LIGHTNOVELONLINE Abnormal Phenomena Report
744th Entity
Alias: “Satan’s Tail”
Danger Level Classification: Level Ⅴ (Extremely Dangerous)
The 744th entity is a spiral window made of two red, pointy stones. The surface of this anomaly is covered with incomprehensible characters. It is believed that these characters originate from an ancient ███ civilization.
The 744th entity constantly emits special mental waves, which cause severe mental contamination to any exposed living beings. The symptoms of this contamination include extreme excitement, uncontrollable violence, hallucinations indistinguishable from reality, self-harm, and finally, ██.
If there exists a human whose life activity has ceased within the range of this anomaly, then immediately―――
“I-I have confirmed an unidentified entity ahead!”
A panicked voice is heard from the hallway beyond the door. The voice is trembling, as if something terrifying has been discovered. Fear should have been a feeling long forgotten by those who face all sorts of horrific and grotesque things regularly. Yet, the moment it came into view, they couldn’t hide their trembling voices.
“Immediately fire! Don’t let it come closer!”
“All units, suppressive fire!”
rat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat—!!
The sound of commands mixes with the gunfire echoing through the hallway. The noise is so deafening it feels like lightning and thunder are raging right in front of them. Powerful firepower is focused on one part of the hallway, capable of tearing apart whatever is in front of them.
Did the entity flinch at the countless bullets raining down? It remained standing there, motionless.
—kreeeeek
With a disturbing metal sound, like a rusty machine struggling to work, it began to charge forward, as if it were a provoked beast ready to sweep away everything in its path.
crack, crunch, snap.
Things were breaking and disintegrating in succession wherever the sound penetrated. The sheer weight was enough to make the entire hallway tremble. Ignoring the hail of bullets, it relentlessly charged toward the members standing at the door. The heavy footsteps, which crushed everything around, quickly got closer to them.
“Damn it, it’s not working! Instead, the numbers are increasing—”
A member’s urgent voice mixed with curses. He seemed to realize he couldn’t stop what was approaching. But it was already too late.
“Gyaaaahhhh!”
A tearing scream began to fill the hallway.
“————”
Oliver’s eyes are filled with horror. The vivid sounds of flesh tearing, bones breaking, and bodies being pulverized. The chaos of gunfire and screams made it easy to imagine the scene unfolding just beyond the door. He remained frozen in place, helplessly forced to listen to his comrades being slaughtered.
“Isn’t it truly marvelous? An ancient civilization that modern technology cannot catch up to. This must be what we refer to with the wisdom of our ancestors.”
The monk said, looking extremely peaceful in stark contrast to the chaos happening just one wall away.
Of course, it made sense. He was the one who stole that thing from the management office and brought the lost anomaly back to this place.
It’s precisely for this reason these people are labeled as insane charlatans and lunatics. Their indifference to the slaughter they carry out, as if it’s simply a necessary task—not for pleasure or profit, but because it feels like the natural thing to do—makes them more like anomalies than humans.
“Oh, please don’t look at me like that. I’ve never participated in the original method of its function. To use humans as materials, even if they are corpses, is truly against all ethics, isn’t it?”
Veins began to bulge in Oliver’s eyes. The word “ethics” came from the very lips of the perpetrator of the slaughter that was unfolding just behind that door. It was absurd, making him want to tear the monk apart on the spot.
The 744th entity is an anomaly that transforms human corpses. And the transformed corpses will attempt to create another corpse, and the newly created corpse will once again mutate due to the anomaly, repeating the cycle.
Those reborn as weapons, completely dissimilar to the original human form, will instantly become disasters that multiply in number. This base could lead to a catastrophic disaster that might threaten the entire world.
For the audacity of unleashing such chaos, anyone witnessing this would feel their blood boil.
“So, we have tried to change the nature of that thing. For a considerably long time, in fact. And surprisingly, we succeeded.”
As the gunfire gradually lessened, the screams that had filled the hallway began to grow faint. Oliver, internally praying for the souls of the comrades who met terrible deaths outside, closed his eyes, foreseeing the aftermath to come. It was clear that soon the fallen comrades’ corpses would mutate and rise again.
‘…?’
But no matter how long he waited, the sound of flesh and bones twisting—what should have clearly been heard—never came. Only the final screams of the last few remaining members echoed in the hallway.
“But there was a problem. While not using corpses is good, we couldn’t find an appropriate substitute.”
Oliver’s eyes wavered at the monk’s words. His claims of having changed the nature of the anomaly began to sound less like a joke.
You made them not use corpses? Did you change the very essence of the anomaly? How?
No, more importantly, if what was outside wasn’t made of corpses, then what was it made of?
“Then, I happened to remember an object existing in this base―――”
—Boom!
Interrupting the monk’s words, something smashed through the thick barrier and invaded the office.
A mangled face of a member, torn apart, hung limply from the door. What had already been reduced to a pulp slid down with a swoosh, leaving behind a large hole.
“————”
Oliver swallowed hard. Beyond the hole, he saw the pure form of the monster created by the 744th entity.
But something looked different.
Instead of warped skeletons and threateningly protruding bone fragments, what should have been flesh and bones was now made out of plywood and rebar.
‘…A dummy doll?’
In that instant, something flashed through Oliver’s mind like lightning. There was only one dummy doll to be found at Base 17.
An anomaly that creates replicas upon impact and is often used in experiments where shock levels must be measured, resembling a vehicle collision test dummy.
If the 744th anomaly started using that dummy doll instead of corpses, then…
“Apparently, it works even better than I thought. How fortunate.”
He wanted to ask what in the world had been done. There was only one dummy doll existing at Base 17.
The dummy that looks like it’s used for vehicle collision tests was classified as a safe-level anomaly. It clones itself upon impact, creating damaged replicas while leaving the original completely unscathed.
However, whatever method they used, if it turned that ordinary dummy into a moving killing machine――
There wouldn’t be a way to stop it, as far as he knew.
—Kreeeek!
The chilling sound of metal echoed once more, and the monster with the spiral window lodged in its chest began to walk toward the other end of the hallway.
Thud, thud, the heavy footsteps echoed. But there was not just one creature making those sounds.
Due to the nature of the original, infinitely replicable body, the countless replicas that appeared while absorbing gunfire followed closely behind.
Not long after, Oliver could distinctly hear another scream echoing from afar.
“Well then. My business is concluded, so I shall be taking my leave.”
The monk, no longer having anything to do here, stood up. Oliver wanted to pull out a firearm from the drawer beneath his desk and shoot the monk in the back of the head right then and there, but still, he couldn’t move at all.
“What we’ve mentioned is still valid, so if you’re ever moved by it, you’re always welcome.”
As the monk touched the door that had never opened easily, it began to swing open smoothly.
Walking through the hallway as if stepping on a red carpet, indifferent to the numerous corpses sprawled around him, he said, “Please, may you remain safe during this time――”
With hands clasped as when he first entered, he looked back at Oliver.
Thud, the door closed lightly behind him, and he soon disappeared from sight.
Ugh…!
As the bell’s duration ended, Oliver stumbled and fell. It must have been the backlash from forcing his body to move earlier.
“Make an immediate request for assistance to the management office…!”
Yet despite the pain, there was no time for him to lie down and rest.
The monk’s intrusions, the 744th abnormal phenomena, and the properties of the dummy doll fused with it—none of them were business as usual. The personnel at Base 17 lacked the means to stop the disaster currently unfolding.
He had to contact the management office immediately and inform them of the critical nature of the situation.
Trembling, Oliver reached for the lower drawer.
His target was the communication device given to those with a rank equal to that of the responsible researcher or higher.
Ignoring signal interference, this device could contact the management office and other key personnel, making it an ideal choice for alerting the outside world about the current situation at Base 17.
He grasped the communication device from the open drawer.
Filled with urgency, he shakily raised the communication device, but as he looked at the screen, his previously desperate expression turned to confusion.
On the screen of the communication device, which should only be used for outgoing calls to those of similar rank, a notification had appeared indicating that someone with an unfamiliar name had attempted to contact him multiple times.
Emergency Communication
Sender: Chief Researcher, Benjamin Campbell
And the notification on the screen revealed the name of a chief researcher rumored to have been requesting unusual information regarding Base 17 for the past few weeks.