106 - City

TL/Editor: raei Schedule: 5/week

Illustrations: None.

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The Goldberg Club's Korean branch didn't have a dedicated building. Instead, they rented penthouses in various hotels for extended periods, gathering there whenever meetings were necessary.

On this day, a few members of the Korean branch met in one such penthouse. The recent conflict with the company had prompted their gathering.

A man who had formally purchased the gallery sprawled on the sofa, twirling a wine glass. Red wine swirled inside, repeatedly wetting and sliding down the glass.

"There's no chance of an all-out war. The company, those cowards, wouldn't want a fight."

"Well..."

The white-haired old man stood by the wide-open window, gazing down at the night view.

A highly developed city spread before him. People enjoyed the densely laid infrastructure and the lights that never dimmed, even at night.

The man on the sofa glanced at the window and smiled.

"Old man, you worry too much. The company has too much to protect. That city, those people. Would they destroy it with their own hands?"

The old man didn't react, and the man continued his monologue-like conversation.

"Look at this time too. Thinking it wouldn't end well if they fought, they just backed off. Of course, we have to let them join the anomalous city exploration. But that's just saving face. What can they do by sending just one person?"

"They say a company without even pride is just a corpse."

The other members, similarly sprawled out, snickered while mocking the company. Young men and women's laughter filled the spacious penthouse.

The old man frowned. These young fools...

"You don't know how terrifying the company can be."

"The company is scary. Who would win in a head-on fight? But the company won't-"

"Who says they can't?"

The old man slowly turned around. As the club leader in charge of the Korean branch, the other members quietly closed their mouths.

Inwardly, they cursed the old man for being a coward.

The old man pointed to the night view of the city.

"The city? A few hundred thousand people? You think the company really fears this? You say that even knowing about the climate anomalies?"

The members' appearances suddenly registered in the old man's eyes. Even the oldest was barely 40. That's because they all die before getting old.

And the old man, who had survived long enough for his hair to turn white, knew how terrifying the company could be when they lost it.

Just look at the climate anomalies.

"They're the ones who abandoned 8 billion people to die when they couldn't stop the climate anomalies. And they're the ones who tried to kill 6 billion people to stop them."

The preservation plan and the genocide company factions.

As high-ranking officials, they knew about the core survival plan shared among the groups, and with the club's intelligence, they also knew about the factions.

Those who would stop at nothing as long as humanity could survive.

The members' faces hardened anew. They remembered the Blue House terror attack too. The madmen who brazenly stormed the Blue House and made blue flowers bloom.

"You say the company has a lot to protect? No. We need the city. Because we need to live well. But the company is different. As long as humans survive, even if the world ends, that's enough. We have more to protect."

The man gulped down the remaining wine and waved his hand, his face flushed.

"Still, unless it's pushed to the level of the climate anomalies, the company won't lose its mind, right?"

"Who knows."

The old man turned back to gaze at the beautiful night view. But the scene reflected in his eyes was somewhere in his memories.

The company had periodic outbursts.

They would research something among themselves, discover something strange and go crazy, come to some weird conclusion and charge in like mad boars, cause horrific accidents saying it's the way for humanity to survive...

Of course, the old man understood.

Unlike artists simply immersed in art or clubs aiming to live well, they had unnecessarily grand ideologies like protecting humanity, so there must be various circumstances.

What the old man worried about was that cycle.

'If we're just talking about time, it's about time for another outburst.'

Now that the climate anomalies had been resolved, it was time for the company to go mad. This check was to probe that, but seeing them back down so easily made him more uneasy.

"Old man. We still needed to keep them in check."

When one member spoke, the old man reluctantly nodded.

"Anyway, since it ended well, I won't say more. I approved it too. So, who's the company employee joining the exploration?"

"They said an investigator."

"Who?"

The old man turned his head, slightly tense.

If it was an investigator, weren't they survival experts? The numbers had decreased now, but that especially team leader wasn't someone to be underestimated.

The man casually pouring wine into his glass said,

"Lee Youngwoo? Lee Yeonwoo? A rookie less than a year in. His background is impressive, but still a rookie."

"Hmm. That's fine."

How much experience could a rookie of less than a year have? As long as it wasn't a company employee with 10 years of experience, they could relax.

The old man started enjoying the night view again with ease. Then he suddenly said,

"Have they found the culprit who completely cleaned out that gun manufacturing facility? We've never suffered such a one-sided loss before, have we?"

"No..."

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---

The investigation team's office.

Yeonwoo was facing a company employee from the Korean branch. His expression was twisted because the person from the Planning Department had said something ridiculous.

"So, you're telling me to participate in the Goldberg Club's anomalous city exploration?"

"It's not compulsory. You can refuse if you want."

The company employee responded kindly.

"However, you requested to keep carrying the eraser. If you carry the eraser, you'll be assigned such tasks. You can think of it as a kind of practical experience."

As he gently explained that carrying the eraser originally entailed being deployed for such tasks, citing various examples, Yeonwoo's face gradually relaxed.

Instead, Yeonwoo quietly looked down at the eraser.

'Should I just give up? There are too many annoying tasks.'

The eraser was good, but the accompanying tasks were too bothersome. Not as an investigator or special investigator, but additional duties as an agent carrying the eraser.

Of course, he'd get paid more for it, but...

Yeonwoo pressed his throbbing head repeatedly, then sighed.

"Fine. I'll participate."

He could try it for a few days, and if it seemed too dangerous, he could give up.

And the eraser. Although he couldn't feel that sensation again, he could erase most dangers with just a flick of his hand.

"An excellent choice."

The company employee nodded with a smile and pulled out a few documents, pushing them towards Yeonwoo.

Yeonwoo glanced down to see it was an exploration plan. The company employee briefly explained.

"An anomalous city refers to a city affected by anomalies. Most are passed down as far-fetched folk tales, and are often just the result of two dimensions accidentally overlapping, but sometimes real ones are discovered."

Just as cities once considered ancient legends were sometimes excavated, anomalous cities were occasionally discovered.

Such anomalous cities became big money, so the Goldberg Club never stopped exploring like pulling gacha, and this time they discovered another city.

"During the Korean War, a mountain village disappeared. The elders in the area say that when North Korean troops approached, a shaman led the villagers somewhere."

"Is that the anomalous city?"

The company employee quietly nodded at Yeonwoo's question.

"They say they went to a land where they could escape death."

A land that fled from the war.

"Anyway, since it's not expected to be such a dangerous city, Yeonwoo, you just need to endure a little hardship and reap the benefits from the excavation."

"Well, I wonder if it'll be that easy..."

Yeonwoo gently stroked his chin. Doubt glimmered in his eyes.

Going to an obviously anomalous place, would there be no problems? Now he no longer believed in his luck. Something would definitely go wrong.

"You have the eraser. Yeonwoo, you'll return safely."

"Of course I have to return safely. I can't die in a place like that."

After glaring as if asking why he was stating the obvious, Yeonwoo grabbed his bag.

'I have a lot to pack.'

Just in case, he needed to repack his bag.

Not just simple tools and firearms, but water, food, first aid supplies, hygiene products, clothing and tents, gas masks, etc., turning it into a survival backpack.

---

---

The scheduled exploration day arrived quickly.

Yeonwoo climbed the mountain path with just one bag slung over his shoulder. Since the Goldberg Club had already gone around, he just had to follow the newly made path.

After walking for a while on the steep path, ruins appeared.

A village that looked like a Joseon-era mountain village had turned to ruins, with thatched and tiled houses collapsed, unable to withstand wind and rain.

"Ah, you're here? You're a bit late. We almost left without you."

And, out of place with the atmosphere, club members in suits carrying heavy luggage greeted Yeonwoo.

Among them, the man who had greeted Yeonwoo smiled broadly, and Yeonwoo sighed.

"You should have gone ahead."

Then he could have naturally missed the exploration while shifting responsibility to the Goldberg Club.

The man briefly made a strange expression, then put a smile back on his face. As expected, an investigator and a rookie.

"No matter what, we can't ignore the contract. By the way, is this your first exploration? Your luggage is incredibly light."

"Aren't you providing everything? I heard I just needed to participate."

Yeonwoo shook his seemingly light bag, naturally telling a lie.

He bought all these items himself, but it'd be better to use the Goldberg Club's stuff if possible.

For a moment, the man's face darkened. His relaxed mood due to the rookie changed to irritation because of the rookie.

This was an anomalous city exploration, for heaven's sake. Yet he comes so lightly prepared?

"We prepared reserve supplies, but..."

"Oh, you didn't prepare my share? Then let's postpone the exploration a bit. I'll go down and prepare."

"No, we'll supply you. We can't postpone it. Hah..."

It was the first time losing the Goldberg Club's assets like this. The anomalous city exploration was right in front of them, but somehow the mood was unpleasant from the start.

The man waved his hand irritably. The contract in his hand fluttered, catching the light.

"As the owner of this land, I command: let what is hidden reveal itself."

At that moment, a change occurred.

The shaman's house located in the corner of the village was restored to perfect condition. White and red cloths hung from the upright flagpole, fluttering and revealing strange patterns even though there was no wind.

"That seems to be the passage. Let's go."

The club members moved in a group. Yeonwoo followed slowly at the very back. Maintaining an appropriate level of tension.