As Expected, the Protagonist Is the Protagonist
"Jin Yongtae and Han Yugyeong suddenly left the house!"
"Hehehe... Perfect. I couldn't make a move with Ha Juyun around, but with just the two of them, it's doable."
At Secretary Kim's report, Park Sangbeom flashed a twisted smile. Ha Juyun was a famous actress with the added status of a chaebol daughter-in-law, making her too risky for him to touch. That was why he had held back from attacking even after learning she was alone with them earlier. In contrast, Jin Yongtae was nothing more than the boyfriend of Han Yugyeong, whose inheritance rank was quite low. Even if Park Sangbeom dealt with him, there would be no real repercussions. And since he wasn't laying a hand on Han Yugyeong directly, the two groups wouldn't end up in open conflict.
"Right, they've come outside. Which way are they headed? The Yongcheol Faction boys we contracted with are in the area, so we can just send them in whichever direction those two are going."
The group Park Sangbeom called the Yongcheol Faction sounded like just another gangster outfit, but in reality it was a back-alley organization founded by Jeon Yongcheol, a former special forces officer who had recruited discharged soldiers after the war. They were known for taking on any money-making job, and they had since taken complete control of Seoul's Gangnam district. On the surface they operated as Yongcheol Security, a bodyguard company, but behind the scenes they were a ruthless criminal syndicate involved in drugs, prostitution, and human trafficking—anything that turned a profit.
"Their current location is a bit strange... They're riding in a car driven by bodyguards and heading toward Hanam City."
"What? No way... Did they figure out that we're behind Base Technology?"
Park Sangbeom had orchestrated the theft of Base Technology's technology as a self-staged incident to boost the other security firms BS Group had acquired. The goal was to tarnish the reputation of Vanguard, which Han Yugyeong led. When he heard her group was heading toward Hanam City—where Base Technology was located—he felt a pang of unease and pressed Secretary Kim for details.
"Judging by their direction, it does appear they're heading that way."
"Are they trying to negotiate again...? Or coming to raise hell?"
Park Sangbeom muttered to himself, unable to consider the possibility of an attack. He knew it made no sense to show up unannounced for negotiations this late at night, but he couldn't figure out why Jin Yongtae was tagging along.
"I don't know the reason, but this actually works in our favor. Have the Yongcheol Faction wait in advance. Since they've come into our territory, we might as well wipe them out while we have the chance."
"Understood. Will you be going as well, young master?"
At Secretary Kim's question, Park Sangbeom nodded. He needed to see with his own eyes the moment Jin Yongtae—the man who had humiliated him—died. Only then would the nightmares that haunted him every night finally stop.
"I'll drive. I'll prepare the car."
After saying he would get the vehicle ready, Secretary Kim made a call to the Yongcheol Faction while heading down to the parking garage.
"We'll meet soon. Jin Yongtae... I wonder how long you'll keep acting so cocky in front of me..."
Park Sangbeom muttered quietly to himself.
The Vanguard assembly point was an empty lot roughly one hundred and fifty meters from Base Technology's headquarters and research lab. The moment we stepped out of the car, about thirty Vanguard agents who had already gathered were waiting fully armed. Since this was an illegal operation, all of their helmets completely covered their faces, and they had torn off every insignia or name tag that could identify their affiliation. The whole setup gave off a similar vibe to the Tyra Group's masked unit.
"You're here, ma'am."
"Yes, sorry for calling you out so late at night."
"No need to apologize. We've been pretty fed up with Base Technology ourselves."
A tall woman with short hair and an intelligent appearance stepped forward as she spoke. This must be Lee Yeon-ju. She was talking with Han Yugyeong when her gaze shifted to me.
"You must be the one who prepared that separate equipment."
"Hello. I'm Jin Yongtae."
When I greeted her, Lee Yeon-ju bowed slightly in return and handed me a bulletproof vest and helmet. The helmet was identical to the ones the Vanguard agents were wearing. Hmm, this is a pretty decent helmet. It had a built-in air purifier. It was an older model compared to the combat helmets I had recently purchased for the Seryu Military Company, but it must have been top-of-the-line when they bought it.
"What's your level of combat ability? I'd prefer there be no interference during the raid..."
"I'll just stand next to Yugyeong, so I won't get in the way."
"I see. That's a relief."
Lee Yeon-ju clearly didn't like having me there. Which was understandable. I wasn't even part of Vanguard, yet here I was at the scene of their illegal operation. There was also the risk that my presence might cause Han Yugyeong to get hurt, so her displeasure made perfect sense.
"Then we'll begin by deploying signal jammers to block all external communications, disabling the nearby CCTV cameras, and then breaching. Team One will head to the headquarters building, while Team Two will go to the lab to secure the data. Ma'am, Mr. Jin, and Mr. Dixon, please wait near the main gate."
"Understood. Proceed as planned."
After Lee Yeon-ju gave her quick briefing and Han Yugyeong nodded, the operation began. As expected of Vanguard's elite, they installed the signal jammers without making a sound and circled the perimeter to neutralize all the security cameras. Every movement was perfectly synchronized, like a well-rehearsed dance. When I let out an impressed sigh, Lee Yeon-ju—who was still standing beside us—gave a small smile.
"We've been guarding this place for a long time. We could do it with our eyes closed."
"I can tell. Your proficiency is obvious."
Right after I spoke, the thirty operatives who had finished their neutralization mission fired tranquilizer darts to knock out the gate guards, then entered the correct passcode to open the entrance.
"We were prepared to use hacking tools if the password didn't work, but they haven't changed it even after several days since we left."
Lee Yeon-ju let out a sigh, as if she found Base Technology's security measures pathetic, then walked through the gate. She pulled a chair from the guard post beside the entrance and looked at Han Yugyeong.
"Please have a seat here, ma'am. Dixon, if Base Technology's reinforcement team shows up, let us know and escort the ma'am to safety."
"Of course. I'll make sure to get the Boss out safely."
Dixon nodded at Lee Yeon-ju's instructions. Since the objective was data theft rather than occupying the lab or headquarters, there was no need to engage any enemy reinforcements. Once they had the data, they could hit hard and withdraw. Besides, the signal jammers had been set up in advance, so reinforcements were unlikely to arrive. After all, they couldn't call for help if they never received word of the raid.
Lee Yeon-ju joined the headquarters assault team and headed toward the main building on the left, while the thirty Vanguard operatives split evenly between the headquarters and the research lab.
"They'll be out soon. Base Technology doesn't have that many guards on their payroll anyway."
I nodded at Han Yugyeong's words. Using my Master's Sense and focusing my mind, I counted roughly three or four guards who had stayed behind after the rest went home. That number wouldn't be enough to stop thirty Vanguard agents.
The real problem wasn't Base Technology's security. While I was concentrating and activating my Master's Sense, I picked up the sound of car engines in the distance. It sounded like three vehicles, and they were gradually getting closer. It seemed they were heading this way.
"Sounds like cars are coming in this direction..."
"Did they break through the signal jammer? How?"
"I don't hear anything..."
Han Yugyeong, who trusted my words without question, wondered how anyone could have bypassed the jammer to call for backup. Dixon tilted his head and listened for a moment before shaking his head, saying he couldn't hear anything either.
"Now that I think about it, this doesn't seem like a response to a support request. Even if they had called, they couldn't possibly get here this fast."
"You're right."
I nodded at Han Yugyeong's comment. Base Technology was quite far from the city, so even with a call for reinforcements it would take a while for anyone to arrive. So what were these approaching vehicles? Some kind of patrol?
"Ah! Now I hear them!"
Dixon, who had been listening carefully the whole time, clapped his hands together. He grinned at me and gave a thumbs-up, clearly impressed by my senses.
"What should we do? I already informed Ms. Lee Yeon-ju."
"I'm curious who it is. Why don't we hide nearby instead of going far and just observe?"
At Dixon's question, Han Yugyeong made the suggestion. It seemed her confidence had grown after leveling up and improving her traits. I noticed the air around her distort slightly—she had already activated her Mental Barrier. She was clearly ready to step in if necessary.
I nodded in agreement and headed toward the parking lot outside to the right of Base Technology's main gate. Several cars belonging to guards who hadn't left yet were parked there, so we decided to hide behind them and see who was coming.
After hiding behind the parking lot for about thirty seconds, the vehicles appeared. One high-end German luxury sedan and two black vans. Several burly men in suits poured out of the vans, while two men stepped out of the German import. One was a stranger, but I recognized the other immediately.
"Why is Park Sangbeom here...?"
Han Yugyeong muttered in a tone of utter disbelief.
"If it's Park Sangbeom, it looks like he tailed us. We moved suddenly, so maybe he got suspicious and followed."
"Then he must have realized this raid is our doing. What do we do now?"
Dixon, who understood what I was saying, asked Han Yugyeong. If he had followed us all the way here and then Base Technology came under attack, we would naturally be the prime suspects.
The surprised expression Han Yugyeong had worn moments ago vanished, replaced by a blank face. From her expression, I could sense a chilling, unreadable killing intent.
"It can't be helped. We'll have to eliminate everyone over there."