Echidna, who got up with a start, checked her watch.
1:39. It's a bit late for lunch, let alone breakfast. In fact, it's been three hours since I opened my eyes, but I've been rolling around in bed the whole time because I don't have the energy to move.
It wasn't a matter of condition. I simply had no motivation. Ever since I was led to the lab by Kim Lee-hyun, I still had no idea what to do.
A life where you can sleep when you feel sleepy and wake up whenever you want.
There was nothing for her to do here. She didn't want to wander around uselessly. She didn't want to meet people. She felt uncomfortable with the glances that kept coming at her while pretending not to notice.
But the alarm in my stomach didn't stop for a single day.
Gulp.
"I'm hungry…."
I just changed my clothes. I didn't feel like washing or combing my hair. I glanced at myself in the mirror before leaving, but my appearance was terrible. All I could think was, "What's the big deal?"
There is no one here who expects dignity from her.
It was something that might not have happened in this world.
Jiiing.
I walked slowly towards the restaurant. My stomach started growling again as I smelled the sweet scent of demi-glace sauce. Echidna took the food on her plate and sat down in a corner.
I cut the meat into small pieces and put them in my mouth.
"it's good."
I muttered to myself. It was a habit I had developed recently. When I was stuck in my room, my thoughts would just get all jumbled up, so I had to talk to myself.
Life in the lab itself wasn't as bad as I thought. The facilities were clean. The quality of the restaurants was objectively excellent. People would look at you sideways but wouldn't necessarily approach you.
I also have doubts.
'How can this be called a research center?'
At least among the people who used this restaurant, there were no researchers. The trained muscles visible through the comfortable attire. The gait and the torso. They looked like nothing but combatants.
That's why I'm suspicious.
'What are you going to use these gathered troops for?'
It's too much to call it a security measure. To fight against the Legion that I heard from Kim Yi-hyun? Why is a single research institute fighting against a terrorist group? What is the ultimate goal?
In the first place, I wondered what position Kim Yi-hyeon would have here, but I didn't feel like asking myself. Echidna betrayed Kim Yi-hyeon and was used at the same time.
It hasn't been sorted out yet.
"Is it okay if I sit here?"
I raised my gaze at the sound.
There was a man and a woman standing with trays. First, I checked the man who had spoken to me. I don't know if it was our first time meeting. I may have met him before.
But unless they had a particularly unique appearance, Echidna didn't remember the agents. She hadn't even bothered to look at them in the first place.
It was normal for both to be unfamiliar.
Actually, the man was not memorable.
On the other hand, it was different for women.
"Sha, Shairao?"
It was a familiar face.
Rather than a connection, I know her one-sidedly. She is the adopted daughter of the boss of one of the largest mafia families in Echidna's hometown. I heard she went missing, but why is she here?
"who?"
Shairao tilted her head. Even though she had met him several times at parties, she didn't seem to recognize him.
It wasn't a big deal. In my memory, Shairao was always with her head down. At the time, I felt a sense of kinship with her.
The question is how to introduce yourself.
Can a mafia without an organization be called a mafia?
"...no."
In the end, there was no choice but to muddle through.
The man, Turkam, looked back and forth between Shay and Echidna. He thought for a moment about what kind of relationship they had, then dismissed it. He didn't really care about other people's pasts.
"I know you gave me permission, but I apologize."
Turkam sat down across from Echidna. Naturally, Shay took the seat next to him. As always, she started eating her soup without saying a word.
"…Do you have any business with me? There are plenty of seats available."
Echidna was clearly uncomfortable. Turkam hesitated for a moment, wondering if he had approached her for no reason. However, if he backed down now, it would only lead to unnecessary misunderstandings.
I'm not gathering here because of evil intentions. I really have business to attend to.
"Isn't that the person the team leader brought?"
"Team leader?"
"Hyeon. My name is Kim Lee-Hyeon."
The expression becomes mysterious. Since I knew it, it was obviously the correct answer.
"I heard you went to Banjar. I want to hear what happened there. What did the team leader do, who did he fight with, and how did he fight, and things like that."
"Why don't you ask me?"
"Because you didn't tell me in detail…."
Above all, the point of view is different.
Turkam was more curious about how Kim I-Hyeon acted than about the incident that occurred in Banjar itself. In other words, he was interested in his performance as seen from the perspective of others.
"What are you going to use it for, knowing that?"
A blunt question. Shay answered it instead.
"Turkam likes the team leader."
"...네?"
"Ma, why did you say that! You're misunderstanding me…!"
"Wrong? Then you don't like it?"
"That's not it. Why are people so extreme?"
Turkam sighed at the suspicious gaze. He looked around aimlessly. As he had checked earlier, Kim I-hyeon was nowhere to be seen in the restaurant.
"Personally, well, um. I think he's a great person. Yes. Everyone has something to learn from. Sometimes, it's not just one, but two or three things…."
It was nonsense. The words were disorganized, but the content was simple.
Turkam admires Kim I-hyeon. He was the one who didn't run away even though his whole body was soaked in blood and his hands were shaking. He fought even though he was covered in wounds.
As someone who has been watching since Operation Ashbelt, I couldn't help but admire him.
"I think you already know this, but… he's a person who's easy to hate. He doesn't hesitate to do terrible things. But the team leader isn't exactly a psychopath."
"...."
"When you see how he treats others in rap, he's just a normal guy. He'll do whatever he thinks is necessary. That's not easy."
Even with normal emotions and morality, they often make cruel choices. At first, Turkam was against it, but now he realizes that it requires an absurd amount of will.
Echidna listened silently. Soon, a question began to sprout in her heart.
'What does that person want to do in the end?'
If Kim Yi-hyeon has a huge and clear goal, which could be called a wish, and is working hard to achieve it, what kind of ending will that effort take?
Will you be broken as badly as I was? If not… … .
Echidna wondered about that.
* * *
"The problem has arisen."
Less than ten minutes after entering Cilicia, I realized the seriousness of the situation. I didn't even have time to feel homesick for having returned after such a long time.
Kim Lee-hyeon stopped and looked up at the scoreboard.
On May 15, another suspicion arose about Chief Constable Allen Iver, who was arrested on suspicion of illegal drug trafficking.
According to a statement released by Rep. Johanna Feltner, the suspect had been receiving illegal assistance from the clerk in exchange for money… … .
Allen Iver.
He was the chief of police who was in charge of the aftermath of the No Face incident. But now he's the chief of police. It was surprising that he got promoted so quickly, but it seemed like he'd ended up in the abyss.
"Boss, it seems more serious than I thought."
"I see. What on earth happened?"
It wasn't just the security forces' problem.
The congressman pointed out the connection between the National Assembly and the police. Illegal drugs, Nabal, this is political infighting. Illegal investigation? Anything can be used as an excuse.
The council and the security forces were closely connected from the beginning. As you can see from the relationship between the Cilicia council, Dustborn, and the security forces, the security forces are not an independent organization.
therefore.
The fact that they attacked the security forces means that the council is fighting among themselves. And judging by the way things turned out, it would be right to assume that the one who got their flesh torn was Dustborne's client.
'If we leave it alone, something big will happen.'
There is a high possibility that Dustborne's only treasure trove will be blown up. And that's not all. It wouldn't be strange if they were all arrested under the guise of 'illegal investigation'.
'It was worth sending an SOS.'
The source of the information was not Kushan's spies, but Dustborn. To be exact, Kushan received the help call sent by Dustborn and connected them. The contact network that had been prepared in advance was functioning properly.
I didn't take any other route and went straight to the office.
'It's been a year since I've been here. I haven't been here in a while.'
Cilicia was a bustling city as ever. So much so that even the country bumpkin Edwin complained of a slight shiver as he made his way through the forest of buildings.
Judging from the reaction that was exactly like Asterike's in the past, I wonder if it was Pecatum's special trait or something. No, it seemed like if I brought Ainoa, she would get excited and run around everywhere.
We arrived at the office after passing through the complicated streets. Familiar faces greeted the president and his party who had gone on a business trip, wondering if they had moved the office without missing the regular report.
"You came, Hyun…!"
"How long has it been! I almost forgot your face."
Bryce and Jenna.
The two of them didn't look much different from a year ago. They just looked a little more mature, and more than that, they looked tired. It must have been a lot of hardship for them since their client, the National Assembly, was in shambles.
"Yeah, yeah. Long time no see. How about Pep?"
"Outside. I'm walking around the streets gathering information."
I nodded at Jenna's answer.
Next, I took a quick look around the office. In addition to the original members, there were four faces I had never seen before. When our eyes met, they all bowed with military discipline.
'Are you new?'
I heard from the regular reports coming through the lab that they had increased their manpower a few months ago. They were able to handle it thanks to the fact that they had been faithfully carrying out requests.
Of course, the money he earned legitimately through his contract with Rap also went into the company's pocket money. He took personal money for various reasons, but he did not embezzle it openly.
'I don't know what kind of guys they are….'
I just gave him a quick wave. I didn't have time to worry about the newbie right now.
"Let me start with the explanation. How did the police end up like that?"
* * *
The formation and conflict of groups is a human instinct. If you look closely at a classroom of teenagers, you will see that they are divided into factions, so how bad would it be for a political organization that governs a city?
Naturally, there are several factions within the Cilicia Parliament.
However, during his previous stay in Cilicia, Kim I-Hyeon treated the parliament as a single parliament. He did not let the troublesome issues of factions and conflicts within the organization get to him.
The reason why they were able to do so was because the forces behind the Dustborn-connected staff member Kavek were the mainstream faction of the Council. They had never brought political issues into their requests.
"That's a thing of the past."
Bryce spat out bitterly. It was awkward to see him sipping coffee instead of alcohol. The Bryce that Kim Ihyeon remembered was a hard-boiled man who always carried a bottle of rum in his bosom.
'Well. I wasn't originally a gangster who drank alcohol while on duty.'
He was a normal person who was at the top of the list of people I've ever met. He was someone I could trust with the Kilikia branch. In fact, Bryce served as branch manager for a year without any shortcomings.
"So to speak, it was too wild."
"Dustborne?"
"No. The Congress."
He briefly talked about the past year.
"It was a year of purges. The Congress wielded the sword it held in its hands with great abandon in the No Face affair. Every day, civil servants and businessmen were arrested and tried. Most of you probably know what the verdict was."
"Well, I guess he became an outlaw."
Bryce replied in the affirmative.
"That in itself wasn't a problem. The moment you're branded an outlaw, any connections or wealth you originally had goes down the drain. Now that the appeal has been rejected, no one can defend the outlaws."
That is the law of Cilicia. Strict laws are used to protect the order of the city. So that the city does not turn into a lawless area with the influx of outsiders.
But excessive control tends to breed backlash.
"The power of the National Assembly has been strengthened thanks to the rampage of the Paneros faction connected to us. Our external standing has certainly become stronger, but the problem is that it has gone too far."
A heavy sigh escaped.
"Where can you find a clean politician? Even in Congress, they felt a sense of crisis because the companies they had unknowingly connected with were reeling. The Paneros faction was completely isolated."
"Are you going to swallow up the achievements you've made so far?"
"Isn't that the political world?"
"Oh my."
While the Paneros faction was increasing its influence abroad, there were secret meetings within the National Assembly, and they began to work together to drive out the Paneros faction, which had been the mainstream faction… .
It can be summarized in one word: he was pushed out in politics.
The person who carried the gun must have been a member of parliament who made the statement. The fact that such a person personally came forward gives us a rough idea of how unfavorable the situation is.
"What's going on with Kabak?"
"It seems like he's running around inside the parliament. He's a middle manager after all, so he's probably getting pushed around here and there. When the chief of police was arrested, all requests were stopped. We were told to be careful with each other so that our connections with the parliament and the police wouldn't be discovered, but that's not easy."
"Are you able to contact me?"
"Yeah. It's not like we were thrown into a sand pit. Well, if we act crazy and rush in, they might suffer some damage too. In a way, we're a community with a shared destiny."
A mercenary company that receives direct commissions separately from the security forces. If you were to weigh legality and illegality, it would be infinitely closer to illegality. If there were even a little manipulation, it would appear as vicious as the forces of the underworld.
The expression "community of shared destiny" is not an exaggeration.
"Is the situation a bit serious?"
"As you can see, even the chief of police is going to prison."
"I guess I'll have to use my hands."
At this rate, the Cilicia branch will really be blown away. There won't be any major problems with the agreement with CellbroLogics Lab, but the identity of 'Kim Lee-hyun of Dustborne' itself will become ambiguous.
'Actually, it was still ambiguous until now.'
Due to the nature of their work, they are a company that is not well known even in Cilicia. It is highly unlikely that they will have any name value overseas. Even in Banjar, they were mistaken for an agent of CellbroLogics Lab until the very end.
but.
'It might actually be an opportunity.'
A chance for Dustborne to come out into the open.
The name 'Hyeon' has already begun to spread due to his activities in Bastitera. As he is gaining influence as an individual, there is no need to leave Dustborn as a hole-in-the-wall shop.
"Now, is there a breakthrough?"
Bryce asked, hanging on. He was a mercenary after all. He had been a police officer up until then, but he had no idea how to interfere in the conflict between political factions.
"Well…."
It was the same for Kim Yi-hyeon. The only political experience he had in the past was at school and at work. The scale was different, and he did not actively socialize with others.
But that didn't mean there was no way.
"Isn't there a place for everything?"
"hmm?"
While Bryce was wide-eyed, not knowing English, Kim Yi-hyeon just turned his head and looked back. Chelsea, Asterike, Aria, and Edwin were sitting on the sofa.
And the woman standing apart from the four like an isolated island. As soon as their eyes met, she immediately looked away and pretended not to know. No matter how chic her expression was, it wouldn't work on Kim Lee Hyun.
"Echidna. Did you hear everything?"
"D, you hear that? What?"
"Stop talking nonsense."
Kim Yi-hyeon chuckled at the sight of her hair being tousled.
"I don't know why you decided to follow me."
Echidna volunteered to join the Cilicia expedition. Whether it was due to some reason or the passage of time, it is unknown, but it was clear that there had been a change of heart.
In other words, as of today, the woman with a broken mind has changed jobs to worker A.
"If you're here, you have to do some work, right?"
It's time to see the former mafia boss in action.