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Men with anti-monster rifles that could pierce even the tough skin of monsters stood in the front row, and behind them, men with long swords or spears stuck in their backs were waiting. As the distance between them narrowed, Geum Gang-seop walked out from among the burly men.
He looked more impatient than usual, and his cunning eyes swept over Yoon Tae-ha and the medical capsule next to her.
“Whose coffin is that?”
Geum Gang-seop’s voice echoed in the forest, which was filled with intense tension.
“It’s the coffin of the man you told me to bring. He’s still alive, so don't worry.”
“Cheon Geon-young?”
“Come closer and see for yourself. Should I open the capsule? I might have kidnapped the wrong guy, you know.”
Yoon Tae-ha readily made a motion to open the lid of the capsule. At that, the Espers standing on the other side clattered and raised their guns, aiming at her chest and forehead. They looked ready to pierce her head the moment she made a wrong move with her finger.
“Your head will have a hole in it the moment you open it.”
“Are you still afraid of this man? Cheon Geon-young is sleeping peacefully right now. I fed him the candy Lee Won-shik gave me, and he collapsed like a sick chicken.”
She took out the empty candy wrapper and showed it to Geum Gang-seop.
“Isn’t this what you gave me to use?”
“It seems so.”
Geum Gang-seop recognized the candy and smiled, twisting his lips. It was a reaction as if he was looking at a dog playing well with a toy he had given it.
“You’re the only one who brings me satisfactory results every time. You are indeed different from the other test subjects.”
He raised his hand and told the special operations unit to put down their guns, then slowly approached her. Two Espers who could handle psychokinesis accompanied him. Yoon Tae-ha constantly reminded herself of the location of the ring in her vest and pulled the capsule containing Cheon Geon-young, narrowing the distance between them.
With about five steps left, Yoon Tae-ha stopped. At this distance, even a regular person like Geum Gang-seop could identify Cheon Geon-young’s face. Seeing Cheon Geon-young lying there as if dead, he smirked.
“Well done. We’ll take this man.”
Soon, the Espers grabbed both sides of the capsule. They moved back toward where the special operations unit was gathered. Geum Gang-seop was still standing close to Yoon Tae-ha.
She gathered all her will and patience from within to pretend that she had no strong attachment to the capsule. The capsule's lock was separately manipulated so that it could be released from the inside. Even if it weren't, Cheon Geon-young could melt a capsule of that level as easily as peeling a candy wrapper.
The location where the Chancellor kept the key. Yoon Tae-ha only thought about that and said in a light tone.
“The island seems chaotic. Did someone attack?”
“A large swarm of rats did sneak into the main island. But they will be dealt with soon.”
“If there’s something I need to do, don't hesitate to tell me. I prefer something that I can do comfortably, not something annoying like a disguise mission.”
Geum Gang-seop, who had been listening to her, suddenly reached out and grabbed Yoon Tae-ha’s shoulder. Yoon Tae-ha, inwardly admiring her own quickness for not reflexively twisting his wrist, coldly looked down at Geum Gang-seop’s hand as it moved toward her collarbone. The touch of his hand on her body was disgusting.
“You’re changing the subject. I believe there’s one more item you have to give me.”
The hand that had been slowly scanning her body fell away.
“Blackwood's key.”
“Do you know how much I suffered dealing with that guy? There was a crazy bastard who could handle ice as well as Lee Hae-kyung.”
“When the project is over, I will grant you whatever you want. So, hand over the key.”
“I don’t want to.”
Yoon Tae-ha, who had been constantly reminding herself to think like the Chimera, flatly refused Geum Gang-seop’s offer. Handing over the key obediently was not something the Chimera would do. It was a choice that a Chimera based on her would even less likely make. Geum Gang-seop had killed everyone who had kept the keys. That meant that the Chimera could also be a target for elimination at any time. The Chimera would want to keep at least one way to survive open for herself.
“If I give you the key, you’ll just get rid of me too.”
As if her reasoning was correct, Geum Gang-seop sighed as if he had expected it.
“Was it Lee Won-shik? The one who put strange ideas in your head.”
“I can think for myself.”
“Is there something you want?”
Yoon Tae-ha remembered the identity confirmation chip that had been implanted in her chest. The probability that the Chimera had happily implanted it in her body was extremely low.
“Remove the chip for me. If you get rid of the chip embedded in my body, I’ll hand over Blackwood’s key to you.”
Upon hearing her offer, Geum Gang-seop began to ponder. Yoon Tae-ha, while pretending to check on the special operations unit behind him, took in the sight of the capsule being safely moved.
“Anyway, when the fissure starts, the allies and enemies will be clearly divided. There's no reason for me to keep the chip in my body. Unless you want to get rid of me at any time, that is.”
“Get rid of you? Of course not. You are the best product with high research value. No one can lay a hand on you without my permission.”
“Then remove the chip here. I'll give you Blackwood’s key afterward.”
“I need to confirm if you have the key first.”
Yoon Tae-ha took out Blackwood’s key, which Cheon Geon-young had taken, from her vest pocket and showed it to him. The Chancellor said in a satisfied tone.
“You brought it in properly. As a token of trust, I’ll remove the chip for you.”
While Geum Gang-seop was calling out the name of the person from the special operations unit who could remove the chip, Yoon Tae-ha focused on his actions.
Where is the key? Lee Won-shik and Blackwood always carried their keys on them. Therefore, there was a high probability that Geum Gang-seop would as well. Since he knew that Gaia had fallen into the enemy’s hands, even if he had kept it in a safe before, he would probably have taken it out and had it on him now.
But he wouldn’t have done something as foolish as hiding it behind his tie like Lee Won-shik. Then where? Is beating him to a pulp until he reveals the location of the key really the best way, just as Seo Do-jin suggested?
Since they had to capture the Chancellor anyway and take him to where Gwon Hyuk was, a clash with the Titans was inevitable here. However, Yoon Tae-ha wanted to take the key the Chancellor had without a scratch.
Soon, an agent who could remove the chip called Yoon Tae-ha to a nearby tree.
“Put your arms behind your back.”
A burly man put restraints on her wrists. The restraints were clasped around her wrists with a clicking sound. Then, a stinging sensation was felt on her wrist. It seemed there was a small needle attached to the inside of the restraints. Although she wasn’t that surprised, Yoon Tae-ha intentionally raised her voice.
“What are you doing?”
“We need a guarantee that you won’t harm us.”
Of course you would. Coating the restraints with a paralyzing agent, whatever device was in the chip embedded in the Chimera's body, and all the other petty tricks. It was all familiar, so it was not surprising.
The effect of the drug was negligible, but she pretended to stumble. Since it was made for the Chimera, it didn't seem to work properly on her, a human.
The agents connected the restraints to an unidentified stake stuck in the ground. When an Esper who could manipulate trees twitched his hand, her ankles, waist, and shoulders were tightly wrapped with the roots of the tree. Yoon Tae-ha was left standing with her back against the tree, completely immobile.
“The preparation for the removal is complete.”
The Chancellor, who had been watching the process from a distance, approached. In his hand was an object that looked like a small remote control. As soon as she saw it, Yoon Tae-ha realized that the Chancellor had no intention of removing the chip from the Chimera's body.
Geum Gang-seop, who had come right in front of her, slapped her cheek without warning. With a loud cracking sound, Yoon Tae-ha’s head snapped to the side. Her head was burning, but she pretended to be paralyzed and just blinked blankly.
“You think for yourself? Did I ever allow you to do that?”
She was glad that Cheon Geon-young couldn't see this. If he had witnessed it, Geum Gang-seop might have melted into nothing.
“Have you been hanging out with men and getting a lot of ideas? Are you now coveting the real person’s place? Your face looks like you’re under the delusion that you can become human if the chip is removed, and it's too good for only me to see.”
Geum Gang-seop, with a flushed face, grabbed Yoon Tae-ha’s swollen cheek. When she showed a dull look through her disheveled hair, he pushed his thumb into Yoon Tae-ha’s mouth.
“You are a custom-made doll for that bastard. I sent you to smile prettily and serve him, but you can't even understand your place and are just drooling.”
Geum Gang-seop, who had been forcefully stirring her mouth, took his finger out and held the remote-like object in front of her eyes.
“If you had been faithful to your role, I wouldn't have had to take this out.”
The man, who had been cornered in the arena, became triumphant again in front of a subject he could control. His face was filled with a base joy. Yoon Tae-ha rested her head against the tree and slowly composed her breathing.
“It's not a bad idea to test it out before using it on Kal.”
“You… implanted it in the snake too?”
“It's foolish not to put a leash on a beast that can bite a person to death.”
Geum Gang-seop’s eyes shone with the thrill of trampling on his opponent. He stared directly at the subdued Yoon Tae-ha, heaved his chest, and finally pressed the indented button on the device with all his might.
Click.
Along with the sound of the button being pushed into the remote control, a cold sea breeze blew, making the leaves around them shudder. An eerie silence where not even a single breath could be heard lasted for a few seconds. The forest seemed to have frozen for a moment. At that moment, a painful, chilling scream tore through the dark sky.
The one who screamed was not the Chimera. Geum Gang-seop's eyes widened when he saw the Chimera still drooping her head without any energy. In the midst of the confusion, a tremendous heat suddenly came from behind him.
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