"Jisan Village."
Having confirmed the location of the Happy Ending Cult's air-raid shelter, the three of us returned to Ho Yuwon's zone.
My head is buzzing from the unexpected situation.
Coincidentally, all three of us present had attended Jisan Village's festival during the holiday.
Although one experienced it by parasitizing another's body and was ultimately defeated by Beom Janggun.
"Was that cult village an offshoot of this Nameless Brilliant Cult or Happy Ending, or something?"
The Assistant Manager's mumbling was half correct.
"It seems they were indirectly connected to other cults of the Nameless Brilliant Cult."
"Was it the Imitator? I think so."
"Ah, Mr. Deer pulled out the golden rod and got captured, didn't he? Did you hear that then? Good job."
"Thank you."
"For now, let's leave it at that."
"But why did they come here? They're from different sects, aren't they?"
"That's what I'm saying."
'Even the Jinejiseung was sealed and taken by the Disaster Management Bureau.'
What's left that they'd do this for?
"Hmm. Is there another reason?"
And so, naturally, I began to recall the reason Assistant Manager Eun Haje had appeared in Jisan Village in the first place.
"Perhaps it's because of that well?"
"I remember Director Ho was looking for it, so I thought it must have been a special place."
"Ah. Right. That well."
And if Ho Yuwon found it…
'Is it related to Segwang Metropolitan City.'
Ho Yuwon, receiving our gazes, readily admitted it.
"That's right. I heard that well was connected to Segwang Metropolitan City…"
So that's how it was.
Question: Source
"As I said, it's my turn to ask questions, so Mr. Deer, you're not up to ask. It's truly unfortunate."
Wow, really.
But there are ways to guess even if you don't say anything.
'It must be someone from the Disaster Management Bureau.'
How else would Ho Yuwon know that information about the Extinction-class Disaster, Segwang Metropolitan City, is in the Disaster Management Bureau's secret archives?
'Do they have separate connections over there?'
Regardless of Ho Yuwon's feelings towards the Disaster Management Bureau.
And Ho Yuwon's interest remains solely on that.
The Extinction-class Disaster.
"If the Happy Ending Cult is interested in Segwang Metropolitan City, it's natural that they would soon find information through that well. Right?"
But Assistant Manager Eun Haje is frowning.
"...Hmph."
Something seems to be bothering her.
"I'm sure the Disaster Management Bureau was dispatched then and smashed the Jinejiseung's head in…"
Director Ho's smile deepened as soon as the Disaster Management Bureau was mentioned, but neither of us paid it any mind.
"Don't those public officials handle follow-up measures too?"
"Of course, they do."
-This Jisan Village… still has many suspicious corners. They'll likely start a thorough search now. Looking for people, too. And the well.
"But why didn't they know this basement was a cult hideout?"
"That's…"
"Perhaps this underground bunker was moved after the follow-up measures were completed."
Let's recall.
The Disaster Management Bureau's site cleanup team, the Jujak Team, would have come and finished the cleanup before leaving.
'They must have handled the villagers too.'
There's proof of that.
The ground I saw through the glass earlier.
There was no one in the village.
Not a single person.
However, what's strange is…
'They said they were going to conduct a thorough search.'
For that to be the case, the village looks exactly the same as before.
A situation that seems frozen since the festival day.
It's strange that it doesn't seem like agents are dispatched regularly for maintenance, when it should be.
"Yeah. It's unsettling…"
"Perhaps they thought it wasn't worth searching?"
Ho Yuwon's gentle voice poured out without pause.
"Government agencies always prioritize. Instead of a concluded case, they're likely deploying personnel to rescue people they deem more valuable."
Hmm.
'That sounds like a malicious interpretation.'
"Well… yes. The workload for local public officials isn't a new problem."
Assistant Manager Eun Haje casually dismissed her superior's words with a watchful eye.
And the main point.
"In any case, it would be good if we could investigate the village above a bit more. There are limits to what we can do from inside here…"
Ah.
"Director, are there any other guys you can mobilize from outside? Someone to look into this place."
"…Um."
"That's the thing."
'There is….'
I thought of the Paper Boat, sleeping quietly beneath the tattoo.
The guy, a native of Jisan Village, who had left it behind.
Baek Saheon had just endured a thoroughly shitty day.
'What kind of Darkness is this.'
It was a crazy boarding school ghost story, and one of his team members had their face skin ripped off and died, forcing him to go through hell.
'I almost died running away after leaving them behind.'
Of course, he didn't care that his teammate died. He was just pissed off that it was only a D-rank after all that trouble.
'...Well, it doesn't matter now.'
His wish to completely escape the village seemed to have come true.
Yet, he was still working at this company… he didn't know why.
Or why he hadn't placed or burned his Noona's skull.
'Fuck.'
He was just happy that he could finally go home and lie on his apartment sofa.
But at that very moment, he realized new text had appeared on the Paper Boat.
Hello, Citizen.
Have you been well?
"...!!"
Baek Saheon almost fell off the sofa.
'What the.'
The last thing he'd written was a curse, telling them not to just take it and run after they'd hastily disappeared, leaving only a thank you note. And now, suddenly, they were contacting him.
Moreover…
The item is not yet available,
but I have found information
on the current state of Jisan Village.
"...!!"
Baek Saheon gripped the paper in both hands.
The letters were updating…
Currently, there are cult
facilities underground in Jisan Village.
What?
How did you know that?
I am currently infiltrating
that cult.
"Are you insane?"
Could it be that this agent had been in the Darkness all along, and it was that cult?
'Then of course they wouldn't be able to get the item!'
It's difficult to secretly possess one's own items in a cult. At least, based on Baek Saheon's experience.
'...Are they really an idiot?'
Why would they walk into such a place of their own free will?
Baek Saheon wrote that directly onto the Paper Boat.
And the reply he received was this:
The person who requested help is here.
"…What a sucker."
But somehow, he couldn't bring himself to laugh.
It was probably because he had directly experienced and remembered that this agent was someone who truly delivered on their promises, right there in Jisan Village.
"...."
Baek Saheon looked at the paper.
The agent requests.
I have found a place
from this facility that can see outside.
Could you please look at my drawing
and explain where in Jisan Village this view is located?
The moment he was about to write 'With what face'.
If there is any information you discover about Jisan Village through this task, I will share it.
As you are the person concerned.
One more sentence was added at the end of the writing.
I am sorry I could not provide it as an item.
....
Ha… Fuck, really!!
Baek Saheon ran his hands through his hair and finally scribbled a reply.
"Just show me the drawing first."
'Oh.'
Baek Saheon cooperated with sharing the Jisan Village information.
Just like last time, it was surprisingly smooth. It seemed the setting of an agent infiltrating a cult worked better than I expected…
'Was it the fact that I told them about Jisan Village that was the key?'
Or, well, judging by how they nitpicked about everything, it seemed like they were just using me as an emotional dumping ground.
In any case, I was able to memorize the simple village map Baek Saheon had sketched with a pencil.
[Hoho, Mr. Deer's unusual former roommate does have some drawing skills.]
Indeed.
The map, which clearly marked the well, the pine trees, the Hanok where we were held, and the site of the Seonangdang, was easy to read.
And the current location of this Power Zone, from where we saw the outside…
'…Beneath the well.'
-If there's an entrance, it's likely around here.
In other words, the Jisan Village well is near the entrance to this underground bunker.
It feels strange.
[Yes, it is quite an interesting situation. I wonder if the twins who disappear during lunch break are checking the well through the entrance? Or are they heading to another facility hidden within the underground bunker!]
[This fact… Oh, according to Mr. Deer's plan, it will be revealed soon!]
That's right.
When I indicated my intention to communicate with someone via an item to obtain information, Ho Yuwon and Assistant Manager Eun Haje were assigned other tasks.
-It's tailing.
To carefully track the whereabouts of the twins who disappear during lunch break.
This is to understand what exactly is being prepared in this underground bunker.
-As I keep saying, we fundamentally need to grasp what's happening here to deal with unexpected incidents or extract specific information.
If I stick with Grandmother, even if I attract attention, I won't be as suspicious even if I'm somewhere strange.
Especially after the performance I showed last night.
'Even if I get caught, I don't think Ho Yuwon will be easily defeated.'
Besides, what can I say, the executives of this Happy Ending Cult… Hmm. I saw that they were theoretically powerful, but I don't feel any psychological tension.
'It's a shallow, fragmented image, so to speak….'
In any case, the situational mystery and the questions about the location certainly gave off a bizarre feeling.
Thus, I calmly waited for the two, calculating the angles of the map and the underground bunker to match the locations of the facilities and village structures.
And as lunchtime was almost over.
"I found it."
Ho Yuwon and Assistant Manager Eun Haje also returned with something they had discovered.
Assistant Manager Eun Haje, disguised as Grandmother, caught her breath and urgently began drawing a map on the floor with her finger.
Including the interior of the underground bunker.
"Looking at it like this, this is north. The connected east is the dining hall, and the east and west are the living quarters for the initiates."
And… right in the center.
"There's a large hemispherical space where they've gathered the coffins. It's where they process bodies under the guise of a ritual."
Symbolic.
And…
"Behind the coffins in this space, there was a passage."
Assistant Manager Eun Haje's finger moved downwards.
South.
"The twins are heading there."
....
"So. Is there anything to compare with the information your 'informant' gave you?"
"There is."
In my mind, I superimposed Baek Saheon's map onto the drawing Assistant Manager Eun Haje had made…
And I realized.
The location the twins went to.
It was directly below Jisan Village's Seonangdang.
And what was beneath the Seonangdang?
'Jinejiseung.'
Of course, that Jinejiseung was dead, and all its liquor had been sealed by Agent Bronze's bullets, so nothing remained.
Only the empty space where the Seonangdang had been. But…
What on earth are they trying to do there?
"Hmm. It is unusual."
Assistant Manager Eun Haje frowned at my explanation.
"Then shall we check one more time?"
Hmm?
"Just a quick peek inside. After the twins come out, we'll take a look."
Ho Yuwon smiled faintly and turned to Assistant Manager Eun Haje.
"Agent Falcon. If you refuse, I'll be sad thinking you don't trust me…"
"Well… yes. Just don't abandon me and run if things go south."
Assistant Manager Eun Haje, who answered reluctantly, turned to me.
"Then, I'll go check, and then I'll see how the initiates are doing, so wait here."
Hmm.
"Don't worry. If things look strange, we'll pull out quickly."
"In that case, should I go this time?"
Wouldn't it be too dangerous for the same people to go twice? Perhaps I should…
"Um, Mr. Deer…"
Assistant Manager Eun Haje patted my shoulder.
"You know that you're currently… carrying Black Smoke with you…"
Ah.
"I'm sorry, but combined with those yellow flashing lights, it's like a real entrance effect. You're a walking billboard."
....
Yes…
"Just stay here. And… instead, if possible, could you try to pinpoint the location of this bunker's entrance? What do you say?"
I nodded obediently.
"Okay, then I'll see you at dinner."
And so we set out on our search once more…
"Let us all gather and wish for happiness."
Eventually, time passed, and the promised dinner time arrived.
However.
"...."
"Grandmother Kim Bokja… didn't come?"
Assistant Manager Eun Haje and Ho Yuwon did not appear at the dinner table.