168. Artificial Devil
168. Artificial Devil
Is this what the middle of a cold front looks like?
As if Leah’s magic power had poured out, a cold, frozen air wafted through the research team.
It was at that moment that small wrinkles appeared at the corners of Jinwoo Park’s eyes as he looked at her seriously.
“I almost said that~.”
“… … ?”
Baek Eun-seol, sensing the ominous atmosphere, put her hand on the sword but stopped and turned her head.
Seochowi, who had been blank-faced, opened his mouth wide.
“What on earth… did you just say… what did you mean…”
“I was joking, why are you looking like that? I said it was a joke, a joke.”
Jinwoo Park’s expression changed in an instant and he smiled broadly.
Then he started to look slightly embarrassed, like a comedian facing a cold audience.
“Why are you being so serious? The golden cloud wasn’t first discovered in China, was it? The first sighting was 23 years ago in the western hills of Namibia, Africa.”
“…Was it so?”
Seochowi made an ambiguous expression.
“I have been gathering as much information as I can on the incident that is believed to have been caused by a great misfortune, but this is the first time I have heard of such a story.”
“Really? This is something we have in our Academy’s archives. Is this information not available in China?”
Park Jin-woo shrugged his shoulders and smiled.
“Anyway, most cases are assumed to be caused by the golden cloud. If we only consider the first sighting, the first case was actually reported in Brazil seven years ago. So-”
That was when.
“Hangover attack with methanol! Hehehe.”
Suddenly, Jang-wi waved his hands and shouted.
The surprised people’s gazes immediately turned to him.
“Oh my, that’s surprising.”
“The chief again… .”
Park Jin-woo said with a sullen expression.
“I don’t think that’s a hangover?”
“How much do you, a young man, know about hangovers! Go get some methanol from the storage room!”
“If you drink methanol, you will die. Are you really drunk?”
“… Chief Jang, this is you.”
Seocho-wi, whose face was sad, held his forehead.
A few researchers nearby supported Jangwi on both sides, who was screaming and laughing bitterly.
“Okay, Chief. Calm down and go. You didn’t miss your medicine today, did you?”
“Let go of it! Ugh… .”
“Oh, oh. It seems like you forgot. Let’s take him to the secretary first.”
“If the blue metal manamertinium and hydrogen sulfide meet, there is a risk of suffocation! However, if you ingest only a very small amount, you can get a glimpse of heaven, Han Seon-sa-ae-aeng…”
Jang-wi continued talking nonsense while being dragged away as if he was being taken away.
The two groups that had been quietly watching his back naturally turned their gaze to each other.
Seocho-wi said.
“I am truly sorry. Our Chief Jang has made a great mistake….”
“Okay. Let’s start by figuring out how to spread the drug for neutralizing effects.”
Park Jin-woo pointed to the smartwatch on his wrist.
“If the opponent is the Golden Cloud, then today, the third day, will be the deadline.”
* * *
– First of all, I think we need to divide the people by major.
– then….
With just one simple word from Park Jin-woo, Seocho-wi divided up the personnel in an instant.
The selected people move quickly, each following Park Jin-woo’s simple gestures and explanations.
Yu Hyeon-seong, who was watching with sparkling eyes the proud Chinese magicians moving in unison with just one word, suddenly noticed Baek Eun-seol at the edge of his vision and focused his gaze.
“… … ?”
Baek Eun-seol, who usually maintains a calm demeanor and never neglects her surroundings, now appears to be lost in thought for some reason.
Yoo Hyun-seong felt very puzzled, so he quietly approached her and called her name.
“Senior Baek Eun-seol?”
“…What happened?”
Baek Eun-seol asks with only her eyes moving just as she had thought.
At that ominous sight, Yoo Hyeon-seong felt his back straighten.
There is something he doesn’t know.
I felt that kind of confidence.
“I’d like to ask. Is there anything strange…?”
“… … .”
Baek Eun-seol closed her eyes tightly and then opened them.
What is clearly reflected in her pupils are the faces of Chinese researchers.
“Just before….”
Baek Eun-seol, who had been lost in thought for a moment, finally opened her mouth.
“When your junior Jinwoo Park seemed to be joking around strangely, didn’t you think it was strange?”
“What do you mean… strange?”
Yoo Hyun-seong tilted his head.
——————
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“Um… I felt like Jinwoo was the same as usual.”
“You’re dull. And you?”
“Oh, me, me?”
Luna looked slightly surprised, then answered in the quietest of whispers.
“I had the same thought as you, senior. What should I say? A bit of an acting tone…?”
As she continued to speak, Luna’s expression gradually became clouded, as if she was losing confidence in real time.
“… I’m not sure because I’m not perfect at capturing the nuances of Korean speech.”
“No, I’m sure. This junior is just insensitive.”
When Baek Eun-seol glanced at him as if blaming him, Yoo Hyeon-seong smiled faintly as if he felt embarrassed.
“You often hang out with Seo Ye-rin at Geomsan, so it seems you’ve gotten used to it. And your fighting style too…”
“I’m sorry. Things have changed quite a bit these days.”
Park Jin-woo’s personality changed as he attempted to change into a familiar style under the name of ‘Berserker’, but Yoo Hyun-seong and Baek Eun-seol thought that he was influenced by Seo Ye-rin.
Seo Ye-rin, who had been listening quietly, made an angry expression, but did not open her mouth because the atmosphere was so serious.
Yoo Hyun-seong asked.
“Anyway, what happened to Jinwoo then?”
“It’s not Jinwoo Park’s junior. It’s the expressions of those people right across from him that are the problem.”
“that….”
Yoo Hyun-seong groaned softly as he recalled the expressions on the Chinese researchers’ faces.
Perhaps because the atmosphere had changed so suddenly, I was so flustered that I couldn’t remember anything clearly.
“It was divided into two types.”
At that moment, Leah, who had been listening quietly, suddenly intervened.
“People with stiff expressions and people who are confused.”
“What Winter Lake’s junior said is correct.”
Baek Eun-seol nodded in agreement.
“And in the former case, it was mostly older people.”
Surprise slowly spread across Yoo Hyun-seong and Seo Ye-rin’s faces.
“That means… no way… .”
“yes.”
Baek Eun-seol still glared at the researchers moving in groups with sharp eyes.
“I guess junior Park Jin-woo’s guess was correct.”
Baek Eun-seol, who had been observing them for a while, looked back at the group.
“For now, let’s split up and watch their movements. And I warn you, don’t let them catch you. If that happens, you’ll be so pitiful that you’ll want to cut them down.”
“Don’t worry. I trained like that in Geomsan…”
“Well, well. If the cactus plant moves….”
“As long as you don’t draw attention, it’ll be fine. After all, since you’re here for research, you won’t cause any harm to us.”
Baek Eun-seol, who had been saying that, suddenly asked as if she had remembered something.
“Come to think of it, it seems like it’s already past the meeting time. Where on earth is junior Ha Seong-jun?”
“Huh? Well~? That junior is so self-centered~.”
“You don’t even get texts? Since you’re registered at the Academy, there shouldn’t be any international restrictions.”
“I tried calling earlier, but the call was disconnected after 3 seconds.”
The standby signal was immediately cut off.
That means you’re in a situation where you can’t answer the phone.
“Surely, in case you get involved in something unnecessary….”
“Just in case, I’ll make a call now.”
Yoo Hyun-seong pressed the smartwatch with a slightly stiff expression.
* * *
– Ring ring- Ring.
As soon as the beep sounded, Ha Seong-jun raised his head and chose to reject the call.
“… … .”
A hallway dyed black.
In that place, barely illuminated by the light from the emergency stairs, Ha Seong-jun took a deep breath.
The smooth skin on the bridge of his nose was covered in wrinkles.
“Tsk. It looks like you don’t even clean properly.”
Lightly cast wind magic to sweep away the dust surrounding you, gathering it into an empty container on one side.
Just fill it with magical water and your cleaning is done.
“Hmm.”
Only then did Ha Seong-jun look like he was able to breathe a little easier and carefully lift his foot off the ground.
Because the vibration of the air itself was neutralized by magic, there was no sound of footsteps at all.
– Jiiing.
I wonder if it has a motion detection function.
The CCTV camera at the place Ha Seong-jun was going to slowly start moving.
“Tsk.”
Ha Seong-jun thought about countless things in a short moment.
Although it looks like an abandoned place to anyone, the CCTV is still functioning properly.
Because it was a straight hallway, there was no way to go back anywhere else.
“… … .”
Ha Seong-jun, who had been contemplating the risk for a moment, opened his palm without hesitation.
“─────.”
A small magic circle appears on the palm of your hand, accompanied by a muttering sound.
– Phew!
Soon, the icy wind that flew out from Ha Seong-jun’s palm enveloped the CCTV moving left and right.
CCTV that is rapidly frozen and stops working.
Ha Seong-jun, who saw that the machine was completely frozen with the lights off, started walking again as if nothing had happened.
– Srrrr… .
Between the gaps in the doors on either side of Ha Seong-jun, thin tentacles reach out.
It moved like a snake slithering through the bushes, chasing after Ha Seong-jun.
– Thud thud.
Ha Seong-jun walks calmly.
The tentacles that had been chasing after me, measuring the distance, suddenly stopped moving.
He curled up tightly, as if he were a dragonfly –
– Got it!
Jumps up quickly and wraps his arms around Ha Sung-jun’s ankle!
– Phagec!
– Tsk tsk tsk!
The tentacles disappear into dust as if they were ground in a grinder.
Ha Seong-jun glanced at the lightning bolts jumping up and down on the floor, then ignored it as if he had no interest at all and continued walking.
“They said it was a magic research lab….”
Suddenly, a smile appeared on Ha Seong-jun’s lips as he walked, looking ahead.
“Isn’t it purely a biological laboratory?”
The basement where the research center was established.
After killing my pride and diligently attending Park Jin-woo’s special ‘magic’ class, I found a secret passage using detection magic that had evolved to a level dozens of times higher than its original performance.
Ha Seong-jun, who had secretly hidden in that suspicious place, ended up laughing softly at the ominous atmosphere he felt from the entrance.
“You’re just relying on that sealing magic to leave it like this.”
Suddenly, Ha Sung-jun remembered Park Jin-woo’s ‘One Finger Cut’ that he had seen some time ago.
The strange act of cutting through countless starlights and finding the passage in the annex’s basement.
Even though it would be impossible to know what he was doing with ordinary talent, Ha Seong-jun, who is acknowledged by everyone as a genius among geniuses, had somehow engraved it into his brain.
But, because I couldn’t even understand the principle until now, I had no choice but to just leave it to one side and let it rot.
“Did you hang it here too?”
It wasn’t the case for the current Ha Sung-jun, who had taken Park Jin-woo’s magic class.
– Zuaaaang –
With just a light gesture from Ha Sung-jun, the space splits apart in an ugly way, with a sound like being cut by an intense heat ray.
Even so, it was still at an unstable level because it was only a reenactment of the magical phenomenon seen at the time by engraving it in memory, but even with that alone, it was able to easily break through most spatial barrier magic.
Ha Sung-jun looked at his fingertips, where his magic power had penetrated the gap between the magic molecules, and his eyes sparkled for a moment before he started walking again.
– Thud thud thud. Thud thud thud.
– Thud, thud.
“… … .”
Ha Seong-jun quietly lowered his gaze and looked down at the object caught at his feet.
It was clearly something made of a squishy rubber-like material hidden in the darkness.
“hmm.”
Ha Sung-jun frowned and picked his nose.
I don’t feel anything.
It was as if I was paralyzed, and all I could feel was a dull rubber-like sensation at my fingertips.
“… Tsk.”
I didn’t think that I had let my guard down.
There was something hidden in the sealed and abandoned basement of the research lab that was so powerful that it could penetrate Ha Seong-jun’s magic.
“Anything more than this will only be dangerous.”
Ha Seong-jun turned around without any regrets, unable to go any further near the entrance he had barely found.
That was when.
– Phagec-!
A familiar noise raced past my ears, and a bright flash of light circled the edge of my vision.
Before I could even react, a fierce shock erupted from behind me.
– Tata-tata-!
“… … !”
A sensation as if I was being shot by a machine gun was transmitted to my entire body through the shield.
Ha Seong-jun felt his feet lift off the ground, but he didn’t resist and flew towards the emergency stairs he had come down from.
I twisted my upper body as I watched with my own eyes the scale-like protective shield covering my body twist.
– Phew!
A black tentacle brushes past my ear.
Ha Seong-jun didn’t hesitate and struck it with the cane he was holding.
– Pitter-patter!
Then, the magical power surrounding the staff twists and creates a small flash of light.
Ha Seong-jun, who realized what it was in an instant, put down his staff without hesitation and created wind magic.
A magic circle that is completed at a fairly fast pace, although slower than Luna.
Soon a fierce wind bursts out from there.
– Phew!
– It’s so slippery!
A pure white flash of light covers the field of vision.
However, thanks to the recoil from the burst of wind, Ha Seong-jun was able to escape just before being swept away.
– Boom!
The moment his back hit the wall, Ha Sung-jun held back the breath that was about to burst out reflexively and stretched out his foot, which was dyed with absurdly thick magic.
The tips of his feet stretched out coolly and kicked the emergency exit door.
– Boom!
An iron gate that closes coolly.
Then, something hits and a clear mark is left.
“…Tsk. Looks like I got caught up in something that shouldn’t have happened again.”
Ha Sung-jun, who had been gritting his teeth and choosing a posture, looked up, chewing on the humiliation of having used his magic power like a crude primitive man.
Judging by the tingling pain that spread across my entire back, it seems that the protective barrier did not completely block it.
‘It might be better to construct the shield in a physical form.’
Ha Sung-jun put his hand on the doorknob leading to the ground, recalling the ice wall that Park Jin-woo and Leah often used.
– Crunch, squeak-
A thick iron door that opens slowly.
Soon, Ha Seong-jun, who had been covering his eyes with his palm against the faint sunlight, opened his eyes wide.
“How did you find this place?”
The boots are clearly visible in the backlight hidden by the palm.
“…Is it a cactus?”
“That’s correct. Um… Are you alone?”
“… … .”
“You’re alone.”
The person who nodded in the backlight soon gestured towards the seonin members lined up around him.
Ha Seong-jun, who saw the Sanindae members rushing towards him, the gas masks they were wearing dangling on their faces, silently raised both hands above his head.
* * *
He looked at the researchers scattering and then turned his head to Seochowi.
“It’s urgent to get the materials right now, but there’s something else that’s more urgent.”
“What is?”
“A perfect contrast to the golden clouds.”
Seochowi made a puzzled expression.
“That part, the wise man just said….”
“No. This is not enough.”
Seochowi was seen glaring.
“That, that can’t be. But the wise man’s research was definitely successful!”
“That’s only for the ‘toxic ingredient’. Nothing has been resolved regarding the other properties of the golden cloud.”
Of course, I’m not sure.
Because I know that the Golden Cloud is definitely a colony made of poison.
However, this cannot be confirmed due to the remarks made by ‘Jang Wi’.
No matter how it came out in Lafocal, it was just a data value set in the game.
‘In reality, it can be more realistic than in a game.’
For example, if you artificially neutralize the ingredients related to venom, addictive hallucinations and the like may appear.
Or, something like hydrochloric acid or a bacterial infection that seriously damages life activities… .
‘It makes perfect sense, considering where the guy’s name comes from.’
So, it was right to prepare for all the parts that immediately came to mind.
“But there are some things that come to mind right now, so I would like Chief Seo to put them together.”
“I will gladly do so.”
Seocho-wi bowed his head while taking the lottery ticket like a character in a martial arts movie.
“Then what will you do in the meantime, my sage?”
“Of course I have to figure out a way to spread the material. I just found a clue, but I haven’t come up with any specific ideas.”
“I hope that your brilliant mind can save our country.”
“Don’t worry. I don’t want to lose the power of a billion people either.”
Seochowi didn’t seem to understand what I meant, but when I handed him a hastily filled out piece of paper, he said he understood and started moving right away.
I watched his back for a moment and then turned my head.
I felt the smile on my lips disappear without me knowing, and I closed my eyes tightly and opened them.
‘This is my first time acting in such an urgent situation.’
I held back a sigh.
Although it was unintentional, I realized that this was clearly enemy territory.
Honestly, it was quite surprising.
‘I never thought that Jang Shi-an’s grandfather would be the villain.’
[Answer. The existence of such a background setting did not exist even in the Master’s records.]
‘So. Wouldn’t it be nice if these settings were properly implemented in the game?’
It was strange.
Even if you are a senior researcher and your abilities are outstanding, it’s not like there aren’t other researchers with outstanding abilities.
‘Why did they put a person with dementia in charge?’
Even though he is joined by an outstanding young genius named Seochowi.
…the answer to that question has just been revealed.
If Mr. Jang, Senior Researcher Jang Wi, is the ‘developer’ who created the golden cloud, or is someone closely related to him, then everything is explained.
Golden clouds.
A toxic cloud and sudden event that appears periodically, rains death, and then disappears.
There is a separate official name in La Focal.
‘Artificial Devil Mary.’
Yes.
The Golden Cloud, the artificial demon Mary, was actually an artificial demon created by studying the corpses of demons that China had acquired through some strange circumstances.
‘What the… .’
As if the sect had created a chimera beast.
China did the same thing.
‘The religious order is somewhat reluctant to use demons as test subjects…’
Of course, that doesn’t mean it’s completely forbidden, so they may have received help from the church.
Although they are a people with a very closed ideology and extremely high self-esteem, they cannot completely avoid the influence of the religious community.
If the technology and know-how used to study the Beast had been transmitted to China…
‘It wouldn’t be surprising if China succeeded before the religious world.’
Seochowi is a young man who rose to the very high position of senior researcher.
The person that Seocho-wi confidently calls a genius is none other than Jang-wi, and if Jang-wi had stood on the front lines as the project manager, it would have been entirely possible.
‘Then it makes sense that Jangwi’s existence wasn’t known to the outside world. After all, he must have been hiding for a long time and conducting experiments using demons as test subjects. The result would be the artificial demon Mary who suddenly appeared 12 years ago.’
But this point is just a speculative guess.
In Korea, I could push forward with my position and trust based on my personal experience alone, but this is a foreign country, and even China.
In addition, the situation was so dire that I didn’t even have time to move and look for evidence myself.
‘If the situation weren’t so chaotic that all the personnel here would be mobilized, we wouldn’t be able to find any evidence related to Mary.’
The damage Mary has done to the world is truly enormous.
If it was China that created it, if only we could get our hands on some concrete evidence of it!
‘Even if we figure out how to utilize it later, there’s no harm in grabbing this right now. This is a golden opportunity to get our hands on China’s power in one fell swoop.’
But in the future, the continent would be filled with famine, plague, all kinds of walking corpses, and the devil’s minions.
If only we could prevent such a future by taking control of China… .
‘It’s worth the risk.’
I turned my gaze to find my colleagues nearby.
Everyone seems to have scattered, with only Baek Eun-seol and Leah standing nearby.
He called the two people with a nod.
“What happened?”
“What do you want me to do?”
Two people asking with calm faces.
I opened my mouth to them both with a big smile on my face.
“Do you like spy movies?”
