Chapter 167 : Captain
Chapter 167: Captain
Jeong Nayeon’s gaze was fixed on Baek Woohyun, who was currently sweeping through the research facility.
At first glance, he didn’t seem much different from usual, but to her—someone who could now confidently call herself his close friend—there was a clear difference.
The atmosphere that sometimes seemed too precarious had now been pushed almost to the edge of a cliff.
Of course, that precarious atmosphere had been Baek Woohyun’s strength. She knew it was the main contributor that made people unable to look away, drawing them in completely.
In fact, wasn’t the current situation in the studio becoming cinema mode also a miracle created by his atmosphere?
But even so… this was too much. At least from her perspective.
‘To the point where I’m worried an accident might happen… What am I even thinking?’
Jeong Nayeon let out an involuntary laugh. An accident in a virtual reality game. It was such an absurd thought.
If it were PVP, she might worry about some profanity controversy breaking out, but this was a story—the gentlest type of PVE.
The only mistake one could make in this situation would be cursing, and who would consider cursing at an NPC during a story an accident?
People would just think he got a bit immersed and his language got rough. Many had done the same, and there was no reason to be strict, solemn, or serious with him alone.
“This test subject group, isn’t it a new story line following Manmulsang and the special agents?”
“Hmm. That’s my opinion too. Starting with an entrance exam that involves raiding a secret research facility—it can’t just be a passing sub-mission.”
-Real talk lol
-Sub-missions are just doing one favor and done
-So Management Bureau, corporations, Manmulsang, special agents, and now adding the test subject group? Damn
-Things just keep coming out lololol
While Jeong Nayeon was dismissing her thoughts as excessive, Cha Seongcheol and Chloe, finally emerging from their immersion, began conversing.
The topic of conversation was naturally about the test subject group, whose underground secret research facility raid entrance exam was currently being streamed in real-time.
The two speculated that the test subject group was also a new story line following Manmulsang and the special agents, and the viewers thought the same.
Well, considering how obviously there were countless possibilities to extend the story connected to the research facility, it was hard to think it would just end roughly with the entrance exam.
“…A speculation suddenly came to mind.”
It was then that Chloe spoke with a more serious expression than ever before.
“What speculation?”
“We’ve been thinking that through Hackphysical’s story, we keep discovering factions that can progress new story routes, right?”
“That’s right.”
“What if that’s not actually it?”
“That would mean…”
“What if ‘Reverse Planet’ doesn’t have just a few factions, but infinitely many—or can generate them infinitely—but just hasn’t done so yet—”
-What
-Shook
-If this is real, it’d be legendary
-Nah, no way lol… or is it?
“There’s certainly room to see it that way. If there are three, there could be more. But isn’t there too much that doesn’t add up for it to be infinite?”
“Oh? What parts are those?”
“There weren’t just one or two people digging into ‘Reverse Planet’s’ worldview and story. You did too, Chloe, right away.”
“True.”
At Jeong Nayeon’s rebuttal that if it were truly infinite, they should have found at least one back then, Cha Seongcheol nodded in agreement.
As a PVP specialist, he seemed quite interested in either Chloe or Jeong Nayeon’s claims regarding the story.
The viewers, being in a similar position, were also finding the current situation extremely intriguing.
“It might not have existed when story and worldview research was most active, but could have been created recently.”
“That’s… Ah!”
“Seems you realized it. That’s right, Nayeon. The Fully Responsive AI and story system were added just recently, weren’t they?”
-Added through an update…
-Lmao does that even make sense lol
-Then does putting Fully Responsive AI and story system in a game make sense?
-If it’s Planet Earth, totally possible yeah
Planet Earth had updated with the Fully Responsive AI and story system that everyone thought could never be put into an online game due to resource issues.
Moreover, they had even showcased truly absurd technology like Doppelgangers created by stitching together player combat data.
If it was them, Chloe’s speculation might very well be possible to make real.
“Planet Earth is trying to make ‘Reverse Planet’ into another world. A perfectly complete world, no different from reality.”
“Th-there’s no way that’s possible—”
“Oh dear. Did you forget, Nayeon? You’ve already said that twice. Once with the Fully Responsive AI, once with the Fully Responsive Story System.”
Chloe’s eyes curved gently.
She continued in a tone as if fallen in love, or perhaps dreaming.
“‘What happens once may never happen again. But what happens twice will surely happen a third time.’ It’s a famous quote from The Alchemist.”
-Chloe quoted a famous line? Game over!
-Creating another world damn
-It sounds plausible when you hear it, crazy;
-This is absurd but it’s a dev company that’s kept doing absurd things lolololol
***
Kwagagagak!
“Aaaah!”
“What are you doing when I told you to send a support request!”
“I want to! But I’m telling you the connection isn’t working!”
The raid on the underground research facility proceeded smoothly.
The combination of Baek Woohyun pushing enemies from the front with overwhelming force and Kim Youngjun operating from behind with all sorts of insidious schemes was that powerful.
Well, when they were being crushed miserably in pure military power while also losing communication and being assassinated, there was no way the research facility could hold out.
If only one of either Baek Woohyun or Kim Youngjun had attacked this place, driving the research facility to such perfect ruin would have been impossible.
Surely a few would have escaped through secret passages and survived. Whether it was Baek Woohyun or Kim Youngjun, completely blocking even that would have been difficult.
However, both of them came here together, and that was the misfortune of the research facility’s personnel.
Kwadeuk.
“Save me—!”
“I don’t want to die!”
“……”
Having cleared away what had been Etinel turned scrap metal with a single gesture, Baek Woohyun glared coldly at the enemies.
Watching them still desperately struggling to save their own lives brought back the disgust he’d felt toward ‘those people on the other side.’
This too was likely because the emotional disturbance from encountering Kim Youngjun kept dredging up thoughts related to ‘that side.’
—“Saying we really killed people, that we’re murderers—what the hell are you talking about?”
—“What they did to us was several times more horrific than this.”
—“—Don’t you think?”
Suddenly, Kim Youngjun’s question floated into Baek Woohyun’s mind. Whether he’d heard it just now or on ‘that side,’ he couldn’t tell.
That question fully contained the reason for the disgust he and all test subjects felt toward research facility personnel.
No matter how much people say their own hangnail hurts more than anything, the research facility bastards were excessive in that regard.
“I’ll cooperate with anything, so please just spare my life!”
“I’ll hand over all the research data too! I know other research facility locations too!”
‘That’s why they can shamelessly want to live even after doing such things to others.’
“……”
Without answering, Baek Woohyun lightly waved his hand, and that was the end. His telekinesis perfectly crushed the researchers.
According to the telekinesis waves he’d spread, the only people currently alive in this research facility besides Baek Woohyun himself and Kim Youngjun were these.
In other words, with this, the underground research facility had been thoroughly and perfectly raided without leaving a single survivor.
“Wow, clean!”
As if proving that fact, Kim Youngjun also reappeared. He held a dripping bloody dagger as if proving he hadn’t just been playing around.
Though not quite matching Baek Woohyun who had swept everything away from the front, surely at least a dozen or so had met their deaths at his hands.
The flames of revenge burning within him, even as he acted normal, were terribly black.
“Is this enough to pass?”
“Of course. Actually, you passed from the warehouse earlier. This now is just simple recreation.”
Kim Youngjun, who had asserted that the act of raiding a research facility and killing dozens of people was merely recreation for building camaraderie, shrugged his shoulders.
The expression was too serious to consider it a joke, and he likely truly meant it.
To test subjects who had suffered all sorts of terrible fates, revenge was a rightful privilege and merely entertainment to vent their emotions—that had always been his belief.
‘That’s only a story from ‘that side’ but… this side doesn’t seem much different.’
“Ah, right! And by the way.”
Kim Youngjun, wiping the blood off his dagger, spoke casually.
“The Leader said he’d like to see your face once. We can go meet him right away—what do you say?”
“…!”
The question ‘Why would they let a new recruit whose trustworthiness isn’t even certain meet with the group’s leader?’ was meaningless.
From Baek Woohyun’s experience, in cases where the organization itself was small-scale like a group formed only of test subjects, the leader also had to fight desperately.
Moreover, while doing so, they simultaneously had to devise strategies and give orders to other organization members, requiring remarkable abilities in many ways.
The ‘Leader’ had not only survived fierce battles against the research facilities and Corporate Alliance, but had also perfectly commanded subordinate organization members to reduce their casualties.
That meant even if an unverified new recruit suddenly ambushed them, they had sufficient ability to survive.
In fact, if it was the ‘Leader’ Baek Woohyun had met on ‘that side,’ it would be entirely possible. He was a monster-like man in many ways. Enough that even Baek Woohyun willingly followed him.
‘That’s why his betrayal hurt even more.’
The betrayal of a capable and trusted leader drove everything to ruin. The organization completely collapsed, and organization members scattered in all directions seeking their own survival.
Needless to say, additional deaths occurred during the process. When even Baek Woohyun’s life was hanging by a thread, what more needed to be said?
Of course, there was the reason that he had stayed until the end to fight, but anyway, the fact that even he faced a serious crisis was certain.
Moreover, the dogshit part was that after betraying like that, when they met again, the bastard shamelessly rambled about how he hadn’t intended that.
So Baek Woohyun personally drove the Hellhound affiliation badge attached to the bastard’s chest deep into his heart upon their reunion. So deep it could never be removed.
The bastard who had tried to say something died so miserably. Without uttering a single word.
‘If I give him the same death here too—’
Baek Woohyun’s mind, which had been kindling murderous intent, froze momentarily.
Because he realized that to give him the same death, the ‘Leader’s’ betrayal had to happen first.
He had killed the ‘Leader’ on ‘that side’ because of the betrayal, but looking at it now, the ‘Leader’ here hadn’t betrayed yet.
But he couldn’t very well say, “I saw the future and you betrayed us. So die!”
Moreover, the time when the ‘Leader’ began preparing his betrayal was around the 6th year of his life on ‘that side.’ Still a long way off.
Should he kill someone who was currently just being trusted normally as the organization’s leader?
“……”
“What’ll you do?”
“…I’ll meet him.”
After a brief silence, Baek Woohyun’s choice was to meet with the ‘Leader’ for now.
Whatever decision he made, ultimately, he couldn’t decide anything without talking directly first.