Chapter 258
Chapter 258
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Zoo
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"This is kinda exciting!"
Yoo Daon was grinning ear to ear at me, decked out in body armor.
I was suited up in mine too, pistol in hand, staring at the scene ahead.
"Hahaha! Man, this feels like we've got an army of heavenly warriors!"
An Sanghyeon was in the passenger seat, laughing his head off, while the Branch Chief gripped the wheel and drove.
How the hell did it end up like this?
*
"Four people?"
"Yeah. Four."
The Branch Chief nodded at my words.
"Do we really need to bring so few?"
"You said you were short on manpower, but to be precise, you're short on people who meet the criteria."
She shrugged.
"Even if we brought more, they wouldn't be able to do their jobs properly."
...
So it's structured for only four people to go in.
"So, An Sanghyeon and one more person."
"And that other one is..."
Someone else from the Containment Team? Whoever it is, as long as they're not as hostile to me as that burned-face guy from last time.
"Who is it?"
"Yoo Daon."
"...Daon?"
"And the last one's me!"
Ta-da! She pointed at herself.
"See the common thread?"
Common thread...
"They don't think much?"
"If I pat your head, Kim Jaeheon, maybe you'll think less too."
"Sorry."
She laughed, raising a fist before lowering it at my apology.
"Anyway, as you can see, everyone we've got here is tough."
"Looks that way."
An Sanghyeon, invincible while tumbling; Yoo Daon, who won't die; and just the Branch Chief in general.
But why am I here?
"I'm not tough, Branch Chief."
"Right. So the three of us will take turns looking after you, Kim Jaeheon."
"If it's that much trouble, wouldn't it be better if I just stayed behind?"
Why waste a valuable slot on me?
"We need you there, Kim Jaeheon."
...
I get the picture.
They need intel too, and it's a setup where our lives are seriously at risk, so Yoo Daon, An Sanghyeon, and the Branch Chief are going for muscle, and intel's on me and my eyes.
"Got it."
"It's so nice when you understand without me having to explain."
She nodded with a smile.
"But the other team members might not stay quiet about this."
If Jang Chaeyeon and Song Arin heard, they'd throw a fit and insist on coming.
"Well, then let them come."
She grinned brightly, shoved my back toward the HR Team, and I had no choice but to go tell the others what I'd discussed with her.
Sure enough, Jang Chaeyeon and Song Arin refused to back down the second they heard.
"I can't approve it. You go off with that musclehead with an empty skull, and who knows what'll happen to you!"
"My body's actually pretty soft! And my head's not that empty!"
"Dragging around some dimwit who can't even understand basic words is just asking for trouble!"
Song Arin jabbed a finger at Yoo Daon, and Jang Chaeyeon nodded along.
"We lack firepower. We won't be able to handle incoming threats properly."
"I've got firepower!"
"A human fist won't cut it."
Neither of them even planned to listen to me.
Yoo Daon looked at me anxiously, so I had to step in.
"The Branch Chief said if she wants you to come, bring you along."
"Yeah, that's how it should be."
"Exactly."
"Huh...?"
Song Arin and Jang Chaeyeon nodded smugly, while Yoo Daon stared at me like the world had ended.
The Branch Chief had actually told me to bring them if they wanted to come.
"She said we're leaving tomorrow morning, so maybe head home early today?"
"I haven't said you can clock out yet. You think you can decide to come and go on your own?"
"Want to come too, Team Leader?"
"Rest is important too. Have a safe trip."
*
So we all ended up coming along.
"Where are those two, then?"
"Don't worry, they're on their way separately."
The Branch Chief glanced at me in the rearview mirror with a gentle smile.
We'd gathered in the morning to head out, and Song Arin and Jang Chaeyeon took a different car.
Where'd they go?
The Branch Chief's involved, so I doubt it's anywhere sketchy.
"Where are we headed?"
"Outside Seoul."
"Does the Gangseo Branch handle outside Seoul too?"
"We've got four Management Bureaus on this tiny scrap of land. Of course we have to cover everywhere."
She gave me a what-kind-of-dumb-question-is-that look.
"Actually, the entire Oceania continent only has two Management Bureaus. They handle every containment object there."
"Oceania..."
What kind of containment objects are in Oceania?
"Haha, curious about Oceania?"
An Sanghyeon, who'd been grinning silently till then, finally spoke up.
"I've only heard rumors, but they've got killer kangaroos."
"Killer kangaroos."
"Yeah. And koalas that move at the speed of sound, wallabies that pull guns from their pouches and shoot."
...
Oceania sounds messed up too.
"So, where are we going?"
"We were just talking animals—perfect timing."
She nodded and hit the gas.
"We're heading to the zoo."
"Wow, I've never been to a zoo before!"
"Hahaha! A zoo for the first time! My heart's racing!"
An Sanghyeon roared with laughter at Yoo Daon's words and nodded vigorously.
"Jaeheon, you look pale."
"I'm fine."
Being around these people is draining my energy like crazy.
This must be what it feels like to be under a blazing sun with no shade.
"Should I put on some music?"
She hit a button on the dash, and a song started playing.
*The springtime hues are fragrant, wildflowers bursting in song.*
*Fine weather, friends—let's tour the mountains and streams along.*
*Staff in hand, we cross a thousand leagues of river and hill; crimson woods and emerald hills bloom yearly once more, flaunting their springtime thrill.*
*Shades of red and green, pines and bamboos lush and grand; amid the floral riot, butterflies stir from blossoms and flit away traceless o'er the land.*
An old song, unmistakably ancient, filled the car.
"...When's this song from?"
"This? It was popular back when I was young."
She shrugged.
No more hiding her age, huh.
"Haha! Such refined taste from our esteemed Branch Chief!"
An Sanghyeon bellowed, and she shot him a glare before turning back to me with a laugh.
I glanced at Yoo Daon, worried she might say something, but surprisingly, she was just staring blankly out the window, chin in hand.
"Daon."
"Huh? Yeah, Jaeheon!"
She whipped her head around when I called.
"No, just calling."
"What for?"
She gave a small laugh and turned back to the window.
We drove to the zoo, listening to the Branch Chief's old tune.
*
"A closed-down zoo?"
She pulled the car to a stop, and Yoo Daon murmured in wonder at the sight outside.
"Yeah. It's shut down."
The Branch Chief nodded.
"Is this an anomaly site?"
Wouldn't Response Team handle anomalies, not Containment?
"It's not an anomaly site. No consistent rules."
With that, she opened the car door.
I followed her out and eyed the sign in front of us.
[Love Zoo]
The thoroughly rusted sign creaked and swayed in the wind.
"Looks like it's been here for decades."
She smiled at my mutter.
"Right? It popped up yesterday."
"...Yesterday?"
Yesterday?
A rundown zoo like this?
Rotting wooden boards, iron bars thick with rust.
"Yesterday, apparently. And word is, some civilians out on a ghost hunt got trapped inside."
...
"Of course, even without civilians trapped, we'd investigate, figure out why it appeared, and grab any problematic objects if they're here."
She smiled and looked up.
"That's why we brought tough folks..."
"We've scouted it a bit with drones and machines first."
She nodded.
"Looked like some dangerous stuff in there."
She headed toward the massive locked iron gate.
"For example—"
She opened the gate.
It screeched horrifically, swinging wide, and something enormous appeared.
A bear?
Could you even call that a bear?
More like something wearing a bear's skin inside out.
I yanked out my pistol in a hurry, and at the same time, a translucent window popped up.
[Name: Cute Bear Woong]
[Age: X]
[Talents: X]
[Abilities: X]
[Background: Cute Bear Woong from Love Zoo always cries without his mom around.]
[Weakness: -]
"Branch Chief, watch out—!"
I frantically put my finger on the trigger, and just then, the bear's massive paw came crashing down toward her head at insane speed.
And then.
She casually tilted her head to dodge the paw and lightly tapped its snout like knocking on a door.
-BAM!
It rocketed backward out of sight.
"Stuff like this is why."
...
"Always amazing to watch."
"Come on, let's get moving?"
"Wow... I read in a book that strength comes with age, and back then I didn't get it, but now I do!"
She smiled at our stunned faces, but her expression cracked and froze at Yoo Daon's words.