Beacon of Light in the Dark Sea

Shin Haeryang wasn’t asking with any immediate expectation of finding his team members. I kept my response brief, sharing only what I had pieced together.

“They should be at Daehan Island. They managed to escape the underwater facility safely.”

“How did they escape?”

“They took the functional escape pods from the East District.”

Shin Haeryang’s expression remained unchanged, making it impossible to tell if he was relieved about his team’s safety or not. After a few seconds of silence, he glanced at the pad in his hand and spoke.

“We have a pad that the Chief Engineer lent us.”

“Ah… I see?”

So Kim Jae-hee must have Michael Roaker’s pad now. Didn’t he confess to Kang Soojung earlier that he stole it from Michael Roaker when they met in the elevator? Given that Roaker seems to be on Infinity Church’s side, he wouldn’t have willingly lent it. He probably stole it again, claiming he’d delete the CCTV footage. What a way with words this person has.

While I was internally chuckling at the absurdity, Shin Haeryang continued.

“Using Roaker’s pad, we confirmed that Lee Jihyun and Kang Soojung vanished from the corridor CCTV footage in less than a second. Deputy Team Leader Kang Soojung, in particular, disappeared right before my eyes during our conversation. It was a physically impossible movement, yet you’re saying they escaped via escape pods.”

Ah, so they checked the CCTV footage of their disappearance. Right. Since we normally don’t pay attention to the ceiling-mounted cameras while walking around, I’d forgotten about that method. Come to think of it, being engineers, of course they would’ve checked immediately after their people vanished. Am I subconsciously not thinking of these people as engineers? I don’t recall seeing them fix anything.

So electronic devices show people vanishing into dust in a second, huh? Wait. Then Shin Haeryang literally watched someone disappear into thin air right in front of him? …That must have been terrifying. Straight out of a horror movie.

“I saw Lee Jihyun, Kang Soojung, and Yoo Geum-yi escape in the pods. It wasn’t an abduction, so you shouldn’t worry too much.”

I almost added “or supernatural phenomenon” after abduction but held back since I couldn’t be certain myself. What I’m experiencing does seem supernatural though.

After telling Shin Haeryang not to worry, I actually started feeling more concerned about the people at Daehan Island and added a few words.

“Don’t completely stop worrying though. Deputy Team Leader Kang mentioned she couldn’t operate a boat, and she seemed flustered by Team Leader Shin’s order to evacuate Daehan Island.”

If someone told me to make my first voyage across the open ocean in a boat carrying people who’d barely escaped an underwater facility, I’d probably refuse and collapse on the beach. It reminds me of how I trembled internally when first merging onto the highway. What if they have an accident in the middle of the Pacific?

…I wonder how the people at Daehan Island are doing. Hopefully better than me.

“You seem to have memories that my team and I don’t share.”

“Ah… yes.”

“The team members… regarding the CCTV, they think it’s a malfunction, and as for a colleague vanishing right beside them, they attribute it to mild nitrogen narcosis. They particularly suspect it’s due to extended movement in deep-sea suits while repairing the outer wall. What’s your opinion on this?”

People tend to think alike, don’t they?

“I also initially thought it might be due to drugs or external factors affecting my cognitive functions, but I no longer believe that’s the case. I concluded that cognitive impairment couldn’t lead to gaining knowledge about completely unknown situations.”

“Do you think this could happen again?”

“During the escape?”

“Yes.”

Shin Haeryang seemed worried that more team members might vanish without warning during their escape. Though not entirely confident, I shook my head.

“I don’t think this will happen during the escape.”

“I see. What else should I know?”

Straight to the practical matters. Shin Haeryang appeared more interested in future actions and prospects than analyzing past anomalies. I quickly brought up my biggest concern.

“Right now, we need to help Kim Ga-young, who’s trapped in the South District dormitory. The room is flooding, and she’s stuck inside due to a malfunctioning door. She’ll soon post a help message on the facility’s bulletin board.”

Even after hearing about someone trapped in a flooding room, Shin Haeryang asked dispassionately.

“Anything else?”

“Uh… yeah. Kim Ga-young’s situation is most urgent. Also, N Team’s engineers from North District will come down to the Central District and start shooting.”

Shin Haeryang gave me a quick once-over and asked.

“I see. Besides your left hand, do you have any other injuries?”

“Huh? No, I don’t.”

“Understood.”

And that was it. …I really want to ask what exactly he understands. If he were my tutoring student, I could at least give him some problems to solve to check his comprehension level.

Suddenly, Sophia pointed at one of the front panels and spoke.

“Look at that. The escape pods aren’t rising.”

True to her words, the escape pods had barely left the lunchtime layer (1000m-3000m) and entered the middle layer (200m-1000m) when they stopped advancing. Starting with the first pod that ascended, they were all gradually slowing down.

Having experienced an escape pod myself, I could viscerally feel how terrifying that situation must be. Inside the pod, you can see your position, and even through the green liquid, you can feel the kinetic energy propelling you upward.

The sensation of falling must feel just as intense. I was grimacing at the thought when Tumanako shook my shoulder, making me realize someone had been calling me. Vladimir asked.

“Doctor, which escape pods are broken besides this one?”

“Huh? Oh. The South District pods shouldn’t be used either. East District seems fine, but I’m not sure about North District.”

Vladimir let out a cynical laugh.

“So they sabotaged the West District and South District pods, and now they’re waiting with guns in Hyeonmu and East Districts. Shin, where are you heading?”

Vladimir, who had been stroking Nikita’s back with his large hand, asked Shin Haeryang. Shin sighed and countered with his own question.

“Where are you lot heading?”

“We’re going to the North District. How convenient that there are Japanese people there. Mitri (nickname for Dmitri) wasn’t my favorite person, but he didn’t deserve to die by gunshot like that. Especially not Irina.”

Though his Russian was translated to Korean in my ears, there wasn’t a hint of genuine pleasure in his “how convenient.” Shin Haeryang looked at those lying in the chairs and asked.

“Are you leaving the bodies behind?”

At those words, Nikita’s previously still head turned toward us with an almost mechanical movement. That robotic motion sent chills down my spine, but Vladimir answered while meeting Nikita’s gaze.

“Sending them back to their families would be ideal. But that’s too ambitious in this situation. We’re busy enough looking after the living.”

Shin Haeryang glanced at me once after hearing this, then responded to Vladimir.

“There’s a Korean researcher trapped in the South District dormitory. We need to get her. …My team will hide in the Central District until everyone regroups, then move.”

Vladimir listened to Shin Haeryang and replied with apparent disapproval.

“Going out of your way for one researcher? She’s not even on your team. Unless she’s some irreplaceable genius, it’s better to cut losses in this situation. Research staff are a dime a dozen worldwide anyway. Wouldn’t it be better to come with us to North District instead?”

Hey, our Ga-young isn’t just some researcher! I wanted to burst into their conversation shouting this but held back. Shin Haeryang responded emotionlessly to the red-faced drunkard.

“The same goes for engineers. Take this.”

Shin Haeryang handed his pad to Vladimir. I thought he was giving it because it contained photos of Dmitri or Irina. I expected him to say something about passing on the last images of the deceased to their families, or perhaps point out that their team had no pads, but Shin Haeryang added matter-of-factly.

“It’s registered under my name. Use it when you deal with the Japanese.”

“Oho… Deputy Team Leader Nikita.”

Vladimir grinned like he’d received a fantastic gift and called to his side. Nikita, with an expression like a soul scorched by fire, took the pad from Shin Haeryang. Watching Nikita with tears still on her face reminded me of when she grabbed my collar after hearing about Dmitri’s disappearance.

She’d said something about not wanting to tell their parents she fled alone while her brother was missing. Now Nikita would have to explain to their parents that her little brother was shot dead by foreigners.

Ah, damn it. Even though I’m not particularly close to my own brother, though we’re not on bad terms either, just imagining that scenario is horrifying. Nikita had now shifted her intense gaze from Dmitri’s face to Shin Haeryang’s pad. Her desire for revenge seemed to be overtaking her grief over her own brother’s death.

Since seeing Dmitri’s corpse, she appeared much more animated than her previous dazed state. It was almost like her thirst for revenge was burning with life force.

“Ae-young.”

“Yes!”

Shin Haeryang called out to Baek Ae-young, who was standing at a distance. She bounded over from beside Sophia like a gust of wind.

“They say researcher Kim Ga-young is in the South District dormitory with a broken door. I’ll go get her. Take everyone to Ophion. Move defensively.”

Though his name wasn’t called, Seo Jihyuk, who had flown over when Baek Ae-young was summoned, hovered around Shin Haeryang and spoke.

“What about me? Can’t I go too? Team Leader, take me with you.”

“You stay here quietly. And don’t wander around looking for Jihyun.”

“Wow, that’s harsh. You’re making baseless accusations about things I haven’t even done.”

Though Shin Haeryang didn’t comment on Seo Jihyuk’s wet clothes and bruised face, his gaze alone seemed enough to make Seo Jihyuk shut his mouth as if he’d been hit.

“Even if I don’t come back, prioritize evacuating civilians.”

“Ah, abandoning superiors is what I do best.”