Chapter : 105
Combat Preparation (2)
“If they move around there, a collision is inevitable. Giving them a heads-up will help the Jindos as well.”
Grudges don’t disappear easily. And when the grudge is tied to a personal gain, it becomes even harder to let go. The Chinese side probably thought that the defeat in Redwood Forest was caused by the Jindos.
‘I kind of feel a little guilty…’
If left unchecked, the Jindos could end up getting beaten without understanding why. Ideally, Suhyun wanted to warn them that there was danger nearby, letting them prepare while also gaining their combat support. It would be a mutually beneficial arrangement: Suhyun would gain extra forces, and they could avoid being caught off guard.
The real question was how the Jindos viewed Suhyun.
‘I really have no clue.’
Choi Jae-ho had once tried to outthink Suhyun but ended up losing Kang In-kyu to him. Suhyun hadn’t bothered to investigate what happened afterward, but it probably didn’t reflect well on Jae-ho.
“If I contact them to warn them, will it make them suspicious? If it backfires, I’d rather leave it alone.”
“No… if it’s your opinion, the team will listen carefully.”
“?”
Suhyun looked at Lee So-hee, clearly confused.
“Over there?”
“Yes.”
“Why would they think that?”
“Because you helped them with the Dragon Slayer Project, I think they’d take your words seriously…”
“Oh, right…”
Suhyun had forgotten that it was thanks to Lee So-hee that the Jindos avoided total annihilation when their upper team was drawn into danger.
“Then, can you leak some information to the Jindos? Just enough to let them know there’s a suspicious figure nearby. Since they’ve been burned once already, that should be enough to get a reaction.”
“Understood.”
Suhyun gave the team suitable artifacts and sent a plan to the Development Planning Bureau. The bureau was very reluctant to let Suhyun’s team investigate the situation.
After all, a government team had already been decimated, and Suhyun’s team was barely functioning as a replacement. They didn’t want the team to get involved in unverified matters.
Moreover, Suhyun had already gone missing once.
- “Rather than stopping us, why not just give us good equipment? We won’t stay in the city forever. If you keep holding us back out of worry, how can we get anything done?”
Suhyun was blunt. He cut off their objections and made his request firmly.
- “Aren’t we already giving you everything we can?”
- “We’re talking about the gear we confiscated. Honestly, it’s a bit disappointing that the analysis isn’t finished yet.”
Suhyun had hit a sore spot. The items he had given them in the past—especially the psychic power-nullifying devices—were still under study. At that time, Suhyun was not government-affiliated, and his reason for providing the items was simple:
Make sure I can use it first if the research is completed!
Had Suhyun been in a position to be ignored, he might have let it slide. But now, he was not someone they could overlook.
- “We apologize. Our researchers are doing their best, but this technology is incredibly complex…”
- “Can’t be helped.”
Suhyun hadn’t meant it as a genuine expectation. It was just a comment to shut them up. If the analysis had been completed, the Chinese side wouldn’t have used it recklessly.
Suhyun’s words worked. The bureau no longer tried to restrain him. Instead, they provided all possible support and earnestly requested immediate withdrawal if anything seemed off.
“Is everything prepared as I instructed?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll be relying heavily on your abilities this time.”
“I won’t disappoint you. I’ll do my best.”
“Reliable. Here, take this.”
“…?”
Seo Kang-seok’s expression froze when he saw what Suhyun handed him: a simple gemstone necklace. The purpose was obvious.
“Th-thank you, but I…”
“It’s the core from a venomous monster. Quite useful. Not really my ability, but…”
“Eh?”
“What do you mean, ‘eh’? Didn’t you listen to me?”
“No!”
Seo Kang-seok answered boldly, trying not to get caught by Suhyun.
“It absorbs surrounding poison. Anyone who handles toxins will find it handy.”
“But… you deal with poisons too. If it has an antidote effect, wouldn’t it be better for you to use it than me?”
“Doesn’t matter. I don’t need it.”
Suhyun had said that because of his poison powers, but Kang-seok looked delighted. That kind of reaction was rare in Cameron.
Typically, the higher the team’s ranking, the stronger the psychic, and those people were usually selfish. The company encouraged it—they didn’t want valuable talent leading from the front only to disappear.
They often avoided risk, sending other members to scout dangerous zones. Suhyun, on the other hand, was the opposite.
Compared to the psychic-absorbing orbs, the Inmyeonjiju core was much easier to understand. It only reacted to nearby toxins.
‘This will sell for a fortune.’
For Cameron’s eccentric wealthy clients, a practical device like this would fetch a high price—but Suhyun had no intention of selling it.
“Are you sure this is alright?”
“It is. As long as it doesn’t get caught, that’s all that matters.”
Suhyun had even brought poisons that were banned and no longer on the market. Some traps for beasts and monsters worked on humans too. In that respect, Seo Kang-seok was a skilled asset.
‘It’s convenient to have someone who can do this.’
The team members were ex-soldiers, not hunters, so Suhyun had been doing all this work himself.
- Grrrr!
The Poshukan tiger roared fiercely. Monsters grew fast; this one was nearly adult-sized.
After inspection and approval by the government, the Poshukan tiger stayed on Uncle Joe’s company grounds. Under strict management, it still remained a monster, and most people avoided it. Only Shaina treated it familiarly.
Thanks to that, it was quite attached to her. When Suhyun approached, it lowered its posture and growled. He met its gaze without flinching.
- Grrrr…
After a moment, the tiger lowered its head and wagged its tail. A once-ingrained sense of defeat was hard to shake. Suhyun patted its head and asked Shaina, who was sitting beside him:
“Does it listen properly?”
“Yes, it does what it’s supposed to.”
“Still, it’s brave not to avoid monsters.”
“If it’s not dangerous, why would it?”
Even other races avoided the tiger. Luiril, Gorgan, and Mogok all recoiled when they saw it.
“We capture monsters we can train and raise them.”
“Oh, right.”
Some dark elves used trained monsters for combat. Suhyun nodded, remembering this. Shaina looked curious:
“How do you know that?”
“I heard rumors. Can we use this one for this mission?”
Suhyun pointed with his finger. The tiger flinched. Shaina stroked its fur, tilting her head.
“Maybe? How capable does it need to be?”
“Enough to go where it’s told and bite what it’s told to bite.”
“Bring it!”
“It’s a monster, not a dog…”
Shaina threw the ball, and the tiger immediately jumped and retrieved it.
“…Looks promising.”
“Is that really a monster?”
Horse, tiger, power armor, and other transport gear—a strange combination. Walking down Pyongyang Avenue like this would attract everyone’s attention. Suhyun chose to travel at night.
Sitting in the Black Bear power armor after a long time brought back memories.
‘To think I’d be using this cursed thing again…’
He had sworn never to pilot it after retiring it from active duty. Suhyun could have requested government or Charles’ support, or even bought new power armor himself, but he deliberately brought the Black Bear armor. He had something he wanted to test.
‘Any Chinese officials would drool over this.’
The Black Bear armor was Korea’s latest power armor in development. Just as Suhyun was interested in Chinese tech, the Chinese side was interested in Korean innovations. Discovering this armor here would likely pique their interest.
‘Even if it’s trash…’
Of course, they wouldn’t know the flaws. To them, the Black Bear armor was a mysterious new tech.
“Long time no see. Been well?”
Ethan had come to greet him, riding a large motorcycle with other elves on horseback. He looked up at Suhyun in the cockpit.
“Minister, huh? I want one.”
“Better to operate and maintain than to acquire one.”
After lightly landing, Suhyun signaled his team to follow. While they did, he spoke with Ethan.
“Is it okay for you to come here like this?”
Ethan knew Suhyun was important among humans but didn’t expect him to bring his team based on uncertain info.
“If there’s a smell, there’s usually something. The surrounding elves aren’t idiots, and given the situation… better to secure it than risk arriving late.”
“Grateful as always. But that power armor?”
The Black Bear armor stood alone in the field. The team didn’t even think to bring it, following Suhyun instead.
“Leave it be.”
“Are you sure?”
“Who’s going to steal it here?”
“True, but…”
It’s not a car or motorcycle; who could steal power armor? Besides, this was an open plain, not a city.
“There’s a resting place in the village. Let’s go rest first…”
“Good. Guide the team there and report where suspicious people were seen.”
“Not resting?”
“We can rest later. Come. Let’s set some traps.”
“Yes!”
Suhyun moved with Seo Kang-seok toward the spot where the elves had seen the suspicious figures, guided by Ethan.
“This… again.”
“Why?”
“It’s near the jungle. Getting more suspicious.”
Some areas are better for intruders to hide than others. The Calcutta jungle region was ideal. Discovering them here made it less likely to be a coincidence.
‘Maybe we’re being watched.’
It was slightly suspicious that elves had discovered them. Not that they underestimated the elves’ combat ability—they were just amateurs. They could have moved unnoticed if they wanted.
‘Gradually create unease, then cause some terror in a few places, then make contact to apply pressure…’
Suhyun envisioned the plan clearly: secure this elf village first, then expand gradually.
“Shall we set them?”
“Go ahead. Don’t overdo it.”
“?”
Seo Kang-seok didn’t understand.
“You mean don’t put too much effort into it?”
“Yes. Meaningful only if there are a few. If many, it won’t matter.”
Especially if someone is watching. Seo Kang-seok started setting the traps as best he could.
“Wait, make them more obvious.”
“Eh??”
Normally, they would use painted lines to avoid reflection, but Suhyun ordered them to use shining lines openly. Ethan looked puzzled.
“Can I ask why?”
“When baiting smart ones, one piece of bait isn’t enough…”
Mercenary teams arrived at the elf village they were about to work in. Would they retreat, or underestimate and attack? Suhyun wanted the latter.
