Chapter 62
Chapter 62
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 62
Chapter Title: Artifact (4)
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"Stop them right now!"
Hearing the director's bellow over the phone, Choi Hyun-min hurried into action. As he made his way to the destination, he cursed Blue Bear inwardly. Why did those bastards, who could snag talent anywhere, have to come poaching from a Korean outfit?
Poaching between domestic companies was tolerable enough. But Blue Bear was an overseas team from America. Sure, America and Korea were tight allies, but the moment you crossed over to the States, as far as the Korean government was concerned, you were done.
It was infuriating to finally assemble a promising new team with real potential, only to have them snatched away before they could even get started.
By the time he arrived, the conversation was already well underway. Choi Hyun-min steeled his face like a sheet of iron. He had no idea what the situation was, but one thing was clear: he had to shut it down.
"Nice to run into you here—what a coincidence!"
* * *
'What lousy acting.'
Suhyun thought, shaking his head. Robert was scowling after receiving the business card from the sudden arrival and hearing the introduction.
'Ah, the Korean government... Got it. So that's the play.'
Everything made sense once he heard Choi's position. The Uncle Jo Company team had been collaborating with the Korean government. It wasn't all that shocking for the government to team up with a capable outfit to probe uncharted zones. America was doing the exact same thing.
From their perspective, with a painstakingly assembled team at risk of being lured overseas, charging in like this was only natural.
'But that's their headache.'
Robert wasn't Korean. He had zero intention of stepping back for the Korean government's sake. If they couldn't hold onto the talent they'd snagged, they were the idiots—not the poachers.
"Shall we call it here for today, then?"
Robert rose from his chair with a heavy thud. He slipped a business card into Suhyun's hand and spoke in a loaded tone.
"Give me a call anytime you rethink things. And... if you're looking for national backing on jobs, Korea's not your only option."
"!"
Choi Hyun-min's face twisted at Robert's brazen words, delivered right in front of him.
"We've got our own government ties, you know. A guy like you can guess that much. I'd hitch to the bigger wagon myself. You don't lose out aligning with the heavyweights, do you?"
Robert flashed a grin as he finished and strolled out. That left Choi Hyun-min and Suhyun stranded in the suddenly awkward air.
"Ha, haha..."
"No need to force it."
Choi dropped the strained laugh at Suhyun's words.
"Did you rush over at this hour just because of the Blue Bear meet? Didn't peg you for the hot-blooded type."
"No, it's not—"
Choi tried to pivot, but he caught on that Suhyun had already pieced it together and let out a sigh. After crashing the scene so overtly, playing dumb was a lost cause.
"You thinking of taking their offer?"
"Hard to say?"
Choi's expression soured. Suhyun gave a light chuckle.
"No need to fret. If I do, I'll give you a heads-up first so it doesn't mess with our work."
'That's not the damn point!'
Suhyun had to know that and was poking anyway. Choi clammed up. Botched persuasion would only poison things.
"I'm not some oathbreaker. Long as the government's on the ball, no reason to look elsewhere. ...Probably."
Just straight-up threaten me, Choi thought from the heart. This polite version was worse. It screamed he'd bolt the second terms soured.
"...Understood. We'll give it our all."
"I have faith."
Far more deflated than when he'd stormed in, Choi Hyun-min shuffled out. Suhyun headed upstairs, replaying the day's drama.
'Getting funnier by the minute.'
Truth be told, he hadn't seen Blue Bear coming on this strong. He'd figured some mid-level rep might swing by with thanks and payouts at most. Instead, the boss himself showed up with a naked headhunt.
'Wonder what went down with those Team 2 survivors after we left... Way to dig up dirt?'
There had definitely been some back-and-forth between Robert and the Team 2 holdouts once they were gone, and it'd clearly left a mark. Nothing else explained that attitude.
Some folks sized people up by the numbers on paper; others went by gut and vibe. Flaws and all, Robert was firmly the latter.
Still, no urge to jump ship just yet. The perks of a Korean base outweighed it.
Most of his past life's gigs had Korean ties. Even the joint ops with America were Korean-led at heart.
If he bailed to the States, like it or not, he'd be dancing to Uncle Sam's tune—and those jobs probably wouldn't line up with what he knew cold. No sense ditching that edge.
Better to stoke this rivalry and squeeze more out of the Korean side...
'Whatever. This'll have the government sweating bullets. Thanks for the payback, Blue Bear.'
* * *
"How's it look?"
"Thought it might be too rushed, but... not bad."
Suhyun nodded like it checked out. Jo Seung-hyun balled his fist at the approval. The pair stood before the freshly finished Uncle Jo Company compound.
"You aware the place is way oversized for our headcount? Even with government backing..."
"I know. I'll fill it out quick—don't sweat it. Can't just drag in any stray mutt, though; you wouldn't sit still for that."
"Right on that."
"Aw, come on..."
Suhyun's bar wasn't sky-high since he didn't fixate on superpowers, but prime hires didn't grow on trees. Character? Non-negotiable for him.
'How many mercs chasing the life actually have their shit together...'
Jo grumbled to himself, but Suhyun's standards rang true. Jo ran Team 1 the same way.
"Take it slow. We'll knock out the next few with who we've got, and recruits will swarm on their own."
"Huh?"
"First win's luck; second's proof."
Uncle Jo Company's spot was tricky right now. The government bought their chops, sure—but doubts lingered.
Could they pull off a repeat?
Made sense, really. Suhyun's crew lacked superpowers outside him and the fresh addition, Kim Chang-sik. Nail the next gig easy, and doubt flips to trust.
"More importantly, Choi Hyun-min's dodging calls. What's the deal? Wanted to hash out the next assignment."
"Ah, he's swamped. Development Planning Bureau's gotta be a madhouse."
"?"
"Incident blew up. Redwood Forest side."
"Spill the details."
* * *
To be precise, the trouble hadn't erupted inside Redwood Forest itself. Suhyun had braced for another terror hit at first, but the rundown eased him.
'Figured even lunatics wouldn't shove the same ploy after getting busted.'
Doubling down on a botched stunt post-exposure? That was begging for interstate war. Not how Cameron Planet rolled.
"You know how we handed off the rights to the committee, then Korean forces pushed in around there? Teaming with Jindo Dog."
"Obviously. With Jindo Dog holding it down, what could go wrong? Calcutta Gorilla's toast, military's there..."
Suhyun pegged it as a Korean military snag. Regular grunts without superpowers? Ripe for trouble in a pinch.
Jo shook his head, though.
"Nope. Jindo Dog's team ate it."
"?!'
That caught him off guard. A heavy hitter like Jindo Dog taking a spill there? Nothing was invincible on Cameron Planet, but still...
"Once they locked down Redwood's perimeter safe and ran supply lines, greed kicked in, looks like. Can't blame 'em after bleeding to crack a new spot."
"Fair play."
Carving out fresh turf on Cameron Planet was brutal. Worse if losses piled higher than projected, Jindo Dog style.
"So they greenlit extra scouting."
"Next spot from there... Kevaswak region?"
"What? How'd you guess? Already in the loop?"
"If I was, why ask? Ames Plains is mapped to death—no scout needed. Only adjacent payout worth pushing is Kevaswak."
Deep southeast plunge from Calcutta. Handful of teams had poked in by report, nothing game-changing came back. Perfect excuse for Jindo Dog to mount a real push.
'That's orc turf... Ah, that one's around?'
"So who got jammed up, and how?"
"Didn't get the full scoop— their mess. But word's Team 1 went dark."
"Shit, Jindo Dog's CEO probably hit the deck."
Team 1, of all squads. Company powerhouse vanished. Chaos visible from orbit.
"Not just them—Redwood handlers looked ready to faint too. Stakes that high, Development Planning's neck-deep, bet."
They'd plunged Calcutta jungle, linked passages to Redwood, blazed supply trails, culled local monsters rough—but danger lingered. Korean units marched in banking on Jindo Dog cover.
Korean brass stayed gun-shy on dumping troops in wilds after past bloodbaths. An internal Jindo Dog implosion like this?
Team 1 and rotates had balanced the scales around there. This? Game over. No sitting idle with Team 1 ghosted. Pour assets into the hunt, or choke back blood tears and bail to stem more bodies. Both trashed Redwood oversight. They'd already homesteaded Euterp turf.
'Uproar city. Dive in or pull stakes... Dump Redwood? No Team 1 changes everything...'
Abandon Euterp for Calcutta focus? Slim odds, Suhyun figured. Jindo Dog built its empire on Euterp runs.
"Resource Management—or hell, Planetary Management—might weigh in. They stepping up to bail Jindo Dog?"
"Bailout bandwidth? Nah. Probably pleading 'don't ditch Redwood management.'"
"Good luck with that. Euterp on deck, Team 1 AWOL—juggling both? Fat chance."
Chasing twin hares minus a leg? Fool's errand. Jindo Dog rattled, but not blind.
"Deep shit, proper. Team 1 gone means no backup, no clue how to untangle. Anyway, that's their frenzy. What job you wanna pitch?"
"Changed my mind."
"?"
"We'll bail 'em out."
"?!'
Jo gawked at Suhyun like he'd lost it. Had "no one's helping sans Team 1" whooshed past? Zero returns signaled max peril, unknowns galore.
"Real deals close with the frantic and hurting—not the comfy."
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