Here’s the translated text:
“Are we not supposed to fight?”
After reporting the situation of each team via communication and receiving A’s message, she concluded her report.
Siera, who was still with Pink, continued to give her an annoyed look, but since A had asked them not to fight, she decided to view the current situation calmly.
Although both of them disliked each other, today’s goal was to thoroughly search the large warehouse. While personal emotions couldn’t be completely set aside, they agreed to focus on the task at hand.
“If you don’t want to fight, you should show it a little, shouldn’t you?”
“I’ll try.”
Like mismatched gears, the two resumed searching inside the warehouse.
“So, do you often play games when you’re together?”
Yellow, who paired up with Angelique, felt miserable. Since he didn’t prefer long conversations, he only talked as much as necessary.
Even when talking with his girlfriend A, he didn’t engage in unnecessary conversations. Although Yellow and Pink now lived together, when they were just the two of them, they didn’t talk much for a couple.
Of course, they did have necessary conversations or emotional exchanges, but overall, it wasn’t a significant amount.
“That’s right.”
Yellow and Angelique had opposite personalities. They weren’t opposites in a bad way. Unlike the quiet Yellow, Angelique talked almost non-stop.
During meetings at Yellow’s house, he noticed that Angelique led the conversation. He also expected her to talk a lot when they were alone, but it was beyond his expectations.
Since separating from everyone, Angelique had been constantly asking Yellow about everything that happened between him and A.
“I didn’t know A had a hobby in games. He was such a hardworking kid.”
“He doesn’t really play much; he just does it together.”
Noticing Angelique’s curiosity without malice, he couldn’t ignore her. Initially, Yellow ignored her, but her relentless questioning made him realize that ignoring her would only make him more tired. So, he chose to answer her questions.
“Oh, I’m not good at games, what kind of games does he usually play?”
“… Aren’t we searching?”
Feeling anxious due to her constant questions, Yellow quietly asked.
“Am I not doing it?”
Despite her talkative nature, Angelique continued her search while talking. Having lived with her long-standing personality, she found it easy to multitask by conversing and working simultaneously.
“Is there nothing here?”
“No. There’s nothing suspicious. It’s likely hidden, but if we had better-performing suits, finding it would be easier.”
Angelique understood why A chose the basic suit. She knew that better suits would speed up the search time, but she still felt regretful.
Yellow successfully changed the topic, relieved, and searched alongside Angelique.
“Does A seem okay?”
He felt uneasy as the conversation returned to A, but noticing a difference in Angelique’s tone, he tilted his head.
“What do you mean ‘okay’?”
“He tends to overwork himself. I think he’s still like that.”
“I think he’s pushing himself too hard. He doesn’t show it and tries to do everything alone.”
“As expected, he hasn’t changed… Do you know why he’s fighting?”
Angelique knew more about A’s past than anyone else. When A’s parents died at the hands of space pirates, Angelique witnessed it all.
She had seen A struggle emotionally and mentally, unable to maintain composure.
“Yes, I know.”
Recently, A revealed his past to the team through Red and Siera. Understanding the concept of “precious parents” was difficult for the HunterKiller team members, as none of them had positive relationships with their parents. However, they understood that parents were generally very important to most people.
“Take good care of him. He needs constant supervision.”
Seeing Angelique suddenly silent after her persistent questions, Yellow watched her closely.
“Why not check it yourself?”
Noticing her reluctance to take on the role, Yellow felt something was off.
“It might be a bit awkward. Now that he has girlfriends…”
“Girlfriends aren’t perfect. They can do some things and can’t do others.”
None of the HunterKiller team knew A’s true identity. Like the others, Yellow discovered it during a terrorist incident.
As time passed, Yellow realized something.
The things his girlfriend and A’s teammates could do for him differed, and so did the things A and the team could do for him.
“I’m sure there are aspects of A that we can’t see. Even if he hasn’t changed, the A you know and the A I know are different.”
As Yellow spoke, Angelique pondered before responding.
The communication device beeped.
Without knowing how the other teams were faring, Yubin and I focused on searching our surroundings.
“What if this isn’t the right place?”
We had entered, but still felt uneasy. Despite my determination to succeed, I couldn’t help but worry about failing.
“Again?”
Yubin tapped my helmet with her finger as soon as I expressed my anxiety.
“If we don’t find it here, we’ll just keep looking. How will the commander feel if we’re anxious here?”
“I know. Every time I face a challenge, I feel the same way. But if the leader lacks confidence in their plan, the team will feel even more anxious.”
Though I had taken on leadership roles several times, I hadn’t truly acted as a proper leader or commander.
While Yubin and I had vastly different life experiences, in terms of leadership, Yubin had more diverse experiences than me.
“Alright, but I can’t see anything.”
“Yeah, it’s harder to find things with so many objects around.”
The deeper we went, the more cluttered the warehouse became, making it harder to navigate and see clearly.
“Hold on.”
Yubin also stopped walking ahead.
The further in we went, the more complex it became. If this were a real operating warehouse, would people actually enter such a complicated interior?
“Entrance?”
Yubin seemed to share the same thought.
The easiest access point would be the entrance. We assumed there must be another entrance because we came in through one. However, it was possible that people didn’t use the internal entrances.
“Should we go back?”
“Let’s do it.”
Even if our assumption was wrong, it was best to act immediately if we wanted to confirm our thoughts. With limited time, there was no room for hesitation.
Yubin and I turned around and retraced our steps.
There was no hesitation in our decision, and despite the pace we maintained during the search, returning to the entrance was much quicker.
“We can’t see anything. What do you think an older brother would do?”
“Go to the nearest place.”
“I thought the same thing.”
Returning to the entrance didn’t reveal anything either. But since our thoughts aligned, we immediately inspected nearby areas to find a path.
“Brother.”
I walked towards her without answering when she called my name while searching the wall. Yubin, who was checking the opposite wall, stood still, staring intently at something.
There was nothing unusual about the light fixtures on the wall, but Yubin seemed to believe something was there.
“I’ll check it.”
Assuming there might be another entry point, I prepared a hacking tool. During the planning process, I created a tool to find passwords for special authentication devices.
I activated the hacking tool mounted on my suit, and numerous passwords flashed in my helmet. If this wasn’t an entry mechanism, no password would be input.
We waited silently, tense, until the password was entered.
“!”
A small light appeared on the light fixture, and I turned my head at the sound from behind.
What I thought was just a metal box inside the warehouse had opened, revealing a staircase leading underground.
“All teams, respond.”
I immediately contacted all teams via the communicator. I informed them about discovering the entrance and instructed them to check the light fixtures around it.
“Team 2 and 3, which are closest, come this way. I’ll go down first and check the inside.”
After calling Angelique and SuA’s team, and Luche and Hayang’s team, Yubin and I looked at each other’s faces through our helmets and descended the stairs.
Like outside, the stairs were dark, but the night vision function on our helmets made it easy to navigate.
The stairs were quite long, descending three or four floors. At the bottom, a new door appeared.
“Can this be hacked?”
“Let’s find out.”
I immediately placed my hand on the entry device next to the door and activated the hacking tool.
Entering the password was quick. As the door opened, a bright space appeared, contrasting with the darkness of the warehouse.
Lights illuminated the long corridor, and multiple rooms were visible from the entrance.
“Let’s go.”
I checked for cameras first. Whether disabling or destroying them, the location needed to be confirmed.
As expected, many cameras covered the ceiling, and entering the room would surely trigger an alarm.
There was no need to hesitate. The lack of response indicated either no one was guarding the area or they hadn’t detected us yet.
Yubin and I ran inside.
The control room was likely inside, and considering the arriving teammates, entering first was the most efficient move.
—
“Brother!”
I turned at Yubin’s voice behind me.
A wheeled robot the size of a human torso was aiming its barrel at me from a side passage we had just passed.
“!”
I held a weapon but couldn’t react in time. Yubin’s thrown knife pierced straight through the robot.
───!
The robot, which emitted a mechanical screech as it broke apart, immediately stopped functioning, and an alarm sounded inside.
“Let’s go.”
“…Yeah.”
She repeated the same words she said earlier, and I looked down the corridor where more robots were appearing due to the alarm.
“Of course, it wouldn’t be easy.”
I had anticipated difficulty and was prepared for discovery.
Yubin and I, determined to break through the robot barrier ahead, gripped our weapons tightly and charged forward.
