Chapter 20
Chapter 20
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: Doppelganger Overlap Anomaly (3)
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The previous "New Employee First Day Anomaly."
Thanks to having handed over that Rulebook to the Foundation, it seemed like I'd built up some degree of trust.
It didn't take long for approval on my participation request to come through.
I'd also heard that Kang Su-ji's opinion, from the dedicated team deployed with me last time, had played a part.
The location I arrived at after getting the call.
Kang Su-ji was waving from afar.
"Alpha! Over here!"
I scanned the surroundings as I walked over.
It wasn't quite what I'd imagined.
I'd naturally assumed it would be a building or some kind of facility.
An old building in the city center, or maybe a remote ruin?
"This place."
As I spoke, Kang Su-ji approached with a smile and explained.
"You're right! But since you're here as a freelancer this time, you might not be in the loop yet without the network. You've been assigned to my team. I think matching well during the last anomaly helped."
Kang Su-ji glanced to the side as she continued.
"And... um. There's one more new Investigator joining us... Ah! Here they come."
I turned my head, and my eyes met those of the Investigator walking toward us.
A familiar appearance.
Black hair, dressed in a black suit.
She stopped in her tracks, eyes widening as she approached.
"...Alpha Agent?"
It was Investigator Kim Se-ra.
After a brief greeting, I got straight to the point.
"Three people deploying right now. Is that all of us?"
Kang Su-ji shook her head.
"No. There are others besides us."
But even as I looked around at her words, I couldn't spot any other deployment personnel aside from the control staff in my field of view.
Reading my expression, she continued her explanation.
"Ah, not here. To be precise, the entire Investigation Team has been split into small groups."
Kang Su-ji spoke with a mischievous expression.
"You asked earlier what this place is—the place we're heading to right now—"
Her finger pointed downward.
There sat a plain manhole cover, the kind you could find anywhere.
"It's underground."
***
We opened the manhole cover and descended the ladder.
As we went down, Kang Su-ji continued her calm explanation.
"To finish explaining, each team has a different entry point. The areas alone cover a wide range: Gyeonggi Gwangju, Seongnam, Hanam, Icheon, Yeoju. We had to divide into ten teams per region."
Even as she spoke, her breathing didn't grow the least bit ragged.
"The Investigation Team is bigger than you might think, right? But that's how many people it takes to neutralize this anomaly."
"Wouldn't it be safer to gather in one place and move together?"
At my question, Kang Su-ji shook her head.
"The anomaly's nature makes that impossible. The sewers weren't built for passage, so even with multiple people, it's cramped and hard for more than two to respond effectively. Plus, the inside is a maze, so group movement is actually more dangerous. And the most critical issue is the anomaly's trait—food and water don't last long here. Even at most, about three days?"
I let out a short breath and nodded.
"So, bunching up could mean failing to neutralize it in time."
Finally, my feet touched the bottom, and the air—thick with dampness and mold—assailed my nose.
Investigator Kim Se-ra, who had been listening to the conversation, let out a relieved breath as her feet hit the ground and took over.
"I'll explain from here. Ms. Kang Su-ji."
"Please do."
"Alpha, think of this place simply as a maze."
"...A maze?"
"Yes. Except what we need to find isn't the exit—it's the engine existing inside."
"Engine?"
"Um. More precisely, it's the object acting as the medium that turns the entire sewer system into a maze and anomalizes it. Stopping that is the neutralization condition. We've already succeeded a few times through previous Investigation Teams. But..."
Kim Se-ra spoke with a troubled expression.
"The truth is, this Investigation Team should have already neutralized it, but they've gone radio silent."
"...That's why they've deployed military units. As a precaution."
At my words, Kim Se-ra gave an awkward smile.
"...No need to worry too much. We can exit through the manhole we came in anytime. It's been tested, and no anomalous phenomena occur during manhole escapes."
"What if we bail midway?"
"Then it doesn't count as cleared. You'll get penalized—no re-entry for a few days, and the anomaly recovers its strength in the meantime. So, avoid using the manhole if possible."
Just then, Kang Su-ji, who had been listening, handed out flashlights.
I turned on the light and scanned the surroundings.
The darkness receded, revealing the sewer interior.
Roughly plastered gray concrete walls.
The wall surfaces were stained with spreading water marks and mold, making it impossible to tell their original color.
Unidentifiable drainage pipes ran along the walls, and the sound of dripping water echoed from somewhere.
The ground underfoot was soaked in pooled water, so every step produced a splashing sound, accompanied by the stench of sewage mixed with earth.
I raised the flashlight beam. It stretched far down the narrow channel ahead.
The passage was tight enough that two or three adults standing side by side would fill it, and the same extended behind.
I turned and shone the light backward.
Water droplets sparkled where the light touched, flowing away into the darkness.
An endlessly narrow channel.
Gray walls covered in wet stains.
For a moment, my gaze was caught by the darkness ahead.
The black void, endless, seemed to pull me in.
One more step, and I'd be swallowed whole—an illusion.
I stared blankly into the darkness for a bit before shaking my head to dispel the thought.
As the illusory sensation faded, the heavy, damp underground reality returned.
I let out a short breath and pointed the flashlight forward.
"...Let's go."
We raised our flashlights side by side and slowly advanced.
The splashing water echoed as the dark passage stretched out before us.
***
Walking through the sewer, I glanced at the lower right.
The broadcast feature from the Anomalous Tale Gallery.
I hadn't known, but during broadcasts, you could turn the chat window on and off.
Default was off.
Who knew I'd only learn that now.
Since we were moving as a team this time, I'd been tinkering and discovered it.
Accessing the Anomalous Tale Gallery or posting questions mid-exploration could look lame to others.
The Anomalous Tale Gallery was a gathering of experts who'd survived various anomalies.
Still, more heads than one, I thought, and activated it with some expectation.
The result—
[Kyarru is Truth] : Right side lololol for real right.
[Hell Hurts] : Bullshit no way. Definitely left. Don't you know the left-hand rule for mazes? Trust me, newb.
[Not Human] : Ah lololol just go anywhere lololololol right now half say left half say right.
Right now, the thought "shouldn't have turned it on" flashed through my mind.
The path that had seemed endless had now split into two branches.
Left and right.
After pondering which way for a while, Kim Se-ra nodded and spoke.
"Let's go left."
A downside of the chat window.
Too many backseat drivers.
[Hell Hurts] : Kyaa— that's right!
[Kyarru is Truth] : Wow... not going right? lolololol insane.
And another downside.
Way too many know-it-alls.
[Real Ru] : Fr lolol left for sure. Gallery noobs showing they don't know shit.
[Veteran84] : Shut up if you don't know left-hand rule. Textbook stuff.
[Taste Expert] : lololol left leads to cutscene for sure. Right's just a trap.
[Hopeless Life] : Ah. Not supposed to do it like that there.
These guys must know something.
[Spectator But Why Bingui] : But where's the newb now? Seoul? Beijing?
[Hell Hurts] : No clue? Looks like sewers from screen? Or not?
[America Best] : Not US side?
ㄴ [Hwaiting] : lololol crazy bastard that's forbidden zone lololol.
ㄴ [Dark Merchant] : Three people going in there? lolololololol
No.
'They don't even know what anomaly it is and they're chatting?'
I considered turning it off immediately.
[Information Junkie] : Atmosphere and personnel suggest Gyeonggi sewers anomaly?
Every now and then, sharp insights like that popped up, so I couldn't bring myself to close it.
They'd warned me earlier not to stare into the darkness too long.
'Just filter it.'
It felt awkward at first, but it started growing on me.
We passed a few more forks.
After that, forks kept appearing.
The first was a simple two-way split. Left and right, just different directions.
Next was five ways. Neatly extending channels blocked the path ahead, but still just a "choice" issue.
The third was three ways. We could divide the flashlight beams and pick a passage.
At first, it went smoothly.
Like following a map, proceeding by the rules.
But at the fourth fork, something felt off.
Hard to describe.
Another split unfolded... but it didn't fit right, somehow.
The width of the paths? The wall color? The echo of the water?
Couldn't pin it down.
Just then, Kim Se-ra halted.
The flashlight beam swept across her face, catching a flicker of subtle panic in her eyes.
"...This is weird. It should be two ways here..."
She turned her head, as if groping the air.
Her flashlight illuminated not two paths, but a third.
Another passage that shouldn't be there.
Suddenly, silence filled the sewer.
Drip... drop...
Water droplets from the ceiling echoed through the entire channel.
A sound we'd ignored as background noise moments ago.
But now, it pierced like a sharp warning.
Our eyes met, and a single word sliced from Kim Se-ra's lips like a blade.
"...The rules..."
Kim Se-ra's faintly trembling voice cut through the darkness.
"have changed."