The Monday route started at seven AM exactly.
Han-Ho was at the first northern section drain at seven oh two.
Two minutes in, the drain was clear.
He noted it.
Drain one: clear. No accumulation. Dragon Vein ambient improvement holding. Filed.
He moved to drain two.
Drain two was also clear.
He noted it.
Drain two: clear. Seventh consecutive clear Monday. Pattern established. Reducing monitoring frequency to biweekly for this location. Filed.
He moved to drain three.
His phone buzzed.
Director Choi.
Seven oh four AM.
Han-Ho answered.
"Mr. Kang," said the Director.
"Yes."
"The monitoring satellites."
"Yes."
"Something large is approximately four hundred kilometers east of Seoul."
Han-Ho made a note.
"How large," said Han-Ho.
A pause.
"Very large," said the Director.
"Specific measurement."
"The satellite image," said the Director. "Shows something approximately three kilometers across."
Han-Ho stopped walking.
Made a note.
Large entity. Approximately three kilometers across. Four hundred kilometers east. Monday seven oh four AM. Direction: Seoul. Filing urgent.
He filed it.
Continued walking.
"Moving," said Han-Ho.
"Yes," said the Director.
"Speed."
"Approximately forty kilometers per hour," said the Director. "At current speed it reaches Seoul in approximately ten hours."
"Ten hours," said Han-Ho.
"Yes."
"What is it," said Han-Ho.
"Unknown," said the Director. "The satellite image shows a mass of energy. Dense. Moving with apparent intent. Not a weather event. Not geological. The energy signature is—" A pause. "Ms. Yoon is analyzing it. She says it matches the very large world energy signature from the constellation report."
Han-Ho stopped walking again.
Made a note.
Three kilometer entity: energy signature matches constellation description of very large world. Connection to Dragon Vein activation confirmed. The very large world felt the activation and sent something. Filing.
He filed it.
"Mr. Kang," said the Director.
"Yes."
"The S-Ranks are being mobilized."
"Yes," said Han-Ho.
"The military is being notified."
"Yes," said Han-Ho.
"What are you doing," said the Director.
Han-Ho looked at drain three.
It had minor accumulation.
He crouched down.
"The route," said Han-Ho.
A long pause.
"Of course," said the Director.
"The entity arrives in ten hours," said Han-Ho. "The route takes four hours. I will be finished before it arrives."
"Mr. Kang—"
"The drains do not clean themselves," said Han-Ho. "Director."
"Yes."
"File a request for full Dragon Vein monitoring during the entity's approach. If it disrupts the network the disruption pattern will tell us what it is before it arrives."
"Filing now," said the Director.
"Thank you," said Han-Ho.
He cleaned drain three.
Made a note.
Drain three: minor accumulation. Addressed. Filed.
Continued the route.
The S-Rank group chat at seven fifteen AM.
Min-Seo: Three kilometer entity heading toward Seoul. Ten hours. All S-Ranks mobilize.
Yoo Chae-Won: I left mood boards for this.
Baek Sung-Il: What does three kilometers across look like.
Lee Soo-Bin: The constellation is going to have feelings about this.
Oh Kyung-Soo: Where is Han-Ho.
Min-Seo: Route.
A pause.
Jin Tae-Yang: I will bring food.
Song Mi-Rae: Of course you will.
Min-Seo: The entity's energy signature matches the very large world from the constellation report. This is a response to the Dragon Vein activation.
Oh Kyung-Soo: What kind of response.
Min-Seo: Unknown.
Yoo Chae-Won: Hostile or curious.
Min-Seo: Unknown.
Baek Sung-Il: Destroyed a dam.
Min-Seo: I know.
Baek Sung-Il: Just saying.
Lee Soo-Bin: The constellation is very attentive right now. Whatever is coming they have been watching it for a long time.
Min-Seo: How long.
Lee Soo-Bin: It is from a world that is very large. The constellation says it has been sleeping. The Dragon Vein activation woke it up.
A long pause.
Oh Kyung-Soo: Like Cheongi.
Min-Seo looked at his phone.
At the message.
Looked up at the ceiling.
Like Cheongi.
He typed: Tell Han-Ho.
The response from Lee Soo-Bin: Han-Ho is on the route.
Min-Seo: He has his phone.
Lee Soo-Bin: He is cleaning drain four.
Min-Seo: HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT.
Lee Soo-Bin: I am at drain four.
Min-Seo: WHY.
Lee Soo-Bin: Six AM cleanup. I finished my site early. I am helping with the northern section.
A pause.
Yoo Chae-Won: He is helping with the northern section.
Jin Tae-Yang: Of course he is.
Song Mi-Rae: This group.
At drain four Lee Soo-Bin was crouching next to Han-Ho.
They were both cleaning the accumulation.
Side by side.
No discussion.
Just the work.
"Lee Soo-Bin," said Han-Ho.
"Yes."
"The entity."
"I know," said Lee Soo-Bin. "Like Cheongi."
"Possibly," said Han-Ho. "If it is from the very large world and it is three kilometers across and it has been sleeping—"
"It woke up because you cleaned the Dragon Veins," said Lee Soo-Bin.
"Yes," said Han-Ho.
"Same as Cheongi."
"Possibly," said Han-Ho. "The scale is different. Cheongi emerged from under Seoul. This thing is three kilometers across and approaching from the east."
"What is the difference," said Lee Soo-Bin.
Han-Ho made a note.
"Cheongi emerged where it had been sleeping," said Han-Ho. "This thing is traveling. Cheongi did not travel. Cheongi moved three meters into the river." He looked at the map on his phone. "This thing is moving toward Seoul specifically. Toward the Dragon Vein activation source."
"It is looking for the source," said Lee Soo-Bin.
"Yes," said Han-Ho.
"The way the qi beast was looking for the Dragon Vein flow."
"Similar yes," said Han-Ho. "But the qi beast was a territorial accumulation. This is something that was sleeping. Something that woke up because of the clean energy and is moving toward it." He made more notes. "The intent is different. The qi beast wanted to absorb. This—" He looked at the approach direction. "I think this just wants to find where the clean energy is coming from."
Lee Soo-Bin looked at him.
"Like Cheongi," said Lee Soo-Bin again.
"Like Cheongi," said Han-Ho.
"Then why is it three kilometers across."
Han-Ho was quiet for a moment.
"Because," said Han-Ho. "The very large world is very large."
Lee Soo-Bin looked at the eastern horizon.
At the four hundred kilometer distance between here and whatever was coming.
"Han-Ho," said Lee Soo-Bin.
"Yes."
"Are you going to—"
"The route first," said Han-Ho. "Then we assess."
"THE ROUTE—"
"Ten hours," said Han-Ho. "Route takes four. Six hours remaining after the route. Sufficient time."
Lee Soo-Bin looked at him.
At the drain.
At Han-Ho making a completion note.
"You are impossible," said Lee Soo-Bin.
"The drain is clean," said Han-Ho. "Next one."
They moved to drain five.