Chapter 29
Chapter 29
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: What Happened in the Calcutta Jungle Zone (2)
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It could be a different one, but Suhyun was convinced it was that same bastard. His gut feeling told him so. There weren't many Calcutta Gorillas in the jungle zone that could be this persistent and clever.
“Aw, come on. No matter how cunning monsters get, aren't they still just brute-force types relying on strength and size? If humans really put their minds to it and charge in, they couldn't possibly win.”
“This idiot's spouting nonsense again. Do you know how the mercenaries lost? They went in with three suits of Power Armor and still got wiped out!”
“?!”
Even Suhyun was shocked by that. Three Power Armors—that was more than enough firepower to take down a Calcutta Gorilla. Plus, if they could mobilize that kind of gear, it had to be a major company with plenty of experience. There was no way they'd botched the hunt.
Which meant the Calcutta Gorilla had pulled off moves so far outside the norm that it fooled even those seasoned mercenaries.
‘Well, Calcutta Gorillas do tend to charge straight in, usually.’
“Didn't they say how they lost?”
“They clammed up on the details. Said it's valuable intel. Promised to spill if we joined... From what I gathered, sounds like the monsters swarmed them and picked them off one by one.”
“......”
A chill ran down Suhyun's spine. Jo Seung-hyun clearly hadn't pieced it together, but Suhyun knew exactly what had happened.
The damn monster had actually set a trap. Monsters didn't cooperate with each other, of course. No point expecting orders or alliances just because of a common enemy. But you could herd them toward other foes.
The Calcutta Gorilla must have used the terrain to drive a bunch of monsters straight at the intruders, then picked off the mercenaries one at a time. Suhyun could handle one with a single Power Armor suit, but pilots of that caliber weren't a dime a dozen. You couldn't count on that from even veteran mercs.
And so, picked off piecemeal. With three Power Armors, they probably didn't get totally annihilated, but once those suits started breaking down, fighting on was suicide. That's when they must have retreated.
‘This thing's seriously impressive.’
Even if females were smarter than males, Suhyun had rarely seen one this cunning. It had to be an unusually intelligent specimen.
And if it was that smart...
Then it definitely remembered Suhyun.
‘No way it's targeting humans because of me.’
“But they couldn't catch it even then, so why call us? We're just a single-team outfit at best.”
Uncle Jo Company was a brand-new, small-scale mercenary outfit. There was no reason to call them in after all those big-name companies failed. Jo Seung-hyun nodded at Kim Chang-sik's question.
“I figure there are a few reasons. First off, we're the ones who spotted a Calcutta Gorilla in that sector and lived to tell the tale. They must think we know how to handle it—or at least how to dodge it.”
Cameron Planet was vast, teeming with untold monsters. Unknown info on them was everywhere. Even a small merc company might have tips on dealing with a specific breed. That kind of knowledge came from survivors who'd tangled with the beasts and made it out.
“Huh? We don't have any such know-how. They heard how we barely escaped! We'd all be dead without Suhyun.”
“I know that! That's why I didn't commit!”
“What if they expect that from us and find out later we don't have it? Then what?”
“What do you mean, 'then what'? I never said we did. They're assuming on their own. Why should we take the blame for that?”
“Whoa... There goes the boss showing his true colors again.”
“True colors my ass! This isn't fraud! Anyone dumb enough to fall for it deserves it. If they were aboveboard, why not ask outright? 'Share any know-how on fighting Calcutta Gorillas'?”
The answer was simple. That intel had value all its own. Announce you wanted it officially, and you'd have to pay top dollar.
But request cooperation, tag along on ops, and pick it up on the sly? Way easier. Seemed shady at first glance, but sharing tricks while working together was practically custom in the biz.
“It's their fault for trying to freeload and choking on it. And don't get ahead of me. I haven't signed off yet.”
“So what's the second reason?”
“Probably our Power Armors. Against Calcutta Gorillas, individual firepower matters more than numbers.”
Bigger companies than Uncle Jo were a dime a dozen, but not all had Power Armors—even civilian models required serious connections to acquire.
“There might be more reasons, but that's my take.”
Intel on fighting Calcutta Gorillas, plus secured Power Armors. Solid grounds for a collab request. Of course, the intel was worthless without Suhyun, and the armors were ticking time bombs, but still.
“As you know, I brought you all on board promising good food and a good life—not a death sentence. I'd normally decide solo, but this one's too iffy. So I ran it by everyone. It's life-or-death, so think it over carefully. If most say no, we pass. Forcing it would just cause headaches.”
Mid-explanation, Jo Seung-hyun spotted Suhyun raising his hand.
“School been treating you okay? Why're you raising your hand?”
“What're they offering?”
“Huh?”
“To get us to do something like that, they've gotta pony up something huge, right? One failure already, and we're risking our necks going in.”
Kim Chang-sik and Jo Seung-hyun had been mulling how to fight a Calcutta Gorilla—what resolve it'd take, battle tactics, etc. Just thinking about it weighed heavy.
But Suhyun? While they talked, his mind jumped straight to the payout.
‘What a ballsy guy...’
“Yeah? What're they offering?”
“Rewards matter more to you? Think about the risks first. Obviously the pay's sweet. Cash for you guys aside, they're handing us priority on future ops around that confirmed sector.”
Translation: Steady gigs in the area. Stable work was gold for any company.
“Isn't that a bit much? Other companies are involved too—can we even handle that volume?”
“What the hell did you do before this that you're worrying about... Never mind. We'll manage, so don't sweat it. Already checked—their ops zones don't overlap. Our size is the issue, but once this locks in, we can scale up fast. Lines of wannabe mercs stretch out here already.”
He had a point. Finding decent jobs was the hassle; volunteers were endless. On Cameron Planet, the easiest resource wasn't a joke—it was manpower.
“Now go hash it out with the others. No rushing decisions on this.”
* * *
“This is our shot, guys! You gotta grab big opportunities when they come—miss it, and we'll be scrambling. Boss has connections, sure, but merc companies around here aren't exactly rare. We don't build the name and secure a spot fast, it'll be rough on us and the company.”
“I get that, but why that Calcutta Gorilla of all things? You forget pissing yourself and running?”
“Who pissed themselves! Quit bullshitting!”
“Fight ugly. Fight real ugly.”
“Ah, you're back.”
“Everything good?”
The squad cut the chatter and greeted Suhyun and Kim Chang-sik warmly as they entered. Chang-sik was one thing, but their fondness for Suhyun stood out. They all knew: without him last mission, they'd be goners.
And Suhyun never acted cocky or arrogant. Always polite, shouldering more than his share—who wouldn't like that?
“But what's this about someone pissing themselves?”
“No one did! This jerk keeps spreading lies. He nearly did it himself and's embarrassed...”
“Shut it.”
Park Su-yong cut in. He sat in the corner, face dead serious.
“We're here to decide on this job, so cut the bullshit. Nobody came to hear about piss.”
“This guy's at it again.”
“Ease up on the mood-killing, yeah?”
“W-what? You little...”
“What's Trainee Kim Suhyun think?”
All eyes turned to Suhyun at Lee So-hee's question. He'd tangled closest with a Calcutta Gorilla. They didn't know he'd already bagged one—and the prowler now was its mate.
“Yeah. What do you think?”
“Hmm...”
Suhyun trailed off, drawing curious stares.
“It's a decent opportunity.”
“See!”
“What 'see' you punk? He said decent—not yes. Listen to the end!”
“Everyone knows it's decent. Question is, is it desperate enough to risk facing that thing head-on?”
“Not desperate, but it'd suck to pass up.”
The four nations' armies on Cameron Planet had halted development and exploration ages ago due to endless losses. Now they just guarded city perimeters. Officially, anyway—under the table, nations scrapped fiercely for resources via proxies.
Mercenaries filled that gap. Expendable explorers who fought and died without backlash. Prized by dev corps and states alike.
When a nation needed key resources but couldn't deploy troops? Mercs fit the bill. Some companies cozying up to specific countries for perks was an open secret.
Being a top merc on Cameron Planet meant that: the go-to fixer for any job, anywhere. Their very existence was power.
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