Our plan was simple.
"Recruit the Security Team, infiltrate the Annex, and…."
Deputy Manager Eun Haje gave a thumbs-up.
"Craft the equipment!"
For reference, this was the reaction from the agents.
"…Couldn't you explain how to put an elephant in a refrigerator in a similar way?"
"Cheongdong, shush. This is fun."
"Haa…."
Seeing this, Deputy Manager Eun Haje grinned and said,
"For now, the Disaster Management Bureau agents should stay out of this. We, the people who work for this vile capitalist company, will handle it amongst ourselves."
"Oh dear, what a shame."
And so, we began designing the detailed plan.
The most important thing here was this.
Deputy Manager Lee Seong-hae's entry.
"Hmm, is the problem how I'm gonna get in?"
"Well, it seems like there'd be some trial and error for someone in a wheelchair for the first time."
But to our surprise, everyone nodded after seeing Deputy Manager Lee Seong-hae maneuvering the wheelchair with considerable flair.
"At this rate, there shouldn't be a problem with her escape speed on flat ground. If worst comes to worst, our Manager will just pick her up, wheelchair and all, and run. Right?"
"Yes."
"Alright. Then let's think based on this…."
Baek Saheon saw his golden opportunity.
"I think I can help, too…."
"I know you're just trying to get a piece of the pie. What, are you going to cut off your perfectly good arm and get it replaced?"
And he was shot down.
As expected, the instincts of Deputy Manager Eun Haje, a former reporter who had casually entered the second floor of the company housing, were astounding….
However.
Suggestion to Accompany: Goat
"…!"
"Oh."
'I have to give him a piece of the pie to keep using him.'
Baek Saheon's eyes were certainly useful in Segwang Metropolitan City, so it was best to manage him and keep him cooperative.
'Since he values his own life, it's unlikely he'll troll us during the infiltration.'
As long as Ho Yuwon's project was intact, I didn't have to worry too much about him acting out.
Of course, if I just sided with him unconditionally, he'd get cocky, so….
Reason: Surveillance
"Okay."
"…?"
Baek Saheon looked at me with a somehow deeply wronged expression, but I ignored him.
Thankfully, a cool-headed approval was given.
"And…."
Deputy Manager Eun Haje grinned at me.
"Since Roe Deer is currently part of the Security Team's special department, there'll be an infinite number of roles he can play."
Positive
"Then is the personnel all confirmed?"
"Yep."
The Equipment Phantom Thieves, composed of Daydream Inc. personnel, had finished all their mental preparations.
And so….
"…N-Noruya. What is this all about?"
We ended up meeting a very flustered Supervisor Park Minseong....
'Supervisor….'
Just how flustered must you be to ask a non-human employee (130666) with horns who communicates with smoke for an explanation, leaving the perfectly fine Manager Lee Jaheon aside….
Well, in this case, the Manager is also a Reptilian Alien, but still.
I tried to handle the smoke as delicately as possible and conveyed:
Purpose: To craft exclusive equipment to replace a Body
"Replace a body?"
Just then.
"Hm."
The door to the Security Team break room opened, and a familiar figure entered.
A security employee with a thin frame and slumped shoulders, as if everything in the world was a bother.
J3.
It seemed he had already noticed from outside the door that others had secretly entered the break room, as he showed no reaction to the presence of people.
He simply lifted his head upon seeing me.
"…Ah."
It's been a while, Security Chief….
"Hey, are you… back for good…?"
Negative
"I see…."
Question: How have you been
"Me… I'm the same...."
But his faded-looking pupils sharply glanced at my leg.
"Your leg… what happened?"
Injured during a mission
"..."
It's alright. That's why I'm here.
I explained the situation to the Security Chief once with smoke, and Deputy Manager Eun Haje explained it again with words.
We were going to steal some equipment from the Annex and were asking for his cooperation.
And of course, this man did not disappoint.
"Sure, why not..."
"…That's it?"
"Yes..."
"Ah, this isn't illegal. It's something Director Ho is proceeding with in secret."
"Doesn't matter… hm."
"..."
Deputy Manager Eun Haje looked at me with an expression that said, 'Is he always like this?'
Even if you look at me like that, I'm wearing a gas mask, so I can't answer with my expression….
In any case, the foundation was laid thanks to the Security Chief's enthusiastic cooperation.
'Good.'
However. The Security Chief quietly approached me and said this.
"You know…. That thing you asked for, I did it… is it okay if I tell you a bit later…."
Ah.
Positive
That's right!
"Yes…."
Thank you, Security Chief….
And so, we each found a spot on the sofas and the floor and finally began to delve into the details about the Annex.
"Please state the current situation in the Annex. If it is a personal judgment, you must specify that it is an opinion."
"Y-Yes, so…."
A rather chilling explanation followed.
"Containment has failed."
"…!"
A Darkness had escaped from the Annex.
Of course, it wasn't a surprisingly rare occurrence.
"Naturally, the Security Team exists to suppress them, so it's an annual event. But the problem is…."
I could hear Supervisor Park Minseong's faint sigh.
"That Darkness is tricky to fully contain again, so we're controlling the entire second-basement storage area by isolating it completely."
And.
"The Twilight Grade Darkness we need to craft the equipment is concentrated on that second basement floor."
"Yes…."
Supervisor Park Minseong seemed to hold back a sigh, then gave us a bitter smile.
"I don't know when it will end. Rather than me, it's better to ask… uh, the Chief?"
The Security Chief blinked his eyes slowly and spoke.
"We'll have to see… for at least two months. Is that okay…?"
"It'll take two months?"
"Yeah…. On that floor... there are probably missing employees, too…."
Groans erupted from here and there.
It was said to be a considerably tricky situation, enough to deploy Security Team personnel in shifts every night.
"Phew. Still, with this many people… I think we can definitely hold out long enough to go in and grab the equipment."
The Security Chief did not deny Deputy Manager Eun Haje's words.
However.
"But… rather than moving around… on that floor... have you decided… how you're going to get into the Annex itself?"
That's right.
The problem was getting into the Annex in the first place.
It wouldn't be good for a record of our entry to be left, and Deputy Manager Eun Haje was even in a state of having been processed as resigned.
In the end….
"We will enter under different identities."
"Different identities?"
"Yes."
Identities that wouldn't be awkward asking for access to either the first or third floor of the Annex.
And….
A combination that would naturally pass through anywhere without getting into trouble, if only out of fear.
"Minseong."
"Yes."
"We're going to pretend to be Elite Team A."
"…!!"
Daydream Inc. Annex.
In the dark of night, as it turned to dawn.
"Phew."
The Field Investigation Team's newest employee of the year was just coming out after finally finishing the management of the Darkness he had received today.
A Grade F Essence was in his hand, but he was exhausted and weary….
'Let's hurry up and go to sleep.'
The finally calmed fear and released tension made him even more drowsy.
But just as he was about to step outside from the entrance, he stopped dead in his tracks, as if struck by lightning, upon seeing three figures entering the door.
It was because the impression of the employee in the very front was overly iconic.
A black ponytail, a tall and slender height, sharp and flashy nails, and… two pupils that glinted murderously.
It was none other than Assistant manager Jin Na-sol.
'The Elite Team…!'
The new employee gulped.
The stories of what two of the people who had 'passed supplementarily' like himself had gone through after following Team A's investigation had already spread widely among the supplementary passers….
The fact that one of them was still in a coma in a company-affiliated hospital made it all the more real.
"This way, Team Leader."
And behind her followed the team leader of Team A, known for his Mallard Mask, and a supervisor who looked somewhat stiff but calm.
He'd heard that supervisor had recently been assigned to Team A.
'…I'm jealous.'
Those close to a Wish Token.
The new employee swallowed hard, especially as he looked at the Team A leader who was said to have already received a Wish Token.
He wanted to strike up a conversation, even just once.
'Wouldn't it be helpful to make a connection?'
It was the delusion of someone who had not yet experienced firsthand the brutally meritocratic nature of the Field Investigation Team's elites.
So the new employee cleared his throat and stealthily approached the front of the entrance, but….
He stopped the moment he saw the object the three people were 'transporting' from behind.
A thing shrouded in Black Smoke.
The thing, restrained on a wheelchair, was wearing a gas mask, and its yellow eyes were glinting from all directions….
'That's…!'
It was the monster he had seen during the new employee orientation.
A bizarre and overwhelming being that inhabited the 13th basement floor of the Annex.
Although he now knew it was a special employee of the Security Team, the new employee froze reflexively nonetheless.
Drrrrk….
That special department employee was being dragged along, bound to something like a wheelchair….
"..."
The new employee, who had swallowed his saliva, hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should run away, but in the end, he couldn't overcome his desire and approached to speak to Team A.
'I even have a good topic of conversation!'
To the highest-ranking person, of course!
"Good evening, Manager…!"
"..."
"Uh, I am a new employee of Team Q, Lee Seung-jo."
"..."
"Manager?"
No reply came.
But it wasn't a snub, either.
For some reason, the Team A leader was just staring blankly at him…!
'Uh, uhh??'
"Move."
"…!"
Just then, Assistant manager Jin Na-sol, who had nudged him, strode into the entrance without hesitation.
"Manager, let's go in."
"Yes."
Only then did the Team A Manager, who had been looking at him, avert his gaze and start to move.
And the supervisor passed by in a flash without even looking at him.
'...??'
No….
Before he could feel sad or chilled by being ignored, wasn't their reaction a bit strange…?
"Access pass for the 3rd basement floor, please."
"Yes. Which Darkness are you planning to access?"
"Code 1575, Cuckoo Ghost Story."
"One moment."
Once the brown-haired Security Team member at the counter finished serving them, the new employee mustered up his courage once more and spoke.
"Excuse me, are you perhaps sending it to the 13th floor of the Annex?"
"...What?"
"Actually, I met that employee during my orientation. I almost died, but I survived."
Just as he was about to try and pique their interest with a tale of his exploits, pretending it was nothing, like 'I even rode the elevator with it and showed my resourcefulness'….
"I see."
The Team A leader replied.
"..."
"..."
…??
At that moment.
"So?"
"…Pardon?"
"So what."
A voice, seemingly suppressing irritation, cut in.
"Get out of the way. The more incompetent you are, the more you get in the way… hah."
Assistant manager Jin Na-sol, who had glanced at him irritably, snatched the access card extended by the Security Team counter and strode away, disappearing into the Annex corridor.
The other Team A members did the same.
"..."
The new employee stood frozen, staring blankly at the scene.
Of course, he had no idea that behind him, Park Minseong, who had been sitting at the Security Team counter, was letting out a scream of relief….
'Aaaaaah!'
And after 'Team A' entered the 3rd basement floor corridor of the Annex.
"Phew."
The three people released the illusion.
From within, figures familiar to Kim Soleum were revealed.
The Segwang Metropolitan City Investigation Team.
-If you use this, you'll be recognized as Team A.
Using the disguise Daydream Potion they received from Ho Yuwon, they had safely passed the entrance and entered the Annex.
Deputy Manager Eun Haje, who had been playing the role of Assistant manager Jin Na-sol, rotated her wrist.
"Manager, why did you answer him…! We agreed not to answer if an outsider talks to us! I almost had a heart attack."
"I see. I was following Deputy Falcon's statement from three days ago, which was, 'Right. If it's a conversation worth digging for information, let's listen in and play along.'"
"...That excludes you, Manager."
"? Yes."
Deputy Manager Eun Haje let out a deep sigh.
'I miss you, Minseong….'
It's fun when you have a hubae who plays along perfectly at times like this, but right now, the maknae can only communicate through written conversation, and the guy I bothered to bring along is a rotten-to-the-core Goat Child. Sigh.
Still, the maknae sitting in the wheelchair was meticulously checking the progress of their heist.
CCTV check complete: Operation suspended
The CCTV on the 3rd basement floor was in a state of 'conveniently broken and turned off' due to Director Ho's machinations, and Supervisor Park Minseong at the counter was scheduled to testify that he 'somehow couldn't hear anything.'
And as for Team A, whom they had disguised themselves as….
"They entered a Darkness today, right?"
That's right.
Team A had been 'secretly and covertly' deployed to a project-based ghost story under Ho Yuwon's orders, and this was not announced to the company employees….
In the end, they had successfully prevented the risk of someone asking 'Why are you here?' even if they came to the Annex in the guise of Team A.
"Team A being in Director Ho's line was perfect. Otherwise, there's no way their team leader would ever do anything to help our Manager."
Deputy Manager Eun Haje shrugged, saying she got to imitate the incredible Jin Nasol thanks to this.
Then she looked back at her former team leader, who was about to become extremely reliable from now on.
"We will now check personnel and then proceed to the upper floor."
"Yep. Then… Noruya?"
Just then.
From Kim Soleum, in the form of 130666 sitting in the wheelchair, the smoke wavered unnaturally.
"You okay?"
....
Positive
"…Right."
Deputy Manager Eun Haje couldn't know the exact circumstances of how her hubae had been trapped, stuck on the 13th basement floor of this Annex, wandering the exact same kind of corridor for half a year.
But since trauma was a symptom of almost every Field Investigation Team member, she took note of it before moving on.
"Alright. That fellow named J3 is the manager of the 3rd basement floor today, so we should see him when we go in."
Positive
Then everything to check was done.
All that was left was execution.
Suggestion: Communicate with Assistant manager Dolphin
"Yes. Proceed."
At that.
130666, who seemed to have been bound to the wheelchair, nonchalantly appeared as if melting into the back of the wheelchair.
And.
"One moment, pwease."
Creak.
From the inner space of the heavy wheelchair that 130666 had been pretending to sit in, Deputy Manager Lee Seong-hae peeked her head out.
She had been successfully smuggled in, hidden by 130666's dark uniform and Black Smoke.
"Phew. Thank you."
"Don't mention it."
And.
"Now, let's choose."
Joyful Laboratory's Toy Maker / Qterw-E-07
Kind Seed Kit / Qterw-E-99
Offering a Ritual / Qterw-E-404
"From now on, we'll have to explore while avoiding the Darkness that failed containment on the 2nd basement floor, and some of these places might be completely inaccessible. So…."
We had to decide on the order.
Question: The Darkness for equipment crafting you want to check most urgently
"Hmm…."
Deputy Manager Lee Seong-hae soon pointed to one place.
"Let's go here."
Joyful Laboratory's Toy Maker / Qterw-E-07
"…!"
Also known as, the Abandoned Toy Store.
It was the equipment-crafting Darkness most frequently used by the research team.