“Whatcha gonna do now?”
After leaving the director’s office, Red asked Blue what they should do regarding the situation. The HunterKiller team had defeated the Spacystro 4 team, while the Guerrilla team had been crushed by the Spacystro 3 team.
However, this situation didn’t change anything. Interest in Spacystro had already waned worldwide, and citizens were directing their anger at the Earth Defense Union, which was funded by taxes.
It was natural for the Earth Defense Union to win, and even if they lost, it wouldn’t matter to people. Everyone already knew that winning or losing once wouldn’t change anything.
The HunterKiller team would face the 3 team next week as if nothing happened, and the same routine would continue. Yet, the HunterKiller team was so enthusiastic about their first victory against the 3 team because it could set a precedent for an unnoticed victory.
Since its establishment, the HunterKiller team had never lost. Even if the team had changed, it remained unchanged that the team they were responsible for had achieved its first victory.
Blue, who had been a member of the HunterKiller team the longest, understood this point well. Having seen the director for a long time, Blue knew that conversations with him wouldn’t be fruitful at such moments, which is why Blue suggested stepping back temporarily.
“The director can talk later. For now, we should go find the parties involved; it might save us some time.”
When Blue mentioned “parties involved,” the members looked at each other, and after getting into the elevator, Blue pressed the button for the floor where the Guerrilla team’s office was located, not the third floor where the HunterKiller team’s office was.
Without any prior notice, the opponents for the match on the day had been changed. However, the director couldn’t have acted alone. There must have been others working with the director, likely the parties involved. This was Blue’s conclusion.
The members immediately understood Blue’s intention and walked briskly towards the Guerrilla team’s conference room as soon as the elevator doors opened.
Yellow led the way and kicked open the door to the office. The Guerrilla team members inside, sitting in the conference room like they had lost their minds, were startled and turned their heads.
“What’s going on? Is this all?”
Not all members of the Guerrilla team were present in their office. Only three were there, and one of them, Kakki, was always with Indigo and occasionally appeared in crime-related articles wearing khaki.
“What’s with this sudden attitude?! We’re busy right now…”
Before Kakki could yell, Red approached him at an incredible speed, grabbed his collar, and pushed him against the wall.
“Gah!”
With a strong impact, cracks appeared in the conference room wall. Red held Kakki’s collar tightly and lifted him off the ground.
Although Kakki was taller than Red, being lifted by the collar made his feet hover slightly above the ground.
“Tell me. Who adjusted the match like this?”
“Let go…!”
The remaining Guerrilla team members tried to help Kakki, but Yellow and Pink blocked their path.
Kakki didn’t answer Red’s question directly, but Red already knew who was behind it.
‘That mouthy brat always talks big about himself, but he’s empty inside and doesn’t live up to his appearance.’
Indigo, who wasn’t here, or perhaps Gainesboro, who often acts as his advisor, were likely responsible. Given the probabilities, Indigo was more likely.
Indigo had always reported that the Spacystro 3 team was a strong team, but the director, who never listened, was clearly in cahoots with Indigo.
Red didn’t trust the director’s words, especially given his extreme hatred of hyper-humans. Even if it was a work-related matter, Red doubted the director would tell the truth to the HunterKiller team members. Moreover, since the HunterKiller team often challenged the director’s opinions, it was natural for the director to view them unfavorably.
“Indigo is, uh, right there, at the scene, and then he was sent to the research facility!”
Despite having his collar grabbed and struggling for breath, Kakki answered Red’s question, and Red tightened his grip further.
“Where’s the evidence?”
Red didn’t believe Kakki’s words either. The HunterKiller team continued their activities to improve public perception of hyper-humans. Even if their household situations remained difficult, their unity had grown stronger after realizing they shared the same goals.
The Guerrilla team, using the hyper-human aspect to commit social crimes, had been covered in news multiple times, but the director had used mass media to remove those stories.
However, the negative perception of the Guerrilla team had spread, making them the worst group damaging the image of hyper-humans, which put them in direct opposition to the HunterKiller team.
“Phone, phone!”
Struggling for breath, Kakki pointed to his smartphone on the table. Red threw Kakki to the ground and picked up the phone.
He threw the locked smartphone in front of Kakki and lowered himself to look at the fallen Kakki.
“Open the messenger from the research facility. If you’re lying, you’ll know what happens here.”
The Guerrilla team, with completely different personalities from the HunterKiller team, often mocked and verbally harassed them. They had ignored the Guerrilla team until now, thinking they weren’t worth engaging with. But when the Guerrilla team finally intruded on the HunterKiller team’s territory, causing trouble, all the accumulated frustration exploded, leading to Red and the rest of the HunterKiller team becoming extremely sensitive.
“Yeah, I got it.”
Kakki quickly unlocked his phone and showed Red a message from a researcher.
As Kakki said, Indigo, severely injured, had been rushed to the research facility in an ambulance. The message contained a picture of Indigo lying on a stretcher with an oxygen mask, covered in blood.
Seeing the gruesome photo naturally made Red feel uneasy, but the sight also gave Red a sense of relief from the accumulated stress, despite not feeling any sympathy for the injured Indigo.
“Who did this to him?”
“I don’t know. All the Spacystro members were dressed the same, how could I tell who was who…”
Feeling pity for Kakki’s inability to answer, Red realized that it wasn’t Ruche, a high-ranking officer, based on their similar outfits.
This meant it was likely a regular soldier, and indeed, regular Spacystro soldiers all wore the same uniform. However, they could be distinguished by physical characteristics, positions, and fighting styles.
Even though they didn’t know names or faces, it wasn’t hard to understand that regular soldiers were different individuals, all trained professionals. It was surprising that the Guerrilla team, which had extensive experience with hyper-humans, couldn’t identify the individuals.
Indigo, suspected to be the main instigator, was currently hospitalized due to injuries. Kakki couldn’t be unaware of this.
“When was this match planned?”
“Huh?”
“Hey.”
Red stared down at Kakki, who didn’t respond and instead repeated the question.
“If you make me ask again, I’ll ruin your smug face. Answer now.”
Red wasn’t just bluffing. Hyper-humans had remarkable recovery abilities. While the physical capabilities between the HunterKiller and Guerrilla teams varied greatly, their recovery rates were similar.
Red knew Indigo would recover quickly and that he could punch Kakki without much worry. This was a genuine statement.
“Yesterday! Suddenly, Indigo and Gainesboro told us. I don’t know exactly what the director said!”
Feeling the hostility in her voice, Kakki responded urgently.
‘He doesn’t seem to be lying.’
Red concluded that Kakki wasn’t significantly involved in the match adjustment. Therefore, they needed to find Indigo and Gainesboro. Since Indigo was injured and hospitalized, they decided to look for Gainesboro first.
“Where’s Gainesboro?”
“…”
Red punched Kakki without hesitation, seeing him hesitate.
“Agh!”
Kakki, knocked unconscious, convulsed on the floor. Red coldly watched him with a cold red gaze and splashed water from a bottle on the table onto Kakki’s face.
“!!!”
Regaining consciousness, Kakki felt fear from Red’s sharp gaze before realizing he had fainted from a single punch. Seeing Red’s clenched fist made him fear another attack.
“Answer me. Where’s Gainesboro?”
“I, I don’t know. He went with Indigo to the research facility… After that, I don’t know…”
Shaking, Kakki stepped closer. Terrified, Kakki wet himself.
“It’s true! I really don’t know! Gainesboro told us to return, but he went to the research facility!”
“Tsk.”
Red frowned and turned away from the trembling Kakki on the floor.
“Let’s go. Asking more won’t get us anywhere.”
“Alright.”
The other members also believed that questioning the current Guerrilla team members wouldn’t yield proper answers. They left the conference room one by one. Before leaving, Red spoke in the silent room.
“Stay out of our business from now on. Focus on your own. Just staying out will help.”
This was a warning. It carried many meanings. After saying this, Red left the conference room.
“Damn those bitches!”
They heard Kakki’s voice from inside the conference room, but they didn’t care. They didn’t want to listen anyway.
“Let’s disband for today.”
After experiencing much stress in a short time, they only wanted to go home and rest.
After work, they returned home and lay in bed. Looking at the familiar ceiling, they felt no thoughts and wished for the day to pass.
Even though it was their first victory in ten years, they felt no joy. It wasn’t because they were angry or upset, but rather because it was too complex and subtle.
Sometimes, the unknown can become fear. Despite having countless experiences, there were still many things they didn’t understand about themselves.
‘Maybe I should sleep.’
Getting up from the bed and looking at the darkened window, they thought it might be better to sleep rather than feel this complicated mood. But it was too early to sleep, and they feared waking up confused in the morning.
Then, the sound of the front door lock rang.
“?”
There was no one expected at this hour. Or, there was someone. Regardless of time and date, one person had free access to their room, and the only person who could come to their house was her.
“Older brother, I’m here.”
Yubin opened the door, smiling awkwardly as if apologizing for coming without notice.
“Welcome.”
Smiling back, they took off their shoes and entered. Yubin hurried over to hug them, burying her face in their embrace.
After years of competing, they hadn’t seen Yubin or Red before today. This made them wonder: What was she thinking during today’s match? Did she know the opponent had changed? How did she fight today? How did she feel today?
But they kept secrets from each other. They knew Yubin was a hyper-human and the leader of the HunterKiller team, Red. Yet, officially, Yubin had never mentioned anything about hyper-humans to them.
She must want to keep it a secret.
And they hid the fact that they were Spacystro from everyone. They were in a situation where they couldn’t freely discuss the biggest issue of the day.
“…Older brother.”
“Yes?”
“It’s warm.”
“You’re warm too, Yubin.”
Yubin must feel frustrated about today’s situation. That’s how the Red they knew was—righteous and fair.
“…Ah.”
Hearing a small sigh, they understood why they felt such a complex and subtle emotion after their first victory in ten years.
It was their first victory in ten years. The Spacystro 3 team had defeated a hyper-human for the first time. Even though it wasn’t against the usual HunterKiller team, it was still a victory.
Through this match, they vented the humiliation their teammates faced and the effort of the HunterKiller team being wasted. They even won the match. Yet, they weren’t happy because…
nothing had changed with this victory.
They needed to learn more. Only then could they change something.
Only then could they make the girls a little happier.
Hugging Yubin tighter, they embraced her even more, and Yubin wrapped her arms around their waist.
