Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1)

The ponytailed woman, who had remained tense the entire time, stopped, and the man with heterochromatic eyes who had been walking half a step ahead of her silently raised a hand.

We turned several times after passing corridor corners, and at some point, the footsteps, breathing, and echoes could no longer be heard.

I stopped on reflex.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1) by Indra Translations.

‘It’s gone.’

The presence.

It really was gone now.

I pressed my back against the wall and held my breath.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1) by Indra Translations.

I felt the air escape from my body.

“…Haa.”

It had stopped following us.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1) by Indra Translations.

‘Now it’s time to deal with another problem.’

Only then did it seem as though my lungs returned to their normal size.

I never imagined I would be so grateful simply to be able to breathe.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1) by Indra Translations.

What took the place of that vanished presence was the sharp hostility of the people who had tried to kill me just moments ago.

Since the employees of the Emotional Department who ended up getting crushed by Assistant Manager Son after causing a massive disaster by pressing the release button in the Extraction Room.

Since Lee Jihyun, who spoke with me briefly in front of Human Resources and then resigned.

It had been a long time since I had seen people.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1) by Indra Translations.

‘This isn’t exactly a pleasant situation to be happy about.’

And, since they did not belong to our company, they were the first ones I had met.

Relatively normal people.

Since Director Go Gyeol, who seemed to have stopped being human a long time ago.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1) by Indra Translations.

The corners of her lips were completely lowered, and her sharp eyes seemed capable of drawing lines with a blade.

The ponytailed woman was still watching me.

Though, apparently, my fellow humans did not consider me human.

She was smaller than I was, but beneath her fitted suit, firm muscles could be discerned.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1) by Indra Translations.

The heterochromatic-eyed Team Leader remained silent.

The fierce expression he had shown earlier was gone, leaving only silence and a blank face behind.

The sound coming from that holster as it swayed with the proper weight was undoubtedly real.

And above all, there was the pistol holster at her waist.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1) by Indra Translations.

However, his gray and brown eyes remained fixed on me.

“Yeom Hwi. armor Team Leader of the Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management.”

An uncomfortable silence stretched on for several seconds.

Finally, he silently shook his head, ran his fingers through his gray hair, and opened his mouth.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1) by Indra Translations.

The ponytailed woman was still staring at me with her hand resting on her pistol holster.

‘What a peculiar name.’

It was incredible that someone could give such a murderous look to a complete stranger.

After such a brief introduction, the man gestured toward the woman beside him with his chin.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1) by Indra Translations.

The woman’s expression twisted.

“…”

Thud!

Seeing her like that, Yeom Hwi gave her a light but precise smack on the back of the head.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1) by Indra Translations.

Slowly, the look she had been directing at me turned toward Yeom Hwi.

Her eyebrows furrowed, and the corner of her mouth twitched.

he asked with complete indifference.

“What?”

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1) by Indra Translations.

The woman let out a short sigh, placed a hand on her forehead, and after a brief delay, spoke. All translations belong to Indra Translations. You can find us online at indratranslations.com

Her husky, androgynous voice echoed heavily through the damp corridor.

“…I’m Seo Ryu, Sub-Team Leader of the Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management.”

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1) by Indra Translations.

“…My name is Jeong Haeil.”

The two of them watched me in silence.

I nibbled on my lips for a moment before cautiously replying.

The words left my lips.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1) by Indra Translations.

Distrust.

Caution.

But neither of their gazes changed.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1) by Indra Translations.

And a hostility that could not be erased.

I swallowed and slowly continued.

All translations belong to Indra Translations. You can find us online at indratranslations.com.

‘…Damn it.’

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1) by Indra Translations.

“As you said, I’m an employee of Limited Company Where the Dead End Up with Ghosts.”

“…You.”

The moment I finished speaking, the air froze once more.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1) by Indra Translations.

Now it wasn’t.

Until then, it had been dry and cold.

His tone had an edge.

Yeom Hwi’s voice had changed.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1) by Indra Translations.

The muscles in his shoulders tensed, and something broke inside his eyes.

“What exactly are you?”

His heterochromatic gaze pierced straight through me.

Clack.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1) by Indra Translations.

And something I should never have heard at that moment.

The sound of a slide locking back struck my eardrums.

Something familiar sounded beside me.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1) by Indra Translations.

The heat radiating from the weapon.

Seo Ryu had drawn the pistol from her waist without the slightest hesitation and was pointing it directly at my head.

The cold metallic sensation pressing against my skin.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1) by Indra Translations.

I felt the sweat on my back turn cold.

If I made a mistake, even while clearing my throat, they might blow a hole through this head that only knew how to memorize manuals.

Instinctively, I understood it was neither a toy nor a replica.

The weight of the steel.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1) by Indra Translations.

Before I could finish the sentence, there was another movement in front of me.

Clack.

“W-wait a moment… what does this mean…?”

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1) by Indra Translations.

The barrel pointed directly at me.

A pistol with a magazine inserted.

He pulled back the lapel of his suit and drew a black pistol from his inner pocket.

Yeom Hwi slowly raised a hand.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1) by Indra Translations.

“Hey, Jeong Haeil.”

At the space between my eyebrows.

Exactly between my brows.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1) by Indra Translations.

“….”

One was looking at me with the intention of drilling through my skull.

“Are You Really Human?”

Two armed people.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1) by Indra Translations.

‘Ah, damn it. Visit indratranslations.com for more free chapters and updates. ’

It was a ridiculous situation.

The other was aiming at my temple from an angle capable of blowing it apart.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1) by Indra Translations.

There was neither saliva nor blood left, but that was beside the point.

I silently bit my lips.

I had survived by doing my absolute best among monstrous superiors at the company, and now actual humans were interrogating me to find out whether I was the monster.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1) by Indra Translations.

Looking at that gaze so full of murderous intent, it felt as though if I showed weakness now, they would consider me suspicious and shoot me on the spot.

What mattered was figuring out how to answer so that neither of those triggers would be pulled.

‘Panic and beg for my life?’

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1) by Indra Translations.

That was not something someone wearing strange beads on his wrist and carrying a pen made of bone could say.

Shout that it was unfair and defend myself vehemently?

In front of people who already distrusted me, a clumsy emotional appeal or panicking would accomplish nothing.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1) by Indra Translations.

It was the only survival method I knew.

Then there was only one answer left.

Kill my emotions and fake an unnatural calmness.

When I reached that conclusion, I put on a faint smile.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1) by Indra Translations.

“…I’m human.”

Following a consistent rule in an incomprehensible situation.

I also suppressed any trembling in my eyes.

A calm tone.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1) by Indra Translations.

“If you don’t believe me, shoot me. atlas You can confirm it by examining the corpse.”

All translations belong to Indra Translations. You can find us online at indratranslations.com.

Silence.

It was the moment when the poker face I had developed in the military and at the company proved its worth.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1) by Indra Translations.

“Pfft.”

A short mocking laugh.

A truly brief silence.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1) by Indra Translations.

A loaded weapon.

Click.

As if the whole thing were ridiculous, she let out a sneer of contempt while placing her finger on the trigger.

It was Seo Ryu.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1) by Indra Translations.

Very slightly.

And the trigger began to squeeze ever so slightly.

At that moment—

This was not what I had intended.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1) by Indra Translations.

His movement was firm and faster than any words.

Yeom Hwi silently extended a hand and grabbed Seo Ryu’s arm.

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Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1) by Indra Translations.

Seo Ryu looked at him with a deeply furrowed brow.

Yeom Hwi let out a short sigh and lowered his gun.

“What?”

“…Huu.”

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1) by Indra Translations.

she muttered while lowering her weapon, lightly grinding her teeth.

My arms were numb, and my legs had been trembling for quite a while, but I had to pretend nothing was wrong.

I remained leaning against the wall, watching the scene.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1) by Indra Translations.

“…Around a month.”

Yeom Hwi looked directly at me and asked,

“How long have you been with the company?”

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1) by Indra Translations.

“Department?”

The instant I finished answering, both gun barrels were aimed at my head again from exactly the same angles as before.

‘Right now, I feel like crying.’

“…Extraction Team 1.”

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1) by Indra Translations.

I couldn’t even sigh.

I swallowed and maintained a calm expression, completely opposite to the hell burning inside me.

Seo Ryu spoke in a visibly agitated tone.

Though after the previous failure, my composure had wavered somewhat.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1) by Indra Translations.

Yeom Hwi replied calmly.

“Team Leader. adapt The correct course of action is to eliminate him.”

“Be quiet for a moment.”

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1) by Indra Translations.

It was obvious she was displeased.

Seo Ryu clicked her tongue.

But she did not add anything else.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1) by Indra Translations.

Those eyes left no room for wind or even the slightest crack.

My breathing became shallower.

Yeom Hwi continued holding the gun while staring at me.

It felt as though they were piercing through my skull to see what was inside.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1) by Indra Translations.

And then.

I felt my lungs compress.

“…That’s enough.”

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1) by Indra Translations.

The barrel moved.

“Because if he weren’t human, he wouldn’t die even if we shot him. arctic What would be the point?”

After a brief pause, the man holstered his weapon without another word.

Click.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1) by Indra Translations.

The tension eased slightly.

Seo Ryu also lowered her weapon with a frown and returned it to its holster.

That was all.

With those words, the pistol disappeared into the inner pocket of his suit.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1) by Indra Translations.

All translations belong to Indra Translations. You can find us online at indratranslations.com.

Outwardly, I remained calm.

Not even my eyes moved.

‘I really was about to die.’

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1) by Indra Translations.

But inside was a different story.

They really were going to shoot me. This novel translation is officially hosted on indratranslations.com.

‘These damn lunatics…’

In this hellish place where I wasn’t even allowed to breathe or relax, the first people I met had pointed guns at me.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1) by Indra Translations.

“Let’s go.”

Yeom Hwi said briefly.

Her gaze swept over me once again.

Seo Ryu nodded without concealing her distrust.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1) by Indra Translations.

After saying that, Yeom Hwi took the lead.

“We’ll discuss the details while we walk.”

The weapons had been lowered, but the threat remained.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1) by Indra Translations.

One step.

I hesitated for a few seconds, but in the end, I followed them.

The sound of my own footsteps behind them felt strangely unfamiliar.

Then another.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1) by Indra Translations.

Or were they simply taking me along because they could use me?

Did they actually trust me?

It was the first time I had walked beside someone in this place.

‘Can I really walk with them?’

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1) by Indra Translations.

‘Either way, it’s better than dying like a dog.’

The old fluorescent lights overhead flickered from time to time.

I followed them in silence.

The shadows of the three of us stretched together through the darkness.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1) by Indra Translations.

“So follow us and don’t cause any trouble.”

I nodded.

Yeom Hwi said in a calm but firm voice.

“We know how to get out.”

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1) by Indra Translations.

I had already had a gun pointed at me twice.

I had no other choice.

A third time was completely out of the question.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1) by Indra Translations.

Without saying a single word.

Seo Ryu continued watching me until the very end.

I was simply choosing the option that gave me a slightly better chance of surviving.

That gaze was sharper than a gun barrel and resembled instinct more than emotion.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1) by Indra Translations.

Caution?

No.

It wasn’t that.

Distrust?

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1) by Indra Translations.

Hostility.

‘But why?’

And an extraordinarily clear hostility.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1) by Indra Translations.

I looked away from her and slowly turned my head.

It was far too obvious a hatred to be explained by a single reason.

Just because I belonged to Limited Company Where the Dead End Up with Ghosts?

The tips of my fingers were still numb.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1) by Indra Translations.

The organization that had created the manual guiding survivors toward the exit.

Even though the tension had lessened, my heart continued beating steadily.

‘So this is the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management…’

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1) by Indra Translations.

I still knew nothing about them.

But I had already reached one conclusion.

The organization that understood the structure of this absurd place.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1) by Indra Translations.

They hadn’t welcomed me.

They hadn’t saved me. Indra Translations protects the hard work of translators and authors.

‘…These people are completely insane too.’

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1) by Indra Translations.

But at least these two people in front of me didn’t look like saviors.

‘I don’t know who wrote the manual.’

They had simply threatened me, pointed guns at me, questioned my identity, and decided whether or not they should kill me.

All translations belong to Indra Translations. You can find us online at indratranslations.com.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1) by Indra Translations.

I cast one last glance toward the dark end of the corridor.

Yeom Hwi walked ahead.

Seo Ryu followed after letting out a short sigh.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1) by Indra Translations.

It still felt as though something was waiting there.

We walked.

***

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1) by Indra Translations.

We had left the presence behind long ago, and it still had not resumed following us.

For a long time, we moved forward without exchanging a single word.

But since we didn’t know when it might reappear, we didn’t stop.

In silence.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1) by Indra Translations.

How much time passed?

And within all of that, our strange companionship continued.

Danger, anxiety, and an indescribable silence floated through the air.

Our pace was steady.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1) by Indra Translations.

The footsteps of Yeom Hwi, who was leading the group, came to a halt.

A collapsed sign.

His heterochromatic eyes turned toward a wall along the corridor.

It was a room.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1) by Indra Translations.

Twisted hinges.

The entrance to an abandoned building that, under normal circumstances, would have gone unnoticed.

A half-ripped door.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1) by Indra Translations.

Then he grasped the doorknob and turned it without saying a word.

Yeom Hwi stared at the door for a long moment.

“…”

With a creak, the heavy door slowly opened.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1) by Indra Translations.

Worn wallpaper.

An old room.

‘Here…’

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1) by Indra Translations.

Antique furniture.

It was an ordinary room, but when Yeom Hwi and Seo Ryu entered, I hesitated for a moment before following them.

The inside was quieter than I expected.

An unlit lamp.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1) by Indra Translations.

There was only a rickety bed on the verge of collapse, a worn single-person sofa, a dust-covered mirror, and a cracked dresser.

The ceiling lamp flickered unstably.

Naturally, there were no windows.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1) by Indra Translations.

Seo Ryu remained by the door.

Yeom Hwi stood in the middle of the room and ran a gloved hand over the thick layer of dust covering the dresser.

And yet, for some reason, it felt safer than those expressionless corridors.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1) by Indra Translations.

Yeom Hwi turned his head toward me.

The shadows of the three of us intertwined within that narrow, damp room.

Although she had lowered her weapon, she was still watching the corridor with alert ears.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1) by Indra Translations.

he said, gesturing with his chin toward an old sofa leaning against the wall, one of its legs broken.

“Sit wherever you want.”

His heterochromatic eyes alternately gleamed beneath the flickering light.

His tone was too firm to be a suggestion and too relaxed to be an order.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1) by Indra Translations.

Afterward, his gaze alternated between my face and the beads of the Relics of the Smiling Martyr around my wrist.

Yeom Hwi sat on the edge of the dresser, pulled a pack of cigarettes from the inner pocket of his suit, then put it away again.

The creak sounded absurdly loud.

I carefully sat down on the edge of the sofa.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1) by Indra Translations.

I didn’t know whether it was because of the dampness in the corridor or the thoughts he carried within him, but it seemed weighed down.

“So you’re from the Extraction Team of Limited Company Where the Dead End Up with Ghosts…”

His voice echoed heavily.

Translation of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1) by Indra Translations.

“I have many questions, but first I’ll ask you only one.”

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