Bailonz Street 13-Chapter 244.3

“…!!”

I hurriedly pulled it out. The black rectangle had its popsocket still attached.

It’s the same phone I used to carry when I worked at Daydream.

‘What?’

I powered it on in a rush. Amazingly, it booted.

There’s no cell signal and wifi is dead. But…

The most important thing appeared.

Dark Exploration Records

I could read the wiki. Like before.

“……”

“Oh, phones don’t get service!”

“…Yes. Clearly.”

My heart nearly leapt out.

I was about to reply as naturally as possible to Assistant Manager Lee Seonghae and turn off my smartphone screen… when I suddenly realized something.

‘She can’t see it?’

“Um, could you try reading this page?”

After a moment’s hesitation, I carefully held out the page that only showed the words Dark Exploration Records to Assistant Manager Lee Seonghae.

But she just tilted her head to the side.

“There’s nothing to read? Ah, if you want my thoughts, looks like you’re just using the default wallpaper. Pretty boringg!”

“…Thank you.”

She can’t see it.

‘So only I can read it?’

My ears rang with the pounding of my heart.

‘I don’t know why, but this will make checking things a lot easier.’

Barely keeping my composure, I pretended to keep inspecting the phone.

And noticed something else.

The popsocket’s design is different.

‘The crack is gone.’

So it finally got fixed?

Also, the center of the popsocket, which used to have an ‘X’ mark, was finished in red instead of gold…

“…?”

What is that?

I couldn’t tell what it meant. Or where this popsocket-equipped phone had even been all this time…

[Do you truly not know, Mr. Roe Deer?]

[Let’s do a bit of deduction. A place unknown to you, yet always with you…]

“……”

Ah.

‘No way.’

A rather chilling hypothesis formed in my head…

Inside my body.

…The popsocket had sunk into my melted body and clumped together with my uniform. I’d been merged with this popsocket all along……

‘If so…’

That strange edit function I could use, that ability…

‘Did it… derive from this?’

A numbing shock in my head, fear that my body might melt again, my mind trying to recall just what state I’d been in a moment ago—

Bzzzzzt.

“…!”

The smartphone vibrated.

I barely snapped out of my thoughts and, reflexively, turned on my smartphone.

And there…

Newly Registered Page

(1) Sekwang Subway Map

A notification from Dark Exploration Records’ wiki said a new page had been added.

It was, of course, a familiar kind of page. But…

‘That shouldn’t be possible.’

This wiki is composed out of my memories, so something like this shouldn’t appear.

In my confusion I moved my hand and tapped.

Sekwang Subway Map

– (Unregistered)

– (Unregistered)

– (Unregistered)

– (Unregistered)

– (Unregistered)

– (Unregistered)

– (Unregistered)

“……”

A strange hunch came over me.

‘Is this… a function of the newly fixed popsocket?’

In the six months I melted down and worked as Special Division staff, just what had this popsocket been completed into?

“If everyone’s finished checking, let’s move.”

“Yepp!”

For now I left the page—which showed nothing registered—alone, and started moving with the others.

‘I’ve got to be careful.’

It’s great to be back in a human body, but at the same time, it’s only human to miss the abilities I used back then…

Like veterans, the five of us made no noise or sudden moves, slowly opened our lines of sight, and climbed the platform stairs.

Step. Step.

Only the calm thump of our steps came through.

And then, when the top beyond the stairs began to come into view…

A forest spread out.

“…!!”

There, in dim light, a vast fog-shrouded forest had formed.

The structures of the subway station. Fire hydrants, tactile paving, escalators, information boards, mirrors, and the ceiling with lights were still in place, but they had become strangely large and repeated like a maze.

And the gaps between them were packed with trees, soil, and fog…

It was gloomy, and because of the fog we could hardly secure any visibility.

“……”

“……Hold on.”

Agent Choi sniffed a little of the fog and grimaced.

“I don’t think it’s toxic, for now. But cover your faces just in case. If you feel even a little off, we head straight back to the platform.”

“Yes.”

“It’s best to check the information boards first. Supernatural disasters that have a ‘domain’ are likely to be ghost stories with rules.”

“Good. Volunteers for the vanguard? …Wow, you’re all very eager. Every one of you is scout material, seriously.”

This is what happens when only well-equipped old hands move together.

In the end, we all started toward the information boards.

We stepped between the trees.

Rustle.

Dry leaves crinkled underfoot with a brittle sound. Somewhere, something made a gloomy noise…

And soon, while it wasn’t an information board, we did find one huge sign.

“Ah.”

Covered in vines and trees on the wall, it was a station name sign.

Similar to what we’d seen on the platform, but with a difference.

“They’re printing the ‘sponsored’ name too.”

“Sponsored?”

“Yeah. You know how they sell station nameplates, like a hospital or company name alongside the real station name for revenue.”

Right.

It’s mostly for advertising effect.

But the station name printed here was…

Sekwang Transit Authority

SEKWANG STATION

(Forest of Final Moments)

“……”

“……”

We all knew it at once.

This was no normal ‘sponsored station name’.

In that moment—

Bzzzt.

‘…!’

I quickly dropped my gaze to the smartphone. And saw it.

The wiki had updated.

Sekwang Subway Map

– Sekwang Station (Forest of Final Moments)

– (Unregistered)

– (Unregistered)

– (Unregistered)

– (Unregistered)

– (Unregistered)

– (Unregistered)

‘Sekwang Station.’

I tapped it without even breathing.

Sekwang Station (Forest of Final Moments)

A subway station in Sekwang Special Metropolitan City, also called the Forest of Hanged Trees.

On the day of the Disaster, an estimated seven thousand people evacuated to this station, making it a base for evacuees.

‘Forest of Hanged Trees…?’

The moment I read that far—

Thunk. Something touched my head.

“……”

I lifted my head.

We’d been careful while moving not to get too close to the trees, but I’d let my attention drift while looking at the phone, leaned a little toward a tree, and bumped into something dangling.

But.

Slowly, slowly, I looked again at the shape of what I’d thought was a ‘tree’ touching me…

It was a human foot.

“……”

“Grapes… hold on.”

“Oh, there’s a corpse heree. Right above Roe Deer-nim’s head.”

I realized it.

It wasn’t that thin trees and thick trees were standing densely in alternation.

The identity of the ‘thin trees’.

From each thick branch hung a corpse, necks looped, desiccated bodies swaying…

“They’re all corpses.”

“Looks like they’re all hanged.”

And then the next realization struck.

Me being human again meant I also felt again the fear of seeing terrifying things.

That I was, once more… a coward!

‘I’m screwed.’

“Shall we check our immediate surroundings tooo?”

“Good idea. Roe. Start with the one over your head. Oh, it’s barefoot.”

“…Yes, ma’am.”

Waaaugh!!

Salt Goblin

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