By Zephyria 
Before a week had passed, Park Seung-min sent a sum close to 400 million won. It was far short of the amount Yohan had demanded.
Lee Chan-ha told him that Park Seung-min had tried to gather the money by selling off everything he owned and begging those around him. Naturally, no one would lend him money except for loan sharks. And in this day and age, loan sharks boasted truly devilish interest rates. Of course, that was none of Yohan’s concern.
“I’ll gather the rest of the money very soon and send it, so please, just wait a little longer.”
When such a text message arrived, Yohan blocked him without a second thought. He had no intention of receiving any further contact from him. More importantly, there was another pressing issue at hand.
“The government concluded their search operation this morning.”
It was a matter of considerable urgency, so the team members gathered at Lee Hyun-muk’s house. The government, which had been searching the sewers following the trails of hundreds of missing persons nationwide, belatedly discovered that an underground tunnel, unknown even to them, had been dug. The tunnel, complex like an anthill or a maze, was connected to the newly constructed deep-level rainwater drainage tunnel in Gangnam.
“Entering through this rainwater tunnel is already proving difficult. The contamination level rises sharply, making it impossible to enter without a Purifier of intermediate level or higher.”Awakened individuals with exploration abilities also reported that there was a massive cavern at the end of the rainwater tunnel that hadn’t existed before.” The team members’ expressions soured upon hearing this. They were all thinking of the same thing: an assault on the Abyss’s core.
“Forget government cooperation, we need to go there immediately.”
Lee Hyun-muk stated resolutely. The traces of Flood, especially structures similar to the Abyss’s core, were enough to put those who had returned to Earth to live happy, joyful lives on edge.
They immediately finished their preparations and headed to Gangnam. An evacuation order had already been issued in Gangnam, but it hadn’t been fully completed yet. However, they couldn’t afford to wait for everyone to evacuate. A Special Unit operative on-site said,
“The evacuation is not yet complete, but a decision has been made to enter immediately.”
What they feared were the cocoons waiting for their metamorphosis inside buildings, as seen in the Gwacheon incident. The thought of more such cocoons in an underground cavern meant they couldn’t just wait for metamorphosis. When facing monsters, situations like hatching from eggs or cocoons, or shedding skin, were the most dangerous.
Jeong Si-young had already been dispatched to Busan again immediately after her purification. High-risk monsters kept appearing in Busan, requiring her to subdue them. Because of this, experts considered the possibility of a Great Rift opening in Busan to be high.
“Understood. We’ll enter right away.”
As Lee Hyun-muk agreed, the Special Unit guided them to a pre-prepared entrance. Descending a narrow tunnel, barely wide enough for one person, they entered a dimly lit underground passage. The atmosphere was gloomy and eerie, so Yohan quickly scattered light.
“It’s fortunate it’s not the rainy season; if there had been heavy rain, we might not have been able to access this.”
Seo Yakrin muttered as they headed towards the deep-level rainwater tunnel. The guide tape installed by the government reflected the light. It was a tunnel so quiet that the sound of their footsteps echoed loudly. The contamination level certainly increased as they followed the tunnel. However, it wasn’t as high as the team members had feared.
“The contamination level is still much lower than the Abyss.”
It was even lower than the surface of the Abyss, not its core. To be precise, it was slightly higher than a regular Rift but lower than the Abyss. Moreover, thanks to Yohan’s careful scattering of light, the contamination level for the group did not rise. Lee Hyun-muk said to Yohan,
“Still, you need to be careful at all times.”
“Yes! I’ll be mindful.”
Yohan replied brightly. After walking along the underground passage for a few minutes, they soon reached the actual deep-level rainwater tunnel. Built to prepare for massive downpours, this rainwater tunnel was approximately 3.7 km long and wide and large enough for a large truck to pass through comfortably. And with its size came an abundance of unsettling darkness.
“The contamination level has risen further.”
Lee Chan-ha muttered, her nerves on edge. Descending into the deep-level rainwater tunnel, the contamination level had now risen to just below that of the Abyss. Lee Chan-ha wasn’t the only one on edge. Everyone was showing overt signs of discomfort.
“I’ll expand the purification range a bit!”
It wasn’t the level of contamination to use a Purification Field for. However, to boost the morale of the anxious team members, Yohan scattered light even more intensely, comparable to using the field. In the darkness, Yohan and the weapon he held shone brightly. Everyone subtly moved closer to Yohan. Lee Hyun-muk, gazing intently at the endless tunnel ahead within the cluster of light, thought.
“You said this tunnel was 3.7 km long. It will take time to walk, so it’s best to break through as quickly as possible. Yakrin.”
“Yes, Team Leader! I’m ready to fly~!”
Seo Yakrin responded with quick understanding. Yohan’s purification power wasn’t an infinite resource, so it was best to conserve it as much as possible. Yoon Seung-ryong rummaged in his pocket and took out a sturdy boat. Once everyone was aboard, Seo Yakrin used Psychokinesis to lift the boat. Soon, the boat shot forward like an arrow.
Yohan couldn’t help but marvel. A distance that would take about 30 minutes even with brisk walking was covered in an instant. They had braced themselves for encounters with monsters along the way, but the contamination level only rose slowly, and it was eerily quiet and still. The tension grew taut in the silence.
Finally reaching the end of the tunnel, Yohan swallowed dryly. The wall, which should have been finished with concrete, had collapsed, revealing a dark cavern. Seo Yakrin’s boat flew into the cavern. Like entering the mouth of a jar, the cavern gradually widened, soon becoming a large chamber.
“…!”
A sinister mass occupied the center of the chamber. It was a cocoon created by the traces of Flood. Below it, the blindfolded and gagged missing persons writhed like insects, digging into the chamber until they collapsed on the floor from exhaustion. Their hands and feet had developed into grotesquely wide shapes suitable for digging. Some of them had already died from overwork while digging.
“Team Leader, should we protect the people first?”
Looking at the cocoon, Lee Chan-ha asked Lee Hyun-muk. Shaking his head at Seo Yakrin, who was ready to strike the cocoon with her golden-shimmering Psychokinesis, Lee Hyun-muk replied,
“No, there’s no need.”
Lee Hyun-muk threw his spear towards the cocoon, just as he had done during the Gwacheon incident. He didn’t even throw it with much force, yet the cocoon tore open with a disheartening ease. A small amount of foul fluid dripped from the tear. The inside of the cocoon was already empty. They hadn’t realized it from below, but the top of the cocoon was already gaping open.
“…We arrived far too late.”
It was as Lee Hyun-muk said. Whatever had been inside the cocoon had hatched long ago and disappeared somewhere.
With things as they were, rescuing the people was the priority. Yohan purified the ominous cocoon, and the contamination level slowly began to drop. Only then did the cell reception properly return.
The Sun Guild gathered and purified the people while waiting for the Special Unit’s entry. Even after purification, the people didn’t regain their senses. They hadn’t eaten or drunk properly for a long time, having only dug at the ground. For now, they were given a few sips of the electrolyte drinks they had on hand.
“Where could it have crawled off to?”
While waiting for the Special Unit’s arrival, Seo Yakrin muttered, surveying the cavern. Yoon Seung-ryong glanced around and pointed somewhere, saying,
“There’s a trace of it digging out there. See the displaced dirt? And marks where something like long legs poked in. Also, traces of slime.”
Frankly, to Yohan, it all looked the same. The reason Yoon Seung-ryong recognized it immediately was probably because he had lived as a centipede for a long time…? It was too rude a thought, so Yohan quickly changed the subject.
“Where on earth could it have gone?”
“I just hope it wasn’t something that flies.”
Joo Ho-young muttered with a worried voice. However, Lee Hyun-muk’s subsequent words darkened the mood further.
“Rather, we should hope this cocoon is the last one.”
It was as Lee Hyun-muk said. If there were two, there could be three or four. Moreover, if all the cocoons were made around the same time, their metamorphosis would likely be around the same time. Yoon Seung-ryong, who was strangely knowledgeable about insect ecology, analyzed that the cocoon seemed to have hatched a few days ago.
“That means it metamorphosed around the same time as the Gwacheon incident.”
It was an ominous and chilling speculation. With a lingering sense of unease, they left after entrusting the cleanup to the arriving Special Unit. However, instead of returning home, they headed to the Guild. This was at Lee Hyun-muk’s instruction.
“It’s best to remain on standby. I have a feeling something is about to happen.”
And indeed, his words proved true. Starting that evening, reports of missing persons began pouring in from all directions.