Humanity Protection Company

TL/Editor: raei

Schedule: 5/week

Illustrations: None.

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Lee Yeonwoo took a stance to throw the box, glaring down at the anomalous entities as he spoke.

"I don't know if you can understand me, but let's stop here. If you push any further, I might do something drastic."

A threat laced with sincerity.

If cornered before the eraser arrived, Yeonwoo would roll the dice without hesitation.

'Simple damage won't cut it. Spatial displacement is pointless too.'

Whether they understood the threat was unclear. The three anomalous entities by the window remained motionless, staring at Yeonwoo. Their mechanical eyes betrayed no emotion or thought.

"..."

"..."

As he locked eyes with the unblinking anomalies, heavy footsteps approached.

Thud- Thud-

The sound came from the entrance. The footsteps didn't stop, but slowly drew closer, one step at a time.

Thud- Thud-

Yeonwoo craned his neck to look over the railing. Below stood a combatant in full battle gear. The helmet and combat suit were clearly visible from above.

The armor looked impenetrable at a glance. Yeonwoo tossed his heavy bag aside.

'The gun would've been useless anyway.'

What good would a pistol do against a fully armored combatant? Unless he had the skill of a movie assassin to target weak spots.

'Throw the box to block their ascent, then roll the dice-'

As Yeonwoo turned back to check on the anomalous entities by the window, he let out a small sigh.

The three entities that had been standing in front of the window had moved. They were now lined up on the first three steps of the staircase, heads slightly bowed, eyes still fixed on Yeonwoo.

Yeonwoo released his grip on the box.

"Right, what's the point in threatening anomalies?"

Actions spoke louder than words.

Yeonwoo summoned the dice, instantly recalling the judgments he'd been contemplating since seeing his parallel world self.

'Starting with the least risky.'

First, slipping. Then, leg fracture. Next, loss of sensation. Finally, loss of muscle strength. Judgments that wouldn't invite major danger even if they failed or critically failed.

'At least one should succeed.'

Excited by the successive requests, the dice leapt up and began to roll merrily.

Clatter-

Success! Crash! Failure! Crash!

Bang!

Suddenly, people's feet slipped, and they tumbled forward and backward. The combatant's helmet slammed into the floor, while those on the stairs tumbled down, ending up in a tangled heap.

Smiling, Yeonwoo immediately threw the box at them. It hit the stairs with a bang, bounced, and struck a researcher in the solar plexus.

Then, silence.

"..."

"..."

The anomalous entities, some face-down on the floor, others pinned under bodies, and some fallen backward, moved only their eyes to look at Yeonwoo.

Yeonwoo didn't avert his gaze. His hand fumbled for another box.

'I'll hold out with this, and if I'm pushed back, I'll roll.'

Of course, there were many entities.

Yeonwoo stepped back to widen his field of view. He kept the entire first floor of the studio apartment in sight, ready to react instantly no matter where they might appear.

How long did that tension last?

Blink-

In the instant his eyelids closed and reopened.

The living room was packed with people.

"..."

"..."

All the anomalous entities that had been outside were now crowded below the railing, their gazes fixed on Yeonwoo. Even those he had tied up with rope rolled their eyes to look at him.

The stares, piercing even through helmets. Eerie gazes like camera lenses, all directed at Yeonwoo.

If they all rushed him at once...

Yeonwoo calmly clenched his fist. His heart raced, blood coursing through his veins. He consciously slowed his rapid breathing.

'Don't get excited. Don't tense up too much.'

Staying calm was key to survival. To avoid mistakes. To respond appropriately.

"For now."

Whoosh-

Yeonwoo leaned against the wall near the stairs, keeping his field of view as wide as possible. They might come up to the loft at any moment.

Keeping both the loft and first floor in sight, he fumbled for his phone and made a call. The other party answered immediately.

"Yes, Investigator Yeonwoo!"

"When are you coming? When will the eraser arrive?"

"I'm not sure."

"What?"

Unable to glare at the phone while maintaining his view, Yeonwoo's eyes narrowed dangerously. His voice rose.

"What kind of answer is that-"

"We've contacted them, and I heard they've deployed immediately! But since the eraser isn't from our department, I don't know the exact time. I'll give you their contact info, so you should call them directly..."

Essentially telling him to contact the responsible department since it wasn't their jurisdiction.

Yeonwoo abruptly ended the call and raised the phone high. He hurled it forcefully over the railing.

Smack-!

The phone struck the forehead of the original male entity watching Yeonwoo. It hit squarely with its edge.

"..."

The head tilted back slightly, then returned to its original position. A trickle of blood ran down from the split forehead, but the eyes remained fixed on Yeonwoo.

Yeonwoo stared back, his eyes filled with irritation.

'If you escaped the container, why come here and cause trouble? Why not go somewhere else?'

The frustration that began with the phone call spread like wildfire through his mind. He couldn't even count how many times this had happened, nor did he want to.

'I should just roll for deletion-'

Slap-!

A crisp impact. Yeonwoo had slapped his own cheek. Rubbing his reddening, swollen cheek, he muttered.

"Calm down, you need to survive. Getting angry won't help. It's not beneficial."

If he rolled for deletion and critically failed, he might receive something unmanageable.

"I'm not cornered enough to roll that."

Yeonwoo continued muttering, calming himself. The stinging pain quickly dissipated his anger and irritation. Survival instinct alone filled the void left by emotion.

Looking down at the anomalous entities, Yeonwoo had a thought. The densely packed anomalies.

'...They're all here? If I could knock them all down at once, I could escape. Dice.'

Focusing on the dice in a corner of his mind, Yeonwoo opened his hand, mimicking his future self. He spoke earnestly.

"Let's succeed just this once. Just this. I'm not even hoping for a critical success. Just a success. So, slipping."

Clatter-

The dice rolled.

Before the result appeared, Yeonwoo clenched his fist tightly. The dice continued to roll. Unlike his future self, he couldn't stop it at the desired result.

But in the instant before the result appeared, less than a second.

Yeonwoo felt a strange sensation. A peculiar certainty, as if he knew the outcome without seeing it.

'It succeeded!'

Success!

Bang crash-!

The tightly packed people fell simultaneously, entangling chaotically. Helmets collided with sharp impacts, and protective gear clashed noisily.

There was no time to focus on that strange sensation.

Yeonwoo's eyes gleamed as he immediately descended the stairs. Taking two steps at a time, he leapt down. Stepping on the solar plexus of fallen anomalies, he bounded forward.

Amidst the motionless gazes, he stopped in front of the descent device.

'The corridor, elevator, and emergency stairs are too dangerous.'

Hurriedly throwing the rope outside, loosely fastening the belt around his chest, he climbed over the windowsill still bearing bullet holes and glass shards.

Ssssk-

Being barefoot, glass shards cut into his soles. Red blood spread. Yeonwoo gritted his teeth but didn't stop moving.

With the loose chest belt, he gripped the rope with both hands and slowly descended. The device lowered him.

From the 7th floor to the 6th.

Yeonwoo inhaled the fresh outside air, then set his expression firmly. His hands gripped the rope tightly enough to abrade his skin.

"..."

"..."

At the window of the apartment below Yeonwoo's. Three anomalous entities leaned their foreheads against the window, watching him. Their eyes followed Yeonwoo, moving in sync with the device's speed.

From the 6th floor to the 5th, from the 5th to the 4th.

Anomalous entities watched Yeonwoo from windows on every floor. From empty apartments, after turning the occupants into anomalies.

Finally reaching the ground.

Yeonwoo staggered as his injured bare feet touched the road. Sharp pain shot from his soles to his scalp.

Even so, his vigilant gaze caught the people at the entrance. People lined up behind the glass of the studio apartment's first floor.

And he also saw the company's support.

Vroom-! Screech-!

A black motorcycle cut across the road, stopping beside Yeonwoo. Leather boots stepped onto the skid mark left behind.

The person in a helmet and rider jacket pulled out an eraser from their chest, making a horizontal hand motion. The gesture didn't stop.

The eraser moved vertically in succession.

The studio apartment building completely vanished. As Yeonwoo stared blankly at where the building had been, a muffled voice came from behind the helmet.

"Core building erased. Please confirm if there are any surviving entities."

Only then did Yeonwoo turn to look at the company employee.

The black helmet, likely an enhanced reality device, had blue and red lights on its dark face. A system linked to hacked CCTVs and home cameras, observing the area.

Suddenly unsure of even their gender, the person looked at Yeonwoo and nodded slightly.

"Investigator Yeonwoo? I'll need your cooperation. It seems that anomalous entity targeted you specifically."

"No, my home. No. Why target me?"

The eraser-wielding company employee was silent for a moment before answering.

"There's a certain group creating anomalous entities. It appears they've taken an interest in you, Investigator Yeonwoo."

"No, ah."

Yeonwoo forgot his pain and rubbed his face.

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