Chapter 603

They moved in perfect harmony.

As if they were ants.

Some of them, with weapons hidden all over their bodies, began to drive towards the temporary command center, while others stared blankly from inside the hotel before turning their heads away. Once they made eye contact with each other, they nodded.

Graaagh.

Facing each other in pairs, they started to choke each other’s necks.

The pressure had made veins bulge from their faces, yet strangely, their expressions remained unchanged. This expressionlessness continued until they fainted, only to be replaced by faces that seemed to declare, “I am in pain and terrified” after they had lost consciousness.

It was undeniably a peculiar and bizarre sight that stimulated the uncanny valley.

Inside the hotel, they began to collapse in various places.

After two choked each other’s necks, they rolled away as if still conscious, but one ended up fainting while the other merely had finger marks left on their neck. In such cases, the fainted one would be tied up or stuffed into a cramped place, while the one with the marks would enter a cabinet and remain there with an expressionless face.

Surely, the moment someone discovers him hiding in the cabinet, that expression would morph into one filled with fear, provoked by something utterly unearthly.

Thus, a bizarre party began within the hotel.

And those who exited the hotel started to engage in strange actions.

Unlike those heading for the temporary command center, the remaining ones began to scatter as if desperately trying to distance themselves from the hotel, concealing themselves in homes, hiding in trash bins, rushing off in vehicles, hiding in parks, or seeking refuge in mini bunkers constructed for agents’ use.

Their behavior was indeed bizarre.

—

Vehicles are racing.

In those vehicles, there’s a radio.

There’s music.

There are people on board.

But the one thing that’s missing is expression.

The occupants of the vehicles maintained an extreme lack of expression.

This expressionlessness persisted until they neared their “destination,” at which point, strangely, their faces began to fill with life, as if robots were becoming humans.

Screech.

The vehicle halts, and the passengers tumble out.

Swoosh.

Simultaneously, the cameras installed on the exterior shifted to capture their image, identifying them as agents and supporters deployed for this mission. The computers writhed and began processing programs, scanning their bodies to determine if there was anything out of the ordinary.

Has anyone disguised themselves?

Are they being blackmailed by someone?

Are there others nearby?

…

Thus, the cameras confirmed that there was nothing off about them, and as per programming, the first door was opened. It appeared to be an ordinary door, but it was made of special alloy, so it was impenetrable unless one brought heavy weaponry.

So, as they always did, the agents attempted to pass through the first door with an utterly familiar and tranquil demeanor.

But at that moment.

Beep-beep-beep——-!!!!

[Warning.]

[Non-human entity detected.]

[Code-S. Code-S.]

[Supernatural being detected.]

Just as they attempted to pass through the first door, an extremely loud alarm began to resonate.

The deafening siren screamed so harshly it felt like it would tear through one’s ears, and overshadowing it even louder was the blaring of “Code-S.”

Beep-beep-beep!!!!

[Code-S. Code-S.]

That’s the code that sounds when an unauthorized supernatural entity is detected.

Naturally, the issuance of this code indicated that a being with special abilities was attempting to unlawfully invade the base with ill intentions.

Clank.

Naturally, such intruders had to be eradicated.

With methods even more severe and sure than ordinary intruders.

Koo-woom!

With the sound of machinery whirring, gunports opened in various places.

A firewall, larger and thicker than the first door, crashed down, enclosing them.

Thud.

Dust fell from the ceiling, while the lights flickered out and a small iron plate riddled with holes appeared in their place.

“…”

And within that clear enemy territory, they wiped the lively expressions off their faces and pulled out the weapons they had brought.

And just like before a storm, a brief silence ensued—

Tatata-ta-ta-ta-ta-tang-!!!!

With sounds that could make your eardrums burst, the battle began.

Tatata-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-tang-!

Bullets incessantly fired from the gunports, 7.62mm rifle rounds blasting away at anything before them as if determined to erase all existence. They sprayed bullets in a frenzied manner as if they aimed to cut apart anything formidable and threatening. Moreover, among the ordinary bullets, there were lethal ones laced with poison, which shattered upon impact and spread within the target—an expression of their desire to absolutely annihilate any intruder.

In fact, there was more than one gunport.

Designed to ensure no blind spots, the gunports densely populated across the walls were engineered to face away from each other. In other words, if one couldn’t survive amongst the myriad of bullets they unleashed, they would undoubtedly meet a fate worse than that of minced flesh.

Alongside this—

Chiiiiiik-!

Gas began to leak from the ceiling.

Yellow, green, blue.

This toxic gas, deliberately colored, began swiftly sinking to the floor.

The heavier yellow gas settled thickly on the ground, while the lighter green gas mingled with it, filling the middle layer. The most lethal blue gas lingered above, forming a sort of defense line that prevented anyone from approaching the gas outlet.

Thus, the sealed room became a space of death.

From above, toxic gas poured down, while bullets tore them apart from the sides.

Even a skilled capable person wouldn’t be able to survive in such conditions.

And this wasn’t the end.

[Switching the sealed room to lock-down status as per Code-S protocol.]

Even in those conditions, escape was already an arduous task within that space.

The protocol began to tighten its grip further.

Multiple walls began to fall outside the trapped intruders, preventing their escape, while layers of barriers ensconced the area. Meanwhile, those working in the building serving as the temporary command center were busily installing bombs everywhere.

It could only be deemed a brutally thorough confirmation of kill.

Toxic gas languishing continuously in a confined space.

Countless barriers nearly impossible to break.

Even if one manages to escape, they’d be faced with bombs and the offensive actions of staff.

Regardless of who was inside, unless they’d surpassed common levels of capability, survival would seem utterly impossible.

Certainly.

…

Time passed.

The toxic gas within the sealed room began to stabilize, turning the bizarre mixture of three colors into a state that could easily be monitored even by a common camera. And in this stabilized sealed room….

There was no one.

Aside from stains of blood and chunks of flesh that were presumed to be human, not a single entity was confirmed alive, prompting the staff to slowly begin lifting the seal of the room as per the protocol.

They started to deactivate some barriers, deploying robots to detect if anything remained inside. They meticulously checked for anything capable of obscuring their eyes or the machines’ eyes.

Once they ensured that nothing was detected—

They began processing the evidence of the intruder.

Robots were deployed to scrape the blood and flesh swatches stuck to the walls for samples while others utilized water and chemicals to wipe away the residuals. Anything undeterred by this was removed from a distance with the operators controlling the robots.

And while they busily worked,

Those in the temporary command center began to unravel their activities.

“It seems the agents monitoring the hotel were attacked. Right?”

“We should elevate the risk level, no—at least two levels.”

“I guess we should request assistance from the National Defense Force…”

That “processing” had—

Various implications.

The Shaman Desires Transcendence Chapter 603 • December 23, 2024