TS 044
by Aoi“Boss!”
At the rather grandiose word, boss, the man frowned in annoyance. The scar across his eyebrow twitched ferociously.
“Hand over the goods first.”
“Yes, yessir! Here it is.”
Opening the rectangular case revealed a syringe filled with drugs. Without hesitation, the man took the syringe, removed the cap with his teeth, and immediately jabbed the needle into his forearm. It was a rather thick needle, but his attitude was unconcerned.
As the transparent liquid, tinged with a blue hue, gradually decreased, blue veins bulged on his forehead.
“Hah…”
“Are you alright?”
It was a scene that would have looked quite suspicious in a back alley, but no one paid them any mind. This being Kensington, it was perhaps a given. It was a neighborhood where drug addicts were a dime a dozen. In fact, it was also a neighborhood where not only drugs, but also illegal Guiding medications and the like were actively traded.
“I’m fine.”
As he clenched and unclenched his palm a few times, the reddened skin quickly subsided. The man threw the empty syringe into the trash-strewn alley and gestured with his chin toward the outside of the alley, as if telling him to lead the way. The other man, with his shoulders excessively hunched, groveled and guided him to where the car was.
The car carrying the two men quickly left Kensington.
“The thing I asked you to prepare?”
“I’ve set it up so you can see it right away.”
After some time, the car stopped in front of a decent-looking house. The man entered the house through the garage as if it were his own. The one who had acted as his driver scurried in after him.
“Um, but, Boss.”
“I think I told you not to call me Boss.”
“Oh my, I’m sorry. It just stuck to my tongue.”
The man, with his hair dyed bright yellow, slapped his own mouth with a frivolous attitude unbefitting his young age.
“I can’t dare to call you by your name… Then, should I call you Guild Master? Guilds are everywhere these days, so the word Guild Master won’t sound that strange.”
Boss or Guild Master, they sounded similar. Annoyance washed over him, but the man gestured vaguely as if to say it was fine.
“This is the video you requested last time.”
The man, Ahn Samin, sat down on the sofa placed in front of the beam projector. Shwaak, with the sound of the curtains closing, darkness fell in an instant. It was at the same time the video began to play.
“…..”
The video, filmed by a drone, was decent enough. It shook from time to time as it was filmed while avoiding the drone sent by the Center, but since he hadn’t had high expectations in the first place, there was nothing to be disappointed about.
Ahn Samin, with his legs crossed in a nonchalant posture, stared at the Esper in the video. It was Yoon Taehwa, who every Korean knew, and the team member who had newly joined Team 1, Han Suryeon.
“The Field Commander of Borein… He’s younger than I thought.”
“Yes. That bastard Pavel entered Korea, didn’t he? It seems he moved to catch him.”
“He probably came to catch me, not Pavel.”
Ahn Samin, also known as Monomorium, stroked his chin and reacted indifferently. He should have killed Pavel first when the negotiations broke down; it felt like he had needlessly complicated things.
“Pavel will be in Wing H.”
“Yes. Shall I gather a little more information?”
The yellow-haired man was a drug dealer and an informant. Ahn Samin looked at the Korean man whose English name was Tommy and shook his head.
“It’s fine. It’s obvious he’ll be on the top floor.”
“Well, you know more about the Center than I do, Bos… no, Guild Master.”
Ahn Samin let the flattering voice go in one ear and out the other, rewinding and replaying the video. One of the biggest mistakes made when designing high-rise buildings was the optimistic assumption that no one would be watching from the outside. Moreover, since it was a new building, the glass was clean, allowing a clear view of the interior.
‘Han Suryeon…’
It was a terror instigated by selling out the Ant’s name to confirm the abilities of the Kasatka young master. There was some known information about his abilities, but how he actually used them had not been properly revealed.
‘Looks like I won’t be able to confirm it.’
He couldn’t be sure, but watching the video, it seemed Yoon Taehwa had used his ability. The finishing touch was ultimately hand-to-hand combat. His dark gaze shifted to Yoon Taehwa.
“I have to get my hands on him, no matter what.”
“You mean Yoon Taehwa?”
“Yes.”
Infiltrating the Center with a laundered, fake identity was also to lure in Yoon Taehwa.
“The ability of nullification is too good to miss.”
He was a man absolutely necessary to rally the disintegrating forces.
“Come to think of it, you’ve been putting in effort for several years now. He’s a chaebol young master, so it won’t be easy to win him over.”
“I started this fully prepared for that. People who seem to lack nothing, once they crumble, they crumble endlessly.”
Ahn Samin, with his eyes fixed on the video, pressed down on the scar above his eyebrow.
“I have to win him over, one way or another.”
Nullification was an ability that only a few people in the whole world possessed, and officially, Yoon Taehwa was the only S-class. Many thought it was useless as it wasn’t a powerful offensive ability like natural or physical types, but Ahn Samin’s thoughts were different. There were few abilities as useful as nullification.
‘And it’s even more necessary for our organization.’
The Ants was a group made up of Ability User supremacists, in other words, an extremist terrorist organization.
In order to claim that abilities were superior, the existence of someone who could suppress those abilities was indispensable. It was because they could easily shut the mouths of those who argued about the dangers of abilities.
‘Even if that weren’t the case, he’s needed.’
In the world of Transformed Beings, where the logic of power holds more sway than the norms created by ordinary humans, a person who could suppress that very transformation. Just imagining having him by his side brought a surge of elation.
He wouldn’t be able to stop the Beastmen, but just being able to bind the abilities of Espers and Shooters was an attractive ability.
“Uhm, are you planning to make a move in earnest?”
“I was inSS the middle of gauging the opportunity…”
“Well, since he’s a team leader, one wrong word and your identity will be blown immediately.”
He was in the middle of a very cautious approach. Ahn Samin’s gaze was nailed to one spot. It was directed at the hair, which was a rare sight in Korea. Since there were Beastmen, it didn’t feel out of place, but it was definitely a conspicuous appearance.
“The Kasatka young master is the problem.”
“Pardon?”
“He’s always stuck to Yoon Taehwa’s side, so I can’t find an opening to approach.”
Ahn Samin easily guessed the reason why Han Suryeon had entered Korea. Pavel was just a pretext; he must have followed him all the way to Korea, who was behind him.
“With Pavel in that state, do you think he decided to cooperate with the Center?”
“Seeing as he’s still sticking to the Center, I suppose so.”
Ahn Samin picked up a can of beer from the table. As he drank the lukewarm alcohol and recalled the faces he had encountered a few times, his expression crumpled on its own.
“He’s so different from the image I’d heard of, I have no idea what that brat is thinking.”
“May I ask what he’s like? Those Russian bastards are famous for being merciless… If he’s from Borein, he must be something else.”
Tommy, who had rattled off all the information he knew, shivered as if the mere thought gave him the creeps.
“Ugh, no wonder they’re called crows.”
“Crows?”
“Borein means crow. They say they’re called that because they’re the kind of guys who would even peck at the flesh of a corpse.”
“The kind of guys who would even peck at a corpse…”
It was certainly different from his image within the Center. At the Center, his image was nothing more and nothing less than an Esper who followed Yoon Taehwa around, clinging to him. They probably thought of him as friendly because they didn’t know the man was a Kasatka Field Commander, but in the first place, it was only possible because Han Suryeon acted so soft.
Ahn Samin crushed the empty beer can and stared intently at the video in the beam projector. Yoon Taehwa and Han Suryeon were captured in one frame.
He had to win one over to his side and somehow separate the other. Killing him would be cleaner, but he had no intention of making a big scene just yet.
“I suppose it’s time to start gathering everyone.”
“Are you finally making a move?”
Ahn Samin, who had slowly risen, reached out his hand toward the wall where the beam was projected. Soon, a strange shape began to appear on it. To someone who didn’t know, it looked like a Gate was opening and would be cause for reporting.
“Now that Pavel is in the Center’s hands, the Center will start moving too.”
“I heard he hasn’t woken up yet…”
Ahn Samin thought of his friend for a rather long time. Pavel was an A-class mental-type Esper. Since he was skilled enough to completely fool him and run away, he thought he might have used a trick on Shin Ae-hi, who was an S-class, as well. So that she wouldn’t find any important information unless she deliberately rummaged through his brain.
‘That woman would move cautiously, so the risk of getting caught would be low.’
It would have been a defensive measure on his part, but for Ahn Samin, it was as good as buying him time.
“Before he wakes up…”
Ahn Samin approached the interdimensional space. A shimmering energy, like that in front of a Gate, began to pour out.
“I have to kill him.”
He planned to kill Pavel first.
“Before he opens his mouth carelessly. Anyway, the thing I asked for?”
“Of course, I have it ready.”
Tommy, who had disappeared into a room, soon reappeared with a palm-sized pouch. Ahn Samin checked the contents and then tossed out a diamond as a sign of his thanks. The man who caught it bowed his head deeply.
“Thank you. Are you heading to Korea now?”
“I just popped out for a bit, so I should probably head back.”
Ahn Samin checked the time. The number the hour hand pointed to was the time in Korea, not the United States where he was standing. As a Shooter, an ability user without restrictions, returning to Korea within thirty minutes was not difficult for him. It was possible because he was an ability user who dealt with space.
As he placed his foot into the Gate-like space, the entrance opened its mouth wide.
“Shall I prepare things so you can move right away tomorrow?”
“No.”
Ahn Samin bared his teeth and smiled.
“Before that, I have to throw the Center a little gift.”