Episode 20
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20. Colombia (2)
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"It is an honor to cross paths with Tenjung Trade once again. I have heard that the Chinese people hold honor and *guanxi* in high regard. I hope that our meeting today will blossom into an honorable *guanxi* moving forward."
Sergio Bae spoke as he walked down the clean research wing corridor with a confident stride. His English was unrefined but bold, accompanied by skillful eye contact and gestures.
Sergio Bae was a man who carried the air of a businessman far more than Jae-hak had anticipated.
"Thank you for your kind words. We, too, look forward to weaving endless opportunities together with your company."
Ji-seul effortlessly parried Sergio’s slick phrasing.
"However, we have yet to receive a concrete proposal, so might I ask what..."
"One cannot plant a tree without knowing the soil, nor can one raise a mast without knowing the wood. If you don't mind, could you show us a bit of the capabilities your company possesses?"
It was a shameless way of speaking. But it worked. Sergio wore a look of slight surprise, but soon put on his professional sales smile and gestured for them to follow, as if to say, "See for yourself."
Jae-hak followed behind her with an expressionless face, thinking that the company Ji-seul was impersonating—Tenjung Trade—must be quite a significant firm.
Sergio led them through the warehouse and the research wing. A PR team employee soon joined them, adding substance to Sergio’s words by presenting various figures and graphs. Sales. Revenue. CAPEX, OPEX...
"What do you think?"
"Impressive. However..."
Ji-seul slowly opened the conversation.
"What we are interested in is a different sector of your business."
"Different...?"
Sergio smiled nonchalantly. But Jae-hak saw it. The way his gaze flickered for a split second.
There was something here.
"Under current international law... when a monster appears, the annihilation of the monster always takes precedence over the protection of private property, doesn't it? I think it would be wonderful if about five Pale Skins were to pop out at our competitor's loading dock."
Ji-seul cast her fishing line with a subtle voice. Sergio’s face stiffened, his sales smile still plastered on.
"I... I'm not sure I understand what you mean."
"You seem a bit slow on the news. Vice President, your company's business is no longer a secret."
Monster trafficking and delivery. That was the primary business area of El Comercio Bolivar, as suspected by the National Intelligence Service.
"...I think there has been some misunderstanding. Are you sure you came to the right company?"
It was then that someone rushed over and whispered something into Sergio’s ear. Sergio’s complexion changed instantly, and he looked at Ji-seul with a sour expression.
"I suppose another bidder has already appeared?"
Ji-seul said it as if she knew. No, in fact, she did know. By now, Sang-jun, disguised as a Japanese businessman, would be at the front gate, making a scene and demanding to trade monsters.
"I won't ask you to sign a contract with us right this second. You will need to review various conditions on your end, after all..."
In a situation where it was unclear what was what, Ji-seul cunningly left an exit open. It was a tactic of feigning to provide a way out while actually herding them in one direction.
"However, as I mentioned, it is a fact that talk of your company's business has been rampant in the industry for several days now. You may choose to deny it, but in that case, we will have no choice but to interpret it as an expression that you have no intention of respecting us as a trading partner. I ask for your understanding in advance."
In short, it was a bluff—telling him they knew everything, so they might as well talk openly.
Would it work? There was a high possibility it would. Sang-jun’s distraction had also come at a perfect time. *Work. Please work...*
*Hoo.* Sergio finally let out a long sigh.
"Follow me."
Without a word, Sergio led them away from the research wing and into the mountains nearby. It was a facility surrounded on all sides by towering walls. A sign hung on it: *Incinerator*.
Jae-hak stood still for a moment, looking up at the Gate that had become quite close beyond the wall. They had said it was a vanished Gate. The fact that this company existed right here was living proof of the contrary.
But, still.
Jae-hak could not take his eyes off it. It might sound strange, but... it was an ominous sense of familiarity. He could hear something like a heartbeat. *Thump, thump.*
*Beep, beep, beep.*
As Sergio entered the password and scanned his fingerprint, the heavy bulkhead opened. In the middle of a mountain of waste, a massive building stood, completely invisible from the outside.
"I don't need to say this, but... I would appreciate it if you kept everything you see here strictly confidential. We need to refine our strategy moving forward, after all..."
Sergio said that and opened the building door. Jae-hak glanced one last time at the ominously flickering Gate before stepping inside.
If Jae-hak had kept his eyes on the Gate for just a moment longer, he would have seen it. A faint green light spreading across the Gate, as if reacting to him.
But by that moment, Jae-hak had already followed Sergio inside the building.
"Let me introduce you. This is the catalog that our El Comercio Bolivar prides itself on."
Ji-seul swallowed hard. The stench hit them first, followed by the steel cages that filled both sides of the center corridor.
*What on earth...*
Under the dim lighting, it was a zoo of demons. The sight of various monsters packed into every cage, pressing their bloodshot eyes against the bars, had enough destructive power to make even Jae-hak, who had become quite accustomed to monsters, feel his knees go weak.
"You said you wanted to send them to a competitor's loading dock, right?"
Sergio asked calmly. In his eyes, one could see the obsession to secure a client now that things had come to this.
"If it's a competitor of Tenjung Trade... I suppose we can assume they are based in China. The safest choice is the Pale Skin. If you ship them while they are well-nourished, they will survive for three months."
"That sounds good."
Ji-seul said that and whispered something in Chinese into Jae-hak’s ear. Jae-hak nodded bluntly, as they had discussed. He then turned around, put his hand to his ear, and pretended to speak into a comms device.
"If you want a more difficult species... we also have the Transparent Type. How about a Glass Eye? It incurs additional life-support costs, but the scale of the damage will be incomparable."
*Wow.* Ji-seul put on an expression of feigned admiration.
"That’s incredible. May I ask where you manage to acquire such monsters...?"
"I’m afraid I can’t tell you that. We are tied up in many ways ourselves..."
As expected, it wouldn't be solved that easily. *Now, how do I dig out the mastermind...* Ji-seul was deep in thought. Now that she had confirmed the suspicion of monster trafficking, should she go back and assign additional surveillance personnel? Or should she secure Sergio before they caught wind of them?
Or perhaps split into two teams...
*WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.*
It was then that a sharp siren rang out. *What?* People looked around in surprise.
"Due to the nature of the facility, it’s common for one or two monsters to escape. You have nothing to worry abou..."
Sergio tried to calm everyone down in a hurry. But before he could even finish his sentence, armed troops stormed in.
"Vice President! You must evacuate!"
"What is it? What’s going on?"
"The Gate, the Gate is...!"
And the report wasn't coming from just that side.
-Sandpiper, Lazarus. This is De Niro. Reporting that the Gate in the back is opening again. I suggest you evacuate. Over.
Sang-jun’s urgent voice rang out from the earpiece in his ear.
If the Gate was opening... that meant monsters were coming out. Jae-hak thought. Why was the Gate, which had been quiet all this time, starting to spew out monsters again?
If he thought it had something to do with him coming here... was he being too self-centered?
"What is going on?"
Feigning ignorance, Ji-seul approached Sergio. The troops who had come to escort him blocked her path.
"I apologize. You need to evacuate."
"What is happening?"
"I apologize, Ma'am. You must follow our control for now..."
*Crack.*
But before those words could even finish, Ji-seul’s fist slammed into the throat of the agent blocking her. The agent, caught off guard by the sudden strike, staggered, and his gun was already in Ji-seul’s hand.
And then, a display of marksmanship bordering on a stunt.
*Bang, bang, bang-bang.*
Five men fell before they could even react. Jae-hak, who had already moved in, kicked away the muzzle of a gun being raised by an agent who had belatedly grasped the situation.
*Thwack.*
And with a clean, follow-up strike, he cut off the man’s consciousness. In an instant, the corridor was filled with fallen agents.
"You’ve gotten much better."
Ji-seul giggled.
"At first, you only used your arms to hit."
Hearing Korean, Sergio, who had been frozen in confusion, saw his complexion change.
"You... who are you people?"
*Thwack.*
Ji-seul didn't answer and kicked Sergio hard in the solar plexus. She then aimed the stolen gun at his forehead as he collapsed.
"Hello, Mr. Bae Jeong-seop."
"Ugh..."
"You’re the one who approached Section Chief Choi Yong-deok of the Nowon Police Station under the name Kim Eon-su a few months ago, right?"
Sergio wore a look as if he had realized something, then clamped his mouth shut. It was certain. This was the guy.
-Sandpiper, Lazarus. This is De Niro. Reporting that you need to get out of there immediately!
"You told Section Chief Choi Yong-deok to track Jeong Doyeong. Whose orders were they?"
"...Go to hell. You b*tch."
*Hoo.* Ji-seul closed her eyes and let out a short sigh, then brought the muzzle of the gun to Sergio’s knee. And she pulled the trigger.
*Bang!*
"AAAAAAAGH!!"
Sergio let out a horrific scream.
"We don't have time for this, so let's not... I will ask you again. Under whose orders were you tracking Jeong Doyeong?"
"Am, America... It’s America. Ah, agh... The American Pentagon..."
*The Pentagon?* Jae-hak blinked in surprise at a backer beyond his imagination. The U.S. Department of Defense...?
Ji-seul wore a tired smile for a moment. Then, she shot Sergio in his other knee.
*Bang!*
"Ah, aaaaaagh... Why, why...!!"
"Don't give me the nonsense you prepared in case of torture. Tell me the truth."
Ji-seul said that and pressed the muzzle of the gun against Sergio’s crotch.
"Please, let’s make this quick. Who is the mastermind?"
Fear clouded Sergio’s eyes as his bluff was read. Ji-seul began to count slowly.
"Three. Two..."
"Atlas! Atlas Biomedical!"
Sergio finally shouted.
"It’s true. It’s true! Atlas... the multinational pharmaceutical company..."
Atlas Biomedical. They were the absolute powerhouse in the fields of pharmaceuticals and monster biology. Even Jae-hak had heard of them.
But that was exactly why it was suspicious. They already dominated the market without needing to resort to dirty tricks, so why would they do something like this...?
"Why were they chasing Jeong Doyeong?"
"Jeong Doyeong, he... I heard he stole something from Antarctica... a precious! A precious core!"
Ji-seul stared intently into his eyes for a moment. Judging that he wasn't lying, she pulled a photograph from her coat and shoved it in front of his face.
"Who is this?"
A woman. Or, to be precise, a woman's corpse.
It was the shapeshifter who had murdered Jae-hak’s mother and Officer Seong-min.
"I don't know! Who... who is that..."
Tsk. Ji-seul began counting again. "Three..."
"I really don't know! What... what kind of person is she! Where did you see her?!"
"She is an Awakened sent by Atlas to track down Jeong Doyeong."
"Then, ugh... then she must be an Erger Six operative... I don't know her face... it’s the truth..."
"Erger Six?"
Ji-seul confirmed once more.
"Are you talking about the American Hunter agency, Erger Six?"
"Yes, yes... they call themselves a Hunter agency, but they’re basically Atlas’s hands and feet... they do all the dirty work..."
-Sandpiper, Lazarus. This is De Niro. It’s been fun. Let me know if you prefer cremation or a natural burial for your corpses.
Sang-jun’s voice crackled over the radio, sounding resigned and sarcastic.
"Please... please spare me... I told you everything... please..."
*Thwack.*
Ji-seul struck the pleading Sergio with the butt of her rifle. He was a valuable source of information. She would have to take him back to the National Intelligence Service and squeeze him for every last drop of intel. Jae-hak hoisted the limp man onto his back and started running.
*Bang! Bang-bang-bang!*
As they sprinted out of the incinerator area, the surroundings had already turned into a battlefield. Monsters were pouring out of the Gate, and security forces were unleashing silver bullets. It was a scene of absolute carnage, with blood and fire licking at the bullet-scarred earth.
"Over there! Over there!"
Ji-seul deliberately tousled her hair and clung to one of the guards.
"Please help me! Please save us..."
"Ma'am, it’s dangerous here. Quickly... huh?"
Seeing Sergio on Jae-hak’s back, the guard quickly signaled his subordinates.
"Hurry! Get the Vice President and the guests to the helicopter!"
They ran across the research wing, where a rescue helicopter was waiting. Jae-hak sat the unconscious Sergio in a seat and pulled Ji-seul up.
"Taking off!"
*Whirrrrrrr...*
The helicopter rose into the air in a hurry. *It worked.* Ji-seul and Jae-hak exchanged a look. *It worked.* Now, they just had to wait for the right moment to hold a gun to the pilot’s head...
*BOOM...*
At that moment, the world shook. An ominous tremor that rattled the very foundations of the earth. Both the monsters and the humans turned to look toward the Gate.
'What is that...?'
Jae-hak didn't know how to describe the thing that slowly emerged from the Gate. The first thing he saw were its blood-red eyes. It crawled on all fours, and its entire body radiated an aura like smoke.
And above all, it was massive. From head to toe, it was the size of a 10-story—no, a 14-story apartment building. Every time its heavy limbs struck the ground, the deep thud made the atmosphere tremble.
Cold sweat trickled down his spine. *What is that? Is that also a monster? Is that something a human can even kill?*
*Whirrrrrrr...*
The creature’s red eyes locked onto the helicopter. No, they locked onto Jae-hak. Jae-hak could feel it. The thing had come out specifically to find him.
The creature raised its arm. Then, it threw something. It was a chunk of concrete the size of a house. It was flying toward them...
"Evasive maneuvers!"
The pilot desperately pulled the throttle. The helicopter groaned, *screeching* as it fought against air resistance. But it was too late.
*CRASH!*
With a deafening roar, the helicopter’s tail rotor was cleanly ripped away. *Beep, beep, beep, beep.* The emergency alarm blared. The world spun wildly. The smell of something burning...
"Hold on tight!"
The helicopter plummeted helplessly. *Boom.* A small explosion erupted in the forest, scattering flames and debris.
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