Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work - Chapter 156
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Even If I Fall Into a Ghost Story, I Still Have to Go to Work Episode 156
The Field Investigation Team employees of Baekillmong Corporation are people who work risking their lives because they have wishes they desperately want to fulfill.
What this means is that the majority of employees are people ready to exploit colleagues, civilians, or even insane ghost stories to achieve their own wishes!
People who only care about welfare points for their own wishes.
Three people who seemed like prime examples of this were right before my eyes.
Of course, their personalities don’t seem to be entirely due to their wishes…
“Deputy Manager, those who fell behind when we encountered the Young Mermaid earlier…”
“Not interested.”
“Mr. Pony, of course it’s truly unfortunate about those who were captured… but that’s their fate. Should we advance quickly? We need to find items…”
“That’s right, that’s right. But they might have dropped some equipment while being captured, so let me just take a quick look… hahaha!”
“…”
Such consistently awful people…
‘Even if I told those bastards that the Young Mermaid is actually a child…’
It probably wouldn’t matter at all. Rather, they’d be the type to think about how to exploit that information even more. Having connections would be useless.
No, I couldn’t even reveal myself in my current form anyway, so connections were useless from the start.
I hid in the form of a street animal in the black shadows cast by collapsed streetlights, watching the Baekillmong Corporation employees searching here and there in the alley.
But then…
“Quiet.”
Jin Na-sol stopped walking and crouched down.
“It’s a mermaid.”
“…”
“A young one.”
All three employees held their breath and pressed against the alley wall.
Kyarurururu…
A sound could be heard.
Something like a child’s laughter.
‘Hah.’
My whole body felt like it was freezing cold, but… I had to check.
Very carefully, I softly contracted my four legs and leaped silently onto the wall.
The moment my view beyond the alley opened up slightly, I finally saw the appearance of the ‘Young Mermaid’…
Kyarurururu…
It was strange.
It was strange. Small bodies mimicking humans were walking along the broken main road of the infected city.
Among them, some were elaborate or grinning as if mimicking human expressions, but others already had faces completely swollen with ulcers, pulsating on their own.
And beneath that, horrible mucous membranes!
Every time the membranes pulsated together, air leaked out making sounds similar to a child’s laughter.
Pink ulcer masses, greenish flesh chunks, contaminated lumps stretched long along their legs, dragging like tails.
Belongings and clothes of the dead.
The things they wore haphazardly seemed like they were desperately trying to deceive people…
Even to my eyes, knowing they were all innocent children.
“…”
Cold sweat broke out as my spine and whiskers stood on end.
Instinct told me.
I had to run.
The Infected Fluids came running down the main road like a bizarre march. Everyone in the alley – myself and the Baekillmong employees – held their breath.
Then someone burst out from another alley.
A person encountered the Infected Fluid.
“…!”
However, that person was already covered in infected slime with joints covered in ulcer masses, being controlled.
A hopeless sight.
The Infected Person was already out of their mind, but could still scream.
Because they had a mouth.
“Ahhh!! Aaaahhh! Ahh!”
The Infected Fluids burst into laughter and rushed forward.
Tentacle masses hanging like tails surged forward disgustingly.
The ulcer attached to the Infected Person’s stomach opened wide, making blood, slime, and unspeakable things burst out.
“Ahh, haaaahh, heuuu…”
Having their ‘honey’ collected, and collected…
I curled up my paws and endured that time.
Eventually, the screaming disappeared.
“…”
Passing by the person who had died, the Infected Fluids marched again with blood and membranes fully collected in their tail-like ulcers.
Toward the mermaid statue.
As a tumor of infection, a cluster of biological disaster.
Kyarurururu…
“…”
Only after the sound completely disappeared did the three employees in the alley begin to move again.
“…If you get caught by those tails, it’s over right away?”
“Yeah.”
That was the reason to run.
The Infected Fluid’s tail secretes slime that causes fatal paralysis, and even one sting immediately causes permanent loss of muscle movement.
And if infected in that state, that person had to be considered already dead.
Hearing only this far, one might wonder how this ghost story received a C-grade rating.
‘Because there’s a very definite clear method.’
And like two sides of a coin, the clear method actually lies with those infected entities.
Thud, thuthud…
Strange sounds came from the main road again.
But this time it wasn’t the Infected Fluids.
Forms like full-grown humans.
However, as their size increased, their precision seemed to have been crushed. The drooping things no longer had expressions.
The ulcer mass strings that looked like tails had changed to resemble blood vessels, connected to each other… stretching long over the main road.
They were connected to the cluster.
Things that had almost shed human form, shaped like bait the cluster used to lure people.
…What the Infected Fluid was presumed to ultimately mutate into.
A hint of motivation returned to the Butterfly Mask deputy’s eyes.
“There it is.”
So if the danger encountered is a General Infected Entity rather than Infected Fluid.
“Catch it.”
Kill it and collect evidence.
Three employees go out to lure and kill the infected entity.
In the case of General Infected Entities, surprisingly, they easily wither and die when their connection to the collective is severed.
“….”
Upon presenting evidence, they can board the escape ship remaining in the city to clear that darkness.
So… the children.
After being infected and exploited, when those ulcer-like creatures completely spread throughout their bodies, they lose their reason and transform into grotesque organisms.
The reason kids disappear every time agents visit.
When they die from complete infection, they become connected as one with that bizarre biological disaster collective, becoming part of it…
‘…Fuck.’
I clenched my front paws tightly, holding back nausea.
Curses were rising up in my throat.
In reality, there’s no way to save them once they reach that state, and even though I’d read about this countless times in exploration records, the physiological revulsion made my fur stand on end.
“Evidence collection complete!”
“Just shut up.”
“Ah, yes yes.”
Eventually, the three employees succeeded in hunting the ‘mermaid’ and extracting what looked like sensory organs from inside its tail as evidence.
That sight strangely overlapped with the baby mermaids that had been collecting blood and mucous membranes from infected people.
They could now escape from this place.
But instead of immediately running toward the escape ship, they continued searching through alleys and advancing.
‘…Because they have a second objective.’
Anyone familiar with Baekillmong Corporation employees’ behavioral patterns would realize this immediately.
‘Items.’
The reason this darkness wasn’t assigned to a regular team despite being rated C-grade.
The reason it’s still under the research team based on the judgment that ‘considering its scale and clues, bigger secrets might be hidden.’
The reason they recruit volunteers to conduct exploration… and there’s never a shortage of volunteers.
‘There’s a reason.’
It’s because of the items that are also the ‘clues’ themselves discovered here.
There were traces of a very mysterious and wondrous civilization that could be found in this ruined city.
Known as…
‘Angel’s Sigh’.
“Damn it, there’s no sigh or whatever here.”
“Be quiet.”
A Baekillmong Corporation employee wearing a business suit and bizarre mask grumbled from one corner of the alley.
Coming to this place where a mysterious civilization once existed but had already perished, leaving only grotesque organisms, contamination, and terrifying attacks, wasn’t just for points.
In fact, this exploration was composed of volunteers more interested in profit than reporting.
Angel’s Sigh.
A conch shell-shaped item occasionally found inside and outside the residential areas of this city.
Its true value emerges when you hold this item to your ear.
Listening to the beautiful humming from inside the conch calms the mind, heals wounds, and restores energy.
A healing item.
Naturally, it’s useful for darkness exploration, and since it’s one of the few items Baekillmong Corporation purchases, many employees search for it with burning eyes.
Still, since this place had already been explored dozens of times, they weren’t easily found anymore.
You had to venture deeper into the increasingly dangerous central area or find secret spaces others hadn’t discovered.
And countless cases of getting caught by infected entities in the process.
Like those employees right now.
“Aaaaah!”
‘Fucking idiots.’
Hearing the screams from the alley they’d passed earlier, Baek Sa-heon felt briefly satisfied with his chosen companions.
‘Good thing I pushed them away and came here.’
The humans here are insane, but at least they’re not foolish enough to be enchanted by items and do such short-sighted stupid things.
He touched the escape ship entry ticket extracted from the tail and subtly curled the corners of his mouth.
‘Clear preparations are done too.’
Now if he searches for items and feeds the people next to him to mermaids when necessary and runs away… wait.
Just now.
Didn’t something pass by?
‘…Huh?’
Baek Sa-heon blinked.
Clearly, something seemed to have jumped out from the streetlight shadows below the alley and gone around the corner, visible in his peripheral vision.
He hurriedly checked his companions, but they showed no reaction.
‘Did I see it wrong?’
Having desperately relied only on his senses and judgment throughout his life, Baek Sa-heon couldn’t accept that conclusion.
But he didn’t want to tell the Team A Deputy Manager either.
…He’s not the type of person who’s easy to induce into action.
-Hey. If you want to talk about new monsters in a darkness that’s only had mermaids for 7 years, describe it properly.
-If you interfere one more time, we’re leaving you behind.
‘He’d do exactly that, the bastard.’
Ah, fuck. There’s no time to search for items either.
Though it was regrettable, he decided to grit his teeth and keep watch on the alley corner.
That’s when it happened.
Whoosh.
A shadow swept past the streetlight in the alley.
It was definitely that black something he’d seen earlier. That silhouette was…
Triangular ears and a streamlined body, four legs.
…Phew, what the hell.
It was something familiar.
‘It was just a damn cat.’
Baek Sa-heon let out an annoyed sigh of relief. That was just one of those bothersome street animals commonly seen on sidewalks.
That’s what he thought…
‘…Huh?’
In that moment.
A cold chill ran down Baek Sa-heon’s back.
In the darkness where no life had ever been found except for the biological disaster – mermaids.
There was no way there could be a stray cat.
“…!”
Calculations rapidly spun through Baek Sa-heon’s cold mind.
And quietly, so that the other employees wouldn’t notice, he slightly lifted his eyepatch… to check for danger with the purple reverse-eye equipment hidden beneath.
And.
He saw danger.
“…!”
A terrible red halo writhed beyond the corner of the alley.
It was visible even in the cast shadows. Rats, cockroaches, wings, teeth – a swarm of all kinds of vile harmful creatures that could be seen on the streets writhed together.
No.
That’s not a cat!
That’s not a four-legged animal. Something’s wrong! It’s a mermaid! No, something more dangerous than a mermaid, I mean, that distinctive shape of the halo looks familiar from somewhere…
‘…Kim Sol-eum?’
Baek Sa-heon quickly raised his head.
“What are you doing.”
“Oh, nothing.”
He looked back at the alley corner with a stiff neck…
The shadow was gone.
The red halo beyond the corner had disappeared as if it were a lie.
“…”
Pretending to search, he moved with stiff steps toward the corner.
His heart was pounding.
And the moment he turned the corner, he saw it.
…On the floor, there were words written as if someone had carved through the dust with sharp nails.
Prepare for death.
“…!!”
Phew.
‘Atmosphere creation complete.’
With this, I’ve laid the groundwork to guide the Baekillmong Corporation employees if needed.
I held back a sigh as I ran through the alley.
‘As expected, Baek Sa-heon’s eye performance is good.’
The effect of the eye-shaped equipment I gave him seems definitely reliable. Honestly, it might not even be cost-effective compared to the mind control fountain pen I received through exchange.
‘I haven’t been able to use it even once because I was afraid of being suspected as a spy…’
When items become precious, you start having all sorts of thoughts.
Anyway, I saw and grasped the situation with my own eyes. …In a place overrun with infected entities, the hellish chaos of children and adults killing each other.
Hell.
‘…I feel like throwing up.’
The bigger problem is… it’s not enough.
Time, information, power.
All of it.
‘…How the hell am I supposed to save the kids here.’
Now that the shock has worn off, I can see reality.
There’s no answer.
‘If I tell the agents about this, there’s a good chance they’ll say it would be better to just perform humanitarian execution on everyone…’
It looks like it would be overwhelming just to take care of myself.
Besides, anyway, the moment the sun sets today, I’ll leave this supernatural disaster together with the agents.
I know.
Just because I learned this terrible truth doesn’t mean I have the responsibility to save them, and it would be more comfortable to just ignore it since I have my own problems.
Roughly protecting myself and getting through the day before leaving seemed like the appropriate solution.
But…
‘…Something feels ominous.’
I’ve already learned about this duality.
But can I safely escape using the ‘Disaster Management Bureau’s’ method by being treated as a young child…?
‘…It seems like there’s a possibility I might not be able to.’
It seemed better to investigate more deeply and prepare countermeasures.
If I could save even one more child in this process… that would be good too.
And since this ghost story has so many meaningful aspects, if I dig deeper, I might unexpectedly obtain items or unexpected information that could help my survival later.
‘…Alright.’
Let’s try as much as I can.
At least until the promised afternoon time, the Xuanwu Team 1 agents won’t look for me even if I don’t show myself.
Since the children are scattered across the wide space, it won’t be awkward even if we don’t run into each other.
‘A method, a useful method…’
I searched through the now much-faded in my head, wondering if there might be any hints.
Even if it’s not about the Mermaid Graveyard itself, if I search through similar ghost stories, I might come up with a breakthrough method worth trying…
Oh, wait a minute.
“…!”
Ah.
‘There was one.’
Another darkness investigation record that mentioned this Mermaid Graveyard…!
And that darkness… is one I’ve already experienced.
‘…Good.’
I’ll give it a try.
I moved on all fours again.
I run.
Although dangers lurk throughout the city destroyed by monster infection, it’s better with this agile four-legged body.
‘Being small makes it easier to dodge.’
My destination as I ran avoiding slime and ulcers was clear.
‘Western outskirts.’
A place far from the infected swarm.
Especially among those… a place that feels relatively safe with fewer ulcer masses.
But since it’s not a residential area with items, no Baekillmong employees visit there.
There are no young mermaids… either.
That’s why exploration is slower in this area.
‘Somewhere around here… that’s right.’
Found it.
Between the half-collapsed and worn buildings, I can see the door of a small brick house that became a semi-basement after being buried below when the ground collapsed…
And if you look carefully at the corner of that door, you can see these words.
Moonlight Tattoo Shop
“…!”
It’s carved small at the edge of the door in more ornate cursive writing than what I saw before.
“….”
Found it.
The back door of Moonlight Tattoo Shop.
This was one of the various sighting reports about Moonlight Tattoo Shop.
However, in most sighting reports, the door was closed to prevent entry into the tattoo shop, and Daydream had no recorded visits except for the one I used with ‘Vacancy Available’.
In fact, that door also has a small glass window that seems to be made for checking outside, but it’s completely covered with a note.
Currently accepting reservation customers only.
This one.
‘…I don’t have a reservation, but.’
Knock knock.
I politely knocked on the door with my front paws, then slipped the note I had prepared under the door.
It was difficult writing with my front paws.
-Hello. I’m the person who received a tattoo cover-up last time, and I came here because I have something to inquire about regarding that.
“….”
And a few seconds later.
I heard it.
Click.
The sound of the back door’s lock being released.
“…!!”
It worked.
I jumped up on my hind legs to grab the door knob and opened it, then quickly entered inside before the door closed.
Into Moonlight Tattoo Shop.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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