Chapter 87

Episode 87. Abandoned Foundation Facility (3)

****

We hid in a suitable spot, staring at the wreckage of a still-burning military truck. I figured the police would arrive within three minutes or so.

I pulled it out of my pocket.

“Dr. Kim. What’s that?”

“Popo Serum. Hold my arm, please.”

Veins.

The blue thing is a vein, right? I stuck the syringe into the vein and pressed the plunger. The cold Popo Serum flowed through the blood vessels in my arm.

“The enemy’s helicopters will take off soon.”

“Let’s pack up and move.”

Damn. I clenched my teeth.

The helicopters aren’t visible yet… but unless our opponents are complete idiots, they’ll launch the choppers as soon as they realize a team has been taken out.

I pulled out my phone.

“Advisor An.”

“Director Kim. How’s Jeju—”

No time for pleasantries.

“Right now! Contact the Foundation Headquarters! Tell them to make it rain on the west side of Jeju Island!”

“What’s going on?”

“To stop the helicopters! Tell them to create a typhoon!”

“Understood.”

I don’t know how long it’ll take. If it was supposed to rain anyway, ten minutes should be enough. If there aren’t enough clouds, it might take longer.

“Why did you blow up the truck? We could’ve used it to move.”

“If we moved in that, we’d have been tracked.”

“Hmm, true.”

“We’re going to steal a car. After stealing a car, we’ll take over the Foundation’s Jeju Naval Base.”

“It won’t be easy.”

“Anyway… it’s not like we have a choice. In a few minutes, helicopters will start searching the entire island.”

I nodded.

“Where did you get the cloak?”

“From the Expansion Physics Department warehouse. Probably due to overlapping cognitive hazards, the scientists there seem to have forgotten its existence.”

“Ah, really?”

“It has a slight anti-memetic effect, making people forget the existence of obscured objects.”

“Well, that makes sense.”

Nanami packed her bag.

“There’s probably a motorcycle shop in the city center. We’ll steal a motorcycle there. Moving along the roads is too risky, so we’ll go off-road as much as possible.”

“I can’t ride a motorcycle.”

“We’ll steal a quad bike then.”

Thinking about it, that makes sense.

****

We didn’t even need to steal it. It was cheaper than I thought.

“Then… let’s go.”

The motorcycle engine roared to life. Nanami headed west along the road, and I quickly followed her. We needed to get out of the city and go off-road to stay safe.

“The Foundation guys are probably already guarding the base area. According to the manual, they secure about two kilometers around the naval base.”

“Right.”

“Just getting into the controlled zone won’t be easy. The path to the facility from there will be treacherous.”

Someone might chase us along the way.

“It’s already raining.”

This time, luck was on our side. Dark clouds loomed overhead. It seemed the Foundation Headquarters had already granted my wish.

“The sky’s on our side.”

Well. The Foundation Headquarters just granted one small request. They’re probably watching us closely right now. What we’re doing, what we can do, how capable we are.

We arrived at the outskirts.

We broke through the dirt road. There might be more police or Foundation soldiers on the road. I hope there’s nothing in our way…

Jeju Island is only 73 kilometers long.

We reached our target area in just ten minutes. A densely forested hill about two kilometers from the Foundation’s Jeju Naval Base.

****

We hid in the forest.

The storm raged above, thunder flashing. The weather was terrible, but that made it harder for them to chase us.

“Why did we stop?”

“From here, we’ll go on foot. Driving in would get us killed immediately. The search probably started a while ago.”

The motorcycles we left behind have likely been found already. Whether the Foundation has recovered them or not, I don’t know.

The anti-tank missiles, sniper rifles, and heavy machine guns the Foundation uses have a maximum range of about two kilometers. Getting closer would mean certain death.

“Are we walking to the facility?”

“No other way.”

Helicopters flew overhead. Not just one or two. Right now, I can see four helicopters above us.

This… is not an easy situation. Going out of the forest means death. Going onto the road means death. Restarting the motorcycle means death.

We walked with our guns at the ready.

“I don’t know how many people the enemy has mobilized, but we’ll meet them soon. A few operators, a few Special Forces teams, a few Recovery Department teams, and the security team guarding the facility.”

If it were me, what would I do? Humanoid supernatural phenomena and Foundation staff are attacking my facility. What would I have done?

Send the Special Forces to chase, have the Recovery Department block movement, station a few security teams around the facility. Launch helicopters to monitor the area from above.

The forest is hiding us, so if they remove what’s hiding us…

Defoliants. Foundation planes were spraying an unidentified liquid over the area. The heavy rain might cause some issues, though.

“Come out, Popo.”

Should I be grateful it’s not a bomb? If it were me, I’d have carpet-bombed the area where the motorcycle was found just to intimidate the enemy.

“Scatter. Disrupt their search.”

Or maybe they’re still underestimating us. I checked my weapon again.

“Nanami. Let’s split up here and meet at the facility. That should wear them down more.”

Nanami nodded.

****

A Daisy Cutter landed on the mountain peak. Eight members of the Special Forces ‘Gangchi’ descended. The targets, as you know, are those people.

“This is Gangchi-1. The targets are two extremely dangerous humanoid supernatural phenomena. Do not attempt communication or capture. Eliminate with maximum firepower on sight.”

“One of the supernatural phenomena is invisible due to an anti-memetic effect. Before proceeding with the mission, take the anti-hallucinogen pill now.”

“We don’t know what supernatural abilities they possess. If you think you’re within their line of sight, move immediately.”

“Report anything you find to everyone.”

“Then, we begin the mission. Do not let your guard down. The enemy is extremely dangerous.”

The Gangchi Special Forces members moved into the forest. Military dogs chased something. Multiple gun barrels aimed at something in the forest.

****

Movement.

I can hear dogs barking. I tried to move as quietly as possible, but moving quietly with full gear isn’t easy.

“Over there!”

Someone fired in my direction.

I ran. In a situation where we’re outgunned and outnumbered, fighting head-on isn’t a good idea.

“Popo. Go bite.”

Let’s hide. I hid behind a rock and raised my gun. Can I fight back? Is there any point in fighting back, or…

I can’t keep running. If they’re shooting, they can see me. So, how well can they see me? Can they hit me in a gas mask, in the rain, in a dark forest?

No way. They’d have to be within arm’s reach to hit me. With full gear, getting shot doesn’t mean instant death.

I hid behind the Popo’s movements and moved between the trees. The Special Forces are still human. Even if they’re wearing weird exoskeletons, armor plates, and optical gear…

The Popo surrounded the Special Forces members. Eight Special Forces members. Unless they brought special ammunition, they have no way to kill the Popo.

I held my breath.

“Go tear them apart!”

Gunfire erupted from all directions, and explosions could be heard here and there. Was it grenade launcher fire or grenade explosions? No screams yet.

I aimed my gun at the back.

The Special Forces guys. They emptied a magazine at one person, but whether it was because they were too far or because of the rain… it didn’t seem like they hit properly. I reloaded and moved positions.

The Popo dragged one person down. My shooting stopped their movement.

One down. But quite a few Popo were rolling around, shot.

Plus, my position was exposed.

The sound of planes overhead grew louder. It seemed like defoliants or poison was being sprayed above.

Boom! A grenade exploded next to me, and I tumbled down the hillside. Those guys are chasing pretty close.

It’d be nice if Nanami were here.

I put down my bag.

I’m not sure, but the enemies seemed to have lost me. I hid as best as I could. The noise was everywhere, the helicopter wind covering any sounds. The Popo running wild all around—

Bang!

Another Special Forces member fell after being shot multiple times at close range. I dropped a smoke grenade and moved again.

Six left.