The safehouse was quieter than usual after the team returned from Gwangju. Each member nursed their wounds, physical and emotional, as they processed the chaos of the mission. Seojin's gaze was fixed on the encrypted files Dojin had recovered. The glow of the laptop screen reflected in her eyes, but her mind was elsewhere—on the shipment, the Phoenix, and the fragments of her father's past that haunted her.
Jiwon broke the silence first, his tone curt. "We almost got killed back there. What went wrong?"
Dojin leaned back in his chair, arms crossed. "The system was more advanced than I expected. They had layered firewalls and motion-triggered alerts. I thought I could bypass them, but they detected me."
"You thought?" Jiwon's voice was sharp. "We rely on you to give us the advantage. Instead, we walked into a death trap."
"Enough," Seojin interjected, her voice commanding. She turned to Dojin, her expression unreadable. "What did you find?"
Dojin hesitated before answering. "The files confirm what we suspected. Inferno isn't just a weapon—it's a system. It integrates bio-tracking with autonomous targeting, capable of identifying and neutralizing targets based on genetic markers. In short, it's a precision-kill system."
Kyungmin frowned. "And the shipment we saw in Gwangju?"
Dojin nodded grimly. "It was a prototype. They're testing it on a small scale before rolling it out globally. If they perfect this technology, they'll have the power to eliminate anyone, anywhere, without a trace."
The room fell into a heavy silence as the implications sank in.
Seojin broke the stillness. "What about my father? Did you find anything connecting him to this?"
Dojin hesitated again, a flicker of discomfort crossing his face. "There's one file. It's heavily encrypted, but the metadata shows his name as one of the contributors. I'll need more time to decrypt it."
Seojin's jaw tightened. "You knew this during the mission, didn't you? Why didn't you tell me?"
"I didn't want to distract you," Dojin replied defensively. "We were already in a dangerous situation."
"That wasn't your call to make," Seojin snapped, her voice rising. "If my father's involved in this, I have the right to know—no matter the circumstances."
"Your personal feelings can't override the mission," Jiwon said, his tone calm but firm. "We're all in this together, and we can't afford to let emotions cloud our judgment."
Seojin glared at him. "This isn't just about me. If my father was working with the Phoenix, it changes everything we know about their operations. Don't tell me it doesn't matter."
"Enough," Kyungmin said, stepping between them. "We're not going to get anywhere by fighting each other. Let's focus on what we do know and figure out our next move."
Dojin cleared his throat, drawing the group's attention back to the screen. "There's one more thing. The files mention a location—an underground facility in Busan. It's listed as the primary testing site for Inferno."
"Busan?" Kyungmin repeated. "That's a major city. If they're testing Inferno there, the potential for collateral damage is massive."
"Exactly," Dojin said. "We need to shut it down before they move forward with their plans."
Seojin nodded, her resolve hardening. "Then that's our next target. We'll gather intel, find a way in, and stop the tests."
"And what about the Phoenix?" Jiwon asked. "They'll be expecting us after what happened in Gwangju."
"Let them expect us," Seojin said coldly. "We'll be ready."
Later that night, Seojin stood alone on the balcony of the safehouse, the cold air biting at her skin. The city lights stretched out before her, a stark contrast to the shadows that weighed on her heart.
Kyungmin joined her, his expression gentle. "You okay?"
She didn't answer immediately. "I don't know what to believe anymore, Kyungmin. If my father really was part of this… it feels like everything I've ever known is a lie."
Kyungmin placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "We'll find the truth, Seojin. And no matter what it is, you're not alone in this."
She nodded, a faint smile tugging at her lips. "Thanks. I needed to hear that."
End of Chapter 27