Preparing for Delivery

Bori knew he was in the research facility.

And he had intended to hand over the information he gathered there to Yoo Sena to give her an advantage.

That alone revealed a great deal.

If Neonic had truly wanted to, they could have hidden everything. Yet Bori had found out? That made no sense.

It was far more plausible that Neonic had deliberately dropped hints for him to pick up.

No, at this point, it wasn't even a mere guess anymore.

Neonic had shown Bori their taboo—or rather, something they had meticulously disguised to look like one.

Then, after staging a scenario where Bori "accidentally" escaped, they scattered a simple missing cat commission to the local mercenaries.

They must have offered a hefty advance and an even larger completion bonus. It was a tactic to ensure the mercenaries wouldn't slack off.

In doing so, they restricted Bori's range of movement.

If he wandered too far, an unforeseen accident might occur, so they used the mercenaries to erect a virtual fence around him.

After that, they threw out the bait of a "talking cat" to lure in Swoo and Angela, who served as their connection to Noise.

Given Swoo's track record with commissions, Neonic must have been certain she would bite.

And what was supposed to happen next?

It was a fork in the road.

First, if Bori met Yoo Sena and shared the information he stole from Neonic. Since Sena couldn't handle it on her own, she would naturally commission a highly capable mercenary she was close with.

Neonic would have been absolutely certain that those mercenaries would be Swoo and Angela. A mega-corporation of Neonic's caliber could easily access the Abyss and uncover the connection between Sena and Swoo.

Second, if Swoo and Angela caught Bori, and Bori, desperate not to be taken back, spilled the information to them directly.

They figured the intel would bypass Sena entirely and go straight to Noise.

However, the countless variables sandwiched between those scenarios could create entirely different paths.

That was a risk Neonic would never willingly take.

"Sena."

"...Huh?"

"What brings you here, anyway?"

Staring in shock at Bori, who was purring softly in Swoo's arms, Yoo Sena stammered out a reply.

"Something came up suddenly..."

"Is it personal?"

"No, it's company business. I had a meeting, and I ran into Bori on my way back."

"So it was a meeting that required the CEO to attend in person."

"Yeah. Their CEO was supposed to show up too."

"Which company?"

"Mirca Corporation. They specialize in security equipment—"

"That's a subsidiary Neonic has been keeping under wraps."

"...What?"

Neonic detested variables.

They were a corporation that thrived on controlling every single variable to engineer a flawless outcome. That was why they had lured Yoo Sena here.

Which meant it was safe to assume Neonic had known Bori's exact location from the very beginning.

"Angela."

"The perimeter is a bit wide, but... seventeen lookouts. Four tails. One sniper."

They weren't watching Swoo and Angela.

They had been tailing Bori from the start.

"Still, they probably don't know we've noticed them. Swoo's positioning blocked their line of sight, so they couldn't read our lips. But... it looks like all the data up to this point has already been transmitted to Neonic."

"...Wait, Swoo? Did you actually predict this? That there would be a sniper...? Is that why you stood there?"

Yoo Sena asked, her voice laced with sudden panic, but Swoo ignored the question ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and focused on assessing the situation.

"Do you think they got the contents of our conversation?"

"No, they wouldn't have been able to hear us. They're likely just sending back inferences based on lip-reading."

Since Bori communicated by writing his thoughts down, it would have been even easier for them to piece together the conversation.

Swoo recalled the words Bori had written so far. There was nothing particularly concerning. Everything the cat had revealed fell well within what Neonic would have anticipated.

And the fact that Neonic had placed him under surveillance was also exactly as Swoo had expected.

Glad I didn't use magic.

She had crushed the stone with her bare hands just in case. If she had resorted to magic, she would have had to scrap her entire plan.

When dealing with a mega-corp, one had to control every single microscopic variable.

They were probably already transitioning to their next phase. They would have prepared countless contingency plans in the event their surveillance team was neutralized.

Therefore, Swoo had to formulate a new plan as well. Even if the overarching framework remained the same, the finer details within it would need to be adjusted constantly.

Just thinking about it made her head ache with exhaustion and annoyance, yet a bright, cheerful smile spread across Swoo's lips.

"Impressive, as expected."

Just when you thought you had them figured out, analyzed, and predicted, the mega-corp was already another step ahead.

As if proving they hadn't reached the top through brute force alone, they danced across the chessboard of Eden with sharp, unrestricted grace.

That was what made it fun.

Just how far could they go? How long could they keep up? What kind of situations could they adapt to?

Are you guys thinking the same thing I am?

There was a saying that if you understood the examiner's intent, the test became easy. Swoo agreed with that sentiment. Once you grasped the intentions of the one orchestrating the situation, devising a solution became infinitely simpler.

They, too, would be trying to decipher Noise's intent. They would analyze and catalog her past behavioral patterns to deduce her next move, preparing their counter-strategies accordingly.

They would calculate variables upon variables upon variables, preparing ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠for literally every conceivable scenario.

But Swoo didn't need to do any of that.

She already knew every single one of Neonic's patterns. She didn't need to brainstorm or gather data. She was fully aware of every variable they could possibly throw at her.

Therefore, Swoo was the one writing the exam now.

And she would continue to do so.

"Sena."

"Y-yes...?"

"Recall all the personnel you deployed to Eastheim, and stay out of this business for the time being."

"So suddenly...?"

"Angela, hack the lookouts' optical implants, then take Bori and head back to the office. Also, tell Irina to distribute the commission I'll text her at 7:00 PM to the other mercenaries."

"...Once I start, they'll be blind for about a minute. I'll throw in a data wipe just in case. But Swoo, where are you going? Will I just get in your way?"

"I need an alibi showing that I returned to the office."

"Ah, so I need to loop the camera feeds around the office."

"Yep. Use the dummy footage we made before."

"That... Right, that's definitely a job I need to handle in person."

"Don't worry too much."

Swoo stretched lightly and offered a playful grin.

"I only fight battles I know I'll win."

Just how far could they go?

How long could they keep up?

What kind of situations could they adapt to?

She still didn't know.

So, she was going to find out firsthand.

"The night sky is going to be beautiful tonight."

Swoo snapped her fingers.

Screams erupted from all directions.

It took less than thirty seconds to neutralize all twenty-two lookouts stationed at their various distant posts.

Naturally, Swoo left absolutely no trace behind.

"...We have confirmed a total blackout of all agents. It appears the target has noticed us."

"How long did it take to neutralize them?"

"24.64 seconds, sir."

"Haha."

At the far end of a long, trapezoidal table, the man sitting in the seat of honor burst into laughter.

Twenty-two agents, maintaining a perimeter of at least one kilometer, had been neutralized in under twenty-five seconds.

To make matters ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠worse, no data had been transmitted regarding how they were taken down, and not even a final gasp had been recorded.

It meant their optical implants had been hacked and their data wiped simultaneously.

The breach had occurred without a single warning sign. And it had targeted twenty-two individuals scattered across a one-kilometer radius all at once.

While physical neutralization on that scale was nearly impossible, executing such a hack was equally miraculous.

Yet, they had accomplished both impossible feats at the exact same time.

Was this the work of those two mercenaries? Or was it Noise, hiding in their shadows?

He doubted it was the mercenaries.

The live feeds transmitted by the surveillance team had shown nothing but the two mercenaries and Yoo Sena chatting casually.

Identifying the 'vessel' is one thing. They are mercenaries recognized by Salvador, so they must be highly capable.

But to neutralize them like this?

Unless a miracle—or magic—occurred, this is impossible.

The man chuckled heartily once more. Yoo Seung-chul leaned forward and spoke.

"Noise has made her move."

A chilling silence descended upon the conference room at his words.

Perhaps it was his laughter that made it so unsettling. Yoo Seung-chul was famous for never showing emotion. When his wife was murdered years ago, he hadn't shown a shred of grief, let alone anger.

Yet, such a man was laughing now. The sight was deeply chilling.

"Have we lost track of the mercenaries as well?"

"...Yes, sir. We will deploy Netwatchers within two minutes to trace their movements and retrieve the vessel."

"Leave them be. The fact that they aren't sending it back to us means they have their own plans."

The assistant harbored doubts about this reckless decision.

He couldn't comprehend the Chairman's nuance, which almost sounded as if he were respecting the target's wishes.

But he dared not voice his thoughts. Yoo Seung-chul's word was absolute.

A mere employee of Neonic had no right to question or contradict him.

"We can track the mercenaries' movements by checking the CCTV feeds near their office."

The mercenaries didn't use magic. From the moment they appeared, even when crushing the stone, it had been ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠done through pure physical strength.

Is it a young girl's prosthetic body? Or did she undergo surgery for an implant we aren't aware of?

But that wasn't something to investigate right now. The urgent matter was shifting the tides of Eden. If they couldn't change the current, they had to ride it and seize as much as possible.

"Since they seem to have sharp instincts, keep an eye on the area around the mercenary office—"

Mid-sentence, a deafening wail cut Yoo Seung-chul off.

A siren shrieked, loud enough to make their eardrums ache. Yet, no one in the conference room paid the alarm any mind.

The crimson warning flashing across their retinas brought all cognitive thought to a grinding halt.

It was an impossible notification.

The entire sixty-kilometer radius surrounding the headquarters was under Neonic's strict surveillance. Even if a missile were launched from nearby, a warning should have popped up long ago.

But it hadn't.

The imminent collision warning had appeared instantly, as if the projectile had been fired from right outside the building.

It was unbelievable. Yet, they had no choice but to believe it.

Beyond the glass window, they could clearly see a missile hurtling directly toward them.