The entity mimicking an insect moves.
It strides confidently, its spider-like legs extending as it seamlessly traverses a world tainted with dusk, as if it has become part of the colorful scenery.
That appearance is bizarre, distorting the landscape with movement, reminiscent of a nightmare where a bug has grown to human size and scampers about.
Look at those following behind.
Those disguised as travelers.
Who could perceive them as mercenaries, approaching with intentions shrouded in darkness and hidden malice?
In a time when the line between dog and wolf blurs.
In a moment painted in blue, where light and shadow coalesce.
In a time where one cannot distinguish between a dog sticking out its tongue in laughter and a wolf baring its fangs, revealing sinister intents.
In that time, they move.
They move, and they keep moving.
Naturally, as if they are harmless people.
As if they are nothing at all, they just keep moving…
And then they begin their assault.
“–BEEP–”
The initiation of the assault was heralded by a monster.
The entity, camouflaged within the darkness like a chameleon, approached the building, slowly parting its lips to produce sound.
That sound… was beyond belief as human.
“BEEP—-”
Could this be the sound if one were to extract a high-frequency noise from a person’s throat?
From the monster’s throat emerged a sound reminiscent of a mechanical tone.
It felt like a kind of music that bore a strange regularity but also resembled a malfunctioning machine’s casual noise, like a mosquito’s incessant buzz, grating on human nerves in a peculiar way.
“BEEP—-”
And yet, that made it all the more bizarre.
The sound, which would feel eerie even if produced by an ordinary person, was being squeezed out by something resembling a cockroach.
Mechanical sound.
High-frequency noise.
There were many things to explain.
Yet, when gazing upon that monster.
When seeing that grotesque shell, as if it were draped in a cockroach’s exoskeleton.
When looking at the spider legs protruding from its body…
I couldn’t help but wonder if that monster was truly an insect.
Could it really be a bug masquerading as a human?
Is it a legendary bug monster?
Could it perhaps be an escaped creature from some lab?
Such ominous and absurd imaginations naturally rose to the surface.
For the monster’s appearance was otherworldly.
So much so that even seasoned mercenaries felt a chill run down their spines.
But the mercenaries were professionals.
Not just punks doing thug work for cash, but true professionals.
People willing to do whatever for money.
To kill and fight against others.
People who would gladly trade their lives for cash.
They were professionals.
As professionals, they could endure the discomfort imparted by the monster and willingly stand alongside this unhuman entity, ready to fight against people.
Because that was their job.
Standing with the monster to fight was the ‘mission.’
“—!”
With a crack.
Thus they moved the moment they caught sight of the signal.
‘There was a brief spark on the surveillance camera.’
‘They said they would burn the surveillance equipment circuits, and they really did.’
‘Let’s go.’
They moved like lost travelers and approached the main entrance naturally.
And when they reached a remarkable position, perfectly within the range of the guards’ weapons, it happened.
Tooo-whoom!
The team leader announced the start of the assault.
The first to open fire was the team leader.
Feigning to be a tourist, he lifted the camera hanging around his neck and pretended to take a photo, activating the device to shoot a needle.
The needle, crafted from a conductive material, sliced through the air with a thud, penetrating the guard’s body as if it were a harpoon.
Crackling!
The needle embedded in the guard was electrified with an immense current from the connected wires, flooding the guard’s body with electrical energy, far surpassing a standard taser, causing the guards to convulse with their eyes rolled back, unable to utter a single scream.
Then, following the team leader, others also sprang into action.
They, like the team leader, fired their concealed tasers, injecting a needle or two into the guards’ bodies, shocking them with electricity.
Naturally, the guards, caught unprepared by the illegally modified tasers, collapsed to the ground, unable to even scream.
But the mercenaries were not satisfied with just that; they pulled out other gear from their bags.
It was a device shaped like a glue gun, commonly found at stationary stores or hardware shops.
Pik!
A device that seemed inconsequential.
And as if to emphasize its trivial appearance, the sound produced when the trigger was pulled was equally dismissive.
It resembled something a kid might use to play with toy guns obtained from a stationary shop.
But the result was anything but trivial.
“Ugh.”
“Ugh….”
The needle shot from the glue gun-shaped device pierced through the thick clothing of the guards, embedding itself deeply within their flesh and injecting the substance contained inside.
The minuscule amount of drug housed within the hollow needle filled their bodies, disrupting their breathing and rendering them unconscious. Furthermore, it hindered and damaged brain activity, mimicking the effects of drinking excessively, leading to confusion akin to that of blackout drinking.
While it wouldn’t produce overwhelming effects due to the small quantity, it was likely to induce a haze, scrambling their memories for days, much like the effects of an extreme binge.
Thus, having thoroughly incapacitated the guards, the mercenaries advanced forward.
“Ha. Excellent….”
At the behest of the entity producing that bizarre voice.
*
The monster moves.
“—!”
It emits high-frequency sounds and mechanical noises as it moves.
As if conversing with the machine, the entity squeezes out noises whenever it encounters mechanical devices, causing them to spark as if responding, burning out their circuits. It appeared as if the machines were choosing to faint under persuasion, or perhaps the monster was threatening the machines, coercing them into losing consciousness.
Crackle.
With each sound, sparks erupted.
With every spark, cameras shattered.
The surveillance cameras, alerting with a red glow, lost their light and stood still like decorations, while locks that demanded password entries puffed out black smoke, radiating an acrid smell.
But that wasn’t all.
Not only did it disable machines, but it also effortlessly neutralized traditional locks.
“Ha….”
Was there really a lock that could only be opened by inserting a key and turning it?
That too could not stand in the monster’s way.
The monster, ridiculing the lock, tossed it a mocking smile, then moved one of its spider-like legs and shoved it straight into the lock’s hole.
The spider leg then seemed to claim it was made of liquid as it slickly melted, fully occupying the hole, transforming into a key shape suitable for the lock.
Click.
The transformed key unlocked the lock with astounding ease.
Even this lock, made from a special alloy that was reportedly difficult to cut, was passed through as if it were nothing.
With that, the monster and the mercenaries proceeded.
By disabling the surveillance equipment.
By rendering all security measures inoperative.
And they moved on, advancing further.
And what of the people they encountered in the process?
[ Halt. Four individuals around the corner. ]
[ Are they armed? ]
[ Handcuffs, baton, taser, revolver. ]
[ Okay. ]
There was no need for the monster to step forward.
The mercenaries expertly subdued the people.
Crackle!
They used tasers just like against the guards.
Swish!
They ambushed, concealing their presence, suddenly springing forth to inject a syringe full of drugs into the necks of the guards.
‘This is easy.’
It was no hard task.
Currently, in this building, there were no individuals capable of giving them a hard time.
Given that it wasn’t a regular day, there was no stringent security as they typically kept.
And since it wasn’t wartime, they hadn’t deployed elite personnel to safeguard strategic supplies.
Thus, the ones present here were merely stragglers.
Those working in the building, only doing so out of obligatory duty, or perhaps lost in a routine.
How could such individuals possibly resist against the ambush of experienced mercenaries?
Thus, the mercenaries and the monster easily breezed through security, reaching their destination.
“Excellent.”
They arrived at a space within the building.
A warehouse guarded by cutting-edge equipment underground.
The place where the divine objects were stored.
The monster smiled as it surveyed the modest warehouse.
“Though it’s not big… it works in our favor….”
The warehouse was too small to be described as ‘big’ even as a compliment.
It was not small, but one could hardly call it ‘large’.
Moreover, the presence of mechanical devices whose functions were unclear further contributed to this ambiguity.
It indeed made the cramped space feel even narrower.
But even that brought a smile.
‘This warehouse isn’t the only one…. No need to be disappointed….’
If this were the only divine object in the Republic of Korea, it would indeed be a letdown.
However, the place they assaulted was merely one of the storage locations for divine objects.
Divine objects in the Republic of Korea were scattered across laboratories and warehouses throughout the country.
Considering that point….
The quantity of divine objects in front of me may not be thoroughly satisfying, but it isn’t disappointing enough to warrant regret.
“Gather them—”
The monster ordered the mercenaries in its bizarre voice.
To gather those divine objects.
To strap on the gear it provided and stuff those divine objects into the bags and backpacks it gave them.
“Understood.”
The mercenaries happily complied with the monster’s orders.
They grinned in pleasure and grabbed the divine objects with fervor, stuffing them into bags like it was a thrilling game.
Their demeanor resembled that of robbers looting a bank.
