Chapter 50
Chapter 50
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 50
Chapter Title: Confrontation (6)
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The Planet Management Division was one of the government departments with the shortest history.
But no one could ignore its weight or authority. It bore immense responsibilities.
The person Jo Seung-hyun had contacted was the director of the Resource Management Office within it. When Jo Seung-hyun presented the evidence he had brought and explained the identities of the attackers based on it, the faces of everyone present hardened.
“This is not something we can just let slide.”
“Of course, we can’t do much with this alone.”
What they had secured was circumstantial evidence at best. If Suhyun hadn’t pointed it out, they wouldn’t have even guessed it was a unit sent by the Chinese side. After all, numerous countries had forces on this planet.
The Jindo Dog team seemed intent on investigating the corpses’ identities, but Suhyun had already given up on that early on. A unit sent for such an operation would have had their identities thoroughly scrubbed and prepared in advance.
“But what matters is that we’ve identified who they are and secured their new technology, right?”
“Obviously. That’s more than enough. It would be greedy to ask for more after surviving such a sudden attack.”
The fact that they had commercialized a superpower nullifier was no ordinary intel. It needed to be sent to the military research lab immediately.
“Thank you so much for coming to us with this. Mr. Jo Seung-hyun.”
“No need to thank me. Isn’t it the duty of any Korean working here? Who do you think makes it possible for us to live comfortably on this planet...?”
The director of the Resource Management Office, Seo Jung-beom, and Jo Seung-hyun exchanged pleased smiles. Even Jo Seung-hyun couldn’t fully calculate the value of the information he had brought them—from the attackers’ identities to the technology they used.
And in this atmosphere, the one left out was Oh Sang-wan, the representative from Guseong. Guseong—the company that had held the logging rights to the previous Redwood forest. In a way, they were the biggest victims of this incident.
‘Did he call us here to share this?’
Learning the attackers’ identities was good, of course. But it didn’t put money in their pockets. Even if it was from the Chinese side, without concrete proof, no one would offer compensation. Oh Sang-wan swallowed his bitterness.
“Actually, I have a separate proposal to discuss today.”
“?”
“You’ve probably both heard about the newly discovered Redwood forest in the Calcutta jungle zone.”
They already knew an attack had occurred nearby. Both men looked at Jo Seung-hyun with curiosity.
“This time, we got lucky and managed to fend them off... But honestly, with our current forces, we can’t hold onto it indefinitely. We operate as a small elite team.”
Jindo Dog was large enough to handle logging themselves for profit. But for Uncle Jo Company to do the same, their members would need to patrol the area constantly. For a one-team company, it was impossible.
“Aren’t you experts in Redwood at Guseong? If you’re interested, we’d like to hand over the logging rights at a reasonable price.”
“?!”
The two turned to each other in surprise. Jo Seung-hyun’s offer was far too generous.
Guseong was a private company, but it maintained close ties with the government. With the military managing Redwood forests, it was only natural. A portion of their profits flowed back to the government.
If they logged and managed it themselves like Jindo Dog, the government got nothing. But in a collaborative model like Guseong’s, the government reaped massive benefits. Naturally, they preferred companies like that.
And Guseong’s profits were obvious. The logging rights weren’t cheap, but the ongoing revenue afterward was incomparable. Even if Uncle Jo Company lacked management capability, there was no need to sell in a rush. An auction could multiply the price several times.
“Not interested?”
“N-No, that’s not it!”
“Of course, I know what this means.”
“You want something in return?”
“Yes.”
Seo Jung-beom was quick on the uptake. He realized Jo Seung-hyun wanted something in exchange for this gift.
“Mercenary companies are oversaturated right now. Only a handful stand out.”
There were plenty of large companies, but few could truly venture into uncharted territories, discover resources, handle monsters, and return.
The risks were too high.
Success brought unparalleled rewards, but the dangers matched. Even known areas could turn disastrous with bad luck—uncharted ones even more so.
Thus, major mercenary firms kept elite teams like Team 1 but rarely risked them. Moving them required an irresistible offer.
“Don’t you need a company willing to handle exploration for the government?”
Companies competing on size alone were already saturated. A latecomer like Uncle Jo Company would just waste time without any edge.
Suhyun planned the opposite. A team that could tackle uncharted zones and monsters was invaluable to the government. Uncle Jo Company would become that team—government-backed, solving uncharted problems.
Doing what anyone could do offered no competitive edge. True value and competitiveness came from doing what no one else could, alone.
“You mean exploration of uncharted zones?”
“Yes.”
“That’s... pretty dangerous.”
“We’re prepared for that.”
“The Development Planning Division is always looking for people, but...”
After hesitating, Seo Jung-beom steeled himself and spoke. Making an introduction was easy, but this wasn’t. With such goodwill, hiding info could cause headaches later.
“President Jo Seung-hyun, I’ll be frank. Government-backed uncharted missions might look appealing on the surface, but they’re extremely dangerous in reality. Many teams have already failed—big-name mercenary firms everyone knows. I’m telling you upfront because you’ve been so generous; I don’t want you regretting it later.”
“There are successes too, right?”
“Currently, only a handful of teams operate under government support—you could count them on one hand. And those are all renowned teams.”
“I know.”
Jo Seung-hyun spoke without changing expression. Seo Jung-beom realized he already knew everything—not blindly seeking opportunity, but after calculations.
No reason to refuse, then.
“And we’re not committing blindly. We’ll step up only if we’re confident after reviewing the proposals.”
“Of course. Mercenaries aren’t in this to die.”
Others were even pickier, especially the skilled ones. It might seem arrogant, but on this planet, the capable had that right.
“Then let’s wrap this up and negotiate.”
* * *
“Did the talk go well?”
“I did exactly as you said, but I don’t know if it was smart. They really laid on the fear thick.”
“Government-level jobs are always insanely risky—that’s why.”
“But we’re the ones volunteering for it. You okay with that?”
“Hmm...”
Jo Seung-hyun’s face mixed anxiety. Government-backed uncharted teams were every mercenary’s dream. Big companies knew but avoided it. It was a poisoned chalice.
Such missions warranted special support because of their difficulty, and most teams balked at the risks—regardless of skill.
But Suhyun brimmed with confidence. Before returning to the past, as a soldier, he’d solved countless issues. He and his team were always the go-to fixers.
‘Among the supposedly impossible surveys now, I already know quite a few.’
No intent to dive into unknown dangers. He’d take missions he knew and succeed repeatedly. Uncle Jo Company would inherit his past team’s fame.
‘Gain fame, build power. Until this company alone can fight.’
A strong mercenary firm was power in itself. In the past, Suhyun focused only on his team. When it shattered and he was ousted, he was powerless.
Not anymore.
“Have I ever guaranteed something and failed?”
“No. But everyone makes mistakes.”
“The ship has sailed. Too late to cancel. Jumping off now?”
Jo Seung-hyun chuckled at Suhyun’s words. This kid’s confidence—rooted in staking his life—somehow convinced him. Maybe that’s what swayed people.
‘Yeah. The ship has sailed.’
He’d aimed slow and safe, but they’d veered far. Opportunities forged by Suhyun and the team risking lives—if he let it slip, he wasn’t a man.
“Don’t worry. Whatever job we take, I’ll be the one fighting for my life there. We’ll plan ahead. Oh, what about the Redwood forest?”
Jo Seung-hyun held up fingers instead of answering. One on left hand, two on right.
“12 billion?”
“Yeah.”
“A bit low for the size... but let’s call it buying opportunity.”
“Anything you need, just say. I was an arms dealer, after all. I can get most things.”
“Music to my ears. Oh, what about the stealth suits and nullifiers?”
The stealth suits and superpower nullifiers they’d captured. Not given away freely—they’d negotiated priority use after repairs and analysis.
“They promised. We get first dibs once done.”
“No big hopes for the nullifiers, but stealth suits are useful. Would love to snag those.”
Both valuable, but nullifiers rarer. US military pioneered stealth suits first.
Still, low odds on nullifiers. Using them here showed confidence enemies couldn’t reverse-engineer even if stolen. Internals would be locked tight.
“And while you’ll handle it fine, prioritize personnel over weapons.”
“Personnel? Need more people?”
“Not for Team 1. Future jobs won’t scale with numbers. But as a company, we hit limits with few. I’d like three or four backup teams for emergencies.”
Team 1 under Suhyun raises value as elite specialists; others handle number-heavy tasks. Company needs scale.
“That’s a stretch.”
“Not all at once, sure. But one or two teams? Pour in money like with Team 1—hire soldiers.”
“Huh?”
Jo Seung-hyun planned to hire veterans seasoned on Cameron Planet. Current team started out of necessity, but reports showed adaptation struggles. Better hire experienced from the start than repeat errors.
But Suhyun said otherwise.
“Hire soldiers? Won’t they struggle? Even our team would’ve floundered without you... Bringing misfits would just be loss.”
“Well, Earth soldiers do fumble here.”
Adapting to different norms wasn’t easy.
“That’s why companies prefer Cameron veterans... But basics-wise, soldiers are superior. One good instructor handles adaptation.”
“A very good instructor?”
“Me.”
Jo Seung-hyun was dumbfounded by Suhyun’s deadpan declaration.