Chapter 314
Chapter 314 Butterfly Effect (5)
First Smartphone G-1.
This small machine that completely changed the way of life and culture of all mankind was sold out in an instant and spread so fast that no one could stop it all over the earth.
And the essential operating system Argos that drives this smartphone.
Boasting strong security and convenience, and at the same time being lightweight, this system, powered by this perfect program, formed a huge surveillance network over the entire planet.
It is like the eyes of Argos, a legendary giant that monitors a set target 24 hours a day, 365 days a year without closing it anytime, anywhere.
[Identification of secret agents of the Japanese government. Securing the identity data.]
Argos' artificial intelligence system that can access all kinds of secret information by freely and secretly accessing databases of all countries in the world. He obtained details of the operation being conducted in Korea in real time and soon began analyzing the extent of the threat.
[Operation Red Cherry Blossoms (紅櫻). factor kidnapping. Identification of the target...]
The operation is being conducted as a top-secret case while maintaining top-level security. However, it was so ridiculous that Argos, who confirmed the purpose and goal of the operation and everything that Japan planned and hoped for through it, began to analyze the risk.
[Attempt to steal virtual reality technology. No risk... none.]
A target who is neither an employee of Arcadia Co., Ltd. nor a college student who is not involved in core research. Originally, Argos would just pass without taking any countermeasures if it was judged not to be a direct threat, but he soon detected a peculiarity.
[Unusual detection. The connection with the top manager is captured.]
The two are being kidnapped by an agent of the Cabinet Investigation Office and are being taken to the Port of Busan. Argos, who was keeping an eye on one of them, decided to take an unusual action.
[Transfer action for the information.]
Lastly, Argos turned its eyes to the vast sea of data again by handing over the related information to Arcadia Co., Ltd., which is fully responsible for virtual reality technology. To carry out its mission of monitoring all forces that threaten the national security of the United States and threaten its creator and chief administrator.
* * *
President Lee Mi-yeon, who was sitting in the office as usual and handling business.
She put down the report she was reading, focusing on the sudden and urgent warning message.
[I received urgent information from Manager Argos.]
“Huh? What do you mean all of a sudden? Is this urgent information?”
[Please check the relevant data.]
At Alice's words, CEO Lee Mi-yeon checked the data in the newly sent email to her computer. And as she read the e-mail, her face hardened.
“Is this... real?”
[That's right. It is judged that the Japanese government is taking direct retaliatory measures for a series of recent incidents.] The
Japanese continent is heading toward catastrophe inside Arcadia.
As one empire collapsed, the powerful forces supporting the two empires collapsed to a level close to annihilation due to a new weapon called a magic turret, and the Japanese continent was literally having a more chaotic time than ever.
- This damn company. Are you going to let the game fail like this?
- An evil company that deliberately enjoys suffering Japanese users. perish!
- Will the Japanese government stand by and watch these atrocities! Direct government intervention!
Amid the simmering public sentiment, President Lee Mi-yeon's outspoken remarks were added as if adding oil, and a fanciful party broke out. In addition, they blew away all of the Japanese government's knapsacks remaining in Arcadia Co., Ltd., so it was as if they had a superpower.
“No matter what, you're going to openly move like this?”
The Japanese government commits a reckless and dangerous crime of abducting people in broad daylight on normal Korean soil. If the operation failed, the aftermath would be enormous beyond imagination, so it was an act that President Lee Mi-yeon could not understand at all.
[According to information received from Argos, the kidnappers plan to stow away to Japan via a regular cargo ship of a ghost shipping company operated by the Cabinet Investigation Office, which is docked in Busan Port. There are still... 9 hours, 24 minutes and 15 seconds until the vessel departs.]
A regular cargo ship departing early in the morning.
Considering that it is now dinner time and everyone is leaving work, the time to respond is infinitely tight. That's why Alice asked President Lee Mi-yeon.
[What would you like to do?]
“What?”
[The reason Argos passed this information on to me is because Player Dex's job is related to the Chief Administrator. However, we judged that there would be no significant risk from the leak of Arcadia and virtual reality technology just because the two recruits were transferred to Japan
. situation.
That's why Alice spoke to President Lee Mi-yeon in a really dry tone.
[In my judgment, it is recommended not to intervene.]
Alice exists for the purpose of operating Arcadia, a virtual reality company and the interests of Arcadia. The advice was given because everything else was unnecessary and meaningless, but President Lee Mi-yeon thought about her words for a while and then sighed.
“Ha..... Why, of course, do you take our accident-prone customers and make things so difficult?”
What if... If Jae-kyun had taken only one person, she might have closed her eyes and ignored her. However, as long as he took the other person who had already become a secret friend, Lee Mi-yeon had no choice.
“Can you roughly match the information provided by Alice Argos by limiting it to the level obtained from our secretariat?”
[It is possible. But in order to do that, most of the information has to be limited.]
Information organized to a near-perfect level.
However, in order to spill the contents to the Korean government, which was completely unaware of these facts, it had to be limited to a certain level of plausibility. However, in the current situation, it is impossible to argue between cold and hot rice, so CEO Lee Mi-yeon nodded with a hard face.
“I can't help it. Please, I can only pray that the Korean government is much wiser than I expect.”
* * *
The National Intelligence Service (NIS), a secret intelligence agency under the direct control of the South Korean government.
This agency, which collects information from all forces threatening national security at home and abroad and is in charge of counterintelligence activities, was caught off guard by a sudden intelligence report.
Quaang.
“You fucking bastards! Japanese guys are still running around like this in Korea, but didn’t you understand that?”
The director of the National Security Agency, who was very angry, was screaming and throwing reports and everything else he could get his hands on.
“Should the secretariat of a company inform us of the movements of Japanese intelligence agents? What the hell are you guys doing getting paid! Even if these idiots disgrace the NIS, they disgrace it like this! Are you all crazy? uh!”
Director Choi Chan-shik shouted for a long time to see if his anger was not resolved and turned the entire situation room upside down.
In the cold situation room in silence where you can't hear a single ant crawling. After taking a deep breath for a moment, he issued an order in a cold voice.
“(Co.) Arcadia kindly provided us with CCTV cameras showing the faces of the culprits. A neat one with the type and number of the car the kidnappers are in.”
Arcadia Co., Ltd. sent CCTV footage of the crime scene recorded in high resolution to find out how it was obtained. Feeling the filthy feeling of crushing his pride and self-esteem as a member of the NIS again, the director growled with a lifelike look.
“Give it 24 hours. Whatever you do, find the whereabouts of those damn monkeys and bring them to me alive. Bring those two people who were kidnapped back unscathed.”
The director said he would give a deadline of 24 hours. And he said it in a very sincere voice.
“If you paint my face again this time... I'll bet my all on you and turn your path into a filthy, filthy field of shit, so look forward to it.”
That's how dozens of agents of the NIS risked their careers and began a blood-drying chase for 24 hours.
To find secret agents from the Japanese Cabinet Investigation Office who suddenly popped out of nowhere and two ordinary college students who were kidnapped by them.
* * *
Jae-Young and Jae-Gyun are kidnapped by the sudden appearance of the gangsters.
As the two menacing them with a gun and taking them somewhere, Jae-gyun whimpered and begged them to let them go.
“Hey..... please... I'll give you whatever money you want, so please just release it. I won’t even report it.”
Jaekyun is sobbing with tears dripping down his cheeks. However, a man who does not show any reaction to him and does not let go of his guard threateningly, pointing a gun at him. As if he had experienced this situation several times, his cold attitude made Jaeyoung's head spin quickly.
‘Given that they are carrying a gun, it is highly likely that they are not ordinary kidnappers...'
Korean with a subtle accent. On top of that, Jae-young could easily guess that the target they were aiming for was Jae-gyun, as he spewed out his life as if he didn't mind killing him and used it as a means to intimidate Jae-gyun so that he couldn't resist.
‘If you have to kidnap Jae-gyun and the purpose is something other than money... It must be related to virtual reality technology, then China? Or Japan? If it's not that, it might be a third country.....'
Jae-young puts together the puzzles one by one, making inferences about the situation that is vaguely taking place. And after a moment's thought, he swallowed his saliva and decided to scoop them up.
“Stop crying Jaekyun. I don't think you'll let me go anyway.”
It's soundproofed so it won't leak outside, but the situation where his cries get loud enough to hurt your ears. So, at Jaeyoung's words to be quiet, Sasaki opened his mouth for the first time, looking at him with strange eyes, who had maintained a strangely resolute and calm attitude from the moment he was kidnapped.
“You are a friend who is quicker to judge the situation than I thought. After all, it’s worth keeping alive without killing him.”
A useful means of pacifying those immature targets. Judging that it would be helpful for the future journey if used well, he planted hope with a fishy smile.
“do not worry. Because you are not our goal in the first place. Unfortunately, circumstances forced us to bring them along, but if we cooperate quietly, you might be able to return home safely.”
Of course, Sasaki hinted at the possibility that he could return alive, although he had no intention of doing so in order to ensure the successful completion of the operation. However, he couldn't help but lose his composure at the moment that came out of Jaeyoung's mouth.
“I don’t think so. If the Japanese intelligence agency is carrying out such an illegal secret operation in another country, there is no way they can send a direct witness alive and return?”
“what....? Japanese intelligence...? what does that mean?”
Sasaki's face, which had been wearing a fishy smile, was distorted in an instant. Jae-gyun looked at him and Jae-yeong's complacent expression in bewilderment and asked, forgetting that they had been crying until just now.
“Why is the Japanese government kidnapping me? Wait a minute, then these kidnappers are not just ordinary criminals... agents of the Japanese intelligence agency...?”
Jae-kyun muttered with a white face as if in shock.
As a college student who lived a very ordinary life, it was an extraordinary event that could not be easily accepted. At that moment when he lost his mind, Sasaki put the gun between Jaeyoung's forehead with a very stern face and growled in a murderous voice.
“You bastard... what is your true identity?”