Geocaching (15)

It was an improvised performance, but it worked.

I thought about saying I knew him, but that would probably seem strange if they investigated later, so I decided to go with this approach.

Anyway, this meant I wouldn't have to kill Jinseop.

The biggest problem was that I had to persuade him, but I knew the guy well. I had even talked him around smoothly in the previous loop, so I should be able to do it again.

"Grong. I'll try for now, but I don't think it'll go well, so don't get your hopes up."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"As you know, our Administration Bureau has also been investigating those fake bastards to uncover their identities. But they reflexively blow themselves up, and even if we managed to capture one, there were many cases where normal communication just wasn't possible."

"..."

Indeed.

This had been a question of mine for a while.

Still, I had the impression that our Administration Bureau knew far too little about those fake bastards.

"I heard it was the same even after professional interrogations. The Administration Bureau classified the fake Administration Bureau as an anomaly and ruled that communication was impossible."

So that was the conclusion the Administration Bureau had reached.

"I see. Honestly, I also suspected the Administration Bureau's intelligence might be lacking, since it seemed to know too little about the enemy."

"A reasonable suspicion. But in this case, they were unidentified beings, so it was simply unavoidable."

"But this time, haven't we learned a bit about them? In that case, interrogating that agent might let us uncover something."

"That would be a major breakthrough."

"Please look forward to it."

If nothing else, reporting this incident should be a huge step forward.

"Hah, huff...! Huff! Shit!"

I watched Jinseop, who was half-panicking, and waited for an opening to strike.

Even if he was a brainwashed agent, it seemed he wasn't someone who knew no fear. So brainwashing didn't completely overwrite one's personality after all. No, maybe they left fear in on purpose, since you need fear to survive when dealing with anomalies?

At any rate, we couldn't learn everything about the fake Administration Bureau from a low-ranking agent's testimony alone. We'd at least need to recruit a Section Chief, but how could I get in contact with one?

Ah!

There's Section Chief Jo Seongchun underground!

Should I try meeting him?

As information about the fake Administration Bureau began to come loose, all sorts of ideas started popping into my head. While I was thinking that and watching Jinseop, he removed the magazine to reload.

"Now!"

I sprang out together with Jaaldi.

"H-hey, wha?!"

It's too late, kid.

I immediately shoved Jinseop to the ground.

"Ghk!"

In the meantime, Jaaldi snatched his gun and helped subdue him.

"The Administration Bureau, n-no, don't! My vest!"

I, too, deftly disabled his suicide vest.

Now harmless in an instant, Jinseop shouted. But the deadliest man here was Grong. If you get caught by a man like me, everyone except Department Head Lee Dohyeong is done for.

"What?! Jaaldi and Grong?! What the hell is this?!"

"You recognized us right away."

Jaaldi said expressionlessly.

Come to think of it... just before I died earlier, I was talking about Mr. Curas.

I never heard the conclusion.

Jinseop was currently seeing me as a human.

Then how was he seeing Jaaldi?

"Jaaldi and Grong? What are you talking about? We're not such beings."

I said, pretending not to know.

"What did you say?! These are obvious lies!"

"What lies? Do you have proof?"

"In the Administration Bureau database...!"

"Why? Do we look like monsters to you?"

"You're going to transform into monst—ngh!"

Apparently Jaaldi was also being recognized as human. From Jinseop's perspective, all of our Administration Bureau agents seemed to be shapeshifting monsters.

"Haa. I wonder if we'll be able to conduct a proper interrogation."

"Leave it to me."

"More importantly, are you sure it's someone you know?"

"Well... I'm a little unsure. Let me check."

I removed my hand from Jinseop's mouth.

"You. What's your name?"

"As if I'd tell you!"

"No, that's not it. You just look like someone I know. I feel like I almost remember... You're human, right? Not an anomaly?"

"You crazy monster bastard, isn't that obvious?! If I'm not human, then what am I!"

"Calm down. I'm not a monster."

"Yeah, right!"

I grabbed Jinseop's shoulders and started persuading him right away. The gist was similar to last time. I kept pressing him on whether I looked like a monster, and since we were clearly able to talk to each other and I suggested the Administration Bureau might have done something to him, he gradually started to doubt things.

"Think back. Everything that happened before you became an agent. Didn't anything strange happen to you?"

"Uh...?"

The same reactions Jinseop had shown in the previous loop. As I analyzed and calculated them while continuing the questioning, his aggression gradually subsided.

"Feel like talking now?"

"Wait, just a second... wait..."

"Catch your breath."

I gave him some water and stood up.

"Grong?"

"Yes?"

"Did you major in psychology somewhere?"

Jaaldi said with a surprised expression.

"You have a talent for interrogation?"

"Did you see that? I also have the ability to mercilessly cut through and analyze people's psychology. You could say I'm naturally pretty smart. I'm just exceptional by nature."

"You did well enough, so stop saying ridiculous things. Still, you're sharp. You really shook that fake agent's psyche."

"It's because I approached him a little differently."

"A different way?"

"Team Leader... doesn't this seem strange? Does that guy really seem like an anomaly to you?"

"..."

"Not in my eyes. He's human. A civilian who got taken by those fake Administration Bureau bastards and brainwashed. Doesn't that seem more like it?"

"Grong. We need to approach this carefully."

At this point, Jaaldi grew wary.

She had come here with me and learned a bit about those fake bastards, but at her core, she was still an Administration Bureau department head. The Administration Bureau maintained the directive that the fake Administration Bureau was an anomaly, and Jaaldi had lived by accepting that.

"We can deal with that later. There's nothing wrong with checking on the spot, right? For now, let's see how it goes. It's a chance to learn even more about them."

"Understood."

And so I continued talking with Jinseop.

* * *

With the perception-manipulation pen turned off.

The interrogation of Jinseop was over.

Looking down at the dazed Jinseop, Jaaldi showed signs of agitation.

"Really... were these people just ordinary civilians who got caught up in an anomaly and brainwashed?"

"That was the conclusion we reached."

"I need to... rest for a moment."

Looking shocked, Jaaldi slowly walked away.

She leaned her back against the wall and sat down, letting out a breath.

It was the first time I'd ever seen her this shaken.

Despite her cold-looking impression, Jaaldi was deeply responsible and kind-hearted. For someone like her to learn that the anomalies she'd been killing all this time were actually civilian victims... of course she'd be hugely shocked.

"This is truly... strange. Grong. I can't easily believe this interrogation. There's no way the Administration Bureau wouldn't know information of this level in the first place."

"Huh?"

What was that supposed to mean?

"Your interrogation itself was excellent. But the Administration Bureau would naturally have conducted this kind of interrogation countless times as well. We've been at war with them for a long time."

"That's... true. But you said that was the conclusion reached from above."

"Yes. At some point, the order came down to kill them instead of capturing them. Since they blew themselves up anyway, capture was difficult to begin with, so it was like the final nail in the coffin."

By then, I had a hunch about something.

"No way... did the upper ranks of the Administration Bureau deliberately suppress this information?"

Jaaldi closed her mouth.

I could guess why they hid it. There wasn't a proper way to free the brainwashed fake agents. And if you worried about something so humanitarian in the middle of a war, the chances of losing would only go up.

No matter how much our Administration Bureau focuses on rescuing civilians, it doesn't try to save those who are beyond hope.

But even so... isn't this incredibly suspicious?

They even withheld information from Department Head Jaaldi?

"Whatever the case."

Jaaldi stood up.

Then she straightened her suit and looked at me as she spoke.

"I suppose we'll have to look into it. Grong. I'd like to dig into this matter, so will you lend me a hand?"

"Of course. Things like this are best when they're uncovered, aren't they?"

"You're a good one."

Perfect.

This way, I could be on the same side as Jaaldi.

"Hey. You were Song Jinseop, right?"

"Y-yes...?"

"Once we get out of here, give us more information. We'll protect you."

"Ah, understood... I'll do that."

"Good."

We would need to talk in more detail once we got out. Things like the fake Administration Bureau's work and missions. Those were the kind of details you could only learn by hearing them directly from an agent.

"Grong. I'd like to leave right away, but I need to explore this place a little more."

"I think so too."

It seemed Jaaldi had become quite interested as well.

"The Administration Bureau."

"Yes?"

"If this world, derived from the hospital, is imitating reality, then there should be an Administration Bureau building too."

"Huh?"

Wait.

Come to think of it?

There'd be an Administration Bureau building too, wouldn't there?

"I'll go take a look there."

"Oh...! I've got a feeling about this!"

If we explore around here, we might find something.

"Looks like there are even perfectly good cars around here, you know? I think it'd be fine to take one."

"Good idea. Then let's set off."

"All right, Song Jinseop. Follow me for now. Let's do what we need to and then get out."

"Yes..."

Jaaldi went off to look for a car, and I followed her while keeping an eye on Jinseop.

Jaaldi, Grong, Song Jinseop.

An odd trio.

Truly a bizarre combination.

No, maybe it's actually a pretty decent team?

Compared to the combination of Jaaldi, the nun, and Salhyeong, this side almost seems more normal. No, on second thought, it's not that different.

Jinseop is basically a bomber like Salhyeong, and I, like the nun, am obsessed with hunting vampires. If you think about it, we're actually a pretty similar combination. We may not seem like it, but we're really alike. If I force it a little, Department Head Lee Dohyeong could even take the giant position.

In any case, I was very curious what this team would be able to accomplish.

* * *

We traveled by car.

The first place we were going was not the Administration Bureau.

Geocaching.

That mountain was basically the starting point of everything we'd gotten caught up in. We were planning to go there first.

Nothing special happened the whole way there. Buildings in this area hadn't collapsed either. I couldn't see any of the stitched ones either.

I was curious why, but it wasn't something I could figure out right now.

While riding in the car, we continued the story from the previous loop.

"So how did Curas look?"

"He looked like... some kind of fiend engulfed in flames."

"Hmm."

Jaaldi said while driving.

"So our Administration Bureau agents had their perception altered to look like monsters."

"It's possible. They were even brainwashed, after all."

"Then what about that? The Administration Bureau database."

I was curious about that too.

"The Administration Bureau database... I don't really know much about it either. It contains information on anomalies and fake Administration Bureau bastards."

"How do you check it?"

"Well... I guess you just know when you look at it. Honestly, I can't explain it in detail either. It's not like I use it by understanding the principle; it just feels like the information pops up in my head..."

That's suspicious as hell too.

How in the world do these fake Administration Bureau bastards even operate?

Well, we'll know once we go back and listen more closely.

"We've arrived."

We arrived at the mountain.

"We'll talk later. Get out. It's time to start climbing."

"Song Jinseop. Are you confident about climbing?"

"I'm confident in my basic fitness."

"Good. Then, Team Leader, let's head up."

"Right."

The three of us climbed the mountain.

I definitely had this thought last time.

That it would be fun to go treasure hunting with guys like Kim Seongjin and Song Jinseop.

And now I was actually doing it.