Chapter 43

-Entered 「National Theater That Roots Out the Fake」.

-Discard all items except clothing, shoes, smartwatch, and earpiece.

-Thoroughly conceal Bureau affiliation.

-This Special Zone has been seized by contaminated people.

The stage curtain rose.

Before I could even grasp the situation, I heard the voice of a flustered person from a seat some distance away.

“Wh-what is this! Where am I?”

No, if you make noise here……!

Sure enough.

Flash— flash— flash—!

Intense pin spotlights focused on the person who had shouted.

“Agh! Turn off the light!”

The person caught in the light like an exposed escaped prisoner screamed.

However.

THWIP—!

That confusion stopped abruptly with an arrow that flew in from somewhere.

THUD—

I covered my mouth as I watched the person collapse helplessly.

The seats blocked him from view, so I could not see his final moment.

But the person who had been sitting closer than me could.

“Uh……? A-aaargh!”

The spotlight focused again, and the same thing repeated.

THWIP—!

Another arrow, more precisely a crossbow bolt, pierced a person.

With that, 2 people died in an instant.

Afterward, the inside of the theater grew silent as a grave.

In that suffocating silence, I found it.

The brochure wedged beside the seat.

It looked like an ordinary performance promotional leaflet, but between its pages was a significant warning notice.

---

※ Warning! Do not make sound or stand up!

You are currently in the unidentified Special Management Zone 「National Theater That Roots Out the Fake」.

This is a dangerous situation in which you may lose your life, so please be sure to follow the precautions below.

■ Precautions within 「National Theater That Roots Out the Fake」

[Before Viewing the Performance]

1. Strictly observe audience etiquette in the performance hall.

This performance hall never tolerates acts that interfere with the performance.

All actions that common sense says should not be done during a performance, including making noise, leaving your seat, and eating food, are prohibited.

If you interfere with the performance or act contrary to audience etiquette, you will be attacked by the special dangerous entities 「Alpha」 or 「Delta」.

2. The duration of this performance is at minimum 7 minutes and at maximum 777 minutes.

This performance continues without intermission.

The performance is over only once the curtain falls, and you cannot leave during the performance.

If the performance becomes too long, dozing secretly is permitted.

However, please note that if you fall too deeply asleep and snore or leave your seat, it will be considered contrary to audience etiquette.

3. Your inner self may be reflected in the performance.

Though rare, the content of the performance may depict your past or trauma.

If the actions on stage feel like your own story, close your eyes and endure.

If you are swept up emotionally at this time, you will be drawn onto the stage.

If you go up onto the stage due to some pull, this performance hall will recognize you not as an audience member, but as an actor.

「Alpha」 and 「Delta」 will also not attack you once you have become an actor.

However, the moment you stand on the stage, you will no longer be able to maintain human form.

---

This brochure was a Survival Rules booklet placed here by the Bureau.

In an urgent situation, it would be far too easy to pass by without seeing it.

If I had not known about Special Zones, I would probably have jumped to my feet and panicked too.

No, even though I knew and had been dropped in here, my mind was still in chaos.

On top of that, what did it mean that this place had been seized by contaminated people?

There was far too little explanation. What should I do?

I briefly touched the earpiece in my pocket.

Was talking through an earphone during a performance an act contrary to audience etiquette?

Of course it was.

It might be fine if the noise did not leak outside, but that was only my hope.

Damn it. Let’s stop.

If communication had been possible, Cha Si-eon would have told me to put in the earpiece first.

I gave up on a pointless gamble and examined the audience seats.

2 people had already died, but there were still several more people in the seats.

Including me, 5 in total.

They did not move a muscle.

I did not know whether it was because they were frightened, or because they had found and read the Survival Rules.

Perhaps one of them was the contaminated person.

Just as my mouth was growing dry in many ways.

Boom— boom— boom—!

With a drumbeat like thunder, the performance began.

A large wagon wheel descended from above the stage.

Strange creatures were hanging around the wagon wheel.

A white man, a red lion, a black bull, and a bluish bird.

For some reason, all of them had wings.

When the four creatures placed the wagon wheel in the center of the stage, a solemn orchestral performance began.

Then something with a sticky viscosity surged up from the floor.

It became the sun, became mountains, became trees, and filled the stage.

Then it even formed human shapes and began walking on its own.

It was like the creation of heaven and earth performed through clay animation.

The human figures on the stage gradually increased.

Then, among the four creatures of the wagon wheel watching from behind, the white man waved his arms.

Following that gesture, the humans, who had been dancing in their own ways, split left and right.

Next, the red lion roared.

The humans divided to the left and right rushed at each other, and a rain of fire fell from the sky.

What is this? Are they fighting?

As if it truly was depicting war, the orchestral music grew even more tragic.

For me, it was an opportunity.

Forcing myself to watch the chaotic sight, I lowered the zipper of my vest.

Then, matching the gradually rising orchestral performance, I placed the vest on the floor.

Clink—

It made some noise, but the music was so loud that it was buried.

I timed it again.

Then, matching the drumbeats that grew louder and louder, I pushed the vest hard with my foot.

Slide— thud—!

The Bureau vest slid about 3m sideways and dropped under the seat in front.

Would this be enough?

Whether it was or not, this was the best I could do for now.

Leaving the result to luck, I looked back toward the stage.

The stage that had been green with mountains and fields was now burning crimson.

At that moment, the black bull swung its horned head.

The humans who had been fighting each other in the fiery hell stopped abruptly.

Then they began drying out just like that.

Like gaunt tree branches.

As if their strength had been exhausted, the humans could no longer fight.

The pale blue-white bird flew up over them.

At that pale flap of wings, all the humans crumbled apart.

This performance unexpectedly has a structure.

There had been nothing like this in the Survival Rules I read at the Bureau.

I did not know why, but there were no particularly horrific scenes, so it was fine.

If it only showed scenes like that, I felt I could endure it enough.

The problem was how many hours long this performance would be…….

The maximum time of this performance was 777 minutes.

In other words, I had to endure sitting here for up to 13 hours and 57 minutes.

The thought alone was dizzying, but if I thought of it as something my life depended on, it was not impossible.

Thinking this, I continued watching the performance.

When the humans collapsed completely, white flowers bloomed over them.

They were white roses.

The roses in full bloom filled the stage, and their petals fell off one by one and floated up.

The white petals that gathered at the center of the stage formed the shape of a person once again.

This time, it was a single person, and the figure floating in midair looked reverent and holy.

By this point, I felt I roughly understood the theme of this play.

Creation of heaven and earth, the destruction of humanity, and the descent of the Messiah.

It was a very classic subject.

Then was that white human Jesus hanging on the cross?

Without realizing it, I watched the performance while analyzing it.

But was it just my imagination?

The face of the figure I assumed to be Jesus felt strangely familiar.

Why? Where have I seen that face…….

“……!”

The moment I recognized that face, my heart dropped.

Then I realized.

That was not some savior hanging on a cross.

What hung that thing in the air had not been a cross to begin with.

It was a rope around the neck.

At that familiar sight, the world seemed to stop.

No way.

No way.

No way, no way, no way.

My vision blurred, and my breath caught.

Without even knowing what I was doing, I stared endlessly at that hanged human.

It was then.

A trivial blink was caught in my sight.

I turned my head without thinking and found a message that had arrived on my smartwatch.

-Sit down!!

Sit down?

As I read that message, I startled.

At some point, I had half-risen from my seat.

When did I move?

A chill ran through me, and I hurriedly sat back down.

Then, while dry-washing my face without thinking, I realized my face was slick with cold sweat.

Damn it, what on earth is this?

“Though rare, the content of the performance may depict your past or trauma.”

“If you are swept up emotionally at this time, you will be drawn onto the stage.”

The contents of the brochure I had seen earlier came to mind.

Don’t tell me this is it?

Then the figure on stage right now is…….

-Do not look at the stage. Close your eyes.

Perhaps noticing my confusion, a new message arrived.

I tightly closed my eyes as instructed.

Once I closed my eyes, the music became clearer.

Absurdly sacred music seemed to be calling me.

To avoid being dragged into it, I gripped the armrests of the seat tightly.

How long did I endure like that?

30 minutes? 1 hour?

In the terrible pitch-black, I felt the music fade.

Is it over now?

When the music stopped completely, I slowly opened my eyes.

And my eyes met another’s.

With the familiar face that had approached right in front of my nose.

“Hrk……!”

That figure had stretched its neck long from the stage and was face-to-face with me.

At a distance so close that it was not even a handspan away.

Horrified, I pulled my body back.

Clatter—!

But the backrest blocked me, and there was nowhere to retreat.

The moment the scream trapped in my mouth was about to pour outside.

CRUMBLE—

That shape scattered like ash, and darkness fell.

……It really is over now, right?

Just as I was panting in the blackout.

BANG—!

The side door of the performance hall suddenly opened.

What came in next was…… a teddy bear?

I doubted my eyes.

It was a very cute light-brown bear mascot head, the kind one might see at an amusement park.

But only the head was a bear costume, while the body was simply human.

What is this lack of sincerity?

It was even dressed in a delinquent outfit: jeans and a black jumper.

What is that now? A person? A monster?

At least as far as I knew, there was no such entity in this 「National Theater」.

Then was that a person wearing a costume head?

There were too many abnormal things, so I could not be certain.

The teddy bear that had suddenly appeared asked the audience seats,

“Anyone alive?”

No one answered the teddy bear’s question.

Then the teddy bear spoke again, energetically.

“I’m going to count to 10 from now on! During that time, all of you come out!”

Even if he said that…….

The people sitting in the audience only watched one another’s reactions and did not budge.

I also remained seated for now while observing the majority’s response.

“One, two……. Ah, why aren’t you coming out?”

The teddy bear, who had been counting as he pleased, placed his hands on his hips.

Then he let out a deep sigh and gestured outside the door.

At that, 5 or 6 more men entered.

They also had their faces covered like the teddy bear.

However, their masks were vicious enough that they could not get anywhere near an amusement park.

Skull-shaped half-face masks that looked almost like gas masks.

Their clothes were just as delinquent as the teddy bear’s, and in their hands, they held sleek collapsible batons.

At that appearance, truly like rioters, I sensed anew.

This damned nightmare was starting now.