Chapter : 49
“Ugh…”
“Thank goodness. Bite down. Don’t bite your tongue for nothing.”
Kim Dong-wook’s injuries weren’t severe. Gorgan, on the other hand, was worse off. While the other operatives took cover and stalled for time, Gorgan had charged straight ahead.
“Ughh!”
“Impressive. Is it because he’s an orc?”
Suhyeon couldn’t help but admire Gorgan moving even with a deep gunshot wound in his arm. Healing abilities weren’t万能—they weren’t magic that fixed everything instantly. If a bullet was embedded, it had to be removed first before healing could take place.
“All done. What about the others?”
Every time Suhyeon saw a healer in action, he was amazed. People on the brink of death or critically wounded could be revived immediately. Though it wasn’t flashy to look at, the efficiency placed it at the very top. It was no wonder each faction tried to gather healers.
“We’re fine.”
“Really? Did you fight smartly, then?”
“Smartly? That’s called tactics!”
“Well done. Seems like it’s wrapped up for now. Rest, but don’t let your guard down.”
“Yes!”
The Jin-dutgae team suffered more than Uncle Joe Company. Especially Teams 9 and 10, who had been the frontline shields, took the heaviest losses. Suhyeon clenched his hand and walked toward them, dripping with blood.
‘I’m not sure I’ll be able to heal everyone.’
While healing powers were cost-effective, having too many injured people changed the situation.
“You….”
“Need help?”
The Jin-dutgae operatives brightened upon seeing Suhyeon. In their current state, having a healer step in to help was universally welcome, even if no one dared to say it first.
“Wait. We don’t have anything to offer in return.”
“Life must’ve been harsh if you think that way. It’s just goodwill. We fought back-to-back—can’t you accept a little help?”
Suhyeon approached the fallen Jin-dutgae operatives with arms spread wide, proving he meant no harm. They were wary after Uncle Joe Company had previously snatched the results from them. Internally, they must have been reprimanded as well.
Yet again, the outcome ended up favoring Uncle Joe Company. Suhyeon had noticed the first attack, and during the fight, he had been the one to strike the enemy’s rear. In such a scenario, if their lives were indebted to him, other forms of compensation might be expected—and the responsibility would fall on them.
“Ughh!”
“Ah, I forgot to tell you to bite down. Well, better than dying, right? Shall I remove the bullet?”
“Aaah!”
Their loud screams drew everyone’s attention—including Lee Jung-woo and Team 1 of Jin-dutgae.
Lee Jung-woo regained composure and looked around. While powers had been suppressed, Teams 9 and 10 had suffered heavily. Fortunately, Uncle Joe Company’s healer had stepped in.
‘What on earth just happened?’
Lee Jung-woo was no fool. The phenomenon—powers being nullified—was definitely related to the attackers. He knew research on powers had been ongoing, including ways to suppress them, but never imagined they had been developed enough for real combat use.
‘Surely… somewhere near where they were waiting…’
After the ambush, his mind cleared. Being ambushed was one thing, handling the aftermath was another. He needed to know who those attackers were and how they had such equipment.
“Check the surrounding area. Figure out how they suppressed the powers.”
The operatives nodded. They had experienced the baffling suppression firsthand and understood the necessity of Lee Jung-woo’s command.
“Thanks. I owe you one.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
Suhyeon replied without looking back. Lee Jung-woo, being ignored, twitched his eyebrows but said nothing. He was, after all, a psychic currently healing his colleagues.
‘A bit prickly than I expected,’ he thought.
“Ah… you said I’d owe you, right?”
“Wait, wait.”
Suhyeon recognized the first Jin-dutgae operative he met. The operative, pale from pain, waved his hands weakly, indicating he hadn’t expected to need help.
“Still complaining after I saved you? Accept it quietly.”
Another scream echoed. Sweat formed on Suhyeon’s brow as he continued using his powers. It wasn’t because he liked them—it was necessary.
From the Calcutta gorilla hunt to this ambush, Uncle Joe Company had benefited excessively. Once the aftermath was fully managed, the Jin-dutgae team would realize what they had missed. Even saints would be angry if exploited to that degree. He needed to offer proper assistance now to avoid any backlash later.
Saving lives left a strong impression. After this, the Jin-dutgae team would remember owing a healer.
Suhyeon chuckled inwardly as Team 1 began searching the area. He had already cleared evidence like the power-suppressing devices and moved it to Uncle Joe Company. The captured attacker was hidden in the forest. Even if they searched, they would find only an unknown corpse and a stealth suit.
‘Sorry, but please understand.’
While the Jin-dutgae team couldn’t deduce the attacker’s identity from this, Suhyeon could. Once the culprit was known, he could attach a plausible reason. Now, all that remained was negotiation with the government.
“Nothing unusual… for now.”
“Are you sure you checked properly?”
“We’ll search again once things are settled, but right now, nothing else seems present.”
“Damn. No choice then. Gather the bodies in one place for later confirmation. Hey, has healing finished?”
“Roughly. You have something to say?”
“Sorry for the chaos, but we also need to move these corpses to the city for reporting. If it’s okay, I want to accompany you.”
“Of course, that’s welcome.”
“Will you leave the forest as is?”
“After such an attack, we can’t stay. We don’t have reserves like you. It’s unavoidable. They probably won’t attack again.”
“Understood.”
Before the attack, moving together would have been unthinkable, but now circumstances had changed. Uncle Joe Company’s aid during the battle and the reality of the attack made collaboration necessary.
“Then we’ll move as soon as things are settled.”
Although the clearing was a mess from the battle, once the people were healed, cleanup could proceed quickly. Thanks to Suhyeon’s healing, the seriously wounded could stand and move.
“Those uninjured, move quickly! In-gyu, you fool! Why are you touching that? Leave it and do the other tasks first!”
“Team leader, we’ve finished organizing.”
The previously disabled power armor was operational again. Uncle Joe Company’s team was ready to move at any moment.
“Then wait here a moment. I’ll check on something and return.”
“Are you awake now?”
“…?”
“Don’t worry. This is an isolated place; no one else will come. You’ve struggled enough. Time’s short, so I want answers immediately.”
The man kept his mouth shut, trained for such situations. He planned not to speak no matter the pain.
‘Did the operation fail?’
There seemed no reason for failure. The target was a mercenary—they had plenty of weaknesses to exploit. The man could sense the mission’s failure was because of Suhyeon in front of him.
“Who… are you?”
“You ask a question in return? Fine. Are you ready to answer mine?”
“I won’t.”
“Ah, trained to endure torture, I see.”
The man confirmed with his eyes.
“I, on the other hand, have trained to perform torture. Let’s see who is better trained.”
“…!”
The intel Suhyeon could gather was limited. As he expected, they belonged to the Chinese special forces unit, the Black Tiger Assault Squad, commonly referred to as the Black Tiger Unit, operating on the Cameron Planet.
Their mission was to destroy foreign assets and cover their tracks. That was all Suhyeon could confirm—anything beyond that was unknown.
He wanted to capture at least one for questioning, but that was impossible. They had seen his telekinesis.
‘No choice.’
Suhyeon left the corpse in an appropriate spot. With no evidence left, anyone searching later would think it had died during the battle.
Most attacker corpses were taken by the Jin-dutgae team. Uncle Joe Company could have complained but didn’t—they already had what they needed.
‘A few corpses, stealth suits, gear, and the power-suppressing device. No need for greed over others.’
While Jin-dutgae would use the corpses to identify the attackers, Uncle Joe Company had to negotiate with the government.
“…So that’s what happened. Do you understand?”
“The Chinese special forces???”
Jo Seung-hyun was shocked. Facing a state-supported force was no trivial matter. Suhyeon, however, remained calm.
“The evidence may be thin, but with explanation, they’ll believe it. Only a few could carry out such an operation anyway.”
Jo Seung-hyun stiffened. He was amazed at the ambush, but even more at the attackers’ identity. That they had faced such a force and returned without a single casualty seemed almost miraculous.
“While Jin-dutgae flounders, we should act first. Quickly report, then negotiate. The team sent previously was wiped out, so they won’t move for a while, but we must be cautious.”
Suhyeon issued the instructions smoothly. From the prior terror attack to this ambush and even selling the Redwood Forest rights—Jo Seung-hyun’s eyes widened.
‘What is this guy…?’
Though confident in his judgment of people, Jo Seung-hyun couldn’t gauge Suhyeon’s depth. A young man thinking strategically was no ordinary skill.
“Understood. I’ll handle the rest!”
With Suhyeon’s contributions on-site, now it was Jo Seung-hyun’s turn to leverage his connections. He immediately contacted the private company responsible for managing Redwood Forest and the government officials. The tip was serious, and they responded swiftly.
