Chapter 18: Successful Experimental Case.
*
“Did you know that the proportion of religious people among doctors and scientists is higher than that of the general public?”
Inder asked while maintaining direct eye contact.
The sudden and seemingly out-of-place question caught Gang-ho off guard, and he didn’t respond immediately.
Instead, Reina, who was behind him, answered.
“Yes, I’ve heard that.”
“Why do you think that is?”
“Perhaps it’s because when you approach the essence of things, you encounter mysteries that can only be explained by the belief in divine intention?”
Inder nodded at her response.
“Correct. And now, that too can only be understood through such belief.”
At that moment, for some reason, the black flame began to ripple.
No, it looked like it did.
It was hard to tell if it was truly happening or just an optical illusion.
Inder mumbled something incomprehensible while watching it.
“It seems they really succeeded in terraforming.”
Gang-ho decided he would no longer brood alone.
Inder certainly seemed to know something, so he asked directly.
“What exactly is that?”
“I’ve only heard about it before; this is my first time seeing it.”
According to his explanation, it was immaterial energy created by an evolved scientific civilization from another universe.
He used a hologram as an example, but unlike that, it was said to possess the same power as the original entity.
“So what is the power of that black flame?”
Gang-ho asked the crucial question.
Inder answered without hesitation.
“How could I know if I don’t know the original? But isn’t the scene unfolding before us the answer?”
Everyone’s gaze shifted back to the pile of bodies.
In that moment, black flames similar to the ones they were observing enveloped everyone’s bodies.
Hwa-reuk.
“Ah!”
“Oh?”
“Eek! What do we do?”
Suddenly, chaos erupted.
People flailed their arms and jumped around.
Some even rolled on the floor.
However, nothing changed.
“……”
“Oh?”
Silence fell once again.
Of course, it wasn’t a sense of relief; rather, tension had reached its peak as they tried to assess the situation.
Gang-ho recalled something.
‘Optical illusion? Hallucination?’
The haunting symptoms he had grown weary of experiencing, constantly doubting the reality around him.
‘Is this an energy reflector that responds to brainwaves, neural circuits, and psychological states?’
A manifestation of what people fear, made to look real.
A strategy aimed at utilizing the confusion and terror felt by the people to its advantage.
That was Gang-ho’s brief speculation.
And,
‘Of course, that’s not the essence of what that black flame truly holds.’
As Inder said, to understand how the black flame might be dangerous, one would need to know what the original entity is.
Yet for now, there was no way to ascertain that.
‘Hmm.’
At the moment when his thoughts began to spiral deeper, a whisper echoed in his ear.
[Act as if you don’t know. And listen well.]
“……!”
Suddenly, Inder’s voice resonated in a ringing manner, as if he were right behind him.
Gang-ho immediately realized that this voice was only audible to him.
So, just as Inder told him, he pretended to look at the black flames without any sign of concern.
[There’s something I haven’t been able to say.]
“…….”
Without the ability to converse, he could only sit there quietly and listen.
[We could be talking about politics here.]
This was a continuation of what he had explained earlier.
The World Species Repository had done everything it could, as science stepped forward for the sake of Earth’s safety and the survival of humanity.
In the course of that, it turned out to be faster to find a habitable planet than create a stronger humanity through genetic mutations.
However, something unexpected occurred.
[You probably don’t need me to explain parallel universes or multi-dimensions.]
“…….”
As Gang-ho nodded slightly in response, Inder’s explanation began.
He stated that they had connected to a world that was unknown, not even on the search coordinates.
Opinions were exchanged, and the exchange of prototypes was negotiated.
The outcome was unfortunate.
Communication with the research team that crossed over to the exploratory dimension suddenly ceased.
Months later, some of the initial team members, who had been left unverified as dead or alive, returned.
They had come back from another planet or dimension, and they were to undergo various tests as per regulations and procedures.
Yet, during the tests, the returnees suddenly changed.
They took hostages among the doctors and researchers, demanding something.
It wasn’t disclosed, but perhaps it was an unreasonable demand, as the governance council dispatched suppression teams instead of engaging in negotiations.
Ultimately, the result was a dismal zero survivors.
[It was a moment when everything had to be buried in secrecy. And two years ago,]
For some reason, the council had realized, based on that experience, the need for mutants that could cope with highly advanced life forms from outer space or other worlds.
So secretly, yet publicly, funding and manpower for that experiment was concentrated at the World Species Repository.
[Whether it was a success or failure, those piled up over there are mutants with supernatural abilities. And so are you.]
“…….”
Gang-ho bit down hard with enough force to hurt his jaw.
His tightly clenched fist trembled slightly.
‘The anti-terror operation I was involved in….’
Then the zombies he had seen back then could have been returnees.
Before he could dwell on the thought, Inder continued speaking.
[From what I know, that black flame is of that other world.]
And it was speculated that its current task was to eliminate its ‘enemies’ trying to cross over to Earth.
[Of course, that’s just my judgment.]
“…….”
Gang-ho’s mind was in turmoil.
How could experiences from his past be connecting this way, and why was Inder’s voice audible only to him?
Above all, the feeling of dread emanating from the black flame that came from another world was suffocating him.
In the midst of it, Gang-ho was the first to attempt telepathy.
‘Is this how it’s done?’
– If I think it, do I transmit the meaning directly to the brain, instead of vocalizing it through my vocal cords?
[Oh! Lisa called you a genius, and it seems you’ve grasped the principle!]
To his astonishment, it worked right away.
It truly was just as Gang-ho had presumed.
But how?
That question was quickly answered.
[I have a nano chip in my brain as well. After hearing that you memorized the disaster manual and experienced an anomaly, I realized we were alike.]
– Ah!
He barely swallowed a gasp of surprise that almost escaped him.
But one crucial thing was different.
[For the record, I haven’t memorized the disaster manual.]
One question had been resolved, but still, the significant question loomed before him like a lurking threat.
– Why deliver all this information only to me?
That was Gang-ho’s next question.
Inder’s answer was straightforward.
[There’s no need to unnecessarily unsettle others.]
In any case, he said, the only ones who could respond to the black flame were himself, Gang-ho, and the other supernatural beings.
[That’s why I called you all a successful experimental case.]
Indeed, it was true.
Only Gang-ho’s group and Inder hadn’t directly experienced any hallucination symptoms.
‘Ah, perhaps?’
Gang-ho entertained a hypothesis.
What if the black flame was linked to an original entity from another dimension, transmitting the situation and information directly to this place…?
– Doctor, is it possible that the purpose of that black flame is to prevent us from leaving?
Otherwise, there would be no reason for the countless mutant corpses piled up like a mountain.
They probably gathered together in an attempt to escape, only to find themselves blocked by an unexpected wall.
‘So far, I’ve witnessed and experienced similar situations on each level.’
From the wretched golem in the Hub Shelter to the tainted shelters, it had always been the same.
[Just as I thought, I knew you would make that deduction.]
– …….
He didn’t reply, but it felt like he had grasped a clue.
Now, the problem was breaking through the black flame’s intentions and surviving.
– Is there really no way?
He could only ask.
After all, such phenomena were not included in the disaster manual.
Inder, too, had no sharp solutions.
Just as Gang-ho was about to sigh and shake his head, a deep, rumbling sound resonated beneath their feet.
Kuuwung.
A tremendous vibration followed without fail.
Drdrdrdrdr.
Gang-ho and the others looked at each other.
Having felt it several times before, they could not mistake it.
“Again?!”
Satoshi exclaimed, almost in despair.
Then everyone turned back toward the hangar.
But,
Tsuzuzuzut.
Szzzzt.
The black flame had already attached itself to the entrance of the hangar, expanding its area.
Watching the bizarre scene, the initial sentence floated back into Gang-ho’s mind.
‘The Divine Guidance Ends Here.’
He felt assured in his speculation.
‘Could it be, that was indeed its purpose?’
And once more, the sounds of explosions and vibrations echoed.
Kuuwung.
Tuuwuuuu.
People began to panic.
The black curtain blocking their destination felt far more hopeless than the black flames that had once enveloped their bodies.
“What do we do now?”
At the same moment as someone shouted, Reina dashed forward.
Tatatat!
Two glimmering machetes were drawn from her waist in a crosswise fashion.
Tswaang.
Cheng.
She approached the black flame, taking a big jump as if she were going for a triple jump.
Ta, tang. Paaang.
Reina soared upward with a rapid spin as her body lifted from the ground.
Hwoom.
Whiriririck!
Her twirl resembled a powerful tornado.
Every time her blade sliced through the black mist, blue flames shot out in every direction.
Chikakakat.
Chwaahaaaak!
It was quite the spectacle.
However, Reina’s whirlwind failed to come to a finish.
Pachuchuchuch.
“Eek!”
An electric current surged through her body, sending her flying backwards.
“Reina!”
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