DD Volume 1 Part 1.3

1. The Depths of the Ocean [3]

Everything in front of him was completely black. The overwhelming darkness swayed in the air—the deep sea. Yeonsoo thought of the deep sea. He thought someone had moved the deep sea inside the underground lab.

In front of him was a large tank. It was so huge that it occupied most of the space. It seemed that the smell of seawater came to the elevator because of the size of the tank. Although the Center also raised large fish and seaweed together, there was no such large tank anywhere in the Center. That’s why the smell leaked out of the laboratory.

In an instant, a chill ran down his spine.

Why is there nothing here?

With this scale, it is natural to raise large fish and seaweeds together. However, nothing was visible inside. Without even floating debris, it was strangely clean.

A space filled with darkness usually intimidates people. They strive to escape it, pondering ways out. But Yeonsoo was different. Instead, he was drawn to the darkness. Because within the darkness, there must be something lurking.

Instead of the darkness engulfing his sight, his heightened senses picked up faint noises. The sound of rushing water. A faint sense of something approaching from the darkness.

Slowly following that sense, he turned his gaze.

A white light approached. It was a scene that gave a sense of eeriness. If one were to quietly gaze at the black tank in the room, the deep-sea fish he raised would often swim with a cluster of pure white light surrounding it.

A Bioluminescence phenomenon that occurs in deep-sea color adaptation species. Yeonsoo held his breath. The cluster of light grew faster as it approached. It grew bigger, and bigger, and bigger. And finally, it revealed its true form.

[T/N: Bioluminescence is the production and emission of light by living organisms. This phenomenon is often observed in various marine organisms such as jellyfish, plankton, and certain fish, as well as some fungi and insects.]

Yeonsoo’s pupils expanded to their limits. His eyes met with ‘it’.

The serene emerald eyes, like a finely crafted turquoise, were looking at him.

“Oh my god. What on earth is this?”

Yeonsoo, who was fixated on ‘it’, asked. Kei, who was standing behind, shrugged his shoulders and replied.

“Can’t you see? It’s a fish.”

Ha. A fish? A hollow laugh escaped from his mouth.

“That… that’s a fish…?”

“Yes. It’s a large species found in the deep sea. Its scientific name is Beresht. In ancient literature, it was referred to as a ‘mermaid’.“

It doesn’t make sense. It’s a fish species.

No, that is a human.

If God created humans based on his self image, ‘that’ would be the closest representation of God’s original form. Yet, Kei casually referred to that life form, which was more human-like than humans themselves, as a ‘fish’.

It was truly beautiful. There were no words to express it. The skin, as solid and transparent as white marble, the perfectly harmonious facial features, and the delicate muscles covering the body resembled a divine statue. The bronze hair, spreading like a blue starlight over the dark night, was breathtaking.

The mysterious emerald eyes, radiating the essence of light, were so deep that they seemed to suck you in. It was quite a while after being captivated by those eyes that Yeonsoo spotted the blue tail swaying in the water.

The tail, coiled in a spiral shape and partially submerged in darkness, had a large fin fluttering tirelessly at its end.

“The tail alone is 2 meters long. Amazing, right? I’ve never seen such a huge creature before. It’s truly enormous.”

“What on earth is this… How can something like this… I’ve never seen anything like this before. Is this, really, a fish?”

“Haha. Didn’t Dr. Han specialize in deep-sea creatures? Why are you so surprised? We know only 1% of the deep sea. We know less about the deep sea than we do about the universe. More than 500 people have been to space, but only 3 humans have entered the deep sea. I don’t understand why people think there are only alien life forms in space. In reality, there would be a lot of unknown creatures wriggling in the deep sea that even submarines can’t reach.”

“……”

His words were correct. Going to the deep sea is much more dangerous than going to space. The atmospheric pressure in space is 0, but the Mariana Trench, the deepest part of the world’s oceans, exceeds 1,000. Inside it, even iron is crushed to the point where its shape cannot be recognized, and humans cannot withstand even a single second.

Humans know nothing about the ocean. They only know it to the extent of how deep it is and they practically know nothing on what’s inside it.

Yes. If it’s that deep and dark sea, it might be possible for ‘that thing’ to live there.

“Do you want to come over here?”

Kei walked towards the place where a faint light was seeping out. Yeonsoo followed him, turning around several times as they walked.

It remained motionless, as if staring directly at him. Perhaps it was just his imagination.

Tick

The sound of a switch being turned on, and the room instantly brightened.

“Is it okay to turn on the lights?”

Yeonsoo was startled and raised his voice. Light was like poison to the Deep-Sea creatures.

“Don’t worry. It’s safe. Beresht is not affected by light. Of course, it’s a creature that becomes more active in the dark, so we usually keep the lights off.”

In relief, he clutch his chest. He looked back towards the aquarium.

Just as Kei said, it showed no particular reaction to the light.

As the surroundings became brighter, his vision finally cleared. The underground space was much larger than expected. The aquarium in front seemed to easily exceed a width of 10 meters.

One wall was covered with dozens of large screens, and next to them were various complex devices. He didn’t know their exact purpose, but judging from their appearance alone, they were clearly advanced equipment that couldn’t be compared to the outdated machines used in the previous department.

Those must be the things needed to keep ‘it’ alive.

It made sense why the security here was so tight. Even if they only kept large species like whale sharks or highly intelligent marine creatures like dolphins in the aquarium, they would even receive moral criticism. If citizens found out that they were keeping ‘human-like’ organisms, the center would probably have to close its doors.

His intuition screamed. Something felt very unsettling. Why would the government secretly raise something like that, even at the risk of various dangers?

“So what’s the purpose? Why keep it here?”

“The purpose of the Conservation and Reproduction Department is to preserve and reproduced these species. Our goal is to breed ‘it’.”

Haah. A tired sigh escaped at the feigned ignorance-laden words.

“So why do you have to breed ‘it’?”

“Because the number of specimens is too small to use as experimental subjects. Records of Beresht can be found in ancient texts, but the history of collection is short. The first captured specimen was in 2025, just before the Great Transformation. It was a special unit of the US Navy that was submerged in the deep sea. They were conducting research on Beresht, which was then taken over by the United Nations after the establishment of the Union. Exploration has been carried out since then, and we were able to capture a few specimens, albeit rarely. Well, it’s less than ten.”

“……”.

“I don’t know exactly how the government would intended to use Beresht. The purpose of our department is just to preserve it well and breed it. However, it is possible to speculate. Perhaps the Allied Nations are trying to figure out how Beresht survives. It may look half-human, but it is a deep-sea fish that can survive in the deep sea without oxygen and light. If someday all the remaining inland areas in this world are submerged in the sea, humans will also need a way to survive in an oxygen-free space, right?”

Yeonsoo bit his lip without responding. Kei’s speculation seemed plausible. A being that has traits similar to humans and can live in the deep sea. That alone was worth researching. Especially now, in the face of extinction, it was even more urgent.

However, the uneasiness deep in his heart did not subside. It was strange. Although he couldn’t explain it concretely, something felt twisted and distorted. Most researchers do not rely on intuition. They believe that only conclusions drawn from data are accurate. Yeonsoo was the same.

However, there were times when an intense premonition pierced through him without any way to stop it. In such cases, it was the result of a sharp sense that had accumulated records. In other words, it was a kind of big data prediction through the body, and it was mostly accurate.

“You look troubled. Don’t think too deeply. We just need to do our job.”

Kei chuckled and patted Yeonsoo’s shoulder. It felt strange to think about what his casual remark of “our job” would look like. Since there are more species, they might be trying to facilitate mating or something. Does that mean they have to witness those individuals mating with others right in front of them?

“Everything will become familiar soon. Just like I did. Like Alex and Jun did. You have the earpiece I gave you, right? Make sure to wear it when you’re in the lab. As long as you do that, there won’t be any problems.”

“…You mentioned a specific frequency blocking device earlier. What exact frequency are you talking about? Why do you need to block it?”

Yeonsoo asked with a slightly sharp voice.

Kei quietly raised his finger and pointed to the tank. Yeonsoo turned his head along with his finger and froze in surprise.

‘It’ was still looking at him in the same posture as before, without any change. Even though the distance had increased, its shimmering emerald eyes were still clear.

“Beresht emits sound waves. The device blocks those waves. You shouldn’t listen to them.”

Kei walked slowly towards the tank. The mask-like smile that was stuck on his face had evaporated as if it had been washed away. Kei placed both palms on the transparent glass wall of the tank.

He tilts his head deeply enough for his nose to touch the glass. His gaze slowly explores the enormous blue creature.

“Shall I tell you an interesting fable? In the dark past, when the Jews crossed the desert. When the night falls in the desert, angels dressed in shabby clothes and demons adorned in splendor take turns visiting them.”

He started making incomprehensible sounds. Yeonsoo listened closely to his lowered voice. His gaze still fixed on the blue creauture looking at him.

“Do you know how the Jews distinguished angels from demons?”

“……”

“By feeling.”

“By feeling…?”

He unintentionally asked.

“When they see an angel, they feel a surge of energy and want to escape the desert quickly. When they see a demon, they feel lethargic and want to stay in the desert forever. That’s why people possessed by demons can never escape the desert and die.”

“……”

“And Doctor. You shouldn’t listen to those sound waves, and you shouldn’t stare at those eyes for too long. It loosens the human mind.”

Yeonsoo, still staring at its eyes as if possessed, suddenly stopped breathing. His head turned back towards Kei. Kei also looked at Yeonsoo. He smiled with his eyes narrowed and said something.

“There’s one thing you must remember while you’re here, Doctor.”

“……”

“Don’t get possessed. Absolutely not.”