Chapter 27: Anomaly Catching Anomaly

How to Kill What Doesn't Die (1)

! Urgent Request !
From: Benjamin Campbell, Lead Researcher
To: ███, ███ █

Request: Complete lockdown and large-scale strategic bombing of Site-17, regardless of casualties.

―Request Denied
Reason for Denial: Insufficient justification for request

Additional Message:
Researcher Benjamin Campbell, this is the fifth time. As you well know, Site-17 houses numerous personnel belonging to the Anomaly Management Bureau and, like other Sites, manages countless Anomalies.

If you wish to request something as absurd as a complete lockdown or large-scale bombing, provide proper evidence and justification, not vague speculation.

We value the trust you have built up, so we will not take further action. However, be aware that any further unreasonable requests may result in disciplinary action.

Furthermore, you are ordered to undergo a mental contamination examination of Gamma level or higher within one week. You must comply with this order.

―███, ███ █

After the chaos caused by Anomaly 1983 swept through Site-17.

Site-17 had been experiencing an unusually peaceful state for the past few weeks, without any particular incidents.

Of course, it wasn't as if there were no changes at all.

Anomalies were entities that always brought along problems, both big and small.

Therefore, it was practically inevitable that some minor incidents would occur in the process of managing them.

However, even those were minor compared to the two incidents that had occurred previously.

Fortunately, without the Site being locked down or the Special Task Force being deployed,

Site-17 was continuing its uneventful daily routine, as if it were being compensated for the chaotic situations that had occurred over the past few weeks.

And to explain the changes that had occurred to 163-19 during that time.

First of all, it could be said that the number of people within the Site who knew about number 19 had increased considerably.

Well, it wasn't an unreasonable thing.

As with some other Anomalies before it, a harmless and cute Anomalous Entity was bound to receive attention from researchers in a positive way.

Of course, it was an Anomalous Entity that had not even been discovered for half a year yet, and it was being controlled according to restricted contact and containment protocols, just like other Anomalies.

Nevertheless, the various tests and research records that number 19 had undergone clearly showed that it had no harmfulness whatsoever.

Therefore, it was not unusual for other researchers to request to observe experiments under the guise of observation, in order to see an Anomalous Entity whose risk level had effectively been classified as completely safe.

Among the researchers at Site-17, number 19 had come to be regarded as just an ordinary girl who had crossed over from another dimension.

"...".

Except for one person here.

Oliver Smith.

"It's become certain."

Oliver muttered in a voice filled with conviction.

He was currently staring intently at data regarding an Anomalous Entity that he had been suspecting for some time.

An unidentified girl who had crossed over from a dimension door.

Commonly known as 163-19.

Despite the many tests conducted by the research department, no characteristics or problems could be found from the girl.

However, he noticed that something unknown was happening around number 19, including the escape of Anomaly 871. He secretly began to collect data on the girl.

And now, several weeks after the incident involving Anomaly 1983 had ended,

He had become convinced that the Anomalous Entity must be involved in the reason why the two Anomalies were neutralized.

A history of the location tracker, riddled with errors for a short period of time.

The camera in the cognitive ability assessment lab, which happened to be broken.

The interview records of the agent who escaped from 1983.

All of this evidence indicated that number 19 had been beyond that door on the very day the last emergency situation occurred.

Now, all that remained was his decision on how to handle the Anomalous Entity.

Oliver thought about what consequences his decision would bring, and he had no choice but to consider his choice as carefully as possible.

'But, why?'

The first question that came to his mind was about Agent Henry's records.

The interior of 1983 is a place where no one can survive.

The interior is controlled by something incomprehensible, malicious, and terrible.

He knew that fact better than anyone else, as he had directly observed the third exploration.

No one who had entered the interior of 1983 had ever come out alive.

And because of what happened during the last exploration, the research department had given up on further explorations and was simply doing its best to prevent the things inside from escaping into reality.

But one Anomalous Entity, who seemed ordinary and for whom no particular abnormalities were found in all those tests and experiments.

It entered the interior of an Anomaly that even the research department and the Management Bureau had not yet properly grasped, rescued an agent who had been missing for several days, and then leisurely walked out of there without incident?

Oliver began to cover his head as if he were perplexed by the mysterious act, the reason and intention of which he could not guess.

'First, let's postpone finding out how that was possible.'

Oliver prioritized in his mind.

In any case, it is also an Anomalous Entity that came from a dimension door. It wouldn't be strange if it had powers that couldn't be detected by general tests.

The fact that it couldn't be detected by the tests conducted by the research department was already far from the normal track, but that didn't mean that the inference should be completely ruled out.

What was really important was why number 19 had acted that way.

If the Anomalous Entity had tried to publicize what it had done, or show it to someone else, it might have been easier to understand.

Dealing with entities that intentionally try to show that they are harmless and helpful was not as difficult as one might think.

And those kinds of entities usually had other ulterior motives hidden.

However, the Anomalous Entity called number 19 is different.

It does not actively publicize that it is harmless, nor is it friendly enough to approach someone first.

The researchers' handling of the Anomalous Entity was purely due to its docile personality and appearance. According to the records, number 19 itself did not seem to like being touched by others.

Nevertheless, considering that numerous Site-17 personnel and the missing Agent Henry survived during the two previous emergency situations,

Despite having a beneficial effect on humans, it could only be seen as intentionally trying not to publicize it.

It's incomprehensible.

No matter how many times he thought about it, he couldn't figure out the reason.

No, in fact, he might know.

Aren't there some people in reality who give help without expecting anything in return?

Perhaps, among the things called Anomalies, there might finally be an entity that can understand humans.

But that's like, like――――

"――Name, Oliver Smith, age, 48, birthday, August 17th, hometown is Augusta, Maine…"

Suddenly, Oliver closed his eyes and began to recite his personal information. It was a self-diagnosis method to diagnose whether there was mental contamination.

But even after he finished speaking and the diagnosis was over, he still couldn't find anything strange.

Of course, he had already done mental contamination tests several times.

He already knew very well that the power that the Anomalous Entity exerted was not related to mental contamination, at least.

Then why did he suddenly perform a useless self-diagnosis method on his own?

Well, even he probably doesn't know exactly about that.

The things he had experienced while rolling around in this field, the stereotypes about Anomalies, and other experiences.

He probably couldn't tolerate himself expecting something from an Anomalous Entity whose identity he didn't even know.

While performing the diagnostic method, he barely managed to sort out his thoughts and opened his eyes again. He had a determined expression on his face.

Yes, an Anomaly is an Anomaly.

Humans cannot understand them, and they do not try to understand humans either.

The only way to deal with unidentified entities that do not try to understand laws, rules, society, or even human lives, was only through control.

There is only one thing he must do now.

After sending the data on the 163-19 Anomalous Entity to the Management Bureau.

Temporarily raise the risk level and put in place the appropriate alert posture―――_―_

*――_Ting_**

At that moment.

From near Oliver, who was manipulating the screen in front of him, a faint and clear sound rang out.

'…A bell sound?'

It was definitely the sound of a bell.

A clear and distinct sound that was small, but clear enough to be sure that he had heard it.

He wondered where it rang from, and even why it was ringing.

He wondered if he had just made a mistake or heard an auditory hallucination.

The sound of the bell echoed regardless of his thoughts, simply continuing to spread its clear sound around.

―_Ting_

The second bell rang.

Still small and subtle, but definitely echoing.

Oliver realized it wasn't a hallucination because he clearly heard the sound in his ear, and he was able to recall something related to an Anomaly.

One of the Anomalies kept at Site 20, an Anomaly that had been completely lost due to an accident and could no longer be found.

A bell that, the moment it rang three times, would instantly paralyze all humans within a small radius, without discrimination.

And, that accident was definitely... likely due to a takeover by a hostile organization―――

"Damn it…!"

As soon as the thought reached that point, Oliver immediately reached under his desk.

There was a kind of emergency switch that, when pressed, would trigger an alarm throughout Site 17.

Thanks to his quick judgment and swift action, his hand reached the switch in a very short time.

――Ting

But with the third ring of the bell,

he had no choice but to freeze just before pressing the switch.

"―――――"

He couldn't move.

His heart was beating, he was breathing, and he could feel,

but no matter how hard he tried, his body wouldn't listen, as if he had turned into a stone.

If he could move just a little, just a tiny bit, he could definitely press this switch.

With only his consciousness remaining in his already frozen body, he could only sit there with his eyes wide open, unable to resist.

――Knock knock

A cautious knock came from the other side of the door.

But Oliver couldn't answer the knock in any way.

That's because he was literally unable to move a finger.

And someone on the other side of the door seemed to be already aware of that fact.

Even though no answer came from the knock, the person opened the door without hesitation.

―Click

With heavy footsteps, someone walked into the room.

A person in a peculiar outfit, wearing a tactical vest over a monk's robe and covering his face with a bamboo hat.

It was an anachronistic outfit that one might wear for Halloween, but there were no colored parts on the gun in his right hand.

The strange and oppressive atmosphere flowing from somewhere proved that he was not just someone wearing a strange costume.

"…."

After moving a short distance, the monk finally reached Oliver's eyes.

Even though his face was completely covered by the bamboo hat, he stared intently at Oliver in front of him as if he had no problem with his vision.

Then, with one hand not holding the gun, he put his palms together in a gesture of respect.

"Long time no see, Researcher Oliver."

In a heavy, low-pitched voice, he began to offer a simple greeting to the frozen man.

The owner of that voice, remaining in Oliver's memory, was definitely that of the leader of an organization hostile to the Management Bureau.

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