Murder Case (2)

"While you were at the office, I already got in touch with the Special Task Force. They've told us to come on over for now."

Ryu Harin said that as she drove.

"Oh, you explained the whole situation...?"

"Gotta do something like this at least. Considering how much I owe you."

"I'd prefer if you didn't feel so indebted..."

As I said that, Lisa spoke up from the back seat with an "Ah."

"They call it 'menhera,' right? I just learned that word recently."

"You're Lisa, right? I'm not menhera, okay?"

"Is that so? Mayuri seems especially popular with the menhera types."

"Yeah, I kinda get why."

Don't agree with her, you anchovy.

Menhera like you are the problem.

Even when one of them chimed in, she added, "Ah, unnie just can't help but support from behind. Yeah, she'd definitely be popular with menhera. Feels like the type that turns menhera even worse?"

Her tone implied she wasn't one herself.

"I do want to help all the way through, but looks like I'll have to head straight to work after dropping you off."

"Whoa, just the ride is more than enough thanks..."

According to Watson, Jeong Woo-gyeom, the info chief, had died in a Special Task Force isolation cell.

In other words, he died in a place crawling with monsters.

I was worried our superstar anchovy might get dragged into something weird if she set foot there, so it was a relief she'd turn back here.

"I contacted the Foundation too, but they said it'd look weird if we got involved in Task Force business. So no demerits for being late—just drop Mayuri off at the Task Force and go."

"Yeah, that makes sense."

And I was self-employed.

I could access their internal affairs as an external contractor.

Of course, I'd need Task Force permission, but I figured they'd grant it.

I was tangled up in Watson's anomaly, after all.

More than that, I was the cute girl 'protagonist'.

NPCs in this monster game were pretty accommodating to players. With every monster being a tough challenge, the NPCs had to be cooperative for balance.

We arrived at the Special Task Force.

Before getting out, I handed Ryu Harin the documents I'd grabbed from the office.

"What's this?"

"Info on the cult from Matan."

"Matan?"

"Got this crazy kid..."

I'd gotten details on cult bases from Baek Matan before and compiled them into documents. That's why I'd insisted on stopping by the office.

The Foundation was now openly clashing with the cult, and I wanted them to win.

There was a route where the player joined the cult in this monster game.

But that turned it into a picaresque tale—a brutal story of a villain player capturing monsters and committing terrorism.

No thanks. Not only did it not appeal, it strayed too far from the true ending.

Joining the cult meant hostility with all other factions.

Helping the Foundation, on the other hand, led straight to the true end.

So, to lend them a hand—and since I'd met Ryu Harin—I figured I'd pass this over.

"What should I do with it?"

"Up to you, Harin. Hand it to Deputy Park Jong-cheol if the timing's right."

"Got it."

Ryu Harin nodded gravely and headed off to work. She still remembered our promise.

About investigating the Rank 6 monster.

I didn't know how well she'd do, but I'd leave her side alone now.

She'd handle it.

Time to focus on the matter at hand.

"Hey, Watson! I was wondering where you went, and you're clinging to Yuri?!"

We entered the Special Task Force, and a familiar voice approached us.

Baesena, who could be called the Task Force mascot by now.

"I'm the detective assistant. Assistants ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠have to stay by the detective's side, yeah?"

"This is ridiculous! You're going straight to special isolation after this! Got that?!"

Baesena laid into Watson, her face full of real contempt.

She was friendlier to humans than anyone, but ruthless to non-humans.

Spotting me, she switched to a bright smile.

"Yuri! Come on in! Rough trip?"

"Eh... nothing too bad yet..."

"I'll help get you free from Watson! Already told the admins, so you can enter the isolation zone freely."

Baesena handed me a pass.

This easy? Ryu Harin had called ahead, sure, but still—shouldn't there be some procedure?

Puzzled, I followed her.

The Task Force felt eerily empty overall.

This was my third visit, thinking about it.

First was getting dragged in for the One Person Factory Manager questioning.

Second was a quick stop for business registration.

Compared to those, today had way fewer people.

Instead, more dolls everywhere.

Dolls as far as ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the eye could see—even on the way to isolation.

"Path gets tricky from here! Stick close?"

Down stairs, along corridors, into others.

As Baesena said, a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠somewhat maze-like route.

This was to keep rare civilian visitors from stumbling into monster zones by mistake.

And to make escape harder for isolates.

Though escapees escaped anyway.

Like Watson right beside me.

"...No one else around but us? Where are the agents?"

"Nope! We investigate ourselves!"

"What? So I get investigative authority?"

"Yep!"

Baesena nodded vigorously.

What the hell...?

"Th-that doesn't make sense...? The Task Force is a proper police org."

"Well, circumstances. Perfect timing you showed up."

"Perfect timing?"

"Dunno how much Watson told you, but at 3 a.m. Some isolation zones opened up. Total chaos."

"...Not just Watson escaped—the zones themselves opened?"

That was huge.

But Baesena shook her head casually.

"Handled it without major issues. Of the 24 escape attempts, recontained all but two by morning. Watson was one—you brought her back. Just one left to recapture."

"Ah, that explains why so few people around. Another escapee."

That must've pulled staff thin.

An escapee would've caused pandemonium.

What kind of Muksi Saengmyeongche was it?

"You'll see for yourself, Yuri. Here we are!"

Baesena stopped.

Opening the door revealed a wide hallway.

Ten iron doors lined both walls, marked with big orange numbers.

90, 91, 92, 93, 94. 95, 96, 97, 98, 99.

"This is the 90s isolation zone. Originally four entities contained; two escaped including Watson, so two left."

Baesena approached the door marked 96.

Isolation Room 96.

About the size of my living room—spacious, but with our group—me, Ari, Lisa, Nao, Baesena, Watson—it felt a bit cramped.

Looking closer, a glass wall divided the room into two.

Shattered glass wall.

Probably held one Muksi Saengmyeongche behind it.

But now, empty.

Baesena said another escapee besides Watson—this was its room, 96.

What entity was contained here?

They'd used about a third of the living room like a giant fish tank.

Pretty unique containment.

Maybe a liquid or gaseous amorphous monster.

Jeong Woo-gyeom lay collapsed before the broken glass.

Was he really dead?

Hard to believe.

Partly because I'd talked to him yesterday.

But more intuitively—no blood, no visible trauma.

A perfectly clean corpse.

Like he was just sleeping peacefully.

"Poison?"

"No, detective. Cause: heart failure."

Watson glared at Jeong Woo-gyeom and said so.

Watson had top-notch medical knowledge and clue investigation skills.

No wonder she'd navigated that maze earlier.

Her speech had that bratty vibe, but she was smarter than she looked.

Heart failure, huh?

"Not a heart condition?"

"Nope! I pulled all of Woogyum's health records—he was healthy. No heart issues at all!"

"Someone suddenly dropping from heart failure means..."

Drug-induced, maybe.

Or the Muksi Saengmyeongche caused it somehow.

One or the other.

Hard to induce via pills, so injection marks would point to murder.

No marks? ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Then the Muksi Saengmyeongche killed him.

That broken glass nagged at me.

Most natural: the entity inside burst out and killed him.

"What entity was in here?"

"Doppelganger."

"...What?"

I doubted my ears at Baesena's words.

She quietly handed me documents.

"As you see, Room 96 held the doppelganger. Two escapees: Watson and it."

Baesena said.

Doppelganger.

A monster that eats people and becomes them.

Similar to Fox Possession, but fox gradually takes the body.

Doppelganger physically devours, then transforms.

The scary part: mimics memories and everything perfectly.

Almost impossible to tell real from fake.

"Staff on duty at the time are all still inside. Checked outsiders—no one but Watson left. Get what that means, Yuri?"

"Doppelganger killed Jeong Woo-gyeom and mimicked a staff member?"

"Yep! That's our theory!"

Baesena clapped like I'd nailed it.

"Every Task Force employee is a suspect! That's why we've locked down yesterday's shift, called back field agents and vacationers—everyone's working."

"I see..."

And if I couldn't find the doppelganger among them, Watson might kill me.

...Way too much responsibility.