Screeeech!
The vehicle carrying Field Response Division Team 3 sped swiftly down the road.
Under normal circumstances, they would have driven ordinarily, but in a situation like this, there was no time to worry about how others might see them.
WA Scenario.
Commonly known as the World Apocalypse Scenario.
The moment that scenario was issued, all major systems of the Anomaly Management Bureau shifted into emergency mode.
Aside from the minimum personnel required to manage certain anomalies, most of the Bureau had to move to prevent that scenario.
That was why even Field Response Division Team 3, who had only just escaped the “Deep Warehouse” with serious injuries, had to be deployed immediately without exception.
Fzzzt.
“Haah… So, what exactly happened?”
Manager Lee, treating some of his wounds with the emergency kit inside the vehicle despite the pain, looked to the side.
Beside him, Assistant Manager Lee Gyeongseong, who was relatively unharmed, was busily operating the terminal installed in the vehicle.
“To begin with, it started at the Multidimensional Observatory. Approximately fifteen minutes ago, a WA Scenario was issued under the name of the observatory director.”
“The observatory… So it’s space-related?”
“That’s correct. The anomalous entity in the issued scenario is a celestial body called TON-618. It is 10.8 billion light-years from Earth.”
“TON-618? What’s that? No, more importantly, 10.8 billion light-years?”
“It is a celestial body designated as a quasar, but to be precise, the target in the scenario is the ultramassive black hole contained within TON-618. A gigantic black hole that sucks in everything like a swamp.”
As he said that, Lee Gyeongseong operated the terminal and showed him a photograph.
It showed layers upon layers of distorted night sky.
It was like a photograph taken of the scenery beyond the last door while observing a door inside an open door, and another door beyond that one.
That was probably the observation method used by the Multidimensional Observatory.
And beyond the multiple layers of distorted night sky, at the center of a brilliant celestial body, something incomprehensible was rising.
At the center of the celestial body, there was a hole so black it felt alien.
From there, something was rising.
“Is this… a finger?”
“That’s correct. They say there were no obstacles such as asteroids along the observation path.”
“…Ha.”
Manager Lee checked the detailed information written below the photograph.
The mass of the black hole was 40.7 billion times that of the sun. If even a single segment of a finger protruding from such a massive black hole was this large, then the main body…
Goosebumps rose all over his body.
“…Assistant Manager Gyeongseong. So, a WA Scenario was issued because of this finger inside the black hole?”
“That’s correct.”
“…First of all, I get that it’s an anomalous phenomenon or an anomalous entity. Just looking at it, world destruction isn’t even the issue; I get that it looks like something that could destroy the universe. But they issued a whole scenario for this?”
Manager Lee looked at Lee Gyeongseong with puzzled eyes.
“Isn’t there too little to go on?”
Because of the weight carried by a WA Scenario, it generally required careful drafting.
To be precise, even if an anomaly had the potential to destroy the world, if it was not immediately imminent, a scenario would not be issued.
Only after every possible measure—management, exploration, and even disposal—had been attempted and failed would a WA Scenario finally be issued.
In that sense, issuing a scenario simply because they had observed something inside a black hole was unreasonable in many ways.
Moreover, according to the written information, the distance to the anomalous entity was 10.8 billion light-years.
In effect, even if something set off right now at the speed of light, it would only affect Earth 10.8 billion years later.
“They say every member of the team that observed the anomalous entity has currently lost consciousness.”
“…”
“Simply observing it was enough to affect Earth… If it were to clearly begin moving, no one knows what might happen, so it seems the scenario was issued.”
“…Haah. No, mm, okay. I understand that much. So.”
Manager Lee asked with a sigh.
“Is there anything we can do about this?”
“…”
It was the most realistic question.
At least the Multidimensional Observatory, other headquarters, or other divisions could run around trying to prevent the scenario.
But what could Field Response Division Team 3 do to an existence inside a black hole so far away?
“I know it’s serious enough that they’d take even a cat’s paw if they could get one… but we’ve only just gotten out.”
It had not been long since they escaped the Deep Warehouse.
And it wasn’t as if they had escaped unharmed; at least two of their team members were seriously injured.
“Let’s go for now. And I’ll speak to the department head myself.”
After all, in a situation where a scenario had been issued, it was even more important to heed orders from superiors.
The nearest entrance connected to the Bureau was an elevator in a subway station that was permanently under maintenance.
[Ding-dong. First floor.]
Residents filed complaints and protests every day, but in reality, it was a place used as an emergency entrance to the Anomaly Management Bureau.
When he pressed the buttons inside the elevator in a specific pattern, the elevator soon began descending endlessly.
[Ding-dong. Anomalous pattern confirmed.]
After the transparent elevator fell at high speed through darkness for over a minute, the enormous control center of the Anomaly Management Bureau soon came into view beyond it.
A massive building where most of the Bureau was stationed.
Beyond the elevator, countless people could be seen entering the center because of the scenario.
[Ding-dong~. This is the Anomaly Management Bureau Control Center.]
After getting off the elevator, every member of Field Response Division Team 3 joined the procession.
Among them were familiar faces, and faces they had never seen before.
As befitted the Anomaly Management Bureau, which recruited personnel from all over the world, there were quite a few foreigners as well.
Afterward, Manager Lee took an elevator installed inside the control center from a quantum perspective and immediately arrived at the office, where he requested medical treatment through the intranet.
“Let’s join the broadcast.”
Rattle. Clunk.
When a scenario was issued, since a huge number of personnel participated, the meeting was also conducted through the intranet.
With an old startup sound, Lee Gyeongseong turned on the computer and joined the video conference through the address that had been sent.
[Anomaly Processing Headquarters, Field Response Division Team 3 has entered.]
As the brief message appeared, entry messages from other teams followed one after another.
[Anomaly Research Headquarters, Anomaly Investigation Division Team 2 has entered.]
[Anomaly Containment Headquarters, Grade Assignment Division Team 1 has entered.]
[Anomaly Containment Headquarters, Special Procedure Enforcement Division has entered…]
[Anomaly Research Institute, Anomalous Reality Adaptation Division…]
[Multidimensional Observatory, Milky Way Observation Team…]
[Anomaly Exploration Headquarters, Information Support Division Team 2…]
In an instant, dozens to hundreds of departments gathered in one place.
But not everyone had gathered yet.
[Director of Anomaly Processing Headquarters has entered.]
[Director of Anomaly Containment Headquarters has entered.]
[Director of the Anomaly Research Institute has entered.]
[Director of Anomaly Exploration Headquarters has entered!]
[Director of the Multidimensional Observatory has entered.]
[Fzzzt… We will now begin the Anomaly Management Bureau emergency meeting regarding the WA Scenario.]
The next moment, the voice of a man who sounded extremely exhausted began to flow out.
[I, the director of the Multidimensional Observatory, will preside over the meeting. Voice communication is restricted to director-level personnel and above. I will get straight to the point.]
Rustle.
There was a sound as if paper had been turned, and soon the observatory director’s voice rang out.
[Anomalous entity: TON-618, provisional name “Beyond the Black Hole.” For the distance and detailed information on the black hole, please refer to the report delivered in advance. This is the main body of the scenario. We are currently concerned about the anomalous phenomenon that instantly rendered the observation team unconscious manifesting on Earth. Here, we will designate it as the “Mental Collapse of Earth’s Humanity.” This is due to the fact that, in the case of the anomalous phenomenon in question, even personnel who did not directly observe the finger also lost consciousness.]
Rrrrrrip.
And so, led by the observatory director, the Anomaly Management Bureau was holding a meeting on the WA Scenario.
Scratch. Scratch.
[From the fact that they lost consciousness despite not observing it, we have judged that merely having that entity exist in the sky may cause a global loss of consciousness, so for the time being, we have formed a barrier using satellites, and… Hm?]
The observatory director abruptly stopped speaking.
Then, he suddenly began shouting in an urgent voice.
[…Information about “Beyond the Black Hole” is currently disappearing from my mind. This is an anomalous phenomenon!]
“…What?”
Scratch. Scratch.
Manager Lee could not understand what on earth the observatory director was saying.
[Damn it, wait. We have to organize it in the intranet archive! Information Archives Team! Hurry and archive—!]
All of a sudden, a murmur began to come from the observatory director’s side.
Manager Lee and the rest of Field Response Division Team 3 wore puzzled expressions.
“What the hell is he talking about…?”
Scratch. Scratch.
[It’s a large-scale cognitohazard, or mental collapse. Directors, we must take measures against th—!]
[Fzzzt. Director of the Multidimensional Observatory. Calm yourself.]
At that moment, an inorganic old man’s voice rang out from somewhere.
Looking closely, the microphone of the director of the Anomaly Research Institute was on.
“What’s going on here?”
While Team 3 was bewildered by the observatory director’s sudden words and actions, the other teams were showing the same reaction.
It was only natural.
[Director of the Anomaly Research Institute!]
[So.]
A brief silence flowed.
Scratch. Scratch.
[For what reason did you summon every department of the Anomaly Management Bureau?]
[…Pardon?]
Scratch. Scratch.
Field Response Division Team 3’s reaction was not much different from that of the research institute director.
They did not know when it had started, but they were in the middle of an internal meeting.
Yet without stating the topic, he had suddenly begun spouting nonsense, so it was only natural to find it strange.
[That is…! …What was it again?]
For a moment, the weary man’s blank voice rang out.
[Hmm, it seems you’ve grown tired from observing space for so long. Request the Internal Management Team to arrange some psychological counseling for you.]
While the research institute director was saying that, countless departments of the Anomaly Management Bureau left the meeting simultaneously.
[Uh… Understood. But I’m certain our team was in some sort of state…]
[Hoho, I suppose we’ll simply have to dispatch all the psychological counselors to the observatory side. More importantly, since we have gathered like this, shouldn’t we discuss anomalous entities within the solar system?]
[Understood. Then on that topic…]
Soon, the other headquarters directors aside from the Anomaly Research Institute director also left the meeting.
Field Response Division Team 3 left the meeting around then as well.
“What the hell was that?”
“I don’t know either. Shall we forget about it?”
“Yeah, let’s do that. It probably wasn’t anything important anyway. More importantly… Right, we need to summarize what happened in the ‘Deep Warehouse.’ Assistant Manager Gyeongseong, prepare to send a report to Anomaly Exploration Headquarters soon.”
“Understood. But did you say Anomaly Exploration Headquarters?”
“Yes. I was about to mention it earlier, but stopped. We encountered the librarian of the Mystical Library there.”
“…That librarian?”
“Yes. So thanks to handling it reasonably well, we managed to secure an opportunity to revisit. Since the Mystical Library has been transferred to Exploration Headquarters, we need to contact them too.”
“Understood.”
“Ah, and we need to investigate the entire elementary school where the ‘Deep Warehouse’ was located. Contact the people who were dispatched as the follow-up team.”
“Understood.”
“Then I’ll go get treated with the others.”
With those words, only the sound of Assistant Manager Lee Gyeongseong typing up the report rang through the office.
Scratch. Scratch.
Anomaly Name: Deep Warehouse#End