Chapter 41
Chapter 41
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: Rewards and Changes (4)
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While fierce negotiations were taking place behind the scenes out of sight, Jo Seung-hyun was already taking action just as Kim Suhyun had suggested. With only a few clues from Suhyun, he had already gotten the gist of it.
If a mercenary company of that caliber was trying to get their hands on it, there had to be a damn good reason.
* * *
“You called for me?”
“Yeah. Have a seat.”
“Judging by your expression, it looks like you’ve figured it out. No need to drag this out—tell me straight. Did the proposal go through?”
“The Person Company negotiator was thrown off, but they had no reason to refuse. They’re just splitting the share that Jindogae was set to take.”
“I bet Jindogae didn’t take that lying down.”
“Of course they hated it openly... but they couldn’t push back any harder than that.”
That was intriguing. Sure, the contributions were so lopsided that even if Jindogae objected, it wouldn’t change anything. Handling it that unfairly could spill over into issues with Person Company too.
But their inability to push harder was a bit strange. From their perspective, this was something they desperately wanted. There was no way they’d be satisfied with just splitting the pie.
‘Did they not want to cause a scene?’
That only made the reason more intriguing.
“What do you mean they couldn’t speak up? Did you find out why?”
A confident smile flashed across Jo Seung-hyun’s face at the question.
“Of course. Your contributions played a part in keeping them in check, but it turns out that wasn’t the only reason.”
“Naturally.”
“Hey, do you happen to know where the Redwood deposits are located?”
Of course he did—both the unofficial ones in uncharted areas and the official ones near the cities. Jo Seung-hyun was definitely referring to the latter.
“Nope. Unless it’s right by a city, don’t the ones who’ve claimed them control all the info?”
“Exactly. No reason to broadcast it to civilians. But one of those deposits got completely wrecked. Not an accident—someone attacked it.”
“?!”
Suhyun looked at Jo Seung-hyun in surprise. He’d considered the possibility of trouble at a deposit, but wrecked? The Redwood deposits secured by humanity around here were generally close to the cities.
Cities were built around Dimensional Gates, and the areas around those gates were some of the rare monster-free blessed lands on Cameron Planet. Humanity hadn’t clustered there for no reason.
Which meant monsters were practically nonexistent nearby. Accidents in such places weren’t common.
“Wrecked? Where?”
“I couldn’t pin down the exact spot. Just overheard it from some insiders. Their response suggests it’s somewhere near Pyongyang.”
“…!”
Pyongyang. Back in the old days, it referred to the North Korean city, but now it meant something else—a city built by humanity on Cameron Planet, under Korea’s jurisdiction. It was the very city where Suhyun and Jo Seung-hyun currently were.
No country could resist the massive interests at stake on Cameron Planet. But not just anyone could send troops through the Dimensional Gates. Due to their locations, only Korea, the US, China, and Russia had official agreements allowing military access. Everyone else operated unofficially or through private contractors.
Since venturing onto Cameron Planet was all about national interests, there was more than one city. While Korea built theirs called Pyongyang, the other three nations had established their own spearhead cities for the planet’s development. Each country’s military naturally stationed around their respective cities.
If Suhyun’s memory was correct, there was indeed a Redwood deposit near Pyongyang. He had a good idea which one had been hit.
‘But that one’s jointly managed by the military and a private company, right...? What gives?’
It couldn’t have been a monster attack, and succeeding meant it wasn’t some ordinary player.
“No rumors circulating? Something like that wouldn’t stay quiet.”
“You’re sharp as hell. Yeah, there’s a rumor, but it’s kinda hard to buy...”
“?”
“The culprit’s supposedly異種族 terrorists.”
“…It’s not completely implausible, but...”
The power gap was huge, and humanity had set up its own rules to keep things in check, so major clashes hadn’t erupted. But it’d be weirder if new races meeting led to zero friction. Conflicts were happening constantly even now.
Some were radical groups—異種族 who’d acquired human knowledge and weapons to strike back at humanity. They saw resource gathering in uncharted lands as straight-up invasion. Suhyun had clashed with them a few times.
They were no pushovers. Uncertainty of encounter was one thing, but their combat power alone was nothing to scoff at. Weapons advantage was nullified by mass-produced arms, and異種族 had innate familiarity with the planet over humans. Throw in superpowers... and they could be deadlier than top-tier monsters.
“Not completely implausible? Pyongyang’s nearby—Korean military’s right there. How the hell do異種族 kids raid a spot like that?”
“The raid itself isn’t the issue. It’s a Redwood deposit, but they wouldn’t guard the perimeter like a fortress everywhere.”
Vigilance slacks where it’s safe. Suhyun hadn’t seen it, but he could guess the Redwood security setup. They’d followed standard protocol... but to someone with the capability to strike, standard was just exploitable.
“And異種族 radicals aren’t easy opponents. Clash with them once, and you’ll shut up quick.”
“So it really was them?”
“Nah. Doesn’t feel like異種族 work.”
“What? Then what was all that?”
“They’ve got the capability, but it doesn’t add up. Radical terrorists usually target folks entering uncharted zones. Coming all the way to a city outskirts—and blowing a Redwood deposit? ...”
Suhyun lapsed into thought. Getting that far was dubious enough, but then hitting a Redwood deposit? Something didn’t line up.
If rumors were flying but smelled off, there was one answer: someone spread them on purpose. Suhyun felt a spark in his mind.
“Damn.”
“?”
“They haven’t caught the culprit yet, right?”
“From their reaction? Probably not. They’d have announced it big-time if they had.”
“Don’t know who, but I’ve got a hunch on the motive. Likely someone who’s secured other Redwood deposits. Blow this one near Pyongyang, supply drops, prices skyrocket.”
“What?!”
Jo Seung-hyun shouted in shock. Suhyun’s theory was wild enough, but how he’d jumped to that conclusion from so little boggled the mind.
“That’s way more plausible than some random異種族 terrorists. That clumsy rumor? Definitely planted by the perps.”
Suhyun knew the shadows of Cameron Planet well. Resource terrorism like this could happen anytime. Nations could do it for massive profits, or even companies.
As Suhyun spoke gravely, Jo Seung-hyun’s casual expression vanished. If it wasn’t異種族 terrorists but profit-driven sabotage, things were serious.
“Can we pin down who?”
“How? Suspects are a dime a dozen. Not fighting the military—just slipping past security, hitting the deposit, and bouncing. Any decent PMC could pull it off. Just the small fry with deposits would fill a list.”
Jo Seung-hyun looked disappointed. If Suhyun found solid proof, they could tip off Korean military contacts. Owing a favor was always good business.
“Figured. Too tall an order?”
“Hmm. Might not need to. If I’m right, we’ll meet them soon enough.”
“?”
“The Redwood deposit we found. That size? The saboteurs won’t ignore it... They blow one, and boom—a massive new one pops up. Undiscovered still, smack in central Calcutta. I’d hit this one too.”
Jo Seung-hyun finally got why Suhyun had cursed. If profit-hungry groups were behind it, the new Redwood deposit was prime target. Huge scale, deep in Calcutta jungle—not near a city—perfect for incidents without easy excuses.
“…Fuck.”
* * *
He’d thought it was a golden goose, but it turned out to be ridiculously dangerous. A deposit at risk of terrorism.
“It’ll make money, right?!”
“It will make money.”
“Money’s not the issue now. If you’re right, masked goons with bombs could show up.”
“There’s a chance I’m wrong, so let’s not panic yet.”
Suhyun said it like reassurance, but it didn’t soothe Jo Seung-hyun much. Suhyun’s words carried an eerie conviction. Pure hypothesis, yet Jo Seung-hyun believed it likely true.
“And if you’re right?”
“Then we stop them. You gonna sit idle while someone else blows it up?”
“Our crew came here to hunt monsters and find resources, not fight terrorists. Scale’s an issue—I’m worried.”
“Well, the upside is we’re not alone.”
“?”
“Jindogae Company has rights to the Redwood deposit too.”
“…!”
The shock of Suhyun’s revelation had made him forget. Right—they both held claim to the discovered Redwood deposit.
“Do they know about this?”
“Whether they do or not doesn’t matter. What counts is we can use it.”
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