The All-Master of Cyberpunk-Chapter 19

“Usually, people who talk like that end up being nothing special, but somehow, I trust you.”

“There’s a fine line between bravado and confidence.”

My confidence was based on thorough future knowledge, so I was inherently different from those who just made rough estimates and bluffed.

“However, I have one more request.”

“Hmm?”

“May I bring one more colleague? Don’t worry about security; they are very discreet.”

“Hmm... Well, if you deem it necessary.”

“I do.”

“Then so be it.”

The negotiations ended smoothly and concisely, including the additional personnel and the contract amount.

From the director’s perspective, he gave the maximum conditions he could offer to a hunter he was meeting for the first time.

Now, it was my turn to live up to those expectations.

Regardless of your true intentions, I’ll make sure to earn that money.

“The Catholic Hospital? Did you know about it too, Do-jin?”

“If you know, Ha-an, there's no way I wouldn’t.”

“...”

Lee Ha-an pursed her lips and glared at me.

Having worked together for over a week, I could tell what her look meant without her having to say anything.

It meant, “Stop bothering me with unnecessary words and get to the point.”

“If the Chungsa-pa attacked the Catholic Hospital, it means there’s something valuable there that can be converted into money.”

“Is the government involved?”

“It’s not just the government. It’s likely connected to the Daegu Industrial Cooperative too.”

“...!”

Although Lee Ha-an often got frustrated with me, she was an agent dispatched to investigate the series of incidents occurring in the Daegu Green Zone.

An undercover agent sent by the new government, suspecting ‘rebellious’ activities in Daegu.

Even before I got involved in this world, Lee Ha-an was already personally investigating, and had even discovered that the central force was the Daegu Industrial Cooperative.

She quickly grasped what I was talking about.

“It’s only a hypothesis for now. We should proceed cautiously...”

“So, are you coming or not? It would be tough, but I can handle it alone if necessary.”

“Fine...! I’ll go, okay?”

Caution is good, but nothing is more cautious than seeing things firsthand.

“What exactly do I need to do?”

“There will be heavily armed security turrets. I can handle the Chungsa-pa, but the defense system is particularly tricky.”

The first thing the Chungsa-pa did after taking over the hospital was reset all the internal defense systems. It’s only natural to use the dense network of defensive turrets that are already in place.

In the Seoul 2056 game, this was quite a troublesome quest without hacking skills or the minimum attributes to hack. Lee Ha-an’s cooperation was indispensable.

Hacking. As soon as her most confident skill was mentioned, she casually brushed her hair back and smiled.

“Well, I am the best hacker in Daegu.”

“Alright, then. I’ll offer you 30 million won for the job.”

“Thir-thirty million!! You should have started with that! Why didn’t you mention the most important part?”

The hefty amount made Lee Ha-an quickly gather her equipment in a frenzy.

Portable hacking tools and chipsets for accessing the network, and her handgun, which had become her signature weapon after the raid on the Underdog Bikers.

The wary and skeptical look she had moments ago was gone, replaced with eager excitement.

“Let’s go quickly!”

Thirty million won.

It was a substantial amount of money, but considering the pride of an agent, it seemed a bit low...

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Well, if she’s happy with it, that’s what matters.

Enough money could make even an undercover agent dance.

With Lee Ha-an prepared, we arrived at the Daegu Catholic Hospital.

Once a giant hospital known for saving countless lives in Daegu, it had mostly collapsed into ruins after the Great Chaos.

Of course, in reality, the more intact underground facilities were being used for new projects by the Daegu Industrial Cooperative.

“Seeing police in Nam-gu is so strange. It feels out of place.”

Lee Ha-an muttered as she watched patrol cars with flashing red and blue lights controlling the main roads.

It was a rare sight in Nam-gu, a lawless zone where the influence of public authority was minimal.

“And they’ve put an embargo on it?”

“It doesn’t matter if the public knows about a gang occupying a hospital.”

The Chungsa-pa were notorious even within the Daegu Green Zone. They were feared not only by mid-tier hunter guilds like Chilgok but also by government agencies.

“From the citizens' perspective, it’s not bad if the government eradicates the Chungsa-pa. They should actually promote it.”

The condition Seo Yi-kyung mentioned was to secure the samples in the underground lab and then return.

Rescuing the detained medical staff was not even mentioned, so they were effectively being abandoned.

Once the samples were secured, he would likely send in the police to eradicate the Chungsa-pa.

Many hostages would probably be sacrificed in the process, but Seo Yi-kyung didn’t care about their lives. He was solely focused on his gain. What did the lives of medical staff matter to someone like him?

“Stop! Stop! Stop! This area is off-limits! Turn back!”

Finally arriving at the main gate of the Catholic Hospital, armed police officers blocked the way. A quick glance at the gate’s checkpoint revealed a sniper scoped in on me.

One wrong move, and they’d blow my head off.

“I’m here on orders from Director Seo Yi-kyung. Here are the documents.”

I calmly handed over the documents from the passenger seat. The officer checked my name and Seo Yi-kyung’s seal, then stuffed the papers into his pocket and saluted.

“Good work. Loyalty!”

Passing through the main checkpoint revealed the full view of Daegu Catholic Hospital. Once a mecca of healing for countless citizens, it now lay in ruins.

Even the relatively intact main building was unmanaged, looking like a haunted hospital where ghosts might pop out at night.

“No way... There’s no reason for decent medical staff to be here. I didn’t realize it was this decrepit just from satellite photos.”

“The entire infrastructure of Nam-gu was demolished, so it’s only natural you couldn’t know in advance. Without functioning CCTV, how would you confirm?”

Lee Ha-an bit her lip in silent acknowledgment of her oversight.

Again, she didn’t need to be so sullen. It was only because I knew the future.

“Is this how things are done in Seoul...?”

“Just consider me exceptional.”

“Why do you always have to ruin the moment by making such comments?”

“Oops, we’re here. Let’s get out.”

“You really are insufferable.”

I chuckled playfully and parked the car in a secluded corner away from the main building.

It was an area overgrown with weeds, covering the debris of collapsed buildings. Some of the weeds reached up to my waist.

“Is there really a secret passage here?”

“Yes.”

I took a shotgun from the trunk and began cautiously searching the surroundings. A suspicious-looking hill covered by vines and camouflage netting caught my eye. Approaching closer, I saw a faded sign that read ‘Underground Parking Entrance.’

“There it is.”

“Oh... They really hid it well.”

The camouflage was thorough, blending naturally with the overgrown weeds and covered with military netting. Without close inspection, it was easy to overlook.

I turned on the tactical light attached to my shotgun and pushed past the camouflaging vines. Lee Ha-an followed, checking her pistol one last time.

The underground parking lot was in worse shape than the surface.

The ceiling was so low it almost touched my head, with debris and abandoned vehicles blocking most paths.

There were remains of those who couldn’t escape in time, buried under the rubble, revealing the chaotic and desperate situation during the Great Chaos.

“Do-jin, over here.”

Lee Ha-an tapped my shoulder and pointed to a faint green light in the darkness.

A half-fallen neon sign, covered in dust with a dim power supply, displayed readable words.

[Daegu Catholic Hospital Morgue]

“This looks like the entrance to hell. So ominous.”

The atmosphere was overwhelming, making Lee Ha-an’s voice tremble slightly.

The dim light, like an anglerfish in the deep sea, lured its prey into the lair of the dead.

Click! I loaded my pump-action shotgun, staring at the flickering morgue sign.

“Get ready, Ha-an.”

It was time to walk into that hell.