The Age of Chaos
Jack had always believed he stood above everyone else.
He had more than enough reason to think so.
He had Analysis.
For dealing with people, it was an innate talent with more advantages than most could count.
For instance, it let him read a person’s emotions.
The principle was simple.
He drew information from involuntary behavior.
Because those actions were, by definition, unconscious, it had never been difficult for Jack to infer what emotions lay behind them.
And that made it an excellent weapon when dealing with people.
To understand someone’s feelings meant you could also seize them and twist them to your will.
But it was a weapon that didn’t work on Meteor.
He had clan members.
Not half-baked, low-quality bodies that merely filled out a roster, either.
They were capable of handling F-rank missions alone and bringing in points on their own.
And twenty percent of those points belonged to Jack.
So Jack had excellent clan members, as well as a generous supply of points.
But again, it was a weapon that didn’t work on Meteor.
I had plenty of bargaining chips.
Plenty of them, and yet none of them had mattered.
Meteor. A man he had grown close enough to that, at this point, he could probably say he knew the name.
He knew how to conceal himself so well that Jack’s analysis couldn’t get a grip on him, and he was a man with no shortage of users to support him or points to spare.
Jack still needed him.
They had to help one another and move toward their respective goals together, while standing as allies.
That was why, even in the matter of the middle-finger purge, he had tried to eliminate as many variables as possible so he wouldn’t fall out of favor.
He hadn’t secretly investigated the laboratory and disposed of the specimens because he didn’t trust Choi Hyun-seok and only shared information with the Quantum clan members who joined the mission.
He had simply trusted only the people he could control.
So he had used the threat of clan expulsion to control the flow of information among his own members, and encouraged their participation with massive point rewards.
I figured the odds of failure would still be low.
The infector purge had gone smoothly enough. That was thanks to Meteor and his party making such an enormous contribution.
But Evolve’s surprise attack, and the unexpected situation that had arisen for Yoon Choi because of it, were a different matter.
She had almost been taken by Evolve and turned into either a vessel or a hostage for the specimen.
And he himself had ended up being dressed down by Meteor.
- You overestimated yourself too much.
Overconfidence. Yes, he had always been perfect, and so he had become overconfident.
Everything he planned had gone right every single time, so he had relaxed far too much.
He shouldn’t have. This was a ruined world overflowing with people better than him—no, with things better than him.
If none of that chain of events had happened, where would his relationship with Meteor have stood by now?
They would certainly have been standing on equal footing, discussing the next plan and speaking brightly about the future.
But everything had gone wrong.
Jack let out a self-mocking laugh.
"Why the hell are you grinning like that?"
"Haha, it’s nothing. I was just indulging in the kind of regret that losers usually do."
"You say that like you’re not a loser."
"I am a loser too. A loser who grew arrogant, trusted himself too much, and almost caused an irreversible disaster."
"You know it well enough. That’s the end of the Q&A. Everything you said was true."
"I couldn’t get past the lie detector Yoon Choi enhanced."
"Sounds like you’d have lied if you could have gotten past it?"
"No, not at all. Meteor, I want to build an amicable relationship with you. That’s why I’m not trying to escape responsibility for this incident, and why I want to maintain our alliance."
Yoo Sung-jun loosened his arms at Jack’s words.
When the other users finished removing all the patches stuck to Jack Kalt’s body, he jerked his chin toward the door.
"You can go. I’ve got something to discuss with him alone."
"Understood."
The user who had been assisting Yoo Sung-jun left the room without another word.
Choi Hyun-seok wasn’t here; he was off alone with Yoon Choi.
With the two of them finally alone, Yoo Sung-jun’s brows lifted.
"The middle-finger purge is over. I suppose the original purpose for dragging me into this has been fulfilled. Is there still a need to build a friendly relationship with me?"
"Yes, of course. There are still many enemies in this world. Competing clans, infectors, and now even a rising force called Evolve that wasn’t in the game."
We need to combine our strength. As he spoke, Jack reached out.
He seemed about to grab Sung-jun’s shoulder, but Sung-jun knocked his hand away firmly.
"Stand straight. If your posture’s sloppy, I won’t listen to your ridiculous plea."
"Ahem. Understood."
Jack obediently straightened up.
What exactly was this bastard unsatisfied with that he wanted to keep good relations with him?
Sung-jun composed his expression and spoke.
A dry voice, carrying neither emotion nor change, came out of him.
"In the end, we’re in a relationship where we use each other. That was the first knot we tied, and if you wanted to improve the relationship differently, you shouldn’t have done things like this."
"You’re right. That was my mistake."
"And you want to make up for it?"
"If it’s possible, yes. Only then can the plan to remove Evolve, who does nothing but harm us both, proceed smoothly afterward."
"Then there shouldn’t be any secrets between us, first."
"Exactly. That’s why I accepted this punishment so humbly."
So that was it.
Indeed, thanks to this, he had been able to learn a great deal about Evolve—and about the other clan forces as well.
This Q&A session, which had stretched on for hours, was worth more than a fortune in gold.
So it was perfect timing.
An ideal moment to ask him something.
The sharpness in Yoo Sung-jun’s stare at Jack Kalt deepened.
"Then answer this too. Why are you so obsessed with Project Armageddon? You want to reach the ultimate, don’t you?"
"The ultimate, you say, as in…"
"The Five Calamities."
At those words, Jack Kalt’s pupils widened.
His eyes quivered, almost fluttering.
"To consume a perfectly completed Armageddon, to approach the Five Calamities. And with that, to seize perfection, free from all things. Even if it costs you any sacrifice at all. That’s how you become the Sixth Calamity. Right?"
"Did the Higher Being tell you that…?"
"Yeah."
Jack Kalt lowered his head.
Then he let out a laugh, his shoulders shaking.
"...Meteor. As expected, you’re in a class of your own. If I’m being honest, maybe you won’t be the equal standing beside me, but the first person to lead me."
"I don’t have some shitty hobby like leading other people."
"I see… In any case, I should answer you. But before that, may I ask one thing?"
"And you think you’re in a position to ask me anything?"
"It’s a simple matter. Meteor, your real name. Could you tell me?"
"Out of nowhere? What the hell."
"At this point, surely you can tell me. I have no intention of doing anything to harm you, or Blood Rain. That remains unchanged."
"Instead, your clan members will be the ones who die."
"I’ll respect their wishes as much as possible. That’s what a leader of a group should do. So then."
"Yoo Sung-jun."
Even if Jack Kalt had a reaction to the answer that came so abruptly, Yoo Sung-jun simply folded his arms again and gave a small nod.
"Now you speak. How will you complete Armageddon, and what method will you use?"
"If I tell you the most important final objective first…"
Jack Kalt smiled with satisfaction, then said in a meaningful tone,
"I need the core of one of the Five Calamities. A part of it."
***
By the time the meeting was over, evening had already fallen.
At this rate, he’d be late for the appointment.
Yoo Sung-jun waited with his back against the wall.
Before long, the door opened and Choi Hyun-seok came out with Yoon Choi.
Of the two, Yoon Choi was the first to notice Sung-jun.
She hurried toward him before Hyun-seok could say anything.
The area below her temples bulged as if she were holding back tears.
"W-why?"
As he looked down at her with a bored expression, she moved.
The moment she bowed at ninety degrees, an agitated voice burst from her tightly shut mouth.
"I’m sorry! And thank you so, so much! Thank you!"
"That’s a little late, isn’t it? If you’re grateful, repay me. I went through all kinds of hell trying to save you."
Saving her had originally been a low priority, but once it became clear that Evolve intended to use Yoon Choi as a vessel, rescuing her had become the top priority.
And somehow that had turned into a misunderstanding that made Yoo Sung-jun her lifesaving benefactor.
So he waved a hand awkwardly, and Yoon Choi kept bowing again and again.
It felt like she was pouring out all the thanks and apologies she hadn’t managed to give yet, all at once.
"Enough, will you? Did you treat your father?"
Still, this seemed like the polite thing to ask first, so he brought up her father.
Yoon Choi answered before she even had time to wipe away the tears spilling down like a waterfall.
"Yes, thanks to you I was able to fix the equipment I made and treat him safely… sob! Safely. I’m relieved now."
"It’s too early to be relieved."
Yoo Sung-jun casually patted Yoon Choi’s shoulder as he passed her.
Even as he brushed by, he finished his sentence.
"You’ll have to adapt to this insane world now. Take good care of him. And carry out our compensation duties properly."
Go on ahead and talk separately. After calling Hyun-seok over briefly, he started walking, and only then did Yoon Choi answer from behind him.
"Yes! I definitely will!"
Good, that was enough. At least she wasn’t making the kind of calculating noises Jack Kalt did. That guy was a pain.
With a faint chuckle, Sung-jun continued forward.
Apparently having no clue what Yoo Sung-jun wanted to talk about, Choi Hyun-seok’s face was full of questions.
"Why did you suddenly ask to see me alone? We agreed to share the Q&A tomorrow."
He looked exhausted.
Understandably so.
They had been in meetings since dawn, and they’d just spent all this time on the Q&A.
His mind must be far more exhausted than his body.
"We’re both worn out, so I just want to ask a favor quickly. Is there a chef loafing around in the bunker?"
"Why?"
"I was thinking of hiring one separately to prepare a meal for you. For Jeyca and her parents too. Belated as it is, I figured I should greet them properly."
"You still haven’t met them even once?"
"I’ve been busy. I just haven’t had the breathing room."
"Does Sung-hwan know you made plans like that?"
"Why drag the busy kid into this? We can take care of it when he has time."
"I guess so…"
Yoo Sung-hwan hadn’t come here merely to take care of Ryong-i.
He was currently handling the task of transporting infector brains—brains that couldn’t be moved through the Enter Room—to the bunker via Ryong-i, the transport method.
He should probably arrive at the bunker by tomorrow.
Since they were keeping in touch regularly, there was nothing to worry about.
So Sung-jun shrugged.
"Then find me a chef who’s good at Korean food. I’ll support the ingredients and equipment from the Enter Room."
"Got it. Easy enough to arrange. Ah, since we’re heading into the civilian area anyway, want to take on a few other jobs? I can pay in points too."
"What kind of jobs?"
"Well, we’ve got food issues, and we need to secure water and reinforce the civilians’ weapons and training too."
"You’ve got a lot on your mind too, huh?"
"So, will you take one on?"
"Why would I? That sounds like a hassle."
"Then why did you ask…?"
"I was curious. Anyway, send me the chef’s contact info. Once I get the message, I’ll buy whatever I need and head to Gimpo Airport first."
"All right."
After getting the number that way, he returned home.
He could just dress decently enough.
Yoo Sung-jun took out clothes he hadn’t worn in a long time, got dressed, and headed for Gimpo Airport.
The road, more than a month after martial law had been declared, was dark and silent.
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