A suffocating silence. The stillness dragged on.
As the standoff continued, the tension, stretched to its limits, felt as though it might snap at any moment.
Supreme Commander Choi Yul’s blue hologram flickered so erratically that his expression was barely discernible. The high-ranking officers, crushed beneath an overwhelming force, sat frozen in their seats, their faces drained of color. Cold sweat had long since soaked through the backs of their uniforms.
“……I see.”
After a long silence, a middle-aged voice, rough and fractured, came through the transmitter.
“So, you’re not here to negotiate. You’re here to threaten us. If we don’t comply, you’ll overturn the entire board.”
“It was you who started this, Supreme Commander. And this board was set by you.”
“…….”
Choi Yul deliberated.
He was a man who had wielded military authority for years, leading a solid and disciplined organization. Conservative, perhaps, but never ordinary.
And so, he reached the most logical conclusion available.
The fact that they knew about the Creature Wave—a classified secret—meant they had backing from somewhere else. At the very least, they had ties to a senior researcher or even a chief researcher within the R&D division.
<‘Humans may perish, but humanity must not.’ …Is that your motto, by any chance?>
There had to be someone among the generals supporting them from the shadows. Only the generals knew of Choi Yul’s habitual saying. Somewhere within the ranks of brigadier generals, major generals, or lieutenant generals, a dissenter was lurking.
To eliminate Seo Eui-woo and Kwon Jae-jin without identifying the full extent of their faction was out of the question.
He could sound the alarm right now and mobilize all forces for an immediate combat order. But the outcome was clear.
Holding a high-ranking position meant bearing great responsibility. Whether he liked it or not, the blame for this situation would land squarely on Choi Yul’s shoulders. No matter how it played out, he would be condemned as the incompetent leader who failed to properly manage the Awakened.
He would be forced to take responsibility for the crisis and step down in disgrace, while those who survived this chaos would seize control of the Center as they pleased. And undoubtedly, they would be the true masterminds using Seo Eui-woo and Kwon Jae-jin as their frontmen.
To uncover the ones lurking in the shadows, he had no choice but to accept any form of negotiation. If it was nothing more than an empty promise, there was no reason to refuse.
“Fine. I’ll listen to your demands…”
Choi Yul swallowed his bitterness and answered.
“Did you say you would prepare for the Creature Wave? Then allow me to take the lead.”
Of course, Seo Eui-woo and Kwon Jae-jin had no such backing at all.
The shadowy force Supreme Commander Choi Yul suspected was nothing more than an anomaly caused by Kwon Jae-jin’s regression.
“……Are you serious?”
Kwon Jae-jin frowned, his dark brows furrowing at the unexpectedly cooperative response.
“I don’t see why you’d question it. Weren’t you the one holding the generals by the throat and making threats? Besides, the research was rejected only because it was lacking in substance and still in its hypothetical stage. It’s not as if we weren’t aware of the potential threat of the Creature Wave. There’s no harm in making preparations.”
“…….”
“I’ll also give careful consideration to restructuring the system. In fact, we should include a reform proposal for the first quarter of next year as a key agenda item in the next strategic meeting. You should be well aware that an entrenched structure like this can’t be overturned overnight. Wouldn’t it be more beneficial to focus on the impending Creature Wave rather than engaging in a meaningless bloodbath here?”
“…….”
“Now, what do you think? I have taken a step… no, two steps back. So why don’t you cooperate with the military now? Withdraw your ability.”
Kwon Jae-jin silently closed his mouth. Suspicion flickered in his sharp black eyes.
The leverage had shifted to their side. They had achieved their intended outcome. And yet, he couldn’t readily accept it—because Choi Yul’s true intentions remained unclear.
To be honest, he had never expected Choi Yul to concede so easily. Even if, as Seo Eui-woo had pointed out, he was merely pretending to be conciliatory while harboring ulterior motives, his answer was still unexpected.
As Kwon Jae-jin hesitated, Seo Eui-woo muttered coldly.
“……Jae-jin, don’t tell me you’re actually considering negotiating with that man?”
When Kwon Jae-jin glanced back, he saw deep displeasure etched across Seo Eui-woo’s face. His nose was scrunched with irritation, clearly exasperated by Jae-jin’s continued engagement with Choi Yul.
His pale, waxen face remained expressionless, but in his predator-like eyes, a dangerous glint flared. He looked as though he wanted to sink his teeth into Choi Yul’s throat and tear it apart.
“Why are you hesitating? There’s no reason to back down now. Just leave everything to me… and stick to the plan.”
Seo Eui-woo’s ability swelled uncontrollably. Though Kwon Jae-jin remained unharmed within the protective barrier, the generals weren’t as fortunate.
None of them could breathe properly. Their lungs seemed on the verge of collapsing under pressure, and their veins bulged as if about to rupture.
“Huukk…!”
“Ugh….”
The generals trembled violently, eyes bulging in terror. Those who were former Awakened managed to endure slightly better, but the non-Awakened officers were already wetting their pants. If this dragged on any longer, Seo Eui-woo would explode.
“……I know what happens if you take action, Seo Eui-woo.”
Kwon Jae-jin turned his head and whispered into Seo Eui-woo’s ear, lowering his voice so that no one else could hear. The generals were in no state to eavesdrop, but Choi Yul would likely catch it, so he had to be careful.
Kidnapping the generals, scrambling their minds with psychic abilities, going on the run, fighting back, eventually confronting Choi Yul… If they chose the direct path of conflict, there was no need for verbal sparring.
After all, they had come to the Center intending to manipulate the generals’ thoughts with psychic abilities in the first place. That had been their original plan.
“But our plan has already gone off the rails. There’s no way to quietly cover this up anymore. If we go to full-scale war with the Center now, we’ll be putting ourselves—and the other Awakened—at risk.”
Kwon Jae-jin would never trust Supreme Commander Choi Yul, but he couldn’t deny that some of his words made sense.
There was no need for meaningless bloodshed.
By some miracle, there had been no casualties so far. But if the conflict escalated into an all-out war with the Center, there was no telling what would happen. Kidnapping all the generals, manipulating their minds, and then fighting the Center while attempting to capture Choi Yul—it was undeniably a reckless, perilous gamble.
And more than anything, the Creature Wave was approaching.
Even if they somehow succeeded in controlling the generals’ minds and subduing Choi Yul, what then? If the Center expended all its military supplies and the Awakened suffered heavy losses, how would they withstand the oncoming tide of creatures?
With an impending war against endless swarms of monsters, they couldn’t afford to risk unnecessary sacrifices.
It was better to keep Choi Yul’s hand in theirs for now.
Even if they both held knives behind their backs, they could still shake hands with a smile on their faces.
“This is only a temporary ceasefire. It won’t last long.”
At most, it would hold until the Creature Wave passed.
“Nothing more, nothing less. Just until we get through the Creature Wave. If it’s only until then—”
“No. Absolutely not.”
Seo Eui-woo cut in sharply, his eyes contorting with rage.
“Don’t be so forgiving. These bastards all tried to kill you, Jae-jin. They formed a search squad and ordered your capture for dissection.”
“…….”
“You’d be shaking hands with a ticking time bomb. I can’t leave any threats lingering around you. Just end it now.”
Seo Eui-woo suddenly yanked Kwon Jae-jin into a forceful embrace, his arm tightening around his waist. His piercing blue eyes burned with a terrifying intensity—so sharp they seemed to slice through the air.
His gaze was murderous.
“If this bomb is going to explode anyway, let’s just detonate it now.”
The heat of Seo Eui-woo’s body seeped through their contact, and the hardness of his arm against Kwon Jae-jin’s forearm made it clear—his muscles were tensed and coiled like a predator about to pounce.
“Negotiation is over.”
The moment Seo Eui-woo uttered those words, the entire command center trembled violently. The table flipped over, chairs went flying.
The struggling generals were all lifted into the air in an instant. Before anyone could react, they were slammed together, forming a massive, writhing human sphere.
Seo Eui-woo scowled, making no effort to shield them with a barrier. He had no interest in sparing them from his power. His energy surged, preparing to transport all of them at once.
Faced with the shocking turn of events, Choi Yul’s expression hardened.
The flickering hologram blinked erratically before suddenly cutting out.
The transmission crackled with interference, his voice breaking apart.
“Th-this…! What about… decision…”
“Seo Eui-woo! Don’t act recklessly yet!”
“Kwon… your… family… compensation…”
“Eui-woo! Eui-woo!”
Kwon Jae-jin grabbed Seo Eui-woo’s shoulder in desperation. His dry fingers caught onto the fabric of his black turtleneck, stretching the material. The pulled collar revealed the nape of Seo Eui-woo’s neck.
There was no dog tag.
“Stop. I told you—no. I said no….”
“No… the voice…”
“What?”
“Can you hear it? Did you hear it?”
