Chapter 436
The Proposal
Seong Geon-woo also displayed an expression that seemed to agree with Han Myung-ho’s words.
“I’ve been worried about your heart ever since I found out that person is an Awakener of the Mission Domain.”
An Awakener of the Mission Domain?
Han Myung-ho had originally been the chief of Redstone Market’s peacekeeping force and the captain of the village guard. He had also liaised with the Boundary Church and had firsthand experience confronting merfolk gentlemen. Even without further explanation, he was well aware of what this entailed.
But Jeong Do-yeon was different. He only knew about Daljigi and Awakeners; meeting just a few sects was all he had experienced, so he had no knowledge of the domain partitions or detailed aspects.
Throughout Seong Geon-woo’s explanation, Jeong Do-yeon couldn’t help but feel as if they lived in a world completely different from his own.
This time, Jang Mok-hwa didn’t even have a chance to scold Seong Geon-woo for being too candid; instead, she offered him a comforting remark from above.
“That can only be confirmed through a detailed examination. Personal feelings can’t replace the instruments. Subjective emotions often differ greatly from the actual situation.”
Han Myung-ho asked,
“Where would we go to get examined?”
As soon as he said it, he realized his tone had been too impulsive and instinctively added,
“Sorry… I’m not feeling great.”
“I understand.”
Seong Geon-woo replied in agreement.
Jang Mok-hwa also showed that it was fine.
At the same time, she asked herself: if she were terminally ill, had just barely found a possible treatment, and was striving for it, would she be able to stay calm if people suddenly appeared claiming to be her friends, disrupting her plans and making everything unstable?
She knew she wouldn’t. Even if the other party had no ill intentions, and even if the disruption was just an unexpected accident, it would be hard to suppress her anger. In such situations, reason was utterly useless.
For the moment, she avoided the question of where to examine his condition and hesitated briefly before asking,
“So… you’ve actually already found a suitable heart and were preparing to complete a mission to raise the cost?”
“That’s about right.”
Han Myung-ho deliberately looked elsewhere, not at Jeong Do-yeon, as he answered.
“What kind of mission?”
Seong Geon-woo’s curiosity was piqued.
At that moment, Jeong Do-yeon, rising from the bed, stretched and spoke.
“The mission… is to save my hometown. The payment is my heart.”
He realized that the rescue team had a considerable favorable impression of Han Myung-ho and felt it necessary to clarify the matter properly. Otherwise, in this situation, they wouldn’t be able to find another helper, let alone save the village of Chobom or leave this city.
Yong Yeo-hong flinched in surprise. Seong Geon-woo’s previous guess had been confirmed. It was something he had never imagined. Han Myung-ho truly had a living organ donor nearby!
‘Isn’t that awkward?’
Under normal circumstances, most people wouldn’t have done it if there were other options.
Meanwhile, Baek Sae-byeok seemed to notice a certain similarity in Jeong Do-yeon and spoke voluntarily.
“You’re willing to sacrifice yourself for your hometown?”
Jeong Do-yeon smiled.
“Sacrifice? Not really. I’m just making use of what would otherwise be discarded. I’m also suffering from a terminal illness. Eventually, my organs would become useless anyway.”
“What illness?”
Jang Mok-hwa asked.
Without hesitation, Jeong Do-yeon answered directly.
“It’s a blood disease caused by mutation. I don’t know the specifics. The clinic doctor just rattled off words I couldn’t understand.”
‘It might not even be terminal… A precise examination is probably necessary…’
Jang Mok-hwa thought this but dared not speak it aloud. Any misstep could be seen as obstructing Han Myung-ho’s life and path. Until she proposed a clearly feasible alternative, it was better to remain silent.
Though she felt pity for Jeong Do-yeon, they had only just met, and such sympathy held no real power.
After a short pause, Seong Geon-woo nodded slightly and took on Jang Mok-hwa’s role, asking,
“I see… What happened in your hometown? Why do you want to save it?”
Jeong Do-yeon briefly explained the situation of Chobom Village, which had become a testing ground for First City. Everyone on the rescue team’s expressions changed slightly as they listened.
Biochemical experiments and genetic research—this was, in a sense, Bango Bio’s trademark. This was also one reason for Bango Bio’s notorious reputation.
But according to Jeong Do-yeon, First City was carrying out similar work, and much more coercively.
‘Did we get the wrong script?’
Jang Mok-hwa, deep in thought, soon fully understood. Any large organization would want to cover its weaknesses, and if the opportunity arose, it would never let it slip.
Still, her dissatisfaction kept surfacing.
‘But First City’s methods are way too violent. According to this person, Chobom Village’s mutants are numerous and live painful lives. If their goal was free clinics for these people, or to develop treatments under the guise of genetic experiments, there would have been plenty of willing participants. There’s no need for such coercion and cruelty. Did they really think these people weren’t worth it?’
To Jang Mok-hwa, First City’s approach was far more inefficient than Bango Bio’s. Maintaining such methods required a huge population and troops stationed everywhere.
“You… what’s your name?”
Realizing she hadn’t even asked, Jang Mok-hwa finally did.
Jeong Do-yeon obediently told her name.
Jang Mok-hwa nodded, then continued.
“Based on what you’ve said, the security level of the experiments First City is conducting in your village must be extremely high. The forces guarding it will be formidable, and you can’t rely on the personnel Myung-ho gathered.”
She looked at Han Myung-ho at this point.
After what happened today, there was no way a relic hunter would continue cooperating with him if he were untrustworthy. Just not betraying him was already a favor.
“You haven’t received the weapons you ordered yet, right?”
Han Myung-ho sighed deeply.
His recruited partners didn’t know the details of the mission, so fortunately, they weren’t aware of the potential consequences for Chobom Village.
Seong Geon-woo laughed at Han Myung-ho’s sigh.
Before he could speak further, Jang Mok-hwa began.
“It’s partly our responsibility that things have come this far. So here’s what we’ll do. We’ll be your collaborators and help out. Well… maybe ‘help’ isn’t the right word if we expect something in return. What we want are some data or samples from the Chobom Village laboratory.”
Jang Mok-hwa only requested compensation later not out of some professional habit from working at the major villain Bango Bio.
She worried that Han Myung-ho, who had a somewhat twisted personality, might reject their help if offered freely.
But Han Myung-ho knew very well that, for the time being, he couldn’t find other helpers. After a few seconds of silence, he finally replied,
“Fine.”
Jang Mok-hwa smiled.
“Don’t worry about weapons. We have plenty. Even a mass destruction weapon.”
At the same time, Seong Geon-woo turned to clear the path.
In front of Han Myung-ho and Jeong Do-yeon, the Geneva robot was charging against the wall.
A robot!
They were shocked, and at the same time, overjoyed.
A fully modular robot from Ashland was certainly a mass destruction weapon.
After calming himself from a mix of delight and shock, Han Myung-ho couldn’t contain his curiosity and asked,
“Why are you being chased by the Order of Hands?”
Looking at them, it seemed this team brought trouble wherever they went.
He recalled how, back in Redstone Market, they had thoroughly beaten up arms dealers and crushed imitation unions without rest.
Jang Mok-hwa, after a brief thought, answered.
“I don’t know how to explain it. It might be better to show you the mission directly, which the Order of Hands commissioned. Gen, project it.”
Geneva immediately switched modes and projected the previously recorded information onto the wall.
Han Myung-ho and Jeong Do-yeon saw technology at a level they would have only rarely glimpsed in a few relic hunter guilds.
They tried to focus as Geneva displayed the information.
“Participation in the Arena assassination prayer incident,
A massive mission plan targeting First City…”
Even just reading the first part, both Han Myung-ho and Jeong Do-yeon felt their eyelids twitch.
‘What the hell are these guys?’
Han Myung-ho had suspected that the rescue team came from some large organization, but he never imagined they were actively opposing First City like this.
Clearing his throat, Jang Mok-hwa added,
“Nonsense. All of that is just absurd stories they made up. We only stole a small amount of information.”
“Yeah, the Order of Hands people are so narrow-minded.”
Seong Geon-woo agreed.
Han Myung-ho nodded, recalling the past.
“When the Arena assassination prayer incident happened, I don’t remember the Order of Hands making such big moves…”
But he stopped mid-sentence, realizing that if their logic was correct, what the rescue team had done was far more serious than the Arena assassination prayer incident. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be treated this way.
While all his muscles tensed, Jeong Do-yeon checked the bounty.
“Ten thousand Orei per person?”
The relic hunter from the mutant village shouted in shock.
He was used to receiving Orei for missions completed within First City’s territory, but he had never seen such an enormous bounty offered just to capture a few people.
The amount of the bounty didn’t necessarily indicate the target’s danger, but seeing 10,000 Orei made Jeong Do-yeon think that all those involved in this mission were truly formidable.
In the stories of Ashland, these were beings whose mention could instantly stop a child’s tears.
For a regular relic hunter like Jeong Do-yeon, 10,000 Orei was worth more than his own life.
Who… are these people?
Jeong Do-yeon kept his mouth shut and scanned the rescue team.
“This is the situation. Even if you complete your mission, it’ll be hard to find a place to perform the heart transplant.”
Jang Mok-hwa, wrapping up the topic, furrowed her brows.
A heart transplant was major surgery. Without adequate medical equipment, the mortality rate would increase dramatically—it was an extremely risky procedure.
After a long silence, Han Myung-ho spoke.
“The doctors at illegal clinics on Antana Street care more about money than lives.”
“Yeah… we’ll think about that later.”
Even Jang Mok-hwa couldn’t think of another solution at the moment.
They could have had Geneva download the corresponding data and let it handle the transplant, but currently, the rescue team didn’t have the necessary medical equipment.
Jang Mok-hwa sighed.
“All of that can be considered later. The most important issue right now is how to escape from First City.”
