RTN 51

Chapter 51

Silence hung in the air.

Jang Seok-joo stared at his own tea cup, long since cooled, without uttering a word. A situation where more Chogu were needed to end a war that had begun over just one—it was almost absurd.

If only Chogu had never existed in this world. The intelligent beings of the current age were far too inexperienced to handle such a powerful substance.

“Better if it didn’t exist. If even that much Chogu existed, this war wouldn’t have ended so easily.”

Baek Yi-hyun’s concern wasn’t unfounded, but it offered no comfort. Jang Seok-joo asked cautiously,

“How was that amount calculated?”

“It’s based on the numbers from this extraction of the Nightmare from the Phantom, calculated by my battalion’s researchers.”

“And how did you set the field? Using gravity could speed up the extraction.”

“This calculation already took gravity into account. There’s a gas planet nearby—optimal conditions. Realistically, you wouldn’t get better numbers anywhere else.”

“Then auxiliary derivatives—”

“Can’t use them. The axis would be thrown off.”

“If we attach an amplification device to reset the path—”

“I already have the data. Want to check it?”

Jang Seok-joo blinked, then hurriedly nodded.

“Yes. I want to check it. Of course. But is it okay to receive it directly like this? Shouldn’t it come through the higher-ups…?”

“Then you can receive it officially at that time.”

“Please.”

“Code.”

Jang Seok-joo called the code on his watch. Baek Yi-hyun lightly manipulated his own watch, and Jang Seok-joo’s watch vibrated softly in response.

Pulling an electronic pen from his coat pocket, Jang Seok-joo dragged the received data onto the table. The data window unfolded smoothly, like water.

The surrounding researchers forgot all manners and crowded around Jang Seok-joo. Amid their urging to calculate quickly, he gripped the pen and began writing formulas into the newly opened window.

In a short while, Jang Seok-joo set the optimal conditions. After that, it was simple computation. The results were largely the same as Baek Yi-hyun’s battalion had calculated. Jang Seok-joo clenched his teeth and recalculated three more times.

But the result remained the same. He let out a hollow sigh and dropped the pen as if letting go of hope. As he ran his fingertips over the data one last time, wondering if he’d missed anything, Baek Yi-hyun’s voice reached him.

“Your calculations are fast.”

Without lifting his gaze from the data, Jang Seok-joo muttered,

“Thank you.”

“It took my battalion nearly two hours to reach this conclusion.”

It was a clear compliment, but meaningless when the result was the same. Jang Seok-joo weakly lifted his head.

“This is my job. The material had already been organized once, so it was easy.”

“Which unit are you attached to?”

“I’m assigned to the 4th Division, but part of a civilian cooperation team.”

“Receiving support from Hoyeon?”

“Yes.”

He answered and was then taken aback.

“How did you know?”

“The research ship model is old. It’s unsafe; headquarters has long ordered all of them scrapped. Only Hoyeon would run this old junk until it breaks. That level of safety negligence isn’t found elsewhere.”

Jang Seok-joo was at a loss for words. Baek Yi-hyun’s gaze briefly swept the bridge interior.

“Still, the wide-range radar works. Haven’t encountered any mutants, have you?”

“Not yet.”

“You’re lucky. If you met a mutant, this team would be annihilated. The old model has no detection filters; it can’t handle it.”

The faces of the surrounding researchers drained of color. Jang Seok-joo had never heard such a thing before.

Mutants were said to be all around this area. Just a few hours ago, they had joked about how odd it was that they hadn’t encountered even one. Struggling, he replied,

“I didn’t know.”

“What’s the next stop?”

“Delta Base.”

“If you increase output to maximum while locking your position before entering the base, the engines will fail. Then request rescue. No matter Hoyeon, there’s no way to revive a research ship with a blown engine. They’ll replace it with another ship. Taking this vessel into the battlefield is suicide.”

Jang Seok-joo stared blankly at Baek Yi-hyun’s calm advice. How foolish he had been, thinking that as long as the research ship’s internal facilities were intact, it didn’t matter that it was old.

He had never imagined that a wealthy family like Hoyeon’s would reuse scrapped ships to such an extent. He barely managed to speak.

“Th-thank you.”

“Why bring this junk to the front lines? The personnel and facilities look like typical rear support. Didn’t you get an approach restriction order?”

Finally, it had come. From the moment he confirmed Baek Yi-hyun’s rank, Jang Seok-joo hastily rattled off the excuse he had prepared.

“Electromagnetic interference at the original location made reception difficult, so we had to move. This area is exactly the boundary, so we briefly anchored to stabilize equipment. So it was really just by chance, and… we couldn’t even manually activate it…”

His nervousness made his words trip over one another, and he choked on them.

Jang Seok-joo’s face flushed bright red as he coughed uncontrollably. He barely stopped and awkwardly cleared his throat, but Baek Yi-hyun’s gaze was unavoidable.

“You didn’t leave your assigned area out of curiosity about the Phantom, did you?”

“Absolutely not.”

Baek Yi-hyun stared at him. After a pause, Jang Seok-joo admitted reluctantly.

“Actually, yes….”

“Don’t you value your life?”

“I was just too curious…”

“You seem to have quite a few team members. Did you get everyone’s consent?”

“Yes. Everyone agreed…”

“There are still scattered nightmares everywhere. You’re saying everyone agreed to risk their lives for a single sample?”

“It’s not a single sample.”

He protested, realizing his rudeness, but couldn’t stop speaking.

“Commander, you face various enemies on the front line, so a fragment of the Phantom may seem insignificant, but to us, it’s vital. We didn’t come here out of selfishness.”

They had waited for authorization from headquarters, but by the time they arrived, nothing on site was intact. Seeing corroded, contaminated, worthless tissue repeatedly drained their energy.

“Nearby, the Phantom was torn to pieces. Its fragments are scattered everywhere. We thought, let’s quickly gather a little—so that’s why we came. That’s all.”

He spoke in a rush, then lowered his gaze. Only his anxious breathing broke the eerie silence.

Cold sweat seeped from his tightly clenched hands. The fear suppressed by excitement began creeping back.

After a long silence, Baek Yi-hyun spoke.

“I need talented people.”

Jang Seok-joo lifted his eyes.

“My battalion secures the most important samples first among all units. Even transporting them to the capital immediately often causes deterioration. We need personnel to analyze them immediately. Are you willing to join my battalion full-time?”

Jang Seok-joo stared at him blankly. Baek Yi-hyun’s battalion was not a place just anyone could enter.

The surrounding researchers also looked incredulous. Stammering, Jang Seok-joo said,

“B-but from Hoyeon…”

“Judging by them assigning you this junk, I doubt Hoyeon is taking special care of your team. If I request it directly from headquarters, full transfer is easy. But your willingness matters. If you don’t want it, it won’t happen.”

On the table, fragments of the Phantom flapped inside a transparent sample vial.

“My position might make this seem coercive, but it’s merely a proposal,” Baek Yi-hyun continued calmly.

“My battalion engages the enemy directly on the front line. This is a chance to obtain samples far beyond what you could ever gather secretly from old junk, first. It will be extremely dangerous. But if you’re willing, I will request your full transfer from headquarters.”

Jang Seok-joo knew the answer before speaking. Baek Yi-hyun asked,

“Are you willing?”