“How long has it been since we deployed it?”
“It’s about to be five minutes.”
“Then it should be certain by now. Any attempts to escape?”
In response to the man’s question, who was wearing a gas mask, another agent wearing a similar mask contacted someone through a radio.
After finishing the call, the man muttered quietly.
“There were no signs of any escape attempts.”
“That’s a bit strange.”
“Is it?”
At the agent’s question, the man nodded, recalling whoever was inside.
From the brief observation, he felt that someone so capable wouldn’t fall this easily.
After all, while the Singularity had been used in the attack, the man thought that Hwang Bo-yul, whom he had briefly met, would have done something to respond.
The situation felt off, and the man tried to ease his rising unease by catching a faint scent from within the gas mask.
Ah.
Without this scent, they might have been completely defenseless.
No matter how quickly they reacted, not wearing gas masks would have been meaningless. Even if they had, it wouldn’t have protected them anyway—an ultimately futile struggle.
It was possible they had fallen asleep and been taken out without even realizing it.
While trying to suppress his anxiety, the man remembered another possible variable.
7496 – KR.
The Jelly Girl with an innocuous face.
An existence that seemed all the more harmless after watching her play board games with humans.
But at the same time, he had also seen the ghastly aftermath of brutal slaughter within the stairwell.
Ah.
This unease wasn’t coming from Hwang Bo-yul but from 7496 – KR.
The man finally realized.
The reason his mind was rejecting the current situation was because of that small Jelly Girl.
Frankly, he thought this operation was too risky.
Even if 7496 – KR was friendly to humans, wasn’t it dangerous to approach this way?
What if 7496 – KR rejected their intentions and went berserk?
He and the agents accompanying him would undoubtedly end up as chunks of meat.
Compared to that, the decision handed down from above seemed alarmingly reckless.
Thinking that Hwang Bo-yul would simply be neutralized and convinced to comply—was that even realistic?
Was it really correct to think of her as just a girl based on her appearance?
Looking at the traces left in the stairwell, could they truly believe this approach was safe? Was it only seeming easy because it wasn’t their own approach?
Numerous questions swirled through the man’s mind.
He thought it would be best to withdraw immediately.
After all, if requesting her presence was enough, why take such extreme measures?
…Why was there such a rush to secure her?
Once he reached that point in his thoughts, the man felt something was off.
Perhaps what he was dealing with wasn’t just a simple order.
However…
“Shall we enter?”
“…”
“At this point, even an elephant inside would have fallen to the ground.”
He wasn’t given much time to think.
There was nothing concrete to justify retreat, but his intuition nagged at him.
Turning back wasn’t a simple matter either, since doing so without reason might invite trouble.
Entering meant confronting 7496 – KR, but turning back wasn’t any easier.
The thought that a single word from him could decide everyone’s survival made his head throb.
It might have been simpler if blocking or capturing whoever was inside led to mass casualties; he had always been prepared to d*e for his beliefs.
The equipment to do that was outside, but his mindset was certainly there.
Yet the situation now was different.
This felt like poking a peaceful beehive or pulling the whiskers of a sleeping tiger.
Even so, it was something they had to do.
As the man stared at the tightly closed door, he finally sighed and nodded.
“Let’s go in.”
“Yes, sir.”
He wished he could remain blissfully ignorant.
Knowing too much, the man sighed once again, quietly, away from the others.
What could he do?
That was the fate of middle management.
Once he made his decision, the agents swiftly moved into action.
There was no need to break down the door, so they attached a small device to the handle and activated it.
It wasn’t a portal protected by the Singularity; it was just an ordinary room’s door, so it didn’t take long to open, and it wasn’t particularly difficult either.
Soon, a click sounded, and the leading agent cautiously pushed the door open. Inside, thick smoke filled the room.
The Singularity, left unchecked, continued spewing smoke.
As soon as they disabled the Singularity’s operation, they entered the room, closing the door before the smoke could escape outside.
Huff… huff…
The gas masks the team wore emitted a strange sound.
“…Quite a lot came out.”
“Well, the inability to control that is both a flaw and an advantage, isn’t it?”
“…”
They slowly walked into the smoke-filled room.
Although they appeared cautious, their steps were confident.
They strongly believed that whatever was inside would be lying on the ground.
Everyone except the man giving orders shared this belief.
They thought they’d finish their work for the day without incident.
Some probably already looked forward to clocking out and having a beer.
Meanwhile, the man, alone in his unease, said:
“Spray the neutralizer.”
“I’ve been waiting for that.”
The man frowned at the agent’s almost cheerful tone, but it was concealed behind the mask.
Not that it mattered much; the smoke would have hidden his face anyway.
In any case…
Following the man’s order, there was a hissing sound of something being released.
The small sound was followed by the release of a substance that mixed with the thick smoke in the room and began to dissipate as if it had never been there.
Starting from the agent releasing the substance, the smoke cleared rapidly from the room.
Not long after…
The first thing they saw were bags lying on the ground, with signs of someone trying to retrieve something.
The man thought to himself: Hwang Bo-yul hadn’t fallen without a fight.
But she had fallen.
Withstanding the effects of a Singularity with human strength was almost impossible.
Was that why?
Why those higher-ups wanted 7496 – KR.
…Who knows.
When the smoke finally cleared completely, what appeared was a regular room and a lumped-up blanket.
“Kick it.”
“It seems she was caught off guard while asleep. Is 7496 – KR inside?”
“Then check it. It’s meaningless if 7496 – KR isn’t there.”
Muttering this, the man felt an odd sense of dissonance.
What was currently absent from the room was 7496 – KR and Hwang Bo-yul.
While the latter was likely inside, the man had no clue about the former’s location.
It seemed natural but left him with a feeling that something was amiss.
While he was pondering, the agent lifted the blanket, and it was then that the man realized what was missing.
The suitcase isn’t here.
Why?
Had 7496 – KR been taken somewhere else? No, it was definitely—when they entered—
“Aaaah!?”
The man’s train of thought was interrupted by the agent’s scream. Looking up, he saw an alarming scene.
The agent who had lifted the blanket had been splattered with blue jelly and was now rolling on the ground.
Up to this point, it was within expectation, but what the blanket revealed beneath shocked him stiff.
7496 – KR was there, and for some reason, the entity had cradled a person inside.
Presumably Hwang Bo-yul.
Even though it was difficult to confirm through the gas mask, the silhouette visible within the transparent jelly was undoubtedly that of a woman.
It seemed strange that it wasn’t Hwang Bo-yul.
The agents and the man froze in terror at the grotesque and bizarre sight.
The agents, excluding the man, had heard that 7496 – KR was friendly to humans and believed they would at least keep their lives no matter what happened.
However, what unfolded before their eyes contradicted that belief.
The bulging form of 7496 – KR, which had seemingly crushed and engulfed someone inside its body, was no longer reminiscent of the innocent jelly girl who played board games.
It was a Singularity.
Pure and raw.
Glug, glug.
The body of Hwang Bo-yul, swallowed by 7496 – KR, twitched faintly.
“Hi, hiiiik…!”
The distressed shriek of the startled agent caused the man’s frozen expression to shift as he spoke with rising tension.
“Everyone, fall back.”
“But… uh…”
“Trembling like that, do you expect your words to carry any weight?”
The man had the agents retreat.
And pondered further.
This was the perfect chance to withdraw.
The judgment on 7496 – KR was incorrect.
The equipment targeting the Singularity had been distributed to the agents outside.
If they made a wrong move, it was unpredictable when this entity would act.
And the outcome would be d*ath.
Why did 7496 – KR swallow Hwang Bo-yul?
What went wrong?
No, this isn’t the time to figure that out.
This entire operation was flawed from the start.
Finding excuses for himself, the man raised his hands, palms facing toward 7496 – KR, and mumbled awkwardly.
“We have no weapons. We’re leaving now.”
With a somewhat clumsy tone, he signaled the agents to move outside.
With the threat level misjudged, canceling the operation seemed appropriate.
It was best to survive this situation and consider future actions.
Thinking this, the man’s gesture was acknowledged silently by the agents, who nodded and quickly retreated.
For now, they’d survive this situation.
Perhaps they should prepare for a potential confrontation with the equipment stationed outside.
Or perhaps they should prepare for pursuit.
With the agents withdrawn, the man continued to show the palms of his hands to 7496 – KR, stepping backward, confident in his judgment.
…?
Why are you leaving just like that?
