Chapter 204: Resumed Invasion Activities (8)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 204: Resumed Invasion Activities (8)
The news I heard over the weekend at Yellow’s house, with everyone gathered, was that Spacetro was preparing to resume their duels.
No matter how peaceful the method was intended to be to avoid casualties, there was no way for Earth to avoid these confrontations. Ultimately, as long as the invaders possessed overwhelming technological superiority, the Earth Defense Union had no choice but to comply with the schedule Spacetro proposed.
Because the Earth Defense Union had adapted and trained through a long period of these duels, they were capable of an immediate response. Furthermore, since Red had caught wind of the news slightly faster than the official channels, she had some time to process the upcoming conflict.
The day after hearing the news, Red went to her part-time job. Throughout her shift, she formulated various hypotheses on how Spacetro might respond.
A month ago, the Olympic Bridge bombing incident had shocked the world. The culprit was none other than a superhuman, and it had resulted in numerous casualties. Even now, countless victims were demanding compensation from the Earth Defense Union. While the mainstream media wasn't giving it heavy coverage, various outlets continued to churn out issues regarding the bombing.
In this climate, Spacetro hadn't made any particular demands of the Earth Defense Union. They might have done something behind the scenes, but as a member of the Seoul Headquarters' Team Hunter Killer, Red hadn't heard a word.
Even her boyfriend, A, who was part of Spacetro, hadn't received any instructions from his superiors. For there to have been negotiations that weren't being made public, the overall atmosphere was far too quiet.
Thus, Red decided to visit the Seoul Headquarters as soon as the weekday arrived. It was her first visit since the terror incident. Since she kept her suit at home, there wasn't much of Team Hunter Killer’s equipment left at the headquarters.
While it was much more comfortable to hold meetings at Yellow’s house than to come to the headquarters, Red’s reason for visiting wasn't for equipment or meetings.
“Look at all this dust.”
Red wasn't the only one who hadn't set foot in the headquarters for a month. Due to the swarming reporters, many staff members had stopped commuting to the building, and recently, only a skeleton crew had been working on-site.
The Team Hunter Killer office was covered in dust, as no one had entered it. After surveying the empty meeting room, Red stared blankly at the monitor she used to look at every day during meetings before the bombing incident.
She began to wonder if she should even bother coming to the headquarters once the duels resumed. Honestly, the only reasons to come here were to check data immediately and to meet the members.
However, since there had been no duels for a month, there was no data to speak of, and meeting at Yellow’s house had become more comfortable than this meeting room. Moreover, since A was living at Yellow’s house, she might be able to hear things she wouldn't have known otherwise.
Is that the right way to go about it?
One thing that worried her was whether her actions would truly be those of a member of the Earth Defense Union protecting the planet if things continued that way.
And suddenly, a thought flashed through her mind: was it even right to keep protecting the Earth like this?
She didn't show it outwardly, and she told others she was fine when they asked, but the constant, discriminatory glares tormented her. She knew the other members were also suffering, being at the center of controversy or facing discrimination simply because they were Superhumans.
“I’ll think about that later.”
Having fought to protect the Earth for several years, she didn't want to dwell on a fleeting thought. Shaking her head to clear the distractions, she headed toward her actual destination.
Taking the elevator up, she arrived at the Seoul Headquarters offices. Her specific goal within was the Director’s office.
She had entered it for reports every time there was a duel, but she could never get used to it. Just the thought of going back inside soured her mood.
The few employees working in the office glanced at Red as she entered. Naturally, their gazes weren't friendly. Since even those working in the same headquarters looked at her with such disdain, it was impossible to maintain a positive mindset.
Standing before the Director’s office, Red took a deep breath at the thought of seeing that loathsome man and knocked.
There was no voice from inside responding to the knock, but since he usually didn't say much anyway, Red opened the door, assuming it was business as usual.
However, the Director, who should have been in his office, was nowhere to be found. His seat was empty, and she could only tell he had been there because his computer was on, visible through the window by his desk.
“Did he step out?”
The fact that the computer was on meant he had come to work, but there was no way to know where he had gone.
Standing still for a moment, Red scanned the office and approached his desk, looking at the active computer.
The monitor displayed the information system program used by the Earth Defense Union. As a leader, Red used this program often and had a general idea of what was in it. The only difference was that the access permissions for a team leader and the Director were different.
“Where did he go?”
Having come to see the Director despite her dislike for him, Red felt a surge of irritation at his absence. If she could just see him once and handle the business quickly, it would be over. But if he didn't return soon, she would have to come back and endure this unpleasant feeling all over again.
“Huh?”
While looking at the monitor, Red discovered a file with a suspicious title. Before she could even think about checking it, she sensed someone approaching the office.
“What is this?”
The person who opened the door and entered was none other than the owner of the office, the Director of the Seoul Headquarters. When he entered, Red was standing by the door, not next to his desk.
“You’ve arrived at the perfect time.”
“What are you doing in here without permission?”
“I had business, so I knocked and came in. You just happened to arrive now.”
Narrowing his eyes at Red, the Director looked away and sat in his chair.
“What is it?”
His tone made it clear he had no desire to deal with her. It was understandable; Team Guerrilla, the team he seemed to cherish so much, had caused a massive disaster, and he had frequently clashed with Red over issues regarding them.
Furthermore, on the day of the terror incident, the ones Team Guerrilla had attacked were Team Hunter Killer’s opponents, and the incident occurred while Team Hunter Killer was waiting for their duel. From the Director’s perspective, the person he least wanted to see right now was the leader of Team Hunter Killer.
“It’s been quiet for over a month. I came to see if there was any news.”
“…You’re like a damn ghost.”
Scowling at Red, the Director clicked his mouse a few times and handed her a printed document. Red stepped closer and checked the paper. It was about the duels; they were to proceed starting this week, following the original schedule without any changes.
“So, the duels are back.”
“If you’re done, get out.”
“Is this all?”
“What?”
“I asked if this is all.”
The reason Red had sought out the Director, whom she didn't even want to look at, wasn't just because of the duels. While confirming the official news was part of it, she would have been notified about the duels eventually anyway. There was no reason to come all this way just for that.
The Director knew exactly what she was curious about. Yet, despite knowing, he remained silent.
“What happened to Team Guerrilla?”
“Team Guerrilla is disbanded. A new roster has already been formed.”
She already knew that. Team Guerrilla, having caused an unmanageable disaster, had been disbanded immediately after the terror incident, and new Superhumans had been brought in to fill their spots.
“Where did they go?”
What Red wanted to know wasn't their administrative status, but their whereabouts. After hearing rumors that Team Guerrilla had undergone police investigation following the incident, their tracks had vanished completely. Nothing had been released to the media, and even those within the Seoul Headquarters had heard nothing.
“That is none of your business. If you have nothing else to say, get lost.”
The Director made no effort to hide his displeasure. Red was equally disgusted. As the Director said, there was no reason for Red to know the administrative fate of another team. Unlike typical workplaces where tasks are interconnected across departments, Superhumans didn't collaborate between teams at all. Even though they belonged to the same Seoul Headquarters, they were administratively entirely separate entities.
Still, it made no sense that she was kept in the dark about the aftermath of an incident that occurred within Team Hunter Killer’s combat zone.
Sensing from his reaction that he would never tell her, Red glared at the Director with her sharp, crimson eyes before turning around and leaving the office.
“Arrogant bitch.”
As soon as Red left, the Director spat out a curse and turned his gaze back to the monitor.
Leaving the Director’s office, Red stepped into the elevator with the document in hand. She hadn't expected to learn much, but failing to find out anything as predicted left her with a sense of futility for having come at all.
Red’s reason for visiting the headquarters was to investigate superhuman-related issues through the whereabouts of Team Guerrilla. Since A was investigating Superhumans and intended to continue, she felt she should also look into the origins of Superhumans, something she had turned a blind eye to until now.
Despite being a superhuman herself, she realized she knew too little. She had braced herself to come to the headquarters, but all she had gained from meeting the Director was a foul mood.
“Red?”
As she reached the first floor, Red turned her head at a voice from the lobby. There, sitting on a lobby chair drinking coffee, were Silver and a woman with shaggy black hair.
“Silver. It’s been a while.”
“It has. What brings you to headquarters? Are you coming back for meetings now?”
“I just stopped by for something related to the duels. I’m not sure if I’ll start commuting for meetings again.”
Red greeted Silver and joined them.
“Th-then, I’ll be going now…”
The woman with the shaggy black hair sitting opposite Silver spoke in a trembling voice and stood up as soon as Red sat down.
“Yeah, go ahead.”
As the black-haired woman walked away, Red watched her unfamiliar back until Silver gave a brief explanation.
“That’s Black, a member of our team. She’s extremely shy.”
“Ah.”
Only then did Red recall seeing her once or twice in passing and nodded.
“If you came because of the duels, you must have been to the office?”
“Yeah. I just met the Director and ended up in a bad mood.”
“Still, it’s a good thing you caught him.”
“Huh?”
Red tilted her head at Silver’s remark.
“The Director. He’s hardly been at the headquarters for the past month.”
Red knew the Director hadn't been around immediately after the terror incident. But hearing that he had continued to be absent even after that made her fall into thought. It was strange to think he was away simply because of the bombing.
Team Guerrilla’s whereabouts were unknown, and the Director had been absent from the headquarters. If so, where on earth had he been?
“Silver. Do you happen to know the location of the Superhuman Research Institute?”
“Huh? The location of the lab is classified. I doubt anyone but the Director would know.”
“I figured as much.”
Among the Superhumans who had been the subjects of the experiments, not a single one knew the location of the lab. However, given his position, the Director might know. And if she could find the lab through him, she might be able to obtain more diverse information.
“They say the duels are starting again. It’s going to be a hassle for a while.”
“Everyone will be watching closely.”
Though the intense scrutiny had lessened a month after the terror incident, it was true that there were more eyes on them than before. Both Red and Silver felt the pressure of the duels resuming.
While they felt the same way, Red had a slightly different thought.
She loathed facing the Director, but he was currently the person within the Seoul Headquarters likely to hold the most information regarding Superhumans. And once the duels began, she would inevitably have to cross paths with him. The more she encountered him, the higher the probability of extracting information.
The feeling of disgust didn't vanish, but she felt she could view the resumption of the duels and her encounters with the Director in a somewhat positive light for the time being.
“Red. Over there.”
Red, who had been lost in thought, looked where Silver was pointing.
A group of four young men was entering the headquarters through the main entrance. Their faces were entirely new. Red watched them, certain she had never seen them before.
“Are those the new people?”
She immediately realized they were the ones who had joined the Seoul Headquarters after Team Guerrilla was disbanded.
“Yeah. I think their team name was Endurance.”
The young man walking at the front, who appeared to be the leader, seemed to feel Red and Silver’s gaze and gave them a polite nod.
Since they had filled the vacancy left by Team Guerrilla, they might also have deep ties to the Director.
Returning the nod, Red decided she should keep a close eye on them as well for the time being.
Thus, while she had confirmed the news of the duels, the day of the first confrontation arrived without her having obtained any significant information.