Blackout zone
Blackout zone
"From now on, I will provide information about the Blackout Zone."
With those words, the mood of everyone in the briefing room shifted.
It was the information everyone had wanted so badly.
Even if our goals were different, we had to go in there to achieve them.
And the fact that those words came out of the Agent's mouth meant...
"Wait a moment before that. Does sharing that information mean we are entering the Blackout Zone soon?"
"Yes, that is correct."
To the intelligent Orc Mister's question, the Agent said that and added:
"In two days, you will be the first to enter the Blackout Zone."
"The word 'first' means..."
"It means that your entry into the Blackout Zone will not be just this once."
That much was obvious.
But it seemed the Agent meant something a little different.
"This is based on the unique characteristics of the Blackout Zone."
"If you mean unique characteristics...?"
"The interior of the Blackout Zone can no longer be seen as the existing Gangnam. From what we have grasped, it is a kind of alien realm. We have determined that laws different from the world we live in are applied there."
At the same time, the Agent operated the screen.
It wasn't a photo.
The interior of the Blackout Zone is filled with darkness, and this cannot be cleared away even with modern technology.
Therefore, the data shown on the screen was a drawing, not a photo.
And the drawing lacked realism, unlike typical reference materials.
Rather than replacing a photo... it truly looked like someone's creative work.
"Ugh...!"
A familiar sound of retching was heard.
I agree. Even I was trying hard to hold it back.
The Owl Bear Elder said in a trembling voice.
"Am I seeing this correctly...?"
The reference screen was showing a certain Obstetrics and Gynecology Building.
The building looked like something we could see anywhere in modern times.
Perhaps because the OB/GYN clinic was popular, the building was large enough to occupy an entire block.
However, that entire block was completely isolated from the outside world, as if trapped inside a giant box.
And the main material that made up that box was...
"We call that box-shaped structure the Human Barrier."
...Humans.
The box-shaped structure, made of thousands, tens of thousands of humans, was organically connected as if it were a single living organism.
The people forming that box were flattened as if pressed by a compression press, stretched out to the maximum surface area.
And the ceiling that formed that box.
The ceiling, too, looked like humans stretched out, similar to the other sides.
Instead, it just evoked revulsion with round human eyeballs stuck all over it.
"The Human Barrier is a structure closer to a phenomenon. The military tried to pierce it by projecting firepower, but failed. But that is not the only characteristic it possesses."
With those words, the Agent operated the screen again.
Then, a map of Gangnam with an X mark appeared.
"That thing has randomly rearranged the spatial coordinates inside the Blackout Zone. It means that even if you enter the Blackout Zone in the direction of Segok-dong, the place we enter might be somewhere in the middle of Gangnam."
And that seemed to be the reason why they described it as having laws different from the world we live in.
It seemed like the laws of space we knew were all jumbled up in that place.
But then, one question arises.
"...Then how do we get out when we come out?"
"You can use the doors."
...Use the doors?
Before I could even ponder the question, the Agent's explanation continued.
"Among the doors inside the Blackout Zone, two will randomly have special laws applied to them. One of those two is the exit. If you use that door, you can come out of the Blackout Zone."
"Then what about the other one...?"
"That door is connected to another zone."
It seemed like a kind of... "continue" feature.
"I guess you could see it as a kind of... extraction shooter genre."
"What is an extraction shooter?"
The intelligent Orc Mister, Seo Do-yoon, asked while narrowing his brows.
Not only him, but Owl Bear Elder, Min Ah-ji, and even Yoo In-ha were all focusing their gazes on the unfamiliar word that popped out of my mouth.
"Ah, that. It's one of the game genres popular these days."
I cleared my throat, trying to handle the gaming term that had slipped out of my mouth, and continued the explanation.
"It's a game where you enter a specific danger zone, achieve objectives or farm supplies, and have to find a designated exit to escape safely. If you can't find the exit or die there..."
"So you end up losing everything you have."
Mister Seo Do-yoon stroked his chin and pinpointed my words exactly.
Although he looked like a rugged Orc, his brain rotation was definitely among the fastest in this room.
"That's a similar analogy."
The Agent affirmed.
"...So, it means we have to go in there, avoid or break through the monsters, search the map, find the randomly generated exit, and escape. And if we die in the middle, it's game over."
"Correct. However, the difference between a game and reality is the presence or absence of opportunities. There is no resurrection for you."
At the Agent's calm affirmation, a heavy silence settled in the briefing room.
Extraction shooter. It sounds like a plausible modern game genre, but if I had to do it in reality while risking my life, it was nothing but hell disguised as survival.
Furthermore, with the rule that you lose everything if you die once, and a map where Human-Skin Wearing Mimic Beasts, which are immortal monsters, roam around.
It really couldn't be more hardcore.
"Then how do we distinguish that door? It's not like there's a neon sign turned on in front of our eyes saying 'Exit' as soon as we enter."
The Orc Mister pointed out sharply.
As he said, it meant that if we couldn't find the exit, we would have to wander that bizarre space forever.
The Agent flipped the screen to the next image.
On the screen, a blurry image of a single iron door placed in the middle of a wall was visible.
"Unfortunately, you cannot distinguish it by appearance alone. It could be a normal bathroom door, it could be an emergency exit door in a shopping mall, or even a closet door in a home. However, there is a singularity."
"What kind of singularity?"
"That there is a special entity guarding the door."
"You can see it as a kind of Gatekeeper. Whether it's an exit or a door to the next zone, there is always a special entity of a different caliber from other monsters around it."
If we're talking in terms of a game, it would be a concept like a boss monster that you must defeat to move to the next stage or escape.
The faces of the Mutants, including myself, sank heavily.
Just dealing with Mimic Beasts that don't die and wear skin is overwhelming enough, but a special entity of a different caliber?
But it's not like we hadn't anticipated it at all.
Because assuming only Mimic Beasts would exist in there was too optimistic an observation.
Surely other monsters besides Mimic Beasts would exist too.
"Then, I will end the basic explanation about the Blackout Zone here. Next is the operation."
The Agent operated the screen again.
The familiar appearance of the OB/GYN clinic appeared on the screen again.
"The National Army has secured several points to enter the Blackout Zone. This is the point where you will enter, the Gangnam Sarang OB/GYN Clinic."
An OB/GYN clinic.
Just hearing it, a chill already washes over me.
Perhaps because the Mimic Beast I encountered at the 4th Outpost before made a baby's crying sound.
"That place is...!"
"Captain Kim Hyung-chul. The briefing is not over yet. Please lodge your personal complaints later."
"I didn't hear that we were going in there!"
"But isn't this what you wanted so much?"
The Agent cut off Captain Kim's words as if to say that was enough.
"That zone has been determined to have a lower risk level compared to other zones. It has been confirmed that the only monsters existing inside are Mimic Beasts."
But considering that, wasn't Captain Kim's reaction too excessive?
Perhaps noticing that everyone harbored such a question, Captain Kim flicked his finger and added an explanation.
"...That is the place where the existence of the Mimic Beast was first confirmed."
But that doesn't explain everything.
However, since he seemed to want to hide it, we didn't bother asking.
What on earth could have happened at that OB/GYN clinic to make the face of a veteran officer who had been through all sorts of trials and tribulations turn so pale?
'...Well, I'll find out when I go in.'
Although it certainly won't be a pleasant experience.
"That is all for the briefing. The time given to you is exactly 48 hours. During that time, please finish getting enough rest and checking your equipment."
With those words, the Agent in the suit gathered his documents and left the briefing room.
After he left, a heavy silence settled in the room.
Two days passed quickly.