111 – Internal Strife (3)

An unforeseen assault.

A moment that felt like the whole world was about to be paralyzed…

An overwhelming barrage of abilities.

It flew in an instant from the center of the banquet hall. The sheer volume alone was enough to flatten a person into a pancake, but…

Unfortunately, the opponent was wrong.

“Follow Chae-young. Understood?”

A world of crimson.

An overwhelming ability that devoured all of Quantum in an instant revealed itself to the world.

“I’ll buy you some time.”

Before I could even properly examine the overall effect of the ability, Baek So-yeon grabbed the back of my neck.

“Move!”

We immediately bolted from our seats and ran. But as if to say that the Queen of Quantum wasn’t the only target, those who had attended as guests revealed their true colors.

“Kill anyone who wasn’t informed beforehand!”

“Tear them out by the roots! Let’s not create needless troubles!”

“Quantum sinks today! You goddamn b*tch! You dare lecture me? Do you know who I am?!”

“I’ll ruin that haughty face of yours! I’ll cut off all your limbs and turn you into an onahole!”

“The tyranny is over! You son of a b*tch! Your seat is mine!”

“Kill the Queen! Kill the Queen!”

“The damn regulations are over! Seoul is mine to take!”

The once peaceful building filled with screams. Quantum’s guards responded instantly. As they had been trained, they revealed their powers to confront the invaders, practically simultaneous with the attack itself.

But their opponents were formidable.

Only a select few power wielders had gathered here.

“Minnows! Hahaha!”

The entire mansion was instantly stained crimson. Everything in sight was butchered, turned into corpses.

Horrific sounds erupted from behind.

Lee Chaeyoung screamed.

“This way!”

“Nowhere to run!”

Just as they were about to escape, a power wielder bared his teeth. Flames soared from his hands, flickering as if ready to engulf them.

“There’s no escape…!”

-CRUNCH.

A headless corpse tumbled to the ground.

Baek Soyeon scrunched up her face.

“Blech!”

It had been a while since she’d thrown up. A viscous chunk of flesh spewed from Baek Soyeon’s mouth.

“…That aftertaste is the worst…Move!”

They rushed down the stairs. The cacophony from outside grew even louder.

Down and down. Endlessly down.

“No elevators!”

Following Lee Chaeyoung’s instructions, they quickened their pace. The emergency stairs, continuing downwards, eventually led them to a thick steel door.

A security door, deliberately made. Lee Chaeyoung urgently entered the password.

Followed by iris scans and fingerprint recognition. Only after all the security procedures were completed did the door begin to open.

The thick security doors were not alone, they are stacked in layers behind. Behind the numerous security doors, a faint, dark passageway could be glimpsed.

“Quantum’s secret passage! Everyone, get out!”

“…Where did it lead to?”

“It’s connected to the outside of the Quantum! So…”

Lee Chaeyoung stopped speaking.

I heard a sound.

From the end of that long passage. From a place too dark to make out clearly.

Not just one. Many.

A great many.

Faintly audible footsteps. An air of occupancy that seemed to already fill the space.

Lee Chaeyoung shuddered.

“…T-This…this passage is only known to Quinn and me…?”

“Why?”

“W-Well, this mansion here was made by renovating that old ‘facility’! S-So…so no one knows about these secret parts, not a single person…”

“There would be someone. Someone not originally from Seoul…”

I sighed.

“…Those connected to the facility.”

I stood before the passage. Having already come down this far, going back would be tantamount to walking straight into one’s doom.

This side was better.

Baek Soyeon moved her mouth, spitting. She roughly wiped her dirtied lips and then stepped forward.

“I’ll clear the way, so follow…”

“Stay put.”

“Huh?”

I casually loosened my hands.

“Scarlet.”

“Yes, Master.”

“Looks like we need to clear a path, is that possible?”

The artificial intelligence, Scarlet, stood beside me.

“…A narrow passage. Dense darkness. A secret passage connected to one place, then…”

A hand lightly touching her cheek. Eyes with a fractured iris, contemplating.

Then, she slightly turned to me.

“Is it alright to kill them all?”

“If they don’t listen, even after the warning.”

“Then it’s easy, Master.”

From Scarlett’s body, energy – pre-charged, the same as mine – began to crackle.

“Trust in Master’s exclusive equipment. I’ll drill right through. Only for Master.”

. . .

“…More fools than I anticipated, minds barely turning.”

The Chief Administrator of the Enforcement Agency.

The on-site command supervisor, spoke.

From a high-rise building, watching the Quantum headquarters, its many sections flashing red.

“Do they not realize they’re tightening the noose around their own necks?”

“When would they ever think, ever act? Criminal scum have no need for such intellect.”

The Administrator turned his head.

The Enforcement Officer, Baek-san, practically exiled due to political maneuvering, stared blankly.

“Baek-san. I called you, but didn’t expect you’d actually come.”

“I’ve been busy. Terribly so. But a brief respite presented itself.”

“Take it easy. That habit of yours, driving your partner so hard, shouldn’t you quit it? Planning to chase him away again?”

“If he quits at this level, he shouldn’t have become an Enforcement Officer in the first place. Though, thankfully, he doesn’t seem like he will… I suppose he’s worthy of some recognition.”

“He’s a freak, just like you.”

“Compared to me, he’s perfectly ordinary.”

The Administrator sighed.

“…Don’t push the boy too hard. What happened… it wasn’t your fault.”

“I didn’t come here for comfort, Administrator. How is this Quantum progressing?”

“Falling apart, quite spectacularly. In-fighting. Such petty squabbling from just a gentle push… Utterly idiotic lot.”

“The restrictions Quantum imposed were, from the start, uncharacteristically strict for a criminal organization. Upon closer inspection, I found a few somewhat coercive aspects. Minimal regulations to prevent their kingdom from collapsing. But even that felt like shackles to those consumed by desire. Never minding her hard work in growing Seoul to this scale, almost a state in itself.”

“…Are you actually praising criminals?”

“Merely stating facts as they are. Not praise.”

“Hmm.”

The Administrator turned his head. Silently watching the countless Enforcement Agency personnel engaged in the real-time suppression operation.

Enforcement Officer Baek-san lit a cigarette.

“Quantum will fall today. The most notorious illegal organization in Seoul will crumble. The unleashed dogs will begin to rampage, devouring each other. And the government will then step back and incite them further.”

“…….”

“All of Seoul will become a battlefield. And the last hound to survive, the government will take down themselves. The inviolable pact they promised to the massive organizations currently participating in the operation? That’s just scraps of paper. Eventually, no one will even remember it. The dead tell no tales.”

“They’re just criminals anyway.”

“Perhaps. Looking at what we’re dealing with, I can’t tell what the difference is between them and us.”

“You’re getting old, Manager.”

“You’re the only one who says that to me. So? How’s your work progressing?”

“Still in progress… but it looks like I’ll have results after today.”

“Why?”

“The fence surrounding the criminal I was chasing turned out to be the massive organization called Hundred Eyes. And their boss, Black Mamba, is sure to be inside… This time, Hundred Eyes is as good as losing its head, wouldn’t you say?”

“Hmm.”

“I’ve never seen dogs without a head function properly. It’s even worse for criminals, who are too busy filling their own bellies. Once the center of power disappears, they’ll either fight amongst themselves, or the clever ones will run. If Hundred Eyes falls, the fence protecting the guy I’m chasing will disappear as well. Then, under the pretext of stabilizing Seoul’s Jung-gu district, when the military moves in, I can easily snatch him.”

“The guy who was making weapons for Bad Sector?”

“Yes.”

The manager fell silent for a moment.

Below, the red lights continued to flicker. How many preliminary operations had been carried out in order to set this up?

He had worked tirelessly to infiltrate troops into this area, which was surprisingly well-defended. Even with the alliance of other massive organizations, it was an incredibly difficult task.

The result was now before his eyes. But did that make him feel at ease?

Not at all.

The government was moving now simply because its forces were ready. They were moving because they were confident they could suppress any variables that might arise.

But where did that strength come from? Only a few high-ranking officials within the executive agency knew. And when he first found out…

He thought it would have been better if he had remained ignorant.

“…I had that guy investigated separately. You know what’s funny? The amount of money in the seized account wasn’t even that much. About a million won. He made weapons for Bad Sector for that amount? He didn’t even have money in his bank account. And he was spending what little he had as soon as it came in. Not gambling, not indulging in pleasures. Just… living expenses. Overwhelming rent. He was struggling to survive. Looking at his bank statements… I don’t know what to say. Honestly, illegal weapon production, is that such a big crime? Not really. He was just unlucky. Where is there justice in the world? It’s all just a matter of perspective.”

“No one who feeds on the flesh of others is normal, Manager.”

“You’re right. No one who feeds on the flesh of others is normal. But… on a grander scale, aren’t we all just feeding on the flesh of others?”

“I haven’t regretted a single one of my choices until now.”

“Those who believe themselves to be righteous like you are carrying out a massacre right now. And among those who are dying, there will be innocent people mixed in.”

“……”

“I’m getting sentimental as I get older. It’s time for me to retire. Baek San. Don’t crumble. I’ve put in a recommendation to the higher-ups for you.”

“…What do you mean…?”

“Not caring about what others think and consistently pushing forward with what you believe in. That’s also something the organization needs. As soon as the stabilization of Seoul’s Jung-gu district is complete, you will be placed there as the head of the headquarters. That’s the only reason I called you here.”

The Administrator turned to him.

“’Every measure must be taken to eradicate the seeds of crime’ – or so I said. I also wonder, though. What lies at the end of that road. If… a utopia filled with only the virtuous truly awaits. So, show me then. You are, from this moment forward, my official successor.”

“…Adminis…”

[Sector 9! Sector 9 here! We have a breach! Escapees in progress! Need backup…! Backup aaargh!!!]

The radio blared suddenly. The Administrator and Baek San froze simultaneously amidst the fragmented transmission.

“…Sector 9… that’s near the secret passage the government ordered sealed off, isn’t it?”

“The Quantum Queen escaped?”

“Impossible. She remains inside the mansion. We’d receive immediate notification if she so much as twitched. Quantum remnants, perhaps? But only the elite of the elite are stationed there; it shouldn’t be breached so easily…”

[Se-, Sector 8! Bre-, Breach…grrrk…]

Sector 8.

In mere moments, another sector had fallen.

Seven sectors remain.

Sectors supposedly teeming with Enforcers and anti-ability specialized forces…

How could they be losing one sector after another in mere minutes?

The Administrator gripped the railing. He stared intently down below, where something inexplicable was unfolding.

Everything should be proceeding with near-perfect preparation…

“…What in the world is happening down there?”

What variable had been introduced?