SOG Ch 67

The air conditioning was on, but the air among the huddled hostages was stifling. It was June. People were slowly removing their outer layers while keeping an eye on the criminals. Seon Jae-chan also removed his overcoat and leaned against the wall while revealing a slightly fatigued expression. 

His goal was to conserve as much energy as possible.

He was already starving, and he didn’t even receive any guiding. Jae-chan was already tired due to his overly sensitive senses. The only consolation was that tonight was going to be quiet. This level of disruption in his normally calm mind would ease after some sleep, although he knew he needed to receive guiding as soon as possible.

Jae-chan closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

It was already getting close to midnight.

As the night approached midnight, the hostages began to show signs of weariness. Even the intermittent crying of the children had slowed down. The cheerful voice of the Jungle Family echoed sporadically through the speakers, occasionally breaking the silence.

In the midst of that silence.

The leader of the criminals, who had taken a central seat with a clear view of the entire theater, was noisily tapping his leg in the midst of this eerie silence.

‘Fuck.’

The leader’s restless eyes scanned the messages that had arrived so far. These messages conveyed the current situation outside:

– Surrounded from the front and back.

– Estimated 200 soldiers, 100 police, and 70 Espers. Anti-terrorist and E-SOF units were deployed, but there was no movement.

– Helicopter in the air. Airspace over the scene is controlled. Armored vehicles have entered.

– Crisis management center established in the nearby Safari Valley.

While the government was certainly taking some action, it appeared to be primarily exerting pressure on them. There had been no direct communication yet.

Besides reporting to the checkered man, they had also ensured that emails containing their demands were sent to multiple media outlets. There was no way the President could be unaware of their demands.

‘Fuck, it’s like dealing with a slow-witted radioactive toad. This is what the union is like.’

He swallowed back his curses and anxiously covered his mouth. The reason they had instigated this hostage situation was because they had lost contact with their colleague, “The Scientist,” who had been stationed in a conflict zone.

In early March, the scientist with whom they had maintained contact at least once a week suddenly went silent. The same thing happened even if they went to the conflict zone and made radio calls in the promised area.

Through a few thin lines connected to government agencies, they had barely managed to discover that the E-SOF unit had designated the scientist’s code name as “Snow Leopard” and had assassinated him.

‘He acted so proud…’

He was a scientist who boasted that his hiding place would never be discovered and that he was confident he would survive even if discovered. In fact, the old man has survived in an extraordinary way, moving from east to west for over ten years. Thus, the leader had casually assumed that ‘Snow Leopard’ would be safe. Sometimes, those who live dangerously thrive.

‘It would have been better if they had at least given us a clue so blatantly.’

They must find the scientist’s last hideout.

The old scientist had something that should never be revealed to the Union Government.

They had to get it back. Not only their own fate but also the fate of the organization was at stake.

However, in order to retrieve ‘it,’ they needed to locate the scientist’s final hiding place. There must be something there, or at the very least a sign indicating its location.

He intended to ask the President about the location of the body while pretending to check whether the scientist was alive or dead. The distasteful military would have clearly left the body in the killing position.

The leader, who was still unable to hide his nervousness at the silent situation, suddenly caught sight of a familiar face among the citizens. In fact, he had recognized that face from before.

It was the Jungle Family fanatic guy.

The young man who had been coming to the theme park every day in June for various attractions. His somewhat unusual appearance had left a clear impression on the leader’s memory.

‘I hope he doesn’t interfere with our plans.’

He had been concerned before. However, changing their entire plan just because of one guy was out of the question, so they simply left him alone. But now… The leader’s legs were trembling uncontrollably.

‘Darn it, I need to stop worrying about irrelevant stuff.’

The leader was consumed by various concerns, and now, he was unnecessarily suspicious of the fanatic guy. While it was true that the successful hostage situation had been an enormous achievement in their history, and the lack of any significant response from the government was starting to feel oppressive, things were still manageable for the time being.

The leader’s eyes flicked briefly. They still had reliable insurance.

‘… We have a Won Seong-il.’

Amidst the cold sweat in his vision, Won Seong-il could be seen moving back and forth in front of the hostages. Despite his small stature, his eyes were filled with an immense desire for revenge.

It was natural that his eyes had turned cold. Originally, he had followed the scientist like a father figure. The scientist had discovered the ruthless dwarf as an Esper, unlocking his potential to the maximum. Since such a scientist was killed by the military, it was natural for him to be fueled by a desire for revenge.

Anyway.

Seeing the young man, whose anger was fueled by vengeance, brought a sense of relief. Won Seong-il’s wrath was like a strong backup.

‘With that guy’s ability, the hostage situation is bound to succeed.’

The leader smirked as he recalled Won Seong-il’s abilities. Whether the toad-like President threw a fit or an elite special forces unit stormed in, as long as Won Seong-il was there, they would win. It was certain that their small comrade would give it his all.

They would never suffer any loss.

And then, in just a second.

Or about 3 seconds. It was when the leader finally felt relieved and relaxed for just a moment.

Kuung…

As if mocking him, an unexpected vibration suddenly shook the entire building.

“…?”

Simultaneously, the boy who had been crying at random moments since earlier let out another cry. But this time, no one, not even the leader, could tell him to stop. Before they could make any judgments or thoughts-Boom!

An even stronger explosion occurred. The relentless vibration shook the foundation.

In an instant, the wall was blown away.

*

Amidst the retreating crowd of people, Seon Jae-chan’s face was filled with dismay. This was because the timing for the building wall to collapse was off. The wall collapsed a day earlier than expected.

Among the panicked hostages, Seon Jae-chan was trying to think of reasons for the premature collapse. There were two possibilities that he could think of.

First assumption.

Unlike in the past, the criminals decided to detonate a bomb at midnight today for some reason.

Second assumption.

… The military deliberately destroyed the wall?

‘Is it because of the phone call?’

Seon Jae-chan recalled the contents of his phone call with Team Leader Hong.

‘The criminals plan to blow up the wall around midnight tomorrow and then kill the hostages by making them escape there.’

His false report was the most significant variable distinguishing it from the past.

…That should be it.

In the past… It was unlikely that the military destroyed the theater on purpose.

Seon Jae-chan, who had developed as an esper, heard the words at the time. Since he was in the position closest to the hostage takers from the beginning and was paying the most attention to the criminals’ movements, he was able to accurately hear their agitation that almost passed through the commotion.

“Why did the bomb explode? It’s all fake!”

The two criminals who were on guard were protesting to the leader. The other guys looked equally bewildered. Seon Jae-chan’s eyes widened without realizing it

If the explosive was fake, then there was a high probability it was also fake in the past.

‘Did the military detonate a bomb in the past too…?’

It was the moment when Seon Jae-chan’s calm eyes trembled slightly. Boom! The ground shook again. The concrete wall that had been cracked finally crumbled down with a thunderous noise. Like a curtain being lifted, the outside situation was revealed.

The back of the Jungle Family Theater was a road leading to Safari Valley. Beyond the dark shadows of the short trees, more than a dozen armored cars and police cars with flashing warning lights appeared. Soldiers who had used the theme park’s structures as cover and the Espers momentarily paused.

The hostages were positioned like a breakwater between the military and the hostage-takers.

In that eerie standoff, a moment of stillness fell.

“Ugh, waaah!”

The anxious boy who had been on edge from earlier suddenly dashed forward. He broke free from his mother’s grip.

In the terrified pupils of the boy, there seemed to be dozens of gun barrels pointed at him. Eun-woo! Eun-woo! It was natural for the mother to run after her son. There was one more person there. The man wearing a checkered shirt who had been slapped and knocked unconscious by the criminals. The three of them sprinted away in the blink of an eye, heading towards the collapsed wall.

There’s something called the rule of three. In unexpected situations, when three people take the same action, those around them tend to follow suit before making their judgments.

It took just a few seconds for dozens of people to follow the three who ran.

The rule applied to the criminals as well. When Won Sung-il took the lead and the two next to him aimed their guns, the others followed suit as if they were possessed. They chambered their weapons. Bang! Bang, bang! Over a dozen bullets surged towards the fleeing hostages. They were almost caught while trying to run away.

No, they were caught.