DP Episode 128

Episode 128

Bang! Bang!

“Wh-what do we do… what do we do…”

Song-hee’s hands trembled as she plugged in the monitor cables. The advanced communication equipment brought from NASA could remotely detect the subject’s vital bio-signatures without physical connection.

“This is my first time at a gate site. Ugh, this is so scary…”

Despite her trembling at the occasional nearby gunfire, Song-hee worked quickly with Hee-min, setting up the equipment.

Colonel Jin stormed into the tented base camp set up within the shopping center near the main tower, barking orders into his radio.

“Do not interfere with anyone attempting to enter the main tower.”

SAU members who had arrived late or were already stationed here formed a defensive perimeter around the camp, fending off the relentless anomalies.

―Colonel Jin?
“There’s an additional operation you don’t need to know about. Focus on your assignments and stay out of the way.”

―What operation?

“You bastard—who just questioned a superior officer’s orders?”

Colonel Jin roared, his fury so palpable that Song-hee and Hee-min flinched involuntarily.

Time was running out. Colonel Jin knew that Major General Park wouldn’t sit idly by. The moment upper management issued formal orders, they’d likely be dragged out of here like dogs without accomplishing anything. Before that could happen, they had to get Baby into the gate.

“Power’s on!”

Song-hee announced, her voice tinged with relief as the monitor flickered to life. She connected the last piece of equipment and turned her attention to the system.

Hee-min, meanwhile, stood transfixed before another monitor displaying a live feed from cameras pre-installed near the gate’s core—the epicenter of Seo-joon’s explosive transformation.

“…”

The monstrous entity churned with a slow, undulating rhythm, its central abyss darker than the deepest ocean. Rows upon rows of sharp, elongated teeth jutted from the organic structure, resembling the severed rectum of some massive creature.

The structure writhed violently, expelling viscous anomalies one after another. These grotesque forms squirmed free and began moving.

The gate, formed from Seo-joon’s fragmented body, bore some resemblance to ordinary gates but was fundamentally different. Still, the other side remained a void of unknown darkness.

No one could say for sure whether the anomalies emerging from it were fragments of Seo-joon himself or separate entities dragged through from another dimension.

“It’s working!”

Song-hee exclaimed suddenly.

Beep, beep, beep. The steady rhythm of a bio-signal appeared on the monitor—a waveform tracking Yeon-woo’s vitals as he entered the main tower.

Hee-min turned sharply at her voice, staring unblinkingly at the display. Seeing that Yeon-woo was still alive was a relief, but the real test lay ahead.

Once Yeon-woo stepped into the gate that was Seo-joon…

Ordinarily, entering a gate would be akin to being shredded in a blender. The chances of this gate behaving any differently were slim.

But Hee-min had staked Yeon-woo’s life on one variable, hinging on the young guide’s unwavering belief:

“That’s not a gate. It’s Lieutenant Ji. I can go in.”

If it wasn’t a gate but truly Seo-joon…

“Director Kang, I… I don’t know if this is the right thing to do. Can Baby really make it out alive from in there?”

“I’m not even sure if this equipment will continue to function in there,” Song-hee admitted, her voice trembling.

“If we don’t want to be murderers, all we can do is pray.”

The compatibility rate between Seo-joon and Yeon-woo was an astonishing 98.8%.

From a medical standpoint, the remaining 1.2% was no trivial gap. But perhaps the miracle that was Cha Yeon-woo could bridge it.

“Let Seo-joon not be a gate,” Hee-min murmured.

“And let Yeon-woo survive in there.”

Song-hee clasped her hands together and traced a trembling cross over her chest as though Hee-min’s words were a sacred invocation. At that moment, it wasn’t just Song-hee—every person in the tent silently yearned for divine intervention.

―Baby has entered the main tower.

The announcement over the radio confirmed it.

✽✽✽

Bang! Screech!

In the suffocating silence of the Main Tower’s wreckage, Cha Yeon-woo’s breaths mingled with the cries of anomalies and the relentless crack of gunfire.

The upper half of the Main Tower had already crumbled, leaving a tangle of viscous slime and writhing tentacles wrapped around exposed steel girders.

A parasite the size of Yeon-woo’s body slithered closer, drawn by the gunfire. With practiced ease, Yeon-woo ejected his spent magazine, slid in a fresh one, and blasted the parasite’s head apart.

Huff… He steadied his breathing. Despite the nightmarish surroundings, Yeon-woo felt an unshakable pull, an instinct guiding him toward a singular destination.

The tower was saturated with Seo-joon’s presence—or perhaps what was left of him—but Yeon-woo could sense the core, the essence of who he was, waiting deeper within.

Bang! Bang! The cries of the anomalies grew louder as they converged from all sides. Yeon-woo needed to move faster, to break through before they could completely block his path.

To where Seo-joon was.

―Cha Yeon… um… Baby?

The hesitant voice crackling through his earpiece startled him. It was Hee-min, clearly unfamiliar with using the field communication system.

“Yes.”

Bang! Yeon-woo fired at a Vetala clinging to the steel framework above him, its grotesque maw baring down. The noise seemed to fluster Hee-min further.

―Are your comms… uh, still functional?

“Yes.”

―That bio-monitoring device I attached to you—make sure the battery stays connected. The data we collect could be invaluable for future—

“I understand.”

“Director Kang!” Colonel Jin’s exasperated voice cut through. “Are you seriously talking about data right now?”

―Colonel, research is vital! All the advancements in humanity’s medical history are thanks to documentation and—

“For god’s sake, stop talking! Give me the damn radio!” A scuffle ensued on the other end, with Jin’s gruff curses mingling with Hee-min’s protests.

Yeon-woo, distracted by the noise, clenched his jaw as he continued forward, clearing anomalies from his path.

“I’m turning off the comms,” he snapped.

―Wait! Yeon! Baby!

“…Yes?”

―We’re monitoring you from here. If anything happens, we’ll do everything we can to get you out. Don’t worry and focus on guiding Seo-joon.

“Yes,” Yeon-woo replied tersely, raising his weapon toward a parasite lunging at him.

“I’ve studied hard for this.”

Bang! The parasite exploded in a spray of blue as its claws scraped futilely against the slimy walls.

When the comms went silent, the oppressive quiet pressed down on him. For the first time, Yeon-woo truly felt alone.

…No, not alone.

Seo-joon was here. Somewhere.

Even as the anomalies’ growing numbers and looming shadows stirred a primal fear in him, Yeon-woo pressed forward. The terror didn’t matter. Nothing mattered except reaching Seo-joon.

At some point, Yeon-woo stopped firing his weapon entirely. He charged through the masses of creatures, shoving them aside with his body when necessary. His breaths came in ragged gasps, his lungs burning, but he refused to stop.

The creatures swarmed, claws raking, bodies colliding, but he didn’t slow.

“Ugh…!”

A Vetala leapt from above, pinning Yeon-woo to the ground. It snarled, its serrated teeth dripping saliva inches from his face.

The situation mirrored his confrontation with a ghoul during his first field operation—back when Seo-joon’s calm instructions had guided him.

“Aim for the vital points.”

Those words echoed in his mind as Yeon-woo reached for his combat knife. He gritted his teeth, slamming the blade into the Vetala’s throat.

Crunch! The creature collapsed, its weight pressing down on him. As he pushed its body away, his eyes caught something embedded in its ruptured eye—a glint of silver.

With trembling hands, Yeon-woo dug into the creature’s gory remains, pulling free the object lodged in its socket.

It was a ring.

The very ring Yeon-woo had painstakingly crafted for Seo-joon. Its crude engraving, the uneven soldering—it was unmistakable.

For a moment, Yeon-woo stared at it in disbelief, his breath catching in his throat. His gaze shifted to the mass of anomalies surrounding him, a wave of nausea rising as realization dawned.

If the ring was here, buried in the flesh of these creatures, it could only mean one thing.

These anomalies… they were Seo-joon.

“Ugh!”

The bile rose too quickly to suppress. Ripping off his mask, Yeon-woo collapsed to his knees, retching onto the viscous floor.

The sound of his labored breathing filled the void. His body trembled from the cold, from the horror, but most of all, from the overwhelming grief.

The anomalies crept closer, their guttural snarls echoing in the dim chamber. Backing against a wall, Yeon-woo slid the ring onto his finger next to his own.

He clenched his fists, drawing a deep breath that sent plumes of white vapor curling into the air.

Yeon-woo wasn’t thinking anymore. He knew his actions were reckless, driven by ignorance and desperation. But that didn’t matter.

Now was the time for recklessness. Now was the time to be unrelenting, unthinking—if it meant reaching Seo-joon.

Steeling himself, Yeon-woo rose. His trembling legs carried him deeper into the tower, abandoning his gear piece by piece as he ran.

The farther he went, the more his senses dulled. His vision blurred, his hearing faded, and the anomalies clung to him, slowing his progress.

But he pressed on.

Ahead, a terrible, wet cracking sound echoed—a sound he was certain was calling to him.

Finally, Yeon-woo leapt forward, breaking into the chamber where it waited.

The colossal mass of writhing organic matter filling the lounge was warm, suffocating, and all-consuming.

And to Yeon-woo, it was the embrace of the person he loved most.

“If you’ll take me in, Lieutenant… I’m ready to enter whenever you’ll have me.”