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On the other hand, just as those outside had to make choices, those inside had to make choices as well.

“Okay… everyone make a temporary barricade and fix the gun barrels towards the windows and doors while staying vigilant.”

What they chose was vigilance.

For reasons unknown, they had given up on going outside, and instead piled various items from the building to create barricades. In between, they fashioned small holes or mounts to aim their guns, tightening their nerves in case enemies were to break in.

Their appearance resembled soldiers more than police.

‘This is insane.’

But beneath the seemingly convincing exterior, their insides were rotting away.

The windows and doors were locked tight, and even trying to break them with chairs was futile.

This was a clear anomaly.

Moreover, the windows were as black as if painted with dark ink, and the CCTV was filled with excessive noise as if it were broken. The communication equipment had long since malfunctioned, and even smartphones were no longer operational.

Useless.

Not only was Wi-Fi impossible, but they couldn’t even use mobile data.

Worse yet, the satellite phone they kept for emergencies seemed to be receiving some sort of interference, making signals impossible to transmit. They were literally in a state of ‘isolation.’

In such a situation, the only thing reliable was their weapons.

Complaining about why police had to learn how to handle such things, they clutched their rifles, grenades, and machine guns.

Now they were soldiers, not police.

They had to be, to survive.

‘Is the enemy out there? But if they were enemies, is there really a need for this? They could just blow us away…’

Furthermore, what was making them even more uneasy was their complete lack of knowledge.

Who created this situation?

Why in the world were they doing this?

They couldn’t figure it out at all.

Are they trying to seize Dokdo?

If that were the case, soldiers would have stormed in to capture them, or at least, from afar, battleships would have shelled the building with missiles or cannons. At the very least, soldiers should have surrounded them and shouted to surrender, guaranteeing their lives.

And yet look at the current situation.

Locked doors, barred windows, sealed shutters, severed communications.

What in the world is going on here?

In any case, unless they covered the entire island, it would surely be visible to satellites.

And even if they created a smoke screen over the whole island, an advanced satellite could see through that and inspect the inside.

So rationally speaking, it would make more sense to say that such abnormal phenomena were happening in this building alone…

Common sense…

What rational reason could justify such madness?

Is it some morbid curiosity, observing a rat that voluntarily walked into a trap?

Inspector Park Jung-jun thought.

To understand the current situation.

To find a way for them to remain safe.

To seek the best path in this suffocating darkness.

Thus, he stressed his brain to the limit, pondering and pondering.

Knock, knock, knock.

Until an unidentified visitor knocked on the building’s door.

Knock, knock, knock, knock.

The rhythmic knock sound.

The sound of someone knocking on the door.

All those who heard it jumped in surprise and clutched their rifles.

No, more than just clutching them, some even unknowingly placed their fingers on the triggers.

With the safety off, a mistake would mean that bullets could fly towards the door at any moment.

Knock, knock, knock.

If that were to happen, the person making that knock would become a honeycomb.

Bullets piercing through the door would embed themselves in that person’s body.

Knock, knock, knock.

Did the person know their life was on the line?

Unfazed, the person on the other side continued knocking.

As if fully aware that someone was inside.

Pressuring them to respond.

“Who are you?!”

Inspector Park Jung-jun raised his voice in response to the knocking.

His throat was somewhat dry, causing a slight crack in his voice, but it still held a degree of authority.

“Help… please.”

Coming in response to his authoritative voice was the powerless sound of distress.

A groan emanated from the other side, presumed to be male, filled with inescapable pain and suffering, as if he would collapse at any moment.

“I ended up here by accident and need help. Please… I’m cold, hungry, and in pain….”

The pronunciation of his voice was peculiar.

Was it due to his suffering?

Or had he been injured somehow?

Or perhaps it was the unique tone that foreigners develop when speaking Korean?

“…I need a detailed explanation.”

“Detailed… ugh. Please just let me in first. I’ll explain…”

“No, explain first!”

“I’m hurting and I’m struggling… Alright….”

The voice outside slowly opened up about the situation at Inspector Park’s urging.

There was a problem with the boat, leading to it being stranded on the island.

As a result, many people on the boat were now immobilized, requiring assistance.

He managed to come this far, speaking Korean, despite being cold and hungry.

“…Hmm.”

Inspector Park contemplated upon hearing the voice.

‘Doesn’t seem like he’s lying…’

Throughout his police career, he’d encountered countless individuals who lied without a second thought.

Having dealt with such people regularly, distinguishing lies was no challenge.

Though he could only hear the voice, it didn’t seem like the person outside was lying.

“Understood. Please wait a moment. I’ll open the door.”

“Are, are you really letting me in?”

“Yes.”

“Does that mean I can enter?”

“Yes.”

“I’m coming in!”

“…Huh?”

That’s why Inspector Park decided to let them inside and hear their detailed story.

Having made up his mind…

Something felt off.

What the person outside was saying… felt a bit odd.

How should he put it…

It seemed as if the focus was slightly off…

…as if something was wrong.

‘Can I come in…? You’re saying you’ll come in…?’

That’s strange.

While it may be foreign-speak, it had a bizarre feel to it.

It sounded less like they were being granted access by the guards and more like they were saying they’d enter at their own discretion since permission had been granted.

It felt strangely unsettling.

“…Wait, hold on. Just a moment. I’ll open the door, so….”

Inspector Park hastily opened his mouth, sensing that something was going awry.

He felt an urgent need to add something before it was too late.

However…

Clank.

Clank, clank.

Clank, clank, clank, clank.

Already too late.

Creak.

Boom!

Before Inspector Park could even speak again, the windows began to shake violently as if possessed.

What had been tightly shut flew open, revealing the pitch-black scene outside.

Thump.

Then, through that opened window, hands began to burst in.

Thump.

The protruding hands grabbed the window glass, clung to the window frame, grasped the wall, and seemed to wave at the air as if trying to grab something. The arms kept extending, filling the space densely.

Dozens, hundreds of arms crawled into the room through the open window.

As if the narrow window was the only exit, they stretched out, grabbing at nothing, struggling to enter.

Only hands, without heads or bodies, filled the space, flailing around.

Their appearance was reminiscent of an anemone formed entirely of human arms.

“Shit! It’s a ghost!”

Only then did the police realize what had trapped them inside the building.

Ghosts.

Things that enjoy harming humans, beguiling them, and tormenting them.

Monsters they could see haunting the front lines.

Ghosts.

“Fire!”

They fired their weapons at the ghosts coming in through the window.

The rifles they held unleashed a deluge of bullets as if they were spray bottles, and before they realized, they even contemplated throwing grenades, only to be startled by the cramped space and hurriedly set them down.

[Ah! My arms, my arms. Oh no, my arms!]

[It feels like I’m being burned! Argh!]

The sprayed bullets tore apart the ghostly arms trying to come through the window.

The ghosts exploded, scattering rotten blood as their arms were ripped apart, and the severed limbs melted seamlessly back into the air as if they were just phantoms. The severed ends bled profusely, writhing and twisting in agony as if suffering from their injuries.

It was a grotesque sight.

However, that grotesque sight came as a glimmer of hope for the police.

That being harmed by bullets meant that physical damage was indeed being inflicted.

“This ghost wants to become an evil spirit! Since physical damage is taking effect, don’t hold back on the bullets, keep firing!”

The police held onto hope.

Hope that they could stop those things from entering the building with the guns they held.

And if they did get in, they could shower them with bullets and reduce them to nothing.

Bursting with hope, the police held their rifles tightly.

Creeeak.

Yet, the threat they had overlooked arrived to extinguish that hope.

While they were concentrated on the spirits, the front door quietly swung open.

And from the small gap created, several metal spheres rolled inside.

Chiiiiiing-!

The spheres, once inside the building, spewed out yellow smoke, enveloping the interior in a haze almost instantly.

“Argh!”

“Cover your mouths!”

“Gas masks! Gas masks!”

“My mind… is getting fuzzy…!”

And with that, their hope was extinguished.

Now, they too would have to confront what lay at the end of their choices.

 

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