The All-Master of Cyberpunk-Chapter 25

"Ah, seriously! Why touch my hair?"

"See you later."

Haneul-gil won’t suddenly collapse before Seo Ik-gyeong’s nanomachines spread.

But as we now need to prepare for the 'worst-case scenario,' we’ll be seeing each other more often.

That’s a story limited to me, who knows the future.

I reassured the two, who were visibly anxious, that there was nothing to worry about and started the bike.

Ck-clack!

Brrrrr! Tudduddudduddu!

The heavy sound of the engine, reminiscent of hoofbeats, followed the ear-scratching start-up sound. As expected from Meister Kim Chang-su. His modifications are art.

As I put on my helmet, an electronic display appeared in front of my eyes.

Since my body can’t accommodate a tech body, I have to use the outdated interface reluctantly, but this is more than enough.

Turning my gaze to scan the surroundings, the red sight wavered with my eye movements. This must be the missile guidance system the meister mentioned.

"Not bad."

I noticed Haneul-gil’s armored vehicles deploying one by one. The types varied, from 40mm Vulcan armored vehicles to anti-aircraft missile and laser vehicles.

After all, it’s a Haebangchon based on an old military airport. They could mobilize not only ammunition but also such heavily armed vehicles.

Though they will be devastated on the last day of Daegu’s end, rendering all equipment meaningless, they could still buy enough time for innocent people to evacuate.

For now, the priority is the special-grade mutant detected in Suseong-gu.

Leaving the matters of Haneul-gil to those three for now, it was my turn to do my job.

When I arrived at the old Suseong District Office, the designated assembly point from the message, I immediately met eyes with a visibly anxious Ha-an.

"You’re late! Wait… Is that a new vehicle?"

"It’s not new; I just picked up the modified one."

"Is that an anti-tank missile on the back? What kind of monstrous hybrid is this?"

Ha-an exclaimed in disbelief. But the modified Halberd wasn’t the focus right now. She grabbed my sleeve and dragged me toward the back door of the office.

"How are things at Haneul-gil?"

"They’re on high alert. They were deploying every available weapon when I left."

"Could it be the same creature from 15 years ago?"

Shivering, Ha-an muttered, hoping it wasn’t true, but unfortunately, her suspicion was correct.

The creeping disaster that single-handedly brought down Gyeongbuk 15 years ago had appeared.

The primary reason I had the Halberd Davidson modified had come to fruition.

At the start of the game—15 years ago from now—the ‘Mutant Biohazard’ that broke out in Busan quickly spread northward.

However, the South Korean government wasn’t just sitting idly by.

They designated Busan as a disaster quarantine zone and successfully fortified the surrounding cities.

With the growing tensions and escalating conflicts with North Korea, the government was in a phase of military expansion.

Equipped with globally recognized military technology and reinforced troops, the military quickly entered a stalemate against the mutants.

Of course, the strict and aggressive quarantine measures led to many Busan citizens being effectively ‘killed.’

However, it was the government’s best decision, choosing ‘sacrifices for the greater good.’

That is until the creeping disaster suddenly appeared.

The enormous mutant devoured the heavily fortified Changwon-Miryang defense line.

Even concentrated artillery bombardments didn’t affect it.

At 350 meters long, comparable to a U.S. supercarrier, the giant mutant ravaged the defense lines, massacring the troops.

Against its overwhelming might, the once stalwart military was helpless.

The collapse of the rear defense lines led to the complete disintegration of the encirclement. The slowly progressing liberation operation in Busan was overturned.

Or rather, according to the lore, it wasn’t just overturned.

Before it was obliterated by a tactical neutron bomb that destroyed everything within a 5km radius, nearly 100,000 troops had perished.

That’s how monstrous it was.

If the difference between mid-grade and high-grade mutants was like heaven and earth, then the gap between high-grade and special-grade mutants was insurmountable.

It’s natural for the entire region to be in an uproar.

"Ha-an, do you have any additional information?"

"I hacked into the military network, but we’ve lost contact with a mechanized company stationed at a forward base in Suseong-gu. The Red Zone was declared immediately after."

"Have you checked the satellite images?"

"The resolution is terribly poor, so it’s hard to confirm anything. It seems they haven’t maintained it properly..."

I silently nodded. This confirmed everything.

Three days after the Catholic Hospital incident, another main scenario for the Daegu Green Zone had begun.

But the creeping disaster detected this time was not the 350m entity from the Great Chaos but a much smaller, 100m-class entity.

Even so, it’s large enough.

It’s a ‘worst-case scenario’ threatening the Daegu Green Zone.

"Do-jin, you know something, don’t you?"

Ha-an’s eyes gleamed.

"Isn’t it time you told us the full story? I haven’t even reported the Seo Ik-gyeong case as per your instructions."

She had followed my lead without question at the Catholic Hospital.

But there’s a limit to how much I can keep dodging. I need to build trust continually.

"I heard rumors from the soldiers about Suseong-gu. I believe the entity nesting in Suseong-gu is the creeping disaster."

"That’s impossible. Please, no! It’s only been 15 years! Yet another one is here?"

Unfortunately, it was an inevitable future.

She raised her voice as if to protest, but realizing nothing would change, she bit her lip.

"We’ve also received related information from the central government. The National Security Council has been convened. At this rate..."

There’s no need to say more.

"They might use nuclear weapons, right?"

"Most likely."

Ha-an knew exactly what kind of tragedy unfolded during the Great Chaos. It was only 15 years ago, as she said.

Unlike me, who only observed this world through a monitor, she was a survivor who lived through the Great Chaos.

If a nuclear bomb were dropped near Daegu, how many lives would be lost compared to then? Ha-an knew this in her mind, but she was desperately denying it.

"In that case, shouldn’t we issue an evacuation order immediately?"

"Not yet. It’s too soon."

"What?"

"The creature in Suseong-gu is much smaller than 350m."

This is why I prepared for the fight by modifying the bike.

The creature in Suseong-gu is fortunately not a fully grown entity.

If it were a 350m-class fully grown creature, even I couldn’t clear it. I would’ve immediately gathered essential personnel like Ha-an and fled Daegu.

"How can you be sure?"

"It’s smaller than the stadium. There’s nowhere else for it to hide in Suseong-gu."

The presumed location of the creeping disaster is Daegu Sports Complex. It’s the same place it hid in every playthrough where it appeared in Suseong-gu.

A 350m giant would have been spotted by satellites long ago, not just now.

Even though Daegu’s surveillance system is in shambles, it’s not entirely useless.

Moreover, it’s not just Daegu watching, but also the new government in Daejeon.

The sourc𝗲 of this content is freēwēbηovel.c૦m.

If they deemed it uncontrollable, they would have issued evacuation orders long ago.

Instead, they issued an all-hands-on-deck order to the Hunter Guild...

"The higher-ups must think it’s doable. Daegu, Daejeon, and Seoul alike."

In response to my reasonable argument, Ha-an’s expression brightened slightly.

"If that’s the case, then maybe... Ahh!"

"Move aside, move aside!"

"Seriously, don’t block the way!"

But Ha-an couldn’t finish her sentence. She was pushed aside by the throng of reporters who suddenly swarmed in.

I quickly pulled Ha-an back from being swept away and retreated. Soon, military vehicles in khaki lined up in front of the back door.

But these weren’t vehicles from the Daegu Defense Forces. The blue triangle symbol prominently displayed on all vehicles made that clear.

"Namjin Front...!"

The remnants of the old government forces that failed to defend Busan and retreated to Daegu, now the second-ranking Hunter Guild in the Daegu Green Zone.

‘They wouldn’t miss out on a creeping disaster.’

Every guild in the Daegu Green Zone was assembled. This was a grudge match against the creeping disaster that reappeared after 15 years.

For Namjin Front, this was a long-standing grudge they couldn’t miss, and they would likely deploy all their forces to take it down.

Thunk.

A man in a suit got out of the lead vehicle.

"Guildmaster of Namjin Front! What do you think about the special-grade mutant assembly?"

"Do you really believe it’s the creeping disaster?"

"What’s Namjin Front’s strategy?"

As soon as the man got out, reporters swarmed him with questions. The man remained silent for a moment before leaving a single remark and walking forward.

"Whatever it is, we will win."

The long scar across his eyes marked him. Guildmaster of Namjin Front and former Colonel of the Busan Liberation Army, Jeong Dae-ho. Truly a charismatic figure befitting the leader of the second-ranking guild.

"Jeong Dae-ho. He’s been making significant strides in territorial recovery operations recently, using Haebangchon in Dalseong-gun as a base."

Ha-an muttered briefly as she watched.

"He’s not an awakened one, but all his subordinates have received professional military training—practically a true PMC."

Following Jeong Dae-ho were heavily armed personnel. Rather than flashy tech bodies, they emphasized ‘tactical’ elements with compact gear.

"...Dongseong, the first-ranking guild, has already arrived. So, everyone’s here."

"All 28 guilds, right?"

"Yes, considering the situation. Even Guildmaster Choi Hyun-soo is inside."

She sighed in relief, seemingly reassured.

"Yes. If what Do-jin says is true, it seems possible to subdue it with the combined forces of the top 10 guilds."

"Let’s hope so."

I replied indifferently to Ha-an’s optimistic words. Unfortunately, the future I saw was far from hopeful.

‘The Suseong-gu reclamation operation mobilizing all of Daegu’s forces will end in a miserable failure.’

If it were to be stopped here, it wouldn’t be the worst-case scenario or the crisis of the Daegu Green Zone.

I watched the Namjin Front Hunters enter the Suseong District Office building.

I can assure you.

Less than half of them will return.