The Player Who Eats Steel - Episode 87
87fury.
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Players from AMT are of a lower ‘level’ than players from private guilds..
That was the general view that came into play when dividing the hierarchy of players..
However, when looking at the 'class' as a standard, even if you were an officer, you were treated better than most mid-sized guilds, and in the case of special classes, many 'rankers' belonged..
It was that kind of place.
They are an elite player unit specializing in counter-terrorism operations, and receive pay and treatment comparable to that of most large guilds. Therefore, he had great pride and was popular with the public..
Today, they were deployed to the fire scene at the Gangdong-gu alchemy research complex..
This could not help but be taken as a bad signal..
The incident was not just an accident, but had the connotation of ‘terrorism’..
- Breaking news! At 14:55, 5 minutes ago, there was news that an operational vehicle from , widely known as Korea's best anti-terrorism unit, was arriving at the scene of the fire at the alchemy laboratory in Gangdong-dong. According to police officials, there were a number of unidentified assailants at the scene of the fire.…….
In this way, all the media conveyed the seriousness of the incident based on their actions..
And soon the police announced the sad news through an official announcement..
An unidentified terrorist group occupied the site.,
Currently, hundreds of employees are being held hostage..
Thus, the Republic of Korea was turned upside down once again..
But, underneath, there is something writhing underground.…….
The real threat, no one had noticed yet..
***
“……Look over there! It's Cobra Squad.!”
"It's real! they came!”
Terrorist site at the Gangdong-gu alchemy research complex,
A shout was heard towards the player's armed forces getting out of a bulletproof truck..
Cobra Squad is a team that specializes in sniping, and has solved many serious situations at home and abroad, led by a team leader who is an A-grade marksman player..
click! click! click! click!
When the Cobra Squad appeared, reporters raised their cameras first..
"—The article that featured their photos had a high click-through rate, so it was a scene that could not be missed..
Cobra Squad! I believe it!”
"I hope for good results this time too!”
There were even reporters who showed their support out of self-interest..
As such, these were also players who joined the ranks of Korea's 'heroes'..
However, their faces, covered by face masks, were crumpled..
"under… … What kind of shit situation is this on a day with nice weather??”
"That's right. What kind of bastards are taking hostages these days?……."
The reason was that the main goal of this operation was ‘hostage rescue’..
No matter how bad it may be, the hostage situation was a nuisance..
"Damn, they're armed with firearms too..”
Regular firearms pose no threat to players, but are more dangerous to civilians than anything else..
And no matter how good your skills are, you can't turn the gun pointed at the hostage's head..
In other words, we had to expect 'negotiations' at all costs, and the operation was bound to take a very long time..
"under… … It's nice to see that it's going to be a pain in the ass.”
They soon gathered inside the operation command center, and the operation team leader, Lieutenant Colonel Oh Seong-hoon, came in..
He was an A-level wizard-type player with extensive experience in counter-terrorism operations..
"Okay, now that everyone is seated, let's begin the briefing..”
Oh Seong-hoon had solved dozens of counter-terrorism cases so far, but now his expression was dark..
And the first words he spoke were also more pessimistic than ever..
“……The situation is worse than expected.”
When he operated the remote control, the projector turned on and a picture appeared on the screen behind him..
It was a photo that looked like it had been taken with a drone camera of the lab.,
Inside the window, masked terrorists appeared armed with AK-47 rifles..
"The number of terrorists currently identified is 18, and they are armed with automatic rifles and explosives. and… … It is said that some of the hostages were even dressed in bomb vests with mana circuits..”
At those words, the entire crew's faces could not help but harden..
"Ha, crazy… … It's a mana circuit bomb.—!”
Mana circuit bomb, the explosion switch was ignited the moment the magic caster's life ended..
If there is such a thing, 'sniping', the most important method in the fight against terrorism, becomes impossible..
In other words, it was safe to say that there was virtually no 'forceless' way to rescue the hostages at present..
"pair… … This seems like a fairly large-scale evildoer, but what is it??"
"That too... … There is no information yet, and it is unclear where it infiltrated..”
"under… … So what do those bastards want? Shouldn’t we just listen to this??”
When faced with such a difficult problem, it was best for the 'negotiations' to proceed smoothly..
"There are no special requirements yet, and they are just repeating that if you do something foolish, they will all be killed..”
It's a hostage situation for unknown reasons by an unidentified terrorist group.…….
It was a moment when even the possibility of ‘negotiation’, the first stage of the hostage rescue operation, was broken..
"If so, it means that the purpose is at least not ‘money’.?”
"Yeah, maybe they're buying time to get some technology out of the lab..”
A vague situation in many ways... … Sighs came from all over the place..
"So, for now, I plan to continue talking with them and focus on understanding their intentions. Meanwhile, Team 2's elementalist duo sends elements into the building and inspects the internal situation..”
In the end, for now, all we can do is 'monitor'..
Two hours passed without me being able to do anything. It was a natural reaction for the media to begin expressing doubts about the police's inability to respond..
- ……With 298 hostages reportedly being held inside the laboratory's Building B building, police authorities said they were attempting to negotiate with the terrorists. However, there has been no significant progress in negotiations for over two hours, and the safety of the hostages has not even been confirmed..
In addition, although people with a reputation for successfully carrying out the previous two counter-terrorism operations were mobilized, they also have no special trends, and there is hardly a clue to solving the problem.…….
"Dude, the civilians look like pieces of meat, how can I get in??”
"Hey, Sergeant Koo, the main tanker needs to keep his cool at all times and not get excited..”
“Nimiral, if I'm cool, will the hostages inside have mana shields??”
Cobra Squad members gritted their teeth as they listened to news reports coming from the car radio..
"under… … Why does something like this happen when our prices are soaring??”
As previously reported by reporters, 'Cobra Squad' is currently enjoying tremendous popularity..
This was because he had solved the last three operations so brilliantly that he had risen to the rank of hero..
If they handled this one thing properly, their stock price would skyrocket..
And in other words, if it fails, the stock price could plummet overnight..
"Ah, this is shitty timing, really..”
Although they were not celebrities, they had no choice but to care about their fame spreading to the public..
Because that reputation determined one’s ‘ransom’..
Although a government official, a successful player could negotiate a ransom with the state..
In other words, grades were money..
"Oh, I was thinking of staying for about half a year and earning some money, then becoming the leader of the guild strategy team........"
"Hey, do you think the team leader will let you go? You'll have to do it for two more years..”
At that time, a loud noise began to be heard from somewhere..
Doo doo doo doo——
"......Um, what do you mean? Isn't it a helicopter??”
Oh Seong-hoon, the operations team leader who was looking at the operation situation board inside the command center, asked that question.,
An administrative non-commissioned officer gently lifted the tent at the entrance to the command post..
A helicopter was landing in an empty lot about 50 meters away from here..
"hmm… … Wasn't there any news that someone was coming??"
If he shows up in a helicopter, he must be of quite high rank.,
Oh Seong-hoon, the person in charge of this operation, could not help but feel an instinctive discomfort..
At that time, Oh Seong-hoon's adjutant belatedly delivered the news..
"Hey, team leader! An emergency order has just been issued from above.!”
"The instructions are to proceed with the operation in cooperation with reinforcements that will arrive soon..”
Oh Seong-hoon frowned at those words..
“……what? There is no shortage of troops right now, so why are we suddenly needing reinforcements? Whose order is that??”
"uh… … The leader called me directly, and that is an order from the Blue House..”
"Oh, the Blue House?……."
Here, the Blue House did not mean the president, but rather the agency directly under the president..
To intervene directly there... … This was quite unusual.
‘Is there something in the basement of that lab??’
That's why Oh Seong-hoon had such doubts..
"So, didn't you tell me who the great reinforcements you'll be sending in are??”
On the one hand, I was excited to see who the great person the Blue House had dispatched would be..
"He's an AMT soldier... … My name is Sergeant Lee Hyun-wook..”
***
Inside the helicopter on the way to the scene, Lee Hyun-wook was informed of the current situation by team leader Lee Kyo-jun..
“……Terrorists have even mobilized 'mana circuit bombs', making it difficult to rescue the hostages. And after checking the on-site CCTV, there were no signs of external infiltration, so the use of a portal was suspected..”
But it was all stuff I already knew..
And I also knew a hidden fact that even they didn't know about..
‘The terrorists who took over the laboratory in the first place were not an external intrusion, but an internal rebellion..’
An alchemy research complex operated by a research foundation founded by the second-highest-ranking business group.,
There, they were developing a technology to maximize the efficiency of an energy source called 'Mana Stone'..
‘But that was just a camouflage, and in reality it was a secret blood magic research facility..’
Blood magic, literally magic using blood as a medium, was a type of black magic..
‘A business that began after obtaining the drink of the gods from Greek mythology.......'
Thus, the goal is to achieve the obvious wishes and tasks of mortals, such as 'eternal immortality' or 'evolution', and since we live in an age where magic that realizes mysteries is a reality, such a thing could have been considered possible..
‘Therefore, people who had a lot of money but did not have much life left invested generously..’
With the enormous support of such people, experiments were carried out that broke the taboo using all kinds of methods..
And among the contents of the experiment, there was research on 'objects' containing the power of 'devils'..
'……As time goes by, one by one, researchers fall prey to the devil's temptation..’
The devil worship group that was formed was the one who caused today's incident..
At that time, a helicopter landed in the vacant lot..
"Sergeant Lee Hyun-wook has arrived. This will probably be my last mission as an AMT soldier.?”
Hyun-Wook Lee still had his ‘duty period’ left. Under the protection of Woo Seong-mun, he was actually acting like a civilian, but was officially an AMT soldier. That's why he was still wearing his AMT combat uniform..
Lee Hyun-wook got off the helicopter with his face covered by a mask..
The fact that he came here should not be leaked to reporters..
At that time, someone walked out of the operation command center. AMT black combat uniform, lieutenant colonel rank.
"Sergeant Lee Hyun-wook, I am Oh Seong-hoon, the operations team leader. He's a soldier, but he's not really a soldier anymore, and he's going to be a huge figure in the future, so I guess I'll have to treat him a little hard.?”
He said somewhat sarcastically and held out his hand..
“……I don't mind. You can do whatever you feel comfortable with..”
Lee Hyun-wook said that and held the lieutenant colonel's hand as a sergeant..
Now there was no need to bow down to military officials..
Lee Hyun-wook followed Oh Seong-hoon into the operation command center..
"As expected, the savior of Seoul is different. Participating in an operation with connections to the Blue House??”
In fact, Lee Hyun-wook was planning to tell Woo Seong-moon that he would step forward after some time..
But surprisingly, Woo Seong-moon contacted me first and asked me to resolve this hostage situation..
They said it was because Lee Hyun-wook's 'metal control' could neutralize the hostage takers' 'gun weapons'........
‘First of all, the fact that Woo Seong-moon personally asked for it... … It means that he too is noticing something..’
It seems that Woo Seong-moon was somewhat anticipating the disaster brewing here..
But even so, it was impossible to prevent the disaster from unfolding..
"Since my skills are specialized in rescuing hostages, I was dispatched after receiving an order. i look forward to.”
"......By specialization, do you mean how it can help rescue hostages??”
Oh Seong-hoon's repeated questions were sharp..
It was worth it.
As counter-terrorism experts, they are wasting hours, and out of nowhere, he appears alone and says he can solve it..
'Yes, they can't help but feel uncomfortable with the situation and me.…….'
Sure enough, all the special forces soldiers in the command center opened their eyes and looked at Lee Hyun-wook..
"What I can do is simple. I can control the hostage takers' firearms..”
"Oh, can you literally mean physically restricting the trigger from being pulled??”
"Yes, it may bend the muzzle or render the internal bolt lock inoperable..”
At that time, a snoring sound was heard from one side of the command center..
"No, really, if we had guns, we would have taken care of it in the first place, we're not stupid.……."
The person who muttered that was a man with the rank of captain..
The name is Lee Gil-hyeon,
Judging by the way he was holding an arrow, he seemed to be an archer, probably a member of the Cobra Squad..
He crossed his arms and glared at Hyunwook Lee..
"Hey, hero Nari, have you heard of the mana circuit bomb??”
"Yes, you heard that too. And that ultimately requires a bomb, a metal trigger..”
Lee Hyun-wook answered without hesitation..
"And looking at the bomb vest in the photo taken by the drone camera, it appears to be the same model as the one that took place eight months ago during the hostage crisis in the Kherson market in Ukraine. It's made in Hungary. It is connected to the caster's body through 'mana', so when the caster dies, the 'mana circuit' activates and the 'trigger switch' is pressed..”
"......."
"In other words, I can control that metal trigger switch..”
This may sound easy, but in reality, it was a problem that required a high level of concentration..
But Lee Hyun-wook was confident that he could do it. Because he had already done it.
"And if there is another way… … So even if it is a type of magic circuit that does not require a metal trigger, it can subdue the spell caster without killing him..”
“……how?”
"Everyone probably has a lot of metal objects on their body..”
Almost all objects and weapons in this world are made of 'metal',
Therefore, unless you specifically prepare for Lee Hyun-wook, you can subdue him with just his hand gestures..
After hearing that, Oh Seong-hoon nodded..
"Well, that's good. In the first place, we can't oppose their orders..”
He, too, would not be pleased with Lee Hyun-wook's appearance, but the success of the operation was more important than such personal feelings. And on the other hand, I wanted to see with my own eyes the true face of this 'hero' of whom there are only so many rumors..
"Well, then, Sergeant Lee Hyun-wook, we have to match the signs with our snipers.……."
But Lee Hyun-wook shook his head before he could finish his sentence..
"No, you don't need sniper support. I'll handle it from start to finish..”
“—what?”
One of the sniper agents, Captain Lee Gil-hyeon, got angry again this time..
"You don't need us now? What operation doesn't require the help of a sniper??”
Cobra Squad, they pride themselves on being the best sniper squad.
Maybe that's why he was upset when he heard that there was no need for a sniper..
"Rather, it can become dangerous if heterogeneous connections come in between my control. If a sniper's bullet or arrow hits the metal I control, it may stray and hit the hostage..”
Now, this pale young man was insisting that he would do this operation alone..
"Look, I know you're good, but do it in moderation..”
Lee Gil-hyeon said that and got up from his seat..
"Ha, you came all of a sudden and treated us like bridesmaids… … I know you're a great person, but this is completely different from anything you've experienced. Even Admiral Yi Sun-sin, the greatest hero in our country's history, would not be able to fight terrorism. But how long has it been since he was called a hero?—”
"Captain Lee, stop—just stop there..”
"Ha— Manager, no, team leader, this is not it. For such an important matter, such a brat……."
Lee Hyun-wook also couldn't hold back and said something..
"Captain Lee, I'm sorry, but I'm here because it's an important case..”
“what?”
"Since you haven't been able to do anything until now, you've been replaced..”
Those words were full of confidence..
“……This is crazy, let's see how good you are.”
Lee Gil-hyeon said that and stormed out..
***
Alchemy Research Complex Building B,
18Two terrorists were holding AK-47s and standing guard in all directions..
At that time, a man suddenly stood up among the hostages..
“Shit— hey! Director Lee! Please, talk to me.!”
Clap—
Four guns were pointed at him..
"How could you do this to us! Please say at least one word!”
“……Doctor Oh, please keep your mouth shut. I want to be thrown into the basement over there.?”
"Hey, this dog! You know what you've done?”
As this conversation shows, terrorists and hostages were once colleagues..
"Uh, how can a family eat together... … How could those monsters……."
He muttered that and looked into the eyes of Director Lee..
There was something strange about his eyes. Although it was blurry, the black part glowed with a dark red light..
"W Of course! Those eyes... … You all are not normal!”
If you think about it, strange rumors have been circulating within the company for some time..
Black magic research was conducted underground, and every day at 4 a.m., members of the department held a devil worship ritual. That was literally just a rumor, and there was no way to confirm its truth. But now this situation, and the hellish things that are happening in the basement of the research institute... … it was all real.
"You, you people who study ancient relics, got your hands on strange objects and finally went crazy.!”
"under… … It won't work. Oh doctor, you need to go down to the basement..”
When Director Lee said that, two terrorists came up and grabbed both of his arms..
“……Oh, no! no! Leave this!”
"No, I mean, why are you having a fit all of a sudden??”
They dragged the man they called Dr. Oh toward the elevator..
Then I opened the elevator door, but there was no elevator, only complete darkness..
They threw Dr. Oh in there..
"Wow——”
His screams fell lower and fainter.,
The moment the sound ended, a completely different and strange sound was heard..
Kyaaaaa——
The sound of boiling phlegm, the sound of something being ripped, and even the sound of chewing and swallowing.…….
"......."
Hearing that sound, the other hostages could not help but tremble..
At that time, a terrorist approached Director Lee..
He waved the Mana Messenger and frowned in annoyance..
"under… … Director, they say they will come in again for negotiations.?”
“Tsk, you still don't know that's not what we want?”
All they wanted was time, until some work was done down there..
"They say that if they come near arbitrarily, they will shoot the hostages..”
"But, wouldn't those bastards possibly be able to approach using skills like stealth??”
"No, I won't do anything that could kill the hostages..”
he was so sure.
"In the first place, they have no way of knowing what is happening underground, and they are only looking out for the lives of the hostages........"
But after saying that, I turned my head away..
At that moment, I noticed an unfamiliar face standing at the entrance of the building..
he is… … He was wearing a black combat uniform.
Jeopuk- Jeobuk—
A person like that shouldn't be here, but maybe it was because he was walking in so confidently... … Director Lee's judgment was momentarily clouded and he stared blankly at that scene for a few seconds..
"—you, what are you!”
he shouted, rather late.
However, the answer that came back was so absurd..
“……I'm here to negotiate hostages..”
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