Chapter 32: Chapter 31: Disaster Brought by Complacency?

“All anomalies that were isolated within the area have been relocated.”

“…Where is 5077-KR?”

At Yoo Kangjik’s question, the woman manipulated the panel to display the surveillance camera footage on a large screen.

The rather clear image showed a jelly girl running about in a fluster and a large guardian totem chasing after her, leaving *Thud! Thud!* marks on the floor with each thunderous step.

Seeing this, he pressed his temples tightly.

“It’s still chasing 7496-KR.”

“…I see.”

“It’s fortunate for us.”

At the woman’s murmur, Yoo Kangjik watched the slime girl fleeing from the guardian totem’s relentless attacks.

Whether it was a coincidence or not, it was true that she was helping them at the moment.

Thanks to that slime girl, 7496-KR, becoming the focus of the guardian totem’s pursuit, they had bought time to remove the dangerous elements.

‘To say she’s intentionally helping…’

It just looks like she’s running away.

Since he hadn’t seen the moment the slime girl started being chased, in Yoo Kangjik’s eyes, it looked like the slime girl was running away to survive.

Apart from the fact that she was helpful… he thought it wasn’t a matter to be concerned about.

However.

‘The fact that she’s out means someone likely let her out… who, ah.’

It must have been our Dr. Han.

Then he checked inside the control room. Among the busily moving people, Han Seori was nowhere to be seen.

…Could it be.

Did she get caught while trying to move 7496-KR?

“*Hah…*”

Losing a high-level talent like Han Seori was a painful thing, so Yoo Kangjik sighed and ruffled his hair. Precious hairs fluttered from his sparse scalp.

“This is troublesome.”

“Pardon?”

“It’s nothing.”

Yoo Kangjik tapped the desk, *tok, tok

*, while looking at the monitor.

There were many suspicious points about this incident.

First, the slime girl luring and fleeing from the ‘guardian totem’ was strange, but the fact that the ‘guardian totem’ suddenly started moving in the first place was also fishy.

No matter how disorganized things had become with the recent addition of new employees, the isolation procedure for the ‘guardian totem’ itself was as simple as it gets.

As long as you don’t bring an anomaly close to it, there’s no problem.

So, if they had just followed the procedure, there would have been no issues at all.

For some reason, that procedure was not followed.

The door opened on its own, and as soon as it entered, the guardian totem started moving.

Well, there was also the possibility that the field staff had made a false report to hide their mistakes, but Yoo Kangjik thought that was unlikely.

Not because he trusted his subordinates but because the testimonies of those from other branches and internal personnel were similar.

It was unlikely that employees from two different affiliations would have colluded without an agreement, so the possibility that someone had deliberately done this also had to be considered.

They needed to discuss this, but… the director was out of the office again, and the deputy director seemed to have lost his life due to being overly engrossed in an anomaly.

‘Hoo…’

Who has the authority after Dr Han Seori?

No, can we even trust that person in the first place?

Yoo Kangjik stared at the screen with a serious expression, then opened his mouth to speak.

For now, catching or disposing of the ‘guardian totem’ was the priority… He was about to lower the containment walls to limit the slime girl’s movement path.

If the ‘guardian totem’ eliminates the slime girl in a place without other anomalies, it will cease activity.

…It was a bit uncomfortable since she was something Han Seori had been interested in, but he thought it was better than innocent people dying.

That would be the case unless Han Seori, presumed dead, appeared.

“Lower the containmen—”

At that moment.

The closed door opened, and Han Seori, supported by someone, limped into the centre of the control room.

Yoo Kangjik blinked in surprise at Han Seori being alive.

“Ah, thank you. You can go back to work now.”

Han Seori, who had approached Yoo Kangjik, sent back the person who had supported her and blinked.

“What’s with that face? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“*Hrm-hrm.*”

While he cleared his throat, Han Seori looked at the screen and hardened her expression.

“…7496-KR is still luring it, I see.”

“Luring? What do you mean by that?”

When Yoo Kangjik asked in a puzzled voice, Han Seori revealed what she had seen without embellishment.

It was a story about how the slime girl bounced out of the glass container, spat slime at the guardian totem, waved her hand, and disappeared with the guardian totem.

“…You expect me to believe that?”

“It’s true! Let’s see… There was a CCTV there, so if we check, it should show up.”

“Hmm… Alright, I understand for now.”

…He thought there was a possibility it was distorted since it was Han Seori’s claim, who seemed to want to make use of the slime girl, but if there was evidence left behind, they could check it.

The real problem was that with Han Seori’s appearance, it had become uncomfortable to carry out what he had been thinking of doing just a moment ago.

It was obvious she would oppose it based on what she was saying.

But since there was no other solution at the moment, he spoke in a low voice.

Then, contrary to his expectation that she would oppose it outright, Han Seori replied in a surprisingly calm voice.

“Well… It’s not a bad idea, but if what I said is true, wouldn’t it be a bit of a waste? She seems like she could be useful in many ways.”

“…Is that so?”

As he muttered as if surprised, Han Seori smiled awkwardly.

“…I won’t deny that I’m attached to 7496-KR. But I also think people are more important.”

“I see.”

Yoo Kangjik nodded and looked at the screen, feeling a strange sensation.

Fortunately, the slime girl was heading towards an area without other anomalies on her own.

‘She’s not moving knowingly, but it’s fortunate.’

Moreover, after allowing one attack, the slime girl dodged all of the guardian totem’s attacks.

She certainly seemed like she would be very useful if she was friendly to humans.

“So, what do you plan to do now?”

In order to preserve the slime girl, they had to catch or dispose of the guardian totem.

Looking at it now, it seemed like a battle between a spear and a shield, so it didn’t seem like it would be easily settled.

Especially with the suspicious circumstances, it was a priority to resolve the situation quickly.

They needed some kind of method.

At Yoo Kangjik’s question, Han Seori seemed to fall into thought as she looked at the screen.

Luckily, the slime girl was not heading towards a passage leading elsewhere but a dead end where vehicles were parked.

The door leading to the surface was locked, so even though it was unintentional, it had turned out as Yoo Kangjik wanted.

…If she had headed to a place with other anomalies before they could take action, he would have lowered the containment walls, but Yoo Kangjik didn’t mention it on purpose.

Meanwhile, the slime girl hid in a vehicle, and the guardian totem struck the vehicle down with a truly crazed momentum.

Watching that, Han Seori’s eyes caught the guardian totem’s surface slowly chipping away.

“Come to think of it, the guardian totem… was it?”

“That’s right.”

“Then, let’s have the personnel take axes and chainsaws and go in. Let’s try to ‘remove’ it while it’s distracted by 7496-KR. If it doesn’t work, have them retreat immediately.”

“…Well, let’s try that for now.”

Now, it was a matter of whether the slime girl would be destroyed first or the guardian totem would be destroyed or stopped.

Since they had a bit more leeway to try something compared to before, Yoo Kangjik did not refuse.

Inwardly, he hoped the slime girl would survive rather than the uncontrollable guardian totem, but he didn’t show it.

As the orders were given, agents armed with axes and chainsaws approached the area where the slime girl and guardian totem were clashing.

In the meantime, the vehicle was destroyed, and the slime girl that came out of the vehicle began to actively attack the guardian totem.

Watching her struggle with her cute appearance made his heart tingle.

The slime girl dangling from the guardian totem’s head.

And the guardian totem rampaging as if trying to shake her off.

The moment the agents equipped with axes and chainsaws arrived.

The guardian totem swung its body towards the sharply crumpled vehicle, with the slime girl still hanging from it.

It seemed like the slime girl’s body would be cut off by the jagged metal, and Han Seori, who was sitting, stood up with wobbly legs.

“Ah!?”

“…”

The slime girl’s head, which hit the metal, flew through the air.

It sounded like *Splat!*

The slime girl’s head that fell to the floor seemed to have lost strength, as it melted into a glistening puddle of slime.

…Could it be that she dies if her neck is cut off?

‘Her arms… were fine, though.’

Han Seori looked at the screen with a pale face. At the same time the slime girl’s neck was severed, the guardian totem’s head was stuck inside the mangled vehicle, so she couldn’t tell if the slime girl was alive or dead.

“Tell them to enter.”

Unlike the cruel reality, Yoo Kangjik’s order was as cold as it could be.

With his voice, those who were standing by with axes and chainsaws rush towards the guardian totem.

*Thwack!*

*Chunk!*

The axes and chainsaws make crude sounds as they slash into the guardian totem’s body. They seemed to have a lot of pent-up frustration as they swung their weapons without hesitation.

…It wasn’t human anyway, so there was no need to hold back.

And.

Like the can opener that had opened a can that no one could open.

Contrary to its ferocious appearance, the guardian totem’s flesh began to be carved away by the axes and chainsaws.

They had thought it unlikely, but seeing it being chopped apart bit by bit, those watching were at a loss for words.

…It had been neglected due to its troublesome nature, so it seemed inevitable.

But thinking of those who had lost their lives because they couldn’t respond to it, the inside of their mouths felt bitter.

*Crunch!*

With the final axe swing, the guardian totem’s waist is split.

The guardian totem, split in half, no longer moved.

The remaining guardian totem’s body entered the torn vehicle.

The blaring alarm stopped.

The situation was over.

It tastes like sucking on wood.

It really tastes bad… Yuck!