Soon, the elevator trapped on the first floor will be revealed. People began to gather near the stairs on the second floor, which was closest to the elevator. The elevator would be right there once they went down the stairs.
When I came down to the second floor, there was a woman I hadn't seen before. She must have been on the fourth floor or higher, or she had been hiding and came out when the water started to drain. The woman completely ignored our presence. For some reason, as soon as Benjamin saw my face, he started cursing.
"You fucking (you are parking) XXXX."
I realized a new feature of the translation device in my ear: it didn't work properly for profanity, depending on the pronunciation. When I looked at him disdainfully, Carter was pulling Benjamin's hood from behind, but Benjamin still tried to lunge at me.
At that moment, someone walked down the corridor, making splashing sounds. Everyone turned their heads toward the sound. The man, limping slightly and holding a fire axe in one hand, had blood all over his face and the axe. Everyone in the corridor stared at him. With a towel wrapped around his injured calf, the man spoke in a hoarse voice to the frozen people.
"......I'm going to take the elevator. If anyone gets in my way, I'll kill them."
The man waved the axe at us, speaking in a simple and direct manner. Everyone was speechless at his appearance, and I was also at a loss for words. Benjamin's curses at me had stopped. Everyone's eyes were drawn to the red on the axe, and they looked away.
Hmm...... I thought it would be much easier to talk to Benjamin first. I felt a strange sense of intimacy, even if it was just a tiny bit.
I have to ride the elevator with these people. I remembered the dream where I rode the elevator with Yujin, hugging each other in fear and crying. What if the elevator breaks down this time? I sighed involuntarily. The water level was gradually dropping. The water that had been splashing around my ankles was now just touching my toes.
Yujin was whispering something in Kim Gayoung's ear, and Lee Jihyun was glancing at the new faces, sighing, and focusing on her pad. I asked Benjamin a question, keeping a distance of about 3 meters, so I could dodge or retreat if he lunged at me again.
"Why are you like that?"
"What do you mean?!"
"Why did you throw the cat?"
Benjamin snorted and said, "Oh! What do you want from me! I didn't throw you! You're not even hurt! Why should I drown just for a cat! You fucking bastard!"
"Hey...... Is that all you have to say to me?"
Apologize. Say sorry. Do you have no sense of guilt at all? Benjamin looked at Yujin, Lee Jihyun, and Kim Gayoung, then at me, and asked, "Why are you pretending to be so good? Do you want to look good to the girls?"
For a moment, I didn't understand what he was saying. My mind was a jumbled mess, and countless responses were trying to burst out. From when did I ever act that way, to what's wrong with you to think that way, I had so many things to say that I wanted to write them down on paper or a pad and speak. How could I know what these three people think of me? And why would I throw myself into the air to impress anyone? A stray cat we picked up today? I sighed and asked the most pressing question.
"Why do you act so badly?"
"Hypocrite!"
"......At least pretend to be good. Even if you're not good, at least pretend to be!"
At that moment, the man with the axe walked over, scraping the axe blade on the floor. Since the water was draining, it didn't make as much noise as before, so we didn't notice him approaching. He was much closer to the people than before.
Benjamin looked at him, his eyes widening, and stopped cursing, stepping back cautiously. The man seemed to want to sit near the stairs closest to the elevator on the first floor. He walked past Benjamin and me, easily making his way down the corridor, and sat at the point where the corridor met the stairs. He touched the axe handle and watched us.
While I was looking at his injured calf, a loud yawn echoed. Benjamin, who had been watching the water drain on the first floor, started to get annoyed when Canu yawned loudly.
"You didn't care at all when people were dying. Why are you getting involved now?"
"Are you talking to me? That's my choice. Is dying people the same as dying cats? Don't worry. I won't care about you when you're dying."
Canu said this with a low, caring voice, smiling. Benjamin looked like he was about to explode, but Sam and James were laughing and saying things like "Come on, let's swim again" and "The water level is just right," which made him even more annoyed. He distanced himself from the group and moved away.
The woman leaning against the wall, who didn't seem to be close to Kim Gayoung, exchanged a brief greeting with her, "You're alive." "You too."
How much more does the water need to drain for the elevator to work? I approached Lee Jihyun, who was leaning on a random chair on the second floor. She looked like she was struggling to stay awake.
"Jihyun, do you have a moment to talk?"
"My poor body is already with God."
"Then let me borrow your mind. ......I'm worried about the Infinite Church believers on the ground floor if we take the elevator. The people here don't have the means to resist armed personnel. Do we need weapons?"
Lee Jihyun looked at the man sitting on the floor and the axe, then said, "We have one here."
"......Not that. Is there a non-violent way to persuade the armed fanatics?"
I had been thinking about this while walking, but no good ideas came to mind. Even if we tried to confront them with similar weapons, it would be difficult to get guns.
I can't even snatch a pen from someone's hand, let alone a gun from their shoulder. The same goes for the people here. Benjamin and Carter couldn't even take a backpack from me when they both tried.
What are the chances that the people here can take guns from the cult members and fight back?
......I don't believe in religion, so maybe that's why I can't come up with any good ideas. What do religious people think? Lee Jihyun stretched and said, "I wish I could say that everything will be solved by the love of the Lord, but the idea that dialogue and persuasion are for the weak suddenly comes to mind. Oh...... If all those dreams are true, Muhyeon."
Lee Jihyun spoke in a low voice, almost only moving her lips. There might be a few people here who believe in religion. I nodded lightly, agreeing with her.
"Oh, that's true. ......Should we ask the people here what religion they believe in?"
Lee Jihyun smiled slightly and replied, "Do you think they'll answer honestly?"
"I don't think so, but it can't hurt to ask."
"That's true."
"Before we take the elevator, is there anything else we should prepare or take with us?"
Thinking about weapons, I remembered the bodies on the third floor. Scissors, axes, letter openers, and pens were stuck in their bodies. Even if we needed things to survive, I didn't want to enter a room full of dead bodies and pull those things out. Lee Jihyun thought for a moment and whispered to me.
"What I'm more worried about is......"
Her voice was low, so I leaned closer to hear her.
"Yes?"
"What I'm worried about isn't before the elevator is fixed, but after. Until now, I was the only engineer who could fix the elevator, so people didn't resist me, helped me, or left me alone. If there had been another engineer, would they have listened to me? After the elevator is fixed, will I still be useful to these people? ......I don't have the strength to fight."
If we have to talk about usefulness, in this resource-scarce world, no one should have been born. If Lee Jihyun hadn't been there, wouldn't I have already died in the main engine room?
"We need you. You've worked the hardest to escape and protect the people around you. I'll be here to support you, even if I'm not much help."
I don't know how much help I can be. Lee Jihyun looked around and whispered, "I don't trust those people."
"What about James? Don't you know him?"
"I've known him for about two years. We met at prayer meetings. ......The most dangerous thing is to trust people of the same religion."
"Why?"
"Because you lower your guard. I've been a lifelong believer for 28 years, and I've been harmed more by people of the same religion than by those of different religions. I came to the underwater base to escape. They kept trying to make me marry a man from the same church."
I had to ask, out of genuine curiosity. Is she telling me this because she trusts me?
"What about me?"
"Muhyeon, do you believe in a cult?"
"No, I'm an atheist."
"I believe in the dedication you've shown so far, whether you're a cult believer or not, and whether the Infinite Church even exists. And, believing in God and believing in people are quite different."