Age of Confusion
Yoo Sung-jun’s eyes widened in shock after hearing every last answer from the Higher Being.
So Jack Kalt was hiding an ambition like that.
Absurd.
It was so absurd he wanted to go and demand answers from the man right away.
He wanted to weigh every possibility, every probability, and find out whether such a thing was even possible.
Shooting upright in the familiar safety of his own room, Yoo Sung-jun swung the door open.
"Ah, you're back?"
The voice that greeted him the moment he did was unfamiliar.
It wasn’t his younger brother’s.
Instead, his gaze fell on a head of familiar blond hair in the kitchen.
"I didn't have any ingredients I knew well, so I just threw something together."
"Jeyca?"
"Why do you look so surprised?"
She seemed to have been making something tomato-based, because a sharp, tangy scent brushed his nose.
She was in the middle of cooking, but why was she here?
Just as he was about to ask what was going on, Jeyca, who was setting the table, spoke first.
"Sung-hwan let me in. He said he was going to see Ryong-i and asked me to look after you for a bit."
She laughed softly, saying that he always took lunch very seriously. Yoo Sung-jun’s brow twitched.
That brat Sung-hwan...
He’d turned his brother into a lunatic for lunch.
He vowed he’d make him pay for that when he got back, then sat down at the table with a displeased look on his face.
It was lunch time, after all, and his meeting with Jack was already scheduled.
Right. I can meet him after this. It’s not like I’ll be late.
Just because the operation was over didn’t mean the campaign against Jungi was fully finished.
They still had to sort the dead, and determine what equipment had been lost and what had been recovered.
He couldn’t forget to carefully review the variables that had arisen during the operation, along with the factors that had allowed it to end in success.
There was nothing more useful for strengthening cohesion and crisis response than dissecting a successful operation, especially one that had been completed despite every possible obstacle.
Back in the game, I used to review my own recorded runs hundreds of times and study them.
For Yoo Sung-jun, the model he learned from had always been himself.
Meteor had been an almost solitary existence in Another Earth, so there had practically been no one else he could watch and learn from.
Given his style of play, his model had to be a high-level solo player—and there simply hadn’t been anyone who surpassed him in solo play.
That was why Yoo Sung-jun kept breaking through the records he himself had set, shattering the walls he himself had built.
And that was how he had kept pushing past his own limits until he reached the peak.
I’ll just do it the same way I did when I studied alone. Whether the clan members accept that method or not, we can decide after we’ve discussed it in the meeting.
And while they were at it, that meeting would also serve as a chance to hold Jack Kalt and Yoon Choi accountable.
After making both of them answer for what they’d done, he planned to press Jack Kalt for the information he’d learned through the Higher Being.
If things turn out the way he wants them to, we can accelerate the extermination of the Five Calamities by a huge margin.
Jack Kalt’s ultimate goal.
As he mulled it over, thud—a bowl was set down in front of him.
"Ta-da! I made my ultimate stew!"
So this was the ultimate dish Jeyca was pursuing?
Yoo Sung-jun couldn’t help letting out a quiet snort at how strangely that matched his own train of thought.
But the moment he looked at the food’s appearance,
"What is this?"
all trace of amusement vanished.
"What do you mean? It’s red clam chowder, one of the foods people in America love."
There was a lot in it. A lot of ingredients that looked like they’d clog a person’s arteries in one bite.
Still, he figured it probably tasted fine and took a big spoonful.
As expected. It was a combination of every spice humanity had ever developed, incapable of tasting bad. That was what he thought, for a moment.
"Kuheuph!"
The intense flavor and scent slammed into his nasal passages.
He swallowed the cough that was about to burst out with his transcendent body.
"How is it? The taste of my homeland?"
Were the people from her homeland okay with this?
He almost asked, but forced the question back down.
Instead, he gave a small nod.
"I-it's fine."
For some reason, he suddenly missed his brother’s stew.
He wanted a generous spoonful of rice with a warm, rich broth ladled over it.
Tsk. Smacking his lips, Yoo Sung-jun looked across the table at Jeyca, who was smiling brightly.
"Well, you’re here because you have something to say, right?"
"Huh? I just came to see the handsome face of our party leader, who always sacrifices himself for us."
With a cheerful grin, she said something so embarrassing so naturally.
Was this that exaggerated style Americans were known for?
Yoo Sung-jun shrugged.
"Enough with the flattery. Jeyca, the problem with you when you smile is that your mouth corners tremble just a little. It’s obvious."
"Obvious how?"
"You know, when you do have something to say, but it’s a little awkward to bring up."
"I don't, though."
"Then don't say it. I’ve got a meeting to go to after this lunch, and I’m already about to blow my head off just from calculating the losses with Choi Hyun-seok and Jack Kalt."
He tapped the bowl lightly with his spoon as he spoke.
At his words, Jeyca bit her lip as if lost in thought.
A moment of silence passed. By the time Yoo Sung-jun had nearly finished the stew, she finally opened her mouth.
"You know my parents, right?"
"Yeah. They’re living in the temporary tent set up at Gimpo."
"Right, and... they said they’d like to meet their benefactor."
"Benefactor... you don’t mean me, do you?"
Jeyca nodded.
"Yes. They said they absolutely want to thank the person who cured my terminal illness."
"Hmm..."
What was he supposed to call this situation?
Yoo Sung-jun folded his arms and let out a low hum.
It doesn’t sound like they just want to meet their benefactor...
No, this was probably that.
The hearts of parents who wanted to see, in person, the man who was both Jeyca’s party leader and her benefactor, and to make sure he was a good person.
They probably wanted to ease their worries about their daughter wandering dangerous ground and find some peace of mind.
We should meet. They’re Jeyca’s family.
There were a few things he’d learned from years of part-time work.
It was always better to keep your own people close.
So this was one of those situations.
An opportunity to strengthen ties.
After a brief moment of consideration, Yoo Sung-jun smiled faintly.
"Come to think of it, I haven’t even met the families of the party members."
"You’ve been busy. The Jungi operation was dangerous too."
"Still, I kept putting it off too long. Fine. I’ll go to Gimpo Airport after the meeting."
"Really? Yay! Then I’ll go tell them and wait there. What time do you think you’ll be able to come?"
"Hmm, probably around dinner. Let’s eat together then. I’ll ask Choi Hyun-seok to bring in a chef for us."
Martial law had been declared, so there were almost no open restaurants left.
That was why he planned to treat them to a meal prepared by one of the cooks he’d recruited for the bunker.
At his subtle consideration, Jeyca’s eyes were already shining with anticipation.
"You have to call me when the meeting’s over. Okay? You have to!"
"Got it."
Watching Jeyca practically bounce with delight, he suddenly remembered the answer she had given the last time he’d asked whether she liked something.
-Ah, no, I don't.
Sure enough, he couldn’t trust the answer she’d given him then.
So he’d keep doubting her. Just a little longer.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"...Total participants in the operation: 88. Total casualties: 42. Of those, 20 suffered serious to moderate injuries, and the remaining 22... were killed by infectors and Evolve."
"Were all of their equipment recovered?"
Choi Hyun-seok asked the clan member who had been continuing the briefing.
At the clan leader’s sharp question, the man rattled off the prepared answer.
"We weren’t able to recover everything. The recovery rate is about 80 percent, and the equipment we couldn’t retrieve is presumed to have been buried by rockfall or dropped into terrain we couldn’t identify."
Those had been the tools handled by team leaders, no less.
Just the main weapon alone would have been worth at least 500,000 points.
Leaving that behind meant a loss of points on that scale.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Choi Hyun-seok signed the document.
"Approve the addition of more recovery teams. All lost equipment must be recovered completely. And for the time being, I want every change in the canyon recorded as well."
Just because they’d exterminated Jungi, was it really over? No.
Kallakwa was still alive and well, and part of him was still guarding his resting place.
The only thing that had changed was the deaths of Sogi and Jungi.
At any time, if Kallakwa became concerned about the safety of one part of his body, he could send another part of himself.
"Make sure all Jungi and infector corpses are completely handled as well. Every trace, and every aftereffect of the battle, all of it."
"That part, as I mentioned, is my responsibility."
It was Lim Tae-oh, seated in the conference room, who spoke up.
He was the one sitting in the chair of chief coordinator in preparation for Dark Cover.
As the stage of talent recruitment neared completion, he had been working tirelessly to take on new duties.
The so-called post-mission cleanup team.
Equipment that couldn’t be recovered, loose ends that absolutely had to be tied off—
The role of solving all that as chief responsibility belonged to Commissioner Lim Tae-oh.
"Then I’ll assign eighty clan members under you, Commissioner Lim Tae-oh. Please take charge of the equipment recovery and the cleanup of the battlefield."
"I’ll make sure everything is handled cleanly."
That settled one agenda item, and the next didn’t really require team leaders at all.
Yoo Sung-jun drummed his fingers on the table, then shifted his gaze.
There was Jack Kalt, still nearly expressionless. And beside him sat Yoon Choi, her head bowed low like a great criminal awaiting judgment.
Strictly speaking, she is one.
She had almost become raw material for the “vessel” that the Karon believer had spoken of, and had nearly ended up taken hostage to boot.
It’s only because I stepped in at the right time...
If he hadn’t, the team members would have suffered because of Yoon Choi being held hostage.
She’d almost become a vessel and made things unfold exactly as Evolve wanted.
Whatever her intentions had been, she certainly hadn’t set out with malicious intent.
She must have been desperate for the points Jack had dangled in front of her, to save her dying father.
And that desperation almost put everyone in danger.
"Please don't glare at her so much. She's a child with a lot of sorrow, you know."
Was his stare too blatant?
Yoo Sung-jun shifted his target to Jack Kalt, who was shielding Yoon Choi like they were somehow on the same team.
He didn’t care whether Jack Kalt felt awkward under his unblinking gaze.
He was too busy estimating the sacrifices Jack would have to make in order to reach his ultimate goal.
Is he really after that kind of power, even if it means piling up mountains of blood and corpses?
He had no intention of stopping him yet.
In this mad world, pursuing power was only natural.
Yoo Sung-jun would still be willing to throw himself into the fire and the water alike if it meant becoming stronger.
So Jack’s desire was justified here, as far as this world was concerned.
But if the damage caused by that desire ever threatened Yoo Sung-jun...
I’ll kill him without hesitation.
In a relationship built on whether two people were useful to each other, the only thing that mattered was the value each person held in himself.
But if he was going to cause trouble first, then of course he’d have to pay for it.
Still, Jack Kalt hadn’t done that yet, so Yoo Sung-jun had merely chosen to keep watching him.
"Hmm..."
How long had he stared?
Eventually Jack Kalt raised both hands and shook his head.
"Understood. I’d planned to postpone this until the end, but there’s no need for that. Then let’s discuss my punishment and Yoon Choi’s first."
"Meteor."
Choi Hyun-seok stepped in to mediate, giving him the signal.
Now it was Yoo Sung-jun’s turn to speak.
"The Jungi extermination nearly caused massive casualties. On top of that, there should’ve been no petty secrets—yet you hid the laboratory. And to top it off, you secretly assigned extra missions to clan members and stirred them up. Which side’s mistake was bigger is obvious."
"An undeniable fact."
"But the danger Yoon Choi brought on afterward can’t be dismissed either. So I’ve already discussed the punishment with Choi Hyun-seok, and what I’m asking from the two of you in compensation is simple."
Yoo Sung-jun slid a sheet of paper across the table to the two of them.
Of course, it listed the compensation he was demanding from them, and from Quantum as well.
But what Jack Kalt and Yoon Choi needed to see were three terms:
-The two of them must participate in every question-and-answer session, and during those sessions, Yoon Choi’s thoroughly modified lie detector must remain active.
-Afterward, the two of them must accept all five demands issued by either Choi Hyun-seok or Meteor.
-They must disclose everything related to Evolve and Project Armageddon with complete transparency, and if any incident arises from those groups or projects, the two of them must provide absolute assistance without pay.
For Jack Kalt, it meant the opening of information he had hoarded for himself. And the suppression of growth and point accumulation.
From his perspective, every one of those terms could only result in a massive loss.
But Jack Kalt smiled.
He, too, had guessed that it was about time to reveal a new card.
"Evolve’s hierarchy is made up of believers, auxiliary bishops, and archbishops."
"Why are you telling us that all of a sudden?"
"Because we captured an auxiliary bishop and planted him at Evolve’s core. In other words, he’s become our spy."
"So this is where you start talking deal?"
"These terms seemed a little excessive, so I’d like to adjust a few of them with the cards I have in hand. Would that be all right?"
Hmm. Yoo Sung-jun rubbed his chin, deep in thought.
Choi Hyun-seok would have shaken his head firmly, but Yoo Sung-jun felt differently.
Information we can uncover from the first and third terms. Normally I wouldn’t have any reason to let this slide, but is there something even more hidden than that?
If so, and if it was information about the “ultimate” Jack Kalt had spoken of—the information the Higher Being hadn’t mentioned...
"Go on, then. I’ll hear you out."
"Meteor!"
"Calm down, Choi Hyun-seok. We’re just listening. Accepting it comes later."
"Haha, I think you’ll find it appealing once you hear it. Do you know about holy relics?"
Thud.
What Jack Kalt set on the table was identical to the slab of flesh Yoo Sung-jun had picked up before.
So that meant...
"You’re offering that little thing as your solution for a negotiation?"
"...Excuse me?"
"Excuse me? Don’t give me that. I know exactly what that relic does, so save it."
With a grin, Yoo Sung-jun signed the very same sheet of paper he’d handed over.
"Looks like I know more than you think I do. The deal’s off. Now, sign it, Jack."
"I still have a card I haven’t played."
"The first and third terms will be enough for me to learn from, so sign first. Jack, you should’ve started this conversation better."
Yoo Sung-jun looked at the relic and curled one corner of his mouth.
He could see the color draining from Jack Kalt’s face.