
I also took out my phone from my pocket.
[Emergency Disaster Alert]
Government Issuance: Temporary Martial Law Declared in the Entirety of Seoul.
Effective immediately, all outdoor assemblies and movement are prohibited. Violators will face severe punishment under the Martial Law Act...
"Martial law? Does this make any sense!"
"Telling us to disperse when we have nowhere to go!"
The screams of the people erupted, but the soldiers did not answer.
Instead, a noise-mixed mechanical sound flowed from the large speakers installed on the trucks. Soon after, a man with a solemn expression appeared on a large display mounted on a vehicle.
It was probably... the Prime Minister, was it?
[Respected citizens, this is the Prime Minister. Currently, the Republic of Korea is facing an unprecedented national emergency consisting of an unidentified blackout phenomenon, widespread mutations, and the incapacitation of the President.]
His voice was calm, but the contents were exceedingly violent.
[In accordance with Article 77 of the Constitution and Article 2 of the Martial Law Act, the government declares emergency martial law over the entirety of Seoul and the metropolitan area, effective 7:00 AM on January 18, 2027. Accordingly, Martial Law Command Decree No. 1 is issued.]
The Prime Minister read down the next passages without blinking an eye.
[First, effective immediately, all outdoor assemblies, protests, and political activities are prohibited.
Second, all media and press reports must undergo prior censorship by the Martial Law Command.
Third, all civilians in the Gangnam-gu and Seocho-gu areas will be forcibly relocated to shelters directly under military control. We strictly warn that those who refuse or obstruct this may face the use of force without warning, pursuant to Article 13 of the Martial Law Act.]
"...Use of force?"
Someone murmured blankly. As soon as the words ended, the hand signal of the officer wearing a gas mask fell.
"First rank, forward! Shields tight!"
Clang—!
The sound of shields scraping the ground tore through the plaza. The soldiers didn't even seem to be looking for someone to converse with anymore.
A wave of military boots swept over the refugees. There was no luxury of time to come to one's senses.
1,775 words
120 views