TL/Editor: raei


    Status: 5/week mon-fri


    Illustrations: posted in discord


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    Thending craft approached the beach at the edge of the ind. A sandy shore stretched out, with blue waves rolling in from the sea.


    ''Two hours left, huh?''


    Lee Yeonwoo checked his phone while lying prone under dense foliage. Having raced here, burning through banknotes without restraint, he''d arrived plenty early.


    Now he just had to stay hidden quietly for two hours.


    Yeonwoo nced at the sky.Infected individuals, half pterosaur and half human, circled overhead searching for people and carrying off other infected to escape the ind.


    Considering what Mark Jung had shown him too...


    "Ah..."


    He''d really screwed up big time. Yeonwoo scratched his head vigorously, a troubled expression on his face.


    Even in an already dangerous world, where people living peacefully in safe cities could suddenly be wiped out by anomalies emerging from the shadows, he''d pulled the trigger himself.


    ''It''s weighing on my conscience a bit.''


    His mind, which had been fixated solely on survival in the crisis, was finding some breathing room. News unrted to survival slowly sank in.


    A world in chaos.


    Many people would die, and conspiracy theories would flourish. The dinosaurs were real, they''d say. There were Reptilians among celebrities.


    A cmity born from multiple dice roll failures had spread across the globe.


    ''But at least I got the sample.''


    Yeonwoo nced furtively at his bag.


    Since he''d secured the boss''s blood, wouldn''t thepany make a cure or vine? Wasn''t this taking some responsibility, however small?


    ''Ah, whatever. Thepany will dish out appropriate punishment.''


    Whether writing up an incident report, docking pay, or using dice to clean up the mess.


    Yeonwoo pushed aside hisplicated thoughts and held his breath, gripping a stone tightly. He still hadn''t escaped yet.


    He let nearby Reptilians pass undisturbed, and how long had it been since he''d killed Reptilians that found his trail using banknotes?


    The time hade.


    BOOM!


    A fighter jet swooped in, breaking the sound barrier. Its guns sprayed bullets, and winged Reptilians fell like leaves.


    SCREEEECH!


    On the opposite shore, bombardment had begun. Explosions rang out as ck smoke billowed from spots across the ind.


    Thending craft carrying Yeonwoo approached the shore, churning up white foam.


    Soldiers in protective gear and gas masks shouted something while securing the perimeter.


    ''Sounds like English, but I can''t make it out. Better just get on board.''


    As the boat stopped, Yeonwoo climbed aboard with difficulty, holding his bag high above his head.


    The soldiers in protective gear didn''t notice Yeonwoo. They just shouted loudly at the pile of Reptilian corpses Yeonwoo had stacked up. They seemed excited watching the dogfight between the jets and pterosaur Reptilians.


    Jumping in shock, doubting their eyes, adjusting their gas masks.


    At that point, Yeonwoo put the stone in his bag and took off his vest, revealing his presence.


    Click, click!


    The soldiers reacted instantly. They aimed their guns at the suspicious Yeonwoo. Yeonwoo raised both arms in surrender.


    The atmosphere was tense enough that gunfire could erupt at any moment.


    "Special Investigator Yeonwoo?"


    One person in protective gear stepped forward. Instead of a gun, they held syringes and vials.


    Yeonwoo nodded at the clumsy Korean that prated the gas mask.


    "Are you from thepany?"


    "Yes. Where''s the sample?"


    "In this bag."


    Yeonwoo handed over the bag. The researcher rummaged around inside, then made a strange noise.


    "Spatial expansion? Even thepany''s still researching this technology."


    "Just take the sample."


    "Right, well. It''s not my specialty anyway. I''ll start with disinfection."


    As the researcher collected blood from the bag and said something in a foreignnguage, the soldiers surrounded Yeonwoo and began disinfecting him.


    They collected his bloodstained clothes, sprayed some liquid, and put a stic tent-like thing over him.


    ''It''s over...''


    Yeonwoo quietly underwent the procedures while gazing at the ind.


    Thending craft slowly moved away from the receding ind. The pterosaurs were annihted before the fighter jets, and bombers flew in over the sky now controlled by the air force.


    Bombs rained down. As soon as they touched the ground, they erupted in explosions and mes.


    SCREECH!


    Only the screams of Reptilians filled the ind. An entire ind was bing a wastnd. A barrennd of bare rock, as if from before even the dinosaurs existed.


    ---


    ---


    Events after that passed quickly.


    Yeonwoo changed transport nes a few times, sent the photos of the n documents, and mostly just slept before returning to Korea.


    Yeonwoo saw Mark Jung, who hade to greet him.


    Mark Jung waved with a bright smile.


    "You''re back? You did excellently this time. Headquarters is very satisfied."


    He was sincere. In many ways, events had progressed as thepany wanted.


    "Ah. About that."


    Yeonwoo''s expression turned hesitant at that warm wee.


    The contamination happened because of me, so the Reptilian boss went berserk, he wanted to say honestly, but when the moment to confess actually came, he hesitated.


    ''Can I really handle this?''


    The world''s been turned upside down, hasn''t it?


    In any case, Mark Jung patted Yeonwoo''s shoulder and walked ahead.


    "We''ll talk details in the car. I''ll take you to the hotel we''ve reserved."


    On the way to Mark Jung''s car.


    Yeonwoo made up his mind.


    ''Right, I''ll be honest. How old am I to avoid responsibility with lies? Besides, it was the dice rolls that failed. This was an ident.''


    Moreover, it happened while a special investigator was carrying out his mission. Thepany wouldn''t cross the line.


    As soon as he got in Mark Jung''s car, Yeonwoo spoke.


    "I think the contamination happened because of me."


    "I know."


    "Huh?"


    Mark Jung brushed it off casually while fastening his seatbelt. He was busy inputting the hotel location into the navigation system.


    "You went there, didn''t you? That level of ident was bound to happen."


    "No, that''s not what I mean."


    Yeonwoo smacked his forehead, then quickly spoke before Mark Jung could step on the gas.


    "I caused the contamination. By rolling the dice. Of course, I tried to reverse it, but it all failed and things went to hell."


    "Are you saying you could even roll back the contamination level with dice?"


    Mark Jung was surprised by an odd detail. Not the aftermath of the ident or the scale of damage.


    He stared at Yeonwoo with shocked eyes for a moment. His brow furrowed.


    "There''ll be a lot of research institutes interested in this. Would you consider doing a few experiments?"


    "No. More importantly, the Reptilian gue-"


    "That worked out well. The timing was perfect."


    Mark Jung stepped on the gas. The car drove off. Scenery shed by rapidly.


    "We were nning to keep governments from meddling while thepany was distracted by war. Now they won''t have the capacity to meddle while dealing with the Reptilian gue."


    Yeonwoo was speechless for a moment. It was good there was no punishment or rebuke, but was this right?


    "Still, the damage won''t be small."


    "I thought it was really dangerous at first too, but it''s not. The Reptilian gue isn''t hard to deal with."


    No incubation period, and immediately visible symptoms upon infection.


    Though its transmission power is considerable,pared to a real epidemic, it''s something governments can adequately handle.


    It''ll take some time to get the chaos under control, but still.


    Yeonwoo''s jaw dropped at headquarters'' judgment, dulled somehow to the human impact.


    ''Is this right? It''s headquarters after all.''


    Yeonwoo suddenly realized.


    Unlike the branch office with its local police feel, headquarters focuses on global threats. They don''t seem to care unless it''s an extinction-level scenario or billions dying.


    Sure enough, Mark Jung was grinning.


    "If anything, it turned out well. The boss was the most intelligent of the doomsday cultists."


    A boss whomanded infected as subordinates.


    Someone who infected warlords to secure military supplies, infected key figures in various fields to gather information and influence society.


    "Now that''s all exposed, so at least one arm of the doomsday cult is broken. On top of that."


    Mark Jung rolled his eyes slightly to peek at Yeonwoo.


    He looked in great shape, having eaten and slept well on the transport ne. It was especially good that he was concerned about the gue situation.


    It was humane.


    Mark Jung said lightly.


    "The afterlife descent n was ruined by this incident too. They can''t proceed with it now."


    It all worked out well. A real triple whammy. They threw in one Yeonwoo and three headaches disappeared.


    Dealing catastrophic damage to the doomsday cult, stopping the afterlife descent n, and keeping world governments in check as they eyed anomalies amid the war between factions.


    Yeonwoo grasped the situation and slumped back in the passenger seat.


    "I see. Then I have nothing more to say."


    As apany employee, it wasn''t really his ce to object to thepany''s decisions.


    Yeonwoo, an ordinarypany man, stopped thinking and watched the scenery shing by outside the window.


    ---


    ---


    The hotel was near the Anomaly Investigation Team''s office. Mark Jung waved from the parking lot.


    "Get some rest. I''ll give you a new assignment in a few days."


    "Again? Something like this job?"


    Yeonwoo stopped mid-stride as he was walking quickly. His face twisted in disgust.


    Even this job was something he wouldn''t normally do. It didn''t feel like work for an investigator, no matter how special.


    Yeonwoo suddenly clenched his fist and turned with a grave expression.


    ''This isn''t right. This job was dangerous too.''


    He should protest this.


    But faced with actually protesting to headquarters, he felt somehow diminished. It was the ruthless-looking headquarters after all.


    In the end, Yeonwoo hesitantly asked.


    "Um, I''d rather avoid jobs like this if possible."


    "It''s a simple task. It seems we can manipte some groups as we wish, so we just need you to assist a little with that operation."


    Mark Jungughed and started his car.


    "War isn''t far off. If you work hard until then, I''ll give you a long vacation."


    "If that''s the case, alright."


    "Then rest up."


    Mark Jung''s car pulled out of the parking lot. Yeonwoo stood watching its retreating figure, his expression turning resolute.


    ''It seems they keep giving me work because I''ve gotten good results one way or another. If I screw up a few times, won''t they stop assigning me jobs like this?''


    Thinking thepany would stop entrusting him with major tasks if they got burned, Yeonwoo headed to his hotel room.