Ch.145145. H.O.D

The first method to counter the Horde.

Neutralize the Netwalker.

The Horde’s Netwalker is more than just a hacker.

They not only hack electronic devices in the field but also serve as a hive mind connecting the operators’ consciousness.

Therefore, as long as the Netwalker supports them from behind, the Horde’s operators have no blind spots or weaknesses.

‘We could force our way through with a frontal assault, but…’

That would require accepting substantial losses.

Amon shared this information with his allies and asked Sonia and Kathy to maintain the frontline.

In Amon’s party, he was the only one capable of cutting off the rear Netwalker.

As Amon was preparing to infiltrate the enemy’s rear, Sunwoo called out to stop him.

“Wait, I too…!”

“Sunwoo. There’s no need to rush. Everyone has their appropriate time.”

Sunwoo had been feeling anxious lately, thinking he was just a burden, but unfortunately, this wasn’t an opportunity that could be given to him.

The opponent was one of the most powerful armed groups in America.

There was no room for Amon to babysit him like a field trip, ensuring his safety at every step.

“It’s not that you’re weak. It’s just that what we need now isn’t swordsmanship but stealth.”

While Sunwoo’s swordsmanship was excellent, it wasn’t at the level needed to deceive security systems and deal with a Netwalker.

Amon patted Sunwoo’s shoulder reassuringly and pulled his robe’s hood down deeply for the first time in a while.

His modulated voice came through the skull mask that had become his symbol.

“When I give the signal, move on to the next operation.”

After confirming his companions’ nods, Amon prepared to move immediately.

Noticing that Sunwoo still seemed unconvinced, he hesitated before pulling out a sword from his coat’s subspace pocket.

It was the sword he had shown in the Sword Circle to prove he was a disciple of a sword master.

Amon handed the sword to Sunwoo.

“When I return, I’ll start by teaching you the basics of deceiving vision.”

Sunwoo’s face brightened at those words.

Amon sighed in relief after confirming Sunwoo’s easy-to-read reaction.

‘Seems like I don’t need to worry about impulsive actions.’

Having eliminated the final concern, Amon waved once to his companions and suddenly vanished from sight.

“Every time I see it, I wonder where he learned such a technique.”

Sunhwa asked incredulously, staring at the spot where Amon had disappeared.

The remaining Sonia and Kathy smiled wryly, as if they understood.

“Even at the orphanage, he was strangely good at hide-and-seek.”

“I was shocked when I first met him too.”

Whether it was swordsmanship or stealth.

Amon was unrivaled in techniques that utilized vision and psychological warfare.

By now, his companions were tired of being surprised by him, so they stopped thinking about him and prepared to face the Horde.

Kathy, who took command of the party in Amon’s place, asked a confirming question.

“Remember the plan?”

“Just draw their attention. As flashily as possible.”

Click.

Sonia pulled back the bolt of her gun.

“I’ll hold out until then.”

Sunhwa, who had somehow become the party’s tank, drew her sword.

Finally, Sunwoo nodded, holding the sword Amon had given him in one hand and his favorite sword in the other.

Kathy, confirming her allies were ready, pulled out an EMP grenade from her chest.

“Then let’s begin.”

She threw the grenade toward the center of the Horde operators.

*

Bang! Crackle!

The Horde operators’ vehicles were disabled by the sudden EMP grenade.

But as expected of America’s top operators, only the vehicles and some slower members were disabled.

Most members had instantly moved beyond the blast radius thanks to their projectile detection systems the moment the grenade was thrown.

Even the disabled operators discarded their hindering equipment and implants and began using magic inscriptions.

“Enemy attack! Formation C!”

It was just an EMP grenade throw.

With just that, the operators determined the number and position of Kathy’s group and changed formation to counterattack.

Clang!

The Horde operator’s sword clashed with Sunhwa’s, creating a resonating sound.

Barely managing her vibrating arm, she locked eyes with the operator facing her.

They say eyes are the window to the soul.

This applied even to artificial eyes.

Even if the glow was made by LEDs, one would normally sense intelligence behind them.

But the swordsman facing her was different.

Not even a fragment of intelligence could be felt behind those eyes.

Just like the Sword Circle members who were controlled in Joseon.

‘So this time too…’

Of course, it might feel that way because she already knew they were being controlled.

But even if it was just a feeling, there was something uncomfortably strange about the eyes of someone controlled by an AI.

‘Did I have such eyes when I was possessed?’

The thought briefly crossed her mind, but she stopped thinking and refocused on the enemy before her.

Shortly after, less than five minutes later, a message arrived from Amon.

[I’ve cut the connection to the Netwalker. Now…]

As planned, he had severed the connection to the Netwalker who served as the hive mind.

Now they should counterattack.

The plan was to neutralize the swordsman in front of her, and while drawing the sniper’s attention, Sonia would counter-snipe.

But Sunhwa couldn’t follow the plan.

Because right after Amon’s message arrived, the swordsman she was facing showed strange symptoms.

Eyes turning red.

Head trembling.

Air heating up.

And a sharp noise coming from the swordsman’s mechanical heart.

She quickly assessed all these factors.

‘Self-destruct!’

Just as she distanced herself from the swordsman, he exploded massively.

*

Turning back time, Amon had separated from his companions to cut the connection between the Horde and their Netwalker.

First, he hid and identified the antennas connecting the operators to the Netwalker.

‘Three antennas, three snipers guarding them.’

It was a very high-difficulty mission.

The moment he assassinated even one sniper, the information would be transmitted to the other members through the Netwalker.

This would increase the manpower guarding the antennas, making them harder to destroy.

But ignoring the snipers wasn’t easy either.

Breaking one antenna would likely bring reinforcements to the other two, complicating matters.

Amon considered all this as he formulated his plan.

‘Break all three simultaneously without being detected by the snipers.’

Nearly impossible, but entirely feasible with his current specs.

Amon moved immediately.

First, he shot a sniper in the shoulder with a crossbow.

“This is Beta Point. Enemy attack. They seem to be targeting the antenna.”

The injured sniper contacted his comrades in an emotionless voice.

Whether due to being controlled or simply being a sniper by nature, he showed no sign of pain.

He calmly broke the arrow and searched in the direction it came from.

Little did he know that was exactly what Amon wanted.

The sniper searched for Amon but couldn’t find even his shadow.

This was because the crossbow that hit the sniper’s shoulder had been set up at a window to fire automatically at a set time.

While he searched for someone who wasn’t there, Amon approached the antenna from the opposite direction.

He broke the first antenna and threw his sword toward the other two.

It was a precise throw, but insufficient to break antennas a block away.

But Amon wasn’t disappointed.

He never intended to break them with the sword itself.

The bombs attached to the sword handles would do that job.

Boom!

The explosions broke all the antennas simultaneously.

As the antennas broke, the connection between the Netwalker and operators was severed, naturally freeing them from AI control.

‘So it wasn’t infection.’

In Joseon, it had been AI infection, so breaking the connection restored sanity.

But in this case, it was real-time control, so the control was released as soon as the connection was cut.

‘This is an unexpected harvest.’

It seemed unnecessary to individually free each member from control.

In the future, any Horde squads they encountered could be neutralized simply by removing their antennas.

It was doubly beneficial since persuading the restored Horde members could even turn them into new allies.

‘This operation will end smoothly.’

With such optimistic thoughts, Amon approached the sniper who had been freed from control to persuade him.

Though he knew the Horde’s basic option was personality destruction, he calculated they’d at least want to return the favor to whoever had controlled them.

But Amon’s optimism didn’t last long.

Seeing the sniper’s body turning red in the distance, he gritted his teeth and called out the AI’s name.

“Maxwell…!”

As if responding to his words, the sniper and other Horde members simultaneously exploded.

Boom…

Feeling the vibration transmitted through the ground from afar, Amon skipped mourning the sniper and rushed to his companions.

Upon rejoining his allies, Amon immediately checked their condition.

Fortunately, Sonia, Kathy, and Sunwoo were fine.

He sighed in relief as he approached them.

“That’s a relief. I never thought it would be Maxwell…”

“Amon! Be quiet for a moment. I’m healing.”

“?”

Amon was puzzled by Sonia’s sharp response.

Only then did he notice Sunhwa, whom Sonia was treating.

Golden magical power flowing from Sonia’s hands was regenerating the burn marks covering half of Sunhwa’s body.

“!!!”

Looking slightly to the side, he could see what appeared to be a charred black lump that had once been a Horde member.

Understanding the situation, Amon bowed his head to Sunhwa.

“Thank you, Sunhwa.”

“It’s nothing. I’m the vanguard after all.”

“Being the vanguard doesn’t mean injuries should be taken for granted.”

“I’m used to this kind of thing. Besides, my face is already in this state…”

“Sunhwa. There’s no such thing as a necessary sacrifice, and your scars are never hideous.”

At Amon’s words, Sonia also nodded and brought the back of her hand to Sunhwa’s burn marks.

It meant they weren’t repulsive at all.

Embarrassed by their comments, Sunhwa turned her head and fumbled with her left inner pocket with her uninjured left hand.

“Oh, Sonia. Can I smoke while you’re treating me? Think of it as anesthesia.”

“Are you Guan Yu or something, Sunhwa?”

“I get how Amon knows, but how do you… right. You said you went to the same dojo, so you know Asian culture.”

Sonia nodded.

Sunhwa took this as permission and tried to take out her pipe.

But it was difficult to retrieve the pipe from her left inner pocket with her left hand.

After several attempts, she gave up and turned to Amon.

“Sorry, but could you get my pipe for me? My right arm is like this right now.”

“Gladly.”

Amon carefully reached into her inner pocket.

In the process of retrieving the pipe, his hand accidentally brushed against a fatty lump it shouldn’t have touched.

“Ah, I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. I’m not narrow-minded enough to care about such things.”

At that moment, Sunwoo, who had been quietly listening, joined the conversation.

“Actually, she likes it- oof!”

Before Sunwoo could finish, a shoe thrown by Sunhwa hit him squarely in the face.

She then held out her pipe to Amon, who was looking worriedly at Sunwoo.

“Don’t mind that idiot. Just light this for me.”

“What? Oh… sure.”

“And if you really feel bad, can I ask for one favor?”

“Of course.”

“I think we’ve built enough trust by now, so could you speak casually to me from now on? Not just in dungeons or combat situations.”

“That’s certainly possible… I mean, sure, I can do that.”

“Good. That’s better. It felt like there was a wall between us, which was uncomfortable.”

She smiled brightly and opened her palm to Amon.

When Amon placed the pipe on her palm, she grasped his hand as if for a handshake.

“I’m Ju Sunhwa. No, in Western style, it would be Sunhwa Ju, right?”

“I’m Amon Perfumerose.”

Amon returned the handshake.

Sunhwa responded with a subtle smile.

Sonia and Kathy watched this exchange with wry expressions.