Yellow’s house was visited by Red on the weekend, where everyone was present and discussed that Spacystro was preparing to start another confrontation.
No matter how peaceful the method to avoid causing damage might be, there was no way for the Earth side to avoid confronting Spacystro.
Given that the opposing party is an invader with overwhelming technical prowess, the Earth Defense Union had to align with Spacystro’s proposed schedule.
The Earth Defense Union, having adapted and honed their skills over a long period of confrontation, could respond immediately. Since Red received news faster than through official channels, they had time to think about the confrontation.
The next day, while working at a part-time job, Red spent the entire time formulating various hypotheses about how Spacystro would respond.
A month ago, the Olympic Bridge bomb attack occurred, which had caused a great stir worldwide. The main culprit was none other than Hyper-human, resulting in numerous casualties.
Even now, countless victims were demanding compensation from the Earth Defense Union, although the media wasn’t covering it extensively. Still, issues related to the bomb attack were being continuously covered elsewhere.
In this situation, Spacystro did not make any significant demands to the Earth Defense Union. While something might have happened, Red, a member of the Seoul Branch’s HunterKiller Team, heard nothing.
Even less likely was any information reaching Red’s boyfriend, A, who was affiliated with Spacystro; he had received no updates either.
Despite some exchanged stories, the overall atmosphere was unusually quiet, given the lack of disclosure.
Red decided to visit the Seoul headquarters as soon as it was a weekday. This was her first visit since the terrorist incident, and she didn’t have any equipment to bring since her Suit was stored at home.
It would have been more convenient to resolve matters at Yellow’s house rather than at headquarters, but Red’s reason for visiting was neither for equipment nor for meetings.
“Look at all the dust.”
Neither Red nor many others had visited headquarters for a month. Due to intrusive reporters, many staff hadn’t come to work, and recently, only minimal personnel were showing up.
The HunterKiller Team office was gathering dust since no one was entering or leaving. Red, looking around the empty meeting room, stared intently at the monitors they used to see daily before the bomb attack.
She began to consider whether she should go to headquarters when the confrontation started. Her reasons for going to headquarters were to quickly check the data and meet with team members.
But after a month without confrontation, there was no data to check, and meeting at Yellow’s house seemed more comfortable than at the meeting room.
Plus, staying at Yellow’s house meant she might learn new things from A, who lived there.
‘Is that right?’
One concern was whether her actions would still be justified as those of the Earth Defense Union protecting Earth.
And suddenly, she wondered if protecting Earth was truly right.
Though she outwardly showed no signs and even said it was fine when asked, the continuous discriminatory glances troubled her.
She knew that team members were suffering due to discrimination because of being associated with Hyper-human.
“Let’s think about it later.”
After fighting to protect Earth for several years, she didn’t want to dwell on fleeting thoughts. Shaking off lingering thoughts, she moved towards her purpose of visiting headquarters.
Arriving at the Seoul headquarters office via elevator, she found herself at the director’s office, which was her destination.
Although she entered the director’s office frequently during confrontations, she never felt comfortable doing so. Just thinking about entering again made her feel uneasy.
Staff working in the office glanced nervously as Red entered. Of course, these looks weren’t welcoming.
Even colleagues within the same headquarters viewed her with unfavorable eyes, making it impossible to feel positive.
Standing in front of the director’s office, Red sighed before knocking. There was no response inside, but since the director usually didn’t say much, she opened the door, assuming it was business as usual.
However, the director was absent. His chair was empty, and the only clue was his computer screen being on.
“Has he gone out?”
Seeing the computer on suggested he had come to work, but there was no way to know where he had gone.
Standing still, Red looked around the office and approached his desk to look at the active computer.
The monitor displayed the information system used by the Earth Defense Union. As a leader, Red often accessed this system and knew roughly what it contained.
The difference was merely in the level of access between Red and the director.
“Where has he gone?”
Displeased to find the director first, Red felt frustrated just knowing he wasn’t there. It would have been simple to report and move on, but if the director didn’t return, she’d have to revisit the director’s office, reliving the unpleasant feeling.
“Huh?”
While examining the monitor, Red noticed a suspicious file title. Before deciding to open it, she sensed someone approaching the director’s office.
“What is it?”
Entering the director’s office, the person was none other than the Seoul Branch director himself. When he entered, Red stood at the door, not beside his seat.
“Fortunate timing.”
“Do you need permission to enter like this?”
“I knocked before coming in since I had something to discuss. Fortunate timing.”
The director narrowed his eyes and looked at Red, then turned away to sit at his desk.
“What is it?”
His tone clearly indicated he wasn’t interested in speaking with her. The director rarely favored the Team Guerrilla, which had caused an accident, and they had argued often over previous issues.
Moreover, on the day of the terrorist attack, Team Guerrilla had attacked the HunterKiller Team’s opponents, leading to the incident while the HunterKiller Team was waiting for the confrontation.
From the director’s perspective, the most awkward person to meet right now was none other than the leader of the HunterKiller Team.
“It’s been over a month since we last heard anything. I came to check if there’s any news.”
“…Ghost.”
The director, frowning at Red, clicked his mouse a few times and handed her printed documents. Approaching, Red read the documents, which detailed the upcoming confrontation, starting this week.
“Confrontation.”
“Leave if you’re done.”
“That’s all?”
“What?”
“Is that all?”
Red visited the director not specifically to face him over the confrontation. Although she wanted to confirm the official news of the confrontation, she knew it would be communicated separately anyway.
There was no point in coming to confirm something she would be informed about directly.
The director instantly understood why Red had come. Despite this, he chose not to speak.
“What happened to Team Guerrilla?”
“Team Guerrilla has been disbanded. They’ve already been replaced with new members.”
This was old news. Following the massive accident, Team Guerrilla had been disbanded shortly after the terrorist attack, and new Hyper-humans were brought in to fill their positions.
“Where did they go?”
Red was curious about their whereabouts, not administrative actions. After the incident, rumors of them undergoing police investigation circulated briefly, but then they disappeared entirely.
Nothing was publicly disclosed, and no one within the same branch knew anything.
“You shouldn’t be asking about that. Leave if you have no business.”
The director openly expressed his displeasure. Red felt equally displeased. According to the director, there was no reason for her to know about the administrative status of other teams.
Unlike typical jobs where tasks are compartmentalized, Hyper-humans worked independently among teams. Though they were part of the same branch, they operated as separate entities administratively.
Still, it was odd that Red, a HunterKiller Team member, didn’t know the aftermath of events within their own confrontation domain.
Noticing the director’s dismissive reaction, Red felt he wouldn’t inform her regardless. With a sharp, red gaze, she glared at the director before turning and leaving the office.
“Arrogant girl.”
The moment Red left, the director muttered curses under his breath, then turned back to his monitor.
Leaving the director’s office, Red held some documents and boarded the elevator. Thinking she wouldn’t learn anything, she felt a sense of futility as she realized she hadn’t gained any new insights.
Red visited headquarters to investigate the whereabouts of Team Guerrilla to understand issues related to Hyper-humans.
Since A was investigating Hyper-humans and planned to continue, Red felt compelled to delve into the core of the issue regarding Hyper-humans, despite feeling inadequate.
Despite feeling uncomfortable visiting headquarters, her visit yielded only an unpleasant encounter with the director.
“Red?”
Upon arriving at the lobby on the first floor, Red turned to the voice. Silver and a woman with messy black hair were sitting in the lobby drinking coffee.
“Silver. Long time no see.”
“Indeed. What brings you to headquarters? Are you back for meetings?”
“Visited briefly for confrontation-related matters. Not sure if I’ll resume regular attendance.”
Greeting Silver, Red sat down.
“Well, I’ll head off…”
The woman with messy black hair, seated across from Red, stood up with a trembling voice as Red sat down.
“Yeah, go ahead.”
After the woman left, Silver briefly explained to Red, who didn’t know her well.
“That’s Black, one of our members. She’s very shy.”
“Oh.”
Only then did Red recall seeing her a couple of times. Nodding, she said,
“If you’re here for the confrontation, you must have been to the office.”
“Yes. Just met the director and it didn’t improve my mood.”
“At least you got to meet.”
“Huh?”
Puzzled by Silver’s comment, Red tilted her head.
“The director hasn’t been to headquarters for a month.”
Red knew the director hadn’t been present after the terrorist attack, but the fact that he hadn’t returned since puzzled her.
Simply attributing his absence to the terrorist attack didn’t seem quite right.
With no knowledge of Team Guerrilla’s whereabouts and the director’s absence, where could he possibly be?
“Silver, do you know the location of the Hyper-human research facility?”
“Uh? The location is confidential. Only the director would know.”
“Of course.”
None of the Hyper-humans who underwent experiments knew the exact location. However, if anyone could know, it would be the director.
Learning the location through the director could provide additional information.
“Now that the confrontation is starting, it will get tiresome.”
“There will be many aspects to follow.”
While public attention had decreased a month after the terrorist attack, there were more observers now than before. Both Red and Silver felt burdened by the impending confrontation.
Although they shared similar feelings, Red had different thoughts.
Meeting the director was detestable, but within the Seoul Branch headquarters, he likely had the most information about Hyper-humans.
During the confrontation, Red would inevitably meet him, increasing her chances of gaining valuable information.
Though she still felt discomfort, she could view the upcoming confrontation and meetings with the director positively for now.
“Red, over there.”
Thinking to herself, Red looked in the direction Silver pointed.
At the entrance of headquarters, four young men were entering in a group. They were unfamiliar faces, so different that Red couldn’t even wonder if she had seen them somewhere before.
“Are these the new arrivals?”
It was clear that these individuals had joined the Seoul Branch after Team Guerrilla was dissolved.
“Yeah. I think they said their team name was Endurance.”
The leader, walking at the forefront, noticed Red and Silver’s gazes and gave them a salute.
As replacements for Team Guerrilla, they could also be closely tied to the director.
Returning the salute, Red decided to keep an eye on them for the time being.
Having confirmed the confrontation news, the day of the confrontation was approaching without any substantial information gained.
