Chapter 174
When Yoonbok returned to the firearm alley, the city had already regained a basic sense of order. The barricades that had blocked the entrance to the courtyard had all been moved.
Jang Mokhwa and Sung Geonwoo had stabilized Weebo-bae and two others, then stayed in the room without going outside any further.
Occasionally, gunshots echoed through the city, but With City had finally settled down around 5 p.m., as the sky began to darken.
Jang Mokhwa’s rescue team split into two again, heading out to check South Street and assess the current situation.
The scene was grim. Shops were completely destroyed, and in front of the ruined entrances, people were sitting on the ground.
Some bent their backs and stared at the ground, quietly sobbing; others stared ahead silently, tears rolling down their faces.
The city defense force patrolled the streets, while residents and wanderers helped collect bodies in search of additional food.
The bodies left long, red trails wherever they were moved.
As Yong Yeohong scanned the street ahead, he suddenly felt a cold chill and instinctively looked up at the sky.
From the low-hanging lead-colored clouds, condensed snowflakes drifted down.
He stared blankly for a moment, then reached out his right hand into the air. The snowflakes immediately melted on his palm, leaving a white residue.
“Snow….”
Though the snow had stopped long ago, the rooftops and streets were covered in a white trace.
Jang Mokhwa and Sung Geonwoo walked with smiles. Sung Geonwoo, in particular, was fully absorbed in forming a giant snowball.
Approaching Bae Yoonsu’s rescue team, Jang Mokhwa spoke first.
“Let’s meet at the company later.”
Because the uproar caused by the Wild Wanderers had erupted so suddenly, they hadn’t yet set up radio communicators, so they had no choice but to report the mission’s completion to Jin Byungwook. Through him, Jang Mokhwa gave a rough update to the company and requested basic supplies for Bae Yoonsu’s team.
The company ordered Jin Byungwook to prepare two cars, enough food for about half a month, weapons, and ammunition so the team could return to the underground facility as quickly as possible. Having been under a kind of prolonged hypnosis, the team would also need psychological evaluations and treatment for mental trauma.
Bae Yoonsu, still half-awake, placed a hand on the car door and replied:
“Don’t forget to contact the Machine Heaven people. They must know part of the secrets behind the Old World’s destruction!”
Earlier, Bae Yoonsu and Lim Bokyung had fully recovered their wits and had already shared with the team the reasons they had come to With City and everything that had happened since.
Based on the information they found, Bae Yoonsu’s team had discovered several damaged chips from intelligent robots at a Wild Wanderer stronghold in the south. After repairing, decoding, and recovering the data, they were able to extract some useful information.
The chips belonged to Machine Heaven’s robotic security forces. At some point, the security forces had been severely damaged during a trade operation attacked by enemies, causing some parts to drop.
Moreover, the data repeatedly referenced something called the “Main Brain,” suggesting that it had already controlled various aspects of Machine Heaven’s operations and that escaping its control would now be impossible.
Based on some timestamps in the data, the Main Brain may have existed even before the Old World’s destruction and had been put into operation.
Bae Yoonsu’s rescue team had come to With City to verify this information and gather more. Their first stop for investigation was the local Hunters’ Guild, as it had close ties with Machine Heaven.
Being lowly-born Wild Wanderers, they naturally could not expect equal treatment. To facilitate questioning, Bae Yoonsu deliberately chose the finest hotel and, through their language and behavior, subtly implied that a powerful organization was backing them.
However, Bae Yoonsu’s team had no way of knowing when they first came under the attention of the anti-intellectual church priest. They only knew that after visiting the lord’s mansion on North Street, they had encountered a sickly-looking man.
Soon after, Jang Mokhwa responded to Bae Yoonsu’s request.
“The company will make the final decision. The clues you’ve investigated will likely remain your responsibility to see through.”
Hearing this, Bae Yoonsu sighed.
“Once we return to the company, we probably won’t be allowed on field missions again. Our team will surely be disbanded.”
Having conducted Old World investigations for a long time, they felt a certain attachment and obsession with the work they had done. They hoped that Jang Mokhwa’s team would take over the investigation and provide answers.
Jang Mokhwa comforted them:
“That depends on the final evaluation. There are still plenty of opportunities.”
Bae Yoonsu looked at his team and smiled.
“It’s actually for the best. Each of us has a family. Every time we returned to the surface, we were anxious. What if we couldn’t return? Look, this time we nearly had a huge disaster. This opportunity allows us to switch to internal work. It’s a blessing in disguise. We can stop worrying about our wives, children, parents, and siblings. After traveling across Ashland for years and visiting many places, we’ve lived much better than most company employees, so I’m satisfied.”
‘And when he says that, what am I supposed to do? I look like I’m clinging onto his pant leg… Sigh. There are hardly any company employees used to surface life who, knowing the dangers, feel no attachment outside.’
Jang Mokhwa muttered to herself, forcing a smile as she gestured.
“No matter the final outcome, it doesn’t matter. At least we return alive. Okay, let’s be careful on the way back!”
“Let’s go.”
Bae Yoonsu’s team waved, opened the car door, and got in.
Watching their car head down South Street, Jang Mokhwa exhaled slowly and glanced at Sung Geonwoo beside her.
“You’ve tried so many times already. When will you stop?”
Sung Geonwoo was chewing on the giant snowball he had formed.
“I’m just thirsty,” he mumbled, mouth full of snow.
Chucking her tongue, Jang Mokhwa moved toward the armored SUV provided by Heo Yangwon.
“Time for us to get to work too.”
She waved to Baek Saebyeok and Yong Yeohong sitting by the second-floor window, signaling that it was time for everyone to focus on their respective tasks.
The Eugene slave capture squad was still outside the city, and the mission to apprehend the kidnappers was ongoing.
According to the latest news, Eugene’s slave capture squad had gone through a brief split but had selected a new leader.
The new leader did not aim to find Eugene. He merely wanted to capture the culprits and demonstrate loyalty to the previous leader, consolidating the squad under his command.
Sung Geonwoo put down the giant snowball, got in the driver’s seat, and started the engine.
If Yong Yeohong had had the window open, he might have thrown the snowball at him, but the glass was closed, so he quietly gave up on the prank.
Jang Mokhwa sat in the passenger seat and stretched back to check Jin Byungwook’s reply.
“Our tasks are twofold. First, locate Heo Yangwon, reveal that we’re from Bango Bio, and establish a mutually beneficial relationship. Second, interrogate the fake priest directly to understand the anti-intellectual church situation as much as possible.”
These were the new orders from the company.
Jang Mokhwa assumed that Sung Geonwoo, who had been engrossed in playing with snow for the past 2–3 days, had likely not paid attention to previous instructions. So she repeated them once more.
“It’s already a mutually beneficial relationship.”
Sung Geonwoo replied as if he were Heo Yangwon’s sworn brother.
Jang Mokhwa chuckled.
“How long do you think such a relationship will last? The company confirmed cracks between Heo Yangwon and First City and intends to draw him in. If successful, even if the brotherhood disappears, we can exit With City without problems.”
Mutual benefit is a relationship that is both easily altered and yet the most solid.
After pondering for a moment, Sung Geonwoo asked:
“What exactly is a relationship based on mutual benefit?”
Jang Mokhwa explained:
“Even if our positions differ, we share profits, joys, and, depending on the situation, provide support when difficulties arise. If we successfully block a key objective and disrupt First City, the directors will be highly satisfied.”
“Why do they sound like children?”
Despite Sung Geonwoo’s muttering, Jang Mokhwa merely rolled her eyes.
Being both the lord and a sworn brother, Sung Geonwoo had no difficulty meeting Heo Yangwon again.
He was still accompanied by the robed mechanical monk, Jeongnyeom.
Seeing Jeongnyeom, Sung Geonwoo swayed slightly to an odd rhythm but froze under Jang Mokhwa’s sharp gaze.
“Lord Heo, I’ve come with something to discuss,” he said.
Jang Mokhwa signaled that Jeongnyeom should not be privy to the conversation.
Heo Yangwon smiled and shook his head.
“It’s my sworn brother speaking, so what can’t I hear? Don’t worry about the monk. We have a secrecy agreement, and monks are trustworthy in such matters.”
Jang Mokhwa, instead of insisting, pulled a chair opposite the desk and sat down, smiling.
“Lord Heo, have you ever considered enhancing your own strength?”
Sung Geonwoo turned to the team leader, then shut his mouth.
Heo Yangwon’s expression turned serious.
“What do you mean?”
Jang Mokhwa glanced at Heo Yangwon and Jeongnyeom before averting her eyes and continuing.
“During attacks like this, if enemies breach your guards and restrict Monk Jeongnyeom’s actions, Lord Heo, you’d be like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered. The opponent would dispose of you as they wished.
Of course, you could hire more high-level Hunters. Normally, assassination would be very difficult. But you can never ignore the possibility of unforeseen events.
If you could enhance your own strength, you might be able to save your own life at a crucial moment. As you know, this world has many weapons and people far surpassing normal levels.”
The priest incident had been the most dangerous Heo Yangwon had ever experienced. Recalling that peril made him shiver, feel powerless, and anxious. For several days, it had even caused nightmares.
Yet, in front of others, he tried to remain calm.
“So, what should I do?”
Jang Mokhwa smiled.
“There are many ways to enhance your strength in Ashland, but methods that surpass normal levels are extremely rare. The first is to become an Awakened.
But awakening isn’t guaranteed by effort or authority—it depends solely on luck.
The second is consciousness uploading to become an immortal. It’s tempting for older people, but you’re still young with much life to enjoy.
The third is cybernetic augmentation. Given your relationship with First City, this isn’t difficult. Top-tier equipment may be hard to obtain, and people’s perceptions of those with cybernetic enhancements aren’t always favorable.”
She paused briefly, then changed the topic.
“Look, my bio-engineered prosthetic arm shows no outward signs but has abilities surpassing humans.”
Silver-white arcs of electricity flickered between her fingers.
