Chapter 107
Chapter 107
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 107
Chapter Title: Battle Preparation (4)
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On Cameron Planet, monsters were an eternal homework assignment. If there hadn’t been monsters, humanity would have already spread across the entire planet. The history of humanity entering Cameron after the gates appeared was one of constant struggle against monsters.
‘Are they using a prototype?’
Monster control had once been a trendy theory. It was abandoned after producing no results and only failure cases, but the idea of controlling monsters to fight other monsters was inherently appealing.
‘It doesn’t seem like a finished product….’
Suhyun reached out and recovered the poison. The faces that had turned blue quickly regained their normal color.
“You, who the hell are you?”
The group’s leader muttered in a shocked voice. This was truly an unexpected situation. There was a degree to defeat. To not even get a proper fight in and have the entire team collapse from poisoning—it was so absurd he couldn’t even speak.
“I ask the questions. What’s this equipment for?”
“…….”
“Let’s keep this amicable? Even if you shut your mouth, nothing changes.”
He stubbornly turned his head away. Suhyun shrugged and stood up.
“Everyone finished sorting?”
“Yes!”
“Good. Round up these guys. We’re heading back to the village.”
* * *
Ethan shuddered. It was shocking enough that they’d captured all the raiders shortly after arriving, but what made him shudder was the state of Uncle Jo Company. They looked pristine, as if no battle had taken place.
“Then I’ll borrow some space.”
Suhyun explained what had happened, then dragged the captured prisoners along. In the spot the village had provided for them, Shaina was waiting while soothing the Poshukan Tiger.
“What’s wrong?”
“It suddenly tried to go berserk…. Did everything go okay?”
“It ended too easily—that’s the problem. More importantly, it tried to go berserk?”
“I’ve calmed it down now. It wasn’t that dangerous!”
Shaina hurriedly added the last part, worried Suhyun might get a bad impression of the Poshukan Tiger. But Suhyun didn’t have a negative view of it at all.
“How did it act? Tell me in detail.”
“I told it to stay put, but it kept trying to head toward the forest. Growling the whole time.”
“Its range is better than expected.”
It must have heard the ultrasonic waves from the distant monster control device and gotten stimulated into moving. The distance played a role, but Shaina’s control over it was stronger than anticipated.
Even far in the future there was no finished product, so he doubted the current control device was perfect. Suhyun speculated it probably wasn’t manipulating monsters precisely, but rather just gathering them. That level seemed feasible enough.
“Preparations are complete.”
“Alright, let’s get started.”
The prisoners had all their limbs bound and their sight and hearing blocked. It wasn’t a perfect counter to superpowered users, but Suhyun kept them all in his line of sight. If any tried anything funny, he could snap their necks instantly.
Pahk!
When the blindfold was removed, the man grimaced. He already knew they’d been caught. He’d steeled himself on the way in. He absolutely wouldn’t talk.
“Huhk!”
But what appeared before him wasn’t an interrogator—it was the Poshukan Tiger growling and drooling. He recoiled in terror.
“Hey, hold still, hold still.”
“What the hell is this?!”
“You use a monster luring device, but you’re surprised to see a monster?”
“!!”
The man glanced in panic at his bound comrades. But they didn’t know what was happening either.
‘Did someone already talk?!’
‘Nailed it.’
Humans were surprisingly fragile creatures. In China, they drilled intense mental training into these unofficial teams, but not everyone could be as tough as iron. Shake them enough, and cracks appeared.
Seeing Suhyun already seemed to know about them threw the man into confusion. It felt like one of his comrades had confessed first.
“I’ll explain simply. Your friend spilled first. But I’m not convinced he told everything. He might’ve just said enough to save his skin and held back the rest, right? So this is how we do it. Tell me everything you know. If you say more than your friend, you live. Say less? You become tiger chow.”
The Poshukan Tiger’s breath right in his face wielded more power than most torture tools. Its low growl froze the man’s body.
“E-even if I say less?”
“Do your best. You’ve got it better than most. It only gets harder the later you go.”
“…!”
* * *
Wheedling these guys was too easy. Suhyun soon heard them spill everything down to the last detail.
‘Nothing new here.’
He hadn’t expected them to know intricate details about the device. They were just frontline pawns, not the developers.
They’d scout nearby monsters and activate it, drawing them to the device. That was the extent of their knowledge. Suhyun stroked his chin, deep in thought.
‘It’s prototype-like, but maybe they’re field-testing it too….’
The reason they’d been lurking around matched his guess. Create a threatening atmosphere, then force contracts with other companies. If left alone, they’d have started with this village and moved on to the surroundings.
“Wait, why didn’t you use the superpower nullifier?”
‘How much does this bastard know?’
Grinding his teeth at Suhyun’s question, the man answered. He’d already talked, so answering this wouldn’t change anything.
“If we did, our own superpowered guys couldn’t use their abilities.”
“Ah, that’s why?”
Suhyun’s words sounded like mockery. They hadn’t used the device because they needed to use their superpowers.
They must have thought their superpower forces outmatched the opponents’. Of course, it was a complete misjudgment.
‘Why are these guys so weak? The ones I met before weren’t like this.’
If they’d heard Suhyun’s inner thoughts, they’d have vomited blood in injustice. The situation was what it was, but Suhyun’s ability to take them down in one go was exceptional—not their superpowers lacking. They didn’t hand such missions to just anyone.
Getting as close as possible to the power armor and taking it out in one hit had been their downfall. They’d fallen completely to the unexpected poison.
‘Now, what to do.’
For now, the immediate threat was blocked. It would take time for word of this failure to reach China and for them to plan next steps. No worries around here until then.
Suhyun fiddled with the monster luring device. It had piqued his interest. The problem was….
‘Reporting it as is means handing it over to the government.’
Reporting couldn’t be avoided. Beyond relations with the Development Planning Bureau, ignoring it would leave the local elves uneasy. He needed to report to the government and get preventive measures set up around here.
Previously, they’d avoided asking for help because the government would approach it transactionally, but now the situation had changed. If ignored, it’d clearly fall to China, so the government would step in somehow.
The issue was reporting truthfully meant surrendering the device too. Like the stealth suit or superpower nullifier before.
Suhyun doubted their analysis capabilities. They’d take it, test it, and not return it until fully understood—and handing it over now meant waiting years indefinitely, like with the nullifier.
He wanted something usable right away, even if imperfect. No point handing it over without proper compensation.
‘Hmm….’
There was a way. Charles Carlos. He had his own researchers. Unlike government ones, they didn’t follow rigid procedures. If the chairman ordered, they moved immediately.
If he asked, they wouldn’t drag it out with perfect analysis or security concerns—they’d make it usable fast.
‘What can I offer?’
They had no handy artifacts. Asking was easy, but he couldn’t abuse it. You get sick of freebies eventually.
‘The red boar mushrooms?’
Top-grade items he’d aged properly were still sleeping in storage. He’d planned to sell them for cash before, but now he was too busy for that. Gifting some seemed fine.
Suhyun decided. Report everything except the monster luring device truthfully.
“Kuhuk!”
The prisoners collapsed simultaneously. Suhyun had killed them instantly with poison and spoke nonchalantly.
“Bag the bodies. We’ll need them for the report.”
They wouldn’t trace these guys’ identities anyway. China’s way was to thoroughly erase and falsify identities for such missions. Still, better to bring them than not.
“Hands off.”
“…!”
Luiril, reaching for the stealth suit, flinched at Suhyun’s words. To her, such gear was the stuff of dreams.
“Hah, they won’t notice if we snag just one?”
“I’ve already got one without snagging. Leave it. I’ll lend it if needed later.”
Suhyun slapped Luiril’s hand away. After receiving thanks from the elves, he briefly explained future matters to Ethan.
“Since it involves China, the Korean government won’t act overtly.”
“Thank you. To go through all this trouble for us….”
“This isn’t even trouble. More importantly, please handle the supply transport.”
“Don’t worry. We’ll do as promised.”
Suhyun had to supply the rogue mercenaries. For those waiting indefinitely in the boonies, nothing maintained loyalty like steady resupply.
And the local elves were perfect for it. City merchants drew attention hauling bulk goods, but elves didn’t. Ship supplies to the elf village, then to Poshukan—no risk of detection.
After confirming the promise with Ethan, Suhyun led his team back. Surprisingly, the Development Planning Bureau wasn’t shocked. It felt more like they’d expected it. They showered Suhyun with earnest gratitude, and he nodded perfunctorily.
“You’re too kind.”
‘This should be enough, right?’
Suhyun tried to wrap it up and leave, but the director wasn’t done.
“I can’t tell you how reassuring it is that Uncle Jo Company—and Team Leader Kim Suhyun—held the line in such a dire situation. And this isn’t the first time, is it? If you’d done nothing, we’d have been taken blind.”
‘What? Still going?’
By now, Suhyun felt a bit flustered. The bureau knew what Suhyun wanted: not words, but tangible benefits. His favorite kind.
Yet they kept holding him, praising him like it was planned.
‘These guys, don’t tell me….’
The cow headed to slaughter gets treated well by all. Business was much the same. They were buttering him up because they wanted a favor.
‘What are they going to ask?’
The Development Planning Bureau wasn’t a private company. It sustained without new ventures. If unfavorable, they could just not do it. For them to desperately want a favor, it was no small thing.
Plus, Uncle Jo Company was one of their few remaining cards. They probably hadn’t even fully restocked the team yet.
“Anyway, thank you again, Team Leader Kim Suhyun. Oh. Are you free today by any chance? If so, I’d love to treat you somewhere nice.”
‘Confirmed.’
“Sorry, still tired. Want to head back and rest today.”
“Oh, my bad. I lacked tact. Got it! I’ll contact you another day.”
The needy one would reach out again anyway. Suhyun figured that and backed off. As expected, the director seemed eager.
‘Now I’m really curious.’
Curiosity was one thing; duties were another. With no telling when something might come up, he needed to clear things fast. Suhyun had his team load the red boar mushrooms.
“It’s been a while since just the two of us traveled together, hasn’t it?”
“Indeed.”
Kim Chang-sik cheerfully gripped the wheel. Suhyun suddenly wondered what reaction he’d have seeing Chairman Charles’s villa.