Chapter : 107
Preparing for Battle (4)
Monsters were an eternal problem in Cameron. If it weren’t for the monsters, humanity would have already spread across the entire region. Ever since the gates appeared, the history of humans entering Cameron had been one of constant struggle against monsters.
“Did they use a prototype?”
Monster control had once been a popular theory. It had been abandoned after numerous failures and lack of results, but the very idea of controlling monsters to fight other monsters had an undeniable appeal.
“Doesn’t look like a finished model…”
Suhyeon reached out and collected the poison. The faces that had turned blue immediately returned to their normal colors.
“Who… who are you?”
The leader of the group muttered in shock. This was completely unexpected. There were limits even in defeat. But to be poisoned and collapse without even getting a proper fight—it was absurd. He was too stunned to speak.
“I’m the one asking the questions. What is this equipment?”
“….”
“Let’s not play games. Even if you stay silent, it won’t change anything.”
He turned his head coldly. Suhyeon shrugged and stood up.
“Finished organizing?”
“Yes!”
“Good. Take them and head back to the village.”
Ethan shuddered. It was surprising enough that they had captured all the attackers so soon after arriving, but what made him shiver was the state of Uncle Joe Company. They looked completely unharmed, as if no battle had taken place.
“Then, I’ll need some space.”
After explaining the situation, Suhyeon dragged the prisoners along. In the spot the village had allocated, Shaina was waiting, calming the Poshukan tiger.
“What’s wrong?”
“It was about to go berserk… but the mission went smoothly, right?”
“It ended too easily—that’s the problem. But you said it was about to go berserk?”
“I’ve calmed it now. It’s not dangerous anymore!”
Shaina hurriedly added the clarification, worried Suhyeon might think poorly of the Poshukan tiger. But Suhyeon didn’t hold any negative feelings toward it.
“How did it behave? Explain in detail.”
“Even though I told it to stay still, it kept trying to head into the forest, growling all the time.”
“It’s got more range than I thought.”
It was clear the monster was reacting to the sound waves produced by the control device from a distance. While distance played a role, Shaina had more control over it than expected.
Even in the far future, there was no completed version; Suhyeon doubted the current device was perfect. He guessed that it didn’t exactly control monsters, but merely summoned them. If so, that would be entirely plausible.
“All set.”
“Good, let’s begin.”
The prisoners were tied up, their sight and hearing blocked. Though it wasn’t perfect against psychics, Suhyeon had them all in sight. Any foolish move could be immediately punished.
Snap!
When the blindfold was removed, the man grimaced. He already knew they had been captured and had steeled himself during the transport. He vowed never to give in.
“Hah!”
But instead of interrogators, a growling, drooling Poshukan tiger appeared. The man staggered back in fright.
“Easy… easy…”
“What the—?!”
“If you’re using a monster guidance device, why are you surprised to see a monster?”
“!!”
The man looked at his bound comrades in confusion—but they had no idea what was happening.
‘Did someone already spill the beans?!’
‘They’ve figured it out.’
Humans were surprisingly weak. In China, unofficial teams were often subjected to rigorous mental conditioning, but not everyone could be as strong as steel. Some broke when shaken.
Seeing that Suhyeon already seemed to know, the man panicked, feeling like one of his comrades had confessed first.
“I’ll make it simple. Your friend squealed first. But I’m not sure if he told everything. He could have revealed a few things to save his life and hidden the rest, right? So here’s how it works: tell me everything you know. If you know more than your friend, you live. If not? You become prey.”
The Poshukan tiger’s exhaled breath was more effective than most torture devices. Its low growl froze the man in place.
“Even… if I tell less?”
“Do your best. You’re lucky—you’re first. The later it goes, the harder it gets.”
Manipulating these people was far too easy. Soon, Suhyeon could hear them confessing everything to the ground.
‘Nothing really new.’
He hadn’t expected them to know the details of the device. They were simply field operatives, not the developers.
If they activated it near monsters, the monsters would gather around the device. Beyond that, they knew nothing. Suhyeon rested his chin on his hand, thinking.
‘Looks like a prototype, but also an experimental tool in the field…’
Their presence in the area was exactly as expected: intimidate, then enforce contracts with other companies. Had they been left alone, the operation would have expanded beyond this village.
“Wait, why didn’t they use the psychic suppression device?”
‘How much does this guy actually know?’
Gritting his teeth, the man answered:
“We couldn’t use it. Our psychics wouldn’t be able to fight if we did.”
“Oh… that was the reason?”
Suhyeon’s tone sounded almost mocking. They hadn’t used the device to unleash their psychics because they assumed theirs would be superior—a total miscalculation.
‘Why are these guys so weak? The ones I met before weren’t like this.’
Had they heard Suhyeon’s thoughts, they would have bled in frustration. The situation was extreme, but Suhyeon’s power was what subdued them, not their lack of skill. These missions weren’t given to just anyone.
Getting too close to the power armor to strike in one blow had been their fatal mistake—they fell directly to the poison they hadn’t expected.
‘Now… what to do.’
At least the immediate threat was neutralized. It would take time for this failure report to reach China and for them to plan again, giving Suhyeon breathing room.
He fiddled with the monster guidance device, intrigued. The problem was…
‘If I report it, I have to hand this over to the government.’
He couldn’t avoid reporting it. For the safety of the local elves, preventive measures needed to be implemented.
Previously, the government would have approached the matter purely strategically, so the elves themselves were hesitant. But now the situation had changed: leaving it would risk it falling into Chinese hands. The government would act.
The problem was that reporting it truthfully meant also submitting the device, as had been done with stealth suits and psychic suppression devices. Suhyeon doubted their analysis capabilities. Even if taken, they would likely hold onto it for years without allowing him to use it.
He wanted something usable immediately, even if incomplete. Handing it over for uncertain reward was not an option.
‘Hmm… there is a way.’
Charles Carlos had his own researchers. Unlike government scientists, they didn’t follow strict procedures. If the chairman ordered it, they obeyed immediately. A request to them would mean the device could be used right away, without delays under the pretense of analysis or security.
‘What can I give them?’
They had no fitting artifact. Asking was easy, but recklessness wasn’t an option. Too much free reward could backfire.
‘The Red Pig Mushroom, right?’
Some top-quality items had been stored away in the warehouse. Previously, they could have been sold for money, but Suhyeon was too busy for that. Some could be used as gifts.
He decided to report everything truthfully except the monster guidance device.
“Ugh!”
The prisoners collapsed at once. Suhyeon had killed them with poison and spoke casually:
“Put the bodies in a bag. We’ll need them for the report.”
Their identities would not be traceable anyway. China meticulously erased and falsified such personnel records. Still, it was better to take them than leave them.
“Hands off.”
“…!”
Luiril, about to reach for the stealth suit, flinched. Such equipment was like a dream for her.
“Maybe we could sneak one out without anyone noticing?”
“No need. You already have one. Leave it be. I’ll lend it if needed later.”
Suhyeon slapped her hand away. After receiving thanks from the elves, he gave Ethan a brief rundown of what came next.
“Since this involves China, the Korean government won’t act overtly.”
“Thanks… for going through all this because of us…”
“This is nothing. Focus on moving the supplies.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll do as promised.”
He needed to supply the rogue mercenaries. To maintain their loyalty in remote areas, continuous resupply was essential.
The local elves were ideal for this. Merchants in the city would draw attention with large shipments, but the elves didn’t. Supplies could be sent to the elf village and then to Poshukan without worry.
After confirming the promise with Ethan, Suhyeon led the team back. Surprisingly, the Development Planning Bureau wasn’t shocked. If anything, it seemed expected. They showered him with formal thanks, and Suhyeon nodded lightly.
“You flatter me.”
‘That should be enough.’
Suhyeon was about to leave, but the director wasn’t finished:
“It’s reassuring that in such dire situations, starting with Uncle Joe Company, Team Leader Kim Suhyeon has held firm. And this isn’t the first time, right? If you’d stayed idle, we would have been defenseless.”
‘What? Not over yet?’
Suhyeon was slightly taken aback. The bureau knew exactly what he valued: practical benefits, not words.
Yet they continued to praise him, as if deliberately.
‘These guys… they must want something.’
The Development Planning Bureau wasn’t a private company. They could survive without initiating new projects. If they were asking for help, it wasn’t trivial.
Moreover, Uncle Joe Company was one of the few assets they had left. Time was short, so they likely hadn’t properly reinforced their team yet.
“Anyway, thank you again, Team Leader Kim Suhyeon. Ah… are you free today? If so, I’d like to take you somewhere nice.”
‘Confirmed.’
“I’m sorry, I’m still tired. I want to rest today.”
“Ah… I see. I’ll contact you another day.”
Suhyeon stepped back, as expected the director was itching.
‘This is really getting interesting.’
Curiosity aside, there was work to do. He quickly ordered the team to load the Red Pig Mushrooms.
“It’s been a while since it’s just the two of us together, hasn’t it?”
“Indeed.”
Kim Chang-sik cheerfully took the wheel. Suhyeon wondered how he would react when he saw Chairman Charles’s villa.
