It was just past noon.
Right when I had lain down to take a nap.
The sound of agents mobilizing all at once drew my attention.
What was this? The atmosphere felt somehow different from usual.
"How long have we been here, and already a new entity has arrived?"
Judging from the direction the agents were moving, it was toward the helicopter landing pad.
If my guess was correct, it was highly likely to be either a new entity or a visitor.
For now, I decided to watch and wait.
This scrap metal doll seemed to have fairly developed hearing.
Why?
Because I could hear the noise from the control room.
Since control rooms are often located deep within a facility for security reasons.
Quietly holding my breath, I strained my ears toward their conversation.
+++
"You must have had a hard time coming all this way."
"Don't concern yourself. Shall we begin right away?"
"You must be busy, so yes. We are ready as well."
At the gesture of the man in the suit, a mobile isolation chamber was revealed from the container.
Inside the isolation chamber, people dressed in shabby clothing were confined.
They began to scream and shake the iron bars.
"Let me out!"
"We have to escape from here immediately!"
"Now then, shall we begin?"
"This way. The Second Gate is inside."
+++
'They're coming.'
I had been feigning complete indifference.
When I glanced over, they didn't seem very interested in this side.
That was fortunate.
Where was that isolation chamber in the back heading?
The isolation chamber soon disappeared deeper into the facility.
"Tsk, at this rate I can't check it out."
If possible, I wanted to find out about that thing called the Second Gate.
I wanted to see it directly, but if I got caught, it would cause a huge commotion.
Should I ask Chongchong?
As if reading my mind, Chongchong came down from the ceiling.
"Follow those people and watch what they do."
After confirming the humans it would pursue, Chongchong immediately began chasing after them.
"Then, the next thing to do is wait."
Let's just wait leisurely.
There was nothing I could do here anyway.
+++
"How are the test subjects?"
"Well, you know how it is. They make a fuss all day long; they're quite a handful."
"I hope there's been some progress."
"Still, I consider it fortunate that the Director agreed to participate in the experiment."
"He'll be watching right up close, so do not worry."
A firmly sealed isolation room stood before them.
The Director who had confirmed the test subjects' arrival walked out.
"You were already here, Director Chester."
"It's been a while, Director."
"Truly, your face is a difficult one to see. Isn't that so?"
"You know how it is. It's hard to come unless it's for work."
"We each must have mountains of work to do. Shall we begin shortly?"
"Very well. Let us begin."
At the Director's gesture, the closed door began to open.
At the same time, the personnel waiting nearby were seen all stepping back.
"The Second Gate has finished preparations for activation! Send the test subjects in!"
The agents hurriedly began pushing the isolation chambers containing the test subjects inside.
The isolation chambers were all moved into the Second Gate's isolation room.
"Everyone fall back except those who received prior standby orders. If anyone tries to approach the Gate even slightly, stop them by any means necessary, whether by bashing them with rifle stocks or shooting them."
"Yes, understood!"
The isolation room door was open only narrowly, just enough to make it difficult for a person to squeeze through.
The isolation chamber containing the test subjects began shaking wildly.
"Senior, what kind of experiment is this?"
"Don't you know about the Second Gate?"
"I'm not familiar with it."
"Simple explanation: that Second Gate is an entity that can draw humans in and send them to another dimension."
"To another dimension, sir? Is that possible?"
"Dunno, I never went in. According to what the test subjects said, it sends them to the world they desired. Or so has been revealed."
"Huh? Then, isn't that a good thing?"
He made a motion as if to strike, dumbfounded.
"If that were all, why would it be here? There's a fatal side effect."
"What kind of side effect?"
"Typically, test subjects who enter the Second Gate return to reality after six hours.
They were all happy, saying, 'It's such a wonderful world!'"
"Hearing that much, I would think the side effects are worth it."
"Listen to the end, punk. After roughly forty-eight hours, they want to enter the Gate again.
Not a single one of those sent returned."
"Is... is that true?"
"At first it was an experiment, so we kept records. But the humans who entered a second time were gone.
I suppose we pretty much had to conclude they were as good as dead."
"An entity that kills you if you enter a second time..."
"That's why I told you to stay away from the isolation room door earlier. The Second Gate instills a desire in nearby humans to want to enter."
"Then, the personnel waiting in front of that door..."
"You dozed off during training, didn't you? They're there to control personnel trying to enter the Gate."
"Aha."
"Sheesh, where would anyone even use an idiot like you."
Just then, a loud noise echoed from inside the isolation room.
The source of the noise was the lock on the isolation chamber door breaking.
"They really broke it by force. Pursuit team, go in!"
As the test subjects stepped into the Gate, the pursuit team began chasing them.
Soon, they disappeared into the Gate along with the test subjects.
"Will they be alright?"
"Of course not. That's why they say the vanguard always ends up crippled in either body or mind."
"Hmm."
"They're putting their lives on the line voluntarily. It's not simple sacrifice."
Soon, the connected screens began showing the agents' bodycam perspectives.
The visible landscape was a desolate desert with sandstorms blowing.
"What the hell, where did the test subjects go?"
"I'm sorry, but once we entered the Gate, they were nowhere to be seen."
"Son of a bitch, it was a smarter entity than it looked."
"We'll continue advancing."
The pursuit team's heartbeats could be felt growing louder.
Though they weren't showing it, I could feel it.
That they were more tense and on guard than ever before.
"It's the same scenery no matter how far we go. Should we change direction?"
"Director, then shall we set our direction using that tree as a reference?"
As soon as the agent finished speaking, silence fell over everyone.
Because what was clearly shown on the camera was a desert with sandstorms blowing.
At this, several agents began whispering.
"A tree? Where would there be a tree in a desert? This is no time for jokes."
"What do you mean? Can't you see the large tree right there in front?"
Had he seen wrong?
The agent was saying there was a tree in the direction he was pointing.
However, even staring intently at the screen shown on the camera, the result was the same.
A desert landscape with blowing sand.
Far from a tree, not even a common rock was visible.
"Pursuit team, from this side we see a desert landscape. Are you really seeing a tree?"
"A desert landscape? What on earth do you mean?"
They realized that they were seeing completely different environments.
This fact soon threw the pursuit team into turmoil as well.
"Shit, don't tell me the pursuit team and us are seeing different things?"
"That seems to be the case. No matter how I look at it, it's definitely a desert landscape."
No progress could be made in this situation.
There was no choice but to recall the pursuit team for now.
"Pursuit team, abandon the mission and return. For now, go back so we can—"
At that moment, they realized something was wrong.
Something massive revealed itself in the landscape shown at the facility.
The only thing known for certain now was that it was approaching the pursuit team.
And that it had bared its teeth at them.
"Pursuit team, begin counter-fire immediately. An unidentified entity is approaching in front of you."
"Huh? There's nothing in front—"
"You idiots, you're all going to die! Fire your guns in front of you, you bastards!!"
Soon, as if the pursuit team realized something was wrong as well, they turned their muzzles and began firing.
The bullets all flew toward the creature's body, but it seemed to have no effect.
"It doesn't seem to have much effect on the creature. Immediately create distance from it. Pursuit team—"
Before the words could even finish, noise presumed to be an agent's screams echoed out.
Not long after, one of the screens went dead.
...
"Fuck, fuck, fuuuuck!!!"
The screens connected to the pursuit team began going dark one by one.
Gunfire ringing out.
A sound like falling from a great height.
The sound of dying while screaming in agony.
The sound of biting into something wet.
A sound like bones being crushed.
How long had those terrible sounds been ringing out?
Even the screen of the pursuit team agent in charge of communications went dead.
"......."
"All members, communication lost."
Chester's arm trembled with his fist clenched tight.
With a look as though he could tear the Second Gate apart and kill it at any moment.
"I'm sorry. I should have planned more carefully."
The human in the suit realized.
That no matter what words he offered, they would not be heard.
That it would be best to leave before sparks flew.
"Then, I shall take my leave first. I'm sorry I could not be of help."
He bowed respectfully, then straightened his attire and hurriedly left the place.
The Director took out a pipe, lit it, and brought it to his mouth.
After taking a puff, he exhaled thick smoke.
"Analyze all footage shown so far thoroughly. It is the price of the pursuit team's lives."
"Understood. Leave it to us."
The Director left with the pipe in his mouth.
"The experiment is a failure. Recontain the Second Gate and recall the agents."
"Yes, understood!"
The deputy silently stared in the direction the Director had left.
"Sigh, they say you are too obsessed, Director. That's why they call you poison."