Bailonz Street 13-Chapter 260.2

I stepped one pace deeper into the fog of the concourse.

Just before this, I had gone to the information sign, copied the entire rule list and memorized it.

And just like when finding the information board, I pierced the fog using the sun catcher I’d received from the agents, barely identifying the location of the ‘Single-Use Ticket Vending · Card Reload Device’ and setting our direction.

“That way.”

Up to this point, the process was similar to last time, but…

The approach was different.

We could now choose the safest possible route.

“Section Chief, please follow exactly the path Supervisor Goat takes.”

“Yes.”

Using his special sight, Baek Saheon looked for the route with the fewest ‘dangers’.

And we weren’t using the warding pollock this time.

‘It was difficult to obtain.’

And in the escape method we would attempt this time, it wasn’t necessary.

Instead, to obey the rule ‘never get separated from the group’, we used two items.

Nothing extravagant, just items that kept us within each other’s radius.

Chain-less Handcuffs

The invisible chains of these handcuffs prevents wearers from moving beyond a fixed radius.

Born from Daydream Inc.’s Kind Seed Kit, these belonged to Assistant Manager Eun Haje.

And as we walked…

“We’ve arrived.”

At the single-use transit card vending machine, I pulled out cards.

Seven in total.

“There are six of us, so why—”

“Shh.”

I kept all the cards. And then…

Here was the crucial part.

“……”

After carefully confirming the turnstiles, I crossed to the entrance side.

Alone.

And.

Beep.

Beep.

Beep-beep…

I tagged six of the cards I was holding one after another.

And as the sixth card tagged, I passed through the turnstile.

“…It’s done.”

I collected five of those cards into one pocket. Then, without running, I moved at a brisk, urgent pace.

Into the thicker fog.

…Accompanied by the news broadcast that began echoing from somewhere.

– Another body has been discovered in the ■■■ Forest of Sekwang Special Metropolitan City.

[Oh. It has begun again.]

Reflexive cold sweat.

I rang my bell and forced myself not to be lured by the news, pushing my feet forward. Beside me, I could hear Baek Saheon gritting his teeth as he kept our direction.

“What is this, just what…”

With his danger-detecting sight, this must look like a minefield.

One that was approaching us.

More precisely…

– Don’t you want to give up too?

Approaching me.

“……”

Baek Saheon was desperately steering us along the best possible route.

And once we had moved far enough from the turnstiles, our pace quickened.

“Uuurk.”

Above my head, something thumped—hard, soft—again and again. The feet of the corpses. They were close. I forced myself to think, to keep from panicking.

‘I did my best.’

All that mattered was getting through quickly.

The more people there were, the harder this place became to handle. A small team moving without separating was essential. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

‘That’s why three is optimal.’

Someone to secure a visual on the perimeter.

Someone to lead the way.

And…

Someone to physically destroy things.

– Don’t you want to give u—

They arrived…

“Please get down.”

Section Chief Lee Jaheon reached out.

The noose falling toward my head was caught in his hand. At the moment his arm muscles tightened from the strain, the tough rope shredded apart thread by thread.

The noose that had tried to seize my neck was ripped and ruined in Section Chief Lee Jaheon’s hand.

No.

Not just one.

Fwick.

In the fog, Section Chief Lee Jaheon began tearing apart the nooses and corpses dropping above my head purely with ‘brute force’.

It was an astonishing display of power.

“We’ll move faster!”

“Yes.”

And even while running, Section Chief Lee Jaheon began crushing everything his hands touched without hesitation, whether it be corpses, trees, or nooses.

It was insane. A complete disregard for the rules.

‘Crazy.’

So this was the power of a brute force specialist?

The overwhelming force was so unreal it felt like a horror novel had suddenly become pulp action, and for a moment, even fear evaporated, replaced by catharsis.

The thrill of choosing the perfect recruit lasted only a moment.

Fwick.

[Good heavens, that one was rather close!]

As we sprinted toward the stairs, I nearly got hanged about three times, each time narrowly saved by Section Chief Lee Jaheon.

‘Ha.’

And finally…

The stairs came into view.

The blade of a jakdu glowing bright blue in the fog.

‘We made it.’

Just before setting foot on it—

……

I stopped.

“Are you insane? Get over—”

“Take off the cuffs and go down.”

Without a single follow-up question, Baek Saheon unlinked the cuffs and ran down the stairs.

But…

The fog did not follow him.

‘As expected.’

Last time, the fog had chased us beneath the platform because we had been registered as passengers.

Put another way.

‘Only the one registered as a passenger shouldn’t go down to the platform, and should just hold out until the train arrives.’

In other words, I alone will stand there holding all the cards.

Put simply, I’ll be drawing the nooses’ aggro.

Of course, that’s a perfect way to die.

No matter how much Section Chief Lee blocked, he would also be breaking countless rules in the process and becoming a target himself. As time passed, danger would rise exponentially…

“You’ve done well, Grapes-ie.”

From here on, everyone else joined in.

From the fog-free stairway, Binding Ropes began pushing back the mist around my feet, and Glass Handgun rounds fired.

Equipment from the Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau, prepared specifically for this expedition.

“Keep steady!”

As I experience every strange phenomenon that comes with being a visitor of the ‘Forest of Final Moments’, the others strip away as much of it as they can for me.

And if we just endured like this…

The train is approaching.

“It’s coming!”

The roaring approach of the train echoed through the fog. Standing on the very edge of the stairs, I twisted away from nooses and held out.

Passengers, please observe proper etiquette and board safely.

Endure.

Again.

Endure.

And then…

The screen doors are opening.

“Roe, now!”

I spun around.

Then reached into my pocket and threw five cards down onto the platform below.

“…!”

The cards landed neatly near the open screen doors.

“Pick them up and get on!”

Exactly.

‘It doesn’t matter who tags the turnstile, as long as you have a ticket, you’re a passenger…!’

So if I delayed the passenger status until the very last moment, and only threw the cards right before boarding—

‘We can make the platform as safe as possible…!’

“Move out!”

We all ran at once.

As everyone leapt down the stairs, grabbed a card, and sprinted toward the train doors.

I started a heartbeat later, buying a few more seconds before the fog spread too far. Section Chief Lee Jaheon ran beside me, ripping vines and ropes away. Splinters, straw, and dry flesh scattered through the air.

“Section Chief!”

Assistant Manager Eun Haje, who had picked up one of the cards, threw it. Section Chief Lee slapped away a piece of a noose and caught the card, then hauled me into the train as he leapt inside.

Finally, as Agent Choi grabbed his card—

The screen doors are closing.

Section Chief Lee yanked away the noose falling over Agent Choi.

I grabbed Agent Choi’s arm and hurled him.

Into the train.

Thud.

“……”

“……”

“Ha.”

Flattened on the train floor, Agent Choi exhaled.

“We survived.”

[The train is departing.]

With a thunderous roar, we began leaving Sekwang Station behind.

Salt Goblin

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