Bailonz Street 13-Chapter 232.2

“There was still one living entity left. Haha…”

A Cheerful Research Institute employee had noticed us.

That unseen, unheard thing tore through the corpses, rose to its feet, and looked at the intruders that did not belong in this time-space.

…The corridor distorts.

Flickering, the space beyond the offices spasms into my vision…

In the flickering sight, it seems the unseen one’s twisted lower body, garbed in a gown, is appearing.

Over there,

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YOU’RE

RIGHT

HERE

A sensation sucks me in.

A pull into some time-space projected onto Basement Floor 96.

I realize.

‘If you get caught, you disappear.’

[The invitation is rough. You don’t even need to refuse politely, Friend.]

I pocketed Lee Heowoon’s employee card.

And confirming the approach of the unseen one by the way the corpse pile reacted as it tore through, I shot smoke and strode toward the elevator.

Then I grabbed the scruff of Ho Yoowon’s neck and flung him upward.

“…!”

Ho Yoowon’s body arced and landed, trampling the corpses in front of the right-side elevator.

At the same moment I reached the elevator.

Create space between the doors

Ho Yoowon and I shoved the corpses pinched between the elevator doors outward, just enough for the doors to be able to close.

‘Faster.’

Fortunately, the elevator’s door, which had long been open and warning, will close the moment a gap appears even without pressing the close button.

Ding-dong.

Through the closing doors I saw the surviving entity collapse…

Having used the last of its strength, it became a corpse.

‘……’

Inside the elevator, it was just Ho Yoowon and me again.

…along with a dozen or so researcher corpses.

“Honestly, you didn’t really need to help me like that… but I’ll accept the sentiment gratefully. Thank you, Roe Deer-nim.”

Without your assistance

: Situation reproducible immediately

“……”

Please, just shut your mouth before I open the elevator again and throw you out…

‘Huu.’

Finally, silence.

I looked at the elevator’s panel.

This is the reason the Cheerful Research Institute could be explored by so many Security Team units.

When riding the right-hand elevator, you can return to Basement 1, the main building, from any floor.

I pressed the button for Basement Floor 1.

Ding-dong.

With the cheerful, old-fashioned chime, the elevator rose.

To reality.

And the corpses filling the elevator began to crumble and vanish, as though time itself were passing.

“…Looks like we can’t bring the corpses out? Ah, must be because they’re not Darknesses.”

Ho Yoowon checked whether his shoes had been dirtied, even as he casually stood on a dead researcher’s shoulder blade.

…My head throbbed.

Still, I had to check what needed checking.

Question : Report to researcher on whether today’s exploration companion will be disclosed

“You mean whether or not we should reveal that we explored together? Why don’t we just say we traveled together casually, excluding the part about going down to Basement Floor 96?”

I agreed.

Ho Yoowon smiled brightly.

“Then it’s my turn to ask a question.”

What?

“That last one was a question from you, wasn’t it? Right?”

……

I felt it from his tone.

‘Doesn’t seem like he’s trying to provoke me.’

A strange feeling went over me.

As though all the answers so far were only leading up to the question he really wanted to ask now.

‘…I could refuse, but that would mean forcing it.’

I nodded.

“Yes. Then I’ll ask.”

Ho Yoowon smiled like a picture, but before I could say anything else, he spoke quickly, as though impatient for the answer.

It was…

“What kind of place is Sekwang Special Metropolitan City?”

……!

“Please, tell me what you know.”

The ghost story he requested we smuggle out of the Disaster Management Bureau.

I met Ho Yoowon’s eyes. In them, I read an unnervingly deep stillness.

……

I sent out my smoke.

Answer :

Sekwang Special Metropolitan City is a deleted region of Korea.

“…!”

A redacted existence.

With an area of about 552km², it is located adjacent to the border of Chungcheong-do and Gyeonggi-do, and at present, no one has the natural ability to perceive the city.

This can, in a sense, be regarded as a cliché within the theme of a wiki that manages ghost stories.

In other words, a ‘last resort’.

Some ghost stories are so lethally harmful, spreading uncontrollably and killing countless people, that the only conclusion is that they cannot be contained or ended through moderate means.

Thus, the government approves a shocking, extreme measure…

Due to a certain annihilation-sanctioned supernatural disaster that resulted in numerous casualties, the region itself was sealed off to prevent further damage.

Subsequently, nationwide memory erasure was authorized in order to completely block rescue attempts and accessors. Authorization was granted to manipulate cognition into a state of non-recognition.

Even so.

Conclusion : Sekwang Special Metropolitan City exists in Korea.

“……”

Ho Yoowon’s lips parted.

“How did you kn—”

Unable to respond

“…!”

Question order : me

“Ask me anything.”

Then.

Question : Reason for interest in Sekwang Special Metropolitan City

“……”

The silence dragged on.

I expected to hear ‘unable to respond’.

But an unexpected response came.

“There’s something I left behind in Sekwang Special Metropolitan City.”

Left behind?

‘That means… he had once been in Sekwang City.’

This director might actually be from there.

Which could explain why Daydream, as a project, so obsessively tried to insert people into Sekwang Special Metropolitan City.

‘So that’s it.’

It felt strange, hearing about personal circumstances that weren’t written in the wiki…

Ding-dong.

[Ah, we’ve arrived!]

At that moment, the elevator reached its destination, Basement Floor 1.

Beyond the doors—outside the ghost story, back in reality—I heard the various noises of Daydream’s main building.

…But then.

“Roe Deer-nim. If you’ve finished listening, it’s my turn n—”

Recommendation : Suspend conversation

“……”

I looked at the doors.

Person standing in front of elevator doors

The doors opened.

And what I saw was.

“Hello, Mr. Employee.”

The new hire, Kim Heowoon.

“I’ve come to see you again.”

Salt Goblin

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