Kim Cheon-soo, who had been keeping Han Seori’s concerns in mind, felt a strange sensation as he took in the situation before his eyes.
‘…Why is it so quiet?’
It was true that this secretive hidden place should be quiet, but even considering that, it was eerily silent.
At the very least, there should have been someone guarding this place… yet the fact that no one was visible made him feel a sense of unease.
It occurred to him that Han Seori’s worries might not merely be baseless concerns.
Fortunately, it seemed he wasn’t the only one who noticed this, as no command to proceed was given.
While they waited, the group that had gone ahead to assess the situation returned.
Judging by their pale faces, it was clear that something unexpected had occurred.
Soon after, orders came from the lead member who had discussed things with Han Seori.
It was a simple command: to attach lights to their helmets and not to wander alone. However, there was a strange sense of unease in it.
Since it wasn’t overly difficult, the group finished preparations quickly and set out in teams to secure the destination.
Among them, Kim Cheon-soo, who stood at the very front, furrowed his brow at the smell of blood that greeted him as he entered the building.
…It seemed the ‘trap’ he had anticipated internally wasn’t the case here.
Although, perhaps this situation was worse than a trap.
The only things left inside the building, which seemed like the site of some unfortunate event, were the smell of blood and the weapons they had presumably been carrying.
The only signs of people were those.
It was almost a relief to think that way, but even so, Kim Cheon-soo felt his body tense at the strange scene.
No matter how much one prepares, attaining perfect readiness seems nearly impossible, doesn’t it?
He thought perhaps this could be his last stand, while delving deep into the building with his teammates.
As Kim Cheon-soo examined the traces scattered on the floor, he felt a strange sense of unease.
He understood that it looked like the aftermath of what was likely the Singularity.
But there were odd traces left on the equipment abandoned by the victims.
Traces that looked like they were made by humans, not something the Singularity would leave behind.
Specifically, the marks on the flashlights they were presumed to have carried were particularly noticeable. Actually, it seemed almost all the traces were concentrated there.
It gave off a vibe as if the items had been tampered with by someone.
This didn’t feel like a simple case of Singularity mismanagement. That was the premonition he got.
Despite reporting it, the command remained the same. The only addition was a reminder to be more cautious in observation.
‘…This is dangerous.’
The colleagues who had shared the information with him similarly tightened their grips on their weapons, their faces tense.
That’s when something happened.
– A disturbance suspected to be the Singularity has been detected in the basement. We need support.
…Would it even matter?
Considering the circumstances, it might not have much significance, but it wasn’t something they could simply ignore.
Exchanging glances, the group began to descend into the basement in an organized manner.
Many lights affixed above their heads illuminated the surroundings.
Upon arriving at the specified location, they saw the group that had requested support staring blankly at something.
“…What is it?”
Kim Cheon-soo’s murmur of confusion was accompanied by the gradual arrival of others who had received the support request.
Once enough numbers had gathered, an order to advance was given. Though filled with curiosity, Kim Cheon-soo tensed his body.
Eventually, what met his eyes was a bizarre sight.
Long, crimson threads stretched out in every direction. These clusters of muscle-like structures had sharp tooth-like protrusions from which were hanging chunks of flesh, presumed to belong to the victims.
Following the source led them to what appeared to be a statue. The tentacle-like appendages seemed to have originated from that statue.
The tentacles, having emerged from the thin cracks, seemed to have swallowed the victims.
Looking up, the wings that exuded a peculiar sense of reverence were drenched in the red stains of the victims.
The hands, gathered towards the chest as if in prayer, seemed to be imploring forgiveness for the atrocities committed.
…Do they think a prayer will absolve them of such deeds?
The strangest part was that despite the countless prey scattered around that had presumably been devoured, there was no movement now.
It was as if it had turned to stone upon receiving divine retribution.
Finally, as their gaze reached upwards.
Bogul… Bogul…
A sound accompanied the sight of Jelly Girl from 7496 – KR, who seemed to be consuming whatever was inside the presumed statue head.
“…?”
Contrasting sharply with the eerie scene, her soft demeanor filled the viewers’ minds with question marks.
At that moment, it seemed the power facility was restored, and light returned to the previously dark passage.
Bogul… Bogul…
…Could I have seen wrong? But it was indeed 7496 – KR.
The Jelly Girl, apparently flustered with the current situation, was vigorously melting down whatever was inside her belly, having steeled her jelly-like form.
…Could it have been 7496 – KR that handled this?
Even though her cute appearance didn’t match the gruesomeness of the scene, the tension among those surrounding 7496 – KR and the presumed Singularity didn’t ease.
In the midst of this strange standoff, the Jelly Girl continued melting the statue.
At some point, the statue lost its strength, rapidly melting away until, Paasas… it turned into stone fragments.
And thus, the Jelly Girl, suddenly dumped by the crumbled stones, fell flat on the floor and placed a small blob of jelly on her head.
As if surrendering, she raised her hands high in the air.
The sight caused confusion to spread across the faces of those aiming weapons at her.
“…It could be a trap.”
“She might snatch us when we let our guard down.”
Despite the seemingly amiable demeanor of Jelly Girl, those observing her hesitated to respond positively, wary of the ghastly scene surrounding her.
In the midst of this strange standoff, a tiny voice of Han Seori reached Kim Cheon-soo’s ears.
‘…If this keeps going…’
He wasn’t sure if she was about to say she would descend herself.
Kim Cheon-soo briefly pondered Han Seori’s actions.
He then came to the conclusion that, given her nature, she would likely come down herself if the standoff with the Jelly Girl persisted much longer.
‘…It’s dangerous.’
But that mustn’t happen.
There could still be other threats lurking, and what if this was all aimed at Han Seori?
Hence,
Kim Cheon-soo built up his courage, recalling his past interactions with 7496 – KR.
To ensure Han Seori wouldn’t come down here herself.
“I… I’ll try to make contact with her.”
“–Additional equipment? Hmm?”
“I’ll try to make contact. I think… we’ve built some sort of bond.”
7496 – KR may be thinking who knows what.
The man looking at Kim Cheon-soo had a face that suggested this guy must have lost his mind, but upon hearing his voice, Han Seori exclaimed, “Ah!” and then…
“…What? Are you giving permission? But… um…”
The man, who wore a face of evident discomfort, looked at Kim Cheon-soo as if asking if he was truly okay with this.
Seeing the worry in that face, Kim Cheon-soo nodded confidently. Receiving permission soon after, he put down his weapon.
Then, removing his helmet, he slowly approached the Jelly Girl from 7496 – KR and spoke.
“Y… You muc… I mean, um… what should I call you… Anyway, do you remember me?”
As Kim Cheon-soo slowly approached and spoke, the Jelly Girl turned her face towards him as if responding to his voice.
Looking into her somewhat indifferent eyes, Kim Cheon-soo gulped.
Is this… the Damn Mucus I knew?
Am I about to meet my end unnecessarily?
Deep down, he had indeed ventured forth with the aim of scoring points with Han Seori, but now that he was close, a sense of regret was undeniable.
‘…Come to think of it, she spat some goo on me before.’
Will I be okay?
Me.
“Alright, it’s safe now. I’ll bring you to Dr. Han Seori…”
Gjit.
Upon hearing Kim Cheon-soo mention Han Seori’s name, the antennae-like protrusion on top of the Jelly Girl’s head twitched.
Believing this to be a positive sign, Kim Cheon-soo bent down, spreading his arms wide as if to pick up a child.
The Jelly Girl hesitated for a moment as her antennae twitched, then seemed to sigh, slowly approaching Kim Cheon-soo.
In the moment when all eyes were focused.
The Jelly Girl hugged him and…
emitted a cluster of tentacles from her body.
Tchek! Tchek!
In response to this abnormal behavior, the gun barrels were pointed toward Kim Cheon-soo.
Even though Kim Cheon-soo realized it wasn’t directed at him personally, he felt a bit aggrieved and opened his mouth.
“Well… I’m fine, so you don’t need to worry.”
Though the sprouting from the Jelly Girl’s body also startled him, it was familiar to him. He even thought this was preferable to slime.
Since he didn’t feel any sensation of his body melting or anything, he assumed it was the Jelly Girl’s way of expressing something.
But…
Does the slight confusion in 7496 – KR mean it’s not my imagination?
Though 7496 – KR was attached to his body, it wasn’t really hugging. More like… a forward-slung backpack.
The blue tentacles extending from the Jelly Girl’s body seemed to be sticking to his torso to support her weight.
Seeing this, Kim Cheon-soo felt an odd sensation.
It reminded him of a cat reluctant to get into the water.
‘Does she not want to hug me…?’
With a hint of disappointment, Kim Cheon-soo lowered his hands, intending to scoop up the Jelly Girl.
For others, it looked like the Jelly Girl was hugging Kim Cheon-soo tightly.
“…Is that your kind of thing?”
“That’s not it! I didn’t touch her!”
“Hmm… well, alright. I’ll assign a few people to escort you back to Dr. Han.”
“No, ha….”
It’d be unjust to accuse me of hugging her.
Eventually,
Kim Cheon-soo left the building under the lukewarm, skeptical gazes of his teammates and returned to where Han Seori was.
Upon spotting Dr. Han Seori, the Jelly Girl, who had let go of the tentacles holding Kim Cheon-soo, hugged Han Seori instead. This time, she hugged her plainly without any additional tentacles.
Seeing this, Kim Cheon-soo felt slightly irked.
Why is she discriminating against people like this?
Still,
“A, Agent Kim Cheon-soo. Thanks to you, things went smoothly. Thank you very much.”
“Haha… No problem.”
Pleased by Han Seori’s praise, Kim Cheon-soo was once again in better spirits.
Meanwhile,
Han Seori, who held 7496 – KR in her arms and patted it guiltily, grew serious upon receiving another report whispered to her ear.
