Chapter 32: Anomaly Catching Anomaly

How to Kill What Doesn't Die (6)

The lead researcher, Oliver Smith, was fixated on the brightly flashing screen of his communication device.

The name displayed on the screen was someone he hadn't even considered.

Benjamin Campbell.

A senior researcher and a high-ranking member of the Anomaly Research Department, known for successfully researching numerous Anomalies.

If it were just that, Oliver wouldn't have reacted so questionably.

Oliver had also heard the rumors that Benjamin had been sending suspicious requests to the Administration regarding Site 17 for weeks.

"...What's he thinking?"

Oliver spat the words out as if chewing them.

It was partly due to the lingering aftereffects of the bubble's effect, which had stiffened his body, but more than anything, he couldn't decipher Benjamin's thoughts as he sent him countless communications.

If it were a normal matter, he could have used other means to contact him.

The fact that he was using an emergency communication device specifically designed for special purposes to request communication with him in such a critical situation...

It was a situation that looked suspicious to anyone.

"..."

However, curiosity killed the cat.

Thinking that there might be something he needed to hear, he decided to answer Benjamin's call on the communication device.

He then spoke the name of the person on the other side of the communication device to confirm the other party.

"...Researcher Benjamin?"

[Ah! Thank goodness, thank goodness. You finally answered, Researcher Oliver! You have no idea how relieved I am to hear your voice right now.]

A sigh of relief and a middle-aged man's voice were transmitted from the communication device.

It was the same voice Oliver had heard when he met Benjamin before.

[Listen carefully. You need to completely seal off Site 17 right now. Not a single ant should be able to get out! Unlike the stubborn Director and administrators, you've always made rational and reasonable judgments. I trust you know what I'm talking about.]

"Of course. That's why we need support from the Administration as soon as possible. Currently, Omega-Minor has infiltrated the Site, and the previously lost Anomaly 744 is――"

The emergency response protocol of the Anomaly Research Department came directly from Benjamin's mouth.

Oliver had suspected that he was requesting communication for something suspicious because of the rumors he had been hearing about him lately,

But what he was saying to him was the words of someone who recognized that there was an emergency here, so Oliver immediately relaxed and began requesting support.

[No. You must not request support from the Administration. That's exactly why I contacted you.]

However, Benjamin's answer was far too abnormal, unlike what he had expected.

To find out if there was a serious problem he didn't know about that was causing him to say this, he spoke into the communication device again.

"...What are you talking about? Aren't you calling because you know that a hostile group has infiltrated our Site?"

[Those fanatics infiltrated Site 17...? No, that's a good thing. There's something much more important right now.]

A mismatched conversation.

Oliver felt something extremely strange in the conversation just now.

Not only his attitude of not considering the fact that a hostile group had infiltrated Site 17 as important.

If he didn't know that fact in the first place, then why did he request communication with him?

And what was the reason for saying that Site 17 should be sealed off?

In the urgent situation, Oliver couldn't understand his words at all.

He shouted into the communication device, loudly informing him of how dangerous the Site he was in was.

"Don't you understand what's going on? They broke into our Site and shoved the lost 744 into 321! And I don't know what they did, but 744 succeeded in infecting that indestructible dummy instead of corpses!"

[No! You're the one who doesn't understand what's going on! The fanatics and 744 are not important at all! You need to execute Protocol 31 right now!]

"What are you talking about...!"

Oliver shouted, and Benjamin shouted just as loudly.

The conversation was still mismatched, and the conflict between them was only increasing.

But in addition to Benjamin's incomprehensible words, the mention of Protocol 31 made him almost lose his mind.

Finally, thinking that he must have gone crazy, he was about to get angry at him and cut off the communication.

"That's enough! I don't know what you're up to, but I'll request support from the Administration directly!"

[No! You don't know what you're about to do! You have to listen to me!]

"You're the one who doesn't know what you're doing! How crazy do you have to be to so shamelessly say to blow up an entire Site?!"

[I'll explain everything! Just a moment, just a moment! If you listen for a moment, you'll understand why I'm doing this!]

Oliver's hand moves to cut off the communication on the communication device.

But for some reason, his movement stops just before cutting off the communication.

In addition to Benjamin's statement that he was doing something irreversible.

He realized that there was a tremor in his words that seemed to be greatly afraid of something.

'...Could it be, is he afraid?'

The sound of teeth chattering nervously was transmitted to the communication device.

It was clear. Researcher Benjamin was feeling great fear right now.

He must have faced countless Anomalies and experienced countless dangers,

And yet, he was feeling such a great fear that it was so obvious.

'Is he being threatened...? No, he wouldn't do this just for that.'

Those who belong to the Anomaly Research Department are prepared to risk their lives to some extent, but those who have risen above a certain rank tend not to fear even death.

They don't even create obstacles such as family or friends, and they have a firm resolve to sacrifice their own lives if necessary.

Those who contribute to the peace and well-being of humanity.

And as far as he knew, Researcher Benjamin was one of those people.

So what is the reason he is so afraid right now?

He doesn't know. There was no way Oliver could know the reason.

If he ignores his words, something truly irreversible might happen.

But even so, he couldn't just leave those immortal monsters who were roaming around this Site and committing ruthless slaughter,

Oliver promised him a fleeting moment, intending to listen to his words for just a short time.

"...Two minutes."

[What?]

"Two minutes, I can't wait any longer than that."

[Th, thank you. That's enough. Okay, so where should I start...]

Two minutes.

Researcher Benjamin accepted the condition, even though it was an impossibly short time to persuade someone, especially to persuade them to blow up a Site with countless people and Anomalies.

Is it that urgent? Or is it confidence that he can persuade him in that time?

Either way, it wouldn't matter. Oliver had already decided to cut off the communication mercilessly after two minutes.

[...A month ago, didn't an Anomalous Entity appear from Anomaly 163?]

Had only a few seconds passed?

Benjamin began to speak, as if he had already finished organizing his thoughts.

But what came out of his mouth was something he had not expected at all, about Anomalous Entity 163-19.

"You knew?"

Oliver swallowed.

He had expected that 163-19 might be hiding an unusual power because of the two incidents that had happened before, but that was only information that he knew.

It would be almost impossible for a researcher belonging to a place other than Site 17 to guess that,

Where did he get the information to talk about 19?

[Yes, I knew. That was the thing I feared the most.]

"What are you talking about...? Weren't you the one who researched the dimensional gate and concluded that the dimensional gate was deactivated based on the research results?"

Of course, 163-19 was important.

In fact, he was thinking of informing the Administration about that Anomalous Entity until just now.

It was a foregone conclusion that it had entered Anomaly 1983 and rescued Agent Henry from there, and perhaps it could even be assumed that it had neutralized Anomaly 871.

Leaving such a dangerous entity alone could pose a serious security threat to Site 17.

But now, the situation is much more serious.

Anomaly 744, which transforms the surrounding corpses into terrifying monsters, is already a serious threat with a danger level of Ⅴ,

And on top of that, wasn't there a desperate crisis combined with Anomaly 321, which is indestructible and infinitely replicated?

If action is not taken immediately, no. Even if action is taken immediately, he couldn't even imagine what level of sacrifice would be required to suppress it.

Compared to that, suppressing Anomalies 1983 and 871 regarding Anomalous Entities was clearly nothing, but―――

[Yes. I certainly thought so. Each time an Anomalous Entity appeared from the Dimensional Gate, its energy diminished, and with each decrease, more dangerous things emerged. Therefore,

I only assumed it was deliberately sending increasingly powerful monsters to us with malicious intent.]

Benjamin continued in a calm voice, incomparably more composed than before.

And his explanation about the Dimensional Gate began, but Oliver was already well aware of the facts.

Since its discovery, the Dimensional Gate stored near Site 17 had consistently summoned dangerous entities, leading researchers to believe that the gate itself possessed a will.

That was the content written in the report of Anomaly 163, which had been deactivated, and Oliver also believed it to be true.

[But that wasn't it. It was just a door. We couldn't go to another dimension because we didn't know how to use the energy, but for those who knew how, that door was merely a tool for traversing dimensions.]

However, the words from Benjamin's mouth denied that.

He was now denying everything he had researched about the Dimensional Gate with his own words.

Then, why hadn't he revised his report?

Oliver questioned it, but before he could dwell on the question, Benjamin continued his story.

[The reason why increasingly dangerous Anomalous Entities appeared as the energy decreased was because only such entities could use the Dimensional Gate. If an entity could travel to another dimension with the reduced energy, it had to be that much more dangerous.

That's why 163-18, which appeared last, almost caused the world's destruction! It was so dangerous that it could cross dimensions even with very little energy left!]

163-18.

The Anomalous Entity that last appeared from the dimension before 163-19, and the entity that caused one of the most extensive damages the Administration had ever faced.

Despite barely suppressing it after numerous sacrifices, the incident was only covered up by spreading the ridiculous fake news of a war between two countries.

But, so what?

If that was what was summoned by squeezing out the last energy of the Dimensional Gate, then an entity as dangerous as that shouldn't appear again, right?

Could he be saying that 19 was an entity of a similar level?

[After the appearance of 163-18, the energy of the Dimensional Gate was virtually exhausted. Even that entity, which caused such a tremendous disaster on its own, needed that energy to move dimensions. Therefore, the Dimensional Gate, with all its energy depleted, should have been completely deactivated. It definitely should have.]

Benjamin chattered his teeth anxiously.

He said that what he had researched was wrong.

But since the Dimensional Gate had been deactivated, he couldn't find a reason to revise the report any further.

The Dimensional Gate, with all its energy depleted, was nothing more than an ordinary structure, so he no longer researched it.

However, a new Anomalous Entity had clearly appeared from there, hadn't it?

The brown-haired girl, Anomalous Entity 163-19.

Then, then who on earth was that girl…?

[But didn't it appear? The 19th Anomalous Entity! Through the Dimensional Gate that had exhausted all its energy! Do you still not understand what I'm saying?!]

Benjamin shouted. The calm demeanor he had shown earlier was no longer visible.

But now Oliver could fully understand his attitude.

Because if what he said was true―――

[What's there now is a monster that tears apart dimensions!]

It was saying that something far beyond the danger of an immortal monster had appeared.

―――Kuuuuuung!

An intense shattering sound shook the hallway.

A sound that couldn't even be compared to when the doll broke through the wall and blocked Sophia and Arthur earlier.

Sophia thought it was the sound of the giant arm slamming down on her, crushing her and the floor.

But for some reason, no matter how much time passed, she didn't feel any pain, and she only felt the texture of the floor she was still lying on.

"A, are we alive…?"

She opened her eyes, wondering how she was still alive.

She had the terrible thought that the doll's face might be right in front of her when she opened her eyes, but curiosity was greater than fear now.

What she saw when she first raised her head was 19's small back.

Just a moment ago, there was clearly a terrifying and grotesque doll in front of her, but for some reason, 19 was standing there with her back to her, reaching out her foot forward.

And in the distance, the doll was crushed miserably.

As if compressed by something heavy, its entire body was buried in the wall.

"Sophia."

19 gently placed the leg she had lifted back on the floor.

The voice that came from the girl's mouth was much softer than she had expected, but it felt somehow firm.

"Run."

A short but complete word containing everything necessary.

The girl left only those words and slowly began to walk towards the doll she had sent flying.

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