Chapter 62: A New Configuration (2)
A war between corporations.
Not patent disputes in court, nor battles over shares through rgers and acquisitions.
A truly brutal war where bullets and missiles flew back and forth, people died, and property was destroyed.
Up to now, there had been two massive corporate wars fought across the entire globe.
Because of the first great war, which lasted four years, a list known as the ten gacorporations was created.
And through the second great war, which lasted six years, a single gacorporation called ‘Gale Consortium’ ca to reign above the remaining nine.
‘So Cheonrang wants war…….’
What on earth were they trying to gain.
That was a question even Boss Kim could not easily answer.
There were probably countless complex reasons mixed together.
But there was one thing that was clear.
-Recently, Podvig tried to join hands with Spelltech.
Spelltech, the only gacorporation capable of standing against the absolute Gale Consortium.
For nearly thirty years, the reason Gale’s military weapons had been abnormally focused on archmage-class armants was entirely because of Spelltech, a powerhouse of magic engineering.
‘To think Podvig tried to change its course toward Spelltech…….’
Podvig had been battered by a series of internal and external 악재 over the past few years.
And in the end, it had drunk from a poisoned chalice that should never have been touched.
-If you trace this incident upward, there must have been support from those Gale bastards in the end.
Boss Kim’s continued deductions were truly astonishing.
That the hacker nad Raja was likely a spy sent by another Podvig director to keep Angelina Shirin, the division head, in check.
That the ammunition for Titan deployed at the exhibition hall had been prepared by Raja, while the remaining weapons had been prepared by Heavyskull.
And lastly, that Heavyskull had probably never intended to kill Raja at all.
-He needed soone who would run around just enough. From Cheonrang’s side as well, they would have wanted things to be slightly noisy rather than perfectly clean. It’s just that that Raja bastard ran wilder than expected and ended up dead.
‘Hoo…….’
Sohow, I had gotten caught up in a fight between gigantic whales.
But if I thought about it differently, this could also be an opportunity for things to be resolved easily.
Either way, the Cheonrang Group wanted this operation to succeed.
-They’re probably prepared for the spirit’s core to be removed. That’s what would make it a proper casus belli for war.
For Diesel, the only thing that mattered was obtaining the core of the Type-19 spirit.
He recalled the last thing Boss Kim had said.
-It might actually be more dangerous to pull out now. If you do, Cheonrang might think you’ve noticed sothing.
The opinion that the best course was to obediently proceed with the job in accordance with the intentions of the mage called Heavyskull.
Diesel had ultimately reached the sa conclusion.
‘This is seriously getting fucked up.’
Once again, I was reminded of how insignificant an individual was in this world.
In Diesel’s mind, his younger sister Lee Hayun ca to mind.
‘They said even that supposedly powerful archmage lost in a battle against special forces.’
Even national organizations, now evaluated as dead power, possessed such strength.
Of course, Joseon still retained more authority than other countries, comparatively speaking.
‘I’ll need to prepare in other directions too.’
Not only to cultivate my own strength, but to feel the necessity of building a force.
If only to prepare for the end that would one day arrive.
‘To do that…….’
Several nas surfaced in my mind.
But not right now.
For now, raising my own level was the priority.
‘Yeah. With the abilities I have…….’
Maybe I could take on a gacorporation by myself.
A story that would earn nothing but ridicule if anyone heard it, calling it an excessive delusion.
But maybe, just maybe.
If I were to obtain the countless artifacts that existed in the world, and learn secret knowledge.
If I were to gain magical abilities surpassing an archmage, and freely wield miracles of other realms.
Then it felt like it might not be just a delusion.
“ I heard you were looking for . ”
Sector 23-5B.
A place where the most affluent skyscraper district of Seoul could be seen at a glance.
In this world, height itself symbolized a person’s status.
In that sense, the man found the view before his eyes extrely displeasing.
There was only one reason.
Because there were people standing higher than him.
“ Councilman Kang Leon. ”
Kang Leon turned his gaze from the window and looked at the woman who had called his na.
His daughter, Kang Da-hee.
“ How long do you plan on addressing with that title. ”
“ ……. ”
Despite her father’s question, no answer ca back.
‘That damn bitch.’
Stubborn and tenacious, just like her mother, never knowing when to give up.
It was amazing that she was still alive at all.
‘It’s not like those guys could’ve made a mistake…….’
Well, it didn’t matter.
Thanks to that, there was another chance to use her.
And that, for the sake of a relationship with the place Kang Leon wanted.
With that thought, he threw out a prelude to Kang Da-hee.
“ I’ve been hearing so strange rumors lately. ”
“ Rumors, you say…… ”
“ That you’re bringing a man into your ho. ”
“ ……. ”
It was information that didn’t matter in the slightest.
Kang Leon didn’t care whether his daughter lived with a man, a woman, or even a race from another realm.
The only thing he cared about was whether such rumors would harm his own reputation.
“ Did you get yourself a lover? ”
“ ……That’s not the case. ”
Could it be that the man she brought ho was extending her lifespan or sothing.
Judging by her reaction, that seed like a possibility.
“ You look pale. Are you eating properly? ”
When he casually tossed out a concern he didn’t an at all, a hint of disgust crossed Kang Da-hee’s face.
But soon, as if nothing had happened, she skillfully erased her expression.
“ Thanks to the councilman’s support, I’ve been eating well. ”
“ Good. That’s actually why I called you. ”
“ Is there sothing I need to do? ”
Sharp as ever.
That sharp intuition was precisely why she had survived until now.
She always knew exactly where she needed to stand.
Just like her mother and older sister had.
‘The thoughts she harbors are probably similar to theirs.’
She would pretend to obey, then stab from behind the mont an opening appeared.
Kang Leon knew better than anyone the temperant flowing through his daughter’s genes.
“ There should be a business trip scheduled at your company this ti. ”
“ That is……correct. ”
Perhaps she sensed sothing, because her voice trembled slightly.
Ignoring her emotions, Kang Leon continued.
“ You know why I placed you in Podvig. ”
“ Yes. It was for activities on behalf of the councilman. ”
Honestly, he didn’t care much about even that.
The declining Podvig wasn’t particularly important.
To begin with, he hadn’t provided much support, so it was questionable how she had even gotten in.
All he had done was invite those director bastards to a party cruise.
“ You’ll have to do that now. ”
“ Pardon……? ”
She looked slightly startled, as if she had expected sothing else.
“ But I still haven’t…… ”
“ You haven’t secured your position yet? ”
“Yes…….”
“It doesn’t matter.”
Did she really think she could play an important role.
But unfortunately, the man called Kang Leon wasn’t the type to deliberately keep a card he couldn’t even use properly.
“Is this because of your older sister?”
“…….”
There was no answer, but it was probably so.
Strangely enough, the two sisters were bound together by a deep affection.
‘If that were the case, at least one of them shouldn’t have been defective.’
An unpleasant mory surfaced, and my face twisted before I realized it.
Shaking off that feeling, he continued speaking.
“I’ll keep my promise. Just think of it as the ti having co a little sooner.”
“Is that really true……?”
Long ago, a hollow promise he had made to Kang Da-hee, who had been his daughter.
The very thing she was still clinging to as a thin strand of hope even now.
‘Pathetic.’
Kang Leon brushed aside the thought that suddenly ca to mind and nodded.
“Yes.”
“…….”
“If this job ends well, I’ll prepare the surgery to save your sister.”
He put on a benevolent smile.
The perfect smile he produced every ti he stood before the public.
“Looks like today’s the last day.”
“…….”
Inside Kang Da-hee’s apartnt.
For so reason today, Diesel was looking down at the back of her neck as she stayed unusually quiet.
‘Why is she so low-pressure?’
Without their usual trivial chatter, he erased the virus, and it was removed far faster than expected.
Just as he was about to thoroughly crush the last remaining one.
Kang Da-hee cautiously opened her mouth.
“Mr. Jas.”
“What.”
“If…… you know.”
“……?”
“If soone forced you to do sothing you really didn’t want to do…… what would you do?”
“What’s that supposed to an, all of a sudden.”
She threw out the question, then gave no answer.
At that, Diesel brushed his hands off and said,
“Alright, that’s the treatnt finished.”
“…….”
“Cheer up a bit. Today’s a day to celebrate. I’m even giving you today’s vaccine chip for free…….”
Only then did Diesel notice the slender shoulders in front of him trembling.
He stepped around to stand in front of Kang Da-hee.
“Why are you bawling like that?”
“N-no, it’s nothing.”
As if she didn’t want to be caught, she hurriedly turned her head away.
“Hmm…….”
I was really bad at things like this.
After a brief mont of thought, Diesel carefully spoke.
“Hey.”
“Yes…….”
“You asked what I’d do if soone forced to do sothing I didn’t want to do, right?”
Instead of answering, her small head nodded up and down.
“Then I’d do it first.”
“……?”
Perhaps it was an unexpected answer, because Kang Da-hee looked up at Diesel with eyes soaked through.
“If you don’t want to do it but can’t help it, that’s why you’re asking, right. Then I’d do it first.”
“…….”
“But if I don’t get proper compensation proportional to that…….”
Trailing off, Diesel put on a slightly serious expression.
“If you don’t……?”
Instead of an answer.
Pajijik…….
Electricity flared up from his hand.
The blue sparks flashed across Diesel’s face.
“So…… you an you’d just endure it?”
“Well, sothing like that. That’s why I study magic so hard.”
“Ah…….”
As if she understood, Kang Da-hee blankly nodded, then suddenly burst out laughing.
“Puhup…….”
“What’s wrong with you? Have you lost it?”
“N-no. I’m sorry. It was just such a very ‘Mr. Jas’ kind of answer.”
“What did you think of usually, to say that.”
“I’ve never once thought of magic that way.”
“What are you talking about. Do you know how many offensive spells you taught ?”
“T-that was just for self-defense.”
“For self-defense, the power was pretty excessive.”
Perhaps her mood had lifted a little thanks to the familiar back-and-forth, because Kang Da-hee wiped away the tears pooled at the corners of her eyes.
Her hand trembled as she did.
“Is your hand still like that?”
“Yes……. I guess this one isn’t related to the virus.”
Diesel casually grabbed her hand.
Kang Da-hee looked slightly startled, but as always, she quietly entrusted her hand to him.
Unlike last ti, when he finished checking in an instant, this ti it took quite a while.
Kang Da-hee grew awkward and spoke up.
“Um…… is there a problem?”
“Ah, on the surface, there doesn’t seem to be any issue. It might be that the virus altered the voltage flow coming out of your cyberware.”
“Then I should get a detailed examination, right?”
“Yeah. Now that your body’s fully recovered, you should go see a tech doctor and…….”
“Mr. Jas.”
“Hm?”
Kang Da-hee, who had called his na, asserted her opinion strongly for the first ti.
“I’d like you to take a look at this too, Mr. Jas.”
“…….”
“Would that be impossible?”
‘Hmm…….’
She was asking for a detailed examination.
Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t.
To begin with, Diesel wasn’t a tech doctor.
“Alright……. sure.”
But instead of firmly refusing like before, I brushed it off vaguely.
If I thought it through, a thod might co up.
A way to continue this connection.
Thinking that, I said without a plan,
“I’ll tell you the address later.”
“……!”
At that answer, Kang Da-hee’s face lit up.
Maybe even more than when she heard the virus had been completely cured.
With that expression, she looked up at Diesel.
“Promise.”
What was this even about.
It wasn’t because I was truly worried about her that I said it.
It was simply because there was still more I could get out of her.
“You have to tell .”
Whether she knew these thoughts or not.
Kang Da-hee smiled brightly, like a flower.
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