Bailonz Street 13-Chapter 221.2

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On the desktop, dozens of video files all played at once. Audio overlapped, lagging, stuttering. Strange noises burst out. Playback positions scrambled, skipping, shutting off and relaunching, switching randomly. The screens flickered. From the screens

Something was coming out.

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The footage stuttered and blinked. Each second switched to another variety show clip, zooming in. And in every one, edited into the scene, was the same presence.

The man in the screen

His face

The man’s mouth, hideously round, gaping wide, moved.

Anyone standing before the editing monitor could only see it.

Kang Yihak’s gaze locked.

Lee Seonghae’s gaze locked.

They could not look away.

They were ready to listen.

He was angry.

After he spoke, they would die.

He was……

Tap

“……”

A sound.

Taptaptap

Smoke.

Taptaptaptap

The transport case.

The Employee.

“…!”

Kang Yihak bit her tongue, drawing blood, and snapped back to her senses. She quickly reached out. Her hand brushed against the lock on the transport case beside her.

It unlocked.

Clang.

The sound of iron bars opening.

But the ‘Employee’ did not emerge.

Instead, thick, black smoke poured out like mist……

And veiled the Field Exploration Team members’ vision.

“…!”

Through the smoke, dozens of yellow lamp-like lights gleamed, scrambling the monitor’s light and shapes. The man in the screen was no longer visible.

For only the lights shone in the smoke.

“…Ha!”

In that moment, freed from the Darkness, a Field Exploration Team employee inhaled deeply and straightened.

…Kang Yihak realized her face had been so close to the editing monitor, she had nearly pressed her nose against it.

A chill prickled down her back.

The distorted audio of six separate variety recordings echoed like screams in the cramped editing room, caught in a lag loop.

Kang Yihak still saw the dense, heavy black smoke flowing from the transport case, and the yellow eyes within it…

Lee Seonghae seemed almost completely enveloped.

“Mr. Employee!”

Kang Yihak made the rational choice.

“Could you please just tightly wrap up that monitor, restrain it just once? Then we’ll get back to work immediately!”

That was the Security Team’s very role!

But the black smoke did not touch the monitor.

No, she realized now… It was actively avoiding the monitor and editing equipment.

‘…Huh?’

The smoke drew out words.

Concerns upon contact :

→ Deletion of Darkness

→ Increased risk of death for two accompanying employees (Dolphin, Pony)

“……!!”

Reason : Non-physical entity anomaly. Insufficient data.

Wait.

So, does that mean that just by coming into contact with it, that editing room ghost would be ‘affected’, and he’s holding himself back out of concern that some insane variable might occur… That’s what he’s saying?

And one of those variables is that the Darkness itself could disappear?

‘How strong is this thing?’

A shiver of exhilaration ran down her spine.

But her mouth spoke rationally.

“Then… to resume the task…”

And the instructions given by ‘Mr. Employee’ were very simple.

Do not look at the Darkness.

“…Of course! That’s entirely reasonable.”

But when a person cannot see, their accuracy and efficiency drop drastically…

All the more so when it comes to the delicate task of repeatedly closing the frenzied flood of playback popups, finding the files on the desktop, and permanently deleting them!

“Still, someone has to be watching, I think.”

And Mr. Employee kindly answered that question as well.

Observer : Me

At that moment.

Dozens of yellow eyes blossomed above the black fog, all fixed upon the monitor.

“…!”

…Yellow eyes on a black background.

“……Huh?”

Kang Yihak was about to connect something in her mind.

“Yes.”

And simultaneously, Assistant Manager Lee Seonghae began to move.

Her quiet dialogue with the black smoke, leaning close, had just concluded.

Expected results If start is delayed :

→ Darkness collection fails

→ Casualties occur

Because she had received the signal.

Tap.

The elite team slid into the fog, taking cover under the desk with the monitor.

The smoke receded slightly, as if clearing space, and she snatched the mouse from the desk with her right hand, pulling it down to the floor where she sat.

“…!”

Right.

‘The mouse works even when brought under the desk…!’

Thanks to modern devices, most equipment now uses strong Bluetooth connections.

Lee Seonghae set the mouse flat on the floor for balance.

Then, gripping it tight, she dragged it sharply down to the lower right.

‘…! That’ll always force it to the bottom-right corner.’

She had aligned the unseen cursor on the hidden monitor.

From there, nudging slightly upward… landed exactly on the ‘Show Desktop’ button at the bottom.

Click.

“…!”

“Did it work?”

Tap.

But only for a moment.

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“Ugh!”

Again the recordings burst open, grotesque sounds echoing through the dim editing room.

The man in the screen was still there.

Salt Goblin

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