Chapter 89: Knowing You (1)
“Why do we have to escort them? Haven’t the White Sparrows been moving independently all this time?”
Haven’t they always done so?
Were they perhaps captured?
Seo Hyeon-yul harbored doubts.
“The managers who infiltrated internally to obtain information aren’t only in places like the last cult mission.”
“They aren’t?”
Seo Hyeon-yul asked back.
“Broadly speaking, there are managers who obtain information by cooperating with the police, managers who obtain information by infiltrating suspicious spaces, managers who periodically patrol suspicious locations, managers who are deployed before and after mission situations, and so on, their roles are different.”
Oh Hae-ryeon briefly introduced them, then continued.
“We’ve received news from the managers who infiltrated the villain company that they can’t escape. That’s why an escort is needed.”
“But why are they lumped together under the name White Sparrow?”
If it was that detailed, shouldn’t they have individual names?
It felt quite inefficient.
“They are also organized into teams like us, Team 1, Team 2, and so on. They aren’t designated as specific departments, but the teams rotate and handle the relevant tasks.”
“Like the Black Eagle?”
It was the same here.
Although Mr. Ji-hwan had subtly mentioned that Team 3 handled more dangerous tasks, they weren’t doing specific tasks.
It was just to the extent of ‘a little more’.
“The White Sparrow isn’t a Black Eagle, so isn’t it strange to divide them like that?”
Oh Hae-ryeon smiled lightly.
“Is there a reason?”
“Not long after the Black Eagle was founded, a specific department once gained power.”
“Power?”
Seo Hyeon-yul blinked.
“Back then, it was very detailed. It wasn’t divided like Team 1, Team 2, but for example, infiltration team, penetration team, chemical attack response team, something like that.”
Chu Na-yoon continued Oh Hae-ryeon’s explanation.
Ah.
Seo Hyeon-yul understood what she meant.
Important departments existed everywhere.
It seemed they had strutted around, trying to wield power in their own self-importance.
“The Black Eagle and White Sparrow were also like Chu Na-yoon explained, but there was a time when a specific department caused a ruckus by declaring a strike, citing their workload. At that time, unfortunately, an emergency mission occurred, and many people died. After that day, the Empire confirmed the problems with that system, and it changed to how it is now. Everyone rotates tasks.”
“Lest you misunderstand, not everyone in that department agreed to the strike. There were people who didn’t agree and were deployed on the emergency mission. They couldn’t prevent the disaster due to a lack of manpower, but it would have been difficult for ordinary citizens to know. Many people criticized them. …A lot.”
As Baek Shin-woo quietly added, Oh Hae-ryeon briefly looked at him.
When her gaze deepened, she nodded.
“That’s right. The Black Eagles who were kicked out back then are presumed to be the former Black Eagles identified through information obtained recently.”
Baek Shin-woo reacted strongly.
“……Is that really true?”
He asked as if he couldn’t believe it.
“It’s information from the meeting. I’ll tell you when it becomes more certain. We have the list, so it will probably come out sooner than expected.”
“Definitely. Please tell me. Definitely.”
As Baek Shin-woo urged, Oh Hae-ryeon smiled.
“Don’t worry, Mr. Shin-woo. I’ll definitely tell you.”
Seo Hyeon-yul looked from Baek Shin-woo and Oh Hae-ryeon’s expressions to Chu Na-yoon and Mr. Ji-hwan.
He thought something was dark.
“To continue, what we have to do is safely bring back the White Sparrows who are in the villain faction. If it’s a group that’s about to be dismantled, there’s no reason for them to be there anymore.”
“So, you mean it’s a rescue operation?”
Seo Hyeon-yul asked, feeling a sense of unfamiliarity.
Rescue?
He had never done it before.
“It looks difficult, but it’s not difficult.”
Oh Hae-ryeon read Seo Hyeon-yul’s unfamiliarity.
“You just need to bring the target back alive. Uninjured is best.”
“As long as they’re not injured?”
Seo Hyeon-yul’s gaze fell downwards.
Oh Hae-ryeon immediately noticed what he was referring to.
“No, their mind has to be intact too.”
Wrinkles formed around Seo Hyeon-yul’s eyes.
Mr. Ji-hwan, who had been glancing at him, raised his hand.
“Team Leader. Are the four of us going like this?”
“That’s right. It may or may not be the real location of that faction, but judging by the scale, it’s quite large.”
“Then don’t worry. I’ll make sure I can bring them back well.”
As Mr. Ji-hwan smiled, Seo Hyeon-yul nodded.
He was a magician.
He thought he could do anything.
“There’s something else you need to know before we go.”
“Team Leader. This is a bit scary. It’s not good for things to come out like this.”
Chu Na-yoon fiddled with the desk.
If it was an emergency, it was one thing, but for various things to come from Oh Hae-ryeon’s mouth was not a good sign.
It meant that things they didn’t know about were progressing rapidly.
“You said there’s a faction moving now, even though the Poison King was recently arrested, right?”
Oh Hae-ryeon didn’t smile, and Seo Hyeon-yul looked at her.
‘Didn’t she say not to provoke the Black Eagle?’
He hadn’t thought the Poison King’s forces, due to their size, could escape the Black Eagle’s notice.
What was it now?
“We still don’t know who the leader is, so we’ve decided to call it the ‘New Faction’. Just know that. End of story.”
As soon as Oh Hae-ryeon concluded, Baek Shin-woo raised his hand.
Oh Hae-ryeon looked at Baek Shin-woo.
“If they’re strong enough to swallow the Poison King’s forces, I think they should be the most guarded against target.”
“Me too. However, they don’t make contact with us. If they’re large, they should be caught, but they run away whenever they see us.”
“Run away…? A villain runs away upon seeing a Black Eagle?”
Chu Na-yoon expressed her bewilderment.
Weren’t Black Eagles what villains hated the most?
It was even said that they wouldn’t even wear black clothes.
“What’s more surprising is, there’s no record of damage.”
“…Yes?”
Baek Shin-woo’s eyebrows rose.
“I understand it’s baffling. So, we’re keeping an eye on them too. They run away when they see a Black Eagle, and they don’t even touch ordinary citizens. If this is the case, we have no justification to touch them either. They just become ordinary criminals. It’s strange for the Poison King’s forces to become ordinary criminals, isn’t it? That’s why we decided to call them the New Faction.”
“But they do provoke other villain factions.”
At Mr. Ji-hwan’s questioning words, Oh Hae-ryeon made an uncomfortable expression.
“That’s the problem. They’ve taken down the big shot, the Crimson Witch, so it’ll be instantaneous for them to become even more massive than now. They’re already large, and they’re going to grow even more than this. There’s nothing more horrifying than this.”
‘Does it look like they’re expanding their scale?’
Seo Hyeon-yul thought at Oh Hae-ryeon’s words.
He was just helping the Black Eagle see better.
“Whether they’re saying they won’t look our way until their scale grows, or they’re genuinely not interested. Anyway, thanks to the New Faction, two factions have been revealed.”
“There’s a saying that the enemy of my enemy is my friend, but it doesn’t fit the current situation at all, does it?”
Chu Na-yoon swept her hand across the desk, the corners of her eyes raised.
A villain?
That was the first thought that came to mind.
“For now, we’ll keep monitoring the situation. I’ll let you know as soon as new information comes in.”
As soon as Oh Hae-ryeon finished speaking, she immediately pointed outside the door.
Seo Hyeon-yul stood up first.
“Mr. Hyeon-yul is first again today.”
“It’s not that, what kind of places are the two factions?”
He wanted to at least know what kind of places needed to be dealt with.
“Neither of them are big shots. It would be easier to understand if you think of them as places struggling to become big shots.”
Oh Hae-ryeon explained briefly.
This was correct.
What they sold and what they focused on wasn’t important.
The faction’s real company might be selling completely different things.
The rest were dummies to hide that one thing.
“It seems they aren’t completely insignificant places.”
“If the two factions combine, they could become a big shot. That’s why we need to get rid of both of them quickly.”
“Understood.”
Seo Hyeon-yul bowed his head and went outside.
“Mr. Hyeon-yul is indeed first, huh?”
Oh Hae-ryeon looked at the remaining team members who hadn’t budged.
「Incident Start
—Due to recent fights between villain factions, the forms of two villain factions have become prominently revealed.
Incident Progress
—A return order was issued to the White Sparrows deployed in the suspected villain companies A and B (temporary names) to deduce the main base of the two factions.
—Both revealed factions are currently engaged in territory fights with other villain factions.
—Internal security at villain company A (temporary name) has tightened, making voluntary return impossible.
Points to Note
—The safety of the White Sparrow is the top priority.
—Avoid being noticed by villains as much as possible.」
Seo Hyeon-yul, holding back his churning stomach, reviewed the summarized incident details and then confirmed the faces of the White Sparrows who needed to be rescued this time.
A total of 4 people needed to be rescued.
‘I don’t know if the entire team needs to be deployed to rescue 4 people.’
Seo Hyeon-yul thought Oh Hae-ryeon had sent too many.
Come to think of it, identifying the location wasn't that difficult.
There was one problem.
When put into darkness, the time it took for people to go mad varied.
Recovery would happen over time, but it didn’t fit the mission.
He himself didn’t want to put them in if he could help it.
It felt like putting filth inside himself.
Seo Hyeon-yul looked at the other team members.
“What should we do?”
If he could go out independently, he would, but it was right to ask first.
“Hyeon-yul, first, I’ll tell you what we usually do.”
Chu Na-yoon explained the method they had coordinated.
That was correct.
“First, Ji-hwan uses space magic on that building itself. That much can be called Ji-hwan’s domain.”
“To be precise, I can only affect the space itself. People are separate.”
Mr. Ji-hwan supplemented the missing part.
“Ji-hwan connects that space and me. I don’t know what to call this, but with that magic, I can adjust the transparency of the building itself. Simply put, it means I can see through it. Understand?”
“Yes. I understand.”
Seo Hyeon-yul nodded.
If one could dominate space itself, he thought that much could be done.
“My gun doesn’t hit the opponent’s head by jumping through space. So what’s needed is Baek Shin-woo’s power.”
“Because my sword can ignore space itself.”
Baek Shin-woo summoned a sword, held it in his hand, and waved it.
“If Baek Shin-woo’s power captures the villain, Ji-hwan will open a door. Then catch them and bring them here. That’s how we’ve done it until now.”
At Chu Na-yoon’s explanation, Seo Hyeon-yul finally understood why Oh Hae-ryeon had sent 4 people.
Originally, 3 people had always coordinated like that, but since he had joined, she intended for 4 people to coordinate.
However, it seemed there was nothing for him to do.
Wouldn’t he just unnecessarily break the established coordination?
“Hyeon-yul, if it were you, how would you solve this mission?”
When Chu Na-yoon asked, everyone’s gaze focused on him.
It seemed they would listen to anything.
However, Seo Hyeon-yul didn’t accept that gaze as it was.
“Are you really asking me for a solution?”
Seo Hyeon-yul asked back.
“That’s right. We need to coordinate.”
“Then you don’t need to ask.”
Because Seo Hyeon-yul threw an ambiguous statement, no one could open their mouths.
“I can do anything.”
He could see like Chu Na-yoon, attack like Baek Shin-woo, and move like Mr. Ji-hwan.
He could do it all.
“You can put me in where there’s a gap.”
Anywhere was possible.
He could be useful anywhere.
That itself was his ability.
“Good, isn’t it?”
Baek Shin-woo spoke up.
To be able to do anything, anywhere.
Finally, a speed battle became possible.
“It means faster acquisition is possible, right?”
“That’s right. We can pick up the pace.”
Mr. Ji-hwan nodded at Baek Shin-woo’s words.
Usually, Baek Shin-woo handled deployment.
With Seo Hyeon-yul joining, it was as if they had obtained a sword that could move freely.
“Hyeon-yul, for now, you’ll be in charge of bringing them back with me. Other things can be handled flexibly. Can you do it?”
At Baek Shin-woo’s question, Seo Hyeon-yul willingly replied.
“Yes. I can do it.”
There was nothing he couldn’t do.
He could do more.
Before the mission, Seo Hyeon-yul took out a syringe and medicine.
The target location was a 10-story building.
It was unexpectedly large, enough to be called a mid-sized company.
Chu Na-yoon moved to a place where the building was clearly visible.
Even if it was clearly visible, it was a position where the building could be hidden within the palm of her hand.
The black uniform fluttered in the wind.
Numerous people existed inside the building, whose transparency had increased.
It was as if they were moving in mid-air.
Their faces were different, but when they were all together, that person sometimes looked like that person.
The only thing that could indicate they were White Sparrows was their faces.
The teeming appearance was like a swarm of ants, but Chu Na-yoon didn’t waver.
Such scenes had already been numerous.
‘Horrible.’
Instead, it was a scene that couldn’t just be passed over.
Even though it was dawn, the lights were on.
Everyone was working.
Even the closing time wasn’t observed.
How was it different from the place where Seo Hyeon-yul had worked in the past?
<Ji-hwan, is it connected well?>
<Yes. It’s connected.>
After receiving confirmation from Mr. Ji-hwan, Chu Na-yoon moved her eyes.
<First, I’ll start with the CCTV locations.>
If her eyes lingered for a moment, Mr. Ji-hwan’s magic automatically marked the location.
Starting from the 10th floor and going down to the 1st floor, Chu Na-yoon’s pupils moved without hesitation.
No matter how much they hid it, the distinctive red light of a CCTV could not be hidden.
<Next, this is the control room.>
Chu Na-yoon turned her gaze towards the control room.
It was faster to corner the control room staff than to eliminate the CCTVs individually.
<And our targets, the managers.>
Chu Na-yoon saw one White Sparrow sitting and working.
One White Sparrow cleaning the building.
One White Sparrow eating something in the break room.
Finally, while looking at one more person, she hesitated.
<……He’s captured?>
At Chu Na-yoon’s statement, messages scrolled up.
<What do you mean by that?>
<What? Captured?>
<No, was he discovered?>
<What’s his condition? Is he okay?>
Baek Shin-woo and Mr. Ji-hwan asked alternately.
<He’s injured, but it’s not serious. It seems he was suspected, perhaps?>
<……This is driving me crazy.>
Baek Shin-woo’s message appeared.
<We must rescue him last.>
As Seo Hyeon-yul’s message followed, Chu Na-yoon also agreed.
<That’s right. We can’t endanger the other three by rescuing one person.>
Chu Na-yoon spoke and lowered her gaze.
<Villains are swarming the entrance.>
At a glance, they looked like guards around the building, or just people wandering around, but Chu Na-yoon’s eyes saw something different.
<It’s not just swarming, even if they leave, two or more villains accompany them.>
It was caught in her sight just now.
Among the people walking ahead of the man leaving, two suddenly turned around and quickly followed the man.
<I understand why we need to rescue them.>
Seo Hyeon-yul’s message appeared.
<And there are 4 people on the rooftop.>
Chu Na-yoon informed them of the fact.
<Dangerously, they’re holding scary things, so we need to deal with them.>
Guns were held in the hands of the 4 people.
Weren't they sniper rifles?
Currently, that place was fighting with other factions.
How else could one explain the appearance of preparing for that, other than that?
<No one’s coming up, right?>
Baek Shin-woo asked.
<No. Don’t worry, and deal with it. I want to shoot, but I’m not sure if the sound will be heard.>
<I will go.>
Seo Hyeon-yul’s message appeared.
<Okay. I’ll go.>
Mr. Ji-hwan’s reply was heard, and the rooftop door on the side Chu Na-yoon was looking at opened.
Seo Hyeon-yul quietly walked out.
<I will handle it.>
Seo Hyeon-yul’s composure was felt.