Auto Hunting

Episode 49

Yoo-seong stood up once the debriefing and video review were over.

Upon seeing this, the Director of the Special Defense Agency, Yang Chang-guk, came over to speak to him. The director held out his hand with a smile on his face.

“We didn’t even have to watch the action cam footage. The fact that Zhang Liu was there was enough.”

Any unauthorized entry at an operational area merited a license suspension at the minimum.

“The rush team threatening a solo Diver… We will bring justice to them,” the director assured Yoo-seong. After shaking hands, he even tapped Yoo-seong’s shoulder. The director obviously liked the younger hunter.

“There will also be some members on Team Quartz who will testify for your case.”

“I see.”

“Don’t worry too much. However, we have to stick to the protocol. You must stay here while the investigation is ongoing. I’m sorry that you have to.”

“No, I understand.”

Though Yoo-seong would stay in the detention center at the Special Defense building, his accommodations weren’t like the other detention facilities. The facilities were quite comfortable, and the meals were luxurious. All the people in charge favored Yoo-seong, knowing that he was the victim in this particular situation. One of the guards even lent him a tablet PC so he could be updated with whatever was happening outside.

As he browsed through the news articles about the issue, he found that public opinion was the same as Yang Chang-guk’s.

-How would the Agency resolve the terroristic acts that happened to Hunter Oh Yoo-seong?-

-Who could be behind the planning and organizing of the terrorism…?-

The most controversial factor was Zhang Liu’s nationality.

He was from China. He purchased Quartz, one of the biggest names in the hunting industry in Korea, and had used the team in order to harm another hunter.

The public couldn’t help but rage against him. However, Yoo-seong, who was the victim, kept silent. He only read through some of the articles, then put the tablet PC away.

‘Close your eyes and focus.’

He began light core training in his detention room.

‘There is no change in the total amount of CE,’ he observed.

12,700 CE.

It was about 2-3 years’ worth of CE.

Thanks to his excellent absorption rate and Auto-Hunting, he was able to handle it even if he had less than a year of experience. However, something had changed while he was in the world beyond the crack.

Yoo-seong noticed that there were new veins in places that he didn’t normally use.

He focused and drove CE through the new veins.

It was quite painful to push through CE on fresh, new veins, but once the pain was gone, the veins were cleared and could take on more energy in the future. He felt the same pain yesterday as he cast eleven Parasitic Bees. The veins on his right hand felt as if they were being torn from his body.

They were the same veins that trembled for several days when he first tried to cast a single Parasitic Bee. Now, they could take on CE equivalent to eleven bullets.

Suddenly, an officer appeared by his window.

“Mr. Oh Yoo-seong, a visitor…”

“A visit?” Yoo-seong was puzzled.

People under investigation for serious incidents such as these normally were not allowed visitors.

“Uh…” the officer seemed to choose his words carefully. “Usually, this is not the case, but… let’s say it is someone very powerful.”

Yoo-seong was still confused. The only person who would pay him a visit would be Sung-wook. He didn’t know that Sung-wook had enough influence to bypass even a Special Defense Agency policy.

He was escorted to the meeting place. There, someone was waiting for him.

It was someone he hadn’t expected. His eyes widened.

“Long time, no see.”

It was Shin Yu-hee, wearing a neat suit.

“The recording equipment has been turned off. You two can talk comfortably,” the officer said before leaving them.

“I didn’t mean to come in person. Your agent reached out to me. He said he was unable to get past through here.”

“Is that so…” Yoo-seong thought.

He felt that there must be something important for Shin Yu-hee to mobilize her connections and meet him. Shin Yu-hee nodded at him.

Then, in a professional, cold tone, she began to inform him about the details of the case and all relevant information that Sung-wook wanted Yoo-seong to know.

“You also have strong public support at the moment. We don’t think that there’s a danger of license suspension. However, in any case, Sung-wook has prepared for a legal battle.”

Yoo-seong nodded in reply. A heavy silence descended in the room.

Shin Yu-hee had already explained everything she was asked to convey.

The awkward silence went on. Usually, when two people had run out of things to talk about, they could shift their focus on their mobile phones.

However, neither Yu-hee nor Yoo-seong were the sort of people who would stare at their mobile phones while in front of another person.

Yoo-seong didn’t even have a cellphone with him in the first place.

“The e-cigarette…” Shin Yu-hee finally broke the silence. “Are you keeping it well?”

“Of course. I still have it.”

It was inside Yoo-seong’s Slot.

The liquid within it, Purple Deep, was an illegal substance. He brought it on his Dive in case of an emergency.

The first thing he did when he went out of the crack was to hide it in his Slot, just in case the Special Defense forces searched through his belongings.

“I did my best to hide it,” he assured her.

Shin Yu-hee nodded. In her mind, it meant that Yoo-seong cherished it. Sung-wook could have thought that it was only a joke, but…

It was true.

She didn’t really want the e-cigarette back. She wanted it to remain in Yoo-seong’s possession, so she could have a reason to keep in touch with him.

After her experience with Sung-wook the other day, she thought that she was doing a good job of maintaining her facial expression in front of Yoo-seong.

…

Yoo-seong was released after three days in the detention facility. From being one of the suspects, he had then turned into a state witness.

The members of Team Quartz were charged with attempted murder charges.

Zhang Liu had not been deported to China, despite his influence. He was the Ship Zone’s fourth-ranked hunter, the head of Goryong, a large conglomerate.

Why would he try to kill Yoo-seong?

Zhang Liu refused to give any statements. Strangely, Yoo-seong also did not testify against him.

Because of what happened, the Chinese employees in the Korean Goryong office had fled. The public has demanded more action from the Defense Bureau to draw a line.

If China could impose strict measures for Korean hunters entering their country, why shouldn’t the Korean government do the same?

They demanded harsher screening for foreign hunters.

***

Yoo-seong and Jin Wei-baek arranged a meeting at the park. It was on the same bench where they had first met.

Yoo-seong approached slowly at Jin Wei-baek, who arrived first and waited for him.

“I cannot apologize to your teacher,” the old man began. “No matter how much I think about it, I couldn’t do it.”

“I thought you would say that,” Yoo-seong replied.

“Yes, then, what should we do about it?”

Jin Wei-baek looked at Yoo-seong with amusement. He thought that he would allow him a different condition instead.

Yoo-seong, however, had a different plan in mind.

He leaned close to Wei-baek, and whispered:

“Follow me.”

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