Ch.133133. Seoul Vacuum Operation

[Cho Sunghee dispatched to handle the new Japanese monster ‘Baltan’.]

[Dokgo Jun, purging the anti-government cartels ‘Zetas’ and ‘Juarez’ in Mexico.]

December 13th. Two days before the incident, our academy finally began winter break.

A period of almost two months until school reopens on February 10th.

Since school was over, we were all packing our belongings in the dormitory.

Some students stay behind, but usually at times like this, people go home to spend time with their families.

Of course, that doesn’t mean we leave right away.

“PC bang.”

At someone’s brief utterance, we all stood up without saying a word.

Yes, the PC bang. Where else would we go?

Before heading home, we enjoy the PC bang. I spent time with everyone playing a round of League of Legends.

But my mind was complicated. The 15th, the 30th. Major incidents would occur one after another.

Moreover, Seo Serin has completely changed from the future I knew, so I have no idea what she might do.

I have to accept it since I created this future.

Especially the Seoul Vacuum Operation is different from everything before. The monsters are coming at us head-on.

The stage isn’t just one location.

I still remember it. That army converging on Seoul from Yangju in Gyeonggi Province.

A force of hundreds of monsters including high-ranking Aberration Cult officials.

With Lee Myunghyun dead, I’m not sure how many officials will come, but it’s certain to be a large-scale battle.

However, their purpose was definitely to display their power and target Park Taesang.

They deliberately gathered in Yangju to attract attention, and when Park Taesang came to respond, they focused on him.

They even achieved the feat of severely wounding Park Taesang at that time.

Seoul was in utter chaos then, with everyone from the Capital Defense Command to all guilds mobilized.

“This time will be different…”

“Hey! What are you doing! Gang’s here! Retreat!”

Junseok shouts beside me. My character dies pathetically in front of the lane.

“Ah… damn…”

This is what happens when I can’t focus. Junseok sighs.

“Top has 2 deaths, we abandon that lane.”

“Failed lanes must be abandoned.”

Minhyuk agrees. Damn it, I should just stick to the tower and farm experience.

Eventually, my deaths snowballed and we lost the game.

But honestly, wasn’t it a jungle difference?

As we moved on to another game, Junseok spoke up.

“By the way, I also want to get training at the Cheonji Guild.”

“Is Dojong Hyun the only one from our group who got accepted?”

Among our training group members, I was the only one selected. I had been trying not to bring up this topic, but here we are.

“Jonghyun is good at it. Ah, that 124 million won training…”

Jinsu wails. I had to repeat what I heard from Oh Juhwan.

“Don’t worry. It’s just two weeks. The school does it separately too, right?”

“Is that supposed to be comforting?”

“But Instructor Oh Juhwan is in charge of the lower class, so wouldn’t that be better?”

“Is that supposed to be comforting?”

“Sorry.”

I should definitely keep my mouth shut. At times like this, staying silent is the middle ground.

Anyway, the Seoul Vacuum Operation in two days was the problem.

They’re gathering in Yangju, Gyeonggi Province, but going there early might raise suspicion.

If I stay in Seoul, the battle will break out anyway, but the damage will be greater.

Should I send another warning about something happening in Yangju?

Should I make another complicated move at the PC bang?

Minimizing damage is the least I can do.

In the end, that day I went around PC bangs again and sent warnings to the Yangju area.

No need for anything fancy, just “suspicious” or “gangsters gathering” is enough.

At the very least, it might be discovered quickly.

After sending the others home, I sat alone in a convenience store, eating a “fancy” frozen pizza while planning my strategy.

“Wow, this is better than a Michelin 3-star restaurant.”

That’s the kind of comment that would earn me a slap from Ariel, but bland food isn’t my taste.

Anyway, I finished that day by sending warnings to prepare for the future.

If only the 15th passes well… And just in case, I should go to the gate on the 14th to gather points.

The plans were set, but on the 15th, nothing happened.

*

The Aberration Cult’s grand official, Flowing Milky Way, summoned the officials.

The deep-voiced Astro stroked his beard while looking at the entrance.

“Is it finally time for the new officials to appear?”

“They were recruited a while ago, but it took time to develop them into official-level.”

Flowing Milky Way checked the list of officials marked [DISCARDED].

Astro took a sip of black coffee.

“So that’s why you recruited so many officials.”

“Because many would be filtered out anyway. Since many are consumed, we needed to recruit in large numbers.”

He drank a strange grayish gruel.

Soon, other officials appeared like shadows. The youngest voice spoke first.

“Is today when we finally see the filtered results?”

“Our juniors, how cute they must be.”

Next, a woman spoke with a smile. Yes, the officials they had been nurturing for a long time were finally revealing themselves.

Soon, they emerged from the darkness. Each one was unique.

A woman with animal ears, a masked man, and a boy with a hood pulled down.

Simultaneously, the young voice and the female voice were shocked.

“Those are children?”

“Elementary school students?”

Before the surprised officials, the new recruits bowed their heads.

First, the masked man raised his head.

“I pay my respects to the grand officials. From today, I have received the position of official. My name is Yoon Dongha.”

Next, the girl with fox ears bowed.

“Pleased to meet you. I am Morgan.”

“Nice to meet you. Please call me Jino. I’d rather not state my surname.”

At their greetings, Flowing Milky Way cleared away the darkness.

The faces of the other officials were also revealed in the light.

The young voice belonged to a man in his 20s, and the woman appeared to be in her 30s.

Flowing Milky Way stated their names.

“Astro and I already introduced ourselves during training, so I’ll skip that. Park Jemun, Kwon Ahseon.”

“Pleased to meet you.”

After the introductions were complete, darkness fell again.

The boy who identified himself as Jino stepped forward.

“What’s our first mission? I want to get right to it.”

“Originally, it would have been supporting the Seoul Vacuum Operation.”

“Originally? What changed?”

Flowing Milky Way threw internal police documents to them.

“It leaked. Our long-prepared operation.”

“What?”

The officials were all disturbed. The Incheon Airport occupation had been close to a failure, so they needed to inflict significant damage this time, but it leaked?

Kwon Ahseon shouted.

“Who did it? Was it that bitch Seo Serin?”

“Look at the documents. It says suspicious movements and gangsters gathering on the 15th.”

“There’s no one but Seo Serin who would reveal this plan.”

At Kwon Ahseon’s words, Astro clicked his tongue.

“You lose your rationality whenever Seo Serin is involved. She confirmed her loyalty to us until recently. Why would she risk losing that?”

“Still…”

“It’s jealousy. Just jealousy.”

Park Jemun mocked from the side. In the midst of the murderous atmosphere, Flowing Milky Way slammed the desk.

“What matters is that it leaked. In my view, the content about gangsters is a disguise. What could gangsters do in an era with Jaegers? It’s an indirect way of alerting about us. The police will definitely check if they receive such information.”

“Above all, how did they know exactly about Yangju? Is it an insider’s doing…?”

“Either an informant or someone with precognitive abilities. Either way, it’s not beneficial for us.”

“Someone needs to be dealt with, then.”

Astro drew the conclusion.

But the problem was how to find this person.

Park Jemun cleared his throat.

“Ahem. If we use our police informants, we can locate the IP address.”

“But these days people use proxy IPs to avoid detection, right?”

As Jino answered, Kwon Ahseon added:

“We can find the MAC address records. If it’s a home, we can easily identify it.”

That’s right. Even with a proxy IP, it’s not impossible to track. It depends on whether the VPN company stores logs and their cooperation level for major incidents.

Kwon Ahseon licked her lips.

“Then we just need to find them.”

“It might be difficult to discover legally, but do we solve things through legal means?”

Park Jemun grinned.

“It’s actually easier for us.”

Indeed. They don’t follow legal procedures like obtaining warrants or requesting cooperation. They commit illegal acts without hesitation and make threats freely.

That’s why with police intelligence, they can identify the source.

And so, on the original invasion plan date, the 15th.

They found the source of that information.

Astro gave the order.

“Gaming Start PC Bang. That’s all the information we have. Secure the CCTV footage before it’s deleted.”

“But CCTV only covers the counter area and entrance, so we don’t know which seat they used, right? It’s a public place, so it’s tricky.”

Jino offered his opinion, but soon Kwon Ahseon’s sneer was heard.

“You still don’t get it? Why not just kill everyone who visited the PC bang during that time? Why bother with details?”

“Ah…”

Jino opened his mouth in great realization.

“Anyway, you’re still young. So for this operation…”

“I’ll go.”

At this point, Jino raised his hand.

“PC bangs are familiar to me, and most people will let their guard down around someone young like me.”

“Not bad. Kwon Ahseon. Use your ability to ‘disguise’ him.”

“Understood. I just need to maintain a child form, right? But what about the invasion plan?”

“Since it’s already delayed, we decided to make it spectacular. We’ll do it in Busan.”

“That sounds cool. Turn Busan into a wasteland. However, we need to make sure the Magician and Cheonji Guild can’t unite, so we should attack them separately.”

All decisions were made.

Instead of the Seoul Vacuum Operation, they would find and kill the leaker.

And all forces would be concentrated on Busan, different from the future.

A different future that even Do Jonghyun doesn’t know about is now being planned.

*

[Winter Break Plan]

-Visit gates 3 times a week. (Don’t overexert)

Current DNA Points: 18,550

With the break starting, I made a plan. It feels like I’ve gone back to elementary school.

But there’s definitely something that needs to be revised.

“The future has changed.”

Yes, today is the 17th. Do you know what this means?

The Vacuum Operation disappeared, and it’s already two days later.

Does this make sense? One of the biggest operations just vanished?

Is it because I sent the warning?

No, wait. Even if I sent a warning, there were no crackdowns.

That means the Aberration Cult knew in advance and withdrew! If they withdrew in advance, it means they realized it was leaked. How did they know?

Suddenly, I got goosebumps.

It means the Aberration Cult discovered the warning I sent to the police and nearby guilds.

“I used Tor and non-member access at the PC bang, so they shouldn’t know it was me. They probably just found out it leaked?”

My heart is tightening.

What if they’re looking for me because of the leak? Impossible. Even if they know the location, they won’t know who I am. It’s not like only one or two people visit a PC bang.

Stay calm. The evidence isn’t clear. If asked, I’ll just pretend I don’t know anything.

But the uneasy feeling doesn’t go away.

Just then, my phone rings.

[Seoul Mangwoo Police Station]

“Huh? Police station?”

At that moment, I received a text message summoning me to the police station.

“Is this a voice phishing scam?”

Surprised, I hurriedly looked up the Mangwoo Police Station’s phone number. Just in case, I also checked 112.

And I called the number I found online, not the one that called my phone.

“What? You want me to come in?”

It was real?

Just to be sure, I called from my mom’s phone too, and got the same response.

The Mangwoo Police Station was really calling for me.

I called for Hwi-bin, the security guard.

“Police station for internet stuff? What kind of comment did you post?”

“I haven’t done anything like that.”

“That’s what all the kids who get caught say. Jonghyun, you bastard? Just go there, bow your head, and settle it.”

Going with Hwi-bin would be safer.

So I took him along to prepare for any possible police questioning, but fortunately, nothing really happened.

I just maintained that I knew nothing during the investigation and was released after an hour.

Was I overreacting? Was it just tracking down a rumor?

If so, that’s a relief.

The next day, after my dad left for work, I went outside.

“Oh, are you Do Jonghyun?”

When someone called my name, I turned my head to see a little kid smiling at me.

My entire body sent out a warning.