NTN 40

Chapter 40 Waving Goodbye

After hesitating for two seconds, Jungbeop finally released his left hand from Baek Saebyeok’s neck.

Having just regained her senses from that strange trance, Jang Mokhwa looked at Sung Geonwoo and Jungbeop with eyes full of confusion and shock.

At that moment, as she quietly reached out to grab the grenade launcher—ready to attack Jungbeop even if it meant getting caught in the blast—Sung Geonwoo shook his head twice toward her.

Only then did Jang Mokhwa seem to realize something. She immediately pulled her hands away from the launcher.

Keeping her lips tightly sealed, she tried her best not to make a sound or draw Jungbeop’s attention toward them.

Instead, she pressed her right index finger to her lips, signaling to Baek Saebyeok not to move either.

Sung Geonwoo stared straight at Jungbeop and spoke in an oddly sincere tone.

“Venerable, I am truly grateful for your kindness.
But as they say—no matter how far one escorts another, a farewell must come eventually.
So, how about parting ways here?”

Jungbeop seemed to consider this for a moment before nodding.

“So be it.”

Without hesitation, Sung Geonwoo opened the door and got out first, stepping aside to make room.

Jungbeop followed without a hint of reluctance, stepping down from the jeep.

Yong Yuhong couldn’t close his gaping mouth. The scene before him felt surreal—like a dream.

It was too absurd to be real.

Once outside, Jungbeop moved as if to press his palms together in a monk’s greeting, but Sung Geonwoo extended his right hand first.

Jungbeop hesitated briefly, then extended his own massive metal-framed hand.

A human hand and a mechanical one met and shook.

Sung Geonwoo gave two firm shakes, then released his grip.

He quickly returned to the back seat of the jeep and closed the door.

The robotic monk Jungbeop stood motionless. Sung Geonwoo looked at him through the open window, lifted his right hand, and waved.

“Goodbye!”

He even remembered to say it with a sincere smile.

The robot monk, clad in his yellow robes and red kasaya, raised his hand in return.

“Farewell.”

Without any signal from Sung Geonwoo, Baek Saebyeok stepped on the accelerator, driving the jeep away.

Jang Mokhwa said nothing. Neither did Baek Saebyeok. Through the rearview mirror, they watched silently as the figure of the robotic monk in yellow and red grew smaller and smaller.

When the terrifying monk of the Order was no longer in sight, Jang Mokhwa, who had been silently calculating the distance, finally spoke in a low voice.

“How long will the effect last?”

Sung Geonwoo answered frankly, without hiding anything.

“If people or circumstances around Jungbeop keep feeding him the same input, he’ll never realize something’s off—until he encounters a contradiction or conflicting evidence.
But right now, there’s no one or anything to reinforce that belief. That means it’s only a matter of minutes—five, maybe less—before he notices something’s wrong. He knows our team has two women, and he knows his own attitude toward women.”

Yong Yuhong was still speechless. Sung Geonwoo’s explanation sounded to him like a radio host narrating someone else’s story.

Jang Mokhwa turned her head slightly instead of wasting words.

“Baek Saebyeok, stop the car. I’ll drive.”

“Team Leader, I know the Black Swamp Wasteland better than you do.”

Even as he reasoned logically, Baek Saebyeok didn’t resist. He slowed the car gently.

Without further explanation, Jang Mokhwa opened the door, got out, and switched seats with him.

Once the jeep started moving again, she kept her eyes on the road and said,

“I gained some… special abilities through genetic modification.”

Her words shocked everyone—Baek Saebyeok, Sung Geonwoo, and Yong Yuhong alike.

Even at Ban-go Bio, genetic engineering was still unreliable and had an extremely high failure rate. No one attempted it unless they were desperate.

“It was the only way to survive. I had to do it—along with the cybernetic arm transplant.”

She continued quickly,

“Thanks to certain unique cells in my body, I can sense electromagnetic signals within a limited range. When humans or beasts move, muscle contractions and biological reactions create faint electric signals. So if an enemy enters that range, no matter how well they hide, I can detect their position and condition.”

“That explains why you sensed the exosuit hunter’s approach before I did.”

Baek Saebyeok murmured, understanding dawning.

Sung Geonwoo and Yong Yuhong, too, found several past mysteries suddenly clear.

That first night above ground, Sung Geonwoo had noticed traces of humans, but Jang Mokhwa hadn’t even been curious, nor had she ordered a wide-area scan. Now it made sense—she had already analyzed the intruder’s presence and judged it accordingly.

Jang Mokhwa added quickly,

“The Black Swamp Iron Serpent was in hibernation, so its electrical signal was too weak. I mistook it for an ordinary creature—that’s why I didn’t detect it earlier.
But Jungbeop is a robot monk. His movements generate extremely strong electrical fields. I could sense him from quite far away, and even gauge his mental state.

In truth, I was already preparing before he attacked. I deliberately had Saebyeok slow the jeep—to provoke him, lure him into striking, and find a chance to disable him.

What I didn’t expect was that he’s also an Awakened. A robot monk and an Awakened? We were this close to all dying.

I owe you all an apology for that.

Jungbeop will be after us again soon. This time, he’ll probably attack from range. I’m the only one who can detect his approach and react in time—if we rely on verbal commands, it’ll be too late.”

Baek Saebyeok nodded in understanding.

“Then I’ll keep watch on the front and sides, and tell you which directions are unsafe.
How about I use clock directions for reference?”

A red handprint still marked his neck—an ugly reminder of Jungbeop’s grip.

“Good.”

Jang Mokhwa slowed the vehicle slightly, carefully steering over an obstacle.

Then she glanced at the rearview mirror and said,

“Sung Geonwoo, Yong Yuhong—decide who’s wearing the exosuit. Whoever does will be the main one fighting Jungbeop.”

Before Yong Yuhong could answer, Sung Geonwoo spoke firmly.

“I’ll do it.”

When Yong Yuhong looked ready to argue, he turned to her and explained simply,

“Jungbeop’s an Awakened. You can’t fight him. I’ll need the exosuit to close the distance anyway.”

“…Fine.”

She bent slightly to help him pull the exosuit from the trunk.

“Don’t forget to replace the battery with the high-performance one,” Jang Mokhwa reminded him.

Only two major corporations—Orange Company and FutureIntelli—produced high-performance batteries. All others were low-quality imitations used only in civilian gear.

Fortunately, both the jeep and the exosuit used compatible FutureIntelli batteries.

“Got it.”

Sung Geonwoo replied without hesitation.

After swapping the batteries, he strapped on the power pack and metal frame, tightening the buckles along the joints.

“Team Leader, when you tried to hack Jungbeop’s system earlier—why did it suddenly fail?”

He suspected it had to do with another ability unique to Awakened beings.

He already knew two of Jungbeop’s powers: Agwi-do and Telepathy.

Jang Mokhwa was busy—she had to steer carefully through the swamp while also monitoring electric signals around them to detect Jungbeop’s pursuit.

But her mind was sharp, seemingly enhanced by genetic modification as well.

“At that time…” she began after a pause, her voice several times stronger than most people’s.

“Something strange happened to me. I couldn’t tell who I was or what I was supposed to do. My memory was intact—I remembered past events—but even within those memories, I couldn’t identify myself or my purpose.”

She frowned, criticizing herself as she spoke.

“I thought I could interfere with Jungbeop’s system and stop him from using his Awakened abilities. But I misjudged.

Maybe that’s the difference between a robot monk and a human.”

Baek Saebyeok shook his head.

“That wasn’t a mistake in judgment. It was a counterattack under pressure—you couldn’t have analyzed everything in that moment.”

Sung Geonwoo, having fastened the last buckle, lifted his head and said,

“Most Awakened abilities rely on both the mind and body. If the body’s hit hard enough to cause severe pain, it breaks concentration, and even an Awakened can’t use their powers properly….”

He suddenly stopped, realizing that the same logic applied to himself.

Then, before anyone else could speak, he exhaled and continued calmly,

“In other words, if you can knock out an Awakened with a single punch, they’ll never get the chance to use their powers.”

After finishing his explanation, he nodded slightly in agreement with Jang Mokhwa’s earlier conclusion.

“So yes—in that sense, there really is a difference between robot monks and humans.”

Jang Mokhwa gave a wry laugh.

“Unfortunately, my ‘golden fingers’ aren’t that strong. If I could infiltrate Jungbeop’s energy system fast enough to cut the power, he’d lose access to his abilities.