The All-Master of Cyberpunk-Chapter 27

Grinning as if he was enjoying himself, he added,

"What were you two doing in there?"

"Just talking. Is there a problem? The meeting isn’t over yet, is it?"

"Oh? Deflecting the question, huh? This definitely means something’s up. Why, does Ha-an need to, you know, prepare?"

At Jung Min-joon's words, his group started snickering. The laughter was enough to ruin my mood.

"Hey Min-joon, why are you being so oblivious today? It's obvious they're together~ Haha!!"

"...She didn't even glance at me!"

It seemed like the perfect time for the others to start spouting nonsense.

I was just baffled.

I knew Min-joon and his gang didn't like me.

Given that they’re notorious villains in Seoul 2056, why would I be friendly towards them?

C-rank hunter Jung Min-joon.

If Kim Sang-yeop was the number one in Chilgok, then Jung Min-joon was the second.

Unlike Kim Sang-yeop, who was a combat specialist, Jung Min-joon was lucky enough to find military-grade tech body parts that suited him, which established his C-rank hunter status.

Of course, this was because he relied heavily on his tech body, making him neither more nor less than a C-rank.

That’s why he couldn’t stand up to Kim Sang-yeop.

However, after Kim Sang-yeop died, he began leading his gang both inside and outside the Chilgok guild, even clashing with guild leader Choi Hyun-soo recently.

Indeed, it’s like they say, "When the cat's away, the mice will play."

Jung Min-joon perfectly fit that description. His mannerisms and speech patterns were those of a punk.

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'A type similar to Oh Gi-yeong.'

But unlike Oh Gi-yeong, who was openly a thug, Jung Min-joon pretended to be a respectable hunter, which made him even more detestable.

"Did you really come here just to make these childish jokes?"

"Oh, don't be so cold. We’re family, aren’t we? Family can be curious about each other."

"I never considered you family."

I shrugged, and Jung Min-joon, who had been grinning, suddenly growled.

"Then behave. Stop snooping around, okay?"

"Is that a threat?"

"Damn right, it is. Does it look like I'm joking? Do-jin, if you think you can just rely on the guild leader’s backing, you might end up dead."

The already tense atmosphere grew even more hostile. A fight could break out any moment.

Just as I was about to activate my gauntlet in case things escalated, Ha-an intervened urgently.

"What are you all doing here! Step back!"

"...Ha-an."

"Hunter Min-joon, why are you doing this?"

"Oh~ Is that how you’re playing it? Sticking up for him already, huh?"

With a sneer, Min-joon tilted his neck. I quickly noticed he was activating his tech body.

I stepped forward, shielding her.

"..."

"Oh? Are you looking for a fight? Trying to stab me in the back like you did Kim Sang-yeop? It won’t be easy."

"I told you, Kim Sang-yeop died on his own, not by my hand."

"Whatever."

Min-joon rotated his wrist, and steam hissed from his tech body.

If he showed any signs of escalating further, I was ready to slam a shockwave into his head. But just then, Ha-an grabbed my hand tightly and stepped forward.

"...?"

Before I could react to the sudden touch, she smiled brightly at Min-joon and spoke.

"Of course, I’m on Do-jin’s side."

"Ha."

"We’re dating. Like you said, family sticks together, right?"

I was momentarily stunned. What was she saying?

Min-joon’s face contorted in anger at Ha-an's unexpected claim.

"Damn, what a messed-up guild. The secretary got swayed by a newbie? Both the guild leader and the secretary, damn it!"

"And please, don’t curse so harshly. It makes you look weak."

Min-joon's eyes rolled in frustration at her stinging retort.

"Shit..."

Biting his lip in frustration, Min-joon seemed hesitant to deal with Ha-an in his usual way, probably because of the influence of Grandma Oh Wol.

As a hunter living in the northern district where the Chilgok guild was based, Min-joon couldn’t completely ignore Grandma Oh Wol’s influence.

In some ways, she was an even more formidable opponent than Kim Sang-yeop, who was a B-rank hunter.

Just then, one of his lackeys suddenly burst out, complicating Min-joon's situation.

"Dating?! Da… dating…?! Ha-an! Were you just playing with me?"

A man wearing a military green vest and rainbow sunglasses, who I didn't even remember the name of, shouted at her.

Play with him? What was he talking about?

I glanced at Ha-an, whose expression, which had remained composed until now, showed clear confusion.

"Huh!? When did I ever play with you!? I’ve never even had a meal with you!!!"

"Then why did you make me coffee?"

"I made mine and made some for you too…!! Does that mean I was flirting with the entire guild!?"

"You made me White Gold, not Mocha Gold…"

As the situation grew increasingly absurd, Ha-an pressed her palm to her forehead.

Damn, even I found this hard to watch.

Rainbow Sunglasses Guy clung to Min-joon's sleeve, practically in tears.

"Min-joon, please do something about them! I can’t live like this!"

"Shit… stop it, damn it! Stop it!!"

As his lackey clung to him, Min-joon's face turned red with embarrassment.

"Whatever. I didn’t know you felt that way, but too bad! Do-jin and I are dating. Yes, we’re already taken."

To add insult to injury, Ha-an confirmed her fake relationship, while the lackey wailed in agony at the harsh reality.

"Damn it! Do something! Stop crying! Alright, I’ll buy you a drink!!"

As Min-joon beat his lackey, having lost both his cool and face, Ha-an shoved me into the driver’s seat and shouted.

"Drive! Drive now!!"

She quickly jumped into the passenger seat, and I started the car and sped off as she ordered.

"Hey! We’re not done talking! Where are you going!? Hey!!!"

Min-joon's angry voice faded into the distance. Well, what could he do? His behavior would only last until the operation.

After all, on that day, Min-joon and I would clash.

Of course,

Just in case, I activated the remote driving feature on the Halberd Davidson to send it to my house.

Who knows what those guys would do to my precious bike if they lost their minds?

As we drove away, almost escaping from the Suseong District Office,

"...That was just an act. There’s no point in fighting."

Ha-an said cautiously from the passenger seat.

"..."

"Why aren’t you answering? Don’t tell me you’re actually misunderstanding. You don’t think I like you, do you?!"

"Of course not."

I replied without hesitation. Hesitating here would be game over.

"Then say thank you."

"Yes, thank you. Thanks to you, we avoided a fight. You’re the best, Ha-an. Great at acting and hacking."

"...I don’t know why, but that doesn’t feel good."

She seemed more embarrassed than annoyed, but that was probably just my imagination.

"But seriously, was it necessary to say we’re dating…"

"I don’t know! That’s the only thing I could think of! Min-joon is such a jerk…!!"

I decided not to push the issue. Teasing her further might earn me a slap.

Ha-an opened her eyes. It had been two hours since she lay in bed, but she couldn’t sleep.

A dangerous person.

At first, that was all he was. In truth, that evaluation hadn’t changed much.

As an undercover agent from Daejeon, she had to be cautious.

From the beginning, Do-jin was considered a person of interest by the intelligence agency, and his subsequent actions only solidified that view.

Honestly, she wasn't sure if she could control Do-jin anymore.

'As I was saying, the creeping disaster isn’t just one.'

'What?'

'Seo Ik-gyeong and her cronies plan to use nanomachines to eliminate the hunters, but paradoxically, this will hasten the destruction of the Daegu Green Zone.'

'How do you know all this...?'

In terms of intelligence, Do-jin possessed knowledge unmatched by almost anyone.

No, as a direct operative of the New Government's Intelligence Command and an awakened with 'Neural Acceleration,' she had exceptional information-gathering abilities.

Yet, Do-jin knew things even she couldn’t have discovered.

The secret research facility beneath the Catholic Hospital.

The fact that nanomachines were being developed there, backed by City Management Bureau Director Seo Ik-gyeong—how did he know?

Not only were the medical director’s statements confirmed, but her own investigations also revealed connections between Seo Ik-gyeong and the Daegu Industrial Union.

'This isn’t a simple connection; with this level of evidence, it’s almost a certainty.'

Furthermore, the conclusion that these factions aimed to take over the top guilds Dongseong and Namjin Front simultaneously—if it hadn’t been Do-jin speaking, it would have sounded like a madman's delusion.

'Please don’t report this to the higher-ups.'

'What are you talking about! If what you said is true, countless people will die!!'

'Ha-an, you’ll be in danger.'

In response to her protest, Do-jin spoke with unprecedented seriousness. Ha-an instinctively understood what he was implying.

'Are you saying there’s a leak within our intelligence agency?'

'I can’t be sure. But can you confidently say Seo Ik-gyeong hasn’t contacted the New Government at all?'

Ha-an couldn’t answer. This was a massive scale operation. Hadn’t Do-jin already expressed concerns about the Catholic Hospital incident?

He had warned that she might be the one targeted if she acted rashly.

'This is inevitable. It can’t be stopped. If you’re harmed, I won’t be able to handle the crisis in Daegu alone.'

Do-jin looked her straight in the eye. His gaze was filled with an almost absolute certainty. He was addressing Ha-an, no one else.

How ironic. He warned her not to trust anyone, yet he trusted her implicitly.

What was he relying on? They had barely known each other for a month.

It was incomprehensible. Yet, she had no choice but to follow his lead. With no clear directives from her superiors, she couldn’t act on her own.

The command from the Intelligence Department was to maximize the cooperative relationship with Do-jin based on her judgment.

"Phew... I give up."

Ha-an sighed deeply and closed her eyes again. She couldn’t understand why she kept thinking of him before falling asleep.

Two days later,

The day of the grand operation arrived.