Chapter 572 – The Bureau is an Elephant (2)
—
– Cha Jinchul
Kim Ji-ho approached the dwelling of Jang Mincheol’s youngest, Jang Seojin.
“It smells weird. Can you smell it?”
“Let’s go inside.”
I couldn’t smell anything.
Kim Ji-ho sometimes sensed signs of chaos and corruption with his nose, but even he didn’t know where that ability came from or when he acquired it.
With agents like him around, my ‘special strength’ could easily be overlooked.
— Squeak!
It really was a massive space for a room.
You often hear rich kids on shows talking about their “room with a swimming pool, my room with a living room,” making regular folks cringe. This place fit that bill perfectly.
Surrounded by various tools used for sculpting, white stones, gobs of clay, and a multitude of mysterious dyes.
Jang Seojin, the youngest son of the chairman of Taeseong Group, Jang Mincheol.
I had heard he was a genius sculptor, and this seemed to be his studio.
In the center of the studio stood a slim young man.
They said he was over thirty, but he looked like he was in his early twenties.
Without even glancing at us, he said, “Could you wait over there? I’m in the middle of something.”
This time, I stepped forward.
“Jang Seojin, stop the nonsense and come out.”
“I know you came because of the artwork. Isn’t it beneficial for the Bureau to have one more completed piece?”
His tone was so nonchalant, it was irritating.
“You can finish it after you’re interrogated at HQ. I hope you take my good advice.”
Outside, Jang Mincheol and his wife were tense enough to pop a vein, but the one being snatched looked utterly calm.
Jang Seojin knew that the Bureau was after his abilities and that we wouldn’t kill him so easily.
He wasn’t completely clueless, after all.
“Maybe because you work with your hands? It’s a bit frustrating.”
“…”
His subtly nagging tone was getting on my nerves.
“Just so you know, inspiration is a faint afterimage. If you get dragged to be interrogated, your inspiration will fade—”
— Bang!
Before he could finish his sentence, there was a gunshot, and one of the sculptures on the table exploded.
Shooting out of nowhere?
We hadn’t said more than a couple of sentences!
What’s got Kim Ji-ho in such a fit today?
“Oh dear! Seems the guy in the back is rather hasty.”
“Hey, we’re short on time, so just cooperate—”
— Smash!
The sound of stone crumbling.
Stiff joints beginning to move.
Vibrations and noises everywhere.
“… This isn’t good.”
Just as Jang Seojin wore a look of panic, one of the sculptures in the corner began to emit an ominous glow, almost as if it were alive.
He could create ‘living sculptures’—that was Jang Seojin’s ability!
“Oh crap!”
“… Kim sunbae.”
Anyone who could make living sculptures wouldn’t be foolish enough not to have security around him.
Of course he’d have a couple of bodyguards on standby.
That’s why we were trying to take him peacefully.
“Seriously? Can’t we just smash it?!”
In annoyance, Jang Seojin chuckled back.
“These sculptures are valuable assets that the Bureau has its eye on, aren’t they?”
“Shut up, punk.”
Kim Ji-ho dashed forward, pistol in one hand and other heavy weapon in the other, clearly ready to handle things.
If he expected security sculptures, it’s only natural to prepare for a fight against them.
— Boom! Boom! Crash!
With thunderous gunfire, heavy rounds slammed into the living sculptures, shattering them in an instant.
“Wow! What mad firepower! Does the Bureau have stuff like that?”
“First time seeing a grenade launcher? I’ve thrown grenades a time or two in the military—”
“I didn’t serve.”
“…”
“Oh, right! You must have had a hard time serving the country!”
Seriously, why do I suddenly want to smack him?
Guess that’s what happens when his tone seems a bit… juvenile!
As I scowled slightly, Jang Seojin grinned.
“Didn’t your sculpture hurt people before?”
“I know.”
“Feel guilty at all?”
“Agent, if someone dies from a kitchen knife, is it the seller’s fault?”
“A kitchen knife doesn’t have a mind of its own like your sculptures.”
“I’m just saying I’ve never ordered anyone to kill.”
“…”
Should I just smack him on the back of the head?
“I’m scared! Pain is okay, but if I get hit by that big hand of yours, I feel like my inspiration will disappear!”
Before we set out, Kim Ji-ho cuffed Jang Seojin with some restraining equipment he brought from HQ.
Weird cuffs, full of strange drawings and writings, accompanied by a restraining suit and mask—all powerful chaos suppressants, they say.
I’ve seen Bureau specials like these before, and they’re supposed to be pretty effective.
When I tried them on, they weren’t strong enough to trap hotel participants or anything. My body just felt heavier.
“Cha junior. Everything’s on. Let’s roll!”
*
About five minutes into our journey?
While concentrating on the driving, I could hear Jang Seojin and Kim Ji-ho chatting behind me.
“Are we heading to HQ?”
“Yup.”
“What’s going to happen there?”
“Repentance.”
“In other words, I’ll have to create sculptures for you from now on?”
“Smart cookie.”
“Can I ask more questions?”
“… Go ahead.”
HQ indicated we should bring him in quietly, without conflict.
I figured they wouldn’t want any resistance if they planned to use his abilities.
Yet for this, Kim Ji-ho emptied a fair number of rounds—let’s chalk that up to intimidation.
But judging by Jang Seojin’s calm demeanor, it didn’t seem like he was scared at all. I wondered if Kim Ji-ho was actually calculating as he acted.
“Isn’t the Bureau loaded with remote-controlled drones? I’ve seen tons on TV.”
“Yeah, plenty.”
“If what my sculptures can do is any good, wouldn’t it make more sense to send drones?”
“…”
That’s a curious point a civilian might ponder.
Why would an organization brimming with remote-controlled drones need ‘living sculptures’?
Further, why throw people into dangerous situations?
“First off, the drones aren’t as reliable as you think.”
The Bureau of Room 201 had been executing suppressions solely with drones against rebel forces.
Room 202 managed to punish even a hastily revived Sea God with a ‘Terminator.’
The current Bureau can’t match their technological prowess.
For instance, standard combat drones have a combat time shorter than one hour.
The main issue, it seems, lies in battery technology—let’s just leave it at that.
“I couldn’t understand the next explanation because I’m not tech-savvy.”
“Any other reasons?”
“… Drones have no spiritual essence.”
“Huh?”
Drones lack a soul.
Drones lack life.
Drones have nothing of the ‘something’ that opposes chaos.
This might sound like nonsense to some, but for the Bureau, it’s a very practical reason.
“Let’s stop here. You’ll understand when you work at HQ.”
Also, this is one of the controlled pieces of information for civilians.
“Ah, I think I might already know one thing?”
“Forget it and stay quiet—”
“I mean, it must be that we have to sacrifice ‘real people’ instead of robots, right?”
“… I said to shut up.”
In Kim Ji-ho’s voice, I sensed a flicker of surprise.
He had hit the nail right on the head about the ‘essence of the issue.’
I figured I’d have to help out my ‘senior’ who’s dealing with this cocky guest.
More than anything, given our real objective, this conversation flow was counterproductive.
“Alright, alright! Focus on the road and let’s all be quiet.”
“Touching. So humans are the most valuable creatures in the world, huh?”
“Jang Seojin, did you not know I’m an absolute novice behind the wheel? So please, shut it.”
Here’s a surprising fact for some:
The Bureau has strived for many years to minimize human casualties.
They aim to reduce the number of people exposed to the grotesque process of chaos containment, trying to deploy advanced robots and drones whenever possible.
In that process, the Bureau realized something important.
Some tasks must absolutely be accomplished by humans.
And some situations must end with human lives lost.
*
– Kim Ari
After receiving my promotion text that morning, I suddenly found myself in the middle of the Australian desert, guided by the head of the Korean Division.
Inside a tower-like structure, there was an elevator.
“…”
This is where I’m supposed to get on, right?
Is there a button I shouldn’t press that will suddenly launch me into a pit of lava or something?
No, that’s just wild paranoia, isn’t it?
If the Bureau wanted to eliminate me, they wouldn’t go through all this trouble—
“Ah.”
My thoughts keep slipping into “the Bureau is out to get me” territory.
In the past, I would never have even considered such thoughts.
“…”
This spiraling suspicion stems from my own lack of confidence.
It’s because I believe there’s a reason the Bureau might want to eliminate me.
After returning to reality, I’ve faced a few pivotal choices.
At moments of choice, was I an agent of the Bureau? Or a participant in the hotel’s party?
I have no clue.
This doubt and confusion have burgeoned into a singular anxiety—a fear that the Bureau might kill me.
— Ding!
Suddenly, the elevator doors opened.
Inside stood a man wearing a hood.
“What, are you standing there without coming in?”
“…”
“I’ve been waiting. Agent Ari.”
The moment I saw him, I recognized him.
This person is a member of the ‘Silent Ones.’
Does that mean he was a former hotel participant?
“Come on in.”
“My apologies.”
“Speak freely. From the moment you received the text, we’re equals.”
“Alright.”
His pleased expression suggested my response met his approval.
It felt strangely uncomfortable—like getting praised by a grandfather wasn’t exactly a thrilling experience.
I assessed the elevator’s interior and inadvertently raised an eyebrow.
“So, what do you think?”
“… It’s my first time seeing this kind of décor.”
“What’s peculiar about it?”
“The number signs look a bit odd, and the dashboard structure is unusual.”
“Why do you think that is?”
“I’m not a fan of riddles. I’ve had enough of those at the hotel.”
“Haha! I completely get that. Those hotel guys can be pretty unfriendly.”
“…”
I figured that could be the case, but he was a former participant too.
“Well, the answer is simple. This structure didn’t come into existence in this world.”
“…”
I was momentarily speechless.
Wait, you mean this structure didn’t just pop up in this loop?
It was built in a previous loop?
That means it can withstand world resets!
“Just as there are those able to endure calamity, there are facilities capable of doing so. You know that, right?”
“… I know they use some otherworldly spaces for storage.”
“Similar concept, but not quite.”
“…”
— Ding!
An unknown number was pressed.
“It’ll take about an hour to reach the destination, so settle in.”
“One hour?”
What kind of elevator moves that slowly?
“What is with the delay?”
“Not because it’s far, but because it’s slow.”
“What?”
“The elevator is moving right now.”
“…”
It’s really slow.
Slower than a person walking.
“Why’s it so slow?”
“I’ve received reports that you have a sort of spatial perception.”
“…”
Spatial perception?
I believe that refers to the ability I sharpened by familiarizing myself with irregular polyhedra’s spatial properties.
That’s the ability I utilized to accurately navigate mazes at Room 207’s lunar base—it’s not the same thing as spatial perception, though.
But from the outside perspective, it might look like spatial perception.
“But?”
“You’ll feel the outside from now on. I could make the outer wall transparent if you wanted, though that’s too dangerous.”
“… I was asking why the elevator is so slow.”
“I’m providing an answer to that question.”
A moment’s silence.
Focused on the words, I tried to sense the outer space surrounding the elevator.
Then I noticed something unusual about the walls.
“What is this?”
“Do you feel anything?”
“Feels like there’s a massive wall—”
“Focus closely. That’s not a wall. It’s not a straight line; it’s a curve, isn’t it?”
“A curve?”
“It seems it’s so large that you didn’t perceive its curvature before—concentrate harder.”
“…”
Listening to him, I focused, and sure enough, I felt the curve.
It was a sphere, a massive sphere.
The sheer size of it made it initially feel like a straight wall.
And then—
“…”
I held my breath.
“Calm down. You’re safe.”
“…”
“This structure was built long ago.”
“…”
“It is a product from a time when we were far greater than we are now. Something that can never be replicated.”
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