Chapter 218: Fragment of Emptiness (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 218: Fragment of Emptiness (1)
The time difference with the US is about fourteen hours.
So, if we leave Seoul around 9 PM...
...it would be 7 AM there.
The perfect time to start something.
That meant we'd have a long time to kill before we could sleep once we got to the US.
So, Kang A-rin and I forced ourselves to go to sleep.
We just spread some blankets on the office floor and slept.
After we woke up,
Kang A-rin and I were passing the time by having dinner.
"You look really anxious."
Kang A-rin paused mid-sandwich to look at me and say. Her eyes were full of mischief.
"I had a prior engagement..."
I felt truly sorry for Chae-ha.
I lifted my watch to check my messages.
[belief_]: Chae-ha, I'm sorry
I'd sent it earlier... but there was still no reply.
She was probably a little angry.
I had stood her up twice in a row, after all.
I'll have to make it up to her when I get back.
For now, the important thing was... this.
"What's the plan for researching the Fragment?"
If the US side agreed to let us handle the Fragment by ourselves, that would be perfect.
From what I knew, the Fragment of Emptiness was embedded within a kind of meteorite.
That meant I could just yoink the Fragment out, and they'd be none the wiser.
What they were studying and approaching was merely the Fragment's shell—the 'meteorite'.
Of course, the meteorite itself was an incredible mass of high energy that was difficult to analyze.
The US had only vaguely noticed the Fragment's wavelength.
They were still a ways off from determining the Fragment's true nature.
So, all I had to do was sneak it out.
"One hour... alone?"
"Really?"
Those are good terms. Much more flexible than I expected.
"And after that, we just share our research findings and wrap things up."
"Got it."
An hour should be more than enough.
Extracting it should be simple; I just need to have Kang A-rin make contact with it.
Considering what happened with Yu Hana and Cheon Yeo-wool, it probably wouldn't take long.
"And in the evening... dinner with the president."
"Oh, dinner sounds goo—"
Wait, who?
The president?
"Yeah. He said he absolutely had to meet you."
Kang A-rin smiled, amused by my shocked expression.
"Me?"
"Yep. To be precise,"
Kang A-rin continued, resting her chin on her hand.
"The Maengju's reputation didn't play much of a role in this agreement. Your reputation, Hae-in... that was the bigger factor this time."
“……”
"You're the hero who defeated Belial and Barcus, aren't you?"
That's true...
Meeting the president... it's a bit startling, but it's within the realm of possibility.
"Alright."
I pushed my empty plate aside and stood up.
Kang A-rin followed my lead and got up as well.
It was almost time to take the portal.
"Shall we go?"
"Yeah."
Kang A-rin and I headed for Maengju's private portal checkpoint.
*
The place we arrived at after taking the portal wasn't a public checkpoint.
We had come through a military portal, inaccessible to civilians.
You could say we used Maengju's portal with coordinates sent by the US.
As a result, the people standing before us were clearly high-ranking officials.
The moment we fully emerged from the portal, they all saluted in unison.
This is the kind of treatment we're getting?
A white-haired gentleman who had been standing at the forefront of the group walked toward us.
An Asian female interpreter stood beside him.
His uniform's shoulders were heavy with stars.
I recognized his face at once. He was probably...
“……”
He said something in English. His voice was stern and serious.
But since I've never been very interested in English,
I had no idea what he was saying.
Just then, the woman standing next to him translated with a bright smile and fluent Korean.
"Mr. Jung Hae-in, Ms. Kang A-rin. Welcome to the United States. The following is a message from Mr. Alfredo."
So it really was Alfredo.
An S-Class Hero from the US. I'd heard he was spending his later years affiliated with the government.
"...Ahem, I've heard a great deal about you from Ha Tae-sung. It's a pleasure to meet you."
The interpreter straightened her posture, as if mimicking Alfredo's solemn expression, and began to translate.
Ha Tae-sung... He means the Old Man.
'I suppose I should go meet Alfredo.'
Last time, worried about a diversionary tactic, I'd asked the Old Man to take charge of security for the Fragment at the Pentagon.
The Old Man had said he would go see Alfredo.
It seems he talked about me then.
"The pleasure is all mine."
I replied with a smile.
The interpreter immediately translated for Alfredo.
"The Fragment... is a matter that has given us quite a bit of trouble. I hope you can be the one to solve it."
Alfredo was smiling.
...Though in reality, I'm just here to snatch the Fragment.
Still, I suppose I could help them with the meteorite's energy conversion while I'm at it. A win-win situation.
"I'll do my best."
I answered with a smile.
Thanks for the Fragment.
Alfredo must have been a very busy man, because after delivering his message, he immediately led his entourage out of the hangar.
The interpreter turned back to us and spoke again.
"First, I will escort you to your accommodations!"
Kang A-rin and I nodded.
We'd already slept, so it wasn't a huge issue, but it seemed best to drop off our luggage and get settled at our hotel first.
After a ride of about thirty minutes in the prepared vehicle, we arrived at... a top-class business hotel.
I'd been noticing it for a while, but the treatment we were receiving was exceptional.
All the procedures, including immigration, were naturally skipped, and it felt like they had provided us with every possible convenience.
The interpreter handed Kang A-rin a card-style hotel key.
I waited, assuming the next one would be for me, but...
...she waved her hands as if to say she had nothing else to give me.
"There's only one room! It's what was requested..." the interpreter said, glancing nervously at me.
“...?”
I turned my head to look at Kang A-rin, who was already walking away nonchalantly, key in hand.
"Isn't it obvious?"
Kang A-rin replied confidently, looking back at me.
Her gaze was just like Cheon Yeo-wool's when she was talking about the substitute meal last night.
"Right..."
Realizing I couldn't argue any further, I gave a wry smile and nodded.
Then I fell into step beside Kang A-rin.
The hotel room was quite large.
It was similar to the hotel in Japan, but it felt even more spacious since there were only two of us.
And there were two bedrooms and two bathrooms.
Huh...?
There was only one bedroom.
"Let's rest for an hour or two~ then we can head ouuut~"
Kang A-rin flopped right onto the bed and began to stretch.
Her posture was as flexible as a cat's.
She casually stripped off her clothes and changed into something more comfortable.
It's not like she's alone. I'm right here.
This is the true face of Kang A-rin, the leader of the Maengju Guild.
I sighed and took off my outer clothes as well.
I'd already slept earlier in the day, but...
...a little more sleep couldn't hurt.
I took off my shirt and pants, changed into simple sleepwear, and went over to Kang A-rin's side.
"Heehee."
The moment I lay down on the bed, Kang A-rin burrowed into my arms like a cat that had been waiting for me.
Her soft hair tickled my chest.
Holding Kang A-rin in my arms, I drifted off into a light nap.
*
Waking from our short but sweet nap, we changed our clothes again and hurried out of the hotel.
An armored limousine was already waiting for us outside.
We got into the limousine and headed for the Pentagon under heavy security.
Normally, during its periodic opening, the Fragment would be moved to a higher level, but this was an exceptional situation.
Therefore, the Fragment was in its original location.
In other words, the lowest level of the basement.
We were guided directly to an elevator.
The elevator descended endlessly.
After going down dozens of floors, the elevator finally stopped.
– Clank.
The doors opened to reveal a scene quite similar to Maengju's research lab.
A massive wall of reinforced glass, and beyond it, a giant meteorite.
Its size... was about that of a three-ton truck.
There were quite a few people in front of the console.
One of them, a young Asian woman with short hair, approached us.
Unlike the other researchers, who were mostly Western, she was the only Asian.
Her eyes were steeped in exhaustion.
"A pleasure to meet you. I'm Emily Kim, director of the Pentagon's Fragment of Emptiness research lab."
Emily spoke fluent Korean.
I took her outstretched hand.
"Before you begin your private research... I'd like to go over a few precautions."
"Please do."
I listened quietly to her explanation.
The explanation continued.
The gist was simple: don't use strong mana near it.
And though it looked solid, its actual durability was very low.
Listening to her, I could tell they definitely hadn't discovered the Fragment's true value yet.
"Well then, we'll be counting on you."
She led us to the space beyond the glass wall where the meteorite was located.
"We will be on standby on the floor above, ready to provide any support you need for your research. If you have any special requests, please don't hesitate to ask."
I nodded.
After saying that, the director and the researchers quickly exited the lab.
"For your information, all cameras are currently turned off. You are welcome to verify."
"That won't be necessary."
There was no need.
The reality of the situation hit me again.
It was almost unbelievable.
Kang A-rin's status... and my own value.
Alfredo's words and the Vanquisher's influence couldn't be ignored, either.
This was an opportunity born from many different factors all falling into place.
– Click.
The heavy glass door opened, and Kang A-rin and I walked toward the Fragment.
A purple light flickered on the meteorite's surface.
"A-rin."
"Yeah."
"Do you trust me?"
It was time to acquire the final Fragment.