Chapter 2404 – 2404. Eternal Eden
There were a total of five boats. Each could hold up to six people, but we split into groups of three. Of course, we weren’t planning to row all the way to Tsushima.
The boats were naturally equipped with motors. The average speed was 30 knots. If everything went according to plan, we would reach our destination, Tsushima Island, before sunrise.
I boarded a boat with Choi Hyejin and Irina. I confirmed that the other Royal Guards were also on their boats. We were, of course, fully equipped with combat gear.
Before we set off, I looked back at the Royal Guards. They were wearing combat helmets, so their faces weren’t visible. However, though they were tense, there was no sign of fear. They were hardened by experiencing death several times. Their faith couldn’t be broken even by death. They were the elite of the elite.
“As you all know, the sea isn’t safe. Marine animals also undergo mutations. It’s actually more dangerous because it’s the sea. That’s why trade routes by sea are blocked now.”
Land, sea, and air. The most dangerous of these was the sea. Next was the land. The sky was the safest of the three. Of course, there were mutated creatures that could fly, but none were fast enough to catch up with an airplane. At least, not yet.
The sea was dangerous, but it was okay as long as we didn’t go too far from the land. The dangerous mutated creatures avoided the areas near the shore.
The motor started, and the boat moved forward. The direction indicator on the combat helmet’s HUD was working well, so there was no worry about getting lost.
“This helmet is so stuffy, can’t I take it off?”
Choi Hyejin asked, tapping her combat helmet.
“Keep it on. We’ll be screwed if our identities are revealed. And it has a radar function. We need to wear the combat helmet to immediately detect any mutated creatures approaching.”
Unfortunately, these boats were made in a hurry, so their durability wasn’t great. If we were unlucky, they could be destroyed by a mutated creature’s attack.
“Your Holiness.”
Son Taehyung, the captain of the Holy Royal Guard, called out to me. He used to call me “hyung-nim,” but I never got used to it, so I ordered him to call me “Your Holiness.”
“Speak.”
“The radar has detected two mutated creatures. They’re about 3 meters in size. We expect to encounter them in about 22 seconds. May we eliminate them?”
“Eliminate them.”
“Understood.”
Son Taehyung immediately gave orders to his subordinates.
“Park Hyukwoon, Ki Minsaeng. You two use the harpoons mounted on the boat to deal with the approaching mutated creatures.”
“Understood.”
“Understood.”
I didn’t know why they said “Understood.” I just noticed they were doing it. There was nothing wrong with it, so I let it be. I even kind of liked it.
The mutated creatures naturally attacked from below the boat, from the deep sea. But to prepare for this, harpoons were mounted on the bottom of the boat. A Royal Guard member manipulated the controls and fired the harpoons.
“Hit.”
“Hit here too.”
At that moment, the sea near the boat glowed and lit up the surroundings. It was the effect of the harpoons. The moment they hit, they discharged electricity, ensuring the target’s death. The fish nearby also died en masse, but the effect was certain.
“Check the battery.”
“Battery check. 30% of power consumed.”
“40 spare batteries. No problem.”
The boat continued south.
The mutated creatures kept attacking as if they never got tired. It happened about four to five times an hour. It was fortunate that there weren’t any mutated creatures that were too difficult to handle.
However, it wasn’t all perfect victories. Even though the Royal Guards were the elite of the elite, they had physical limitations. Moreover, we were on the sea, not on land.
Splash!
A ray jumped out of the water. It wasn’t just any ray. It was a mutated creature with three poisonous stingers and wings as hard and sharp as blades. The ray attacked one of the Royal Guards. The Royal Guard extended his left arm.
Crunch!
The Royal Guard’s left arm was bitten by the ray. The anti-cut, bulletproof combat suit was torn apart so easily it was ridiculous, and his left arm was crushed.
The Royal Guard didn’t even groan. He pulled out a pistol with his right hand, pressed the muzzle against the ray, and pulled the trigger.
Bang bang bang bang!
The dead mutated ray fell into the sea with a splash. The Royal Guard who killed the ray staggered and collapsed onto the boat. Another Royal Guard next to him checked on him and reported matter-of-factly.
“Royal Guard Park Hyukwoon is dead. It appears to be a heart attack due to poison.”
It seemed that the mutated ray had poison not only in its tail but also in its teeth.
Son Taehyung bowed his head to me.
“I apologize, Your Holiness. The inadequacy of the Royal Guard has disappointed you.”
“I am disappointed that you were taken down by a mere ray… but I like that you didn’t scream once before you died.”
Their combat power wasn’t bad either.
I went over to the boat with the deceased and healed the Royal Guard. I also repaired his broken combat suit.
The Holy Royal Guards were immortal soldiers that I could use. I promised them immortality. That promise was the source of their faith. If I left a corpse here, their faith would waver.
The Royal Guard, who had died and been resurrected, knelt before me and bowed his head. His hands were clasped together as if in prayer.
“Thank you for the grace you have bestowed upon me, Your Holiness.”
“Yes. Do well.”
• • •
We arrived near Tsushima Island. We turned off the motors and rested quietly. At the same time, we reviewed the operation plan one more time. The briefing was led by Na Chaeyoung, who was at Seongak Elementary School. Her voice was heard through the combat helmet.
-Tsushima Island’s defense system is focused on anti-air. Landing by sea won’t be difficult. The problem is what comes next. There are at least 300 armed soldiers and artificial mutated creatures who will try to kill any intruders.
We waited silently for her next words.
-As soon as you land on Tsushima Island, activate the communication jammer. It will cause confusion for the enemy for about an hour. It will also cut off contact with the mainland. Well, even if you could contact them, they’re too far away to arrive quickly.
“After that, the Holy Royal Guards will deliberately cause a ruckus to draw attention, and we will infiltrate deep into the secret laboratory, take Yoo Seo-jung and her daughter, and get out. Then we’ll take the boat and enter Busan. Right?”
-That’s right. Even if Tsushima Island is in chaos, Japan won’t be able to openly protest. It was a laboratory where human experiments were being conducted. They’ll probably try to hide it at all costs.
“Can’t we expose what happened here later?”
-The Ilwoo Group will take a hit, but it won’t be a real blow. They can just abandon the name Ilwoo and do the same thing under a different name. Even if they apologize, it will only be temporary. After that, they’ll conduct human experiments even more carefully.
Japan can’t abandon the Ilwoo Group. The Japanese government and the Ilwoo Group were practically one and the same. Japan sees the Ilwoo Group as its future. The Ilwoo Group family has Korean names, but Japanese blood flows in their veins. I learned this while torturing Jin Chunghyun.
-And it’s not good to have an all-out war with Japan. Unlike the Signals case, we can’t expose it anonymously. Do you understand? Try not to leave any traces. And take good care of your bodies.
“Take care of our bodies? Even I wouldn’t have sex right here.”
-That’s not what I mean. I mean don’t leave any body parts or blood… any genetic material. The enemy could use your genes to create clones. Of course, it would take at least several years of research to create a clone… but it’s best not to give them any chance from the start.
“Hmm. Well, I’ll try.”
Honestly, I don’t think a human cloned from me would be the same as me. Could they replicate my ability to enjoy life by cloning me? If it were that easy, Yog-Sothoth wouldn’t have committed suicide.
‘Even if they clone me, that guy will be different from me. He’ll just be another guy with the same genes as me.’
Still, the idea of being cloned was unpleasant.
After that, I rested while listening to Na Chaeyoung’s nagging.
“Rest is over. Let’s start the operation.”
I said, activating the communication jammer.
The twelve Royal Guards moved in groups of three. The Royal Guards began to cause a ruckus near the main gate of the secret laboratory.
Choi Hyejin, Irina, and I quietly headed towards the residential area. We entered the kitchen of a closed ramen shop. When we moved the refrigerator aside, we saw a staircase leading down to the basement. It was a secret passage connected to the secret laboratory.
“I’ll go first.”
As planned, Irina went down the passage first. Her stealth ability was specialized for infiltration.
She had been intensively training to conceal her presence, and if she was determined to hide it, even I had a hard time finding her. Of course, this was only when I wasn’t using electromagnetic waves.
‘I was told not to use electromagnetic waves as much as possible inside the secret laboratory.’
According to Na Chaeyoung, there might be a machine that could detect electromagnetic waves. Honestly, I didn’t think the defenses would be that strong… but it was better to be careful.
‘I know the way even without using electromagnetic waves.’
The path was displayed on the combat screen display.
Our destination was the laboratory on the lowest level of this secret laboratory, the 5th basement floor.
“Yes. It’s quiet. Come down.”
Following Irina’s words, Choi Hyejin and I went down the passage. We communicated through our combat helmet radios as we headed to our destination.
“Two people ahead.”
Irina whispered. Since we were wearing combat helmets, our voices wouldn’t leak out.
As she said, two soldiers were standing there with guns. They were wearing combat uniforms and bulletproof helmets. They were holding assault rifles in their hands. The two men frowned and talked on the radio.
“What is it? The communication suddenly stopped?”
“Mine too. Did the equipment malfunction? Well, we can deal with it later. Let’s just wait until the relief team arrives. I don’t want to get my salary cut for leaving without permission.”
Without me having to step in, Irina took care of it with a small crossbow on her left hand. Two small arrows, fired silently, pierced the enemies’ necks.
‘It shouldn’t have that much power to penetrate… was it enhanced by her ability?’
Irina’s ability was Divine Archer. An ability that enhanced her archery skills. It was no exception even with a small crossbow.
“Oh, not bad, Blondie?”
Choi Hyejin, who was watching from the side, was impressed.
“P-Please call me Irina.”
“What? What’s wrong with calling a blonde a blonde?”
“Ah, um… okay.”
Irina glanced at Choi Hyejin. Choi Hyejin, regardless, swung her metal bat in the air. She seemed to be itching for a fight, with her battle-maniac tendencies.
“We don’t have time to stop. Let’s keep going.”
I urged them forward.
Thanks to Irina, we were able to easily get down to the 3rd basement floor.
Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
When we were about halfway through the 3rd floor, a siren went off.
It wasn’t that we were discovered. It was that we had learned about the situation on the surface, which we couldn’t know due to the communication jammer. A booming voice echoed from somewhere.
“Everyone listen up! The radio is down, so I’m announcing this verbally! Intruders have appeared on the surface! They are attacking the secret laboratory! The enemies are in squad units! Judging by their equipment, they are presumed to be special forces from some faction! Except for the guards in charge of each area, everyone go up to the surface and respond!”
Irina, who was walking ahead, turned to look at me. I couldn’t see her face because of the combat helmet, but I imagined she had a troubled expression.
“Y-Yujin-nim. What should we do?”
“We just need to be careful. They don’t know we’re here yet.”
As soon as I finished speaking, a booming voice echoed.
“We found corpses! The enemies have already infiltrated this far! The control room is checking the intruders through CCTV! The enemies are presumed to be Awakened, so don’t leave your area and stay on alert! The indoor defense system will be activated soon!”
It seemed they had discovered the corpses we had carelessly left behind on our way here.
Stealth infiltration was out of the question.
“Run. It’s a blitz now.”
I took the lead and ran.
