The status of survivors inside the Blackout Zone.
At those words, the team members’ expressions changed.
Everyone straightened in their seats, focusing as if they refused to miss a single word the agent said next.
‘It’s probably the information everyone here has been waiting for.’
They had all gathered here to find their families.
There were a few unusual cases, but for the most part, that was true.
That meant what the agent had mentioned was the very information they had so desperately wanted.
But it was not something they could simply rejoice over.
‘…….’
Tension was clear in the eyes of the others.
In truth, I was probably no different from them.
‘…Because we can’t be certain.’
We had entered the Blackout Zone once before.
We had experienced just how hellish that place was.
A wall of humans that looked as though people had been crushed together in a compression press, darkness so thick that without my halo, it would have been difficult to see even an inch ahead…….
Every single one of those factors was extreme enough to make survival seem impossible.
After witnessing all of that… how could anyone predict that people might still be alive in there?
Perhaps the swelling anxiety had finally overflowed, because the orc man asked in a growling voice.
“You’re not going to play some word game and say there are no survivors, are you?”
“That is not the case. Inside the Blackout Zone, there exists a group of survivors that has made contact with the military.”
The agent calmly brushed off that growl.
If anything, we were the ones who were shocked.
There really were survivors in that dreadful place?
In a place where darkness made it nearly impossible to see an inch ahead, and immortal monsters that revived even after death were lurking?
The old owlbear asked urgently.
“Then, my grandson too…….”
“Unfortunately, we have not been able to determine that much.”
The agent spoke firmly.
But hope in the room did not fade over something as small as that.
After all, everyone had been anticipating the worst.
A situation where perhaps everyone trapped inside had died.
But if it had been confirmed that there were survivors in there, then however bleak it was, a possibility had appeared.
Of course… it was still too early to cling blindly to hope.
I frowned at the questions that naturally arose and asked.
“Putting aside how they survived, there are too many things that don’t make sense. If a group has been confirmed, why are they not coming outside?”
“…….”
“And to begin with, can you even be certain they are truly survivors?”
My words poured cold water over the hopeful mood.
But it couldn’t be helped. This was something that absolutely had to be addressed.
Could we really be certain that the people trapped inside were still human?
In a place where mad monsters wandered around killing people, flaying their skin, and wearing it?
Of course, it was possible to view it optimistically.
Since my own family was trapped in there as well, my thoughts kept leaning toward hope.
But I could not simply think that way, not after what I had just heard.
“I heard the news about Bhutan. And the reason contact with that place was cut off as well. I was told it was because they could no longer determine whether those people were still human or not.”
“Yes, that is correct.”
“But isn’t the survivor group inside the Blackout Zone in essentially the same situation? I believe this is a judgment that differs from the approach taken so far.”
There were not many ways to determine whether those people were truly mimic beasts or not.
If such a method had existed in the first place, an order to shoot all suspicious individuals on sight would never have been issued.
However, the agent did not become flustered by my question.
In a calm tone, he explained.
“That is a reasonable question. However, there is no doubt that all of them are human.”
“…I would like to hear the reason you judged that to be the case.”
The agent nodded once and answered.
“Because the majority of the individuals included in the survivor group are mutants.”
“…Mutants?”
Mutants possessed strength and senses far superior to those of ordinary humans.
The reason we, who had barely received any training, had been able to return safely from the Blackout Zone was thanks to those abilities.
But that alone did not fully explain it.
When I looked at the agent with a puzzled expression, an additional explanation followed.
“Among the entities discovered thus far, it has been confirmed that there are none capable of mimicking mutants.”
“So… mimic beasts cannot wear a mutant’s skin? Is that what you mean?”
“To be precise, even if they wear the skin, they cannot mimic a mutant. In addition, a mutant’s corpse will not undergo emergence into a mimic beast, even if it is not separately recovered.”
The mimicry of mimic beasts could not easily be explained by science.
No matter how cleanly skin was carved off, some signs were bound to show.
But their mimicry was almost perfect, and they even inherited a portion of the skin’s memories.
But what the agent had just said meant that this magic-like ability could not activate with a mutant’s skin.
And judging from the fact that corpses did not turn into mimic beasts… was there some kind of immune system at work?
I couldn’t be sure.
Still, thanks to that, it seemed they had been able to be certain the survivors were not mimic beasts.
‘In that case, for mutants, their bodies themselves serve as definite proof of identity.’
It seemed like a fairly positive change. Their appearances had usually become hideous, but the fact that it was advantageous for survival was a truly important benefit.
With this, the reason they had judged the survivors to be human had been revealed.
But not all of my questions had been answered yet.
How had they survived in such a hopeless place, and why were they not coming outside…….
“As you know, mutants are each granted exceptional abilities.”
Aside from simply growing stronger in brute strength, there were often cases where their senses became stronger.
Min Aji’s sense of smell had developed greatly, and the old owlbear’s hearing had improved immensely.
“The reason they were able to survive was largely due to the help of mutants whose development was related to the eyes.”
Compared to an improved sense of smell or hearing, the eyes sounded somewhat plain.
Wasn’t it an ability that was practically no different from being a lucky Mongolian?
Of course, that was not the case.
“What exactly can they do…?”
“Mutants with enhanced eyes can see through the darkness inside the Blackout Zone.”
For us, it might not have stood out because we had my halo… but this was an incredibly tremendous advantage.
Inside the Blackout Zone, it was hard to see even an inch ahead. It was practically a miracle, no different from a blind person opening their eyes.
“Certainly, with a mutant’s physical abilities, it seems possible they could hold out… But how did they handle supplies?”
“Most of the items on the streets are now ownerless, so they said they survived on those.”
The expiration dates on those supplies would not be very long… but since not much time had passed yet, it likely was not a problem.
More or less, the secret of their survival had been explained to some extent.
“…One more thing. Why are you not bringing them outside?”
Communication with the interior of the Blackout Zone was impossible.
If they had made contact with a survivor group inside, that meant they had already contacted them and returned as well…….
“The military also attempted to bring them outside, but due to the characteristics of the unique entity guarding the gate, the attempt ended in failure.”
In other words, they had tried, but it had been impossible.
“Do you have any further questions?”
“…Not for now.”
“Then I will see you again when there are additional matters.”
It seemed the agent’s only purpose had been to relay information to us.
Until the agent finished speaking, gathered his documents, and rose from his seat, a strange sense of uplift, rather than heavy silence, hovered inside the meeting room.
Only after the sound of the door closing was heard did the suppressed air burst out all at once.
“They’re alive…… There really were people holding out in there.”
The old owlbear rubbed his face with trembling hands.
His ears, with feathers sticking up sharply, were quivering ever so slightly. His usual composure was nowhere to be found, and before long, clear moisture had gathered around his eyes.
We had saved Captain Kim’s child, but that was all.
Everyone’s hearts had already been slowly crumbling.
But in the midst of that, they had been given confirmation that there was a chance their families might still be alive…….
Hope had returned to us.
I, too, felt my heart become a little lighter.
Because I had never imagined that people could truly have survived in that dreadful place.
Of course, my younger sister probably was not included in that survivor group…….
Even so, a possibility had appeared.
If one survivor group already existed, then what was to say others could not have done the same?
While I was silently chewing over that hope, unable to easily put it into words, the door to the briefing room opened once again.
Bang!
The one who entered, looking somewhat urgent, was the agent from before.
As soon as he spotted me, he immediately strode over and asked without preamble.
“Han Yujin. There is someone who has requested a meeting with you.”