WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Chen

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◈ Surviving as an Office Worker at the Anomaly Management Bureau ◈

Chapter 8: Containment

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Yoo Da-on smiled confidently.

-Bang!

Of course, that smile vanished when she was rammed and sent flying backward.

Was that what happened when someone crashed into an iron door?

Yoo Da-on was embedded in the wall, spread-eagled. Before long, she let out a groan and got back on her feet.

“Just because my body heals doesn’t mean I can’t feel pain, does it?”

“The world isn’t that convenient.”

Yoo Da-on staggered toward me. Every time she took a step, cracking noises rang out from inside her body. Were her bones setting themselves back into place?

The adult form did nothing as Yoo Da-on approached me. It merely turned the part that seemed to be its face between her and me.

“At least, I think I can buy us some time.”

Yoo Da-on stretched, then interlocked her fingers and pushed her hands forward as if warming up.

I think I said this last time too, but with her clothes reduced to rags, things that should not have been visible were showing. I was not sure whether I should be looking at all.

“The problem is that buying time is all I can do. I instinctively know my body will heal, but I don’t think I can fight that thing and win.”

“That does seem to be the case.”

If this were a game, she would be a monster with unlimited health and an attack power of around five. Wasn’t she basically a practice dummy?

“But I can buy time. I can stick to it and try something, at least.”

She was a reliable tank, sure, but that did not mean there were no variables. She could be parasitized again like before, and regenerating without dying did not make her invincible.

“Either way, there’s no harm in ending this quickly.”

I looked at the adult form, which was still motionless. Was it observing us?

I looked at it once more.

[Name: Life of a Butterfly - Incomplete Adult Form]

[Age: ???]

[Trait: Parasite Creation]

[Talent: ???]

[Background: This entity had one foot in great evolution, but that evolution was obstructed by a mere creature.]

[Weakness: A butterfly that cannot emerge from its pupa through its own power is bound to die without ever spreading its wings.]

I studied the weakness carefully.

A butterfly.

Did that mean it had not fully recovered its strength yet?

I told Yoo Da-on what I thought, and she nodded in agreement.

I did not mention that I had seen its weakness, but she seemed to understand what I meant in her own way.

“I understand what you mean, but I don’t think we have time to think this through properly.”

She stepped in front of me.

Slowly, the adult form flew toward us. It moved at about the speed of a person walking.

“I’ll leave it to you. Burn it, tear it apart, whatever you need to do. I’ll buy time, so just focus on taking it down, Jae-heon. Use any means necessary.”

Then she strode forward again and collided with the adult form.

-Bang!

Yoo Da-on’s body slammed into the ground, but she sprang back up like a coiled spring and charged at it again.

How could she suddenly leave everything to me like this?

I had to solve this quickly.

I had no idea how long Yoo Da-on could endure, and I did not want her to suffer any longer than necessary.

In the darkness, I pulled out the manual.

[Manual for Office Workers]

BB - Containment Procedures

1. If containment has failed, the systems inside the Containment Chamber are likely to have stopped. In this case, physically subduing the contained entity is recommended.

2. Weapons for subduing the contained entity are provided in every Containment Chamber. A weapon suitable for the employee’s capabilities will be supplied.

To use the weapon, pull the lever near the entrance to the Containment Chamber. From the moment you read this sentence, the lever will become visible.

If you had something like this, would it kill you to tell me beforehand?

Forcing myself to ignore the crashing sounds, I ran toward the entrance.

Just as the manual said, I could see a lever that had not been there before.

“Ah, whatever.”

-Creak!

I pulled the lever.

Something clicked into place, and something fell onto my head.

It did not feel especially heavy, so it seemed to be something light.

I crouched down and picked it up.

“...Butane gas?”

It was a canister of butane gas for a portable gas burner.

It was completely new, red cap and all.

“...What kind of-”

A curse rose to my lips as I stared at the butane gas.

[Name: Butane Gas]

[Age: Manufactured in the 1990s]

[Trait: X]

[Talent: X]

[Background: This butane gas was manufactured by a certain company in the early 1990s in an attempt to create an infinite supply of gas. However, they did not expect it to produce an unquenchable flame rather than gas. This item is currently contained within the Management Bureau and is deployed to assist personnel when necessary. To use it, shake it vigorously and open the cap.]

[Weakness: If shaken too much, the fire will shoot out in the opposite direction.]

“...”

Was this for real?

Whose idea was it that this item suited me perfectly? I worked for the Management Bureau, but sometimes, no, almost every time, I could not understand what these people were thinking.

And if it fired backward, wouldn’t I be the one getting burned?

Though this was not the time to question it.

I slowly shook the butane gas and approached Yoo Da-on and the adult form.

Yoo Da-on was doing exactly as she said, desperately holding the adult form back.

Though I was not sure whether “holding it back” was the right phrase, or whether she was simply taking hits for us.

-Bang!

Yoo Da-on was thrown toward me, then got up with a groan.

Her grotesquely twisted shoulders and legs returned to their proper positions as though nothing had happened.

“Did you find something?”

“Sort of.”

When I showed her the butane gas, Yoo Da-on looked puzzled, but she went forward again.

“Do I need to hold it down?”

“It shoots fire.”

“Getting burned hurts a lot.”

Getting beaten up did not hurt? Had this woman really become a human practice dummy?

“Just a moment.”

After shaking the butane gas a few more times, I stood beside Yoo Da-on and opened the red cap.

-Whoosh!

An immense wave of heat swept over us.

Flames exploded outward. If science had made a fireball, perhaps this was what it would feel like.

The flames struck the adult form as it headed toward the entrance, engulfing it completely.

The adult form writhed in the fire. Its wings shook, its body trembled, and anyone could see it was in pain.

Still, I could not stop. Carelessness was always what got people killed.

I kept roasting the adult form with fire for another three minutes. Only after its movements seemed to stop did I close the cap and inspect it.

-Sizzle...

The smell of burning protein filled the air.

The adult form was still flapping its wings in the same spot.

The only difference was that its body was charred in places.

The terrifying thing was that it could still fly even in that state, and had not collapsed.

And then...

-Smack!

Yoo Da-on shoved me away and vanished from sight.

-Bang!

One side of the Containment Chamber wall caved in. Yoo Da-on was pinned against it, her neck gripped in the adult form’s hand.

It had not been that fast before. What was this?

“Ghk, cough!”

Yoo Da-on struggled and repeatedly punched the adult form’s arm, but it did not budge. It stared at her, then...

Crack.

It snapped her neck and threw her far away.

Yoo Da-on flew off like a discarded rag. Before I could react, the adult form was right in front of me.

“What the-”

-Clack.

This time, the adult form grabbed my neck.

My breath was cut off at once, and my legs began to flail without my realizing it.

Why? Why was it not dead? Had the Management Bureau made a mistake?

“L-let that person go...! Aah!”

Yoo Da-on had already returned to normal. She wrapped her arms around the adult form’s upper body and strained with all her might, but a single gesture from it sent her flying away.

From the start, it felt less like Yoo Da-on could defeat the adult form and more like she could draw its aggro.

I felt its grip tighten.

My consciousness began to fade.

Was this really the end?

Then another thought came to me.

What if this was not why they had given me the butane gas?

What if it meant I could not solve this problem with my strength alone?

With my fading consciousness, I shook the canister, pointed the opening toward the ceiling, and flicked off the cap with my thumb.

-Whoosh!

Flames burst forth as they had before.

Only this time, they shot toward the ceiling instead of the adult form.

The flames struck the ceiling. In response, a mechanical voice came from the speakers.

<A fire and a contained entity have been detected inside the containment room. Forced suppression will begin. Personnel inside must exit as quickly as possible. The Management Bureau bears no responsibility for any problems caused by delayed evacuation.>

-Shhhhhh!

The moment the announcement ended, a chill ran down my spine.

This feeling was exactly like the one I had felt in the containment control room.

Darkness fell over my vision in an instant. When I could see again, both of the adult form’s wings had already been cut off.

The wingless adult form collapsed onto the floor, and I fell with it.

<Containment procedures will begin. 10, 9, 8, 7...>

I did not know what was happening, but I could not stay here.

I quickly pushed myself up and prepared to run for the entrance.

I looked toward Yoo Da-on. Her body was completely uninjured, and she was running for the entrance too.

<6>

The entrance was not far.

<5>

My foot caught on the remains of the cocoon, and I nearly fell, but somehow kept my balance.

<4>

Yoo Da-on stood at the door, waving me over.

<3>

The door was right in front of me. At this rate, I would make it.

<2>

Something grabbed my ankle, and I crashed to the floor.

<1>

I turned around to see the adult form clutching my ankle as it desperately climbed onto my body.

“No!”

I heard Yoo Da-on scream.

<0. Forced containment procedures will begin. Once physical entry becomes possible, please collect the remaining debris and corpses.>

The world went dark.

It was not simply that I could not see.

Whether my eyes were open or closed, there was only darkness. It was as if someone had wrapped darkness around my eyes.

-Crunch... crunch...

Something was chewing.

It sounded like something with a hard shell being eaten.

At times, I heard something flapping violently as though it was desperately resisting. But those sounds soon faded, as if resistance was meaningless.

-Gulp.

Something swallowed.

I desperately moved my eyes. I had to think of some way to survive this.

Then my gaze met that of something looking at me.

I could not make out its shape properly, but I could tell it was smiling as if amused.

[Name: ???]

[Age: ???]

[Trait: This is interesting.]

[Talent: I didn’t think you’d make it this far.]

[Background: Since this is interesting, I’ll let you go this time.]

My eyes began to malfunction.

No, perhaps it was not a malfunction. This thing was continuing a conversation through my eyes.

[Weakness: Why not try solving it with your own strength next time?]

Soon, the pressure crushing me disappeared, and the lights in the Containment Chamber came on.

There was nothing where the adult form should have been.

As though there had never been anything here in the first place.

“...”

I did not pass out this time. I simply could not lift my head because of the overwhelming migraine.

“Jae-heon! Are you okay?”

Relief filled me as I watched Yoo Da-on rush over to support me, calling my name.

Still, somehow, I had survived.

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