Chapter 153

-Stand by.

Cha Si-eon blinked the searchlight and sent a signal.

Then, with a stiff face, he looked at the lights dotted across the sky.

Because of the dense fog, the strong beams of the searchlights looked like slightly bright points.

Moreover, the intervals between the points were quite far.

It seemed the circumference of the circle we stood on would be not several kilometers, but dozens of kilometers.

Cha Si-eon only looked at that in silence, so I spoke first.

“If this is the shape of a ring, we should be able to return to 「Railway Station」.”

“The problem is the time it will take to get there.”

At my words, Cha Si-eon answered in a heavy voice.

“Response Teams 1 and 2 are waiting at the entrance route to 「Railway Station」. If our communication blackout continues, they will move to respond.”

That was true.

What was driving Cha Si-eon right now was not our situation, isolated in this other world, but the Bureau’s movements outside.

If we did not report that we were alive, Response Teams 1 and 2 would enter 「Railway Station」.

And they would destroy the core of the neutralized 「Giant Siren」.

Because only then would there be a possibility of our return alive.

No, in truth, whether we lived or died did not matter.

Even if we died, if the 「Railway Station」 risk was resolved, that would be the lesser evil.

If they wanted to avoid the worst outcome of both failing the operation and leaving the 「Railway Station」 risk intact, there was no other choice.

If that happened, Lee Sol would die, but that would no longer be an important issue.

Since 13 people had lost their lives while trying to save that child, everyone would acknowledge that obsession had been reckless and useless.

To prevent that situation, we had to leave this space even a moment sooner.

But it was not as if we could recklessly break through this distorted space either.

Moreover, time was absolutely lacking.

If I were Manager Kwon Mu-seop, if I were the person responsible for overseeing the Field Division, I would not delay more than 5 minutes before sending Response Teams 1 and 2 into 「Railway Station」.

Cha Si-eon seemed to have already finished this calculation, and that was why his face had remained stiff.

I looked for a moment at the crushed guardrail in front of him, then spoke.

“The entrance passage may be blocked.”

At my words, Cha Si-eon glanced at me.

“Communications are down right now too. This probably isn’t a Special Zone in its ordinary state. If what we saw earlier was indeed 「Island」, then this space may be an unopened temporary Special Zone. Like the 「Hotel」 Manager and I visited just before.”

“Do you mean a nascent-phase Special Zone?”

“Yes. If that is the case, it probably is not too late yet. No, we cannot guarantee the situation, but let us still try as far as we can. We still do not know how things will turn out.”

Cha Si-eon looked at me for a moment.

Then he exhaled and nodded.

“First, I will confirm whether the rules of this space are valid and gather the personnel.”

---

■ Escape Directives for 「Great Bridge Sunk in Fog」

Cross the bridge.

That is the only way to escape this place.

However, as you cross the bridge, you will encounter other 「River Crossers」.

They may exert complex effects on your body and mind, and in the worst case, they may take your life.

The types of 「River Crossers」 identified so far number 32 in total, and the average number of encounters with 「River Crossers」 among those who successfully crossed the bridge is 2.7.

Please familiarize yourself with the information and patterns of the 「River Crossers」 described below, so that you too may cross the bridge as safely as possible.

---

The method of escaping from 「Great Bridge Sunk in Fog」 is simple.

Cross the bridge.

However, I am not the only one crossing this bridge.

Strange phenomena called 「River Crossers」 roamed across the bridge.

And as one walked across this bridge, they would appear through the thick fog.

Whether from the opposite side, or from behind.

-This is No. 1.

Cha Si-eon sent a signal with the searchlight.

Then he said to me,

“Mr. Seo Do-un, mark No. 2 with your searchlight.”

-No. 2.

As Cha Si-eon told me, I operated my searchlight a short distance away and blinked the light.

Then Cha Si-eon signaled to the agents again.

-Number yourselves in that direction.

At Cha Si-eon’s instruction, everyone began blinking their lights in order.

After confirming the numbers, Cha Si-eon gave another instruction.

-Exploration Team, respond.

Nos. 3, 8, and 9 blinked.

Those three were the Exploration Team, and there happened to be numbers that were adjacent.

-Nos. 8 and 9, scout the space while rendezvousing.

We had not yet grasped the properties of this space.

Moving as a large group in an unidentified space was dangerous, so he intended to conduct reconnaissance first.

At that, No. 8 blinked busily.

-I

-have

-bike.

“Looks like No. 8 is Agent Jeong Jin-u.”

I muttered, a little dumbfounded.

Did the bike really come all the way here with him?

Cha Si-eon also seemed slightly taken aback, then sent another signal.

-Drone?

When he asked about drones, no one answered.

It seemed no one had brought a drone.

The bike seemed to have transferred together because Jeong Jin-u had been sitting on it until the very end.

It was rather absurd, but it was good news.

Because if there was a bike, mobility was secured.

-Move carefully.

At Cha Si-eon’s warning, No. 8’s light began to move.

No. 9 was probably moving too, but it could barely be felt.

By contrast, No. 8 moved toward No. 9 at a speed we could perceive.

At that speed, the two of them seemed likely to meet within 5 minutes.

As we watched that movement, No. 8’s light suddenly stopped.

Ratatata—

A faint noise followed.

It was the sound of a rifle.

Perhaps because the distance was great, the sound was heard faintly, almost like a vibration.

Then No. 8’s stopped light blinked again.

-Pattern 7 confirmed. Broken through.

At Jeong Jin-u’s swift and calm report, I let out a small sigh.

---

Pattern 7. 「Herd of Bleeding Cattle」

Overview: A herd of about a dozen bulls. They have rotting bodies and give off a terrible stench. Because of this, their presence can be recognized by the stench before they emerge from the fog. These cattle carry carts or farming tools on their backs, and they are starving. Therefore, if they discover you, they will attempt to eat you.

Difficulty: Medium

Response Method: Hang outside the railing of the bridge. Hide your body as much as possible. Hope they pass by without discovering you.

Note: If you possess firearms or explosives, they can be subdued through physical methods.

---

“Fortunately, it seems the patterns of 「Great Bridge」 are appearing as they are.”

“It seems so.”

Cha Si-eon nodded while looking at Jeong Jin-u’s light, which had begun moving again.

The fact that I could call this fortunate made my own words feel alien to me.

The average number of times those who succeeded in crossing 「Great Bridge Sunk in Fog」 encountered 「River Crossers」 was 2.7.

But that did not mean the average number of 「River Crosser」 appearances while crossing the bridge was fewer than 3.

It was closer to saying that one had to encounter fewer than 3 to survive and get out.

In other words, this was a trap of averages calculated only from survivors, and the cold truth was that there were by no means few victims who lost their lives the moment they encountered a 「River Crosser」.

But even this was a simple event for agents who knew the solution.

After dealing with the 「Herd of Cattle」, Jeong Jin-u ran smoothly again and soon met No. 9.

-Rendezvoused.

When the lights of Nos. 8 and 9 became one, Cha Si-eon asked,

-Movement speed.

-40 km/h.

At that speed, one hour seemed more than enough to circle this place once.

Cha Si-eon gave another instruction.

-Move to No. 10.

-Signal if 「Railway Station」 is discovered during movement.

Jeong Jin-u’s light began running again.

At that speed, he would meet No. 10 soon, and once he rendezvoused with Nos. 11 and 12, he would reach us before long too.

Of course, only two or three people could ride the bike, so the movement speed would slow down as they gathered more.

Cha Si-eon and I decided to sit and rest for a while until Jeong Jin-u arrived.

If one did not walk along the bridge, the 「River Crossers」 did not come either.

Therefore, aside from the personnel currently moving, everyone was on break.

I watched Jeong Jin-u moving smoothly, then belatedly realized again how unrealistic this field of vision was and muttered,

“I did not expect them to twist space itself.”

Cha Si-eon said nothing.

As if this blow to the back of the head was still displeasing.

Between the situation outside and the situation here, there were many things that bothered him.

He was also in a position where he had no choice but to feel pressure.

But right now, driving himself into a corner would not improve anything.

So I deliberately spoke lightly.

“It probably means the Type 1 Special Zones are quite cornered too. Judging by the fact that they are doing things they usually do not do.”

“…….”

“So let us think positively. Let us treat it as their final struggle. We have already identified the core’s location too, so now all we have to do is go back.”

At my words, Cha Si-eon reluctantly sighed.

That was when it happened.

The light on No. 3’s side suddenly blinked.

-Pattern 4 confirmed.

If it was Pattern 4, then that meant 「Great Flood」.

The fact that they sent a signal meant they had gotten through safely, but what was this?

No. 3 should have been waiting in place.

At that moment, Cha Si-eon, who had been sitting beside me, grabbed his gun and quickly stood.

Startled, I hurriedly got up too.

Following Cha Si-eon’s gaze toward the bridge, I saw something slowly approaching from beyond the fog.

Step— step— step— step—

Then came light footsteps.

This is…….

The ones who soon revealed themselves were monks in long robes.

Monks with lotus flowers attached above their necks instead of heads.

After confirming them, Cha Si-eon took his hand off his gun and murmured,

“It does seem they are making their final struggle.”

Judging by the fact that they had begun sending 「River Crossers」 even to people who were stopped in place.

---

Pattern 29. 「Monks」

Overview: A group of about 30 monks with lotus heads. They merely pass by and do not show any particular reaction to you. However, when the 「Monks」 pass by, your body will undergo 8 years of time in an instant. This passage of time follows your lifestyle habits over the past 3 months.

Difficulty: Low, or High

Response Method: If you are under 60 years old with no underlying diseases, pray briefly on the spot. If you are a patient diagnosed with a terminal illness or have fatal lifestyle habits, humbly accept death.

Note: The 「Monks」 will seek you out again before you cross the bridge. At that time, they will take back the aging bestowed upon you.

---

If one encountered the 「Monks」, one would undergo 8 years’ worth of aging.

However, that was a temporary phenomenon that would be restored before leaving this 「Great Bridge」.

For me or Cha Si-eon, it was not a particularly fatal matter.

So we stood for a moment and waited for the 「Monks」 to pass.

Their lotus heads were beautiful.

But there was no way it would be good for my mental health to look at that grotesque sight for long, so I kept my eyes closed.

Step— step— step— step—

The footsteps continued at a steady rhythm.

I waited for that sound to stop.

But before long, for some reason, I began to feel impatient.

I was bored and restless.

My clothes also began to feel strangely uncomfortable.

Is this aging?

My lifestyle habits over the past 3 months have been the best of my entire life.

Even so, growing old is frightening.

As I thought this and endured the boredom, it happened.

“……Mr. Seo Do-un.”

I heard Cha Si-eon calling beside me.

His voice was the same as usual, but somehow a little rougher.

Thinking the 「Monks」 had left, I opened my eyes and looked to the side.

But I saw Cha Si-eon’s belt.

Why?

No matter how large the height difference is, if I’m standing and he’s standing too, our eye levels should roughly match.

Not understanding what was going on, I lifted my head.

Then I saw Cha Si-eon, aged by 8 years, looking down at me.

I could not tell much else, but for now, his hair had grown long enough to reach down his back.

That Cha Si-eon asked me,

“What happened?”

“Wha…….”

I was about to ask back, “What are you asking?” when I froze in shock and covered my mouth with my hand.

No, I tried to, but my sleeve covered my entire hand, so I could not make the movement I wanted.

“Huh?”

On top of that, my voice.

Why does my voice sound so much like a child’s?

And I am definitely standing, so why is the ground so close?

With an ominous premonition, I hurriedly rolled up my sleeve.

But no matter what, the end of the sleeve would not come out, so I simply tore off my outerwear.

Then I tugged on the thin combat shirt and barely excavated my hand.

What the hell is this…….

My hand had become absurdly small.

Thinking, surely not, I looked up at Cha Si-eon again.

Cha Si-eon was looking down at me with a grimace, as if he had seen something awful.

……I had clearly tried to think positively.

But for that, the Special Zone bastards’ bullshit was just too much.