Bomb
“Father. We've located where Cain is.”
The man standing beside Ganjeol was Banban, his eldest son — a man who bore an uncanny resemblance to him.
A face carved from nothing but Ganjeol's finest genes. Height and looks good enough for a career in entertainment, with an appearance that gave away none of his considerable age. Judged on looks alone, Banban was flawless.
And yet his nickname, Banban — meaning 'half-and-half' — was a mocking jab implying that only half of him, the face, was any good. Because of that, most people avoided calling him Banban to his face and simply called him 'Ban.'
His name did, after all, contain the character.
Even with his eldest son standing right beside him, Ganjeol didn't so much as glance his way, his eyes fixed on the report. It was a completely different attitude from when Cain had come to see him.
“Where did they say he was?”
“A place run by Sapiens. Father, shouldn't we bring him back?”
Only then did Ganjeol lift his head and look at Banban — with an expression that said he hadn't expected those words to come out of his son's mouth.
“There's a broker who's offering to raid the place for us. If we slip him a little money…….”
“Whew…….”
Ganjeol let out a long sigh, then looked at Banban with utter disappointment. The look said, There it is.
“You've already burned through this month's allowance, haven't you?”
“…….”
“I asked exactly one thing of you. Spend your money in moderation.”
“That's because you…….”
“Look at your hands. Your father is the head of Ganjeol Point, and yet your fingers didn't survive. What's next — you won't come to your senses until even that precious face of yours gets torn off?”
“…….”
Ganjeol called for Tak with a tilt of his head.
“Take care of it.”
“Yes, sir.”
Then a hand gesture sent Banban out, and he left without another word.
Watching him go, Ganjeol sighed yet again.
“Well, at least this time he came back with something resembling an excuse. Is that progress?”
“…….”
“I asked you a question. Is that progress or not?”
Tak had no desire to answer, but Ganjeol asked again, so he had no choice.
“Director. I would advise you to abandon all hope for Master Ban…….”
“And yet my heart keeps going out to that boy. What am I supposed to do about that? I love him, I tell you.”
“…….”
“…….”
“The more Master Ban involves himself in Ganjeol Point's affairs…….”
“Go on. Speak frankly.”
“The more miserable you become, sir. You should keep your distance from him — even more than you already do.”
“What exactly do you mean by 'miserable'?”
“He'll die a miserable death, sir.”
“You mean the executives?”
“…….”
“And that includes you, doesn't it, Tak?”
“Director. I have always followed your orders. But you're well aware of what happened between Master Ban and me.”
“True…… you did suffer a great blunder because of him.”
“Not just me. It would be no exaggeration to say that more than half of the internal complaints that reach us trace back to Master Ban. Even now, if word spreads that Master Ban met with you directly, quite a few executives would come running. Director.”
“Yes. I suppose so.”
“I apologize, Director.”
“I know. I've always known. But do you know why I asked you again? Because I waver. Whenever I see that boy, my heart wavers, and so I come to you again. Even knowing the answer.”
“Understood, Director.”
“How are the new recruits?”
“Performing well. However, that man called Sde…….”
“Not someone we can keep around long-term, is he?”
“No, sir. The word around him says as much. They call him too cruel. He treats allies as nothing more than supporting props for his own amusement…….”
“That was never a concern I lacked.”
“No, sir.”
“Once the job is done, I'll handle him personally.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Until then, he's still one of ours. He did deliver results this time, after all. Walking into enemy territory, reaping the profits, and walking out. That's not something the faint of heart can manage — no matter how good the intelligence he was given.”
“True. It's not an easy feat, but…….”
“Then we watch him. Let's see how far he can go for us, and how far he can be controlled.”
“Yes. I'll continue compiling assessments.”
“On another note — Pacific. Wasn't he supposed to be nothing but a washed-up peddler? I heard he'd been written off, yet the report says there's testimony he fought standing up?”
“It appears he broke his curse through some means.”
“He hasn't fully returned to his old self, though, has he?”
“That's still unclear. There are rumors he's formally joined Won-goo's Services, but that hasn't been fully confirmed either.”
“Hmm…… Tak. What's your take?”
“I don't believe it. Pacific is a capable man. He'd have no reason to join a service outfit.”
“But the other party is Gong Won-goo. Couldn't Won-goo have talked him into it? That bastard has a gift for making situations impossible to read.”
“Even so…… there's something hard to swallow about it…….”
Ganjeol looked Tak dead in the eye. Tak met that gaze without flinching.
“In what way?”
“For one, I see no real reason for Won-goo's Services to recruit Pacific. If they wanted to reinforce their strength…… surely there are plenty of survivors better than him.”
“What about a Pacific with his curse broken? Wouldn't he still be worth recruiting? … Although, if that were the case, Pacific would have no reason to go with Won-goo's Services.”
“Precisely, Director.”
“Fine. Dig into this matter further. Next item — the Giant?”
Ganjeol flipped the page of the report.
“Yes.”
“It says the zone still hasn't spread toward us. So what's the problem?”
“We can't rule out expansion at any time, they say.”
“Well…… once we've dealt with Gong Won-goo, we'll need to clean that area out anyway.”
“Yes. And if you look at the bottom of the report, it recommends dealing with the matter before the enemy builds up their forces.”
“Is that something to worry about? An Arctic Giant is the kind of thing we could summon Number Four for again, no? That could yield achievements, items too. Surely it qualifies as worth summoning?”
“But Director, the Fourth Seju's schedule is…….”
“She'll look the other way if there's a better offer. Don't worry about the summoning. Is it just that so little information has come out about the Arctic Giant?”
“That too.”
“Then leave that to a broker who's good at his job. One who knows how to draw up a proper estimate.”
“……?”
“Gong Won-goo. His side will be desperately marking us, so surely they've dug something up by now. Have them nudge things along like they are now and lure him into leaking just enough information. Wasn't it said the informant had grounds for the summoning?”
“That's correct.”
“Good enough, then. Tell them to keep gently scraping away as they have been — but keep everything ready so we can end it whenever we please.”
“Understood. I'll pass the word to the executives.”
Tak and Ganjeol believed they were reading the situation with due seriousness — but they were missing the single greatest possibility of all.
The possibility that, from the Sabbath side, their location could be found in short order. No matter how thoroughly they hid, no matter how many Gift-holders they'd scattered to mask themselves, there was no such thing as absolute in this world.
“Ah…… so ye were hidin' out here.”
“Let's not stick our necks out too far. They'll notice.”
Thud.
The Ganjeol Point man's body went limp and crumpled to the ground.
He and his men had been on perimeter guard duty. A handful of operatives specializing in ambushes swarmed them and subdued them in an instant. Not a whisper of noise carried out.
Perhaps because of that, there was still no reaction from inside the Ganjeol Point camp.
The camp was farther out than anyone had expected — well beyond even the point where the earthquake had struck.
Won-goo observed it from that distance, then beckoned the heads of the other crews over with a wave of his hand.
Representing Shelter Ark were Montage and Potion. Then Fresh and Yeongyeong. Oh Gu-sik and Yeong Chi-soo. And Dr. Woo and Abal to round it out.
Sapiens had been assigned to hold down the camp set up at the edge of the Arctic Giant Domain.
“Now then, Director Gong. There's quite a lot of 'em over there. That the right spot?”
“Nothing wrong with the count. What Sde hit was roughly half of what you see.”
“So the rest joined up after the fact, then?”
“Most likely.”
Judging by the camp's size, the rough headcount was plain to see. The raiding force Sde had led numbered a little over fifty. But the camp before them now had well over two hundred tents and tarps alone.
On pure numbers, Won-goo's side was badly outmatched.
“Ganjeol Point sure is somethin' else. Their units are always on another level.”
“The age of fighting by headcount is over, sir.”
“Fair point, that. Right, so — what's the plan of action, eh?”
“There's no real operation for this one. We're the stronger side, so we just push straight through. But there's one rule we have to keep, or things go badly wrong. Ganjeol. If Ganjeol shows his face, we disengage. No exceptions.”
“Would that slippery bastard actually come here himself?”
“Probably not. But 'what if' has a way of turning into a problem, so we plan for it. One more thing to expect — Ganjeol Point has taken a few beatings from us lately, so they've apparently brought in fresh recruits. Which means the usual problem comes with them.”
“Faction friction?”
“Exactly. The old hands and the new blood will be quietly sniping at each other. That works in our favor. So everyone who came from Ark — don't spread your attention around. Focus on Sde's side. That's the target. Keep your eyes on it.”
“Understood.”
“Got it, I do.”
Potion and Montage nodded in answer at the same time.
“As for the rest of you…… you're hardly rookies. Handle yourselves. Well. Don't get too worked up. Especially you, Dr. Woo.”
“Well now, am I the sort to do that?”
“I know you're seething on behalf of your people, but let's not take stupid risks. There are things even we don't know about over there.”
“Fair enough…… no tellin' what new sonsofbitches have crawled into that camp.”
“Exactly. And as you all know, in this line of work, what you don't know beats you. Everyone's blood is boiling — I get it — but let's do this professionally. Professionally.”
Whoosh!
Before the words had even finished leaving his mouth, Abal was already moving.
“I…… I just said don't get worked up…… haah…….”
“What're yew standin' around for…… ain't we supposed to get in there quick?”
“We're going. Everyone, get in there.”
“And you, Director Gong?”
“I'm bringing in the big one.”
Won-goo's crew had already loaded into the Trailer. While the others charged at the camp, Won-goo took the wheel of the Trailer for the first time in a long while.
The massive Trailer picked up speed down the slope and barreled toward the camp.
Camp was a generous word for it — there was nothing remarkable there, just a dense cluster of tarps and tents huddled together.
BANG!
The Trailer's rear doors flew open. Won-goo gripped the wheel with his left hand, raised his right hand halfway, then lifted it all the way. The crew spilled out from the back seats — Pacific along with them.
In the meantime, Won-goo was plowing straight through tents.
CRUNCH! THUD!
The Trailer's immense weight churned through the camp. For this one moment, it showed destructive power on par with a Large Species.
The crew, as planned, handled the disoriented enemies and converged around the Trailer.
Pop! Craaack!
Pulling off even a flashy drift or two, Won-goo thinned the enemy's numbers handily with the Trailer alone. A few Ganjeol Point survivors who'd come to their senses clung to the Trailer's hull like spiders — but that was all they managed.
They never even got close to the driver's seat where Won-goo sat, because the crew knocked off everyone who latched on. Some survivors who clung anyway ended up far worse off — crushed under the Trailer's never-stopping wheels, dying in miserable shape.
Even with coin enhancement, surviving being run over by the Trailer was no easy feat.
Crack! Slam!
Just then, a heavy bullet slammed into the driver's side window.
“Lay brother! How do you expect to answer for such sins in the world to come, doing this?! Lay brother!”
The man holding the gun was Hyebong, eldest of the Magic Four Monks.
“It's you bastards? The ones running around forming little monk cliques and acting all high and mighty.”
“Lay brother. Would you compound your sins with sins of the mouth as well?”
“Big talk. Your profiles said you were nothing but a pack of deadbeats — where the hell did…….”
Bang!
Hyebong fired again.
“Lay brother. Cease your sinning and come down to pay the price of your transgressions.”
“For your information, this is bulletproof glass. And that thing you're holding isn't a gun. It's a bomb.”
“We are not armed with guns alone, lay brother.”
Jeongsun, second of the Magic Four Monks, appeared from behind and extended his hand. A shockwave poured out of it.
BOOOOM!
The Trailer's window — already cracked by the bullet — shattered as if bursting apart.
The mercy of the moment was that Won-goo had already rolled out of the driver's seat and burrowed down against the Trailer's floor. He wasn't a survivor who specialized in agility, but when it counted, he could move blindingly fast.
A survivor who knew how to apply the right ability at the right moment.
That was Gong Won-goo.
“So you're the lay brother with the sharp instincts. I've heard the name many times!”
“Yeah! And like I warned you — that thing isn't a gun.”
Hyebong began to squeeze the trigger again, and Won-goo raised his wrist shield.
Not to stop bullets.
It was to brace for the explosion he had just been warned about.
FWOOOOOOM!
A blast powerful enough to blot out the surrounding view erupted across the field.
“I told you it wasn't a gun. Honestly, you people never listen worth a damn.”