SOG Ch 165

“You’ve arrived.”

The scattered terrorists quickly lined up in perfect formation. The one receiving their greetings was an elderly man with a massive build, neatly groomed white beard, and glasses. 

Seon Eun-soo, who had unconsciously retreated due to the considerable intimidation, frowned. Perhaps because he had thrown off his usual researcher’s gown and was wearing combat gear layered with black body armor, the old man’s muscular build seemed even more prominent.

Kim Young-ho, was it?

The old man with the somewhat ordinary name was the leader of the terrorists. Seon Eun-soo was certain that this wasn’t his real name.

“I apologize. There were intruders.”

Meanwhile, Lee Yundo continued with the explanation. As he bowed his head, reporting the situation and the list of casualties, the old man waved his hand.

“There’s no need for that.”

The old man’s voice was as striking as his presence, sounding as though a rusty vacuum tube had been placed inside his vocal chord.

“Seeing that you couldn’t easily catch them, it seems they were particularly sharp-toothed hunting dogs.”

Without needing to hear more, the old man could guess about the intruders. Probably the E-SOF Unit and Esper Go Woo-jin. The old man, who had been briefly recalling the young and perfect appearance he almost wanted to ruin, turned to look at Seon Eun-soo.

“Still haven’t found your younger brother?”

Suddenly singled out, Seon Eun-soo’s facial muscles twitched.

“No.”

“Did you check the passage connected to the nuclear power plant?”

Again, Seon Eun-soo nodded in affirmation. The old man slightly raised his white eyebrows.

Seon Eun-soo’s younger brother, who was said to have escaped, had disappeared without a trace underground. Of course, there was one space that his subordinates might not have checked.

A space he had specially designed. A secret research lab known only to his most trusted.

‘Of course, it would be impossible for them to hide in there.’

The probability of cornered rats discovering the secret space while fleeing and immediately guessing the security code was zero. Even his trusted subordinates only knew of its existence but couldn’t enter. It would be more correct to assume they had hidden in unexpected places like ventilation ducts or cabinets.

“Hmm.”

It was time to make a decision. Whether to find Seon Eun-soo’s younger brother or to kill Go Woo-jin. After careful consideration, the old man spoke.

“Help Seon Eun-soo.”

If they just redirected power, temporary broadcasting should be possible.

“We need to destroy that intruder bastard!”

Lee Yundo objected, but the old man maintained a gentle expression.

“We’ll broadcast twice. Once limited to Research Building 2, and once more to the entire center after a time interval.”

The old man wasn’t simply granting Seon Eun-soo’s request. It was because there was sufficient value in using him.

“Yundo, what is our purpose?”

After a moment of silence, Lee Yundo composed himself and answered.

“To erase all traces by exploding the Center and the nuclear power plant.”

“And?”

“To escape while avoiding the military’s attention.”

“What do you think is the intruder’s purpose?”

Lee Yundo fell into thought for a moment. If Go Woo-jin’s goal had been to eliminate the terrorists, he would have continued pursuing Lee Yundo’s group as they fled. They had been pathetically powerless as they fled in panic.

But he hadn’t pursued them. Then-

“The hostages, I suppose.”

“Right. They’re probably searching every building thoroughly.”

For his pair Guide, Seon Eun-soo’s younger brother, that is. The old man’s eyes flashed with interest behind his glasses. He had heard that Go Woo-jin was somewhat fond of the Guide named Seon Jae-chan, but he didn’t expect him to be so engrossed in this love affair to the point of neglecting military orders.

“We need to maintain a good balance between our two objectives. Escape is our primary goal. Luring and killing the hunting dog afterward will be left to chance.”

At the old man’s explanation, Lee Yundo’s face briefly showed understanding.

“The second broadcast is bait, right?”

“That’s right. If we’re lucky, we might be able to kill the well-bred hunting dog as you wish.”

The old man replied. Research Building 2, with its hundreds of installed bombs, was like one giant bomb itself. After luring the enemy, they would quietly escape through the secret passage connected to the nuclear power plant and detonate the bombs. Even an S-class Esper would disappear without leaving even bone dust.

Laughter burst out involuntarily. To think they would unintentionally retry the plan that failed on Mentosa Island about two years ago. Would Go Woo-jin be able to avoid this unexpected situation?

“Thank you for your guidance.”

The old man patted the shoulder of Lee Yundo, who was bowing his head and turned to Seon Eun-soo.

“Eun-soo, the same goes for you. We’ll be retreating soon. If you can’t find your younger  brother after the first broadcast, we won’t be able to help any further.”

“……”

“So this time, try to persuade him well. I’m very interested in your brother too. I hope he’ll join us.”

As he emphasized this, a clearly uncomfortable gaze flew towards him. As he just smiled silently, Seon Eun-soo retreated while quietly chewing on a curse.

The organization members also dispersed immediately after reporting. However, there’s always someone who acts unpredictably no matter where you go.

“Hyeon-su, where are you going?”

The old man pointed out in a low voice to a man who was heading alone towards the stairs. Even in the dim lighting, his patchy red-dyed hair stood out conspicuously. Lee Yundo, who was about to move to the UPS room, noticed him and interjected.

“Ah, that crazy bastard, he’s been going on about finding some pregnant woman.”

Lee Yundo answered instead. His reaction was as if he was looking at some hideous creature.

In contrast, the old man burst into laughter, loud enough to be boisterous.

“Of course, that’s how it should be! Do as you please!”

The old man shouted in a cheerful tone. He had kept the red-haired man close, noting his cruel nature. The cruelty of a terrorist organization not only instills fear in the public but also prevents betrayal among allies. In that sense, the red-haired guy was a special talent. It was almost a shame that he was a low-grade Esper.

‘There was an even more outstanding talent than that guy.’

The old man licked his lips at the sudden thought.

Won Seong-il. A former Black Shadow Group member who was with Lee Yundo. A talent with cruelty no less than the red-haired guy.

The Black Shadow Group, a terrorist organization with which they had long dealings, had many excellent members. Like A-class Esper Won Seong-il, or reverse engineer Ham Myeong-su.

Ham Myeong-su’s invention, the “Black Mark” encryption system, had especially piqued the old man’s interest. If only he hadn’t been so arrogant, he might still be alive—what a shame.

Won Seong-il was the talent he coveted most after Ham Myeong-su. Although Lee Yundo, the leader of the Black Shadow Group, had the necessary skills for this operation, he was no match for Won Seong-il. No, if Won Seong-il had been here, they wouldn’t have needed Lee Yundo at all. After all, wasn’t he an Esper with the ability to teleport?

‘If only Won Seong-il had lived.’

Even if he had been serving time in prison, if he had just survived, they would have found a way to get him out, but he died before they could do anything. There was no other explanation except bad luck.

Still, it was fortunate that at least the red-haired guy with a similar disposition remained. The old man intended to continue nurturing the cruelty that could be called the guy’s only strength.

“If you happen to encounter the enemy, throw away your weapon and surrender.”

The old man advised. This was the military’s limitation. Unlike lawless individuals who could be as cruel as they wanted, the military, regulated by law, couldn’t arbitrarily kill unarmed individuals.

Soon the old man disappeared into the darkness, and Lee Yundo, though grumbling, asked:

“Where are you going?”

The red-haired man fondled the gun in his hand. They had searched most of the buildings near the Emergency Guiding Center. There was only one place left unexplored.

“Research Building 3.”

The red-haired man answered with a grin, his eyes having a peculiar look. That fvcking crazy bastard. Lee Yundo shook his head and hurriedly left his side.

*

At that time, in the secret research lab of Research Building 2, Seon Jae-chan and Chae Seong-hwan were examining new information with serious expressions.

The documents covering the walls were indeed related to Woo-jin, but that wasn’t all. There were also detailed records about Chairman Go Young-chang and J Pharmaceuticals. What immediately caught their eye included the following:

– Esper cultivation experiments by the J corporation.

– Years of illegal egg purchases.

– Numerous test-tube embryos created in laboratories.

– Evidence of disposal when falling short of the criteria for genetic expression as high-grade Espers.

Additionally, there was a string of information about dozens of surrogates recruited with promises of financial compensation, hundreds of children mass-produced in secret mansions operated by the Fifth Allied Nations, and the harsh curricula imposed on children under the age of 14, those deemed likely to manifest as Espers.

A system that ranked children like livestock every quarter. This led to a hostile environment where test subjects were forced to turn on one another. If exposed to the media, these conditions would undoubtedly be condemned as disregard for human life.

Go Woo-jin was the child ultimately chosen by Chairman Go Young-chang in this experimental process.

As befitting a child filtered for superior genes, his innate physical condition, intelligence, character, and potential were all close to ‘perfect’, and he eventually manifested as an S-class Esper as the research team expected. He was truly a flawless experimental result.