NOVEL NEXT WORLD Abnormal phenomena are generally things that defy common sense.
Space, matter, electricity, heat, energy, force, space, time, dimension, life, complex systems, etc.
Those that ignore the fundamental principles of nature are beings that can never be dealt with through ordinary means.
So, how has the Abnormal Phenomena Management Office managed to suppress and capture them all this time?
Well, let’s be honest: countless people have shed blood for that to happen.
Unfortunately, what I’m about to discuss isn’t some touching tale of their sacrifices not recorded in history.
Of course, the hearts of those who wish to contribute to humanity’s future with their lives should be respected.
However, no matter how many have made heroic sacrifices against monsters,
The reality is that it would still be comparable to a toothpick charging at a tank, leading to nothing more than a pointless death.
Especially if those monsters possess characteristics that cannot possibly exist in the real world, it would only be more so.
Thus, the Management Office began to categorize those ‘characteristics that cannot exist in the real world.’
Reality manipulation, anomalous phenomena, mental contamination, etc.
Due to those characteristics being scientifically impossible to properly prove, the Management Office struggled not only to implement them but even to analyze them adequately.
Fortunately, after a long accumulation of data, they were able to prepare a certain degree of countermeasures and responses.
Ultimately, they succeeded in partly manifesting those characteristics in reality, which had a significant impact on managing the abnormal phenomena.
And the Management Office began to select individuals with extraordinary abilities to attempt to combine those characteristics.
As a result of those attempts, they succeeded in capturing and isolating countless abnormal phenomena on the front lines.
Those individuals were deployed only in the most dangerous and urgent situations within the Management Office.
They were called experts in abnormal response.
And today, they were fighting against abnormal phenomena around the world, saving the planet―
—
This could be considered a rough image most of those working in the Management Office have of the abnormal response experts.
Well, it’s kind of inevitable.
The Management Office is bustling about to prevent abnormal phenomena from causing chaos in society, but most of its members are simply ordinary humans.
Facing beings that seem to have just jumped out of a nightmare, human minds are not exactly sturdy enough to be trusted.
Every day, the personnel from the Management Office, who deeply realized the fact that they were just mere humans, faced beings capable of endangering cities, nations, or even the entire world.
They were longing, somewhere deep in their hearts, for a special superhuman that was not an ordinary human like themselves.
However, unfortunately…
The so-called experts are not the superhumans from stories or heroes from movies.
They merely possess slightly special abilities compared to others.
In the end, they were born human and living as humans.
No matter how seasoned a diver they may be, in a raging sea accompanied by storms and crashing waves, they are still just insignificant humans.
Similarly, no matter how many experiences and skills they have from surviving many operations—
When strange phenomena that are incomprehensible and unimaginable suddenly rush in, they can do nothing but helplessly be swept away by those waves.
“….”
Cooper knew well that the so-called experts were far from the heroes depicted in films.
Of course, it was undeniably true that they were skilled individuals who were highly trained and recognized within the Management Office.
Who wouldn’t welcome a veteran who had come to assist in a life-threatening environment?
However, in instances like now, where unprecedented threatening characteristics from abnormal phenomena were occurring indiscriminately, even those experts,
Could only die helplessly like ants crushed under the careless foot of a person walking without regarding beneath them.
‘But what the heck is that…’
But the girl in front of him was something different.
It couldn’t be casually guessed whether she was actually a girl or not, but—
Her excessive calmness even in the face of the muzzle, and her ability to kick open a door that didn’t budge even against explosions…
The way she appeared almost numbed for a human being seemed more like—
‘No, that’s not something to be concerned about right now.’
Cooper lightly shook his head, dismissing unnecessary thoughts.
While it was true that he felt a sense of unease from the girl, it was not something to prioritize at the moment.
After all, there was something far greater looming right in front of him!
To prevent bombs from raining down on densely populated areas around the world, the Management Office would undoubtedly resort to the extreme measure of obliterating this facility and everything nearby.
And amidst that obliteration, his body would likely turn to ashes, without even being buried in a grave.
If even a hair’s breadth of his life remained in him, acting to stop the countdown bomb rather than pondering the identity of the mysterious girl right before him would be exponentially more beneficial.
He decided to halt his suspicions toward her and maintain a reasonable degree of vigilance instead.
‘Well, if they were planning to kill me, they would have done so long ago.’
To think coldly, if they had intended on killing him, they could have done it at any time.
Just moments ago, he had totally failed to notice them, and had they pulled the trigger in that situation, there would already be a neat hole in his head.
And given that his head was intact now, they were at least not hostile organizations that had infiltrated amidst the chaos or some unidentified monster residing underground in this facility.
Of course, that assumption was made under the premise that monsters don’t have the perverse taste of toying with their prey to death…
Regardless, thinking that far in this situation would be something only a paranoid person would do, so Cooper lightly shook his head again.
As he shifted his gaze, he saw a man fiddling with the equipment in the control room.
It seemed that from the moment they arrived at the control room, everything that unfolded was entirely up to him.
After the door of the control room opened, the girl only sat on a dusty chair swinging her legs in mid-air.
Well, considering she had kicked open a door tightly blocked due to the anomalous phenomenon, she had more than fulfilled her part.
Even if she could skillfully operate the control panel, it would be of no use if she couldn’t get the launch control room door open.
In fact, despite the personnel prepared to risk their lives for it, no one had successfully completed their mission.
Perhaps they all had been frustrated at the door and eventually disappeared into eternal darkness.
He could understand the clearer reason behind why his comrades in the bunker never returned.
“….”
With Eleanor silently sitting beside him, Cooper turned his gaze toward the man.
Tap, tap, tap went the sounds of typing and buttons.
The man was skillfully manipulating the machinery, but for some reason, the screen displaying the device offered no sign of proceeding further.
It was obvious why. The security procedures for the launch control panel were typically anything but simple due to the characteristics of this facility.
Normally, help would come through communication, or more personnel would take over their respective jobs to resolve the issue.
But in this situation, where they couldn’t even communicate with the outside world, it was impossible to indulge in such leisure.
“That.”
“…?”
Thus, he decided to intervene a little.
It wasn’t because he was being nosy; it was crucial for him to stop the launch for his own survival.
In a situation where there was no way to contact Headquarters,
If the Management Office concluded they had failed their mission and activated the final containment protocol—
Everyone here would be blown to bits without even getting to feel that their trip to this room bore fruit.
Of course, there was still time to spare, so Headquarters wouldn’t make such a hasty decision just yet.
Even so, just in case, he figured it would be wise to hurry things along a bit.
“If you go in that order, it won’t advance to the next step. Input the F-3 code first instead of B-1.”
As Cooper said this, the man looked at him.
His face was covered by goggles, so it was impossible to discern his expression. Still, the meaning behind the action was something anyone could easily grasp.
A moment later, the man began typing something into the control console according to what he had just heard.
“…It’s progressing.”
After a few button clicks, the screen flickered a few times, and at last, the man was able to see the progressing status of the task at a far faster speed than before.
“Do you remember all the security procedures? Impressive, it must have been quite a lot to memorize everything.”
“Sadly, it seems I’ve spent quite a long time in this facility.”
Cooper forced a smile.
To someone else, this situation would be a fortunate coincidence rather than something unfortunate, but he didn’t seem to think of it that way.
Due to inadvertently being forced to work here for an extended period, he could rapidly complete tasks even under pressure.
To be honest, had he not worked here in the first place, he wouldn’t have found himself in such a desperate situation.
But what can be done? What has happened has happened, and the tasks necessary for survival were predetermined.
Instead of dwelling unnecessarily on complaints, Cooper focused on overcoming the situation he found himself in.
The man, in turn, began to frantically pound the control panel according to his words.
Tap, tap, tap.
The dry sound of buttons echoed continuously throughout the room.
Only a day remained before the bombs would be launched.
The hour hand was steadily moving toward its end.