Kindred (2)
Kindred (2)
Ttok ttok.
The operations preparation room, where the sound of knocking felt awkward.
Kang Tae-jun, who had been laying out weapons and equipment on the table for inspection, turned a puzzled gaze toward the door.
The man standing in front of the door was a middle-aged doctor around his age.
It was Jung Won-joong.
A faint sweet scent emanated from him. Looks like he ate a ton of chocolate again today.
He leisurely entered and leaned against the desk.
"You said you were going to headquarters?"
"Yes. ...Ah, it's not a transfer to headquarters. I'm just planning to visit due to some schedule related to the Blue Flame."
"I know. Field personnel don't often get their work locations changed unless ordered by the branch chief."
When he said not to misunderstand, the reply came back that it wasn't a misunderstanding.
He reached into his inner pocket and pulled out a Crunch chocolate bar from under his lab coat, holding it out to Kang Tae-jun.
Kang Tae-jun's mouth tightened into a straight line as he glared.
The man loved sweets way too much for his age.
"Didn't I tell you last time that I don't enjoy sweets?"
"I said you don't enjoy eating them, not that you don't eat them."
He pulled the chocolate back with a hint of disappointment, then glanced at the equipment on the table.
When the gaze grew a bit heavy, a bundle of documents was placed on top of the equipment.
Kang Tae-jun shot Jung Won-joong a look but said nothing as he picked up the documents to examine their contents.
These were personnel files for some employees. Most of them were office workers.
"What's this?"
"Suspects."
"Suspects?"
Jung Won-joong's fingers tapped the documents.
The slight emotion in his fingers made it clear that Jung Won-joong was annoyed by the current situation.
"You've investigated a bit yourself, so you probably know. Lately, mentions of anomalies and the Management Bureau have been increasing online."
"I was aware of it while tracking the Blue Flame. But isn't that just a typical internet reaction where mentions spike temporarily and then die down repeatedly?"
"That's true. But the fact that mentions are appearing at all is the problem."
Jung Won-joong looked like he wanted to put a cigarette in his mouth.
He covered his mouth as if taking a drag, then sank his eyes seriously.
"The Management Bureau has already recognized that mentions have increased due to the Blue Flame video from a while back. But it's like some group has been waiting for this moment—they keep spreading stories about us."
"......There are some vermin groups on communities that waste time spreading fabrications to instill a twisted perception of anomalies. They'll die off on their own once interest wanes."
"And who exactly gets killed by spreading fabricated horror stories?"
Jung Won-joong had a point.
Even such fabrications need a target—so who are they trying to harass by spreading horror stories?
Groups that like the occult?
What pleasure would they get from messing with that?
"I don't think this is enough to target employees as suspects. In any case, it's just delusional people claiming horror stories are real..."
"Information about anomalies is circulating on the internet."
Kang Tae-jun's brow furrowed.
Horror stories can be dismissed as horror stories, and those who claim they're real might do so—when delusion and attention-seeking mix, they sometimes blabber uncontrollably.
But classified Management Bureau intelligence being shared openly online?
That changes things.
"So you mean there's someone among the employees like that. It'll take time, but can't we check each employee's login records to communities or YouTube using their credentials? You didn't have to bring this to me specifically..."
"I already checked. There were no such records."
"......."
"If they didn't post it themselves... then they sold the information to an outside organization."
This was a clear act of betrayal.
An offense punishable by summary execution.
Out of habit, Kang Tae-jun gripped his pistol and checked the magazine.
Right now it was just a routine equipment check, but hearing about the suspicion of betrayal made the feeling different.
"Did you trace the IPs of those spreading information online?"
"I did, but the original leaker has been hidden for a long time. The ones spreading it now are just ordinary users."
"Then can't we still trace them?"
"We found a couple, but unfortunately they turned out to be homeless people. It's a common tactic—buying accounts and using them for malicious purposes. So we traced the illegal Chinese sites selling accounts, but they cut the trail cleanly. The information stopped."
Then it was certain.
This was a sign that an external group was deliberately attacking the Management Bureau.
They weren't a sloppy organization.
That narrowed it down to a certain degree.
"If they're using the internet and aren't afraid of illegal sites, it narrows down to two possibilities for now: the Peacekeeping Corps and Cerberus."
"Cerberus tends to execute much cruder plans. The Peacekeeping Corps is more likely."
"I was already concerned about the Peacekeeping Corps' increasing activity. We'll have to counterattack soon."
Kang Tae-jun handed the documents back and continued equipping himself.
"I'll secure those suspects first through our operatives. Please discreetly notify the 5th Unit office."
"Thanks, Kang Tae-jun. As always, you're the only one I can count on."
"By the way, if manpower gets diverted there, there'll be a gap in the escort force. Is there a unit I can get support from?"
Come to think of it, Kang Tae-jun already had a prior engagement, didn't he?
Since he agreed to help with identifying suspects, Jung Won-joong had to do something in return.
After a moment of thought, he spoke.
"I'll ask the 2nd Unit, which is cooperating with me, for supplemental personnel."
"Understood. Then I'll leave it to you."
The one most familiar from long use.
Grasping an HK416-series assault rifle, he left the operations room.
※※※
The underground storage where unit vehicles were lined up.
Since the building was disguised as a hotel, it was outwardly known as a materials storage warehouse.
But in reality, it was one of the Management Bureau's main facilities.
Military vehicles lined up, plus one massive truck.
On the truck was loaded a special steel container.
And behind the truck, operatives stood in four columns left and right.
They were waiting at parade rest when a familiar bear-like figure appeared from the front.
"Unit, attention! Salute!"
A superior saluted on behalf of everyone.
Kang Tae-jun, currently serving as the escort team leader, stood before them.
"Hm."
Receiving the salute, Kang Tae-jun scanned the operatives with a strong gaze.
Some were from his own 5th Unit, but unfamiliar faces were mixed in as well.
These were operatives from the 2nd Unit, who had been provided as support after taking some flak from the 2nd Unit commander.
"At ease."
With a grin, Kang Tae-jun's words made the 5th Unit members relax their stiff postures and put on comfortable expressions.
Only the 2nd Unit operatives, who didn't yet know his tendencies, were still feeling things out.
"This isn't a special operation—just a personal schedule I'm attending. Think of it as going out for a stroll."
"Yes, sir."
"Hm, and where's the 2nd Unit?"
2nd Unit operatives raised their hands.
Most were unfamiliar faces, but two stood out as particularly familiar.
"Right, right. Thanks for responding to the support request despite being busy."
Approaching, Kang Tae-jun firmly clapped a young man's shoulder.
With the weight of his palm distinctly felt, unease crept into the operative's face.
The female operative beside him, Kim A-ri, had a similar expression.
"Your name?"
"2nd Unit, 4th-grade operative! Park Do-hyun!"
"Right, Do-hyun. Is your face better?"
The gauze attached near his jawline stuck out noticeably.
But Park Do-hyun just shouted back with a tense demeanor.
"I'm fine!"
"Of course you say you're fine. Even if your bones break, even if your fingers get severed, in front of a superior you gotta say you're fine. Got it?"
Fear flickered in Park Do-hyun's eyes, but he forced himself to shout like he was okay.
"Yes, sir!"
"What's fine, fucker? In our unit, if you get hurt, you look after your own life."
What does he want me to do?
Park Do-hyun felt like crying, but because the rookie was right beside him, he had to keep a firm expression.
"Our unit's different from other units. Even at the cost of death, you survive. Even if you die, you survive. Isn't that right?"
At his words, all of the 5th Unit shouted.
"We will survive, burning away death itself—!"
"Damn right. Don't die. That's an order."
Kang Tae-jun circled behind the operatives and stood before the container.
The wide-open interior had long seats for sitting. There were no windows, and the lights were bright.
"Turn around."
The operatives turned with crisp precision, facing Kang Tae-jun standing at the container entrance.
"We'll be heading to Seoul Headquarters, so there shouldn't be any threats. But the being we're escorting is of noble status, so I ask that you give your utmost to the escort."
"Yes, sir!"
Kang Tae-jun entered.
The operatives didn't move since no further order had been given.
Just as they started wondering how long they'd have to wait—
Clack.
The sound of leather shoes from behind.
A few felt the urge to turn around, but since they shouldn't move, they held it in.
Clack, clack.
It was approaching.
Footsteps echoing through the silent storage, apart from the distant mechanical sounds.
Everyone there already had a guess who it was.
"Hup... keugh... keup...."
"S-Seonbae...."
Park Do-hyun trembled in fear.
A pained groan kept trying to escape his lips.
Though he shouldn't move, Kim A-ri, who had been watching, secretly grabbed his hand.
Clack, clack, clack.
The footsteps drew nearer.
Cold sweat broke out.
A chill rose from his waist.
Soon, between the middle gap of the four columns.
Someone walked through.
No one breathed.
A heterogeneous existence that made the air heavy.
A height too large to be considered human, and a suit specially made for such a build.
One operative lifted his head, then bit his lip to stifle a sound.
"Huk...."
Above the neck, where a face should have been.
There was no head.
In place of where a head should be, a single blue flame hovered.
A being that was not human.
An anomaly.
An Object Head.
Though he had seen it within the facility before, it felt completely different when it carried this much weight.
The blue flame crossed between the operatives, then stopped.
Park Do-hyun, who had been forcibly biting his lip and staring blankly ahead in fear, clearly felt it.
This Object Head had definitely stopped beside him.
Meaning it had recognized him.
His heart pounded painfully loud in his ears.
The primal fear that he might die.
With that single thought.
He became nothing more than prey.
Then.
Thump.
The blue flame's large hand grabbed Park Do-hyun's shoulder.
He thought his heart had stopped.
For a moment, losing focus, Park Do-hyun became dazed, his brain seeming to cease function, unable to think of anything.
Fortunately, there was no further action.
After that inexplicable touch, the blue flame withdrew its hand and moved again.
Once it entered the container, the container activated automatically.
As the container door closed like a massive iron gate, the superior, tense, gave the order in a hoarse voice.
"All board...."
"B-Board!"
"Board!"
The operatives swiftly boarded their designated vehicles.
In contrast, Park Do-hyun slumped down with a huge sigh, as if his soul had left his body.
※※※
March 17.
I was cool just now.
The way Kang Tae-jun patted the operative's shoulder and encouraged him was admirable—a behavior I wanted to emulate.
That was truly the image of a proper superior, wasn't it?
Especially his order not to die—it warmed my heart.
'I want to copy that.'
It's been a habit lately. Copying things.
So I made a grand entrance, and just like Kang Tae-jun, I encouraged the operative.
You should have seen the expression on his face.
Though he was tense, his eyes deepened as if deep in thought.
If I had a face, I would have smiled warmly.
"Why do you scare people like that? Still holding a grudge?"
What is this guy talking about?
I'm not the type to hold grudges.
On the contrary, I showed a true image of encouraging an operative who deserved punishment, while also showcasing my righteous character and coolness.
"Without a head and unable to converse properly, I really can't figure out what you're thinking."
Kang Tae-jun, sitting across from me, knocked on the wall as if signaling.
The container moved as the vehicle started.
First, the advance team exits the storage, then the truck follows, and immediately after, the rear team trails behind to guard the rear.
It was practically presidential security level.
After we'd moved a certain distance, Kang Tae-jun handed me a photograph.
It was a shot taken directly from a CCTV scene, overall quite dark.
"Identification number HO-30018. Risk class Orange. Name: Blade Head."
Height and build were similar to mine.
He was wearing an orange prison uniform.
It seemed short, exposing his ankles and wrists.
And though hard to see in the darkness, one anomalous feature stood out.
His head.
Where a head should be, a blade jutted out.
It was large, but not shaped like a katana or longsword—more like a weapon.
If I had to compare, it was most similar to a kitchen knife.
The handle part was hard to make out in the dark, but I could faintly see a black grip.
'A kitchen knife head, huh.'
So that's why they named it Blade Head.
The Management Bureau guys really have old-fashioned and simple naming sense.
I'm Blue Flame.
This one's Blade Head.
Given that other entities are similar, I guess intuitiveness is the principle.
"I mentioned it yesterday, but this guy believes he's a serial killer."
That's right.
He even believes he's human.
"He has a violent tendency far stronger than you can imagine."
The photo hinted at that violent tendency as well.
Knife marks carved into the floor and walls.
Dried bloodstains everywhere, and several chunks of flesh that looked like pieces of a person.
He seems to have a reckless tendency to just kill anyone who comes in.
"For the visitation, we've prepared two adjacent isolation rooms at headquarters and will open the wall to face each other. But since direct contact isn't possible, we'll have a wall made of specially reinforced glass."
I swayed my body forward and back.
"Ah, and one more thing to note."
I pulled my gaze away from the photo and focused on Kang Tae-jun.
Kang Tae-jun shook his head subtly as he spoke.
"This guy doesn't have the ability to interface with electronics like you do."
Silence.
No interfacing ability?
Then there's no way to talk to him.
"That's why we couldn't get any information from him. So for now, as a temporary measure, we plan to give him a keyboard and monitor. The problem is whether he can read and write—that's what worries me."
Which meant we might gain no information from this contact.
I'd have to brace myself since the trip could end up wasted.
"We're arriving soon."
The vehicle entered the Seoul Headquarters facility.
As I got out of the container, a Seoul Headquarters employee came to greet us.
From the look of his experienced and relaxed build, he seemed to be a high-ranking doctor.
He shook hands with Kang Tae-jun with a nonchalant gaze.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Kang Tae-jun, captain of the 5th Mobile Unit."
"Ah, nice to meet you. I'm 1st-grade doctor Go Jun-ho."
A stubborn and rough tendency habitually embedded in his tone.
I knew instinctively.
Doctor Go Jun-ho. This man was of a similar ilk to Kang Tae-jun.
A very rough man.
"And... whoa, no joke."
Go Jun-ho looked up at me and let out a hollow laugh.
Looking up at me in wonder, he rubbed his chin in admiration.
"An anomaly that isn't even contained, standing side by side with operatives."
"If you're suspicious, this friend is already..."
"Friend?"
Surprised, his tone rose a bit.
After giving Kang Tae-jun a bewildered glare, he snorted a laugh.
"That expression 'friend' is quite something. Well, if the Council says it's fine, then I guess it's okay. Should I, a mere lowly doctor, file a petition to the Council or something?"
A subtle hostility toward the Council.
Though his words were potentially uncomfortable, Kang Tae-jun brushed them off with an expression of having found a comrade.
"Then let's go in."
Following Doctor Go Jun-ho's guidance, we entered the Seoul Headquarters facility.
I could clearly feel it was much larger than the facility in our region.
We descended endlessly underground.
"It's deep. What kinds of entities are here?"
"Everything you'd expect. Especially a lot of R-class and B-class."
He deliberately gave me a look.
His gaze was mixed with expectation.
"You've been feeding well, right? I heard you succeeded on your first mission."
"Yes. Nothing to worry about."
"Once you build up some achievements, come on a dispatch to our facility. We're wasting too much manpower because we can't handle the B-class."
By then, we reached the O-class containment zone.
Countless weary-looking doctors were bustling about.
There were also operatives and office workers visible.
They looked startled upon seeing me, but didn't cause a commotion.
"I've already briefed them. Still, would it be better to clear out the personnel?"
"That's fine. Let's just get to the isolation room quickly."
We arrived at a management room labeled HO-30018 on the entrance monitor.
Passing through that, we entered the isolation room.
However, the room was empty.
Extending my senses, I saw the two isolation rooms docked together like a coupling.
Probably designed so the wall could open for visitation.
"Doesn't look much different just because it's headquarters."
Kang Tae-jun followed and stood behind me, while some 5th Unit operatives and some headquarters facility security team operatives entered and stood guard.
Beeeeep—
An alarm sounded, and the entrance pressure door closed.
As the red light from the warning lamps filled the isolation room, a bizarre atmosphere was created.
The wall opened.
The opposite isolation room gradually revealed itself.
I could feel someone sitting beyond the reinforced glass.
Some of the warning lamp light spilled into the opposite room, partially illuminating someone.
Tall height. A slightly larger build than me.
A prison uniform that didn't fit.
And a blade head.
Blade Head stood up.
Staggering, he approached and stood against the reinforced glass.
A hunched posture.
An atmosphere that suggested sudden action.
Kkiiigiigik.
The blade floating above his head began to scrape the reinforced glass.
Kkiiigiigigik—
He's looking at me.