Chapter 34
Chullung.
Wine sloshed back and forth in a luxurious crystal glass. The man holding the glass was middle-aged and full of grace.
“Father. Field of Meat disappeared from the mission list.”
“I heard.”
Duke Venter’s voice is monotonous. It disappeared on the list. This meant the mission had been completed. But Carlyle has not returned.
“Our sister or I needed to go with him.”
“Do you think it is right to keep following him around and doing everything for him?”
“He was not strong enough.”
“He wasn’t. That’s why we needed to make him stronger. Even if by force.”
A tiger cub is a tiger. But even a cat is excessive for Carlyle. Duke Venter tried to raise him as a tiger, but this is what had happened.
“Leave.”
“Okay.”
As Brayburke left the office, a voice sounded,
“Sorry dear. We lost our youngest.”
When he heard this, Brayburke clenched his fist and closed the door. Even a top authority of England is just a father.
“Brother.”
“Isabel.”
A beautiful blonde woman in her mid-20s was waiting for Brayburke outside the office. She is the only daughter among 3 children.
“An idiot went like an idiot.”
“Yeah.”
Carlyle was a brother with a lot of shortcomings. He always got into trouble and there was not a part of him they likes, but that did not change the fact that he is the youngest of the 3 siblings.
“What do you think the problem was?”
“I don’t know.
“There are a lot of variables. There’s no way to pinpoint one as the culprit.”
The mission was completed, but Carlyle and the Special Forces members were unable to return. Since the result was decided, the affairs is now what is important – how he died.
“Was he killed by a mutant, or by an outside force?”
“If it’s the latter?”
“Revenge I guess.”
They had been unable to keep their mother’s last will to protect their youngest brother. Just by making them go against this will, the culprit deserves to die.
Carlyle had told them – 3 Americans, 1 Japanese, and 2 Koreans. If they even found one person, they could figure out what the situation was. One of those people could also be the culprit.
“I’m ready to go. Are you going to go?”
“I’m going.”
Brayburke took various kinds of weapons from his space compression bag and equipped his body. There were a lot like a sword, spear, dagger, and hatchet.
He and Isabel armed themselves and went out into the garden of the mansion. 8 Special Forces members were standing in a line, waiting for them.
“We’re going in.”
“Attention!”
[Approved. You are being transferred to Bone Mountain, Level E advance mission. Mission start.]
Brayburke, Isabel, and the 8 Special Forces members entered the mission.
Brayburke Venter.
In reality, he is second to Duke Venter, but he is one of the 36 rankers and England’s weapon master.
[Over 10,000 official figures of Korea are missing. It is said that only those revealed to be missing around the world reaches 400,000.]
Cha Jun Sung sat on a bench downtown and watched the news televised on a large sign. They are all victims of Life Mission.
Nearby, hundreds of other people watched the news and whispered. With time, Life Mission’s existence is becoming known.
“Has the stupid Korean government still not been able to figure out what Life Mission is?”
“It makes sense.”
“Our country is like that.”
Cha Jun Sung thought that the government knew the situation and was neglecting it.
The person right next to him is also a Lifer. The reality version of Life Mission is spreading like a virus. He does not have to say anything for it to reveal itself.
People need to figure it out for themselves. If he gets involved, he could get implicated for nothing.
“That’s a funny anchor.”
The mark left on the wrist from a PDA, that anchor is also a Lifer. He must have taken it off for the authenticity of the news, but tons of people had already caught on.
1 or 2 out of 100 people on the street had PDAs on their wrists. Just because they took them off because they are detachable does not mean that they are not still Lifers.
Hm!
It was not far now. Within a month, the confusion would be gone.
When that happens, the reality version of Life Mission will dissolve into modern society like sugar dissolves in water. It will be natural as though it had always existed.
“Anyway, why is he so late? He’s completely ignoring the time we promised.”
Cha Jun Sung was waiting for someone. A few days ago, he put up a post on Lifer World that he was selling the booty he found in Field of Meat.
There had been a lot of comments, but he chose to sell to a fellow Korean. They had agreed to meet at 1 o’clock, but no one has appeared for 20 minutes.
“Mr. Odin?”
He heard a delicate voice. A beautiful woman in glasses was standing in front of him. People’s attention focused their attention on her because she was so pretty.
“You’re late.”
“Sorry. Something suddenly came up and I didn’t have a way to get in contact with you.”
When she bowed her head, the picture he had drawn came apart. Cha Jun Sung felt himself in the wrong. Since it is of the past, he did not hold a grudge.
“Since there are a lot of people here, let’s go somewhere else.”
“There’s a place I saw on the way here.”
She took the lead and Cha Jun Sung followed. The curves of her body hidden under her suit are a form of art. He would not be bored on their way.
The place she brought them to is the top of a new commercial construction site. The security is tight. 6 security guards are blocking people from entering.
“Let me introduce myself. I’m Jung Hye Ryung of the virtual department of Chilsung Group.”
“What?”
“The virtual department.”
“There are all types of departments now.”
“Life Mission is a next generation business that can bring in vast profits, so Chilsung Group has already contracted many Lifers.”
Lifers are not able to do everything. If the top company in Korea supports them with items, they can expect growth at a much faster rate.
They receive support and fulfill a request in return. It is mutual aid.
“No wonder you beat the others’ prices. Chilsung was moving.”
The government and large companies are the two ranges of public and private organizations. Chilsung Group, with dozens of subsidiaries, is one of the world’s 100 groups.
There is not a company in Korea that will fight with money against Chilsung Group. Since government assets are made from citizen taxes, its use for personal reasons is limited.
On the other hand, the chairman of Chilsung Group ranks 30 on personal assets alone on Forbes. With all of the members combined, they exceed 50. No one can beat them with money.
“Can I see the items?”
“Of course.”
Cha Jun Sung took items out from the space compression bag. There was a pistol, machine gun, sniper rifle, automatic crossbow, ammunition case, parachute, GPS, et cetera.
They are the items of dozens of people. He had brought everything including what Park Jin Hyuk brought. There was quite a considerable amount. This could arm 2 parties.
“Is that bag a space compression bag?”
“Yes.”
Jun Hye Ryung’s eyes became ecstatic and looked at it as though it were a brand name bag.
A whopping 50,000 points.
Even she had only ever seen it once because it is the most expensive item in the Level E store. To think that there is another Lifer who purchased this.
“Because there’s nowhere to hide this. If I’m caught by enforcement with this in my car, I’ll be arrested or I’ll have to go through investigation, and it’s too heavy for me to even carry.”
He was not trying to be mysterious, but there is no good in revealing it either. He was thinking of using a big bag, but had chosen a space compression bag for various reasons.
“Do you have any thoughts of selling it? We’ll match whatever price you ask for.”
Of course she would want it.
He did not necessarily need it for the class E he would complete in a few days, but it will definitely be an item that he needs as he goes to higher missions.
Even if it is just the best item sold in level E.
“Money is just useless paper in Life Mission.”
It is just a fraction compared to Chilsung Group, but before he had enough wealth to buy the entire store even became a Lifer.
It may be different if something better comes along, but he would not sell it even for millions of dollars.
“Ah ah.”
Jung Hye Ryung thought it a pity.
The Lifers under contract with Chilsung Group were still new. But it was fine because money could compensate what experience they lacked. But this guy Odin is different and has gone far ahead as an expert. She needed to learn more.