Age of Chaos
The bunker’s labyrinthine structure unfolded layer by layer through a 3D model projected before everyone’s eyes.
The man in the black mask leaned back with his legs crossed, casually flexing his neck. A red diamond tattoo writhed at the nape of his neck as he rolled his shoulders to loosen up.
"Boss. So this is the map Victor dug up for the Gimpo Airport bunker?"
The boss of Blood Diamond, a killer group infamous in the shadows, looked at the man who had spoken.
"From this point on, we’ll be entering here."
"Do you have a specific plan?"
"I solved that with our question rights. From there, we’re planning to introduce a few changes."
Each of them had skills specialized for assassination.
And they possessed the natural talents that made those skills even deadlier.
Twenty-two in all, including the boss. Every member of Blood Diamond was a powerhouse who had strengthened their physical enhancement and Omega Suit to level 3 and level 2 respectively.
"Can you tell us what questions you asked?"
During the briefing, no one held back.
That was what the boss wanted, so the squad asked openly.
"The place we need to be most careful about inside the bunker. The variable we need to watch closest from within."
They had asked two things.
And user rank wasn’t something you could raise lightly. Without any question rights left, they couldn’t ask more.
"This is the place we need to watch."
The boss pointed to the bunker’s lowest level, the central hall.
After adjusting the hologram device a few times, only that section glowed red.
"Apparently, everyone can be wiped out here. They’re planning to lure us in with bait."
"That’s what the Higher Being said?"
Rose stretched, lacing her fingers behind her head.
Despite her flippant tone, everyone remained calm.
They were already used to her personality, so that was the reaction she got.
"This is a battle of wits. The outcome of the operation will depend on how well we use the Higher Being."
"Then they’ll know we’re coming, too?"
"Yes. Do you know how the Higher Being answers questions?"
"Doesn’t it read the future? Anything else doesn’t make sense."
The boss shook his head.
From everything he had observed while speaking with the entity, the Higher Being was not that omniscient.
"It reads all the currents of the present, makes its judgment, and then gives an answer. That’s why it feels like it’s reading the future."
"Then what if we change our minds on a whim?"
"Then the answer it gave would be wrong."
Anything the Higher Being foresees or solves is based solely on the present. Once the answer has been given, even it cannot answer beyond that point—unless another question right is consumed.
That was why the boss believed this operation favored them.
The right to decide whether or not to strike. Through that, they could twist the timing of an assault the enemy might already know about.
Even if they learned of our existence through the Higher Being, the decision to attack is in our hands. That means the initiative is ours.
This was how battles between groups that had raised their user rank were fought.
A war of wits layered atop another war of wits, all based on the information they could extract by making the most of the Higher Being.
The boss had no doubt he stood above that struggle.
"We originally planned the raid for three days from now, but I’m changing the schedule."
"To when?"
"Tomorrow night."
"Ho—hold on, boss. Wouldn’t they anticipate that we might get fickle and prepare before the date of the raid?"
"That’s exactly why we’re going ahead. As Victor said, do you really think the team leaders and the Meteor party would leave their posts?"
Everyone shook their heads.
If the enemy was preparing for them, then that information itself was likely bait.
"Right. I heard through the question right that the central hall is the place to watch, and as long as we handle the biggest variable, our safety is guaranteed."
"So what the hell is the variable?"
"Jack Kalt’s intervention."
At the boss’s words, several of them sucked in a breath.
The leader of Quantum, the world’s number one clan.
Indeed, that was a variable worthy of the name.
What he had accomplished wasn’t something one could dismiss as mere achievements in a game; even in the real world, his movements were extraordinary.
"Like I said, with just two question rights, we couldn’t learn the exact countermeasure. But if we keep those two points in mind, we can seize the bunker."
Avoid the central hall and deal with Jack Kalt.
Keeping the core of the plan in mind, the others moved on to discuss how to execute it.
Of course, the boss had already prepared a countermeasure.
"We’ll carry out the raid earlier than planned, and Victor will use the shielding devices he identified in advance to block every entrance leading to the central hall. Then, finally—"
The boss pointed to the bunker’s outer ceiling and finished his sentence.
"The variable known as Jack Kalt only exists from the inside. Which means I’ll drag him outside and take care of him there."
***
"What do you think is the core of our operation?"
At Choi Hyun-seok’s question, Yoo Sung-jun recalled the operation’s codename.
Venus flytrap. A carnivorous plant that lured flies with bait, then snapped shut when the victim touched its three trigger hairs twice or more.
Just like the name, the central hall would become a Venus flytrap.
The bait—the users excluded from this operation—would lure them in.
And once the enemy was drawn into the central hall, the shielding devices would activate as if welcoming them, sealing every entrance.
The core of the operation was to snipe the attackers the moment they hesitated at the unexpected situation and wipe them out in one go.
The bullets would become digestive fluid, melting the killers down like insects.
...Or so he was thinking when—
"I’m planning to discard every operation you just came up with in your head."
"What?"
"You already know, don’t you? If you think about it for a second, the answer’s obvious."
Choi Hyun-seok smiled faintly.
Was he giving him time to think?
Sure enough, the reason became clear with only a little thought.
"Those guys aren’t Infectors."
"Exactly. They’re users too—users who can receive the Higher Being’s help just like we can."
There was no way they had prepared a raid without asking a single question.
No. We recognized the threat and prepared, but those bastards must have targeted this place from the start and used their question rights to get ready long before we did.
"Do you know how we dealt with the clans that came after our bunker?"
Was he talking about when they had gone on their tours through Jack Kalt and China?
Yoo Sung-jun didn’t know; he had never heard the details.
When he shrugged, Choi Hyun-seok continued.
"They must have asked the same question we would have. What’s the greatest threat that’s coming? Naturally, they heard about my raid and Jack Kalt’s, so they would’ve prepared traps in places that favored them."
"And you carried out your operation honestly?"
"No. We struck earlier than the scheduled day."
So that was why they had called him in ahead of time.
Yoo Sung-jun caught the intent behind Choi Hyun-seok’s words.
He was thinking about what he had experienced and how he had dealt with it, but from the killers’ point of view.
"Of course, that alone wasn’t enough. They had already finished their preparations ahead of time, just like we are now. So there were plenty of crises. Still, it was fortunate. Because we experienced those crises, we were able to apply what we learned."
"How?"
"We went out to greet them first."
"That’s how you got hit?"
"Yeah. Who would’ve thought they’d abandon their main base and come out? Still, it was definitely a solid countermeasure."
They might have planted spies and sabotaged the defenses they had set up in the main base.
They might have incited or assassinated clan members to sow distrust and confusion among them.
So they had responded in the simplest, clearest way possible.
"They deployed reconnaissance teams along every route we might take. If anything looked suspicious, they reported it immediately."
"And now we’re going to do the same?"
"That’s also why I didn’t bother worrying about spies. After all, only the team leaders who could stand up to them know about this in strict confidence."
"What about evacuating the clan members?"
"You don’t need to worry about that either. I had the team leaders build a new emergency escape route in the cargo warehouse."
It was a truly perfect counter.
To revise the plan on the fly after realizing the enemy had probably used question rights to prepare for a raid, and twist it around on them—
As expected, experience mattered more than anything else.
Maybe Choi Hyun-seok had memorized one of the most effective countermeasures while dealing with clans that prepared for every kind of raid.
He had a home he needed to protect, after all.
"Assuming there is a spy, how are you going to deal with them?"
"I’ve already prepared a friend with excellent eyesight. He’ll handle it perfectly. I watched from the side, and his marksmanship was no joke."
"Who is he?"
"Didn’t Sung-hwan tell you?"
At the mention of his brother, Yoo Sung-jun frowned.
Did he keep quiet because he knew Sung-jun wouldn’t allow it?
I’ll give him an earful when I see him.
Just as he ground his teeth in irritation, the in-ear communicator rang.
It was a channel reserved for team leaders.
- This is Foxtrot. Unidentified personnel, about ten people, spotted in Sector 6. Requesting orders.
"Do they have the red diamond emblem on their clothes or skin?"
Choi Hyun-seok responded at once.
Not long after, the answer came back.
- We found one person with the emblem you mentioned tattooed on the neck, clan leader.
It was them.
The moment that thought clicked into place, he called out.
"Wait. Does Jack Kalt and the team leader who came to support us know the plan changed?"
He looked at the bewildered Yoo Sung-jun and smiled faintly.
"At first, he said he wanted to prepare inside the bunker. But then he changed his mind and said it didn’t matter as long as he could watch you fight from the side and back you up."
In other words, he was joining the revised operation on the spot.
Yoo Sung-jun picked up his gear and followed Choi Hyun-seok out.
Dozens of team leaders, with the two of them at the front, headed for Sector 6.
They were going to meet the guests who had arrived earlier than expected, outside the house.
***
Victor had already received his orders from the boss.
- Activate the shielding devices on every door leading to the central hall.
Repeating the boss’s command in his mind, he moved through the passage that led to the central hall.
All he needed to pass through here was the hydroponics facility and the cafeteria district.
As expected, patrols are sparse at this hour.
He ran with insects spread through Link.
Despite his large build, his footsteps were light.
Almost silent.
He passed through the hydroponics facility and arrived at the cafeteria district without incident.
There were long tables alongside a row of cooking stations stretched out in a line.
Since it wasn’t operating hours, every light was off and the place was quiet.
Just have to get through here now.
What Victor was after was the power supply room that managed the bunker’s systems.
The place that controlled the power accumulated from the solar and wind generators installed around the bunker.
If he could activate the shielding devices on the passages leading to the central hall there and cut the wiring, his objective would be halfway complete.
"Huh? What are you doing here?"
"Seriously. Is today the day the guard rotation changes? No, it isn’t?"
Halfway through the cafeteria, he ran into a patrol pair.
Since Victor knew them by face, he approached them with a friendly expression.
The instant they came within range, he swung the assassination weapon hidden in his arms.
A silver line flashed into existence and vanished in the air.
"Huh?"
"Hm? Ah?"
As the silver thread sliced across their throats and disappeared, the two patrolmen muttered stupidly.
They kept rubbing their necks, only to find red lines drawn across them.
Then the two severed heads dropped from their shoulders.
"I won’t have to play nice with you lot anymore."
The silver thread woven from nanocarbon wrapped around Victor’s hand.
A perfect assassination, carried out after seeing that no one was nearby through the eyes of the insects.
No witnesses meant perfection.
Just as he was about to move, however, his link with one insect snapped.
What the—!
Toward the direction of the equipment room.
Victor hurriedly severed the link.
He couldn’t afford to go blind again like last time.
Just as he tried to identify the culprit, another link snapped.
Pop-pop-pop!
And then, as if the first had only been the beginning, the insects began dying at an incredible speed.
The visual information connected in his mind went dark in an instant.
Victor swallowed dryly and grabbed his smartwatch with his free hand.
He had already prepared to equip his Omega Suit at any moment.
What the hell is killing my insects?
He couldn’t even see it.
The insects were exploding so fast there was no time to thoroughly search the surroundings.
For now, he severed all links to the insects near the route leading to the equipment room.
This was the cafeteria district. There were countless flies drawn to the leftovers here.
I just need to connect to other insects.
Regaining his composure, he reached out.
He tried to extend his will and link with the insects—
"Damn it. Looking at these bugs just keeps making me think of that time, and it pisses me off."
A familiar voice reached Victor’s ears.
From beyond the corner leading to the equipment room, a man stepped into view.
Green light flowed through the myofiber of the Omega Suit he wore.
The distinctive color of a user specialized in sensory perception.
Victor’s face twisted hard.
This is the worst possible situation.
The man he needed to fear most stood right in front of him.
Rose had been right.
He should have moved on the assumption that they’d be here.
Still, there was nothing he could do about it.
Even if he had assumed it, that hit rate, that detection ability—he was on an entirely different level.
Who could have predicted he’d annihilate the insects before Victor even had a chance to detect him?
"Hm? Who the hell are you?"
He—Meteor’s fellow sniper—looked at the corpses, then at Victor, and asked the question.
Victor answered by kicking off the ground.