Black Badger

Lin stared at Hildebert with a face full of shock.

“Why?!”

“That’s right, Commander. Just come to my place!”

Rose leaned in eagerly.

“I’ve got several safehouses too!”

“Lin’s third flat has a good location.”

Hildebert answered absently while opening one of the files stored on the hard drive.

“I’ll pay you lodging later. Bear with it a little.”

“Excuse me? But my third flat is really tiny. Wouldn’t you reconsider? Rose may be young, but she’s sharp and meticulous. I’m sure her safehouses are outstanding.”

“I’ll let you use informal speech while I’m staying.”

Hildebert said casually.

“The entire time I’m in your space.”

Lin’s jaw dropped.

Rose clapped both hands over her mouth.

Her red eyes trembled wildly as she spoke in a shaking voice.

“M-m-m-m-me too....”

“When were you thinking of com— I mean, when do you plan to come?”

The moment he heard Rose’s reaction, Lin snapped back to his senses.

He moved to the other side of Hildebert and knelt.

“I will serve you with utmost devotion.”

“Thank you. Let’s go this evening, mixed in with the after-work crowd.”

“Ah, wonderful. I’ll head back around lunchtime and clean up first. It’s been a while since I used it, so there’s probably dust.”

Hildebert did not answer. He appeared completely absorbed in a file from Don Child’s hard drive.

Seizing the chance, Lin hurried away in high spirits.

Rose seized her own opportunity to thoroughly admire Hildebert’s face.

Only after dawn had fully broken did Hildebert emerge from his deep focus.

“The Core factory inspection?”

“It’s finished! It’s much harder than the Green Dream factory. Even though Heath and his wife are in divorce proceedings, she still technically has access cards to Green Dream. But for the Portal factory, we’ll have to infiltrate. We can’t rely on the Choi family anymore.”

“That’s unfortunate. Still, we’ve identified the factory’s location.”

Hildebert now kneaded his left calf with both hands.

When Rose stared at him, he smoothly changed the subject.

“What’s the plan?”

Hildebert would not participate in reclaiming the Core device.

He had judged there was no need for him to join. Rose, Igor, and Yoow were sufficient. Lin would handle supplies, and Deltei had no direct role to play.

For the time being, she would stay at her house, organizing documents Hildebert sent her and processing expenses indirectly.

Meanwhile, Hildebert—soon to become socially dead—would not move unless a situation required him to use his sword.

Only if someone among the Black Badgers was endangered by Colton’s will, or someone needed to be eliminated.

Until they secured the Core device.

Rose smiled brightly and answered as if reciting from a script.

“The Core device factory is protected by a base. First, Igor will destroy the substation and distribution panels connected to the factory’s central power and communications lines. I’ll wait in the adjacent building, then shoot the auxiliary generator and main gate to attach wires. We’ll suspend a motorized container from the wires to deliver explosives, then trigger an electrical pulse to detonate the auxiliary generator and gate. People regularly attempt to target Core devices anyway. The media will report it as gang or thief activity.”

“Wire gun, explosives, motorized container, night-vision goggles?”

“I already have the last two. Lin said he’ll obtain the explosives tomorrow. The wire gun is hard to get, so he suggested firing rope-tied arrows with a rifle. If we can’t secure a wire gun, we’ll do that.”

“Sounds fine.”

Hildebert approved the plan readily.

“Yoow’s driving?”

“Yes!”

“Be careful. Contact me immediately if anything happens.”

“Yes, Commander!”

“Four to five. No need for six.”

After speaking, the white-haired man stood.

He tapped his left foot lightly, then let his gaze drift in the air for a moment without moving.

Only when he heard Igor entering through the front door did Hildebert turn his body.

“You remember Colton too, don’t you?”

Rose’s red eyes curved as she laughed long and low.

“Of course.”

“You know what kind of human he is.”

“An incredibly charming psychopath.”

The woman who had once been imprisoned in an underground cell covered her mouth with slender fingers and laughed pleasantly.

“I think he has good taste too, considering he liked you, Commander!”

“He’s the type who would fire a bullet into my heart without hesitation and then shed tears.”

Hildebert said in an emotionless voice.

“If I had fallen before Colton with my memories lost, I would have become a second replay, drugged and displayed.”

Rose laughed and agreed.

After quietly observing Hildebert sigh, she added softly,

“He is the kind of person who becomes perfectly beautiful only when he dies or kneels.”

She let out a small laugh.

“You both think that about each other, don’t you?”

Hildebert gave a crooked smile but did not answer.

He loosened his hands and feet once more, then said he would get some sleep and left.

***

Around six in the morning, Ska summoned those in the conference room.

Not a single Black Badger had closed their eyes before his call. They had sat in silence with wide-open eyes, then rose all at once to receive orders.

The headquarters was in disarray over the unprecedented incident.

Many employees still crowded the lobby. It was said that Richard Green and Asil Fiscer had even stormed into the executive office where Gilbert had been.

They tried to control [N O V E L I G H T] the situation, but reporters had also crammed into the lobby.

Unable to leave his position due to official statements and other matters, Ska assigned a selected group to visit CIS headquarters.

“The Commander will go as representative. Leeho and Yun will follow Yehyeon and conduct a proper on-site investigation. Jonathan, you’ve faced Ashen Mantle with Hilde before—confirm whether it was used in interrogation. Jack, if the Creature is still alive, contract it and gather information.”

Ska initially intended to send the others home.

But he received overwhelming protests.

Not only Ricardo and Ami, but even Kai—who had never voiced dissatisfaction—asked him to reconsider.

Ska let out a deep sigh.

“I knew this would happen.”

He quickly abandoned persuasion.

“Fine. You may accompany them, but don’t cause trouble. If we cause an incident now, public opinion will shift and make response difficult. And if a Creature appears, move immediately to support. If we’re accused of leaving duty gaps, things will get complicated.”

After hearing his repeated warnings, they departed immediately for CIS headquarters.

They split into two vehicles. Those with assigned tasks rode in one; Ricardo and Ami, Kai and Sophia rode in the other.

They arrived at the building at tremendous speed and were stopped at the entrance.

But after Yehyeon leaned out the passenger window and spoke a few words, the guards stepped aside.

“Commander.”

The acting Intelligence Director hurried out from inside the premises.

“I truly don’t know what to say. We were completely unaware... never even imagined....”

“I want to see the site.”

Yehyeon replied coldly.

“Show us all CCTV footage as well.”

Ricardo and several others noticed the acting director exchange grave looks with his aide.

The word CCTV had clearly triggered something.

The glance was brief. The acting director quickly composed himself and nodded.

“This way.”

They entered the building, cordoned off heavily with control lines.

“Only those with authorization can enter, so even we had difficulty opening the door at first. As you know, information between departments is compartmentalized....”

They stepped into the interrogation room.

Broken chains. Walls and floors scarred by shell impacts.

The once-white floor was now dried blood-red.

Thick, heavy chains lay on the ground like enormous serpents. Two appeared severed by bullets. The ends of the other two held something.

The Badgers inhaled sharply.

“Hilde’s hand.”

Ami murmured as she approached the severed right hand.

“Hilde’s left ankle.... It’s his, right?”

“It is. Look at the calluses.”

Yun crouched and examined the wrist still caught in chain.

“Hands with calluses like this don’t come in threes.”

Ami and Sophia’s faces turned pale.

No one reacted dramatically. They swallowed their impressions at the sight of their junior’s severed parts.

Yun, Ricardo, and Jonathan carefully inspected them.

Leeho explained the interrogation room layout to Yehyeon. Kairos stood before a ventilation shaft and tilted his head upward.

Yehyeon approached the anxious acting director and demanded CCTV footage—insisting on the tape from the interrogation room.

While agreeing, the director cautiously raised concerns about the media.

“We are in a very difficult position as well....”

Their low conversation was interrupted when an employee entered with a laptop.

Everyone gathered around.

With a bitter expression, the acting director adjusted the playback bar.

“As you can see, this is the final scene before Ashen Mantle’s illusion and fog covered everything.”

“Is he licking water?”

Sophia murmured.

The silence that followed was broken by Ricardo’s humorless mutter.

“Look at the state of his body....”

“Send me a copy of the footage.”

The video vanished from view.

Yehyeon had abruptly shut the laptop.

“And for a while, may we be left alone in this room?”

“Pardon? That’s....”

“Director.”

Yehyeon’s voice turned icy.

“You understand the situation.”

Thus, only the Badgers remained in the interrogation room.

They did not ask why Yehyeon had closed the laptop. Instead, they dispersed and quietly assessed the scene.

All moved in silence.

After about five minutes, they gathered at the spot where the blood was thickest—where Hildebert had lain in the footage.

Yehyeon instructed, almost like a sigh,

“Tell me what you’ve learned. I’ve confirmed there are no listening devices.”

“He cut off his own limbs.”

Yun said.

“The cut surfaces are too clean.”

“A professional job.”

Ricardo sneered.

“I examined the cross-sections as well.”

Jonathan added.

He tapped his katana for emphasis.

Silence descended.

No one moved.

Piercing... silence....

“Hilde cut them?”

“Yes.”

“Ah.”

Yehyeon let out a short sound.

Silence again.

No one moved for a long time.

“Interesting.”

Yehyeon gave a dry laugh.

........