Chapter 97: Costics Made of Blood (1)
The man, facing the large, single-pane window, stretched his arms high above his head.
His outstretched legs swayed simultaneously.
As the sound of a door opening was heard, the man, with his back to the door, asked without even lifting his head.
“…What is it?”
“That is……”
“Tell .”
The well-dressed middle-aged man approached with his head bowed.
He lowered his voice.
“That place… is said to have been destroyed.”
“My new collection place that’s being built? Is it that one?”
“……Yes.”
“It’s not just one or two places, is it?”
“The mountain side, I an, um……”
“Well, fine. How did it get destroyed? We can just build a new one, but didn't you keep a tight lid on it?”
Although he spoke nonchalantly, the middle-aged man was already frightened.
“…I did. We even blocked the entrance until the construction was finished.”
“And yet it was discovered?”
The man moved his outstretched hand to his left, stretching his side.
“Th-that’s correct.”
“Hmm……”
The man’s movents slowed slightly, as if he were contemplating for a mont.
While waiting, the middle-aged man began to break out in a cold sweat from anxiety.
“…Ah!”
The man released his hands and slapped his thigh in reaction.
“I… I know who it is.”
“If you tell , I will pursue them imdiately.”
“You probably won’t be able to. I don’t know where they are either.”
As the man extended his hand, the middle-aged man offered the towel he had brought.
The man, his face buried in the towel, continued speaking.
“I didn’t know who it was at the ti, but I kept thinking. How did they neutralize my power? How did they overco my power? It’s fascinating, isn’t it? It had never happened before.”
The man’s grip on the towel tightened.
He began to tremble slightly.
“It was that child!”
With an overwheld voice, the corners of the man’s lips turned upwards.
“That child… you say?”
“The masterpiece I created, the child who should exist in my embrace. To think they were alive……”
An ecstatic voice flowed out.
It seed as if both his hands would reach towards the sky at any mont.
“REX—3333.”
“…Yes?”
“What a sha. If I had known this would happen, I should have asked for their original na. But isn’t it kind of cool? The dog I cherished and raised was nad Rex.”
“……”
Along with the middle-aged man’s breath, nurous eyes appeared in the air.
Sweat beaded on the tip of his chin.
Why?
Unable to say anything, the middle-aged man remained still.
“…That child… was wearing black clothes.”
The man tried to recall.
“Why black clothes? It reminds of those damn eagles. But there’s no way that child would beco a Black Eagle. Ah, what should I do?”
“I-I’ll find them!”
“No, leave them be. They must have felt suffocated being trapped there. I have the magnanimity to allow that much. Before I put on the leash, I should let them breathe. Because I’m kind.”
His elongated smile revealed his teeth.
Simultaneously, the countless eyes that appeared were filled with strange patterns.
One of the eyes glowed.
Shwoong!
With a sound that pierced the air, it impaled the middle-aged man’s heart.
“The towel slls.”
The man threw the towel aside and then shook the bell beside him.
Ttalang.
“Clean it up.”
He spoke briefly and then resud his stretching.
‘Ah, I want to et them again. I should have treated them a bit more kindly.’
Laughter flowed out.
He thought he had lost them, but he hadn't.
His laughter grew louder.
Hyeon-yul got off the bus.
Ju-hyeon, who was walking like a corpse, saw Hyeon-yul and, with hazy eyes, beckoned him over with a flick of her finger.
Hyeon-yul looked around.
Suddenly, there was no one behind him.
They had already overtaken him and were walking ahead.
Who would enjoy coming to work?
‘They’re diligent.’
Hyeon-yul approached Ju-hyeon.
“Good morning, Team Leader Ye Ju-hyeon.”
“Co to think of it, I’m not even a team leader, yet you recognize well, huh?”
“It’s because of the phone.”
In reality, he could see her real face through the magic, but Hyeon-yul feigned ignorance and pointed to the phone.
Ju-hyeon looked at her phone and then briefly lowered it.
She had put it down for a mont because she was tired today.
‘He’s sharp. It’s as if he can see through magic, isn’t it?’
Her eyes narrowed.
“What is it?”
Hyeon-yul asked.
He had given Ju-hyeon a lot of information.
“I heard the good information from Hae-ryeon unni, and I’m talking about the forr Black Eagle.”
“Yes.”
Hyeon-yul nodded.
Besides the drugs, he had also brought news that forr Black Eagle mbers were causing trouble.
“Are you bothered by it?”
“It is sowhat botherso.”
Just a little.
Hyeon-yul didn't say the rest of his thoughts.
“Are you good-natured, or just plain dull?”
Ju-hyeon fiddled with her phone again.
“I’ve blocked all the places that needed blocking. There was an article that ca up recently, right? I looked into why that happened, and it turned out to be the work of the forr Black Eagle side. We’re currently tracking them. We have a lot of their information on our side, so it shouldn’t take long.”
After finishing her words, Ju-hyeon pointed behind her.
“There will be additional security devices before and when entering the building.”
“Is that so?”
“It was installed because of you. Even a little bit would be nice, so try to show so enthusiasm.”
“Why is it because of ?”
“Because you gave good information. If forr Black Eagle mbers cause trouble, it’s obvious they’ll co to our side too, right? Anyway, I told you so you wouldn’t be flustered.”
“Ah, thank you.”
Hyeon-yul nodded as if he finally understood.
They would know how to get here well, and they would know the internal geography well, so it would be strange if they didn't co.
Activating the defenses was a quick response.
“Are you really okay?”
Ju-hyeon narrowed her eyes.
How could his voice and body be so lacking in strength?
Every ti she saw him, she wanted to give him so kind of restorative dicine.
“I’m fine. It’s just… because I’m at work.”
Although there was no official term, the phrase ‘work sickness’ did exist.
Trying to go to work after a day off, his body did feel quite heavy.
“That’s a sickness everyone has, though. Anyway, I’ll let you know when things beco clearer, so keep up the hard work.”
“Team Leader Ye Ju-hyeon.”
“Why?”
“I just thought of sothing, may I ask you one thing?”
“Go ahead.”
Ju-hyeon glanced at Hyeon-yul.
She thought that an awful lot of things happened around the rookie.
At this point, the hypothesis that the rookie himself was causing the incidents wouldn't seem strange at all.
“Did you see the data about trying to make Black Eagle mbers into experint subjects?”
“I saw it. You discovered that too, didn’t you?”
Ju-hyeon shook her head.
It was truly horrifying.
To think they would even target Black Eagle mbers for experints.
“But why is that? Didn’t you hear from Unni? It hasn’t been implented yet, and the possibility of it being implented is slim.”
Black Eagle was thoroughly managed.
She expressed the possibility as slim because if soone disappeared, it would be noticed imdiately.
“What if the target isn’t Black Eagle, but forr Black Eagle mbers?”
At Hyeon-yul’s words, Ju-hyeon hesitated for a mont.
Soon, her expression rapidly hardened.
“Villains are not fools. They aim for what’s possible rather than what’s impossible. Wouldn’t that be possible?”
Villains crunched the numbers before charging in.
If the probability was high, villains would rush in without looking back.
“What if my hypothesis, that the reason for grouping forr Black Eagle mbers, is correct?”
Yesterday, he had once again seen the place built to conduct experints on Black Eagle mbers.
If he hadn't seen it, he wouldn't have thought of it, but because he had seen it, he could form a hypothesis.
What if.
Didn't that possibility exist?
“……It would be chaos.”
Ju-hyeon clenched the phone she had lowered.
“False information would spread first.”
She grabbed her forehead with an annoyed expression, then squeezed her eyes shut.
She turned her body around.
“……Again, you’re making unable to leave work.”
“Did I make a mistake?”
Hyeon-yul asked quite heavily.
He had ntioned the possibility, but he hadn't thought it would delay his departure from work.
“No. You asked well. It’s a plausible enough scenario that it needs to be reviewed.”
Ju-hyeon looked at Hyeon-yul.
He still wasn't smiling, but Ju-hyeon’s gaze had softened considerably.
‘Is this why diversity is necessary?’
Ju-hyeon thought idly.
Right now, that rookie hadn't yet shed his villainous traits.
His perspective would also be close to that of a villain.
And yet, because of that perspective, he was seeing things they couldn't.
That part was definitely worth acknowledging.
“You did well.”
Ju-hyeon uttered the words and then walked away with quick steps.
Hyeon-yul watched her back from where he stood.
‘Is Team Leader Ye Ju-hyeon also planning to tell to join Team 7 soon?’
Why wouldn't he know that it was a praise strategy?
Hyeon-yul glanced back.
It was Na-yoon.
Hyeon-yul quickly moved his head forward.
‘……She wouldn’t co at this ti.’
Most of the team mbers liked to arrive at the last minute, and he deliberately ca earlier.
That made him more comfortable.
If it were Shin-woo or Ji-hwan, he might feign ignorance, but if it was Na-yoon, he couldn't.
He just waited.
His shadow seed unusually long.
“Were you waiting for ?”
Na-yoon, who approached, smiled brightly.
Hyeon-yul rely nodded.
It was true that he had waited.
“I’m happy, you know? I should write this down in my diary, right? Ah, did you rest well? Yesterday, do you know what mission we did?”
Hyeon-yul was already losing the light in his eyes.
How many topics had already changed in this short ti?
“We went to a kindergarten. You know, the place where they teach special children. You went too, Hyeon-yul, didn’t you? Anyway, you don’t know how pretty the children there are. There’s a pretty child nad Lee Se-rin……”
“Is she well?”
“…Huh?”
It wasn't sothing Hyeon-yul would normally show interest in, so Na-yoon was startled.
“That child, is she well?”
At Hyeon-yul’s question, Na-yoon blinked a couple of tis and then smiled broadly.
“She was spirited. It seed she had difficulty controlling her strength, but now she can control it a tiny bit.”
“Is that so?”
“She’s waiting for you. So we promised to co together.”
Na-yoon held out her pinky finger and wiggled it.
“Yes, we promised.”
Hyeon-yul briefly lowered his head and looked at his hand.
Se-rin had wrapped her pinky finger around his and smiled brightly.
—It’s a promise, Mister!
‘My hand is dirty…….’
It was a hand stained with so much blood.
Both having his finger held and making a promise were embarrassing things.
“I seeee.”
The corners of Na-yoon’s lips elongated.
Her expression had changed sohow, and Hyeon-yul felt an inexplicable sense of unease.
As he walked forward, Na-yoon matched his pace and grinned.
It felt like she was teasing him sohow.
“…Ah!”
At the sound of sothing coming to mind, Hyeon-yul felt an inexplicable sense of anxiety.
What was it this ti?
“Hyeon-yul, how much do you rember?”
“I rember being experinted on, eting Teacher Jeong-min, and everything since then.”
“At that ti, do you know about how old you were?”
“I think I was around 10 or 11 years old. This is my speculation, so I could have been younger or older.”
For a very brief mont, the ends of Na-yoon’s eyebrows drooped.
“Is your current na your real na?”
“No.”
“You don’t rember your old na?”
“No.”
“The scope is wider than I thought. I see why you couldn’t find it. Whether you have family or not, that alone is different.”
“That’s right. That’s the problem from the start.”
Na-yoon thought about various things at those words and then casually asked.
“By any chance, have you registered your DNA?”
“It’s no use. It’s been altered.”
“That… can be altered?”
“Have you ever actually seen an experint scene?”
“Hmm, I’ve only seen it after it was all over. Most people probably have.”
If so, he couldn't explain.
Hyeon-yul thought about what would be appropriate and recalled one thing.
“There’s sothing called a chira, isn’t there? I’m like that.”
“Huh?”
“It might not be my finger, or it might be. It’s the sa with my face.”
“Uh……?”
“Anyway, I’ll try my best.”
Hyeon-yul walked ahead, and Na-yoon stopped in her tracks.
She thought most things weren't shocking, but this ti, it was.
‘The scars… were they like that?’
“…Noona? Are you okay?”
Ji-hwan whispered towards Na-yoon.
He didn't know what she had talked about with Hyeon-yul, but her expression wasn't good.
“I’m fine.”
“Did you… fight with Brother?”
“Why would we fight?”
He feigned ignorance, but he couldn't help but ask this.
“……Could you hear?”
“Yes.”
Hyeon-yul nodded and answered.
He shifted his gaze and looked at Na-yoon.
Was it that shocking?
Although he was dead now, everyone who knew he had been an experint subject used to ask with curiosity how many people were mixed in him.
‘It’s best not to say this.’
If Na-yoon reacted like that, then this wasn't good.
“I apologize for making you uncomfortable.”
Hyeon-yul apologized to Na-yoon.
If she looked upset, he had to apologize.
“No. Don’t apologize for this. Absolutely do not apologize.”
Na-yoon waved her hands and desperately tried to stop Hyeon-yul.
What would happen if he apologized for this?
Shin-woo looked back and forth between Hyeon-yul and Na-yoon and then tapped the desk.
“The Team Leader is coming.”
“She’s here.”
Hyeon-yul finished his sentence.
The door leading outside opened, and Hae-ryeon entered.
“Sorry for the sudden ergency eting. Were you waiting?”
“You could have taken longer. Only about 10 minutes have passed.”
Shin-woo checked his watch and then expressed his disappointnt.
“Can’t do that. We’ve beco the advance team.”
“……What?”
Ji-hwan was horrified.
Advance team.
Just hearing it made his heart tighten.
“You rember the drug manufacturing plant where you all voluntarily conducted a mission on your day off recently, right?”
Everyone nodded at Hae-ryeon’s question.
“Besides that incident, there were many other drug-related incidents. You rember, right?”
The cult incident.
Supporting the case where a villain drugged a citizen and fled, etc.
“Just two days ago, there was also the incident of rescuing the White Sparrows. You all rember, right?”
Hae-ryeon spoke, observing Hyeon-yul.
The boss of that place was soone who knew Hyeon-yul’s past.
Contrary to her concerns, Hyeon-yul’s expression didn't change much.
“Based on the testimony and evidence from the White Sparrow who infiltrated that place, we found out that all of this is connected to a company called ‘Linda’.”
“……Ha.”
Na-yoon let out a long sigh.
Thinking about it again made her angry.
To think the owner of her favorite costics company was a villain.
“We went a long way around to find that information, but the owner of the drug manufacturing plant was the ‘Linda’ boss. Of course, this place might not be the real one either.”
For now, they considered it the main body.
But it was right to be cautious.
“Since the boss is dead, those guys will also know we’re coming. The eting concluded that we need to confirm whether that place is real or not. We are the advance team for that.”
As the mission details were revealed, everyone except Hyeon-yul sighed simultaneously.
Only Hyeon-yul looked around.
“Is this the result that just ca out?”
When Shin-woo asked as if he couldn't believe it, Hae-ryeon nodded.
“That’s right.”
“……To think this is true.”
Na-yoon clutched her hair.
Of all tis, to get caught at this exact mont.
“Dawn. Perfect for going in and taking a look, right?”
Hae-ryeon smiled.
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