Many people went in and out so frequently that Red thought it might be better to just leave the door open now. She opened the door and stepped outside.
After sincerely facing the prosecution’s investigation at the headquarters’ conference room, her expression was not good.
As soon as she came out, many people were visible, but Red approached Blue who was waiting for her outside while looking at her smartphone.
“Did it end?”
“I don’t know. They might call me again. Did you manage to buy groceries?”
“Yeah. I asked because he said he’s outside right now.”
“Lucky.”
She felt tired from repeating the same investigation over and over. Although everyone acknowledged that the hyper-human was the victim of embezzlement, there were rumors that the hyper-human was also an accomplice.
Without the data, such rumors wouldn’t have surfaced, but the fact that excessive wages were paid to Team Guerrilla increased suspicion towards Team HunterKiller.
To explain this situation, she had to repeat the same statements to maintain consistency.
Blue had asked her boyfriend, who had not yet returned home, to buy groceries since the end time was uncertain. Red nodded in agreement upon hearing this.
“What about the others?”
“They’re in our office. Since the SpecialForce Team is under investigation, we’ll go upstairs.”
“Alright.”
They stood in front of the elevator to head to the HunterKiller Team’s office after sighing.
The elevator opened to reveal White, who greeted Red and Blue with a smile.
“You’ve been through a lot, Red.”
“Yeah. Did you smoke?”
“Yeah. It was suffocating.”
Despite his genial nature, White, being a smoker, also felt fatigued from the continuous investigation. He had gone to the smoking area on the rooftop terrace to alleviate his frustration.
“Was anything different this time?”
“No. I thought they might tell me how far the investigation had progressed, but it was the same.”
“Oh, thanks for letting me know.”
White smiled and greeted Red before heading to the conference room. Red and Blue watched him walk away before getting into the elevator.
“White still thinks Blue is my older brother, right?”
“Isn’t he bound to remember?”
Red confirmed through Blue that White knew that A was Blue’s boyfriend. While she didn’t know the exact name, she had seen Blue and A dating together, as Silver mentioned.
“White has a good memory, so he might remember.”
Although it was a long time ago and he saw them only once, there was no guarantee that White had completely forgotten.
Even though Red wasn’t close to White, she knew that he remembered people well.
“Silver knows that my older brother is my boyfriend.”
Whether someone was their boyfriend was crucial because one of them must be true, making both true.
If this relationship were exposed immediately, it wouldn’t be a problem. The fact that two people were seeing the same man, or that all members of Team HunterKiller were seeing the same man, wasn’t wrong for Team SpecialForce.
However, if it became known that A was affiliated with Spacystro, the situation would change dramatically.
Team HunterKiller already knew that Spacystro was investigating the hyper-human, and they had participated in operations initiated by them.
Yet, they hadn’t betrayed the Earth Defense Union on the surface.
They had resolved to leave the Earth Defense Union and join Spacystro when the time was right, and some members had even given control of their suits to their boyfriend, A.
Even if it was revealed that all members of Team HunterKiller were seeing one person, and that person, A, was affiliated with Spacystro, not everything would be exposed. However, the mere fact that their boyfriend was affiliated with Spacystro was enough to cause controversy.
“We need to be careful for a while. We should avoid talking about ourselves at headquarters.”
“That’s right.”
Feeling a great psychological burden from keeping the truth hidden within their group, they felt relieved that all five members of Team HunterKiller could share their stories, reducing the burden.
Understanding how stressed A must have been from keeping so much hidden, they sympathized with him.
Entering the HunterKiller Team’s office, they saw Pink, Yellow, and Green, who were half-lying in their seats after returning from the investigation.
“Are you all okay?”
“No, we’re not.”
Red checked on the team’s condition, but Pink, who looked drained, leaned against a chair, staring into space without responding.
“I thought it was just going to be an investigation. I didn’t expect it to be this stressful.”
It was just talking about their position and what they had experienced, but the repetition caused immense fatigue.
The ongoing investigation assumed that Team HunterKiller might be involved, so they couldn’t help but feel on edge throughout the process.
“How about Green?”
“I’m fine. I’m more worried about the others…”
Though Green’s expression wasn’t entirely bright, she seemed to feel the pressure of the investigation. Despite this, she was concerned about Pink and Yellow, who appeared exhausted.
“What about Yellow?”
“She’s fine except for the investigator’s tone. It’s too harsh.”
Pink giggled as she watched Yellow, who was visibly annoyed, with squinted eyes.
“Yeah. It’s a relief that Yellow didn’t hit anyone.”
Pink shared the same dissatisfaction with the investigator’s tone, and even Green, who had been quiet, nodded in agreement.
“Are we just going to keep being investigated? We’re victims, after all.”
“If consistency is proven, we won’t be investigated anymore. Not all news is bad.”
Everyone’s attention turned to Red, who had spoken.
“What? Is there any good news?”
Pink sat up straight after hearing there was good news amidst her exhaustion.
“Yes. I didn’t tell White because I don’t know about other teams, but…”
During the investigation, Red felt that something special might only apply to Team HunterKiller, so she hadn’t told White.
To convey the message clearly, she sat down, and the other members looked at her intently until she spoke.
“I heard that starting this month, salaries will be paid normally.”
“Really?!”
Everyone was surprised. Red nodded with a bright expression.
The embezzlement case was ultimately about money, and Team HunterKiller had suffered greatly due to the lack of funds. Even though Yellow had a relatively affluent background, she probably didn’t worry much about money. However, she still felt psychological stress without any significant income.
“Yes. Although it might be difficult to get back what the chief embezzled immediately, we can recover it gradually through legal procedures.”
It was disappointing that they couldn’t get back the billions embezzled instantly, but receiving normal salaries was a great relief for them.
“Then, are you going to quit your convenience store job?”
“I’m considering it. If I quit the convenience store, I can focus on activities here for a while.”
Just because they decided to leave the Earth Defense Union didn’t mean they would stop their activities. There were still many investigations related to the hyper-human that needed to be done.
A, her boyfriend, recommended that they stay in the Earth Defense Union to conduct more thorough investigations. Regardless of A’s opinion, they all decided to remain in the Earth Defense Union for the time being.
This decision was influenced by the existence of the radio base.
While it made sense that the radio base existed, its location, security measures, and what A had seen inside were unknown.
Even though it was related to the hyper-human, it seemed to be kept secret, leading them to believe that the Earth Defense Union was hiding something. Therefore, they decided not to leave the Earth Defense Union for now.
“What do you think about continuing hyper-human activities?”
After expressing her intention to focus on activities and thinking for a moment, Red asked for everyone’s opinion.
“What do you mean?”
Since the question was open to many interpretations, Blue asked for clarification on Red’s intentions.
“Regardless of public sentiment, hyper-human activities are about fighting to protect Earth from Spacystro. I wonder if staying in the Earth Defense Union will allow us to continue these activities.”
It was clear that their hearts were already set on leaving. However, hyper-humans were created to protect Earth, and they had indeed fought to protect it.
After meeting A, they had undergone many changes and wanted to confirm if they could engage in normal activities now.
The team members also pondered Red’s question.
The team members had sensed that Red had been reconsidering the meaning of protecting Earth recently.
“I don’t mind.”
Yellow responded first, surprising Red, who had expected her to say otherwise.
“It’s not about saying we’ll fight for Earth. Just because things are improving slightly doesn’t mean our past treatment will disappear. I have no intention of changing my mind now.”
The team members understood and empathized with her sincerity.
“But it’s fine to continue activities. I’ve been determined not to fight for Earth for a long time, and now I think about moving for myself. Actually, I find more enthusiasm when discovering new things.”
No member of Team HunterKiller chose to become a hyper-human willingly. They performed their given tasks repeatedly without proper treatment.
Now, there was a glimmer of hope that things might improve, but as Yellow pointed out, their past experiences wouldn’t disappear.
“I agree with Yellow.”
Pink quietly raised her hand and spoke.
“While I can’t say it’s exactly the same, I want to move according to my thoughts, which is to act for A.”
Meeting A made them realize that they couldn’t just sit idly in their given situations.
Even if they had known this before, no one had tried. They believed that trying wouldn’t bring change, and the impact of some actions by hyper-humans was minimal.
However, A brought about significant changes, and Team HunterKiller found what they wanted to do.
Whether they would protect many people, Earth, or betray it, no one knew. But they decided to act according to their beliefs regardless of the outcome.
Both Blue and Green showed no signs of disagreement with the others.
However, Red still felt something was missing, so her expression remained somber.
“Recently, my older brother met one of our fans.”
“Fan?”
“Do we have fans?”
Hearing this for the first time, the team members were surprised. Although Red was skeptical, she believed A wouldn’t lie, so she nodded.
“He did. It was a middle school student he met by chance on the street. One of the kids he helped evacuate during a battle was that student’s sibling. That’s how he became a fan.”
This was something they hadn’t known and hadn’t expected.
“I’m sorry for causing confusion. But knowing that someone out there supports us makes me feel more conflicted.”
“It’s okay.”
Seeing Red struggle to sort out her feelings, Blue spoke softly. Hearing the quiet voice, Red lifted her head and looked at her.
“We’ve always been in complex situations. I don’t think it will be any different even if it gets more complicated. In fact, our personal situations might improve.”
When something is solved, something else emerges unsolved.
Although Team HunterKiller had only faced unresolved issues, now they were beginning to see solutions.
“I think it’s something any hyper-human would consider. With careful deliberation, I believe we’ll find the answer if we act according to what Red wants.”
Though it didn’t solve her current dilemma, Red realized that carrying complexity was normal.
For the first time, Blue felt like a sister to Red, who had always been a colleague.
Solving problems didn’t happen overnight. By taking action with determination and accumulating experience, they believed they would find answers.
“Yes, I understand.”
“But a fan? It’s amazing. I never imagined it.”
“Who wouldn’t?”
After being criticized and blamed repeatedly, hearing that someone supported them made everyone feel a bit better.
“Everyone worked hard. Someone must have noticed.”
Pink and Yellow smiled at Green’s quiet comment, feeling a bit better.
“Yeah. We didn’t receive anything tangible, but it feels good to know someone appreciates us.”
Even though they had resolved to fight for themselves rather than Earth, they felt a sense of appreciation for their efforts to protect Earth.
