Not long after Researcher Sophia’s report had been tossed into the trash…
Senior Researcher Oliver Smith was scratching his head, overwhelmed by the happenings at Base 17.
Following the escape incident caused by the 871st Abnormal Phenomenon, which had left half of the base personnel incapacitated, the sudden behavior of the 1983rd Abnormal Phenomenon began just weeks later.
The series of major incidents occurring lately were enough to give him a headache, especially since he was responsible for managing so many parts of the base.
“Hoo…”
But then again.
In this busy situation, a report filled with such nonsensical requests landed on his desk.
Logically speaking, asking to allow a newly discovered anomalous entity, found less than a month ago, to exit the facility was utterly ridiculous!
Of course, it was none other than himself who had assigned Sophia to take on the research of that entity, citing ‘instinct’ and other unscientific reasoning.
Even so, he never imagined she would make such outrageous requests!
Thud!
‘Did I return her to work too early? Maybe I should have given her a proper vacation.’
As Oliver pondered while clutching his head, he started to think as rationally as possible.
After all, not long ago during the escape incident, she had come dangerously close to losing her life.
Thinking coldly, it was strange if she didn’t suffer from any psychological trauma or stress.
If they were seasoned agents involved in containment or emergency response, that would be one thing, but as just a researcher, she was no different from any ordinary person, both physically and mentally.
Even a trained agent who faced a danger level IV Abnormal Phenomenon would not remain unscathed if they had a near-death experience.
Depending on the entity, this could vary, but there were hardly any agents with such strong mental fortitude that they could return to the field immediately.
So why hadn’t he given Sophia a proper break?
Was it because the Abnormal Phenomena Research Department was a notoriously exploitative company?
While it was undeniable that staff had to risk their lives, at least this place wasn’t one that treated employees like consumables.
In a realm where any slight misstep could lead to mass casualties and endanger the world, researching and managing these enigmatic entities in methods not taught in textbooks or anywhere in society was a highly specialized job.
Especially for someone as talented as her, it should have been even less acceptable.
‘But, things have really gone awry.’
In reality, he had wanted to let her rest adequately.
If she wished, he could even wipe her memory through a process.
However, losing half of the base staff for a week had caused a hit much greater than he anticipated.
Naturally, the Abnormal Phenomena Management Office, always struggling with manpower shortages, couldn’t just request support personnel equivalent to half of Base 17’s staff.
And even if, by some miracle, that request was accepted, it was highly doubtful how quickly support would arrive.
Thus, he had aimed to clear any backlog of work first.
Once the situation at the base seemed stable, he planned to give the staff some time off.
Yet, as if fate was playing a prank, the 1983rd Abnormal Phenomenon had suddenly caused an incident.
‘It’s like someone is deliberately targeting us…’
Was it the work of a rival organization?
Well, he couldn’t completely rule that out.
After all, he had suffered plenty at the hands of detestable fanatics and those outdated sects.
It was certainly possible they would take advantage of the chaos at the base to pull off something shady.
However, he couldn’t afford to ignore the current situation.
Most importantly, one agent had already gone missing.
Given the nature of the 1983rd Abnormal Phenomenon, it meant that being lost had a high probability of being synonymous with death.
And following the incident, it seemed that the door it affected, which once had a broad impact, was now only affecting the door at Base 17.
It felt almost like the entity, angered by being still confined after the censored incident, was taking out its frustrations.
“….”
Oliver’s mind was a tangle.
With the 1983rd Abnormal Phenomenon increasingly experiencing forced closures, the temporary procedures were piling up, and the delays in work were mounting due to the immobilized researchers.
If something were to emerge from that door…
And on top of that, if they were to fail at containing other anomalous phenomena…
Boom!
The luck they had during the escape incident would surely not come around again.
His head throbbed. A headache was creeping in. It felt like someone was pulling at the back of his skull!
Stress was making it hard to keep his sanity.
He sat quietly for dozens of seconds, clutching his head, when suddenly an idea popped into his mind.
But as soon as he exhaled a long sigh, as if feeling foolish for his own thoughts, he began to pull out the document he had tossed into the trash.
“…What am I doing?”
That laughter sounded incredulous.
His thoughts that this report made no sense remained unchanged.
Yet, his actions of pulling it out again and reading it were incomprehensible.
Of course, Sophia’s report wasn’t strange in itself.
The records and data of past aberrant phenomena that had emerged from the isolation room…
Once he started to compare and analyze the numerous materials, it became easy for anyone to agree with the requests written below.
In short, it was a logically flawless report of perfection.
However, there was one crucial thing not to overlook when dealing with Abnormal Phenomena.
They were categorically not logical or rational beings.
Countless entities had deceived, tricked, and toyed with humanity, driven by malicious intent.
Things once deemed safe for humans inside the isolation room had unleashed horrors the moment they were released.
Both his experiences and numerous records had proven that regardless of what forms these entities could take or what actions they could perform, they must never be brought outside the isolation room lightly.
At the very least, no one working in the Abnormal Phenomena Research Department was ignorant of this fact.
Then why was he currently looking at this report?
Had he lost his mind due to excessive stress?
Or was it because this document was the closest thing providing some form of humor for his aching head?
No, perhaps that wasn’t it.
To be precise, he couldn’t even explain that either.
He had certainly thought it was nonsense before, still thought so now, and retrieving the document from the trash to read again wasn’t the behavior of an ordinarily rational person.
Just then, something that had been lingering in his mind forced him to confront that lingering question.
He found himself staring intently at the request at the bottom of the report written by Researcher Sophia.
Oliver understood what it was.
It was instinct.
As he had explained to her before, it was unscientific and illogical behavior.
A person like him, who could bring down calamities just by signing documents, shouldn’t place faith in such instincts.
To begin with, there were still too many suspicious details regarding 163-19.
If the escaped 871st Abnormal Phenomenon had such an impact, why wasn’t it making its move on its own?
Was the shadow that it consumed the very reason for its own confinement?
Was it really acceptable to trust his instincts, which were nothing more than the least credible of superstitions, devoid of scientific backing?
Even if that choice could put the entire base at risk, was it truly a choice worth making?
“…I don’t know.”
He didn’t know.
Perhaps that was indeed the most definite answer he could provide for himself at this moment.
And there was no one to provide a clear answer to his questions, either.
He might have simply been exhausted.
Tired of fighting against beings whose origins were unknown…
And endlessly facing the malice they emitted.
Too many people had died, and too many had been injured.
In exchange, he had managed to collect, suppress, and control countless Abnormal Phenomena.
But sadly, this war showed no signs of ending anytime soon.
And in this ceaseless war of attrition,
He was now worn out from the act of sacrificing both his own life and the lives of others.
Somewhere deep down, he might have been wishing for someone to appear and put an end to this unreasonable situation.
After a long period of going back and forth in his thoughts, Oliver finally began to write something at the bottom of the document he was looking at.
—
Sender: Senior Researcher, Sophia Brown
Recipient: Responsible Researcher, Oliver Smith
Request: Given the attached report, research materials, and the current symptoms of the 163-19 anomalous entity, I kindly request that you permit its limited exit from the facility.
—
―Request approved
—
After coming out of that cramped room with Sophia, while wandering around following her lead, I happened to pass through a certain ‘door.’
Whoa!
A vastness completely different from what I’d seen outside.
The sky was filled with something geometric, completely ignoring the existing laws of physics.
And an extraordinarily unique landscape that could never be thought of as part of this world.
For a moment, I was captivated by the amazing sights I had never expected to see back in my hometown.
Gasp!
Slowly, I began to take steps forward, marveling at how much my hometown had advanced…
