103. Bait (2)
I've never seen a Communication ability before.
Seol-hwa explained before that she received it via walkie-talkie, but this is my first time seeing it.
A smartphone vibrating just like a regular incoming call.
Lee Jong-hoon, who was glancing at me, answered it.
"Yep. Call received."
ㅡThis is Lieutenant Kim So-hyuk. We plan to cross over in 20 minutes.
"Yep. We'll have it ready."
Surprisingly, I could hear the communication from the side too.
Well, if the ability uses walkie-talkies and smartphones, it would naturally be like that.
'I thought it was telepathy.'
This is a bit disappointing.
Still, it's a really good ability. It means you can contact anyone anywhere as long as you have a medium.
Anyway.
10:40 AM.
ㅡBzzt
I came outside and watched the interior from a distance with Lee Jong-hoon.
A small circle appeared in the air. A blue circle.
It started growing larger.
ㅡBzzzzzt
"So that's the portal opening."
"Yep."
"The time is 20 minutes, you don't know who opens it, and you don't know about the ability, right?"
"That's correct."
"You said you can't see the other side."
"Yep."
This is a bit disappointing.
Especially since the Contract was in effect, meaning that was the truth as far as Lee Jong-hoon knew.
"Tell me the composition of the guys coming."
"They are soldiers."
"Black trucks too?"
"That's right."
"Don't you talk to them?"
"As for that, like I said before, I only have a Contract with Yoon-hoo."
"You're no help."
"......"
Should I have kept that bastard Lee Yoon-hoo alive?
But how was I supposed to know he was the leader?
Actually, I intended to watch how they acted while leaving the gangsters alone this time.
But then there's a reason to use this place.
Use guys who kidnap people, make contracts with warlords, sexually abuse them, and kill them?
Who knows what might happen.
Later on, I'll have to merge the main base and the Multi, and if guys who muddy the waters like that are involved, there's no answer.
It's better to use these bastards to test what level that warlord faction is at.
Get the call, the portal opens, throw the kids in as sacrifices, then slip into the portal and kidnap only the Portal ability user.
That's my plan.
"Are you ready?"
"It's finished."
"Good."
We waited for the portal to open.
#
The portal opens.
The gangsters who received the order are hiding in various places, holding firearms, waiting.
Then, the portal fully expands.
About the size of a truck passing through.
'Impressive.'
Then, a truck crosses over from the inside, escorted by soldiers.
Unfortunately, it wasn't a black truck.
A military truck.
The soldiers' appearance... they're just soldiers?
Nothing special.
The truck isn't an IN Company truck either, just a regular one. But there was no more time to think.
As soon as one truck crossed over, the gangsters who received my order started firing their guns.
ㅡRat-tat-tat-tat-bang!
However, the soldiers didn't fall.
'What the?'
"W-what...!"
Lee Jong-hoon next to me makes a flustered sound.
Because it was such an absurd sight.
The gangsters who fired the guns were the ones dying instead.
What is this, a reflection ability or something?
If this is the case, the fucking gangster bastards are all going to die, aren't they?
In fact, death throes could be heard from over there. I could also hear the screams of gangsters dying from stray shots.
However, I could quickly tell it wasn't a reflection ability.
A nervous-looking man among the soldiers in front floated the gangsters' firearms into the air.
And then the man floated into the air.
He listens to someone's report from the side.
'Is it my ability?'
Metal Manipulation?
No. That's that.
There's nothing attached to his body. This is...
'It's Psychokinesis.'
A high-level Psychokinesis ability user.
"H-hyung-nim, what do we do?"
Lee Jong-hoon was cowering next to me.
Well, it is a dangerous ability.
Psychokinesis.
It would completely ignore firearms, and since he can manipulate things other than metal, he'd be much better against Infected than me.
Doesn't it mean he can just lift a person up and do whatever he wants?
The Psychokinesis user nodded after receiving a report from the man next to him.
It's a dilemma.
A Psychokinesis user who can counter firearms.
But suppressing him is also dangerous. That ability isn't one where you can't use it just because you're suppressed, like mine.
The men next to him are the same.
It's dangerous to take him to Seo-yoon right away.
'Ah, fuck.'
Han Hae-il's ability is a shame in times like this.
Instant brainwashing. How nice that would be.
My thoughts wandered for no reason.
The warlord faction's level exceeded my expectations.
Originally, I intended to kill the soldiers, deal with the gangsters, and just kidnap the portal user while wearing a gas mask.
If I left them somewhere else for a few days, I'd know if there was tracking or not. As for communication, if I tied them up, they wouldn't be able to do it.
I was planning to try and attack the Chungju Warlords based on the portal ability from there.
'Psychokinesis?'
A warlord faction possessing a high-level ability user.
A warlord faction also connected to IN Company.
'What should I do?'
The conclusion was reached quickly.
What do you mean what to do. Gotta snatch the portal first.
And to do that, killing them was essential.
'Seeing as the others aren't moving.'
Doesn't seem like they have anything.
I used my ability.
Small pieces of metal fly.
At the same time, I crumple rebar to make a giant piece of rebar.
ㅡWhoosh!
ㅡ!!!!!
Thud thud
Soldiers dying with their heads pierced. And the truck getting crumpled.
The Psychokinesis guy also dies with his head pierced.
'He actually dies from this?'
Is his level lacking?
Well, it's not like Level 6 is a joke.
I even prepared to use something like rebar, thinking he would block it.
I threw the rebar I made.
A few soldiers survived.
Counting them, there were five.
But I killed two of them because they seemed to have Strength or Arm Enhancement abilities.
Because I immediately released the suppression.
Three left.
They don't seem to be using their abilities for a while.
It could be a bluff, though.
Because I can block almost anything right now.
'I'll suppress these bastards.'
Then, the portal that's still open.
I put on my gas mask, prepared thoroughly, and then said to Lee Jong-hoon.
"Wait here. Keep a close eye on those bastards."
I flew forward in an instant. Since it hadn't even been a minute since it opened, there must definitely be a Portal ability user on the other side.
I crossed the portal, feeling slightly nervous.
#
The space changed.
I see a bridge.
A river flows in front.
'What the?'
"Where are these bastards?"
I definitely crossed the portal. The portal is right in front of me now.
However, the Portal ability user should have been somewhere where I crossed over, but there was nothing except the actual portal.
'Fuck, did I kill the Portal ability user?'
"And they crossed over with them?"
No, no. That can't be it.
That's impossible.
I tried floating in the air.
What I see are wide-spread rice paddies.
A small road.
A village visible in the distance.
'That might be it.'
Then there was a chance they were inside the vehicle I crumpled.
If so...
Well, I'll just have to interrogate the soldiers I caught.
I sighed and crossed the portal again.
#
Several long awls.
If you stick them under their fingernails, most guys spill everything.
Since it was too far to take them to Seo-yoon, I caught the four soldiers and interrogated them a bit.
"So it would be better for you to spill everything nicely."
"W-what are you doing? W-we are soldiers. This could be a problem!"
"What do you mean what am I doing? You guys are supporting bastards who kidnap people like shit and do useless things."
"We don't know anything about that. Untie us. If we talk properly..."
I crumpled a large piece of rebar.
The soldiers' faces next to me turned pale.
"Now, shall I insert it?"
"I-I'll talk!"
#
Unfortunately, these soldiers weren't people directly connected to IN Company.
They said they were troops under the 112th Infantry Brigade.
Under the 37th Division. Soldiers given the mission to escort the 19th Fighter Wing inside Chungju.
However, after the incident broke out, it was confirmed that the 19th Fighter Wing was destroyed, and they started rescuing civilians centered around 112th Infantry Brigade Commander Gwang-shin Choi.
The Chungju Evacuation Line was created by gathering strength with civilians and soldiers there.
Then, National Assembly member Myung-chul Jeong, who survived in the city center, joined.
They said the warlord faction created by Gwang-shin Choi is gathering strength and recovering Chungju.
Currently, the Chungju city center is completely surrounded by barricades, and they are restoring civilization with Construction ability users.
'Barricades and Construction ability, plus a National Assembly member.'
Well, government officials would be able to survive.
If they didn't die themselves, they could mobilize the army. Plus... there's IN Company, right? Park Young-ho's group cooperated with IN Company, so why wouldn't a National Assembly member do it?
"Didn't they have guys like Hunters or Abominations there?!"
"T-that's right."
"You're rebuilding the city entirely."
"Yep. Currently, it has entered the stabilization phase. It's true. That's why we're just doing what the higher-ups tell us to do..."
"Are there civilians too?"
"Y-yes... we don't do those strange things you asked about. We farm, and based on the logistics center, we have plenty of food."
"Then why are you coming to support this place? These are gangsters. They sexually abuse people, hang people on top of the mart. You guys also caught humans and sent them here."
"W-we don't send people...!"
"You don't send people?"
"Yes...!"
"Really? You too?"
"Yes...!"
"What about you?"
"Me too...!"
"Jong-hoon."
"Yep."
"Do they not receive people here?"
"They do receive them."
"They say they receive them."
"Ah."
"W-we don't know! Really!"
"Jong-hoon, when they receive those people, do they only receive them via black trucks?"
"Ah, yep. That's right."
"You should have said that. Fuck."
Yeah, I can just confirm this with Seo-yoon.
"What's the department in charge?"
"It's the External Exchange Department. It's where Officer Jae-won Choi is, and they exchange by giving support supplies to the outside and receiving support supplies."
"Like here? Is Jae-won Choi that guy from earlier? Psychokinesis?"
"That's right..."
"What's an officer?"
"He's a person brought by National Assembly member Myung-chul Jeong. It seems like he's in security, but the position was decided separately over there, so we don't know."
"I see. Then... there was no Portal ability user at the portal, so how do you cross the portal?"
Looking back, the portal is gone.
One soldier opened his mouth.
"For the portal, the Portal ability user gives a medium that can open the portal. If we open that, we can go to the place we need to go."
"What's the medium?"
"It's this."
Something that looks like a stone handed to me.
Ah, so it means if the Portal ability user gives this stone-like thing, other people can use it as much as they want.
"Can you go anywhere?"
"No. You can only open places the Portal ability user has been to."
"How many places?"
"I don't know about that."
This has become troublesome.
I was just going to snatch the Portal ability user, threaten them, and use them.
"What should I do?"