Chapter : 50
The Planetary Administration Bureau was one of the government departments with a relatively short history. Yet no one could underestimate its importance or authority. It was a department with a heavy burden of responsibility.
The person Jo Seunghyun contacted was the head of the Resource Management Division. When he presented the evidence he had collected and explained the identities of the attackers, the faces of those present stiffened.
“This is not something we can just overlook.”
“Of course, we can’t do anything with this alone.”
The evidence was circumstantial. Without Suhyun’s information, they wouldn’t have even guessed that the attackers were a unit sent from China. Many nations had expanded their presence on this planet, after all.
The Jindo Dog team seemed intent on investigating the victims’ identities, but Suhyun had long since given up. Any operative sent like this would have had their identity thoroughly scrubbed and prepared in advance.
“But the important thing is that we’ve identified who they are and secured their new technology, isn’t it?”
“Of course. That’s enough. If we expect more after a sudden attack, we’d be asking too much.”
The fact that they had commercialized a psychic ability nullification device was no trivial information. It had to be reported to a military research lab immediately.
“Thank you so much for coming to inform us, Mr. Jo Seunghyun.”
“Not at all. If you’re a Korean working here, isn’t it only natural to do what you can? After all, we owe our peace of mind here to someone…”
The head of the Resource Management Division, Seo Jungbeom, and Jo Seunghyun smiled pleasantly at each other. Even Seo couldn’t fully calculate the value of the information Jo had brought—from the identity of the attackers to the technology they used.
The one feeling left out in this atmosphere was Oh Sangwan, the person responsible for “Guseong.” Guseong had previously held the logging rights in the Redwood Forest. In a sense, they were the biggest victims of this incident.
‘Did he call me just to share this?’
Finding out the attackers’ identities was certainly good, but it didn’t translate into money. Although they were said to have been sent by China, there was no concrete evidence, so no one could compensate them. Oh Sangwan swallowed the bitterness silently.
“In fact, I have a separate proposal to discuss today.”
“?”
“You may already know, but it’s about the newly discovered Redwood Forest in the Calcutta jungle region.”
They already knew there had been an attack nearby. Both of them looked at Jo Seunghyun with curiosity.
“We were lucky this time to fend them off somehow… but honestly, our forces can’t hold onto this area. Our team operates as a small elite unit.”
The Jindo Dog team seemed large enough to handle logging themselves to gain profit. But Uncle Jo Company would have had to have their team continuously patrol the area. For a company with only one team, this was impossible.
“Isn’t Guseong the expert in Redwood? If it’s alright with you, I’d like to transfer the logging rights at a reasonable price.”
“?!”
The two turned in surprise. Jo Seunghyun’s proposal was unexpectedly generous.
Although Guseong was a private company, it had close ties with the government. Since the military handled the management of the Redwood Forest, it made sense. A portion of the profits naturally went to the government.
If a company like the Jindo Dog logged and managed the forest independently, the government gained nothing. But Guseong’s cooperative arrangement brought substantial revenue to the government. Naturally, the government preferred companies like Guseong.
And Guseong’s profit was considerable. The price of the logging rights was high, but compared to the long-term revenue they could generate, it was negligible. Even if Uncle Jo Company lacked the ability to manage the forest, there was no urgent need to sell. An auction could have increased the price several times over.
“You’re not interested?”
“Ah, no, that’s not it!”
“Of course, I understand the significance of this.”
“You do want something in return, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
Seo Jungbeom caught on quickly. He realized Jo Seunghyun expected something in exchange for such a generous offer.
“Mercenary companies are oversaturated. Only a few stand out.”
Large companies existed in some numbers, but few could truly venture into unexplored territories, discover resources, defeat monsters, and return safely. The risk was too high.
Success could bring tremendous rewards, but the danger was just as great. Even known territories could be fatal with bad luck, and unknown regions were far more dangerous.
Thus, major mercenary companies, despite having elite teams, rarely risked dangerous missions. Only a truly enticing offer could get them to act.
“The government needs companies to handle exploration, doesn’t it?”
Companies that relied solely on size and scale were saturated. Uncle Jo Company, as a latecomer, would take too long and had no unique advantage.
Suhyun intended to go the opposite way. Forces capable of venturing into unexplored territory and handling monsters were valuable to the government. Uncle Jo Company had to become such a team—a government-backed unit resolving issues in uncharted regions.
Doing what anyone could do offered no competitive advantage. True value and competitiveness were born from being the only ones capable of a task.
“You mean exploration of unexplored territories?”
“Yes.”
“That’s… pretty dangerous.”
“I’m prepared for that.”
“The Development Planning Bureau is always looking for people, but…”
Seo Jungbeom hesitated, then decided to speak. Introducing them was easy, but deception could create problems later if the other party trusted them.
“Mr. Jo Seunghyun, I’ll be honest. Getting government support to venture into unexplored territory may sound attractive, but it’s extremely risky. Many teams have already failed. Even major mercenary companies have attempted it. I’m telling you this because I don’t want you to feel deceived later.”
“But there are successful teams too, right?”
“Currently, only a handful operate under the government. That’s it. And those teams are renowned.”
“I understand.”
Jo Seunghyun said calmly. Seo realized he wasn’t asking blindly; he had calculated everything. There was no reason to refuse.
“We don’t intend to do this unconditionally either. We’ll only act if we are convinced we can succeed.”
“Of course, we understand. Mercenaries aren’t seeking death.”
Other mercenaries were even more selective, especially the skilled ones. It may seem arrogant, but in this world, capability justified it.
“Then, it seems the discussion is mostly settled… let’s proceed with negotiations.”
“Did it go well?”
“I did everything you told me, but I’m not sure if I did right. They seemed pretty intimidated.”
“That’s because any mission the government entrusts is extremely dangerous.”
“But we volunteered for this. Are we really ready?”
“Hmm…”
Jo Seunghyun’s expression carried a trace of unease. A government-supported exploration team was a dream for any mercenary. Major companies avoided it not from ignorance but because it was a poisoned chalice.
The missions the government supported carried extreme difficulty. Most teams hesitated, regardless of skill.
Yet Suhyun had absolute confidence. Before returning to the past, he had resolved countless problems as a soldier. His team was always the go-to solution in critical situations.
‘I already know quite a few of these supposedly impossible missions.’
He had no intention of taking on unknown dangerous tasks. He would take on what he already knew. A few consecutive successes would allow Uncle Jo Company to inherit the reputation of Suhyun’s former team.
‘Gain reputation, expand influence. Make this company capable of fighting on its own.’
A strong mercenary company was power in itself. In the past, Suhyun focused only on his team. Once it was destroyed, he had no leverage. Now he would act differently.
“Have I ever failed a mission I guaranteed?”
“Not really. But no one is without mistakes.”
“The ship has already departed. It’s too late to cancel now. Do you want to get off?”
Jo Seunghyun chuckled at Suhyun’s words. His confidence, born from risking his life, was strangely convincing.
‘Right. The ship has already departed.’
Although he intended to proceed carefully, they were already far past the point of caution. This opportunity, earned through Suhyun and his team’s lives, couldn’t be wasted.
“Don’t worry. Whatever mission I take, I’ll fight with my life on the line. I’ll plan it carefully. Oh, what about the Redwood Forest?”
Jo Seunghyun raised his fingers—one on his left, two on his right.
“12 billion?”
“Yes.”
“Considering the area, it’s a bit disappointing… let’s call the difference the cost of opportunity.”
“If you need anything, just ask. I used to be an arms dealer, so I can get most things.”
“Glad to hear that. Oh, what about the stealth suits and nullifiers?”
The stolen stealth suits and psychic nullifiers were not given freely. After repair and analysis, they negotiated for priority usage.
“They promised. Once done, we can use them first.”
“I’m not expecting much from the nullifiers, but the stealth suits are useful. I hope we can get them.”
Both were valuable, but the nullifiers were rarer. Stealth suits had been successfully developed first by the US military.
The nullifiers didn’t excite him much. Using them implied that even if enemies seized them, the technology couldn’t be easily stolen. Security would have been strict.
“And, as you’ll handle it well, I’d like to bolster personnel more than weapons.”
“Personnel? Need more people?”
“Not for Team 1. The future missions don’t require many people. But a company has limits if personnel are insufficient. We need two or three additional teams ready for emergencies.”
Suhyun’s Team 1 increased value with elite specialists; other teams handled tasks requiring numbers. The company needed a certain scale.
“That’s a stretch.”
“Of course, I’m not asking to staff them immediately. One or two teams can be created with money, just like you built Uncle Jo Company Team 1—hire soldiers.”
“Huh?”
Jo Seunghyun considered hiring experienced mercenaries or explorers from the Cameron planet. The current team had adapted through trial and error, but employing experienced personnel from the start would save difficulties.
But Suhyun disagreed.
“Hire soldiers? Won’t it be tough? Even our team would struggle without you… bringing in incompatible people would only cause loss.”
“Sure, Earth soldiers would struggle initially.”
Adjusting to new conditions wasn’t easy.
“That’s why companies prefer veterans from Cameron. Soldiers are better trained. Adaptation here is manageable with one excellent instructor.”
“An excellent instructor?”
“Me.”
Seeing Suhyun speak confidently without changing expression, Jo Seunghyun could only shake his head in disbelief.
