Ruang rapat berantakan dengan gemerondaan suara berisik. "Tujuh belas orang dilaporkan kembali hidup! " "Tujuh belas...?! Yakin begitu? Bisa jadi salah hitung?" "Iya. Oh! Baru saja terhitung naik jadi dua puluh." Anggota Tim Eksplorasi Lapangan yang dikirim semalaman ke dalam Darkness berbahaya justru tiba-tiba kembali oleh ribuan. Balapan tak terduga ini sungguh membuat seluruh respons sesaat terbebani. "Katanya semua studi kasus sudah selesai dan mereka akan kabur dalam kelompok kecil secara bertahap. Apa-apaan ini?" Ruang itu dipenuhi gemerlap berbagai suara: spekulasi apakah staf yang kembali memang orang yang sama, seruan pengujian laboratorium untuk memastikan identitas, hingga teori apa pun yang mengemuka tentang kegagalan prediksi mereka. Namun seiring kejutan semula memudar, benang merdu kemungkinan keberhasilan mulai terasa di benak sebagian orang. Untuk sejumlah pemangku kunci yang mendukung langkah ini, pikiran serupa muncul. "Jika tingkat kelangsungan hidup ini nyata...!" Itu berarti investasi bold dan terukur mereka akhirnya terbayar. Tingkat keberhasilan yang tak terduga membuat mereka seketika tercengang. "Seharusnya kita mulai membentuk opini publik tentang pencapaian ini?" "Tunggu, aku harus menonjolkan kontribusiku sambil masih hangat." Namun segala kebingungan, kegembiraan, dan yang lainnya tiba-tiba padam oleh satu berita krusial. Dream Essence Collector pertama dari korban pertama telah dipertimbangkan, dan cairan di dalamnya ditilaskan sebagai B-Class. Dengan kata lain, mimpi 'Darkness dengan tingkat kelangsungan tinggi A-Class' pun pupus. Suasana ruang rapat menjadi bertambah berat seketika, lalu hancar ke kecewaman. "Ha... Tentu saja, ini terlalu bagus untuk dikatakan benar." "Bukankah ini terjebak sendiri begitu orang mulai mempromosikannya sebagai A-Class?" "Meskipun begitu, he, bukanlah langka sebuah Darkness B-Class dengan tingkat kelangsungan tinggi seperti ini? Apa pendapatmu, Kepala Seksi Kwak?" Kwak Jaekang, seorang peneliti yang dipanggil mendadak, tersenyum tipis. "Memangnya tidak terpukau~ Ini memang luar biasa." Bukan hanya mengesa—ini benar-benar menakjubkan! Apakah orang-orang ini benar-benar memahami tingkat kelangsungan hidup tiap tingkatan? Mereka seolah tak menyadari betapa luar biasanya situasinya. Itulah sebabnya tak ada seorang pun yang langsung menggigit tangan, ingin menggali data eksplorasi dengan seramak-seramainya. Melihat mereka bertukar kata-kata yang hambo, seperti 'Kita hanya kurang beruntung' atau 'Penilaian kita tetap benar', Kwak Jaekang tergoda tertawa. Sekali-kali ini benar-benar layak untuk disolokan? "Apakah orang-orang ini benar-benar hidup di dunia yang sama?" Tingkat kelangsungan hidup rata-rata untuk Darkness B-Class di bawah 2%. Mengirim banyak staf ke situ tanpa manual yang jelas atau persiapan yang cukup adalah langkah yang neko-neko. Dan kini, justru mereka sib saling bergantian antara kecewa dan bermalam, alih-alih mengagumi hasil yang luar biasa. Ini, meskipun 'konsultasi ahli' yang mereka andalkan tak ada sama sekali—hanya sekadar nasi yang dibungkus dengan nasi dari manajer riset tunggal yang menyesuaikan pandangannya. Sebab ke neko-neko ini jelas. "Karena mereka ingin melakukannya!" Sementara Kwak Jaekang sendiri senang bisa menggali hasil yang begitu menarik, dia terheran yang perusahaan ini mas masih berjalan dengan orang-orang seperti ini di divisi pengembangan. Kwak merasakan sekilas penyesalan. Semakin lama perusahaan ini bertahan, semakin banyak kesempatan baginya untuk mengkaji fenomena paranormal yang begitu memesona. Namun cara 'Innovation Development Strategy Office' ini beroperasi memang membahayakan masa depan perusahaan. Tentu saja, perusahaan yang berkeluarga seringkali kurang terstruktur, tapi ini benar-benar kacau. "Aku pernah mendengar rumor... tapi mengapa benar-benar semua orang dekat dengan pemilik perusahaan ini... ?" Tentu saja, tak semua orang di ruangan ini seperti itu. Mata Kwak Jaekang sejenak meluncur ke seseorang yang duduk sedikit jauh dari kerumunang. Orang ini tidak hadir pada pertemuan terakhir. "Itu salah satu orang dari Direktur Ho." Orang itu hadir dengan alasan sekedar tertarik, dan meminta untuk ikut sebentar. Meskipun diketahui bahwa pihak Departemen Pengembangan sering mencelah terhadap urusan Tim Eksplorasi Lapangan, hal ini tetap aneh. Yang lebih mencolok justru bagaimana orang itu dengan terbuka menerima pembaruan situasi melalui komunikasi jarak jauh dengan timnya. "Sepertinya satu karyawan memainkan peran besar dalam pelarian besar ini." Suasana ruangan berubah—bukan menuju antusiasme, tapi ke khawatir dan ketegangan. Namun pernyataan berikutnya membuat semua orang kaget. "Ia sepertinya menyiarkan cara meloloskan diri ke seluruh karyawan. Kita perlu menyelidiki rincian bagaimana ia melakukannya." "Beberapa orang sudah mulai bertanya.\' Orang dari Strategy Office saling pandang, bergeming setengah-tegas. "Ah, iya. Kita akan kirimkan laporan eksplorasi terperinci begitu tersedia." "Iya. Biasanya setelah eksplorasi lapangan, orang cukup lemes dan berceloteh sebentar." "Meskipun begitu, tak ada yang bisa membayangkan sesuatu dari ketiadaan, kan?" "Inilah yang sedang kita hadapi." Perwakilan dari pihak Direktur Ho mengintervensi percakapan. "Mereka penasaran apa keputusan 'Innovation Development Strategy Division' akan ambil." "Terkait imbalan untuk karyawan itu." "Selamat, Supervisor Kim." Sebagian besar aku hampir tersedak minuman amerikano dinginku sambil beralih-posisi di tempat tidur di ruang medis. Setelah mendengar kata-kata yang membuat hati terasa hangat, 'Maknae kami, kamu sudah bekerja keras, jadi cukup istirahat,' aku telah menjalani pemeriksaan fisik dasar dan tertidur nyenyak selama berjam-jam. Kuharap hanya akan mendengar lebih banyak tentang eksplorasi ini besok ketika datang bekerja. "Oh, kamu benar mendengarnya. Supervisor Kim." Assistant Manager Eun Haje tersenyum lebar. "Kamibanggunkan. Rekor tercepat dalam sejarah perusahaan untuk Tim Eksplorasi Lapangan!" [1] Maknae = anggota termuda/babook[2]
Bab 106
The meeting room was in chaos. “Seventeen people have reportedly returned alive!” “Seventeen…?! Are you sure about that number? Could it be a counting error?” “Yes. Oh! The count just went up to 20.” Members of the Field Exploration Team, deployed earlier in the day into a high-risk Darkness, had suddenly returned in droves. This unexpected turn of events completely paralyzed any immediate response. “They said all the case studies were done and that they’d escape in small, sequential groups. What on earth is this?” The room was filled with a cacophony of voices—speculations about whether the returning employees were really the ones who had entered, calls for lab testing to confirm their identities, and other theories about what might have gone wrong with their predictions. But as the initial shock faded, a subtle thought began to form in the minds of some… The thrilling possibility of success. For a few of the key players who had backed this endeavor, similar thoughts emerged. ‘If this survival rate is real…!’ It would mean their bold and calculated investment had paid off. The unexpectedly high success rate was so surprising that it left them momentarily dazed. ‘Should we start shaping public opinion about this achievement?’ ‘Wait, I should highlight my contributions while this is fresh.’ However, all the confusion, excitement, and self-congratulations were abruptly extinguished by one critical piece of news. The first survivor’s Dream Essence Collector had been evaluated, and the liquid inside was rated B-Class. In other words, the dream of a ‘high-survival-rate A-Class’ Darkness had vanished. The atmosphere in the meeting room deflated in an instant, sinking into disappointment. “Ha… Of course, it’s too good to be true.” “Wasn’t this jinxed the moment people started hyping it as A-Class?” “Still, hey, isn’t a B-Class Darkness with this kind of survival rate pretty rare? What do you think, Section Chief Kwak?” Kwak Jaekang, a researcher hurriedly called in, gave a faint smile. “Indeed~ It’s an impressive result.” No, it wasn’t just impressive—it was staggering! Did these people even understand the survival rates associated with each grade? They didn’t seem to grasp how extraordinary this situation was. That’s why none of them were foaming at the mouth, eager to analyze the exploration data right away. Seeing them exchange platitudes and self-consoling remarks like, ‘We just had bad luck,’ or ‘Our judgment was still correct,’ amused Kwak Jaekang. Did they really think this was a situation that warranted consolation? ‘Do these people have any sense of reality at all?’ The average civilian survival rate for B-Class Darknesses was below 2%. Deploying a large number of employees into such a situation without proper manuals or preparation had been a reckless gamble. And now, instead of marveling at the mind-boggling results, they were busy oscillating between disappointment and self-praise. This, despite the fact that the ‘expert consultation’ they relied on had been nothing more than hastily adopted advice from a single research manager who catered to their biases. The reason for this recklessness was obvious. ‘Because they wanted to do it!’ While Kwak Jaekang was personally thrilled at the prospect of analyzing such fascinating results, he found it astonishing that the company managed to function at all with higher-ups like these in its development division. Kwak felt a twinge of regret. The longer this company survived, the more opportunities he’d have to study these captivating paranormal phenomena. But the way the so-called ‘Innovation Development Strategy Office’ operated posed a clear risk to the company’s future. Sure, family-owned companies often lacked structure, but this was a mess. ‘I’d heard rumors… but could it really be that everyone close to the owner is ?’ Of course, not everyone in the room was like that. Kwak Jaekang’s eyes darted briefly to someone seated a bit apart from the rest. This individual hadn’t been present at the last meeting. ‘That’s one of Director Ho’s people.’ That person had shown up under the pretext of having a passing interest in this agenda item and asked to join briefly. Even though the Development Department’s higher-ups were known to meddle in the Field Exploration Team’s affairs, this was still unusual. What stood out even more was how openly the individual was receiving updates about the situation via remote communication with their team. “Apparently, one employee played a major role in the large-scale escape.” The air in the room shifted, not toward eagerness but to apprehension and tension. But the next statement left everyone in shock. “He reportedly broadcasted the escape method to all the employees. We need to investigate the details of how he managed it.” “Some people are already asking questions about it.” The Strategy Office’s people exchanged glances, muttering half-heartedly. “Ah, yes. We’ll transmit the detailed exploration report as soon as it’s available.” “That’s right. Usually, after field exploration, people are so out of it they babble nonsense for a while.” “Still, they wouldn’t just make up something out of thin air, would they?” “Which brings us to the matter at hand.” The representative from Director Ho’s side interrupted the conversation. “They’re curious about what decision the ‘Innovation Development Strategy Division’ will make.” “Regarding the employee’s reward, that is.” “Congratulations, Supervisor Kim.” I almost choked on my iced americano while lying on a cot in the medical bay. After hearing the heartwarming words, ‘Our maknae[1], you worked hard, so just rest,’ I had undergone a basic physical examination and had been dozing off for hours. I thought I’d only hear more about this exploration when I came to work tomorrow. “Oh, you heard me right. Supervisor Kim.” Assistant Manager Eun Haje grinned. “You’re getting promoted. Fastest record in the history of the company’s Field Exploration Team!” [1] Maknae = youngest/newest member ↩
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