Chapter 23
Chapter 23
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: Doppelganger Overlap Anomaly (6)
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From this point in the exploration, the map Kim Sera had received from the Foundation held little meaning.
We had entered under the assumption that the rules had already changed.
The previous rules were nothing more than timed bombs that could go off at any moment.
It was better to approach it as if all the rules needed to be remade from scratch.
I watched Kim Sera and Kang Su-ji pondering which path to take, lost in thought.
I turned on my phone and posted a question on the Horror Gallery.
[Title: Wait, is Horror Gallery shutting down? For real? The mods have lost itㅡ]
—It hasn't shut down.
Sorry.
I pulled aggro just to show you this.
Anyone know anything about the Gyeonggi Gwangju underground?
Paying case fee.
Wonder if a thousand coins would calm the anger from the bait.
[Hell Hurts]: Sorry. I want to tell you, but I'm in Japan on a business trip right now. Time difference is killing me. Give coins first, maybe it'll jog my memory.
[Spectator But Why Bing]: I'm in China too. VPN's blocked.
[Sky Emperor]: ...I'm in South America on an investigation. Comm costs.
[Cream Bun]: ...Ah, North Pole. Aurora's messing with signals.
[Dark Meter]: I'm... in space, so no clue.
ㄴ[Laugh Ru]: ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Brain freeze, how far does this go? If you're in space, I'm on Jupiter right nowㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴ[Dark Meter]: ...? I really am in space?
ㄴ[Organism]: Ah... brain freeze is a bit much.
ㄴ[Dark Meter]: No fuck! I really am in space!
Space? What?
A hollow laugh escaped me for a moment.
[All-Time Great]: Just say you don't know if you don't. Pride's getting in the way. Can't use comms in that area? Whateverㅋㅋㅋ Comm costs don't exist in Horror Gallery.
As the worthless comments piled up.
A user appeared whose name alone screamed veteran.
[Horror Gallery's Longest Member]: Hmm.. Is this it?
ㄴ[Newb120053]: Know something?
ㄴ[Horror Gallery's Longest Member]: ..Kinda vague.
ㄴ[Newb120053]: Vague is fine. Coins incoming.
No sooner had I posted than comments flooded in at breakneck speed.
ㄴ[Horror Gallery's Longest Member]: In our worldline, it never became a full-blown issue, but my senior said there was a near-miss crisis once. Hold on.
ㄴ[Horror Gallery's Longest Member]: He looked at me super suspiciously when I asked how you knew. Had to compromise. Bought him chicken and he dipped right away. This is a 10-year pro anomaly hunter?
ㄴ[Horror Gallery's Longest Member]: Anyway. Here's the gistㅡ
So, to sum it up.
The sewage treatment costs from five areas in Gyeonggi Province were astronomical.
Then one day, those costs dropped noticeably.
The city immediately investigated and soon found the cause.
The timing of the anomaly's emergence perfectly overlapped with the drop in sewage costs.
The anomaly had absorbed the 'negative emotions' contained in the household waste flowing into the drains, naturally purifying it.
The problem was that neutralizing the anomaly would saddle them with massive treatment costs again.
That's when someone had a revolutionary idea.
Why not just leave the anomaly alone instead of ending it? No purification costs that way.
Doppelgangers were only Stage 1 anomalies, not particularly powerful.
They judged they could control it sufficiently.
They copied the existing rules, believing the anomaly would self-maintain even after the Suppression Team withdrew.
But the attempt was exposed by a whistleblower and ultimately fizzled out, according to 'Horror Gallery's Longest Member'.
And the worldline I'm in stems from the case where that whistleblower never existed.
Similar to the previous 'New Employee First Day Anomaly'.
In some worldlines, an anomaly stays small-business scale, while in others, it balloons to the size of five World Cup stadiums.
The essence of this incident was clear.
The 'Black Sun Incident' was ultimately.
A man-made disaster born of human calculation.
[Hell Hurts]: Whoa… this crosses the line hard. Usually it's 'anomalies are scary' this and that. Releasing one to save on taxes? Fuckㅋㅋㅋ Even the devil would be impressed.
[Future SCP]: Not surprised. Humans being human.
[Not Human]: This… crosses way too many lines?
[Screaming Rabbit]: Who the fuck thought "Doppelganger? It'll be fine lol"?
[Mackerel Eyes]: Always exceeds imagination. Still, unconfirmed. Staying neutral.
Knowing this didn't mean I could do anything right now.
If we didn't end this in three days, blaming wouldn't matter anymore.
The whole city would be gone by then.
I set my phone down and took a deep breath, as if clearing the jumbled thoughts from my mind.
'Focus on what I need to do, what I can do right now first.'
The rest could wait.
I walked toward the two still hesitating at the fork.
Her gaze shifted uncertainly between the left and right passages.
The newly changed rules.
Figuring out the countermeasures would take time.
One mistake meant instant death.
To shorten that time, the only way was throwing manpower at it and learning through experience.
Neither was an option with our small numbers.
"Let's go left."
But that wasn't a problem for me.
No need to prove it with words.
I already held 'certainty' in my grasp.
"Are you sure, Alpha?"
"Left. Absolutely."
I stated it firmly without hesitation, then strode confidently into the passage.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
[Moving to the last save point.]
[The most recent save point is AUTO SAVE 2.]
[Doppelganger Overlap Anomaly]
[Death Type]: Digestion.
[Tip]: Passages don't always lead to new places.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Round 2.
"...Let's go right. Absolutely."
***
Back in the underground sewers.
One possibility suddenly flashed through my mind.
The three bodies on the ground were in good condition.
As if they hadn't been dead long.
Their bodies still held warmth, and the youngest boy even had color in his face.
Just in case, I recalled what I'd searched on my phone before entering the sewers.
How long humans can survive without water.
Average of three days.
But it varies by environment, the article said.
Shorter in dry places like deserts.
In shady, humid spots, less moisture loss allows up to four days survival.
'Let's try once. If it seems hopeless, give up.'
Couldn't just pass by if there was a chance they were alive.
Especially Kang Su-ji's expression back then.
Her eyes, trying so calmly to hide her emotions, wouldn't leave my mind.
This round, I contacted both places right at the start.
I already knew the Foundation would approve.
And that Kim Sera would be dispatched as an investigator.
After finishing the call with Kang Su-ji, I headed out immediately and contacted Kim Sera.
I informed her we'd be on the same team and asked if joining right away was okay. She agreed, fortunately.
As a result, we met two hours earlier than original.
We reached the fork where the first anomaly had appeared upon entering the sewers.
The place where Kim Sera had stiffened in confusion.
"...This is weird. It should be... a fork here."
The situation unfolded the same.
And this time—
The doppelgangers didn't appear.
'Hope... still alive.'
With that thought, I moved forward.
Then, in the continuing path, the three collapsed people came into view.
No change from before.
'..Too late already.'
At that moment, a chat window flashed in my peripheral vision.
[Side Job Doctor]: Exploration team left a week ago? Three-four days without water and food means dehydration plus hypoglycemia shock likely. Faint chest rise and fall visible. Not dead yet, newbie.
The moment I read the chat, my body moved like it had a trigger.
I passed Kang Su-ji, who was staring blankly at the three, and approached them.
"Alpha? What are you—"
"...Breathing is faint but holding. Severe dehydration though. Skin elasticity almost gone."
I had a doctor behind me now.
[Side Job Doctor]: Electrolyte imbalance likely too. Underground sewers mean hypothermia risk. Get them in recovery position first, then rehydrate with sugary drink ASAP. If temp drops more, dangerous—use blankets or clothes to cover.
I was briefly stunned that Horror Gallery really had a doctor, but my hands moved as instructed.
I laid them comfortably right away.
Then tilted their heads slightly and trickled investigation team supply ion drinks into their mouths bit by bit.
Next, I took off my outer coat and pulled a blanket from my bag to cover their bodies.
"Kang Su-ji, Kim Sera."
"..Yes?"
The two, who had been tending the collapsed with me, looked up simultaneously.
Our eyes met.
Especially Kang Su-ji's.
Rather than empty, a light was slowly filling them.
[Side Job Doctor]: Still... not safe. Immune systems weakened. Normally can't move them, but contaminated sewer environment is bad. Get them to surface ASAP.
"Please watch these three here."
"Then what about you, Alpha?"
"I'm heading out now to find—"
I stood, rolling up my sleeves.
Time to run again.
"The real exit. Not the doppelganger fake."