NOVEL NEXT Chapter 44
[15 minutes ago, a high-rise building overlooking an apartment.]
“See, I knew my prediction was right.”
Kim Chung-sung, one of the black agents of the National Intelligence Service, stuffed the remaining half of his hamburger into his mouth while holding a camera.
The lens was long, resembling the barrel of a cannon, a device typical of journalists.
Inside that camera, various images from multiple CCTV feeds were captured.
“People living near the first appearance. Someone whose traces suddenly disappeared. A man who looks like he’s about to re-dive into Granado Impact. A man whose credit card usage has suddenly decreased recently. The only person who visited Mungyeong on the day it was attacked… only one.”
Although no faces were visible, the stored image appeared to be an earlier scene of a blond-haired, blue-eyed man, the American president’s secretary, escorting a young man.
“How many people pretend not to know while they actually do? Hehe.”
The most recent photo captured a single black limousine.
Due to tinting, the interior was not visible, but it was concerning for someone in this industry that a limousine was leaving from such an apartment.
“What good is sending five cars into other areas to create a diversion? Ultimately, the culprit always returns to the scene of the crime.”
[Doesn’t that make it feel like I’m talking to myself?]
“I’m only speaking because you’re there, Belovski.”
[Oh, the Baeknoksu.]
Kim Chung-sung smirked at the words of the person on the other end of the speakerphone.
“So, how much are you paying?”
[2 billion.]
“2 billion? Wow, that’s pretty generous for a piece of information.”
[2 billion rubles.]
“……..”
Kim Chung-sung frowned.
“Wait a second. You’re not planning anything suspicious, are you?”
[We just want to understand the master’s ‘taste.’]
“…….”
[Whether the maid is cosplaying a character from a game or whether he is the one who brings about the ‘miracle’ as considered by our information agency.]
“A miracle… So, do those game nerds really think she’s the real Elaine?”
[We are making that judgment.]
“Is it even conceivable that a game character is summoned into reality?”
[With hunters appearing in this world, towers manifesting, and systems assisting, it could happen. Some in America are already tentatively concluding that.]
“…….”
A character from a game in the real world.
Kim Chung-sung still didn’t want to believe it, but it seemed like the other side was taking it quite seriously.
“Before I accept 2 billion rubles, let me ask you one thing. Although I did pinpoint a person, since the bodyguard following the American president’s secretary is a colleague, I found out about it. But what on earth makes you think he’s a real game character?”
[That no information came out even after searching through everyone born in West Virginia. Suddenly, investments into game companies in America started, and most decisively….]
“Decisively?”
[Our team’s otaku friend said that the voice sounded remarkably like that of a voice actor. Like a Japanese voice actor speaking Korean fluently.]
“…….”
[I thought perhaps the voice actor had become an S-class hunter, but it wasn’t that? In any case, we inferred it, and based on the information you sent us, we successfully cross-validated. How about you?]
“About us….”
Kim Chung-sung bitterly smiled at what the presence on the smartphone said.
“I know but I’m trying not to believe it. Everyone still thinks that ‘the American S-class hunter is trying to play with Korea.'”
[That’s because the minds of those dealing in intelligence are so rigid.]
“Well… honestly, I don’t really care anymore.”
Kim Chung-sung rose from his seat.
“I don’t know what they want to do with a master who is associated with an S-class hunter protected by the United States, but at least don’t get me involved. I was just doing my job.”
[Aren’t you the one who sold information to other countries?]
“Oh, come now. Do you think I’m a traitor? A competent hacker in Russia extracted data that I organized on my personal laptop without my permission and forcibly stuffed 2 billion rubles into my secret account as if I sold information.”
[Let’s do that. The conversation….]
“It’s alright. I’m going to discard it right away, so don’t worry.”
[I understand. Then I’ll leave the scene immediately.]
Beep.
The call ended.
Kim Chung-sung lifted his camera again, zoomed in, and surveyed the people approaching an apartment room.
“Who would believe I’m really an NIS agent… huh?”
Agents in black suits, some who looked like they stepped out of a movie, and others in disguise were mixed in.
“Why are the real ones mixed in…? Whoa, those guys are the same.”
Some of them were Russians, while others were Koreans who couldn’t change their appearance, no matter how much they disguised themselves.
“This is strange. The chief must have gone crazy. Could it be the team acted independently? Ha, I might end up meeting those guys in Moscow.”
Kim Chung-sung bitterly smiled and held up his smartphone.
“Sigh. My father gave me a name to be loyal to the country, and now that loyalty is going to another country-”
Bang.
The sound of a gunshot.
It sounded like someone had turned up a speaker, but the sound was not coming from a speaker.
“What the hell…!”
Kim Chung-sung quickly lowered his body.
At the same time, he looked through the camera to see the direction of the apartment.
Thud, thud.
He could hear sounds.
With every movement of the black shadow, agents began to collapse one after another.
Not only the NIS but also elite agents dispatched from the KGB were being subdued and fell one by one to the black shadow.
W-What the?!
W-What’s that sound?
Are they filming a movie? Damn it, what the… Aaaah!!
Citizens startled by the gunfire panicked and screamed.
“Oh, we’re done for.”
Was the other side targeting it intentionally?
Were they exposing the situation to ordinary citizens deliberately to distract attention?
If so, then the American intelligence agencies, whether it’s the CIA or FBI, would have to face repercussions later.
Bang!
“!!”
The window of Kim Chung-sung’s hidden location shattered, and bullets lodged in the ceiling lights.
As glass shards poured down from behind his head, Kim Chung-sung nearly lost his sanity but rolled sideways as fast as he could.
Ding.
A text arrived on his smartphone.
The message from an acquaintance at the scene contained one phrase.
[Delete it yourself^^]
“…….”
What am I supposed to delete?
If I can’t comprehend that, this smartphone might explode or something.
“…They don’t seem like American agents.”
There was no way they were American agents.
The voices of American intelligence agents nearby, panicking and shouting, came through the eavesdropping device in his ear.
“……Ha, damn.”
After deleting all the data from the camera, Kim Chung-sung removed the memory chip and placed it into a beaker filled with gray liquid.
The chip pushed away and melted away, and another message arrived.
[Good.]
“…….”
What’s going on?
Kim Chung-sung decided to avoid thinking.
The moment he started to think, someone who had taken down the dozen agents over there would make a hole in the back of his head.
“Really, this is reckless.”
Kim Chung-sung ducked his head low.
“Damn, how did they hack it…?”
He couldn’t help but smirk at the smartphone that displayed a ‘blue screen’ of death.
“I’m not trying to trick anyone. A hack like this is ridiculous. Ha… tsk.”
Kim Chung-sung pulled out something other than his smartphone from his pocket.
A notebook.
“……Second henchman, an outstanding hacker. Terminator…? Robocop?”
As he was about to jot that down.
“Eh, let’s just forget it. It won’t get me paid more or anything.”
Kim Chung-sung tossed the notebook aside and closed his eyes.
“…Ah, I want to awaken too.”
As the sound of an ambulance siren was heard from below, Kim Chung-sung lost consciousness.
* * *
“I apologize. It seems we’ve been compromised.”
“There’s nothing to apologize for.”
Patrick looked very flustered at his smartphone, but I could only feel relieved at the message on my smartphone.
[Processing complete☆]
What was processed?
One was the vehicle of the NIS chasing behind this limousine.
The other was agents from another country who secretly came to investigate my house.
“Mr. Patrick. Is there a safe place where I can move my belongings at home?”
“…If you are referring to within Korea, we can first move them near Pyeongtaek.”
“Please do that.”
“Um…”
Patrick seemed to want to ask me something.
“Did you perhaps recruit another ability user from somewhere that we don’t know about?”
“…….”
“Oh, I apologize if it offended you. However, the fact that agents suddenly appeared from the master’s house and engaged in a shootout with those outside is…”
“Yes, I did recruit.”
Though it was a summoning, I couldn’t openly speak about it, either officially or unofficially.
Unless I planned to summon something like an aircraft carrier or a giant robot, or some super robot.
“I entrusted it to a very skilled friend in information warfare, since I needed to prepare myself….”
Beep.
A message came in.
“…Rockfeld?”
The instant I blurted out the name from the content, Patrick’s expression turned grim.
“…I apologize, Master. It seems information has leaked from our side. We will be more careful to prevent such an incident from happening.”
“I don’t presume to think it won’t happen at all. I am, after all, Asian, and America is a country of whites.”
Realizing again, there is no such thing as a safe country.
Only a safe home exists.
After all, I would just be summoning creatures and playing games from home, but I still didn’t want missiles to fall on that house or hitmen to come knocking.
“I want to reside in my own independent space. Where everything on this list is supported and my privacy is protected.”
I showed Patrick the list I had prepared with my partners in advance.
A list that commonly comes up in internet memes about “deciding on 10 years of benefits with 30 points”—everything.
“I understand. Furthermore, I will pay special attention to the master’s safety and information.”
“Yes. Then… ah, just a moment.”
I checked another message.
“Yeah, Elaine.”
[Reporting from Yeosu. Hunters who went up to Jeju Tower are not returning. It seems I can’t convey my presence here to those raiding.]
“Really? Ironblood too?”
[Yes. Even if they try to come down from now on….]
“It’ll probably take even longer to come down unless they defeat the boss and jump off the tower. Okay, then let’s go for a raid in the meantime.”
I quickly tapped the summoning management app.
“Mr. Patrick.”
“Yes, Master.”
“Act like you know nothing, and pretend you didn’t see anything. You get it?”
“I’ll prepare a pen that erases memories.”
Patrick put on sunglasses and covered his eyes with one arm.
Click, click.
With a white light bursting from me.
“Nice to see you again, Assistant Patrick.”
“…….”
Elaine appeared.
Sitting right on my lap.
“Is it strange?”
“…No.”
Patrick shook his head nonchalantly.
“The important thing is that we are heading towards Dokdo now.”
* * *
And shortly after.
A cargo ship carrying the black limousine met with an aircraft carrier and approached Dokdo.