Chapter 362
Chapter 362
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: The Reason It Must Be Resolved
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I recall the underground during the Butterfly's Dream incident.
It was dark, the manual had just unfolded for the first time, and anyway, it was a time when I wasn't in my right mind.
Back then, while walking alone, I ran into Yoo Daon—
"What are you thinking about?"
"Just... old memories."
"I see."
The Troupe Leader mutters in a flat voice before taking a step forward.
Staring at these empty containment rooms just makes me sigh deeply. When am I going to close them all?
"For now, I should check inside the Management Bureau."
There might be some kind of emergency protocol.
Or something equivalent, at least.
I walk through the empty containment rooms alongside the Troupe Leader.
Maybe there's a way...
"Ah."
Come to think of it, during the first Butterfly's Dream incident with Yoo Daon, I remembered touching an incredibly old computer.
And that thing back then...
...
A form flitting about like a pitch-black shadow rises in my mind.
If I used that, maybe something would work.
"Got any good ideas?"
"Not sure if it's good, but an old memory came back."
I answer flatly and keep walking.
Our destination is the control room.
As we walk down the deserted hallway, the Troupe Leader speaks up.
"I think I know why the troupe released the Management Bureau's containment objects."
"Well, to spread art?"
"Art has nothing to do with the Management Bureau's containment objects."
True.
"Because you're from the Management Bureau."
"That's a horrible thing to say."
Because of me? Does that mean I'm the root cause of everything?
"You're the protagonist of the story, so they prepared an incident you'd be most likely to face but hardest to resolve."
"Like a trial?"
"Exactly."
"Why?"
"Probably because the troupe thinks it's the most beautiful plot."
A beautiful plot.
"Then that—"
"Kehok!"
As I open my mouth to continue talking to the Troupe Leader, a coughing fit echoes from far away.
I whip my head around and see a woman leaning against the wall, blood pouring from her abdomen.
The stark red blood staining her white lab coat creates a grotesque scene.
"Hey!"
I rush toward her, and a translucent window appears above her head.
[Name: Lee Yushin]
[Age: 33]
[Talent: None]
[Abilities: None]
[Background: She is dying right now.]
[Weakness: If left like this, she will simply die.]
...
She's dying.
And right now, there's nothing I can do here.
"Kehok...!"
She vomits blood and looks at me with half-lidded eyes.
"What department...?"
"HR Team."
"Ah, HR Team..."
She looks at me with a relieved expression.
"Where are the others? The underground's too clean for there to have been that many casualties."
"...You're right..."
She nods slowly at my question.
"They're probably all hiding in the shelter... If that got breached, we'd all be dead..."
"...Is there no emergency containment procedure?"
"...There is."
She answers my question with effort and pulls something from her pocket, handing it to me.
...
In her blood-soaked hand is a single USB drive.
"Plug... this in."
"...That old computer?"
She stares at me in surprise at my question, then nods laboriously.
"Yeah..."
"Got it. Where's the shelter?"
...
She raises her hand and points left.
"Right. I'll check it out and let you know. Rest easy."
"...If you're HR Team,"
She forces a smile.
"...I can trust you..."
Then she closes her eyes.
I thought she'd stopped breathing, but her chest rises and falls slowly, showing she's still alive.
"Let's hurry."
"To where?"
"The shelter first."
If people are alive there, they'll handle the containment procedure more easily than I could.
They're the Management Team, after all.
"Got it."
The Troupe Leader nods calmly, and I quicken my pace as well.
*
Following the path the woman indicated,
"Found it."
Even after just one glance, the unforgettable door greets me.
The place where I first met Yoo Daon, and where the Security Chief died.
The handle is twisted in an odd direction, like someone had yanked it open in a panic.
"There are people inside."
The Troupe Leader mutters flatly, looking at me.
"But I can't tell how many."
"...Right."
Maybe because the original is Song Arin, the Troupe Leader can roughly gauge the people inside too.
I slowly turn the handle.
-Kkiiik...
The door creaks open,
...
And I peer inside, holding my breath.
Wondering what horror awaits.
What I see before my eyes is—
-Bang!
"Argh!"
A gunshot rings out, and I duck down in a hurry.
Something whizzes past my head, sending chills down my spine,
"It's... a person."
"A person?"
Other voices chime in.
"A person!"
"S-Sorry!"
I look up toward the source of the sound.
There are quite a few people.
They're all staring at me with bewildered expressions.
"It's... really a person, right?"
"Stay calm."
I reach into my pocket to show the manual—oh, right, I don't have it.
"I'm from HR Team."
"HR Team?"
"Yeah, I know this guy."
A few people murmur as they recognize my face.
"Wasn't he from the Human and Containment Incident Response Team?"
"Ah, the Branch Chief's secret weapon!"
...
No point denying it here—it'd just waste time—so I stay quiet and listen.
Soon, the murmurs die down, and a man who seems like their representative approaches, bowing his head.
"Sorry about the shot earlier. We're all pretty on edge..."
"No, it's understandable."
Should've knocked if I knew this would happen.
I shake my head in response to his apology,
"So, has the situation been resolved?"
"No. We're just about to start sorting it out."
I pull out the bloodied USB and show it to them, drawing sighs from the back.
"Yushin's..."
"She said she was drawing them away alone..."
"I heard we needed to execute the emergency containment procedure. I need help."
"...Emergency containment procedure..."
Tension ripples across the Management Team members' faces as they hear me.
"We're all for executing the containment procedure."
The man who'd been talking to me continues.
"But we've confirmed some containment objects roaming the underground. If you just go, you might get killed."
"I see."
Just as expected.
"It could be dangerous."
He looks at me, and I meet his gaze.
He means he's scared.
Of course—staking your life isn't easy.
"Even so..."
He trails off, averting his eyes.
"We have to do it. It's our job."
...
I watch him clench his fists, his face etched with fear.
I always think this, but Management Bureau people tremble in terror yet dive into their duties ready to die.
Does the Bureau recruit them like that, or do they become that way after joining?
"I-I'll draw a map! I roughly calculated the containment objects' movement range and which ones escaped from the containment rooms while we were fleeing!"
A woman raises her hand and shouts, and the others start speaking up after a moment of silence.
"We might need decoys."
"No one with fast legs here."
"Or maybe map out shortcuts or optimal paths?"
"No, what if we go through Secondary Control Room..."
The others discuss seriously among themselves.
As I watch, the Troupe Leader taps my shoulder and whispers.
"This is why the Management Bureau never loses to other organizations."
...
"Individuals aren't exceptionally talented, but they don't run."
"Was it the same in your world?"
"...If you're asking whether most of those who resisted to the bitter end were from the Management Bureau, then yes."
For the first time, the Troupe Leader mutters with a hint of bitterness.
...
How much time passes.
The man from earlier approaches me.
"I'll guide you."
Behind him, a man and a woman start gathering their gear.
"These two are our fastest. They'll run the decoy operation. Bait, basically."
"...Isn't that dangerous?"
"It is."
He nods.
"But someone has to do the risky part, and these two have the highest chance of surviving while drawing the containment objects' attention."
...
The two nod at me, faces full of tension.
"Understood. Then we'll..."
"Yes, we'll plug in the USB and execute the emergency containment procedure."
"What exactly happens if we do it right?"
It won't magically make all the containment objects return.
"It's using the Management Team's final containment object."
The man answers my question calmly.
"That should... put out the immediate fire, at least."
...
The final containment object.
Various hypotheses pop into my head, but right now, whatever. Not my place to know the details.
"Understood."
I just nod.
"Good."
He nods and looks at the others.
"We're off."
"Be careful."
"We'll keep the door open and wait. If anything happens, don't come back."
The others respond with grim determination.
And so, the man, me, another man, and a woman step out of the shelter.
"The place for the emergency containment procedure—is it where that old computer is?"
"Have you been there?"
"During the Butterfly's Dream incident."
"Ah. So the HR Team resolved the Butterfly's Dream incident back then."
He nods at my words.
"Yes. Once we get there, we'll somehow input the code—"
At that moment,
-Pzzt...
A sparking sound echoes,
"I'll go."
The woman who'd been quietly following us speaks flatly and turns in the opposite direction.
"See you later."
"Yeah. Later."
The others bid her farewell calmly.
...
I look up at the window above her head.
[Name: Park Juhyeon]
[Age: 25]
[Talent: Fast Legs]
[Abilities: None]
[Background: No need to utter last words even in the face of death. It only torments others.]
[Weakness: An ordinary human. A vital hit will kill her.]
...
She vanishes from our sight, and the Troupe Leader mutters.
"Impressive."
I gaze down the dark hallway.
Now there's one more reason it absolutely must be resolved.