Chapter 51
Chapter 51
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 51
Chapter Title: Kakrita Valley (1)
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“Gathering battle-hardened veterans from Cameron Planet to form another team isn’t a bad idea, but it’s not cost-effective. There are countless mercenary companies thinking the same thing, and those guys know their worth, so they don’t come cheap. Bring in soldiers instead. There are still plenty of people on Earth who have illusions about this place.”
Even in Team 1 alone, there were loads of people who had followed Jo Seung-hyun dreaming of striking it rich overnight.
“Bring those kinds of people. I’ll get them adapted here.”
“…!”
* * *
“Team Leader Lee Jung-woo. Did you hear?”
“Hear what?”
“Uncle Jo Company sold the rights to Redwood Forest.”
“What? When?!”
Lee Jung-woo, who rarely changed his expression, was shocked enough to let it show. An auction for Redwood Forest rights would’ve spread rumors far and wide.
“Was there an auction? When the hell?”
“No. Not an auction—they negotiated separately and handed it over to Guseong.”
“Guseong?”
“Yes.”
“…What idiots. Both sides.”
“?”
The team member who spoke tilted his head in confusion. Lee Jung-woo sighed. Superpowered individuals often got preferential treatment despite lacking in other skills due to their powers. In that sense, his subordinate was a bit slow on the uptake.
“Do I have to explain this every time? Listen up. Uncle Jo Company doesn’t have the capacity to manage Redwood Forest on their own.”
“They held it off last time, didn’t they? Without them, we would’ve taken heavy losses too.”
The operatives might not know, but the rank-and-file generally had a favorable view of Uncle Jo Company. Of course, it was thanks to Suhyun. No one could harbor ill feelings after he saved their lives without calculating the cost-benefit.
“You idiot. I’m not denying their contributions. But can they keep fending off and managing the endless waves on their own?”
“That… would be tough, right? They didn’t have many people.”
“Exactly. In the last fight, they would’ve been overrun immediately without us.”
Lee Jung-woo wasn’t dismissing Uncle Jo Company. They’d detected the raid early, picked off the incoming enemies, and struck from behind during the main battle to shake things up. That alone was merit enough.
But in the end, the decisive force came from Jindo 1 Team’s superpowered individuals. That’s what Lee Jung-woo believed.
He couldn’t even imagine that Suhyun had lured the enemies, dealt with them separately, detected the superpower nullifier, and intentionally destroyed it. That was beyond the realm of imagination.
“That’s why selling now is the most profitable move. Whoever’s attacking them, it’ll sell best right after fending them off.”
“So they sold it, right?”
“You idiot. They didn’t auction it—they sold it through separate negotiations. Still don’t get it?”
“??”
“They’re trying to cozy up to the government side. Handing it to Guseong of all places makes it obvious. That’s practically a government-backed corporation.”
“Isn’t that fine? Plus, getting government recognition is good.”
“You… your powers are great, but learn to use your head. An auction could’ve netted them several times what Guseong offered. We could’ve jumped in too…”
Lee Jung-woo clicked his tongue in regret. Now that things had turned out this way, the territory lost due to Choi Jae-ho’s blunder felt like a real waste.
“And getting chummy with the government requires strategy. You think they’ll suddenly treat you well just for one favor? Without leverage, you’re just a disposable pawn. They’re not building power the right way—they’re playing tricks. It’s a shame for their operatives.”
“Their skills seemed pretty good.”
“The healer?”
“No. The other operatives. They took out quite a few before the open-field clash. With arrows. You saw, right?”
There were no shortages of people fighting uniquely on Cameron Planet. Arrow traps weren’t surprising. Seeing the bodies riddled with arrows, they assumed Uncle Jo Company had caught them in traps.
“Maybe they fought so well precisely because they aren’t superpowered. Without relying on powers, they’ve learned to fight on their own.”
“Come on, Team Leader. You’re the strongest superpowered individual—don’t say that.”
“Who said otherwise? I’m just saying non-supers can fight in their own way.”
“I’d rather use my powers than fight small-scale like that.”
Hearing his subordinate, Lee Jung-woo fell into thought. The reason his powers hadn’t activated was still unresolved. It had been temporary, but it was horrifying in hindsight.
“Those guys… their identities still unknown?”
“Yes. All unidentified.”
“No chance of figuring it out. What method did they use?”
“That smoke screen, maybe?”
“Smoke screen?”
“It didn’t activate temporarily and then cleared up… That seems most plausible.”
Suhyun knew the exact details from future events, but they had no such knowledge, so they could only guess wrong.
“It definitely failed temporarily and then recovered.”
“Don’t worry too much. It was rushed because of the surprise attack. Next time, we won’t let it happen like this.”
Unlike Lee Jung-woo, his subordinate was nonchalant. He didn’t think his powers would be blocked again. If it was a smoke-screen type device, avoiding it would be easy. And since the effect wore off quickly, detoxification wasn’t an issue.
‘The problem is when it’s not that.’
Giving up on his worries, Lee Jung-woo stood. Brooding here wouldn’t change anything. As Jindo 1 Team’s leader, he had plenty more to do.
“Whatever. If it’s gone to Guseong, the Korean military will station there. They’re sturdier allies than Uncle Jo Company.”
“We could sell out too and wash our hands of it.”
“Have you lost your mind? What do we have to complain about?”
“True enough.”
“And…”
“?”
“Tell the guys below to keep tabs on Uncle Jo Company ongoing.”
“Yes? Why…”
“From their work, they seem like they could scatter anytime. Choi Jae-ho failed, but the healer’s valuable. Worth another shot. If they waver, snag them.”
“Got it. Will do.”
This kind of poaching raised no qualms. His subordinate grinned and left the room. Alone, Lee Jung-woo rested his chin, deep in thought. Uncle Jo Company’s team leader lingered unusually in his mind, for reasons he couldn’t pinpoint.
Other than healing and situational judgment, there was nothing special. Lee Jung-woo assumed Suhyun had already sized him up. Yet the unease lingered.
Lee Jung-woo didn’t know. The discomfort he felt was an instinctive wariness from mistaking a beast for a housecat.
* * *
“This is the current list of undeveloped zones the government side wants.”
“Just looking at the attached info is chilling. Three teams failed, two missing. The company that tried this must’ve been gutted.”
“Not the time to talk like it’s someone else’s problem. We could end up the same.”
“Just trust me.”
“That’s easier said than… Oh, right. Didn’t someone from Jindo Team try to poach one of ours?”
“Oh, that? Who told you? I tossed out some bait, but no idea if it’ll work.”
‘If we’re poaching, better before he awakens as a superpowered individual.’
Once Kang In-gyu awakened, poaching would be impossible. They wouldn’t let a super go easily, and it’d mean all-out war.
The issue was Kang In-gyu proved surprisingly tough. His timid, cowardly nature ironically made scouting hard. If he had any confidence or arrogance, flattery would work, but it fell flat.
After the fight, while helping Jindo team members, he’d kept approaching Kang In-gyu, but results were pending. A serious push after this job wrapped up seemed necessary.
“Worth the effort?”
“Hmm…”
Suhyun trailed off. If he awakened as a curse sorcerer, absolutely. Beyond just a super, in a team without others besides Suhyun, Kang In-gyu’s cursing ability would be invaluable.
“If it works out, he’s plenty valuable.”
“Yeah? Want me to reach out?”
“That’d backfire. He’s timid already—if I start and the president follows, he’ll scare off. Leave him be for now. He’s not the priority.”
Suhyun zoomed in on one from the list.
“Kakrita Valley. Our next destination.”
At Suhyun’s words, Jo Seung-hyun skimmed Kakrita Valley details. Failed teams…
“All five missing…?”
“They lacked the ability.”
Kakrita Valley was anomalous even on Cameron Planet. In fact, before Suhyun’s team cleared it in his past life, countless had died there.
But once you knew the secret, it was laughably easy. That was the pattern here. People risked lives for simple truths.
“Just go in, identify the hazards, and come out…”
“Oh, how’re you telling the operatives?”
“Simple. Only those who want to go.”
“Really? That okay?”
“It’s not the military. Can’t force unwilling people.”
Suhyun didn’t see it as dangerous, but others might. No forcing. He could handle it solo anyway.
“Tell them the rewards, and only those who want in join. That’s enough.”
“Got it. I’ll do that.”
Taking government jobs guaranteed base pay—hundreds of millions. But mercenaries like these weren’t in it for the guaranteed minimum.
‘Priority on discoveries during exploration goes to the expedition mercenaries.’
Once resources were found, priority yielded to those who risked it. With Uncle Jo Company’s current strength, full reliance on government, but growth could mean demanding shares later.
Jo Seung-hyun gathered the operatives and explained Suhyun’s plan. The dangers, the rewards on success. And that opting out was fine.
After the explanation, Uncle Jo Company Team 1 unanimously decided to participate.
* * *
“Kakrita Valley? Isn’t that too reckless? Kakrita Valley of all places. You explained properly, right?”
“I did!”
“Well, no one dives into this without hearing the full details… Uncle Jo Company’s new, right? How many supers do they have?”
“Far as I know, just the team leader’s a healer.”
“And they’re challenging Kakrita Valley? We owe them, so hard to discourage, but feels like guilt-tripping them into a meat grinder after taking their help.”
Development Planning Bureau Director Lee Won-jae clicked his tongue at the report. He already knew about Uncle Jo Company. They’d made notable contributions against the Redwood Forest terror incident.
Since they requested this opportunity, refusal wasn’t an option, but it still seemed beyond them.
“No choice. They knew the risks and applied.”
“True.”
No matter how warned, the choice was theirs. Uncle Jo Company rejected other rewards for this—no grounds to stop them.
“Fine. Approve it. Tell them to request any needs.”
* * *